All aboard! Yiddishe davening & creamy dessert

What a difference a few days make! Last week, I was sitting on a beach in St. Kitts, the days before that in Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Puerto Rico.

Before you start groaning at me, listen: I go on one vacation a year; I stay home for Pesach and have lots of company while many of you are relaxing all around the globe. While this was a 12-day cruise, it was a great deal; we were upgraded to a balcony for the cost of an inside cabin and tips were included.

As luck would have it, the morning we scheduled to leave, there was freezing rain and super slick roads. The car service that picked us up sent a regular car (obviously, they misunderstood when I said we had 4 adults, 5 suitcases and 3 carry-ons). The driver called a friend with a van who arrived 30 minutes later. With an hour and 45 minutes to get to the pier in New York City, we thought we were safe. But alas we traveling five miles an hour, when we were moving. Panic set in. At 2 pm doors would close and we’d miss the cruise; when they say last arrival is two hours before embarkation, they mean it.

With six minutes to spare we rushed inside and made it through customs and check-in within ten minutes. Our cabins were ready, but our luggage had not been delivered yet. What shall we do? (That’s a trick question — remember, we’re on a cruise; the answer is, eat!) All of the ice cream choices — both hard and soft — had kosher supervision. Not sure if that was good or bad. 

By the time Friday night came around, a  room was secured and more than ten men assembled for minyan. They elected Jerry to daven from the ahmed, which he never, ever, would normally do. But he did and he was hit.