Thread: Happy Story!

the year before we met, hubby went on his first cruise when Carnival was still matching up singles. He and the other guy got along so that turned out fine. And then hubby met me and introduced me to cruising, which worked out. Even though he's a neatnik and I tend to be messy.

I might have told this story someplace on CLF but it is quite a story. I talk online with a group of cruisers who are the same religion (we talk about food, family, illness, and even about our trips). One member Merryl had been sick off and on from cancer. Her cancer had returned, she did one last cruise with her husband Bill and then realized the end was near and entered a hospice in the fall of 2008 (her last post was along the same speech I got from my MIL just days later when she was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer). Another member, Helene was going through the same situation as her husband had a reoccurence of his cancer.

Merryl passed away within the month. She had encouraged Bill to keep in touch with Helene and Neil so that they would know to expect if things got bad. Well, they did get bad and Neil was told the cancer was inoperable. He entered a hospice. He passed away on Mother's Day, 2009. Months later, Helene sold the house, moved with daughter into a condo, started to go out on a few (mostly unsuccessful) dates. Bill had kept in touch.

Months after that, Bill asked if he could meet Helene. He offered to fly up from Atlanta to New Jersey. They met on Valentine's Day, 2010. He told her that he fell in love with her even before they met. Helene felt something too but turned down his first couple of proposals. A few months later she said yes. A few months later, she packed up her stuff and her cats. It took a while for her cats and his cats to get along as a family, but eventually they did. All the kids (all grown) also met.

On New Years Eve,2010, they got married in St. Thomas, their officiant was a breast cancer survivor (whose husband was also a member of our online group).

Originally Posted by swrinfla

sunnydaze:

So glad you've found that it works!

After my wife died some 11 years ago, I began to travel a lot. I avoided cruises and tours offering "share" partners. Instead, I took advantage of offerings where a single paid a supplement of only 50%.

My rationale: If my wife were still here, I'd be paying twice the per person double occupancy rate. Now that she's gone, I can travel for less, at least when the single supplement is less than 100%!

While it may be "faulty" mathematics, it works for me!

I continue to avoid singles events. While I may be wrong, I still view them as "meat markets!"

Several years ago, I hooked up with a long-standing divorcee of comparable age whilst we we were sailing the Inner Passage along Alaska's coast. We now travel frequently together but independently. In fact, we're off tomorrow [8/4/11] for a Viking River Cruise on the Danube!

SWR

Good for you SWR! Keep going.. doesn't mean your have to share a cabin. I don't! But I love meeting people and sharing a dinner, movie or event with them--or just going back to my cabin and reading my Ebooks and writing! I guess I've learned to be independent and "picky" (so say my kids), but I still believe I will bump into that guy who plays golf, pickleball, racquetball and can dance to the "Oldies"--BESIDES cruising. And one who I adore! Okay forget that! I'll settle for dancing and cruising next week! Leaving next Monday on the Monarch--alone! Wish me luck...I'm looking forward to it... and the best to you!
Sunnydaze247
"Someone once told me-- A twinkle in your eyes and a smile on your face is a magnet--remember that and you'll never be alone!"

With that attitude you will have a great time. And according to my wife, rule number one is to not go looking for someone. Find someone to be a friend with. It is when you are definitely not looking that you are most likely to find someone.