That’s right, dear reader. We were one of those people that you probably heard about or talked to and thought, “What idiots! Don’t they know what’s happening in the world right now?” And the answer is yes, we knew. But we didn’t know it would be the pandemic it is now.

The truth is I was desperate for a getaway with my husband. My husband was out of town the week before, so it was just me with “George” and “Abu”. I loved having that time with them, but not having my partner there was exhausting. Doable and manageable, but exhausting. I knew I would miss the little monkeys terribly, but Michael and I felt this vacation was a necessity.

My only real concern was that they were going to cancel the cruise or that I would get flu-like symptoms and not be able to enter the ship. I had my eye on one prize, and that was reaching the Caribbean Ocean. And we did.

“George” and “Abu” were in the trusty hands of my parents, who took time and spent money to become certified respite caregivers. (I couldn’t be more grateful for them.)

We walked onto the boat along with thousands of others with so much confidence that nothing bad would happen to us. We don’t pay for wifi when cruising because we enjoy being blissfully unaware and disconnected to the outside world. Several areas around the ship would broadcast CNN or ABCNews about canceled sporting events and school closures. They showed images of people wearing face masks and stores full of empty shelves.

I couldn’t help but wonder if getting off the boat would be like Rick Grimes waking up from his coma in The Walking Dead. I could picture us dragging our luggage along Port Canaveral roads lined with abandoned, dusty cars with no sign of life other than the crows. But the thought was fleeting and I ordered another pina colada.

The trip was fun and relaxing, and I’m glad we didn’t cancel it. I know not everyone who went on cruise ships around that same time will feel the same way, especially those who have been stranded or contracted the virus on board. My prayers go out to them. But for us, it was the perfect calm before the storm. And there have been several storms since coming back as we deal with the day to day changes.