MSC Seaview

The Monday Mantra…

JudiCuervo

The Monday Mantra

Your Weekly Dose of Cruise Humor

Join me each week for a different mystical chant that will transport you from your ho-hum existence to the glorious world of cruising.

Lest you think I’m getting all “Kumbaya” on you, let me assure you that my mantras will invoke the realities of cruising. Some days we’ll fall under the magic spell of Norwegian Cruise Line’s heavenly pretzel rolls, Sea Dream Yacht Club’s Balinese sunbeds, or the blessings of a private veranda, while other days we will summon the gods’ wrath and rain it down upon maddening shipboard announcements, overly charismatic cruise directors, or shipmates who wake at dawn to pile books, clothes, and all sorts of pool paraphernalia atop 10 choice poolside deck chairs with no intention of occupying them until the sun begins to set.

We’ll achieve nirvana ashore as well, frolicking in the transcendent energy of powder-soft beaches in sun-drenched ports, conjuring the spirits of high-school Spanish teachers while trying to buy a pair of shoes in Barcelona, or empowering ourselves with a firm and convincing “No, thank you very much, I do NOT want my hair braided today.”

If your Mondays usually begin with a terrifying alarm clock squeal, a splash of coffee on your favorite shirt, and a harrowing commute to the office, relax and immerse yourself in the Monday Mantra. Each is sure to bring you one week closer to your next cruise.

– Judi Cuervo

Judi Cuervo is a New York City native who fell in love with cruising in 1976 during her first sailing aboard Carnival Cruises’ Mardi Gras. Twenty years later, she began her freelance cruise writing gig and, since that time, has covered mass market, ultra-premium, riverboat and expedition ships for regional, national and international publications as well as cruise websites.