The icy breath of winter followed me all the way to Cuba.
I have been heading south from Ohio since Jan. 2, and finally, yesterday afternoon, off Cuba’s northern coast, I found the 60s, full of wind and churning seas. The air contained enough warmth that I sat outside, wrapped in a blanket, and gave thanks.
There’s a lesson here somewhere, that to escape the dead of winter, it’s best to get on a plane and don’t get off until at least San Juan.
Instead, I inched my way south, leaving Cleveland at 16 degrees, finding Hendersonville, N.C., at 18, and Orlando, Fla., in the 40s and 50s.
On Saturday, from Port Canaveral, the Carnival Dream sailed south in surreal seas covered in a film of fog, as the January ocean was significantly warmer than the air.
That first night, and through the day on Sunday, we huddled inside Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, as the captain cruised steadily south, through the Bahamas and around Key West, then southwest along the northern coast of Cuba toward Mexico’s Yucatan and the island of Cozumel.
Passengers watched the thermometer on television screens as we slipped through the 50s and into the 60s.
Bands played, comics told weather jokes (“Welcome to your Alaska cruise,” said one), and most games continued as normal, except the men's pool deck hairy chest contest, which has been postponed until next Friday, when we head back toward Port Canaveral.
Most cruise ships don't offer a hairy chest contest, but this lively event is a Carnival staple, and passengers no doubt were relieved to hear that an alternative contest date has been established.
Today, on Cozumel, a bit of sunshine promises the cusp of 70 degrees. From what I hear about most of the Eastern half of the United States, that sounds toasty.
