My Cruise Story & How it Came To Be
I want to take this time to thank EVERYONE who cruised with us, joined us from another group, cheered for us, prayed for our safety, or that hoped we’d bring you something back. Many of you told others about the cruise, wondered about the possibilities of it all, criticized it, or kept up with the happenings even though you weren’t even going, we appreciate all of you too.
As many of you have heard the story, it bears repeating, especially since it became more of a success than I imagined. It was just a thought a year ago, when my daughter, Krystal, offered to take me on a cruise. I was delighted, and so proud of my daughter, and looked forward to bringing people together on this new adventure.
As I looked around the ship last year, I wondered if there would be other members of The Norfolk, We Remember group who would like to go on a cruise as well. I thought of all the advantages of leaving from downtown Norfolk, the mobility benefits for those with difficulties, being able to tour and enjoy friends, the entertainment, and food with little hassles traveling. The greatest benefit was being with classmates, former neighbors, and friends as well as family. How amazed I was at the people who thought the same thing and signed up to cruise. People came as far as Upstate NY, Delaware, Alaska, Georgia, NC, Florida, and NJ. to cruise with us. I heard statements such as:
“Yes, I’m going on this cruise even with my cane, and anything else that I need to get around.”
“I’m going on this cruise because this may be my last time”.
“I’m going to see who in my family, or my friends would be interested in going too.”
The next thing I did was to get recommendations from a travel advisor to make the possible travel arrangements. Even when the money became due during the Christmas holidays, group members paid their money, and planned cabin adjustments.
As I thought about the cruise, and how TNWR could add to the enjoyment for all, I began to look for excursions that would be of interest to our members. One of the real reasons that I wanted to go on this particular cruise is because the Port of Bimini had just been added to the schedule of cruise ports. Since I had not been to Bimini, I decided to research the excursions and history of Bimini. The cruise ship-planned excursions included snorkeling, scuba diving, etc. It didn’t seem to me that the members cruising with us would want to do those activities. I began a search for a touring team or organization, preferring a group that offered cultural tours, and who could offer a tour for those who had mobility difficulties, and one that TNWR members could relate to. After much searching, and as I was ready to end my search, an organization named Bimini Island Tours popped up on my screen. How surprised I was as this organization looked exactly like what we needed. I received a wonderfully quick response from them. What I needed was exactly what they offered. Very soon, I was connected to The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, and we began to make plans for activities in Nassau, Bimini, and Freeport, Grand Bahamas.
Our Nassau stop would be our “Welcome to the Bahamas” activity with transportation to the Junkanoo Beach, entertainment, food and fun. What we received was more than that, as we were greeted with signs bearing TNWR logo, transportation for one half of our group, and a cool place to sit for the other half, until the transportation returned.
The Bahamas Tourism Bureau met us at the beach. We were greeted with costumes, drums, dancing, Bahama Mamas, decorations, reserved seating, table clothes, decorated tents, and platters of conch fritters. A scheduled television interview had been organized to inform the Bahamas TV world about TNWR and our special cruise. The weather was wonderful, the water was beautiful, and the time spent with family, friends, and classmates priceless.
Our Bimini Excursion was educational, entertaining, and fun. The theme of this excursion had been named by our travel guide as Norfolk meets Bimini. We learned the connection between Norfolk and Bimini, understood the enslaved who became free in the Bahamas, met those who lived in Bimini with ties to our area. Some visited the museum built by hand in mosaic style, all had a chance to sample food of the island, and we all had a chance to enjoy the beautiful blue water, whether we entered it or not.
Our Farewell to the Bahamas given to us by the Tourism Bureau, offering us another opportunity to experience the open-hearted welcome we received in the Bahamas, which had been designed just for us. A band had been set up on the bandstand, the band and other Island music playing all around. We received gifts, a private tour and several from our group had a chance to perform on stage.
TNWR group was treated royally, and my hope is that many other groups will have a chance to experience what we experienced and more. These were unique activities, a first for us, but it won’t be the last. Already, other groups have heard about our unique experiences and want to duplicate the visit for themselves.
Dwell for a moment regarding history of Norfolk’s waterfront, free and enslaved Blacks, the ships with human captured cargo that crossed the ocean, those who were enslaved becoming free in the Bahamas, the connection of Norfolk with the Bahamas, now being entertained and returning to learn the connection of being home.
The beginning of the year marked a turning point for The Norfolk We Remember. We became TNWR, LLC. August 9, 2023, will mark the (8th) eighth year of our group. Our cruise together created friendships, bonded families, shared unknown history about our ancestors, offered laughter and joy, and more eating of ice-cream cones and burgers, than we care to admit. Every comment has been positively glowing and encouraging us to keep on moving forward. In eight years, we have come a long way.
Set your calendars and get ready to do it again in March 8-16, 2025 on our Historical Black High School Reunion Cruise to Half Moon Cay, Bahamas, Grand Turk Island, Turks & Caicos and Amber Cove, Dominican Republic. See further details on our Events Page.
Happy Anniversary to EVERYONE of us, especially those of us who enjoy The Norfolk We Remember, Our Joys, Our Experiences and Our History on Facebook. Thank you for your company, your input, your suggestions, and your criticism. It all helps us to keep on growing, enjoying, and learning our history.
Love the site!! Great job mom!!!!