Those of you that know me, know I spend all my kids would be inheritance on cruises. Writing the books and such is just an excuse to go on more cruises. But… there are one or two special cruises every year I don’t need an excuse for. I’ll share a bit of that with you.

Every year a hoard of Barbarians descend upon coastal areas and board a ship heading to the high seas. It’s happens often in Florida, but New Orleans has also become a Barbarians’ favorite. They arrive ready for wickedness and debauchery.

NO… Not those Barbarians…

I suppose I should give the definition of a Barbarian. I turned to Uncle Google to see what I could find. I think this definition begins to tell the story:

“A member of a community or tribe not belonging to one of the great civilizations.”

Indeed, this is the definition of these Barbarians, but it doesn’t go far enough. Another definition is in order:

A person in a savage, primitive state; an uncivilized person.

Well… for the most part, this one is only true after 11:00 P.M. when the hounds are let loose.

I hear you asking…

• Are these Barbarians the Goths? ——  No, not Goths
• Are these the Huns led by Atilla? ——–Nay, nay… that’s not it.
• And no… Conan has nothing to do with it.

I guess Barbarians are best understood by observing the ancient rituals set down by the Delta Tau Chi Fraternity. These rituals were documented by Harold Ramis and immortalized by John “Bluto” Blutarsky. Watch the video below for a sample:

Least you get the wrong idea, no one was put in jail (for long), and contrary to what some Barbarians believe… they couldn’t make the bars in NOLA nor on the ship run out of booze. Yes… a few tried.

I do need to be serious for a minute… and tell you I have been on three of these, and they are among the best cruises ever. The organizers, Paul Spillman and Maribeth Kring, do an amazing job. You get the most bang for the buck of any “specialty cruise” I have ever been on. The Barbarians cruises started out as a January cruise to celebrate Paul’s birthday. This year there was a sorta mid-year cruise to celebrate… well, just to celebrate.

Another thing about the Barbarians is everyone seems to watch out for everyone else. This past cruise, Debra Spillman and the gang went out of their way to be sure someone needing a little help was taken care of.

I should also mention that this isn’t just a cruise. It’s a time for friends who don’t see each other very often to get together. Barbarians come from all over the world. Many have cruised together, howled at the moon, and mooned the moon several times.

But don’t worry if you don’t know anyone. If you love the piano bar, then the piano-barbarians will welcome you into the family.

Barbarians take to the seas again this January. It will be a warm-up break from the Frozen Tundra when we cruise to the Southern Caribbean. I’m already counting down the days till the pre-cruise party starts.

If you want to know more, contact Maribeth at Cruise Mom Cruises.

I can’t wait to see friends and howl at the moon with them again. 102 days and counting!