In the spirit of our upcoming voyage, here we are dressed for an 80s-themed costume party last Halloween as your Cruise Director Julie McCoy and Captain Merrill Stubing.

Pretty scary.

But coincidentally, right up there with the “six degrees of separation” theory, our friend Jan informed us that the real Cruise Director for our original Around the World voyage was to be her midwestern, regionally grown and educated, former financial advisor. We were told that he sailed on staff with another cruise line earlier in life, then returned to his “real-world” career in the financial industry for several years. Now he and his wife, both accomplished entertainers, once again lured by the sea and far away destinations, were offered staff positions with Oceania’s inaugural 180-Day Around the World cruise. Really…..just what are the odds?

With all the unexpected changes to the trip, we will see how this unfolds. But, no matter what happens I feel assured that, once onboard, we will be in more capable hands than those of Julie McCoy and Captain Stubing. In any case, it is also certain evidence that indeed, it is a small, small world after all.