One of Ouachita’s most adventurous couples has checked a few more places off the bucket list after taking a cruise over Christmas break.
Andy Henderson, a junior mass communications major from Royse City, Texas, and Kenzie Osborn, a sophomore musical theatre major from Rockwall, Texas, along with Osborn’s parents and two younger brothers, set sail on a cruise during the first week of 2017. They boarded the ship in Galveston, Texas and made stops in Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel before returning back to Galveston.
If the three stops, Henderson said he enjoyed Cozumel because there were hammocks and swings on the beach, and Osborn claimed Grand Cayman as her favorite.
“I really loved Grand Cayman because that day we found this beach, and it was really nice because we got to just hang out. And everyone was talking on Facebook back here about ice and stuff, and we were swimming in the ocean, so it was really fun,” Osborn said.
If you know this couple, you probably know that Henderson is the photo lab editor on campus, so for them, this cruise was full of fun times and excellent photos.
“I think, personally, the prettiest places [and] the prettiest photos I got were from Jamaica, just because the land there is so mountainous and beautiful,” Henderson said.
He added that he also enjoyed photographing the crystal clear waters of Grand Cayman and the beaches of Cozumel. Osborn agreed.
Although Henderson and Osborn had fun on the cruise, it was not always smooth sailing—literally. On the last few days of the cruise, the boat had to sail through some pretty rough waters, resulting in a lot of seasick people and waiters falling down, and the crew actually asked people to stay inside the boat at all times. Thankfully, neither Henderson nor anyone in the Osborn family got seasick. Instead, Henderson and Osborn took the opportunity to see beautiful views and snap breathtaking photos from the front and back of the ship during the storms.
“It felt dangerous! It was so exciting,” Osborn said.
Another adventure the couple will remember from this trip was snorkeling. It was Henderson’s first time, and he was slightly nervous around the fish, something that Osborn did not know about him.
They also visited a “haunted house” in Montego Bay, Jamaica. This house is supposedly haunted by the “White Witch of Rose Hall” who allegedly killed her three husbands and many slaves on the property. Henderson said they visited the cellars where slaves were kept. It is also rumored that if you take a picture of a certain bed in the house, you will be able to see the ghost of the White Witch of Rose Hall when you develop the photos. So, naturally, Henderson took a photo. He has not gone through them yet, so he does not know if she will actually show up.
“It was really scary, but it was really cool,” Osborn said.
Henderson and Osborn also enjoyed the simplicity of shopping around in the market in Cozumel. Henderson said he enjoyed it because, even though it is quite touristy, you still get to see the culture in a market like that.
“One of my favorite memories was probably walking through the shops in Cozumel because there’s just so much to see and so much culture,” Henderson said.
Osborn had a favorite memory of a cool clubhouse-like restaurant on a cliff. She said there was no electricity up there. There was, however, a local man who walked around making grasshoppers and hats out of big green leaves. Henderson described them as looking like “big long blades of grass.”
These two didn’t just have fun exploring the different countries; they also made the most of their time on the boat, too.
“A lot of the things that we did and the fun that we had was actually on the boat itself, which was really cool,” Henderson said.
One of Osborn’s favorite activities on the boat was the sky course. She felt like James Bond on the obstacle course thirty feet in the air. She also enjoyed simply looking out over the ocean from the boat. She said it was “cool and terrifying.”
Both students also enjoyed the movie nights on the main deck. Henderson recalled one eventful night when a rainstorm came up.
“It started to rain one night, so everybody cleared out, and then it stopped raining [about] five minutes later, so we all came back. But we were some of the only people who came back,” Henderson said.
Another exciting thing that Henderson and Osborn will remember from this cruise was getting to see a manatee swim by while they were eating breakfast one morning. Osborn was excited about the sighting.
“She was pumped. And I was too! It was really cool,” Henderson said.
Of course, you can’t go on a cruise without coming back to talk about all the wonderful food you had. One of Osborn’s favorite foods is crème brûlée, so she loved the opportunity to eat that on the ship. Henderson particularly enjoyed the stuffed mushrooms he had as an appetizer at dinner one evening. He also enjoyed trying some jerk chicken in Jamaica.
Both Henderson and Osborn stepped out of their comfort zones to try new or different foods on this trip, too. Osborn tried escargot-and was not a fan; Henderson had some oysters.
This adventurous couple made memories to last a lifetime on their trip, just like they do on every trip they take.
“I just really enjoyed getting to travel with Kenzie, because we’ve traveled before, but never overseas together. It was cool getting to explore places I’d never been with her,” Henderson said.
“For me, the best part about the trip was being able to explore the different ports with Andy,” Osborn said. “I’ve been to the ports before, but him being there made all the difference and made it feel new and exciting all over again!”
The two both agreed that they can see more cruises in their futures, but not too soon, as there are other places to visit and things to do.
“Overall, it was a really cool experience,” Henderson said.
By Katie Jo Henley, staff writer
