FEATURED OBSESSION
Some people collect souvenirs.
Steve builds them.
Roads, rails, runways and buildings make considerably more sense once they have been reduced to several thousand interlocking plastic pieces.
THE BRICK ZONE
Okay, yes. There are LEGO.
Architecture, vehicles, oversized builds and the ongoing belief that there is always room for one more set.
Some people collect souvenirs.
GALLERY
Minions
Because apparently one Minion was never going to be enough.
GALLERY
Everyone Is Awesome
Pretty self-explanatory.
TRANSIT — SORT OF
The Knight Bus
All destinations. Nothing underwater. A triple-decker bus seemed entirely reasonable to add to the collection.
TRANSIT
London Double-Decker
A classic red London bus — because the transit collection was never going to stop with American buses.
ARCHITECTURE
The Sears Tower
Chicago's skyline legend. Always will be. Some things simply do not need to be renamed.
DESK DECOR
F-CAW-F!
My official workplace ambassador for professionalism, diplomacy, and Christmas cheer. Yes, this actually sits on my desk at work.
MORE BUILDS
The table was free once
The larger the set, the more convincing the argument that it counts as home décor.
ROADS • RAILS • RUNWAYS • AND APPARENTLY SHIPS
CRUISES
Because sometimes the road less traveled is water — and every trip seems to come with a story, a witness, or Jeff.
⚓ Royal Caribbean preferred • Carnival was given one chance
THERE IS ALWAYS A STORY
This is a travel log, not a ship encyclopedia.
It is the collection of trips, places, people and moments I actually remember — which, in my world, is considerably more entertaining.
Royal Caribbean became the cruise line of choice. Carnival got one cruise. That was sufficient research.
The Cruise Log
May 2008
🚢
The First Cruise
CarnivalFirst Cruise
Who went: Steve, Jeff Dodd and Phillip Bryan.
Sailing from New Orleans, the itinerary included the Yucatán and Cancún, Mexico.
The cruise that started the sea-going chapter and established a very clear cruise-line preference.
Official retrospective: Carnival SUCKS. We tried it. Research completed.
January 2010
🏝️
Haiti — Two Weeks Before the Earthquake
Royal CaribbeanHaiti
Who went: Steve and Jeff Dodd.
The trip included the Bahamas, Jamaica and Haiti. After helping Jeff move, we went on a cruise that included Haiti. Two weeks later, the devastating 2010 earthquake struck.
That timing turned what had simply been a vacation memory into something I would always look back on differently.
2011
🌈⛴️
Pride on Lake Michigan
ChicagoPride RideJeff, Al & Ms. Lucy Foozie
Who went: Steve, Jeff, Al and Ms. Lucy Foozie.
A Pride boat ride on Lake Michigan. Not a traditional ocean cruise, but a boat, Chicago, Pride and this group absolutely qualifies as a travel story.
Sept. 19, 2015
🎂🚢
My 40th Birthday Cruise
Royal CaribbeanOasis of the Seas40th Birthday
Who went: Steve, Jeff Dodd and Al Stout.
I sailed from Fort Lauderdale on Oasis of the Seas.
Itinerary: Nassau, St. Thomas and Sint Maarten. Jeff upgraded us to a two-story loft suite.
There are ordinary birthday trips, and then there is turning 40 in a two-story suite on Oasis.
Oct. 18–26, 2025
👑🎂
My 50th Birthday Cruise
Royal CaribbeanOasis of the SeasRoyal Suite50th Birthday
Who went: Steve, Jeff, Al and Jason.
Back aboard Oasis of the Seas, sailing from Fort Lauderdale.
Planned itinerary: Curaçao, Aruba, Cabo Rojo (Dominican Republic) and CocoCay. This time the accommodations were a Royal Suite.
What actually happened: A passenger was injured on board, requiring us to divert to Jamaica for a medical evacuation. After that unexpected stop, a hurricane disrupted the itinerary and prevented us from visiting Curaçao.
Forty established the standard. Fifty made absolutely no attempt to lower it.
Feb. 10–14, 2027
🎤🚢
Suite Rife on Deck — Matt Rife at Sea
Upcoming CruiseMSC Poesia4 Nights
February 10–14, 2027: A four-night comedy cruise aboard MSC Poesia, sailing round-trip from Miami.
Early booking bragging rights: I was among the first 500 to book — and reserved a two-room suite. Apparently I have no intention of lowering my cruise accommodations standards.
Itinerary: Miami → Day at Sea → Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos → Day at Sea → Miami.
Matt Rife and friends, stand-up comedy, live music, themed activities, and a guaranteed seat for one Matt Rife theater show. Sun, sea, and more than enough material for another cruise story.
Status: Upcoming adventure. Official Suite Rife on Deck website ↗
⚓ Where the Ships Took Me
The actual 50th birthday cruise route, plus the earlier cruises and stories that earned permanent map status.
Actual 50th birthday cruise route • 18–26 October 2025 • 2,789 nautical miles
40TH BIRTHDAY • 2015Fort Lauderdale → Nassau → St. Thomas → Sint Maarten → Fort Lauderdale
50TH BIRTHDAY • 2025Planned: Fort Lauderdale → Curaçao → Aruba → Cabo Rojo → CocoCay → Fort Lauderdale
Actual: Diverted to Jamaica for an injured passenger’s medical evacuation; afterward, a hurricane prevented the planned Curaçao visit.
Actual: Diverted to Jamaica for an injured passenger’s medical evacuation; afterward, a hurricane prevented the planned Curaçao visit.
2010Haiti — visited just two weeks before the devastating earthquake.
2011 PRIDE RIDE • CHICAGOAl and Ms. Lucy Foozie get an honorary map entry. Lake Michigan is a little far north to squeeze honestly onto a Caribbean map.
40th Birthday • 2015
50th Birthday • 2025
Earlier cruise history
THE JEFF FILES
Every trip needs witnesses.
🍽️
The Dining Room Incident
Jeff went to the maître d’. Whatever happened in that conversation worked, because the main dining room service for the rest of the cruise was spectacular.
Conclusion: do not underestimate Jeff when dining standards are involved.
🥂
Jeff’s Other Travel Damage
Jeff deserves credit for helping turn me into an Amtrak business-class and five-star-hotel snob.
Airplane first class, however, was entirely my own mistake. Once experienced, coach became considerably less charming.
Current Cruise Line Rankings
Preferred
👑 Royal Caribbean
Would cruise again. Has earned repeat business.
Dignity-Free Zone
🛟 Carnival
One cruise. Enough data was collected. No dignity has been allocated.
