Swine flu ruins senior band trip

Written by: the Site Administrator on May 3, 2009 at 9:23 am

What was originally a trip to Cozumel to reward senior band members for their hard work became a trip of nothing but staying on the cruise ship at sea because of the swine flu epidemic.

“We did not go to Mexico at all,” senior Saul Mendoza said.  ”It was a trip to nowhere.”

While on the cruise, there was a rumor spreading around the ship on Friday that someone was sick.

“We went full speed back to Galveston,” Mendoza said.  ”Rumors spread that the person died but that was probably wrong.  People were saying a lot of things.”

When the cruise reached Galveston, the band was offered a chance to leave the ship, but the group declined.

“We paid money and we wanted to get our moneys worth,” Mendoza said.  ”Then on Saturday we got off the boat without having to deal with customs, and neither our bags or documents were checked.”

While the group did not get the cruise they had imagined, they did receive $40 as compensation.

“We were so mad, especially when we found out that we could have gone to the Cayman Islands, but the boat could not be served and it was not in the condition to make the trip,” Mendoza said.  ”Apparently we were on an old boat that is about to be retired.”

However, that was not the only surprise the band was told.

“We got even madder when we found out that the Cozumel and Progresso cruise for next week will get to go to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands,” Mendoza said.  ”Plus they get to change their cruise from five days to seven.”

According to Mendoza, band members were more likely to get the swine flu back home than on the trip.

“We were stuck at sea for a whole week,” Mendoza said.  ”We were probably the safest people.”