JoCO 2020 was a blast, but the looming nature of the COVID crisis really made it tough to get a good party on. We went into quarantine as soon as we got back, and were one of the last cruise ships to leave port.

The caves in the Dominican Republic and the land concert next to the ship, headlined by Liz Phair, went off without a hitch, and the weather was gorgeous.

One of the early beach-day stops got cancelled due to weather, and one got cancelled because Turks and Caicos did not want to allow cruise ships to dock. After that happened, we had enough time in the schedule to return to Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, which is an amazing island.

Still, Holland America always knows how to show people a good time, and the JoCo crew is fun. It’s basically a floating convention, with a lot of cheer, parties, music, and camaraderie amongst total strangers.

John Scalzi had a nice writeup of both the experience and the weirdness of being on one of the last ships to leave port before quarantine. He referred to it as the “Last Best Time”, which feels appropriate.