Dream cruise

It’s a proud parent’s dream.
It’s called a Tiger Cruise.
“So few people get to do this,” said Portland’s Tim Morris. “It’s a once in a lifetime experience to go.”
Morris, a building contractor, set sail from Hawaii aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt on Nov. 15 on a week-long trip to San Diego.
Also on board was Tim and Cindy Morris’s son, Lt. Cdr. Shawn Morris, who is the medical administration officer and assistant department head aboard the aircraft carrier.
“I think the best part about the trip was my dad actually being able to see what I do and how it contributes to the ship’s mission,” said Shawn via email.
Tim had a similar assessment.
“The most important part of the trip was the relationships created, meeting Shawn’s closest friends for the last nine months,” he said via email. “I also loved talking to other parents and their sons and daughters. The sense of pride was shared and celebrated.”
Shawn’s parents, his wife Lara, and his father-in-law were able to get a taste of the Navy experience with a one-day trip in the Atlantic last fall.
“Similar experience, just shorter and no overnight stay,” said Shawn.
But a Tiger Cruise is a much richer opportunity.
The cruise offers a chance for family and friends to see first-hand what U.S. Navy operations are all about. A Tiger can be any friend or relative — with the exception of spouses, someone a sailor is engaged to or significant others — over the age of 8 who is in good health.
“There are over 5,200 sailors and Marines onboard during deployment,” said Shawn, “but experiencing what it takes to house that many people is a rare view that many people never experience. Actually seeing and learning how this ‘floating city’ is able to make enough water and food for a crew of this size is pretty special.”
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Prior to departure, Shawn thought it might be fun to put his dad to work a bit aboard the ship. He’s worked for his father on many different jobs while growing up. But that didn’t pan out.
“I don’t think I actually put him to work,” he said. “Nothing significant anyway.”
Tim said every day brought new surprises during the cruise.
“It’s the daily discovery from the bridge to the fantail of workshops and halls,” he said. “Count on being lost much of the time.”
Added Shawn, “I think the best surprise along the way was how much fun it was to have a band on board. By chance a friend of mine from the ship has a friend in a band, and they came out during the Tiger Cruise and played a concert every day. … It was a huge bonus for morale and provided great entertainment.”
Plus, said Tim, when Shawn was busy he could just hang out with the band.
Shawn, a Wabash College graduate with a master’s degree in hospital administration, said one of his primary functions on the ship while deployed is arranging medical evacuations for patients requiring a higher level of care than can be provided shipboard.
“On this deployment (in the Indian Ocean), we had 47 medical evacuations of varying city levels that ranged from urgent to routine patient care,” said Shawn.
“Most of the sailors on board look forward to showing the Tigers their roles and responsibilities on board the ship,” he added. “It (is) different though, and that can present challenges. … Adding approximately 725 people that are mostly unfamiliar with the ship and shipboard life can present many new challenges and risks.”
An aircraft carrier is, he pointed out, a “huge industrial environment.”
“Shutting your finger in one of the hatches … on the ship can easily remove the tip of that finger,” said Shawn.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Prior to departure, Tim joked that maybe his own experience as a sailor could make him useful: He is captain of his own sailboat on Prairie Creek Reservoir in Delaware County.
But the Roosevelt’s on a different scale.
His advice to anyone offered a Tiger Cruise opportunity: “Go. Don’t think twice about it. It will change your view forever concerning what your child is a part of.”