Comic Con the Cruise Vol. 1: I Absolutely Did Not Keep My Cool and I Regret Nothing
I have been on cruises before. I have sat by pools and eaten too much and watched the ocean go by in a very pleasant, low-key kind of way. Comic Con the Cruise Vol. 1 was absolutely nothing like that. It was a full sensory experience of fandoms, sequins, people in elaborate costumes at 9am, panel rooms packed with enthusiastic humans, and me, a grown adult IT professional, completely losing her composure multiple times in the best possible way.
Let me tell you about meeting George Takei. If you are a Star Trek fan, and I am absolutely a Star Trek fan, there is something that happens in your brain when you are standing next to Hikaru Sulu. It short-circuits a little. He was gracious and charming and had this presence that made the whole moment feel significant in a way I was not entirely prepared for. I managed coherent sentences. I am counting that as a win.
Warwick Davis was a completely different energy, and I mean that as the highest possible compliment. The man is pure joy in a compact package and had stories for days. He has been in more beloved films than most people have seen total, and he talks about all of it with this warmth and enthusiasm that makes you feel like you are hearing it for the first time right along with him. If you ever get the chance to be in a room with Warwick Davis, take it. You will leave happier than you arrived.
Ernie Hudson, who I will forever associate with Winston Zeddemore and Ghostbusters, was exactly as cool as you want him to be. He has this calm authority about him that makes you stand up a little straighter. Meeting him felt like meeting someone who has always known exactly who he is, and that kind of presence is genuinely rare. I did not embarrass myself. Mostly.
And then there was Felicia Day. If you know me, you know that Felicia Day is the person who made geeky, smart, creative women feel seen on screen before that was particularly common or celebrated. She is one of those people who radiates genuine warmth and actually talks to you like a human being rather than a fan transaction. I may have told her she was an inspiration. She was very kind about it. Comic Con the Cruise Vol. 1 was an absolute riot and I will absolutely be looking at Vol. 2. You have been warned.
