Cape Coral Cruisettes travel in style
Besties share love of ocean views, tropical isles and an eye for fashion fun
There’s nothing like good friends, beautiful ocean views, and matching outfits to bring a group of ladies together.
A group of seven Cape Coral women have dubbed themselves the “Cape Coral Cruisettes,” and have turned their shared love of travel, friendship, and style into a tradition.
Ranging in age from their mid-50s to late-70s, the “Cruisettes” regularly travel together on cruises, planning their trips around time spent catching up, exploring new destinations, and of course, coordinating their vacation wardrobes.
What started as hitting the local boutique for outfits that will see them travel in style has grown into an unbreakable bond with others that experience every milestone and embraces adventure at any stage of life.
The “Cruisettes” are made up of Nancy Shuman, Bobbie Williams, Toni Huff, Elizabeth Gerding, Lori Breitman, Norma Colver, and Beverly Watson.
The origins of the group began with Shuman hitting the high seas with Williams and another friend. Then arrived Gerding and Colver.
“Then, it grew from there,” Schuman said.
Breitman said she met Shuman and Williams through a friend of a friend — a classic way additional friendships are built. She said their friend group now totals close to 30 women, with up to 10 hopping aboard a cruise at any given time.
“From time to time, someone friends a friend from outside the group, so we have been known to occupy up to eight cabins,” Breitman said.
Williams said she and Shuman’s friendship dates back to 1989.
“We’ve been through lots of things together over the years, and we’re so happy to be retired together in Florida,” Williams said.
For Gerding, she met Williams while she was living in Virginia for a few years after she and her husband decided to move back to Florida.
“We visited them and discovered Cape Coral,” Gerding said. “All of her friends were so welcoming, that after a couple of years of visits and one year renting, we decided to buy our home. What a great decision. Our girls cruises started small and have grown in popularity and size. Now, it’s an annual tradition that we all look forward to each year.”
Colver was introduced to Williams and Huff in 2001, when they were all building their Florida homes on Surfside Boulevard. Colver said from there, the friendship grew and blossomed.
“As newcomers appeared, we welcomed them,” she said. “Ultimately, this led to our yearly girl cruises. This meant shopping, playing mahjong, and socializing almost daily.”
In total, the group has ventured out to sea eight times. The excursions usually take place between February and April, usually to a destination in the Caribbean.
Shuman, Gerding, and Williams once even took a transatlantic cruise that can be described as “epic” for those that took part.
So, where have been the top-billed destinations for these well-traveled women?
“My favorite is the ABC Islands, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao,” Shuman said.
For Gerding, she said, “The Southern Caribbean is my favorite. I also enjoy St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Aruba.”
Hitting the deck in various tropical locations, of course memories, and many of them, have been made along the way.
For Shuman, what she remembers most is the smiles.
“We have had so many laughs over the years,” she said.
Breitman agreed. “Memories from the trips all blend into each other, but they all share one common theme — laughter,” she said.
Due to their matching attire, usually with a lot of flare, Gerding said seeing the reactions from others on the boat is always fun to see.
“Honestly, when we dress alike and walk around the ship, we get so much attention,” she said. “People want to know who we are, where we are from, and if we are a family. Well, we are the family we have chosen for sure. They always compliment our tops and I think we could have sold many throughout the years.”
Colver shared the sentiments of her fellow Cruisettes, saying, “Every cruise has brought we fun, laughter, and great camaraderie.”
So, let’s talk about these threads.
Courtesy of Anthony’s Ladies Apparel, the storefront has served as the group’s go-to for each trip.
“We all have very different taste and styles, so finding something we all love can be challenging,”Breitman said. “Fortunately, Anthony’s has so many styles to choose from. Right now we seem to have two shirts to bring on the November cruise. We get so many comments from the other passengers when we’re all wearing our shirts. Nancy’s our spokesperson and always ends up answering their questions and conversing with people we don’t know.”
How would one describe the group’s style?
“Funky. Fun. Classic,” Shuman said.
Naturally, the group’s bond goes beyond their annual adventures. They are part of one another’s every day lives. Even their husbands are friends.
Breitman said many of the husbands play poker and ride motorcycles together, while the women play mahjong twice a week.
You can’t miss Huff’s house on a Tuesday night, with dinner and drinks being served.
“We say it’s to play mahjong, but honestly, it’s mostly to spend time with Georgie, Toni’s adorable Havanese,” Breitman said. “On Thursdays, we take turns hosting to play for a few hours before more cocktails.”
Gerding doubled-down on the group being the family that they have chosen.
“The one thing we can all rely on is the support of the group when needed,” she said.
For Watson, the kindness shown during a difficult and unfamiliar time with Hurricane Ian showed her all she needed to know about this group.
“Mary Anne — another one of the Cape Coral girls — told us if there was ever a hurricane, we could shelter at their home,” she recalled. “We never thought we would need to take them up on that offer. Then Ian hit. We had a lot of damage to our home. We were under 4 feet of water on the lower level of our home. Tim and Mary Anne did not hesitate to take us in along with our two cats. We wound up living with them for five weeks. Needless to say, we are now the best of friends. During our time living with them we were introduced to the rest of the Cape Coral gang. The girls immediately included me in everything. This community of friends and support means everything to me. Not all things that happened as a result of the hurricane were bad. I got accepted into the best group of friends I could ever have.”
Gerding said while she was in Virginia, Williams’ husband, along with Mary Anne’s, came and put up their hurricane shutters to protect their home.
“That was a huge task, and is an example of just one of many ways this group supports each other,” she said.
Shuman added, “Our lives are totally intermingled. I guess you could say we are a close tribe. We have all had each other’s backs over the years with sickness, and, unfortunately, a few close friends passing away.”
Breitman said, “We are very fortunate to have found each other. Not everyone gets to make new friends who become family at this point in our lives. When I had to sell my dad’s house on the east coast of Florida, Bobbie and Nancy didn’t even need to be asked. They jumped in the truck and drove across the state to spend Memorial Day weekend helping me pack up the house, and dried my tears.”