It was touching — for us anyway — to read that the George Bushes crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 this month. Those are the George "41" Bushes, whom we have come to admire…politics aside because cruising, and people like us who write about it, have no interest in examining the West Wings of the world.
The fact that George and Barbara Bush are 
now cruisers is just another reason for us to like them.
Liking them goes back to being in College Station, Texas.
Other than to get an education at Texas A and M, the most compelling reason to visit College Station is to see the George Bush Presidential Library, which may have to incorporate "41" or "Sr." into its title once George 43 (Jr.) opens his library in 2014.
Enchanted with Presidential Libraries since visiting Lyndon Johnson's several years ago, we enjoyed the one in College Station the most of the four we have seen (Reagan and Clinton are the others). The reason is that the Bushes come across as being as "normal" as anybody who has lived in the White House can be.
As with all Presidential Libraries, theirs provides insight into what they think and how they act when not on the public stage. All the libraries are educational and insightful. Of the four we have visited, the Bush 43 library was for us the most personal.
Now that they've been on a cruise ship — can you imagine the security? — they're even more like the rest of us. Cunard crew members were understandably impressed with the status of the senior Bushes, but also with their personalities.
“I've been looking forward to this for weeks!” they heard the former President say.
"Weeks?" said the former First Lady. “You've been talking about nothing else for months!”
Cunard, of course, is accustomed to having royalty on board.
Just not American "royalty."
Crown Princess
12 nights
June 29, 2012
Rome, Livorno, Sorrento, Santorini, Athens, Mykonos, Olympia, Corfu, Split, Venice
Inside: $899
Cost per day: $75
www.princess.com