- When Frank twists his knee, Ray replaces him on a cruise with Marie.
- Ray and Robert get their parents a cruise for Marie's birthday. But Frank ends up faking an injury to get out of it. Since the cruise is non-refundable, Marie takes Ray along with her in place of Frank. While on the cruise, Marie makes a ton of new friends and Ray notices that his mother has become like a "party girl".
- Frank "hurts" his knee just before he was about to go on a cruise with Marie. Frank claims that he was carrying the suitcases down and busted his knee. The cruise is nonrefundable and cannot be rescheduled (as the discount package that Ray used to buy the tickets did not permit any changes).
The cruise (a deluxe weekend cruise in Bermuda and once in a lifetime) was Ray's birthday gift to her. Marie did not want to go on the cruise alone and Ray wants to know what it would take for Marie to go on the cruise. Marie says that she would go on the cruise with Ray. Ray is stuck with going on a cruise with Marie and this is the birthday gift that Marie actually likes. Robert is stuck with taking care of Frank while Marie is gone. Debra is more than happy to let Ray go on the cruise with Marie.
Marie looks forward to a whole weekend of spending time with Ray and talking. Ray keeps eating at all the buffets (Waffles, Omelet, Tostadas, Clams, Crab Cakes) and Marie gets close to a group of widows. To get into the group of widows, Marie had told them that she was a widow too. Marie tells Mary Beth (Sharon Houston) that the secret to a long and happy marriage is to be friends with your husband. Ray is surprised at this sage advice, which Marie has herself never followed with Frank.
The cruise manager Ted (Hiram Kasten) thinks that Ray and Marie are a married couple. No number of explanations from Ray, that Marie is his mother, could convince Ted otherwise. Marie meets an old, smart man by the name of Walter (Jack Betts) who shows interest in spending time with her.
Meanwhile Ray is eating constantly and start unbuckling his belt, buckle by buckle. Ray is jealous that Marie is having fun. She is out late at night and spending time with Mary and her husband, Walter and the widows, and being a different person with each one of them. Ray says that Marie is overdoing it a little and she says that Ray is spending too much at the buffets. Ray feels neglected by Marie and wants to go with her. Marie is excited to take Ray dancing.
Back at home, Frank reveals to Robert that he faked the injury to get out of cruising with Marie. Then Frank actually gets hurt while he was dancing with joy at his weekend of freedom, and Robert is forced to look after him. Frank gets a bell, which he rings every time he needs Robert's help. Robert even has to take Frank to the toilet and in time Frank is summoning Robert as his personal butler. Frank gets Robert to cook his meals again and again, till he likes the taste, and even gets him to remove his shoes and scratch his heels when they itch. Robert is fed up and throws the bell away.
Frank is delighted and relieved to see Marie back in the house.
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