Donald Cardwell of Kernersville will set sail for the Caribbean later this year on his first ever cruise after winning a $100,000 scratch-off prize.

“We were planning to take a cruise to the Caribbean in the fall so I can use this win to help with that,” he said. “I’ve never been on one before.”

Cardwell stopped at Tony’s Food Mart on Edgefield Road in Greensboro on Sunday night to buy a $20 Big Cash Payout ticket before picking his wife up from the airport.

“Her flight was running late so I decided to stop and try my luck,” he recalled. “It was awesome.”

Cardwell told his wife the big news after he picked her up.

“She told me, ‘You are the luckiest person I’ve ever seen,’” Cardwell laughed. “She’s definitely excited.”

He arrived at lottery headquarters Monday to claim his prize and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $71,506.

In addition to the cruise, Cardwell plans to use his winnings to pay some bills.

Big Cash Payout debuted in July with four $2 million top prizes and eight $100,000 prizes. Two $2 million prizes and four $100,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

For details on how $21.5 million raised by the lottery made a difference for education programs in Forsyth County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.