In Search of a Penguin: Day 14 – February 26th – At Sea The passengers are a mixed bunch and they present the chance of experiencing a completely different cruise depending upon where you choose to eat. The Oceanview Café represents the worst option as far as company is concerned: here assemble the pushing, shoving, jostling and uncouth mob. (This attitude is reflected everywhere – especially if a ‘special’ sale is on.) It is rare to hear a ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ given to the staff who work such long hours, and it is here where some lout – male or female of the species – will jump the queue or barge in when you are serving yourself from the wide variety of food offered. It is here – a designated dining area – where seats and tables are commandeered for the day, especially days when viewing from the ship is essential, by assembling friends to play cards or spreading coats and cameras across several seats around a table. It is to and from here that men (I use the term in its loosest sense) will shove into the lift in front of any women who may be waiting to enter. This behaviour is in sharp contrast to that of the crew who are always courteous and attentive. We were given a table in the Trellis Restaurant for our evening meal and sometimes used this for breakfast and lunch, also, when the seating is not fixed. Here, waiter service prevails and the ambience is totally different: civility reigns. If you’d never eaten anywhere else, dining here would give a completely different view of cruising. We were lucky in being placed with two Americans, Rob and Patty Humphreys, who were excellent company at our evening sitting. Patty was a journalist and Rob a fireman. They were people who held considered views on everything and were pleased to share them: this made for interesting conversation. Our other companion at the table was Jill Wilcox, who had acted at the Maddermarket Theatre in Norwich (I know – small world, isn’t it?) and who, likewise, had a good sense of humour and conversed amiably. There were a number of other eating places marked by a cover charge, and one that was limited to ‘AquaClass guests only’. This class system, based solely on the ability to pay, permeates the ship in a curious kind of way. This morning – ten days into the cruise – I received a card stating: ‘as a preferred guest, you have a Concierge Service Centre available to provide Guest Relations or Captain’s Club assistance. It’s conveniently located in the Library (Deck 8, Mid-Ship)’. So how fares the ‘un-preferred guest’? Our ‘stateroom’ is on deck 9, and this invitation is to save me the trouble of going to the main Guest Relations (American for Customer Services) on Deck 3. Why? I’m perfectly capable of taking the lift down.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 11:36:31 +0000
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