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| Cruise Compass |
“Good evening, Patrick and Lori did you have a fabulous day?” says our head waiter AJ as Charles the assistant waiter pours our drinks. “Tonight the chef recommends the lobster tail, we begin with a fresh seafood salad; prawns, shrimp, and mussels. Of course you’re welcome to order anything you like from the menu.”
It was formal night, day two of our seven day cruise of Alaska's Inside Passage on Rhapsody of the Seas. No need for the steward to seat us, our table for four was ready and our traveling partners Bill and Linda were already seated. Quickly, we were made to feel like family aboard the ship. The service unprecedented, the food exquisite. We were on our way to the first port of call - Juneau, Alaska.
Now, I’m inclined to candid here, a cruise vacation? My first day aboard ship, I’m not to sure about all this. For readers of this blog our vacations always involved; hiking the mountains, bicycling, driving, exploring, and physical activity. Not this trip, it was time for relaxation; live music, broadway shows, wandering the ship, people watching, enjoying the majestic scenery, and just being pampered. And yes, were we were taken care of. From the beginning, when our luggage was whisked away to our state room on deck seven, to our arrival at the airport in Seattle, where the perky Royal Caribbean representative thanked us as we left the bus for our flight home - incredible.
You might be wondering, with over 2,300 guests on board and 700 staff how is all this organized? Turns out your guide is the Cruise Compass, which we would soon discover in our stateroom. Your vacation begins once you board the ship. A lunch Buffett in the Windjammer Cafe. at 11:30 a.m., in Vancouver Canada. As you board take a moment to observe the people, they’re stumbling around, somewhat disoriented, looking up, left, right, swinging their heads back-n-forth, its easy to imagine everyone wearing dark sunglasses doing their best impersonation of Stevie Wonder, its hilarious.
With a wave of his hand, laughter in his voice and a skip in his step, “Forget unpacking,” the cruise director, Luke Aerowsmith would say, We insure our guests are well fed and watered. Go ahead, eat three steaks if you like.” Yes, they feed you whenever you want, as much as you want. And it was all too obvious that the majority, attacking the buffet were not shy about eating their share and others as well. My preference quickly became the more civilized dining room with AJ and Charles.
During our cruise vacation we visited three ports of call; Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan Alaska. For cruise ship rookies, you soon realize that when a ship docks all 2,000 plus guests evacuate, much like bees in search of precious nectar, flooding these small towns. Exactly how many souvenirs can one buy for family, friends, and stuff for their next garage sale? We saw folks with bags and bags of stuff - wow! However, its not always about how much you can spend, remember its your choice, its about what you can experience. And the possibilities abound. Just take a look at the Cruise Compass.
It was formal night, day two of our seven day cruise of Alaska's Inside Passage on Rhapsody of the Seas. No need for the steward to seat us, our table for four was ready and our traveling partners Bill and Linda were already seated. Quickly, we were made to feel like family aboard the ship. The service unprecedented, the food exquisite. We were on our way to the first port of call - Juneau, Alaska.
Now, I’m inclined to candid here, a cruise vacation? My first day aboard ship, I’m not to sure about all this. For readers of this blog our vacations always involved; hiking the mountains, bicycling, driving, exploring, and physical activity. Not this trip, it was time for relaxation; live music, broadway shows, wandering the ship, people watching, enjoying the majestic scenery, and just being pampered. And yes, were we were taken care of. From the beginning, when our luggage was whisked away to our state room on deck seven, to our arrival at the airport in Seattle, where the perky Royal Caribbean representative thanked us as we left the bus for our flight home - incredible.
You might be wondering, with over 2,300 guests on board and 700 staff how is all this organized? Turns out your guide is the Cruise Compass, which we would soon discover in our stateroom. Your vacation begins once you board the ship. A lunch Buffett in the Windjammer Cafe. at 11:30 a.m., in Vancouver Canada. As you board take a moment to observe the people, they’re stumbling around, somewhat disoriented, looking up, left, right, swinging their heads back-n-forth, its easy to imagine everyone wearing dark sunglasses doing their best impersonation of Stevie Wonder, its hilarious.
With a wave of his hand, laughter in his voice and a skip in his step, “Forget unpacking,” the cruise director, Luke Aerowsmith would say, We insure our guests are well fed and watered. Go ahead, eat three steaks if you like.” Yes, they feed you whenever you want, as much as you want. And it was all too obvious that the majority, attacking the buffet were not shy about eating their share and others as well. My preference quickly became the more civilized dining room with AJ and Charles.
During our cruise vacation we visited three ports of call; Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan Alaska. For cruise ship rookies, you soon realize that when a ship docks all 2,000 plus guests evacuate, much like bees in search of precious nectar, flooding these small towns. Exactly how many souvenirs can one buy for family, friends, and stuff for their next garage sale? We saw folks with bags and bags of stuff - wow! However, its not always about how much you can spend, remember its your choice, its about what you can experience. And the possibilities abound. Just take a look at the Cruise Compass.
The Cruise Compass is a colorful, easy to follow newsletter, delivered daily, with all the highlights of what’s available that day. Receptions, the days weather, show schedules, offers of the day (shopping), activities, dance classes, open hours (fitness center, climbing wall, art gallery, Starbucks, etc.), the daily planner, and of course the lunch schedule and afternoon snacks. For tech aficionados (like me), it is also available on a large electronic touch screen on all decks next to the elevator, with all this information at your fingertips. Animated arrows direct you to any location on any deck with the touch of the screen. Guests occupying suites have this available on an iPad in their Stateroom 24-7. Yes, it was very cool. The only thing missing was an iPhone app available to download from the app store - next time.
Over coffee or a glass of wine you can take in the early morning/late night show on TV with the cruise director (Luke). “Where does this guy get his energy?” He’s everywhere, and quite an entertainer. His show featured impromptu skits from notes deposited by passengers in a box that lived at the guest service desk. Birthday requests, anniversaries, special occasions, comments about the cruise, and much more. My favorite had to be his spoof of Letterman’s Top 10 Questions (from guests on the ship).
Over coffee or a glass of wine you can take in the early morning/late night show on TV with the cruise director (Luke). “Where does this guy get his energy?” He’s everywhere, and quite an entertainer. His show featured impromptu skits from notes deposited by passengers in a box that lived at the guest service desk. Birthday requests, anniversaries, special occasions, comments about the cruise, and much more. My favorite had to be his spoof of Letterman’s Top 10 Questions (from guests on the ship).
“As cruise director, he said - You can imagine, I’m asked all kinds of questions when I run into our vacationing guests around the ship,” here’s a few;
Number 10 - “Luke! Will this elevator take me to the front of the ship!” Ba-dump-bump, then cymbals.
Number 9 - “Luke! Has this ship ever sunk before!” Ba-dump-bump, then cymbals.
Number 8 - “Luke! Can you tell me what time it will be when I get up tomorrow! Ba-dump-bump, then cymbals.
Number 7 - “Luke! Do the toilets have salt water or fresh water in them! Ba-dump-bump, then cymbals.
Number 6 - Luke! Do these stairs go up or down! Ba-dump-bump, then cymbals.
Anyway, you get the idea. He presented these top ten during his last performance at the Broadway Melodies Theater, we laughed so hard we were in tears. One morning, we ran into him running between decks while headed for breakfast. We had to ask . . .
Number 00 - Luke! Where do you get all your energy? With a thumbs-up, “I plug my feet into an electric outlet every night before going to bed!” Ba-dump-bump, then cymbals. Yes, we should have known, yet another rather ridiculous question from unsuspecting vacationing guests.
Skeptical about cruise ships? Not any more, we had a wonderful time. It was much more than expected. We took naps, spent precious time with dear friends, laughed, watched the ocean pass by, breathed the clean fresh air of Alaska, and yes, we ate our share of the fabulous food.
Been home now for over a week. So, if you’ll excuse me, its probably best that I unpack my suitcase. Indeed, having my suitcase packed, in some strange way, I’m still on vacation . . .
Been home now for over a week. So, if you’ll excuse me, its probably best that I unpack my suitcase. Indeed, having my suitcase packed, in some strange way, I’m still on vacation . . .
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