People watching has become much more interesting than when Hal and I started cruising more than 15 years ago. Back then there were rules of decorum one should follow and specific dress codes. There are some of us who still like to get “dressed ” (by that I mean, meet the criteria for casual, dressy casual and formal) for lunch, dinner and formal nights. Many of the “new” cruisers go for the casual, super casual and backyard look. In other words they prefer the “wear whatever you feel like” protocol. We saw a guy today in the dining room who was definitely following his very own dress code. He was wearing bizarre wildly patterned gardening shorts, a crazy t-shirt and bright green crocs. I almost mistook him for the ship’s gardener but then realized that there are no living plants on the ship.
One night we arrived at the dining room for dinner and found ourselves waiting to be seated. There was a family of six, just ahead of us in line, who offered to wait behind us because our reservation was for only three. A very kind gesture. At first, I thought we might be on the set of the Beverly Hillbillies. They seemed to be wearing a family uniform…….ball caps, plaid shirts and work overalls for the guys, very bright flowered dresses for the gals. The grandfather was sporting a beard that grazed his waist. We got chatting with him and found out they were seasoned cruisers and very proudly announced they had already booked their next cruise. The grandmother had a scowl on her face and stood away from the rest of the family, looking quite uncomfortable. I think she was probably very shy and not happy to be surrounded by so many strangers. Or maybe she was just annoyed that they were going on yet another cruise. Who knows?
Another night we were seated in the dining room enjoying our appetizers at a two-top table in a row of several more . We generally prefer a small table but sometimes the tables are so close you may as well be sharing the same tablecloth. Some diners are quite reserved while others can be very gregarious. As was the case on this particular evening. I was devouring some delicious fresh oysters that were prepared similar to Oysters Rockefeller. All of a sudden a fellow was ushered by a server to the table next to us. This well dressed, well groomed man announced to us that he had already eaten dinner in the Crown Grill,one of the ship’s specialty restaurants. However he heard that fresh oysters were being served in the main dining room. He noticed that I was eating oysters so he wanted to know if I was enjoying them. My recommendation encouraged him to give the server his order…in fact, a double order. While he waited for his food he was quite chatty. As soon as his oysters arrived, the guy pulled a huge bib out of his jacket . (I don’t know what else to call it). It was made to look like the front of a fancy tuxedo. Hal and I both admired it so he said “Look at this…. If you fold up the bottom of the bib and snap the sides together, you have a pouch to hold crumbs to eat for dinner tomorrow. With that, he consumed those oysters so fast, I doubt he could taste them. I mentioned to him that Hal and I could use one of those bibs. He picked up his phone and called his wife to come to his table. I have no idea where she was waiting for him, she appeared so quickly. She presented her phone to him which was open to a website that sold bibs with all sorts of themes. How thoughtful ! I am sure it would take a while to make right choice for us! We sure had a good laugh but then, it could have been the wine!
I am intrigued by people who choose to travel solo and who are adventurous, confident and independent. We met a woman at lunch one day who told us she spends 3 months every winter traveling on cruise ships. She picks and chooses cruise lines indiscriminately, depending on how one trip will co-ordinate with the next. She finds there is a lot of comradery on board so it is possible to have as much or as little company as you wish. And she can have all the alone time she wants. I have never traveled alone except to get somewhere to meet up with friends or family. Perhaps that is because I have a couple of concerns. If you travel alone, who is going to let you know when you are wearing your shirt inside out? Or if you plan to go ashore to buy your wife a Tahitian or South Sea pearl as a remembrance of your 50th wedding anniversary, who is going to remind you to take your wallet? Hmmmm….
Cheers,
Lynda
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Cruise Ship Chronicles 