On our first day at sea we thought it might be fun to take the line dancing class. We got out on the floor and lined up but people kept coming and coming until there were too many people. We no longer had even an arm's length between us. But they weren't going to turn anyone away. Within the first five minutes, the woman next to Mark had gone right when she should have gone left and put her full weight onto Mark's foot. Even though she wasn't a particularly large woman, he was wearing sandals. It hurt. He told me so. He also told me he was going to sit it out but that I should continue.
After he left the floor, the woman said to me "Did I hurt his foot?"
I responded with the truth. "Yes, I believe you did."
Did she say, "Oh my gosh. I am sorry."? No. She giggled. (Sorry lady, it's really not funny.) And when instructed to turn to the left, once again went to the "other left" putting my foot into danger. Nope. Line dancing was proving to be far too dangerous. Besides, when have you ever seen a group of line dancers making "lasso" gestures and yelling "Yee Haw". Only on a cruise ship. Never in Texas. Which just goes to show you what New Zealanders know about line dancing.
We signed up for the Maitre D's wine tasting. We'd done such an event on Carnival several years ago and only about 20 people showed up. Not on Princess. There were hundreds. There were two relatively long lines at the dining room door. The lines were divided according to the deck your cabin was on. Since we were on the Aloha deck, we were in the first line. There was a couple behind us and it became apparent that the husband was not happy about the line.
"Why can't we just go in and sit down?"
His wife explained that they were going to seat everyone.
"That's just stupid. Why can't we just sit where we want?"
Once again, she tried to explain that they were checking people in to make sure that everyone had paid.
"That's just stupid. You've never been on a tour that does that."
She again tried to appease him. Again he repeated "That's just stupid."
Honestly, I can't remember how many times he said "That's just stupid" in the time we waited in line. And I was sweating it. Usually you're seated with the people who are immediately in front of you or behind you in line. I didn't want to have to listen to this guy saying "That's just stupid" any more than I absolutely had to.
But I suspect that the people who were doing the seating had heard him, too. We were the last couple included in a table of six and I saw the couple behind us seated at a table for two. At least no one else had to endure him except his wife.
At breakfast and lunch (in fact anytime other than an assigned dining time) they always ask if you are "happy to share". We are always happy to share (unless it's with "stupid"). Saying you're happy to share often gets you a table far more quickly than if you want a "romantic" table for two.
One morning at breakfast there were two pairs of ladies in front of us. Both of them said they were happy to share. It was a table for six, so we set off behind the first pair of ladies but the second pair had dropped back. Apparently they wanted to share, but only with people they knew - not with us. Hmmm. Seems that's not an option. They were eventually shown to the table and sat down.
Even before getting the menus it is customary for everyone to introduce themselves. (You get to where you're from later.) We went around the table and everyone gave his or her name. (Mark was the only male at this particular table and a couple of the women were what the English call "old dears". I can't explain it. But assume that your mental image of an "old dear" is probably correct.)
So the first old dear went around the table and repeated everyone's name, to make sure she had it correctly. It was probably Mark's accent - it throws a lot of people- but she called him Paul. I said it was Mark. Her friend told her it was Mark, not Paul. To which she replied, "I know where Marfa is." Well. What can you say to that?
I'll Take Your Picture
We often volunteer to take pictures of people. It gives everyone a chance to get in the picture if it's a large group. And if it's a couple, it gives them the opportunity to have a photo without someone's arm in it - a well known feature of couples selfie photos. We were just getting ready to do one of those couple selfies when a stranger who was crossing the bridge in the opposite direction stopped and asked if we'd like him to take our picture. Sure! At least we'll have one without Mark's arm in it. Well, here's the photo he took:
I'm glad we looked at it before going ahead. Got to love digital! But I've also got to wonder how many beers this guy had.
Elevators can be tricky. When they stop you can't be sure that anyone is getting out. People often don't realize it's the floor they want. If it's crowded, I find it's easiest just to ask if anyone is getting off before I attempt to get on. However, if there's only one other person in the elevator, I just get on. I have now been put in my place and told that it is rude not to let people exit before I enter. Gee. It was a big elevator. I'm not that big and neither was she. I didn't block her exit. I just got on and once she was off and around the corner out of sight she shouted back to me that it was polite to let everyone exit before getting on. How was I to know she even wanted to exit? She was the only one on the elevator so it wasn't like there wasn't room for me whether she wanted to exit or not. Well, to borrow a phrase from Steve Martin, "Excuuuuse Me!
I'm always a bit astonished that people who are supposed to be relaxing and enjoying themselves get so wound up. I went into the ladies room next to the dining room. There were two women at the sink - washing up I assumed. As someone came out of one of the stalls, I started to go in when one of the women at the sink came charging in front of me shouting "Oh No You Don't" and ran into the stall. Wow. All she really needed to say was, "Excuse me, I was here first." But if you're waiting for a stall, it's probably best to look like you're waiting for a stall instead of washing your hands.
And then there's formal night. I'm always entertained to see what some people think formal is. I'd feel conspicuously under-dressed wearing jeans and a sequined tee shirt on formal evenings. It's not the old days and it's not Downton Abbey, so "formal" is a suggestion, not a requirement - at least on the cruise lines I've been on. We've always found that it's more fun to get in the spirit of things. But there are always those (typically guys - but not always) whose idea of formal is putting on a polo shirt instead of a tank top. I'm sorry, but I've yet to see a guy in a tuxedo who didn't look good. Really good.
No comments:
Post a Comment