VOYAGE WITH THE LAST “OCEAN LINER”
PART 2
There are 14 decks (let's call them floors for easy understanding) on the ship. If we consider the areas used by the ship's personnel and the decks that are underwater and are closed to passengers, there could even be 20 floors. The 2nd and 3rd decks, the interior spaces, are the main social areas where passengers can enjoy themselves during the day. There are the Main Dining Halls, 2 Grand Show (Royal Court Theatre) and Cinema (Illuminations) Hall, the Queens Room where afternoon teas and dance parties are held, Disco, Shopping areas, Casino, Bar-Cafeteria areas where live music performances of various concepts are also offered.
Alternatively, there is a buffet style dining area where you can find something to eat almost any time of the day and of course a huge “Kings Court” dining area where those who like to dress comfortably hang out is located on the 7th deck. Again, on this 7th deck, there is a SPA, a fitness room and a Carinthia lounge and towards aft of the ship, there are upper class, special restaurants with special reservations that serve different dining concepts. The 7th deck is actually the Promenade Deck, a magnificent, typical transatlantic promenade deck that runs around the ship. Walking on this deck is so enjoyable that, in my opinion, you should experience it.
There is a service concept on the ship that meets the demands of those who are looking for a decent and elegant environment in terms of clothing and style and want to spend their time in such an ambiance. However, during the daytime, you can spend your time on the ship freely in comfortable clothes that do not look too sloppy. Since the dress codes are explained in detail on the company's web pages, there is no need to mention them too much. Depending on the duration of the trip you participate in, 2 Gala Nights are organized on 1-week trips, one of which is themed. Themes; "Roaring 20s" (you are expected to wear clothes from the 1920s), "Red & Gold" (creations dominated by red and gold colors), or if you do not want to follow the themes, you can also participate in a classic Jacket-Tie/Evening Dress.
Since the cruise we participated in was 12 days long, they organized 3 Gala Nights. You can also participate in the gala dinners in at least a dark suit and tie. If you are not going to bring a suit, you can diversify your dinner on the 7th deck, where alternative buffet meals are served on those nights. But, I think you should take a watch-duty tuxedo suit in your suitcase, so that you do not miss out on this ambiance and carefully prepared meals. How many times do you experience such environments in your life?
The ship set off from New York at around 18:00 in the evening. You don't even feel the ship moving. Until you get to the Atlantic Ocean. Under the conditions of the winter season, those with sensitive constitutions will easily perceive the fluttering “welcome” of the ocean. Because while the wind is blowing at 6-7 forces, even though we have mentioned its size and grandeur, the ship, in the end, is really cool against the waves as much as the ship and its nature allow, due to its construction criteria . We didn't feel like going out on the open deck during the first evening of the cruise. An evening where you face the first of everything. I wonder how dinner will be, what the show in the grand hall is, what is in the Queens Room, what is served in the Kings Court, what is great about the Commodore Club, and when we retreated to our cabin, it was not Difficult to fall asleep soundly.
We had 3 more days to reach the Caribbean Sea. Therefore, the opportunity to benefit from all the ship's blessings was in front of us in full. The first day was partly stormy, with signs of transition from winter to autumn, and we spent our time in the closed areas of the ship, focusing on the many options in the daily activity programs left to our cabins that caught our attention. Among these, it was enjoyable to listen to distinguished speakers in the large auditorium (Illuminations) who presented information specific to the geography to be visited, or the story of the Transatlantics from their early days to the present day.
If you are thinking of starting the day with breakfast, you can wait for the breakfast you choose from the menu to be served in the main dining hall of the ship, or if you want to get through breakfast faster, you can continue from the alternative open buffet breakfast hall on the 7th deck. No, if you say that you will do your morning exercise first and then have your breakfast, you are definitely not an Anatolian person))). Then you will definitely head to a fitness center on the 7th and 8th decks, overlooking the view of the bow (front) of the ship. By the way, the average age of most of the passengers on the ship is between 75-90 years old and 10% of them start their day at the fitness center. Let me also mention this.
Although the weather conditions were not suitable on the first day, when the spring breezes we felt abundantly from the second day combined with the irresistible charm of the deck, you start to enjoy the pleasure of filling your lungs with the ocean air by lying on the sun loungers on the magnificent promenade deck with your coffee cups in your hand after breakfast.
In the afternoon of the second day and on the third day, except for meals, you can sunbathe on the deck chairs on the stern where the ship has open pools and use the small pools. Because the climate has changed. We have almost graduated from snowfall to tropical breezes. After every meal, those who walk on the promenade deck are a must. In this “Promenade Deck” that I often talk about, a general rule that is valid for all ships actually applies.
This rule is used when going from the stern to the bow of the ship, the starboard side (right side) of the ship is used, and when going from the bow to the stern, the port side (left side) of the ship is used. We can summarize it as a bird's eye view, counterclockwise direction. This is a known rule on all ships in the world. However, for someone who is on a ship for the first time in his life, it is almost impossible to be expected to know and apply this rule unless someone tells him. Sometimes, during these walks, it is also the fun part to witness some passengers grumbling behind those who walk in the opposite direction without knowing this rule. While we are talking about walking, the average daily step count on the ship is approximately 8,000. Besides, I am not someone who walks that much. When you arrive to ports, your step count is up to you, whatever God has given you. Don't worry about where you are going to burn your calories while chasing after those magnificent menus on the ship, if you enjoy participating in that activity, I can say that you are guaranteed to take at least 8,000 steps throughout the day. Again, while talking about walking; for example, you are walking in the inner corridors. Oh no, someone is coming from the opposite direction. Why oh no? ))) For example, a large portion of the ship's passengers are British and Japanese. Naturally, their walking and traffic reflexes are from the left, and yours are from the right. No one can predict which way to turn. The body movements when you come face to face create amusing images.
Every afternoon at 15:30 in the Queens Room, what we know as the English 5 o'clock tea is served with live music (so the English drink tea at 3:30, not 5 o'clock). Delicious desserts and sandwiches that are hard to resist, accompanied by live music.
The ship has a magnificent library on the 8th deck, forward. You may spend hours reading a book in that serene and magnificent place, but your mind will definitely be occupied with other activities.
Library
If you don’t want to fill your time by reading a book, there is a bar called “Commodore Club” on the upper deck, again overlooking the bow of the ship, with a wonderful view. The atmosphere is designed to be eye-catching. There are usually piano or lyre concerts here in the evenings.
As soon as the air temperature starts to exceed 20 degrees, people don’t feel like sitting in the inner areas. It is more preferable to go out and enjoy the open areas. However, the situation changes at dinner time. Everyone slowly gets ready for dinner. Especially the ladies really dress up and come to dinner very carefully. What will happen to the man’s preparation? No lipstick, no mascara, just wear pants, a shirt, and if it is a gala night, a jacket and tie. Okay. I won’t tell you about the dinners. Don’t let the magic get lost. I can only say this, every night is like the final night of the “Master Chef” competition on TV.
There are two Main Dining Rooms on the ship. One of them is Princess Grill and Queens Grill and is for guests traveling in Princess and Queens Suite cabins. You got it. 1st class / 2nd class situations. 1st class guests eat their meals in these rooms. Since we prefer the Brittany class cabin, we will use the Brittania Dining Room. The dining room is a huge room. It has two floors. However, guests cannot be accommodated here at one time. The population is crowded. Meals are served in two sittings. It makes me wish that everywhere in our country had 2nd class like this. The joke is that there is an order in the dining rooms according to cabin categories. Maybe they need this position/class situation? Maybe. Depending on their income level, there may be areas that people want or do not want to enter. It is necessary to respect their thoughts. For example, when you compare the market prices of the cabins on the ship, the price applied to you is unfortunately different from the prices applied to the US and UK markets. In fact, this is really serious discrimination. You may not believe it, but the US price for the same class cabin, is 60% cheaper than what you would pay. Therefore, if you were American or British, you would be able to reserve a middle-class cabin with a balcony for a cabin you paid for as an inside cabin. In this case, especially for Americans or British who commons / retired people can easily booking an inside cabin and even participate in such trips a few times a year. Therefore, a senior manager of any company may not want to share the same environment. After all, let's end this topic in a humorous way by saying that the difference in position/class is still a necessity in this world. It reminds me an antique TV Serials ; Upstairs, Downstairs" )))
There is so much to tell, let's share our experiences that we couldn't tell. Next time, all remain part of episodes.
VOYAGE WITH THE LAST “OCEAN LINER” PART 3
See you...
VOYAGE WITH THE LAST “OCEAN LINER” PART 3
See you...
Yorumlar
Yorum Gönder