Working Together in Prosperity

Article by Ross Pays

Wikipedia says “a town is a type of settlement ranging from a few hundred to several thousand inhabitants”. Three thousand eight hundred and fifty eight people inhabit the Carnival Victory Cruise Ship so I guess that qualifies as a town! If you have cruised before you have some idea what to expect but even then if you have never cruised American style a cruise on a Carnival Line ship will leave you gasping for air!

In the July issue of Wave I recounted the story of the first part of our Virgin Holidays “Stay and Cruise” package to the Caribbean and after a week in Barbados we were heading for the docks in Bridgetown. Even from 5 km away we could see the funnels of perhaps ten cruise ships docked and the distinctive wing like shape of the Victory’s stood out amongst them. From up close the size of our floating township was impressive!

Thirteen decks over 100,000 tons and 300 metres long 2800 passengers and 1100 crew, four swimming pools – one including a huge waterslide and an 8 metre cinema screen and one with a sliding roof,  four Jacuzzis, a 2000 seat and a smaller 500 seat theatre,  a karaoke bar, a sports bar, a piano bar, a nine storey high atrium lounge with glass lifts  and of course a huge casino surely there can’t be a town on land with so many entertainment options and as well as all those there is a spa, a library, a video game arcade, numerous shops, a business/computer lounge, even a mini golf range!  

Just in case you get bored, every cabin has satellite TV and every evening a top rated film is shown on the lido deck, visiting comedians, magicians and bands entertain in the smaller theatre and there is a show every night in the Caribbean Lounge, a Dixie Band plays in the casino and a dance orchestra in the tea lounge – oh yes and there is of course the Latin/Salsa band and this being the Caribbean cruise a regular reggae performance on deck - which also hosts the midnight dance party! 2-11 years olds have their own Camp Carnival with supervised games and activities, 12-14 year olds have the Circle”C” and    teenagers 15-17 like...Music, video games, food, new friends and fun, Carnival Victory's Club O2's got it; the perfect 'round-the-clock hangout.

Amazingly enough with all this going on, and 2800 passengers, in most places on board it does not feel particularly crowded and there are certainly plenty of quiet areas for those wishing to chill out with a good book  - both outside and inside in the air-conditioning. The cabins are comfortable and quiet as well and well insulated from the noise around apart from the occasional loud speaker announcements and the odd inconsiderate late night returning party goer, once inside the cabin one feels insulated from the rest of the ship. Officially this is a one class ship with all passengers equal but of course there is a range of different cabins – all well appointed - but some ‘inside’ and the starting level ‘outside’ cabin having just a porthole right up to a Penthouse Suite balcony -- Sit outdoors, relax, enjoy the privacy and admire the passing scenery, extra-large accommodation with a separate sitting area and spacious balcony plus a walk-in closet and even a whirlpool bath. 

This being an American cruise line it is perhaps no surprise that food is high on the priority list of many of the passengers and they are literally well catered for! Breakfast is served either as a full a la carte American/English in the dining room or a full buffet service in the lido restaurant – if you prefer you can even order breakfast in your cabin for no extra charge as indeed you can order anything from the room service menu 24 hours a day for no extra charge! The majority of the passengers are ashore during the day time but there is still a full international lunch buffet on the lido deck or the Bistro Café has something special for every craving. For cappuccino, espresso and your choice of world-famous teas, every ship has a European-style café. How about freshly baked pastries or a huge hot fudge sundae to go with them?

Hungry mid afternoon? The Indian library serves high tea with finger sandwiches and cream scones, dinner is served either in one of the main restaurants or again the lido buffet for those who prefer more casual dining and twice a week there is an ‘elegant’ dining evening in the restaurants where those wishing to will not be out of place in tuxedos or evening dresses – but this being an American ship the basic dress code is simply shirts with collars and long trousers!

If this all was not weight watchers nightmare enough, there is a 24 hour pizza parlour as well as the (24 hour room service) there are four 24 hour self-service basic ice cream and tea/coffee water, iced tea, squash stations, a New York Deli, a Sushi Bar, A ‘Starbucks’ style coffee bar, an Asian Wok station not enough choice? On Most of the Carnival Fleet there are individual dining opportunities.

How about the Pinnacle Supper Club on the sister ship the Carnival Splendor, tantalize your palate during a leisurely paced meal a classic supper club with a cosmopolitan décor that exquisitely expresses Carnival Splendor’s overall design theme of “splendid things.” Glittering starlight filters through the clear domed ceiling, illuminating a suspended glass dance floor where couples sway to the mellow sounds of a live combo. Elegant surroundings featuring silver-leaf sculptures accented by rich wood veneers and marble create a serenely sophisticated atmosphere that sets the mood for an unforgettable dining experience. The menu is modeled after New York’s upscale steakhouses serving only the finest aged prime beef, which is cut, weighed and charbroiled to your exact specifications. Select from a perfect 14-ounce New York strip loin, 24-ounce Porterhouse steak, 18-ounce Rib chop, or 9-ounce Filet Mignon. In addition to mouth-watering steaks, a variety of other delectable entrées – everything from double-cut lamb chops to seafood dishes such as lobster tail and Dover Sole – are also available. The intimate atmosphere and extensive menu that includes 17 gourmet appetizers, salads, soups and side dishes, complement the season’s freshest produce and one of the best wine lists afloat,  and picked by our chefs to perfectly match the wide-ranging cuisine, a world of award-winning chefs, extraordinary cuisine and impeccable service.

But let’s get practical! From previous experience at airline check ins and to some extent other cruises, we were to say the least nervous about checking in with 2798 other passengers it could only be chaos! Our hotel bus (a much younger and less wheezy one than that that picked us up from the airport) delivered us straight to the terminal  and with the usual Barbados dollar a bag system, a porter led us and our bags and a dozen fellow travelers from the hotel to the check in area - piece of cake! Names to a friendly rep, pick up cabin number ‘leave your bags sir they will be brought to your cabin’ stroll through the doors and there in front of us is our home for the next week more impressive still from close up just about as big as the Palace of Westminster - or Houses of Parliament if you prefer and the funnel higher than the Big Ben clock tower!

Up the gangplank and into the atrium deck swap our clutched passports and tickets for a Rum Punch and take a seat as instructed –where were the other 2768 passengers? Apart from our fellow arrivals from the hotel we are the only ones there. Five minutes later having had our ships photo ID and charge card made we are in our cabin where after another ten minutes our luggage arrived! How did they do that! It wasn’t until later we found out, we had joined the ship in Barbados roughly half way around the cruise –and we were a couple of hundred Brits who had bought the same stay/cruise package. The other 2600 passengers had boarded in San Juan, Puerto Rico more of that later!

We had lunch on the lido deck, a superb international buffet and the first of our daily special cocktails, served in a special souvenir glass (actually a plastic!) in the shape of the ships very distinctive funnel which we could keep and/or refill considering the high alcohol content not bad value for $6 including keeping the “glass”, what was just a tad annoying was that all drink prices had a 15% service charge added, a growing habit in the UK as well which I abhor, because of that I asked the waiter if they actually got the money and he confirmed that they did and even had access to a computer where they could check the running total they had earned, that did make me feel a bit better especially when he also told me that his salary was only $100 a month and even the senior barman were only paid $300. Tips should not be an excuse for poor wages but at least if the staff actually get them it is less annoying.  

In the early evening the other 2000 odd passengers returned from their day trips in Barbados and we set sail for our first port, St. Lucia.  Frigate Birds circled the ship as we sailed out of harbour, the lido deck started to fill up, the reggae band began their set with a very passable version of ‘No Woman No Cry’ and we watched Barbados slip away into the sunset - at which point it would have been very silly not to have another Rum Punch!

We opted for more formal evenings dining in the Pacific restaurant – formal American style that is, long trousers polo shirts and trainers! (the re-boarding passengers turned out to be 80% American 15% Canadian and 4% Puerto Rican and 1% other!) Each of the two ‘formal’ restaurants could seat perhaps 1000 diners on two floors but were well designed and managed to seem reasonably intimate, tables were private and not shared with other passengers. Service and wine were good it began to look as if this could be fun! And we still had six more Caribbean Islands to visit! All about that in Part three of our Caribbean Odyssey.

St Lucia, Antigua, St Kitts, San Juan Puerto Rico, St Thomas, Dominica & Barbados.

Barbados (Part 1 of the Caribbean Odyssey) - Click Here to view the article.

Caribbean Continued (Part 3 of the Caribbean Odyssey) - Click Here to view the article.

Caribbean Continued (Part 4 of the Caribbean Odyssey) - Click Here to view the article.

 Ross Pays is the Chairman of The FAA based in Cyprus. FAA offer advice on wills, tax registration services, home, health and car insurance and tax planning, including Inheritance Tax Planning, together with full accounting services.

Visit Ross Pays website at www.rosspays.com, Telephone 00 357 25 82 58 76, Fax 00 357 25 33 35 93 or e-mail ross@rosspays.com
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