Special Occasions

Monday 21^st October

There are quite a few special occasions on Cunard, and the more cruises you go on, the more invitations you get. Now that I have reached Platinum level, I received two extra invitations, both for the same day.

For the first time I had been invited to a free wine tasting. I relied on memory and turned up at 2:00, to find that it was actually 2:30. I was pleased to find two dancing friends in my group, so I had people with whom to stand. We progressed around the dining room to four different stations. We tasted four wines, and biscuits and cheese were available if we wanted them. The sommeliers explained the wines. If I had wanted to take along a companion it would have cost over $30. Considering that the most expensive wine we tasted was about $44 per bottle, any companion would have been paying a lot for what was less than a glass of wine in total! Other people around me found at least one wine they liked, but there was nothing that I would have wanted to drink. It was an interesting experience but wasted on me!

I had received an invitation to another cocktail party. This one seemed to be a bit more important than the previous one, so I assume it is only for Platinum and Diamond members. Seeing it was being held at 7:45, right when the dancing is on, I didn’t think I could invite one of the Dance Hosts to accompany me. However, I mentioned it to Jeff and he suggested that I ask Jessica (their 'boss') for permission. She said it would be okay as long as only one Host went to the party. I found it difficult to stand up for so long in high-heeled shoes that are over 20 years old (they’ve come back into fashion but my feet have since expanded a bit) but we had a good time and Jeff managed to entertain three or four single ladies!