Carnival Cruise: Reflections on the sea

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Our last full cruise day was spent, mainly, lounging and trying new foods. It was our final “fun day at sea,” and the weather had been much more tanning-friendly. The top deck was congested with sunbathing families, making the lower levels a place of quiet refuge. We sat in the café, sipping on lattes. As I typed some of these blogs on this Asus net book I attracted the attention of three different technophiles (all of them from Asian countries, in fact), including a cruise employee, all of whom asked excited questions about its various components.

I should, as I reflect on the experience, say something about the cruise staff. They must be paid well, because I have never seen that amount of people who appear to enjoy their jobs as much as they seem to, or are so eager to please. Each time we finished a tray of food attendants seemed to swoop in like ninjas to take our garbage. Additionally, they act as though it was made of precious gold, giving a wide-eyed joyful expression, when taking it. The cruise promotes their employees based upon the feedback that customers give, and so this method of positive reinforcement must contribute to their professionalism. As we learned, there are dozens of languages spoken upon the ship, as the employees come from many different corner of the world. (Interestingly, this ship apparently rescued Cuban refugees found floating in the Caribbean on a wooden raft that was sinking. Clips of the rescue can be found on YouTube.)

We met Kimberly and Michael for dinner again, and ended up talking until we realized we were the last people left in the dining room. We then saw Happy Cole’s R-rated stand-up act, which was very funny, and settled down in a piano lounge to listen to some music until the musician finally packed up. Not wanting the night to end, the four of us found the passage to the front prow of the ship at around 3 a.m. At night the ship is surreal. The coast of Long Island lay black and light-specked at our right, and the moon shone full to our left, creating a streak of reflective light along the water. Before us the dark water and night sky mingled in a gentle fog that obscured the horizon. The wind whipped warm on our faces. The sounds of employees laughing drifted from the deck below as the ship cut through the ocean. We talked for a while on cultural experiences, not wanting the night to end, but finally succumbed to the need to get a modicum of sleep before having to depart the vessel. Just for kicks, because we could, Kristen and I ordered room service and, after eating, fell asleep as soon as we hit our pillows.

Would I cruise again? Sure, but not any time soon. The luxury of being waited upon, of having food always at your call, of watching the world pass by as you effortlessly make your way to your destination, is of course enjoyable and worth the price of the trip. However, it can also become oppressive, as at moments even a resort can feel like a prison, and sometimes you just simply want to do things by your own energy. I would gladly take another cruise, but I feel as though I need some time in between to be able to appreciate the experience (Michael and Kimberly, taking their third cruise, advised just that).

We saw some people who were frequent cruisers for whom the luxury had clearly warped their sense of modesty and empathy - one man complained about having to wait for grilled chicken sandwiches (they do have to grill them, after all) and said that he had taken about twenty cruises and this was the worst one. He looked to be about forty, meaning a cruise every year from the time he was twenty, for perspective, and he clearly liked feeling royal when on vacation. I’m content with feeling like a student, and I hope to never become so jaded as to complain about the unchangeable process of cooking poultry. Cruising has its charm, yet there is an unnatural quality about it, made more poignant when viewing the world from the middle of the ocean (or what looks like it). You feel that humans aren’t meant to be there, to see this, and that we are intruding on the natural order of things. And that’s what cruising is, unnatural, living a life of luxury and gluttony that can’t be lived, that shouldn’t be lived, in normal life. Being a cruiser was fun, but I still prefer being a traveler.

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Comments

[Nathan]

Yeah
Unfortunately there are still creeps, even at sea.