Travel Needless concerns Prior to our extended cruise, we had reservations about finding enough things to do. In retrospect, we laugh. The problemwas finding enough time to do everything that tempted us! Consider this partial list of daytime activities – needlepoint and cooking lessons, tax- and duty-free shopping in the boutiques, perfecting our golf swing on the putting green, table tennis, shuffleboard, photo contests, mah-jongg, jackpot bingo and cooling off in the pool. Participants collected Big O Points for selected activities. At the end of the voyage, they redeemed them for T-shirts, tote bags, mugs and other souvenirs. Enrichment opportunities competed for our attention – sketching and watercolour lessons with the artist-in-residence, Canyon Ranch SpaClub health and beauty seminars (ranging from reflexology to hair styling), bridge classes, brain teaser trivia competitions, chess and other board games, as well as stimulating lectures on topics as diverse as architecture and space exploration. Whew! A huge array of books tempted us from the library’s wooden shelves – bestsellers, biographies, fiction, foreign language books, health advice, travel and language guides. Some passengers read their selections in the library’s comfy leather chairs. Others brought their books to the padded lounge chairs around the pool. Musical interludes A talented string quartet performed every evening and during afternoon tea. As nostalgic melodies such as YesterdayandSomewhere My Lovefilled Horizons Lounge, white-gloved servers offered us delicious sandwiches and scrumptious raspberry tarts, meringues, cakes and scones. The scenic views through the lounge’s floor-toceiling windows competed with the decadent sweets for our attention. Musical performances also highlighted each evening’s entertainment. The ship’s band accompanied energetic dancers, singers, pianists and violinists, and provided melodies for nightly dancing. Comedians, movies and the casino’s slot machines, roulette wheels, poker and blackjack tables also lured passengers. Pre-dinner and late-night happy hours featured twofor-one drinks. The ship’s lounges enticed patrons with tastings of single malts, martinis, cognacs and wines. Beverage packages and wine by the bottle packages offered savings. All of the activities and socializing, as well as several parties – welcome aboard, solo travellers’ get-together, captain’s cocktail and sail-away celebrations – provided numerous opportunities tomeet new people. As the cruise progressed, passengers moved from dining at tables for two to tables for four and six, to dine with new friends. (Non-specialty restaurants have open seating.) Perfecting golf swing by putting green Playing table tennis Reading books in the library String quartet performs during afternoon tea 22 | www.snowbirds.org
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