The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A cruise is a great way to get away and meet new people. The cruise we recently took was on my favourite line Ð Norwegian Ð and was out of the great winter cruise hub of Miami, an amazing port with great numbers of cruise ships leaving most days. Our ship was the Norwegian Jewell, a fairly new vessel as luxurious as they make them. The cruise consultant spent a lot of her time in the nine-day run promoting future cruises, including a $100 credit to those signing up for a $250 deposit for a future cruise. A lot of people took advantage of the offer. The Jewel was full with about 2,500 guests and over a thousand staff, with a lot of them from eastern Europe and the Philippines, but also from other places in the world. Most don't make a lot of money but are well looked after and make a lot on tips. The first people I met were two Welsh guys, both steelworker retirees who had the unusual job of looking after the floors on this and other ships, checking them for cleanliness, wear and tear, and to be sure no one would slip and fall or receive any injuries. They told me that they mainly worked in late hours and for a contractor who flew them around the world and paid for their accommodation, food and travel, plus a decent salary. The cruise lines obviously pay for this service, and they enjoyed the work even though the hours were long and they were well past retirement age. I chatted with a number of waiters and waitresses, including a young man from the Philippines who said he was very interested in convincing his wife to immigrate to Canada. He spoke good English and said he was a hard worker. I agreed that he would make a good Canadian. The most interesting people were the Park West Art Auction people Ð a fixture on Norwegian lines Ð whose job was to sell art from the largest gallery in the world. This was the third cruise with an auctioneer and his/her assistants, and they surely were the best even though it was a tough sell as a lot of people were not bidding in spite of champaign incentives and a lot of low beginning prices. The head guy was a young and enthusiastic man named Trevor Johnson from Houston, Texas. Trevor had worked in other capacities on cruise ships, but said he really liked this job. He had learned about art and the artists while on the job, but his knowledge is impressive and you would swear he had a degree in fine arts. He is also very articulate Ð a true auctioneer Ð and really works at getting the bids and selling the paintings. His main assistant was Etienne, a white South African. He and I discussed the present dangers of being a white person in this dangerous country. He told me that his mother still lives there but had lost her business, and the last time he visited he was held up and robbed. Etienne does not plan to return to his native country but will go elsewhere Ð a wise decision. Trevor's second assistant was a Serbian named Aggy. He told me he had been in Canada but was sent away when his visa expired. He hopes to get an American visa and then apply to become a Canadian. Let's hope he makes it. One other person of interest was a Canadian passenger from Calgary, a manager in the oil patch. His company had promoted him and sent him to manage in the oil industry of Siberia. He had traveled back and forth but married a Siberian girl and has been actually living there. He told me the oil industry was not doing well and he had recently been forced to lay off 300 Siberians and five Canadians Ð a painful experience. By the way, a few tips for cruising that this writer has learned. First, do not eat as much as the others, as there is food, food, food everywhere and anytime, and you will surely gain unwanted pounds. Secondly, work out in the great workout rooms to stay in shape and keep the pounds off. Thirdly, bring lots of money, as everything is costly and designed to separate the passenger from his cash Ð drink prices are even much higher than in Manitoba! Fourthly, if you are driving home do not go through International Falls and Fort Francis on the route to Kenora. We had to because of the floods, but never again! The border crossing has an outrageous toll bridge , about 100 feet of old steel at a cost for cars of $6 dollars and more for trucks. The roads are brutal, confusing and slow right up to the Manitoba border. I can't imagine a worse way to get back to Canada! Roger's Right Corner runs Wednesdays.
