This should make Mrs Tasty . She will know that paxs will murder to get on the Captains Table on formal nights. After sailing in the Carib and Med etc for 12 years she was quite well known. We have three close friends who by know are retired Captains. So like for the Captains formal nights are a pain in the ass for us. We only attend our friends tables as below. This is about 20 yrs ago. My wife is seated at the head of the table near the wait staff so she can issue instructions then in one of her several languages.
Fast forward a few years. Royal Caribbean had launched the Navigator, the massive ship with a huge Ice rink inside. We were in Miami and the itinerary was okay, it also included my birthday date.. ( the best Island in the Carib has propulsion and a Captain ) so I booked a junior suite with balcony. The Captain was a Swede called Bang, we did not know him
Like all Carib Cruises that do not included UK charters, any Brits on board are allocated the same tables in the formal dinning. There was a total of ten couples. They were all up for a good time. On the second night a senior Filipino waiter from another station came to the table with the Maitre d. He asked my wife was she Maitre D Marina and did she remember him. She did apparently he did a fabulous drag act on Crew party nights. The maitre d asked the usual questions and sent a good bottle of shampoo to the suite. The next evening we all planned to start my Birthday in the Champagne and Cigar bar for an aperitif the have dinner and dance the night away in the Latin American bar. We knew it was formal night.
That afternoon I was having a nap, Marina was on the balcony sunbathing and smoking. The phone rang a woke me. This is Captain Bangs assistant. The Captain would like to invite you and your wife to his table for tonight's formal celebration. I replied I will ask my wife, I went on to the balcony and asked her. I said I did not want to go, she agreed and said we will have more fun with our friends. I told the person no thank you we are otherwise engaged. The guy asked did I know etc, I hung up and went back to finish my nap. Little did we know we had been overheard by pax on the balcony either side of us.
Cut to the champagne bar, there was a group of Americans loudly discussing the arrogant Brits in the next suite who turned down the Captains table. I informed them I was that Brit and we refused because we don't want to risk being seated with pompous fools like them.
Cut to dinner with our friends. The maitre d came up and said Mr Steve is it true that you are one of few people that has refused the Captains table because you and your wife were other wise engaged. I looked up and could see 50/60 wait staff watching. I said yes, he shouted yes! The wait staff clapped and cheered. We were invited to the Crew Bar the next night, which is a great honor, much to good to refuse.
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