By: Marcia Abramson
Debarkation from New York Harbor was another plus for me. Aside from the annoyance of the usual construction along Eleventh Avenue leading to Pier 88, it appeared to me that the York City Harbor has been spruced up considerably after September 11th of 2001 and is a great place to leave from.My car had no sooner pulled up to the curb than a porter checked in my baggage and an attractive uniformed young woman relieved me of my hand luggage. After going through the required magnetometer, I passed through another security detail. Prior to boarding I was photographed, given a Radisson leather identification card case and introduced to my butler Binoy who showed me to my stateroom. The Radisson has earned the distinction as being a six-star luxury line. I can certainly attest to this. My stateroom was spacious, with lovely furnishings, fresh flowers, a bottle of French Champagne, a seating area, balcony, king-sized bed, walk-in closet and large marble bathroom with separate bathtub and stall shower. This is certainly a far cry from the sea voyages of decades ago, when a cruise ship was identified by bunk beds, meager storage and limited cabin space. In addition to my butler who saw to it that the in-room refrigerator was well stocked with my choice of a vintage bottle of French red wine, a bottle of a premium whiskey, I had two stewards to make certain that suite was always in tip top condition. Needless to say, Binoy was also there to see to it that I never wanted for cold bottled water, ice or soft drinks. Every afternoon at about 5 p.m., my butler left a snack of smoked salmon, cheese and crackers or other delicacies, just in case I got hungry. Hunger was never an option on the Navigator, there was always 24-hour gracious room service in addition to breakfast, lunch, luncheon barbecues, afternoon tea, dessert, cocktails, canaps and a sumptuous five or six-course dinner. But there is no longer a midnight buffet, the 24-hour room service has replaced it and on this trip there were no formal black-tie evenings, I am happy to report. The dress was informal wear (jackets, tie optional for gentlemen and cocktail dress or pantsuit for ladies) and country club casual (casual, elegant resort-wear for gentlemen and ladies}. I found this Atlantic sailing to be very relaxing even though there was never a dull moment. At sea I had the option of starting the day at 7 a.m. with a room service full American breakfast on my balcony and then a brisk wake-up and walk for a half hour with the fitness instructor, followed by another half-hour sit & be fit exercise and a morning stretch & reflex session or sleeping in after a late night of video watching. I was able to see some of these wonderful movies, "Evelyn," "Frida," "Road to Perdition," "About Schmidt" and "Catch me if you can," that I somehow missed. For golfers there was a golf instructional clinic by the Radisson golf pro, for dancers there were lessons in East Coast Swing with Gentlemen Hosts Alex and Frank. (The dance hosts evoked memories of the late fabulous Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon in their hilarious movie roles).There was an activity for just about every passenger. I particularly enjoyed lecturers Peter Benchley, and Edward (Teddy) Tucker whom I wrote about in a column on Diving in Bermuda. I found it interesting that Peter Benchley did not mention his famous movie "Jaws," but emphasized his scientific interest in research for the New England Aquarium and the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute of life in the deep. It was also evident that he held Teddy Tucker in great esteem and treasured his many diving experiences with him. I learned from these two eminent divers that the sea creatures only come up close to the surface at night. Therefore, diving in the darkness of night is the best way for underwater observation. My experience on the Radisson Navigator can only be described as an Exquisite Escape from Reality. The delightful entertainment, culinary demonstrations by Cordon Bleu chefs, and the destinations of Bermuda and Norfolk will be the subjects of my next column.
© Copyright by Marcia AbramsonE-mail: mascribe@aol.com
