COVER STORY Captain Greybeard YOUR EXPERT GUIDE TO CRUISE SHIPS AND CRUISE HOLIDAYS
Sea-Legless S
Getting
Indefatigable cruise blogger Captain Greybeard, aka John Honeywell, surveys the wide world of cruising
econd only to a ship’s ability to deliver wide-eyed passengers to a dizzying selection of destinations is its determination to render those same clients legless in an infinite collection of watering holes.
From champagne bars and cocktail bars to sports bars and wine bars, there’s something for everyone. Prices may vary from duty-free bargains to the extortionate (plus a 15 per cent service charge) but they are all designed to deliver a good time. There’s no need to worry about the breathalyser or booking a taxi home – your cabin is within staggering distance at the end of the evening. The most popular drinking dens on many ships are the pubs.
Cunard have their Golden Lions, P&O the Rising Sun and Lord’s Tavern; Fred Olsen got in on the act with Balmoral’s Northern Light and Royal Caribbean have the Hoof and Claw, Globe and Atlas, Wig and Gavel and other names you are unlikely to encounter on any High Street or country lane. Until now, Carnival have avoided pubs altogether but they finally got in on the act with newest ship, Carnival Magic. Chief executive Gerry Cahill claims it was his idea, and he got his designers to come up with a cross between an All Bar One and Caribbean beach bar along the lines of Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. The West Indies are certainly the inspiration for the food
– when did you last see conch salad in your local? The fish fingers are made from grouper fillets; the burgers are bite- sized (and for, some reason, the Americans call them sliders). Better value than your average gastro-pub as well. Main courses are $3.33 each and desserts £1.11. I was one of the first to sample the delicacies on a tour of the unfinished Magic in the Monfalcone shipyard a couple of weeks before launch. Our small group defied customs regulations to drink the first alcohol in the bar, too – appropri- ately, a bottle of Johnny Walker Red Label. There are TV screens for sports fans and a foosball table
30 WORLD OF CRUISING I Summer 2011
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