SS Nautica, 2000s

Notes from the collector: Menus from a recent trip taken by my friends, John and Helen Babcock who live in the next town on the map - Flinders. They have sailed on the SS Nautica around the British Isles, Ireland and a touch of Norway. The smaller menus are from different days noted at the top so you can see where they went. The two larger menus are from the specialized dining areas with meals at no extra cost. I think it is important to mention this as most shipping companies charge something for the specialized dining areas claiming the menu is better, the meals are prepared in a separate galley, etc. etc. Some of these claims are true, some are not. Note on the main dining menu Jacques Pepin has Signature dishes. Most companies have induced a leading chef, be it an American or a Frenchman to do some consulting and add his name to the culinary delights. Usually a male by the way. Their services may include a voyage or two each year to reinforce their activity. A good idea especially if the voyage is a culinary one. The ship is one of the Oceania Cruise Line which bought the Nautica from the Renaissance Cruise Line when it went bust. They had eight almost identical ships taking about 684 passengers. It is easy to identify their origin as such. We went on one several years ago named the SS Pacific Princess and found the size very pleasant. New ships are being launched now which carry around 5000 passengers, Yes, that was five thousand. A veritable city in itself. I recall the Pacific Princess had a main dining room with two sittings for dinner, a bistro/cafeteria for the three meals, a small food area by the pool and maybe one specialty restaurant. The new mega ships have almost twenty restaurants/ food area/ places to eat perhaps at an extra cost. So on a seven day voyage you rarely have to eat in the same place twice. On traditional ships there are two sittings for dinner, whereas the more adventurous are offering dinner between say 5 pm and 10 pm which suits more people as they are not tied down to a specific time. I recall on the Pacific Princess one could eat say ten hours per day, whereas newer and larger ships one can virtually eat around the clock. That is if you want to gain fifty pounds in a week! And if the meal areas are closed there is always room service. I know of people who go on cruises for the experience and never get off the ship in port. And nowadays many lines do not require people to dress for so called formal nights. If they do, a reefer jacket or a dark suit will do in most cases. Whereas when I went to sea every night was formal and I mean formal except the first night (unpacking) and the last night (packing). On my first trip or two I had to spend an hour each morning in the baggage room in case passengers wanted to change some item. And the cases were not suitcases, but trunks. And very heavy. Note the prices for wines on the main menus. A Napa Valley red for $93 doesn't sound like any bargain which it should be due to being outside most zones for excise taxes. I guess it cuts down on drunken passengers. Also a health warning to cover themselves in case of a problem.