Page 41 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2020 SPRING EDITION INTERACTIVE

Good crews reflect the officers’ attitudes. When you see
friendly senior officers frequently chatting with guests,
helping with any issues and on hand as you leave or return
to the ship, you can bet the crew follows suit. On the
Silhouette, it didn’t to hurt to have one of the funniest
guys at sea as the Captain. Captain Dimitrios Kafetzis’ daily
briefings were the most popular morning entertainment on
the cruise.

All of these things make for a great cruise, but what makes
one unforgettable. For us, it’s our fellow passengers. Our
Silhouette TA from Fort Lauderdale to Amsterdam was
classic as we became great friends with folks who were
total strangers when we came aboard.

For this trip, I had organized a shore excursion for our port
stop in Lisbon via the Cruise Critic cruise boards. The tour
filled up in a couple of days with seven couples from the
United States and Canada. We agreed to meet at sailaway
to get to know each other and collect tour fees. It was
raining as Mary and I found some comfy seats in a covered
area near the top-deck bar and wondered if anyone would
show.

To our surprise, one couple after the other showed up.
And instead of drifting off, they stayed. Pretty soon, there
was a party going on that didn’t end even after the ship
docked in Amsterdam.

Sea days mean cruisers have more time
to get to know their fellow passengers and
every once in a while form bonds that last
well beyond the cruise.

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