Quelle surprise!

When I was shown to table 18 in the Saffron restaurant yesterday morning at breakfast,a waiter approached me and beaming said to me-good morning,madame,it is nice to see you again.Do you like Azura better than Ventura? Having absolutely no idea who he was other than realizing he had obviously waited on me on Azura,I smiled back and said - how kind of you to remember me. You are the kind person,he responded,you gave me a bottle of perfume,it was the first time any-one had ever given me a present on a ship and I will always remember you. I was touched. He remembered me,I did not remember him. I do recall buying a box of after-shave lotions and handing them out to some waiters who had served me the most,but I wouldn't remember their faces even if my life depended on it. Azura is much nicer,Ventura needs to be loved more,there is nothing spectacular about her,nothing that makes you say wow,I said. He and his co-worker agreed. When freedom-dining {this means dining at the time one wants} one is attended to by different waiters,rarely by he same team.Table 18 is in the corner by the window,it is a much sought after position and bribes are often offered to head waiters for this and similar tables.But as I dine alone,it is very unlikely I would ever be seated at such a prestigious spot in the evening,unless I make friends with the staff allocating them-they stand by the door to the restaurant and work out the seating on computers.On The Queen Victoria I was treated superbly,on Oceana equally well.On The Queen Elizabeth abominably.On Ventura the jury is still out. But,of course,this refers only to freedom dining,many ships offer set seating times-at 6 the first lot of passengers come to dine, then the tables are prepared for the next avalanche at 8.30. There is no other way of feeding the near enough 1,500 people.So all this musing is just hypothetical,[ my old friend from Azura works in the Saffron restaurant where set seatings are offered and I prefer the freedom dining at the Cinnamon restaurant].Breakfast with the waiter service is in the Saffron restaurant.To get a nice table when freedom dining is a question of luck,but in reality there are no good or bad tables,it is just a matter of preference. The breakfast was,as the morning before, a pleasurable affair.orange juice,grapefruit and orange segments,porridge,black coffee.In certain maters I am a creature of habit,and as far as food is concerned I stick to what I like and know is good.You cannot spoil fruit or porridge and I love both.Coffee? Well.I am a big fuss pot about a pot of coffee.It has to taste strong,be piping hot and the milk must complement the black brew,,not add strange smell to it,as some milk can.