shipcafe
December 13th, 2004, 01:39 AM
Hi Everyone,
As I detailed in my "Ryndam 12-4-04" post, I was able to experience the new Explorations Café on board. I just wanted to bust a couple of myths that existed prior to my cruise that had been posted here.
I could not believe just how popular this area is ! ! Many feel that charging for coffee would be a problem and deter guests. All I could hear all day long when walking by this area was the steam from the espresso machines and orders being taken. The staff was very friendly and guests seem very satisfied with the product. Coffees ordered "to go" were in paper cups but any other orders were served in nice, over sized coffee cups (i.e. bowls).
The listening stations were also very popular. I tried these out myself and there are just TONS of music categories, artists, and songs from which to choose. I could have sat there all day long browsing had I not wanted to be out and about the ship. There is a large selection of magazines, NY Times news printouts, and NY Times crossword puzzle tables that can be filled in and then erased for the next person. In the Neptune Lounge and Explorations Café are also pads of crossword puzzles to take.
Many worried that the book selection would be depleted. I would have to say that it was increased probably 20 x. I am a foreign language buff and I found books in SO many languages - even more than I would find in standard book stores. I was thrilled by this and also found a lot of other books that really opened the mind and encourage one to learn. The actual library area itself is nearly identical to how it was before (albeit there being an addition of computer workstations) and the PUZZLE CORNER is also still there. In fact we worked on the puzzle quite a bit over the week. Many board games could also be checked out ... I personally used Scrabble and Battleship ;)
I think that this area is VERY functional and just works so well. I saw such a wide variety of guests using the area to read, listen to music, e-mail, enjoy coffee, nap, do puzzles, board games, you NAME it. There is also a cruise staff member or cast member working in the area along with the Internet Café Manager.
If you think of any detailed questions, feel free to ask!
Steve
As I detailed in my "Ryndam 12-4-04" post, I was able to experience the new Explorations Café on board. I just wanted to bust a couple of myths that existed prior to my cruise that had been posted here.
I could not believe just how popular this area is ! ! Many feel that charging for coffee would be a problem and deter guests. All I could hear all day long when walking by this area was the steam from the espresso machines and orders being taken. The staff was very friendly and guests seem very satisfied with the product. Coffees ordered "to go" were in paper cups but any other orders were served in nice, over sized coffee cups (i.e. bowls).
The listening stations were also very popular. I tried these out myself and there are just TONS of music categories, artists, and songs from which to choose. I could have sat there all day long browsing had I not wanted to be out and about the ship. There is a large selection of magazines, NY Times news printouts, and NY Times crossword puzzle tables that can be filled in and then erased for the next person. In the Neptune Lounge and Explorations Café are also pads of crossword puzzles to take.
Many worried that the book selection would be depleted. I would have to say that it was increased probably 20 x. I am a foreign language buff and I found books in SO many languages - even more than I would find in standard book stores. I was thrilled by this and also found a lot of other books that really opened the mind and encourage one to learn. The actual library area itself is nearly identical to how it was before (albeit there being an addition of computer workstations) and the PUZZLE CORNER is also still there. In fact we worked on the puzzle quite a bit over the week. Many board games could also be checked out ... I personally used Scrabble and Battleship ;)
I think that this area is VERY functional and just works so well. I saw such a wide variety of guests using the area to read, listen to music, e-mail, enjoy coffee, nap, do puzzles, board games, you NAME it. There is also a cruise staff member or cast member working in the area along with the Internet Café Manager.
If you think of any detailed questions, feel free to ask!
Steve