Page 54 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2023 SPECIAL CRUISE EDTION
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y your hair is getting long,” my time when the ship is just arriving in a port,
wife Sharon said to me a few or when we're near land because the scenery
“M days we were to leave on a is so much better.
cruise. I borrow a line my wife has taught me. “You
By now, she should know better. have a great office,” I say to the stylist, looking
I deliberately let my hair grow before tak- out the expanse through the window.
ing a cruise. It's my one of my great onboard I quickly chat up my stylist, and explain what
indulgences, along with sampling the vari- I'd like – a cut fairly severe, eliminating a
eties of Scotch at a tasting event. month's long buildup of follicles. Most of the
The first thing I did after we settled in our time, a woman cuts my hair, but I once enjoyed
cabin aboard Holland Amer- a cut from a young man from India
ica Line’s Nieuw Statendam whose father also was a barber.
on our way to Florida from Now, it's hard to talk about base-
Quebec last fall was to ball, or American football, with an
present myself at the ship's international crew, so the conver-
salon. sation always turns to our favorite
On most cruises, on de- ports, travels and their families at
parture day, the salon will have a presenta- home. A true global connection is made as I've
tion for passengers on the services offered, met people doing my hair from Bali, the Philip-
from massages and facials to pedicures and pines, Thailand, South Africa and the UK. And,
hair styling. if you know a bit about soccer, that helps, too.
That's where I come in. The cost of these interludes, I've found, is not
After hearing the presentation and perhaps that much more than I pay at home for a cut in
being given a discount coupon for attending, I what amounts to a cluttered, windowless room.
make a reservation for a haircut. On our last cruise, I took an added step. I
Now, I don't want to be a sexist, but I'm asked for a shave as well as the haircut.
more comfortable doing this about 8 a.m., Not just any shave, but the ones with the hot
when the salon opens and when there are few towels wrapped around your face, and a razor
women (or men for that matter) occupying the trimming the beard with attention given to my
hair-styling stations. I know some might Andy Rooney-style eyebrows.
think, “What's he doing here?” Nothing beats it. I felt like a million dollars,
I find that few men join me in the salon and was ready to tackle all the other events
chairs. that day aboard ship.
Which is a pity, because getting your hair There's plenty to do aboard ship, but it'll take
trimmed at sea is one of the great experi- me awhile before I settle in for flower arrang-
ences. If I'm lucky, most times, I'm seated by a ing, hula lessons or a Zumba class.
huge window, watching a parade of passing But sit me in a salon seat every time.
ships and scenery. I generally sign up for a You're going to like the way you look!
54 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SPRING 2023
