Princess Cruises is offering the ‘Ultimate Ships Tour’ – a three hours behind-the-scenes tour of one of their cruise ships for $150 per person.
Passengers joining this official backstage guide will be led round the ship’s galley, engine room, print ship, photo lab, laundry room, funnel, bridge, among other places, on a sea day.
I assume the tours aren’t being conducted while the ship is in port just in case a stowaway gets on board for a look round. That said, $150 is not a bad investment for a cruise provided a) you can sneak on board for the tour, b) find somewhere suitable to hide during the cruise, and c) don’t decide to offer a similar tour of the best places to stowaway – at a reduced rate.
Apparently Princess’s passengers will also be invited to sit at the Chef’s Table – for $75. This additional feature will ensure a warm welcome into the inner sanctum of the ship’s galley by the executive chef for pre-dinner drinks and hors d’oeuvres followed by a specially prepared “multi-course tasting dinner.”
All of it designed as a unique treat for ‘foodies’ and hosted by the ship’s executive chef .
Over the years I have sneaked into all sorts of places on ships, and other places. Wandering round the bowels of a cruise ship usually reminds me of a scene from The Poseidon Adventure. It would make it even more real if the ship was upside down but, considering the difficulties involved in setting something like this up, I can understand the reluctance of a cruise line to arrange such an event.
A decade ago I once found myself wandering around 10 Downing Street. As you do. It came about from being invited to a press conference and, once it was finished, deciding to walk off in to the opposite direction of the other journalists and the PM’s PR team.
A cleaner found me half an hour later slowly making my way down the main staircase, looking at the paintings at previous Prime Ministers, and nodding to people who gazed at me through half-opened doors.
If a cruise company could reconstruct 10 Downing Street on board one of their ships I’d be happy to give it another go.
5 Comments
Mar 27 2009
16:01
If the Poseidon had done an on board reconstruction of the Prime Minister’s house they’d probably have had to call it 10 Drowning Street.
Mar 28 2009
15:10
I’m ready to board !
If I can’t be a stowaway I’ll pay my way !
By the way, I’d prefer a princess behind-the-scenes than a prime minister (behind-the-scenes), any day.
Apr 03 2009
8:54
It’s nice to dream: you meet a better class of people. But some dreams are worrying. Last night I dreamt I ate a huge marshmallow. When I woke up the pillow was gone. It could have been worse: I might have dreamed Gordon Brown was beside me.
Apr 17 2009
7:50
nice, really nice!
Apr 25 2009
14:32
Hi velafluesse, thank you for wandering on to my blogs and leaving a pleasant message.