Onboard Trivia

There we were on yet another Trans Atlantic cruise. Some folks wonder, with some concern in their voices, just what one does for ten days at sea since we basically have only five port stops. These cruises are basically repositioning journeys for

Cruise ships moving from a winter market in warmer Caribbean climes to the cooler waters of Northern Europe in anticipation of summer travelers to the Baltic or Scandinavian states. They only happen twice a year: Spring and Autumn when the need arises.

And so we journeyed to the sunny skies of Miami only to navigate our way north through the Atlantic passing through the Azores on our way to some of the sights in France, England, Belgium and the Netherlands before reaching our final destination of Copenhagen and on to Malmo, Sweden in May. That may seem like a long time for some of you.

But, do not fear! We are seldom bored on board.

First of all, most of our fellow travelers are experienced cruisers with many sea voyages under their belts. They are, for the most part, interesting and articulate folk who have lived interesting lives. They bring much to the table.  

As for an me, this is my fourth such voyage, and, I must confess, I really do love them.  My days are full, and I do enjoy some solitude time in which I spend aimless hours  reading "mind candy", easy reading of recent fiction of the mystery genre or such that keeps one engaged, but not to heavily in the "thinking" zone.

And the there is Trivia.

Those of you who know me know that I take my trivia mighty seriously. This is no joke. You either can step up to the plate and score, or you can strike out and never be called up again. You get one shot at the show, and if you falter and fail, there is no redemption. At least in our tight knit trivia group.

Our current team for the morning game consist of my two traveling companions, a retired military officer and reyired educator. Our other member is a long time aquatience and grad of Sty High (known to all NYC kids as the smart school) and a CUNY grad, like me.  He is both a travel agent and tax preparer, and I have used his services in both areas successfully. But the most important thing is, he is very smart.

We have won, tied or placed at every event in which we participated. Prizes will be cruise line paraphernalia will go to my grand kids and daughter-in-law for student prizes. But the fun is irreplaceable!

Unfortunately, there are some teams that take this all to seriously, yelling at the often young and often limitedly educated cruise employee who is charged with the task of keeping this unwieldy beast of a crowd in some semblance of order. Sometimes it works; most times it does not. Of course it makes sense in this day and age of instant internet access that every factoid is "googled" to within one inch to double check the validity and voracity of each answer. Some are blatantly untrue.

No, the Queen Mother no longer owns a castle in Scotland mostly because she passed into eternal rest over ten years ago. Also, the capital of Andorra is at a higher altitude than Madrid....we checked it.  Just sayin".

So, go ahead, have some fun...trivia on board is a great way to spend some time, but user beware....not all trivia is equal, and errors abound.  Just be aware: It isn't rocket science and it is sometimes incorrect.

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