Saint Valentine’s Day (commonly shortened to Valentine’s Day) is a celebration of love and affection between intimate companions. Traditionally the day that we secretly send cards, wishes, messages, flowers and gifts to our loved ones.
The passengers and crew on board the Pacific Dawn also celebrated Valentine’s Day whilst we cruised around the South Pacific.
Three couples renewed their wedding vowels on February the 14th with the ship’s Captain, Captain Christopher Wells.
Many started their day with a romantic breakfast in bed.
Others may have received Valentine messages, cards or even gifts. I’m aware that several of the Ship’s crew had exchanged cards, some were purchased whilst others were creatively made by the crew themselves, each of them with their own unique messages.
I checked my pigeonhole and there was nothing there for me!!!!!
Our Palm Court Dining Room and other venues around the ship shared the love and created the atmosphere by decorating the rooms with colour’s of pinks, whites and reds.
Enclosed is a funny story
In 1992 whilst cruising around the World on board the SS Canberra, I was reveling in the ports of call and experiencing the tours and in general having a great time visiting so many places. My mind was focused on work, rest and play, not at home which then explains how I managed to forget to send Valentine wishes back home to my wife at that time.
My wife, of course, is at home thinking about Valentine Day. There was no getting away from the day that February 14th was a special day as this was promoted in all the papers, radio and on the television.
Whilst she was having a coffee morning with her friends at home, they were exchanging thoughts of what they had received from their husbands. My wife was cursing me for not delivering any flowers or even a card to acknowledge the day. Her friends left and the day went on. She stares at the fire place where the flowers would have been if she had received them chanting to our daughter how could he forget.
Our Daughter shouts to her mum that someone was knocking at the door and in haste my wife looked out of the window and saw the florist delivery van, she ran to open the door losing a slipper, almost tripping over the cat and saw a man in a cap holding a great big spray of flowers in front of him gracefully wrapped with red foil and ribbons of colour tied carefully into a bushy bow. The flowers themselves smelt like perfume and full of beautiful red roses, her favorite flowers, similar to the ones that she held in her hands on our wedding day.
As the door opened the delivery man spoke “sorry to bother you, however I noticed your car on the drive and thought that someone might be in. I’m new to this area could you tell me where house number 91 is please.” We lived at number 7.
All was not lost. I received a telex to the ship (we didn’t have mobile phones in those days) from her coffee morning friends to prompt me and sure enough before the day was over, 24 red roses arrived on her doorstep just like the wedding day posy.
Alyn Baker
Food & Beverage Director
