After two years of sheltering in place for Passover, some Jews chose this year to lock up their homes rather than undergo the extensive and rigorous “housecleaning” required by the festival. Some checked into hotels especially designed to accommodate their holiday needs while others stayed in luxury resorts similarly repurposed. And some, evidently, chose to come aboard cruise liners for the entire eight-day holiday period.
But we felt a bit of trepidation when we were “called” for a cruise on the Celebrity Equinox, set to depart the first night of Passover. Our apprehension was not so much because of Covid, but because last time on another of Celebrity’s 17 ships, being asked to conduct the Passover Seder on that first evening—embarkation night—had turned into a nightmare.
Back then, an inexperienced Activities Director insisted on holding the Seder amidst the chaos of embarkation. But there had been no planning. The staff had made no preparations. The ritual foods were nowhere to be seen, not even matzah. I was required to stand in a corner of the massive dining room in my travel clothes (our suitcases had not yet been delivered to our stateroom) and hold forth on a booming microphone in the hearing of the entire dining assembly, whether passengers wanted to be at a Seder or not. And when it came time for the Seder meal, participants were directed to stand in the buffet line along with everybody else.
So, based on that inelegant adventure-in-chaos seven years ago, this time, well in advance of embarkation day, I emailed the Equinox Activities Director, a Welshman named Peter. I impressed upon Peter the need to meet and plan such an important event and, therefore, to please kindly schedule the Seder for the second night of Passover, rather than the first night which would, once again, coincide with embarkation night. Peter seemed only too willing to oblige.
So meet and plan we did, Peter and I, the Head Chef, and the Restaurant Manager. The result was just what a Seder should be; there was levity and learning, singing and sociability, and the food was superb. Forty-nine passengers hailing from four different countries fronted up and, judging from both their spoken and later, written, responses, a grand time was had by all.
But hang on; the story gets more interesting. A couple of times on this latest voyage I complimented Peter on how well he had managed the Seder. In passing, I mentioned that I had "had a bad Seder experience on another Celebrity voyage some time ago.” It was a cruise ship called the Celebrity Solstice on a voyage from Sydney to Honolulu where, as it happened, we were also involved in a rescue-at-sea, but that’s another story entirely and I didn’t share those extraneous details with Peter.
Well, on the last day of our cruise this time, Peter gave a talk about some of the more interesting experiences he has had as an Activities Director aboard various Celebrity ships. And then…wait for it…he says, “and one of them was an SOS rescue-at-sea aboard the Celebrity Solstice.” “Oh, No!” we whispered to each other as we sank down into our chairs. Could it be? Could Peter have been the Activities guy on that other ship? The one I complained about to his very self? I simply did not remember him.
The good news, of course, when we summoned up the courage to reveal the connection to him (“I thought I might have recognized you,” said Peter, but he did not, thank heavens, remember the event), the good news was how much we had all learned over the past seven years. We had a good laugh and shared a virtual hug as we assured him, once again, that he had done a great job with Passover this voyage.
If it is, indeed, a small world like everyone says, the world of sailing ships must be considerably smaller. And one thing we now believe is also certain: our friend Peter has yet another story to tell. And so, now, do we.
* FOOTNOTE:
On June 17, 2022, two months after the above incident, all clients received this message from our Agent at Compass Speakers Bureau:
“For 2023 we will be implementing one Seder dinner on the Passover voyages. The Seder dinner will be held on the first night of Passover unless it falls on embarkation. If the first Seder dinner falls on embarkation, it will be held on the second night of Passover.”