“One…two…three.” He gave her a thumbs up.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is your cruise director, Millie. As you can see from looking out the windows, we’ve reached South Seas Cay. Unfortunately, although the skiesare clear, the seas aren’t cooperating, which means the captain has deemed it unsafe for us to dock or shuttle to shore. The good news is we have a day of fun-filled activities for you to enjoy on board. The pools will be open with deck games and live music—everything to keep you entertained while cruising on the high seas.” She wrapped it up by listing several more popular activities and signed off.
“Nice spin,” the tech said. “It makes me want to play hooky and go hang out by the pool.”
“You and me both. However, my day has not even begun.” Millie's next stop was the buffet to grab a few slices of bacon, scrambled eggs, and a bowl of mixed fruit. After gobbling her food, she topped off her coffee mug and headed to her office.
Because of the unplanned sea day, she would need to “fill in the blanks,” adding activities, uploading a revised app schedule, all within the hour.
She settled in at the desk, her fingers flying over the keyboard. Years of practice meant Millie had an arsenal of “for emergency use” activities on standby. She added another round of bingo, guaranteed to thrill Liz, no doubt.
Leaning back in her chair, she double-checked the schedule to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. A familiar figure appeared, interrupting her train of thought.
“I figured I would find you here, scrambling to come up with activities seeing how passengers aren’t going ashore.”
“Not counting my cousin Liz, our guests are only going to want so many rounds of bingo.”
“Or trivia.” Danielle plopped down in the chair. “I stopped by the galley to grab a ready-to-go breakfast meal and ran intoAmit. He was finishing up a batch of chocolate croissants. Have you tried them?”
“Yes, and they’re divine,” Millie said. “He has another hit on his hands. Too bad we don’t have more cooking activities planned for this voyage.”
Danielle snapped her fingers. “That’s it.”
“What’s it?”
“Why not add a chocolate croissant creating class? It’s fun. It’s new.”
“I’m sure Annette’s Culinary Creations class has already sold out. I wonder if Amit would be willing to host his own class, but on a larger scale.” Millie reached for her radio. “Amit, do you copy?”
“I’m here, Miss Millie.”
“How are your chocolate croissants doing?”
“I have them all made for the VIP party. Do you want me to save you another one?”
“No thanks. The reason for my call is Danielle and I are brainstorming. We can’t dock at South Seas Cay because of the weather. I’m trying to fill the day with extra activities. What do passengers love more than food?”
“I don’t know. They are always hungry,” he replied.
“Always,” Millie agreed. “How do you feel about hosting a class of your own, teaching passengers how to create your delicious croissants?”
“I have helped Miss Annette host her class many times. As you already saw, it is easy with simple ingredients. When?”
Millie glanced at her schedule and the open spot she hadn’t yet filled. “How does one o’clock sound?”
“I can make it happen.” Amit’s voice grew muffled, and Millie could tell he was on the move. “How many people?”
“How many can you handle?”
“Thirty, maybe thirty-five will fit in my bakery area.”
“I’ll post sign-up sheets for thirty for a one o’clock chocolate croissant-making class in the galley. Thanks, Amit.”
“You are welcome. I might need a hand.”
“You’ll have two. Mine.”
“I would very much enjoy working with you,” Amit said. “I will be waiting.”
