We were having lunch on board in Vienna with Janet and Grahame (Grahame from the Passau Flood photo) when our Cruise Director, Simona, came to tell her everything was sorted. Suspecting a scoop, our ace reporter enquired ‘what was up?’ It turns out that Janet had left her phone behind in Durnstein and Simona had arranged with the Weiser shop where it had been left to have it brought to Vienna.
This is indicative of the level of service provided by Simona, but also the willingness of many of the people we have come across on the cruise to make our trip memorable. The plan hatched between Simona and Weiser was that Weiser would drive the 10 miles or so to the nearest railway station and arrange for the driver to bring the phone to Vienna to return it to Janet.
As Drew was going back into the city he offered to go to the station and retrieve the phone. Janet, however, was worried that as the train driver had been briefed to expect a lady to collect the phone, that he wouldn’t mistake Drew (even in his kilt) for a woman and hand over the phone!
Janet could not believe that having dropped her phone, it would be returned. She certainly did not expect the lengths Weiser and Simona had made to arrange this. Nor could we, we can only imagine the response we would get if we walked up to any train driver in the UK and said “I have this phone, will you give it to a lady on the platform who will be waiting for it”
So rather than collecting the phone for Janet our ace reporter went to record the event.
All three of them jumped in the taxi that Simona had organised and they arrived at the station in plenty of time. They checked from the arrivals board that the train was due to arrive at platform 5 at 14:04.
Even now Janet was panicking. How would the driver recognise her? Then she spotted the phone booth on the platform. “That’s it” she said “when the driver comes in I will pick up this phone in one hand and wave to him!”
Still unsure if this will be good enough she spotted and “Lost and Found” sign facing the platform. “Would it be better if I stood here and pointed to the sign?”
“Don’t be silly!” Drew replied “The driver will recognise you. After all you have Cruisedot’s (Emerald) Star reporter with you.”
Needless to say at exactly 14:04 Janet was reunited with her phone.
This is indicative of the level of service provided by Simona, but also the willingness of many of the people we have come across on the cruise to make our trip memorable. The plan hatched between Simona and Weiser was that Weiser would drive the 10 miles or so to the nearest railway station and arrange for the driver to bring the phone to Vienna to return it to Janet.
As Drew was going back into the city he offered to go to the station and retrieve the phone. Janet, however, was worried that as the train driver had been briefed to expect a lady to collect the phone, that he wouldn’t mistake Drew (even in his kilt) for a woman and hand over the phone!
Janet could not believe that having dropped her phone, it would be returned. She certainly did not expect the lengths Weiser and Simona had made to arrange this. Nor could we, we can only imagine the response we would get if we walked up to any train driver in the UK and said “I have this phone, will you give it to a lady on the platform who will be waiting for it”
So rather than collecting the phone for Janet our ace reporter went to record the event.
All three of them jumped in the taxi that Simona had organised and they arrived at the station in plenty of time. They checked from the arrivals board that the train was due to arrive at platform 5 at 14:04.
Even now Janet was panicking. How would the driver recognise her? Then she spotted the phone booth on the platform. “That’s it” she said “when the driver comes in I will pick up this phone in one hand and wave to him!”
Still unsure if this will be good enough she spotted and “Lost and Found” sign facing the platform. “Would it be better if I stood here and pointed to the sign?”
“Don’t be silly!” Drew replied “The driver will recognise you. After all you have Cruisedot’s (Emerald) Star reporter with you.”
Needless to say at exactly 14:04 Janet was reunited with her phone.
don't want to work, just want to cruise. 
Comment