What are the odds?

Okay, you are now hearing from a “Platinum Captain’s Circle” member.  I am not sure exactly what that means. As near as I can tell, a “Platinum Member” receives 1000 free internet minutes, which will save having to dash around trying to locate an internet café at each port.  Lest you think we might have reached the pinnacle of the Captain’s Circle’s privileged few – nope, there is an “Elite” status. I think they get the internet minutes plus free laundry service. We talked to one couple who took a 14 day cruise, they didn’t care to where, just to finally accumulate enough days at sea to qualify for their “Elite Card”. That seems like a mighty expensive way to get “free” laundry service to me.  It is difficult to believe we are almost halfway through the voyage. I am still enjoying the food, the days at sea and the people.  As I was coming back from lunch the other day, I noticed that they were having wooden horse races on the pool deck. I think almost everyone reading this has been on a cruise and knows what I am talking about. Anyway, I got on the elevator with a guy named Doug.  Making polite elevator conversation, I just mentioned in passing, that I wasn’t sure I could relate to the “excitement” of a wooden horse race.  He replied, “It isn’t the race, it’s the gamble”. He went on to say that one time he was in Vegas staying at the Venetian.  He was waiting at a bank of elevators to go down to the casino. Two elevators were showing that they were just sitting on the ground floor and two elevators were about that many floors above him. Another guy walked up, looked at the elevators, looked at him, pointed and said, “I’ll bet you $100 that this elevator gets here first.”  Doug said, “I didn’t even hesitate. I figured with 4 elevators the odds were with me and I said,”I’ll take that bet.” He won and the guy gave him 100 bucks as they rode down to the casino. (I guess the other guy couldn’t even wait to get to the casino to start losing his money). Doug said, “See, it’s not the game it’s the fun of the bet and the win”.  And I’ll bet he walked right out of the elevator and lost that hundred at the tables - then again, the guy is taking a world cruise.