22 — Sunday, May 17, 1992 ~ North Shore News 1 Club Med’s prestige product TO ENJOY the Club Med |, said a passenger disembark- ing after a one-week Caribbean cruise, you have to be French or like the French style. There is food for thought in what might seem like an obvious statement. But while other cruise ships have owners and crews that are Italian or Greek, everything is usually geared for Middle America, from the folksy shows to menus loaded with prune juice and prime rib. Not so Ciub Med 1. The !an- guages of the ship are French and English, and in that order. Everything has a French accent, from the captain to the fashions. To many cruisers this will have great appeal. Instead of the usual dinner conversations about Auner- ican football or Washington poli- tics they can meet people with other interests and perhaps prac- tise their languages. Club Med 1 is a bigger version of the Windstar ships, carrying up to 386 passengers. It has five rather than four masts and can move at 10 knots under sail alone. The passenger cabins are quite spacious, and each has two port- holes with authentic-looking covers, Unlike the Windstar cabins, they don’t have VCRs, but the bathrooms are very nicely done and come with hairdryers and first-class amenities. Other touches, like bathrobes, illustrate that Club Med 1 is a cut above the villages. It is Club Med’s prestige product, rather more like Seabourn than Wind- star. For while Windstar’s accent is casual elegance, meaning men without jackets, men aboard Club Med I would be more comfortable wearing jackets every night except for the weekly costume party. French women bring mountains _of luggage and turn the evenings into fashion shows. Setting a fine exarmple was the chef de village, effectively the hotel manager/cruise director, an attractive young woman who wears a hat so well one wonders why all women don’t. The shows have all the tradi- tional Club Med flair and fun, but there are no crazy signs, no de- mands are made on the guests to do ‘‘Hands up, baby hands up ...,”” and there are no beads. lif the evening passengers are served dinner, rather than the viliage buffets, and very good ser- vice it is too from the Mauritius- based crew. Breakfast and lunch buffets were excellent, and on our Virgin Istands cruise many passengers had their meals on deck. Legal advice offered UNIVERSITY OF British Colum- bia law students are offering free legal advice to people who cannot afford a lawyer. Through the program 20 neighborhood clinics will be held throughout the Lower Mainland. including one in North Vancouver. The service is provided by stu- dents of the Law Students’ Legal Advice Progeam (LSLAP), with the help of the program’s super- vising lawyer, Brian Higgins. Advice is offered on a variety of subjects, including small claims actions, fandlord-tenant disputes, welfare, UIC claims and appeals, wills, employer-employee relations and criminal matters. The pro- gram also offers a Do-Your- Own-Divorce plan, which pro- vides low-cost divorces for those seeking uncontested divorces. The program has been available in the community for more than 20 years and is today B.C.’s se- cond largest legal aid organiza- tion. For further information regard- ing clinic times and locations, call 822-5791. FALCON TRAVELS Friday and Sunday departures May 15-August 30 7 night cruise from ‘899 U.S.0D., Including air REGENCY SSB CRUISES Alt prices are per person based on double occupancy in the currency indicated. Tax and insurance are additional FALCON TRAVELS Pemberton Plaza - (inside VanCity) 1280 Marine Dr., North Vancouver 986-5321 The dinners were less than brilliant, however. The quality was fine, other than one night when the duck was badly overz- done, but the menu was never in- spired. But overall the cruise was a delight. The two-year-old ship has been so well maintained it looks brand new, the itinerary was perfect for relaxing, and the style was of a private yacht. The Club Med formula was a key part in this. There were things going on every day, such as musical teas, dancing under the . stars before dinner and live jazz afterwards, that were the fruits of a very creative team. Typical was the picnic, usually a high-octane outing at the villages, which turned out to be an elegant lobster lunch at a restaurant in Virgin Gorda, with a water’s edge setting and live music. Mind you, communication was not the best, and the Club Med ! could use more of a newspaper which would highlight the day’s activities. But at least we were not bothered by public announce- ments. These are kept to a mini- mum, usually just to say tenders were ready for boarding. Club Med 1 is well equipped to ferry passengers to quiet beaches via landing crafts. Guests who stay on board have a large nautical hall at their disposal; this is a huge aft swim grid from which they can water- ski, go sailing and windsurfing, or set out on a snorkel or dive outing. Club Med 1 is based in Mar- tinique for the winter and has three itineraries. The southern cruise does the Grenadines while the two northern cruises go north to the Virgin Islands. If you’re lucky enough to call in at Nevis don’t miss the ex- cellent Robert Trent Jones Jr. golf course at the new Four Seasons resort. Getting to the Caribbean, usual- ly a saga, is made easier by Amer- ican Airlines’ new daily non-stop service from Seattle to Miami, with next-counter connections in Seattle by Time Air from Van- couver. Club Med 1! cruises the Mediterranean during the summer. Club Med 2 starts service next winter and will. be based at Noumea in the South Pacific. Summer Departures § °4days Greek island . cruising to . & MYKONCS, SANTORINI, @ CRETE, KUSADASI and PATMOS (All meats daily) ¢7 days in enchanting RHODES (Breakfast & Dinner daily) ¢ 3 days in fabled ATHENS (full breakfast daily) inclusive of airfare from — Vancouver, First Class hotels = and coach transfars. An Invitation To West Vancouver's Cruise Ship Event Of The Year Saturday, May 23, 1992 5:00 pm — 7:00 pm Peppi's Restaurant Join us to toast the spectacular Regal Princess as she salutes West Vancouver. Champagne and hors d'oeuvres will be served. Tickets $15 per person. (Refundable when you book a Princess Cruise!) Please purchase tickets in advance from: Roseway Travel 926-4344 TravelExperts 926-8511 Whytecliff Travel 926-6871 The Accelerated Business Management Diploma program begins full-time on July 6, ’92. If you are a high school graduate with a minimum of seven years related business experience, we can help you upgrade or change your career and be job-ready in just 10 months. CHOOSE FROM FOUR SPECIALTIES: e Administrative Managemen? Diploma ¢ Financial Management Diploma ¢ Marketing Management Diploma ¢ Merchandising Managemeat Dipfoma : = § To learn more about this highly successful retraining _ =i program, attend an information meeting on Monday, € “gy May 25 at7p.m. in “H” Building, Room 501, or call era the Business Management Dept..984-4960. CAPILANO COLLEGE 2055 Purcell Way « North Vancouver ¢ B.C. Shopping in Bellingham is a rewarding experience when you stay at Ramada. For every $100 spent in our city we will deduct 10% from your total bill at the Ramada Inn Bellingham. Save up to 50% off our regular guest room rates. Present your shopping receipts as proof of purchase at check-out. Shopping discount also available at Ramada Inn Downtown Seattie when you shop in Seattle. RAMADA INN BELLINGHAM 215 Samish Way © Bellingham, WA 98225 206-734-8830 RAMADA INN. RAMADA INN. Governor House Portland Airport 621 S. Capitol Way 6221 NE 82nd Ave Olympia, WA 98301 Portland, OR 97270 206-352-700 503-255 RAMADA INN Beaverton igs Sw fualatin fal . 255-6511 Beaverton, OR D700 CWER IBY F=3 NORTHWEST LODGING inc 503-643-9200 Hotel guest room receipt does not apply towards discount offer. Valid through Dec. 31, 1992. RAMADA INN Downtown Seattle 2200 Fifth Ave Seattle, WA 98121 206-H41-9785