Article: Sailing up from Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO The Royal Viking Sea's daily program left us no choice. "EQUATOR CROSSING CEREMONY," it said in bold black letters. "All first-timers (pollywogs) are summoned to appear before King Neptune and his court."

So, taking a pass on the "sit to be fit" class and the matinee screening of "Brighton Beach Memoirs," we dutifully shuffled down to the Lower Pool Area on an appropriately steamy afternoon.

Here, on an elegant, top-rated ship where the suggested attire runs to tuxedos and sequins and "pollywogs" are often retired CEOs, well-heeled passengers lined up like sacrificial lambs in swimsuits and faded T-shirts. They faced a cruise director and staff armed with plastic gloves, ...

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