The Chardonnay Sisters Go Coastal

[diann744]

Truth #1. We always have a good time when we cruise.

 

Truth #2. Sometimes, things go wrong.

 

Truth #3. A bad day at sea is better than most good days on land.

 

This review might differ slightly from our normal format as this five-day cruise was the first one in which we scored the comment card with anything less than a 9 when it came to crew/customer service. If at any point it seems to smack of negativity, see Truth #1.

 

The usual disclaimers – overly-long, pre and post cruise references, liver abuse, family dynamics, a criminal dearth of cheesy goldfish and nary a Somali Pirate to be seen.

 

The Evil Twin and I set out from our homes in North Hollywood to catch the Amsterdam in San Diego for a Coastal repositioning cruise to Vancouver. The Long-Suffering Hubby (LSH) opted out so her Evilness and I would be sharing a Vista Suite and I would be spared that annoying single supplement that so eats into my adult beverage budget.

 

To up the difficulty level on this outing, we would be joined by our Aunt Eileen (Mom’s sister) who we know well and have traveled with many times and our cousin Laura (Mom’s brother’s daughter) who we last saw about 35 years ago when she was four years old, and let's face it, not all that interesting. Post cruise, we’d be meeting up with cousins and second cousins, that none of us had ever met, in Seattle. Bartender!

 

The LSH drove us to the train station in Van Nuys and we settled in for the four-hour trip. The luggage scales that were out of order last time had been repaired and so no amount of puppy dog eyes could convince them that my bag was under the 50 pound weight limit and I needed to remove the carry on tote I’d packed in the outside zipper pouch for just this eventuality. As usual, the Evil One came in under the weight limit. But I’m still taller.

 

For the first time, we didn’t make a visit to the bar car (don’t blame us if Amtrak stock is down) and so we arrived in San Diego sober and clear-witted. Luckily, we remembered the San Trompe Bakery & Bistro around the corner from the station and shortly after disembarking the train were happily enjoying some fortifying breakfast wine to shore us up before making our way to the ship.

 

The Amsterdam wasn’t leaving port until 11:00 pm but we were jonesing to get onboard. Embarkation was very easy and efficient and we made our way to the Crow’s to introduce ourselves to the hard working beverage staff and mark our territory (figuratively speaking of course) at the bar. Michael and Analyn did a fine job and we were soon loosened up sufficiently to meet the family.

 

Which we then did in the Ocean Bar. Eileen and Laura had flown in from New York and spent a couple of nights in San Diego. One look at Laura and the family resemblance was obvious (sorry, Laura) and we settled in to get to know each other and break the ice a bit.

 

This was Laura’s first cruise. We liked her very much and so -- as dedicated HAL ambassadors -- Sis and I were demonically planning to convert her to the rank of Cruise Fanatic. Alas, it would prove to be an uphill battle.

 

I ran up to the room to grab our pre-ordered beverage cards. For some reason, when I ordered these online, they only had the $50 denomination, so we ordered quite a lot of them. The cabin stewards, Eko and Sandi, (who were correctly spelled for once) had them splayed out on the bed in a decidedly referential manner. I quickly scrawled a note asking that the bed be split, dropped a tip and hurried back to the Ocean for family time.

 

Once there, the first wine card was activated and more than lived up to our expectations.

 

We quickly learned that Laura was as nervous about meeting us as we were about meeting her and that none of us needed to have worried. Family’s family.

 

We didn’t take good notes so I’m not sure what happened on which day (although our beloved elevator carpets were back!) but if there was a trivia, we went to it. The younger, prettier twin and I normally hit every trivia event but we almost never turn our answers in as (1) people are waaaay too serious about it and (2) we’re really bad at it.

 

We soon discovered that our Aunt is both of these things – way too serious and really bad. So we found ourselves swapping our answer sheets with other teams and being embarrassed for not remembering who painted American Gothic (Grant Wood). Clearly, if we want to obtain those coveted enamel pins, we’ll have to check eBay.

 

Soon it was time for our first dinner in the Main Dining Room. We’ve always loved the MDR experience and enjoy getting to know our servers (are the wine stewards the most fun ever or what?) and just basking in the wonderful service and attention to detail that we’ve come to expect.

 

Before I go on, please understand that we are in no way picky, fussy or high-maintenance. We pretty much never have any special requests (I’m perfectly capable of removing the offending fishy from Sis’ Caesar Salad while she looks away in disgust), couldn’t care less if two appetizers are brought together or consecutively, and had never heard of the rules regarding what should be served from the left/right until our first cruise 10 years ago. The restaurants we frequent on land have never heard of these rules and we still go home happy. This is just one of the many perks that we don’t need but have come to expect and enjoy.

 

Sis and I have always had a standing order – one bottle of the house chard every night and you needn’t worry about tagging it and bringing it back tomorrow – we’ll finish it. When the LSH travels with us, he usually drinks coffee which, so far, is free and so we are presented with one bill, as we’re enjoying coffee and dessert. Easy.

 

This time, we were barely in our seats before we were rushed through the ordering process. We were asked for our card when we placed the wine order. Strange, but OK. Now or later, doesn’t really matter. Then our cousin ordered a soda and was asked for her card. Then our Aunt ordered a drink and was asked for her card. Fifteen minutes later, their drinks had not arrived and when asked, the waiter seemed quite put out.

 

Every time the waiter needed to serve me from the right (I was sitting at the atrium railing) I would either have to lean far to my left or get my ear bashed. It’s a wonderful thing when done well and unobtrusively but not so much when you don’t have the dance steps down. If the point is that it would be distracting for a server to cross his arm in front of me, let me tell you, it’s much more distracting to be in the middle of a conversation, hear “coming through” and then have to dive out the way.

 

Laura ordered another soda midway through the meal and again was prompted for her room card which had the effect of stopping all conversation while we watched and waited for her to find and hand over the card. This was becoming seriously intrusive and distracting.

 

We’re used to MDR service being a bit off on the first day of any leg of a cruise and don’t mind a bit having to wait while the servers sort out all the new peeps and their preferences but none of our dining room servers seemed at all friendly and we were starting to feel like we were inconveniencing them. This was a first.

 

Granted, there were some changes on our side as well. When it’s just the twin and me, we’ll stop talking instantly when our waiter appears and turn our attention to him. It’s harder to do that when you have four people at the table and sometimes two conversations going on at once. Still, dinner the first night was not helping our diabolical plan to turn Laura into a cruise convert.

 

If you’ve made it this far and are ready to get out the flamethrower, please see Truth #1 (above).

 

The food was wonderful and Sis and I were happy to see Wienerschnitzel on the menu which never disappoints.

 

Tonight was Eileen’s birthday and when she booked, the HAL TA told her there would be a birthday cake for her in the dining room. In my opinion, birthday celebrations stop being important somewhere around age 24 and regain their appeal somewhere in the vicinity of 60. At 84, she was really looking forward to this acknowledgment and was disappointed when it didn’t happen.

 

After dinner, Her Evilness and I went to check out the Piano Bar while the fam popped in to the show. Approximately five minutes later we were all ready to reconvene somewhere else and headed to the Crow’s. The Piano player might have been wonderful, but she didn’t seem to be pulling folks in from the hallway and getting the party going so we moved on. I don’t remember what was said about the show but they not only didn’t stay long but didn’t return to the showroom for the duration of the cruise other than for bingo.

 

Up in the Crow’s however Michael and Analyn had our seats ready and waiting and ensured that our first day onboard ended happily.

 

Day 2 Catalina. We weren’t getting in until noon so after a quick breakfast at the Lido, Sis and I headed to our office – the Crow’s Nest -- and ordered two Diet Cokes at the completely empty bar. We were asked for our card. We were still sorting out getting seated and clearly needed a few minutes to fumble around for said card but the bartender stood firmly in front of us, clearly unwilling to even begin popping a can or reaching for a glass until we proved we could pay. Did he really think we were going to stiff him for a can of soda?

 

Eventually, it was time to go to Catalina. The twin and I hadn’t been in many, many years because, for us, as a day trip, it’s an all day affair and there’s really only three hour’s worth of stuff to see. So, a cruise stop fit the bill perfectly. We walked the main street, shopped, people watched, had a leisurely lunch at Antonio’s Pizzeria and headed back to the ship.

 

As soon as we were back, I went down to the front desk and requested the promised birthday cake for Eileen. I also asked about our reservations at the Pinnacle which had been made previously online. We were expecting some kind of confirmation paperwork in the room and hadn’t seen any. I was assured that our reservation was in the system.

 

Then we spent some time in the Crow’s, pre-dinner, just so we could review the service for our Cruise Critic audience. That’s how much we sacrifice for you (they did very well). But this was when Michael told us that there would be no more Happy Hours, as of today. There wasn’t one the first day, which we’re used to but he said he was told it was a fleet-wide change.

 

It seemed strange but he, and the rest of the bar staff, had no more info than we did and seemed just as unhappy as the folks lining up at the bar with cards in hand. As it turned out, it wasn’t fleet-wide and it didn’t last more than a day, after the Beverage Manager walked through the lounges several times doing headcounts, but it was unfortunate that the bar staff were the ones who had to make this announcement and suffer the grief.

 

Day two dinner. The twin and I were hoping for a much better showing in the MDR. Let’s just say we were disappointed. (Refer to Truth #2 and then Truth #1. Then take a deep breath).

 

Same issue with the room/beverage cards being asked for throughout the meal. Really intrusive. Food, again, was great, no issues there but it was becoming quite apparent that we weren’t converting our non-cruise-savvy family members and we were actually starting to be a bit embarrassed at having played it up as much as we had.

 

After our dinner plates had been cleared, a pink and brown birthday cake was unceremoniously dropped on the table. No plates, no forks, no napkins remained. We were all chatting happily and no one remarked on this although I know Sis and I were a bit tense about it because we so wanted everything to be perfect. We weren’t hosting the trip in the sense that everyone was paying their own way but we had set the itinerary and wanted everyone to be at least happy, if not blown away.

 

A full ten minutes later, our waiter reappeared with plates and forks and asked if we wanted them to sing. “Yes, please“, we answered. He seemed put-upon and made a show of standing tableside and waving over other servers to form the singing group. Again, if it’s getting too bitchy, see Truth #1 above. Still, we so wanted to impress our co-travelers and it just wasn’t happening.

 

I asked for an espresso and was immediately asked for my beverage card which I had finally felt it was safe to put away. “Never mind.”

 

The casino and shops were opened for the first time earlier that evening and so Cousin Laura and I grabbed our nicotine fix after dinner (boo, hiss, smokers!) and I put my first $20 bill in a video poker machine. I had brought many more of them for the same purpose but for the first time, I played for three days on that first one and still cashed out some money. Nice!

 

We ended the night in the Crow’s Nest and, to my knowledge, did nothing worthy of showing up on YouTube before toddling off to bed.

 

Day 3 at Sea. I’ve always known that I talk in my sleep but it was on that morning that I learned I suffer from what the twin termed “Nighttime Tourettes.” Apparently, I would occasionally punctuate the silence with a colorful profanity at high volume. I have no idea what that’s about but vowed that once I got home I would sleep with my windows closed from here on out.

 

We’d received confirmation of our Pinnacle reservations but the card stated it was a reservation for two, not four. So, we made another quick trip to the Front Desk where the crew member on duty pointed us down the hall to the Pinnacle, saying we had to get it sorted out there. “But the Pinnacle’s closed right now, isn’t it?” “No, they’re open.” They were closed. We made a note to return later.

 

Spent the day in and out of the lounges, casino and shops. Eileen won big at Bingo and Laura enjoyed some downtime in the hot tub. Trivia is still more competitive than we’d like but it’s possible that we’re getting better at it, or that the questions are getting easier. We did elicit a giggle when stumped on the answer to “name the first five words of the British National Anthem.” We came up with “God Save the Queen” but since that‘s only four words we knew we were wrong (we don’t drink that much).

 

The Evil One wrote down “Charles Will Never Be King.” (For those running to Google it, the correct answer is “God Save our Gracious Queen.”)

 

The Cruise Director (we like to think of them as Camp Counselors for Grown-Ups) announced that there would be a special Happy Hour, just for us, immediately after trivia. Then the bar staff frantically waved him over to explain that the Happy Hour wouldn’t be until 4:00 (and was actually ship-wide for all). He corrected his statement but apparently, many trivia players hadn’t heard that part and heaped more grief on the poor crew. We were happy enough (see Truth #1.)

 

Today was also Preakness Day and Her Evilness and I were hoping to catch the race. We hadn’t popped for an Internet package and so couldn't even check the post time. We’d asked at the Sports Bar but no one had heard of it. And we'd brought special hats to wear for the occasion.

 

(I have a cool pic of our hats but can't remember how to get it on here!)

 

After trivia, I caught up with the Cruise Director and asked if he could help. He was instantly on the phone to someone and soon confirmed that they didn’t have the license for it but would try to “borrow” the signal from somewhere. It didn’t happen but we appreciate that he tried.

 

I want to say that the Dining Room blew us all away with incredible customer service that night but the best I can report is that we were getting used to the level of service offered. By this time, we all left our room/beverage cards out on the table and decided to be OK with it. One of our waiters accidentally knocked the Twin’s purse off her chair and then stepped on it, breaking a hair clip she had secured to the strap. Absolutely no problem as it was, of course, an accident but while she rushed to apologize to him for it being in his way, he said not a word.

 

I still wonder if we did anything to alienate our Dining Room servers but I can’t think of what it could possibly be. The dining experience has always been a highlight for us and our stewards have always seemed to like our sense of humor and laid back attitude. We thought at first that it might be some “behind the scenes” issue that would resolve itself but it never did.

 

Day 4 at Sea. More of the same. We made breakfast on the Lido, lunch at the Terrace Grill and hit all the trivia events. Michael and Ana in the Crow’s were fast friends even if cheesy goldfish failed to represent.

 

Today’s dress code was Formal Optional. I’ve posted before about my thoughts on this. The online docs, the ones that you can’t really dance to, clearly stated Smart Casual and my understanding is that it’s Formal for those passengers coming off a longer cruise (so they don’t feel their cruise experience is ending early) and Casual for the short-timers who might not want to pack for such an occasion. I would prefer all or nothing.

 

Still, we always dressed for dinner even if we left the tiaras at home. One young woman showed up both in the Lido for lunch (indoors) and in the Crow’s Nest for trivia in her bathrobe. I don’t remember if these sighting were on Formal Optional night or not. Oh well, I’ll be charitable and say perhaps her luggage went astray….

 

We had booked the Pinnacle for this night as a birthday gift for Eileen. We haven’t done the Pinnacle all that often after our first few cruises, mainly because the MDR has always been so good and we usually don’t see any need to spend an evening away from it. But this was an occasion and we were going to make the most of it.

 

We were seated at a beautiful table and settled in for a wonderful meal. We were quite well settled about 20 minutes later when we had to ask someone to please send our server over. Twenty minutes and we didn’t even have water yet. Same issues with the room/beverage cards as in the Dining Room. Sis and I intended to pay for the entire meal but room cards were collected from the other two while we were still looking at the wine list.

 

Maybe this is standard but we’ve just never come across it because we have a standing “one bottle per night” order? If so, I can’t believe I haven’t seen any complaints about it because it’s incredibly intrusive and disruptive, especially when you’re trying to enjoy wonderful food, an upscale atmosphere and good company. And how can this possible work if you’re at a table for ten?

 

Our waitress was efficient, if not overly friendly, but the wine steward never cracked a smile. The bottle of wine we’d been enjoying around the ship was more than twice the price, which we knew and expected, but we had to ask each time our glasses were empty and we were ready for a refill.

 

The food was outstanding, as usual, and we tipped well even though things just didn’t live up to the hype we’d been heaping on our companions. It was clear that we’d be making no converts on this trip.

 

Day 5 Victoria. None of our co-travelers had been to this beautiful port and so we were looking forward to showing them the sights. The timing of the visit also meant that we could have dinner ashore and skip the disappointing Dining Room experience.

 

We took the shuttle into town (US$10 for adults and US$5 for seniors round trip) and made the obligatory walk-through of the Empress Hotel. After at least a half dozen visits, I’ve still not found any bar/restaurant there that I was comfortable entering. Still, it’s beautiful and a wonderful place for photo ops.

 

We walked up and down Government Street, taking in the sights, popping in and out of shops and lightening our wallets before heading to the Irish Times for a bit of a late lunch. It was there that we learned that the rest of the family were tired and ready to return to the ship and so it looked like we’d be braving the MDR once more.

 

Tonight was the farewell dinner and, as is often the case, service was a bit slower than usual since so many servers had to participate in the Baked Alaska Parade. On our other sailings, these delays were hardly noticed but a drop in service on this particular outing meant that sodas and drinks were delivered well into the entrée and only then after asking several times. (In case anyone thinks our table-mates were slamming back multiple tequilas or complicated Liberace drinks throughout the meal I just want to say that our drink order never varied—one bottle of wine between Sis and me, one rye on the rocks for our Aunt and a Coke and one refill for our cousin. Certainly nothing unreasonable or labor intensive for the dining room staff.)

 

We’d looked at the dessert menu earlier in the Crow’s Nest and saw individual portions of Baked Alaska along with the usual varied assortment of other items. Once in the dining room, we were told it was Baked Alaska or nothing.

 

As we were finishing our coffee, our waiter and wine steward came by the table and asked if we’d like anything else, “because we’re leaving now.” This was a first. They’d certainly never been this gracious before. When we said no, they reiterated, in case we hadn’t heard them the first time, that we wouldn’t be seeing them again. In other words, “we’re waiting for our tips.” We thanked them and said goodnight. Another first. Truly, the very first time we didn’t tip in the dining room.

 

After packing our bags, we left tips for our cabin stewards, who were wonderful, always ready with a smile and calling us by name. Then it was off to our last night in the Crow’s Nest where we showed Michael and Ana our appreciation for their excellent service.

 

The next morning, room service was delivered and we made mental notes to stick to coffee and juice for disembarkation day. That’s not a complaint as we understand that many guests choose room service on the last day and with everyone busy with the turnover, it’s unreasonable to expect really hot, fresh food. And we really don’t eat much that early anyway. But the coffee and juice were just what the doctor ordered!

 

!!!! Something just occurred to me, literally, right now as I’m typing this. Why didn’t we ask to change tables? Almost two weeks off the ship and it’s crossed my mind for the first time that we might have been able to avoid a lot of unhappiness. Aaaarggghhh!!!!!

 

(Another picture failure -- if you've ever seen the Picard Facepalm photo, picture it in your head now.)

 

Then the disembarkation announcements began. The night before I mentioned to Her Evilness that I hadn’t seen the Canadian Customs forms. Neither had she. I pretty much miss mine every time but she’s good at that sort of thing, in an OCD sort of way. We’d planned to stop by the desk to ask but forgot all about it while enjoying our last day on board. So, when the announcement was made that all passengers needed to have their key cards and customs form in hand when exiting the ship, Sis ran down to the desk to get some.

 

Apparently, everyone else did as well. She said there was a mob of people, half of whom were trying to remove their auto-tips and the other half waiting for forms. After milling about for a while, another announcement was made that we didn’t need forms and could proceed off the ship with just our room cards.

 

Disembarkation was a breeze, possibly the easiest it’s ever been (here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?) and we were soon on a reasonably comfortable tour bus winding our way to Seattle.

 

The bus to Seattle was more interesting that we expected as we saw some drama at the border. Our driver announced that he would picking up a few passengers at stops within Canada but that their luggage would be stored separately and while they would have to tramp theirs inside, ours could stay on the bus since we were in-transit.

 

Our party had just cleared the screening area and we were in line for rest rooms when a security officer with a police dog came over. I know not to pet a working dog but this one was so beautiful and so close I was tempted! The officer asked the guy behind us to put his bag down and the dog immediately tore into it. I don’t know what he found but Sis saw another officer dump something out of the backpack and say, “Well, that’s $900.” The fine, I imagine? In any case, the traveler in question and his friend did not rejoin our bus.

 

Once in Seattle, we found a cab to get to our hotel which I need to mention briefly. The Maxwell Hotel in Seattle’s Queen Anne District is beautiful, friendly and much less expensive than comparable hotels in the area. The restaurant/bar – The Rock – is also inexpensive and we were impressed with our entire stay.

 

Seattle is a blast and we even had a reasonably un-crowded day at Pike Place Market before coming home to beautiful downtown North Hollywood.

 

All in all, we had a great time (see Truth #1) but we’re starting to get the feeling that by the time we hit four star status (another 10 or 12 day trip should do it) we just might be ready to move on (see Truth #2). I hope not but if we have to wear our key cards around our necks, it might just be the case. On the other hand, this trip might have been a fluke and everything will revert to form on our next outing.

 

In any case, we never forget Truth #3, as long as we’re not wearing the lifejackets.

[In Toronto]

Your reviews really are THE BEST!

[cruisinjudy]

Thanks for the great review. I do want to say that the coastal repositionings do tend to get less than stellar reviews.

[sail7seas]

I sooo sooo love your reviews.

Thanks so much for sharing with us.

The evil twins are always so much fun. :)

 

[erewhon]

Thanks for your review, sad to read about the dining room experience.

[Scrapnana]

Love reading your reviews but I did miss the goldfish.

[Vict0riann]

I've enjoyed your reports. Have you collected them into a book?:) Sorry this wasn't your favourite cruise. I've never heard of MDR waiters "suggesting" it was tip time!

[PathfinderEss]

Always enjoy your reviews, sorry you MDR and Pinnacle were just a tad off.

We did the repo cruise up to Vancouver on the Zuiderdam and they certainly did have a happy hour every evening.

[JamesEM]

Thanks for sharing, I have found that shorter cruises can be quite problematic.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for this wonderful and hilarious review.

[KirkNC]

Great review, I love you sense of humor. What a disappointment to hear of your MDR experience, don't know if this is that the servers are spread to thin our what but I was disturbed by the attitude you described. Its one thing to be rush, its another to be unfriendly. Anyway, glad you have the "truths" to keep it all straight!

[Monsoonalblue]

Love, love, love your reviews........ Thanks for the fun read:)

[Two@Sea]

I am SO totally selfish that I think you both deserve a "do over" cruise... just so we will get the pleasure of reading all about it!

 

Love your reviews!

[jbhcw]

always love your reviews...but you are making me rethink a coastal...something I have always wanted to do:eek: Sorry the MDR was a disappointment....and don't you just hate it when you have newbies with you...and you get this feeling that you've talked cruising up just a tad too much:D

[disfanatiks]

Great review. I loved it, well except for that MDR part. But alas, hopefully the wine helped!

[sail7seas]

I get it about the annoyance of having dinner/conversation interrupted to pull out ID card repeatedly at dinner. You'd think they could handle all the charges at the end of the meal. I haven't noticed DH has been interrupted too much during our meal but maybe I wasn't paying attention. I shall do so on our upcoming cruise. We don't think of dealing with charges for dinner until we are finished ordering whatever we will have for our complete meal...... especially given they now (usually) charge for espresso.

 

[lcand1923]

I've had a rather cruddy week. Your review turned it around. Thanks so much!

[nutensteve]

Great review ... you two are hilarious. Sorry the cruise was a little off, especially when trying to convert newbies.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Always enjoy your reviews. I sure hope the Amsterdam MDR improves before we board in two weeks.

[bardgal]

Great review!

 

Howdy from down the street in the wilds of Toluca Lake! Shame we've never met. It would be a blast to cruise with you galz. :D

[Taxguy77]

Great review as usual.

Sounds like the MDR was worse than our experience with it.

[localady]

I so sympathize with you, the worst HAL cruises I have been on were when we were trying to "convert" friends to avid HAL cruisers. I felt embarassed that I had talked up HAL and cruising so much, as mishap after mishap occurred. :rolleyes:

I have since ceased to try to suggest cruising to friends and anyone other that immediate family. ;)

I know you girls made the best of it, and I sure do hope we hear from the Chardonnay Sisters again ! You are always one of my favorites!

[Jo-Bob]

While I only have 45 days on HAL, it has been my experience each time in the MDR that I have had to produce my card for beverage orders. Just though that was how it was done.

 

Would certainly be nice to only have to show it once.....

[Coolcruise02]

Love your reviews!!! :)

[bardgal]

I admit I haven't been on a cruise since '06, at which time there were only soda cards..... of which I never bothered with. (Soda? I try to be healthy as possible on a cruise! I dont need extra-added poison to what I'm already consuming....)

 

I am not familiar with the wine version of these cards, and am having a hard time seeing their benefit. Is there some kind of price break for purchasing one?

 

Is there some reason your cards can't work like/along with/the same as your room keys, where once the server makes a record of it, you run a tab for the night?

 

I mean, why have a MDR at all if the service and experience is going to be poorer than the buffet, and you're left feeling as if you put the servers out in some way by coming into their dining room in the first place.... "Oh, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you mind terribly if we had something to eat tonight?"

 

I feel horrified for you, bringing people to show off how great cruising is, and being completely mortified in the process. I am so sorry.

 

I know it's been seven years since I've been on a ship, but it's hard to fathom how bad the service has become these days, and it seems to be happening to a large protion of the industry, which is beyond sad.

:eek: