Last night on the Sun 12/28. EVER!!!!!

[DAGVBSB]

But at least she'll always know that her Auntie cared enough to make her feel great on Christmas.

 

Thanks for another sunshine-y post!

 

Ok, am I missing something here? That made absolutely no sense......

[Seago2]

Carla seems to be the new self proclaimed NCL Hall Monitor.

 

PE

 

Definitely not the hall monitor!

 

I honestly have never seen the NCL board so reactive and harsh. It's sad, actually.

[Planer's Edge]

Definitely not the hall monitor!

 

You seem to be reprimanding a lot of people lately.:eek:

 

 

I honestly have never seen the NCL board so reactive and harsh. It's sad, actually.

 

 

Then you have not been around here very long have you?

 

PE

[Seago2]

If someone comes back from a cruise and writes:

 

A. Loved it! I loved the ship for the little things... towel animals on all nights, clean balcony door, sliding door in shower, lots of elevators, three chocolates on my pillow every night... otherwise, it was a cruise- and who can argue with that???

 

Posters will respond "Great! Great attitude! I love the little things, too! Love those chocolates!:) "

 

B. Liked it, but it definitely wasn't my best cruise. I know these are little things, but no towel animals, the balcony door was full of fingerprints, the shower curtain was high on the ick factor, the elevators were slow and full... otherwise, it was a good cruise.

 

Can you even imagine what the reponses would be? "Um... <crickets chirping>... if this is what's important to you, I feel sorry for you. Maybe you should stay home or find another cruise line. Let a little sunshine in your life, sweetheart. Get a life. Signed, the NCL board."

 

It just weighs you down after a while, seeing people get sucker punched. It truly IS sad and it definitely IS a departure from the way things used to be. That's probably why the old timers are nowhere to be found.

 

The ironic thing is that you are less likely to find people who jump all over you on an NCL ship. Maybe the boards will get Freestyle 2.0!

[MrPete]

Ok, am I missing something here? That made absolutely no sense......

 

[newmexicoNita]

If someone comes back from a cruise and writes:

 

A. Loved it! I loved the ship for the little things... towel animals on all nights, clean balcony door, sliding door in shower, lots of elevators, three chocolates on my pillow every night... otherwise, it was a cruise- and who can argue with that???

 

Posters will respond "Great! Great attitude! I love the little things, too! Love those chocolates!:) "

 

B. Liked it, but it definitely wasn't my best cruise. I know these are little things, but no towel animals, the balcony door was full of fingerprints, the shower curtain was high on the ick factor, the elevators were slow and full... otherwise, it was a good cruise.

 

Can you even imagine what the reponses would be? "Um... <crickets chirping>... if this is what's important to you, I feel sorry for you. Maybe you should stay home or find another cruise line. Let a little sunshine in your life, sweetheart. Get a life. Signed, the NCL board."

 

It just weighs you down after a while, seeing people get sucker punched. It truly IS sad and it definitely IS a departure from the way things used to be. That's probably why the old timers are nowhere to be found.

 

The ironic thing is that you are less likely to find people who jump all over you on an NCL ship. Maybe the boards will get Freestyle 2.0!

I am not going to go into detail, but if you think the old timers have left because of things like this, how little you know? BTW, look at the number of postings by many of us. I think we might be called "old timers"

 

Nita

[CanadianTwosome]

Ok, am I missing something here? That made absolutely no sense......

 

This is strange to me... I interpreted what Carla said as a compliment - that somewhere down the line, that girl would think back and understand that someone put themselves out for her... (although it was her mom that brought them along, not her auntie that provided them). While I don't think kids should be specially accommodated most of the time, in hopes that they will learn to appreciate and do the best they can with what they have... on a special occasion I don't see why one person should be expected to eat something they don't enjoy. :) I hope she does look back someday and appreciate it!

 

When something can be interpreted in more than one way... choose the 'good' way! :)

[DAGVBSB]

Can you even imagine what the reponses would be? "Um... <crickets chirping>... if this is what's important to you, I feel sorry for you. Maybe you should stay home or find another cruise line. Let a little sunshine in your life, sweetheart. Get a life. Signed, the NCL board."

 

It just weighs you down after a while, seeing people get sucker punched. It truly IS sad and it definitely IS a departure from the way things used to be. That's probably why the old timers are nowhere to be found.

 

 

 

 

This board is no different than the other boards. I just made a quick glance over to a couple others.

 

There are threads on the Celebrity Board: "Bye, Bye X" & "Very Disappointed - Celebrity Galaxy" - Both sound just like a couple threads on this board.

(http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=681019)

(http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=678916)

 

On Carnival: "Carnival Vacation Club Warning"

(http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=680176)

 

(over on HAL, there are no current running negative threads about their line, but the HAL posters are upset because people on other boards are calling HAL a Senior Line)

 

On Princess: a negative review with a thumbs down for the "Emerald - DEc 16" (But I will give that person credit, in spite of very negative experience, she said that this bad experience will not keep her from cruising Princess again....guess they make Lemonaide on Princess too...)

 

RCCL Board is arguing about the implementation of Anytime Dining and how that is going to ruin the cruise experience. (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=679189)

 

But there is a thread running on RCCL - "Liberty of the Seas - A Disappointment" where the OP has wrote a letter to the President of RCCL and wants a reply. But he also says in the letter that he is never going to cruise RCCL again (and he is a Diamond Club member -- Oooh, I'm impressed, NOT). But it sounds just like several on here! (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=679570)

 

 

 

My point through all of this is that these threads and their replies are the same on all of the major lines. Someone has a bad cruise (which happens to all), they swear never to sail that line again, then the supporters of that line circle the wagons and attack the OP on every little point. It is simply part of the life on these message boards. This activity is not just Cruise Critic, but on other message boards as well. People who post negatives about cruise line ON THAT BOARD, have to be ready for these.

 

 

That's probably why the old timers are nowhere to be found.

 

That is not the reason the old timers are nowhere around anymore. (in fact some still are, you just may not realize it.) But we are not allowed to go into that.

[DAGVBSB]

This is strange to me... I interpreted what Carla said as a compliment - that somewhere down the line, that girl would think back and understand that someone put themselves out for her... (although it was her mom that brought them along, not her auntie that provided them). While I don't think kids should be specially accommodated most of the time, in hopes that they will learn to appreciate and do the best they can with what they have... on a special occasion I don't see why one person should be expected to eat something they don't enjoy. :) I hope she does look back someday and appreciate it!

 

When something can be interpreted in more than one way... choose the 'good' way! :)

 

Thanks Canadian Twosome and Mr. Pete. It makes sense to me too and I have to agree with Canadian in that it is a compliment.

[JenDalessan]

If someone comes back from a cruise and writes:

 

A. Loved it! I loved the ship for the little things... towel animals on all nights, clean balcony door, sliding door in shower, lots of elevators, three chocolates on my pillow every night... otherwise, it was a cruise- and who can argue with that???

 

Posters will respond "Great! Great attitude! I love the little things, too! Love those chocolates!:) "

 

B. Liked it, but it definitely wasn't my best cruise. I know these are little things, but no towel animals, the balcony door was full of fingerprints, the shower curtain was high on the ick factor, the elevators were slow and full... otherwise, it was a good cruise.

 

Can you even imagine what the reponses would be? "Um... <crickets chirping>... if this is what's important to you, I feel sorry for you. Maybe you should stay home or find another cruise line. Let a little sunshine in your life, sweetheart. Get a life. Signed, the NCL board."

 

It just weighs you down after a while, seeing people get sucker punched. It truly IS sad and it definitely IS a departure from the way things used to be. That's probably why the old timers are nowhere to be found.

 

The ironic thing is that you are less likely to find people who jump all over you on an NCL ship. Maybe the boards will get Freestyle 2.0!

 

 

You simply don't get it. NO ONE is saying that there is not a real reason to complain and of course we want to hear about real problems. REAL problems.

 

BUT, if you board a ship with your white glove ready to make an inspection, a timer to test how long room service takes, a pad of paper with a numbered list ready to fill out your complaints, and you insist on comparing the whole cruise to another cruise you took, then you are destined to have a horrible time. If you read the negative reviews you can often note that the person would not be happy anywhere. A fair review is fine, but someone who starts a thread with "NEVER AGAIN ON _____ line" is not going to get a great reception.

 

the idea of the Sunshine group is that you should focus on the good stuff and try to enjoy your cruise. Heck, you paid a lot for it, why let something like a shower curtain ruin your day? I bet if you ask your room steward he would replace it for you anyway. And yes, I had to do that once. It was not a problem.

[JenDalessan]

This is strange to me... I interpreted what Carla said as a compliment - that somewhere down the line, that girl would think back and understand that someone put themselves out for her... (although it was her mom that brought them along, not her auntie that provided them). While I don't think kids should be specially accommodated most of the time, in hopes that they will learn to appreciate and do the best they can with what they have... on a special occasion I don't see why one person should be expected to eat something they don't enjoy. :) I hope she does look back someday and appreciate it!

 

When something can be interpreted in more than one way... choose the 'good' way! :)

 

I sensed sarcasm and she certainly did not correct my assumption.

 

For the record, I DO make concessions for my niece. I make sure she has selections here that she likes. The problem is that her MOTHER coddles her. We took her camping last summer and the kid ate EVERYTHING. Once Mom arrived on the scene she resumed her finicky ways. I told my SIL about the things she ate and she was shocked.

 

I have 5 kids. I have taught them to be polite about food. It's one thing when they are 2 and you need to bring special foods, it's another thing when they are nearly 11.

[Seago2]

First half was compliment, second half was sarcasm. I have five kids, too- now eight, actually. 9, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18 and 23. My kids have food phobias beyond belief and I have always catered to it. It started long long ago and before I knew it I had three kinds of milk in my house. Two will literally barf if they drink skim and one can see me pour whole milk a mile away and refuse it. One will only drink soy now, for some reason. It's out of control but they are almost gone and it's too late to change now. Now my WORST eater is a freshman in college and he's eating whatever they have. I could have KILLED him on graduation night in June when he not only ordered but ATE salmon. I had heard something a while back about veggie lasagna but I couldn't believe it. Two kids eat fine, one eats pretty well but I could definitely see bringing along chicken nuggets for Christmas- if he ate them, which he doesn't, and two are beyond picky.

 

Christmas is a tough meal. Thanksgiving? I should make a giant roll stuffed with rolls. Turkey, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole (LOL), everything else, no way. Rolls? :)

 

Aunties should spoil their nieces, or at least indulge something like food issues IMHO. Again, IMHO! She won't forget that you did that.

 

OK, everyone, it's been real. See you over at the HAL board OR come join me on the MSC board- please! It's a ghost town.

[salty dingo]

...if you board a ship with your white glove ready to make an inspection, a timer to test how long room service takes, a pad of paper with a numbered list ready to fill out your complaints, and you insist on comparing the whole cruise to another cruise you took, then you are destined to have a horrible time.

 

That describes a lot of the negative posts I have seen - people come here and post meticulous, detailed accounts of things that happened, and you know they were documenting this like an investigative journalist would. But they are supposed to be on vacation - how come they are highlighting the negative? Vacation is a time when you let go of the real world and the last place you would want to document problems!!!

 

I wonder if some of these people aren't really on vacation. They cruise so much, the experience is not special anymore. So they complain that it was not like the earlier cruises. Yeah, the cruises where you did not choose to document all the problems, but rather, chose to enjoy your special moments at sea.

[Retired not Expired]

If someone comes back from a cruise and writes:

 

A. Loved it! I loved the ship for the little things... towel animals on all nights, clean balcony door, sliding door in shower, lots of elevators, three chocolates on my pillow every night... otherwise, it was a cruise- and who can argue with that???

 

Posters will respond "Great! Great attitude! I love the little things, too! Love those chocolates!:) "

 

B. Liked it, but it definitely wasn't my best cruise. I know these are little things, but no towel animals, the balcony door was full of fingerprints, the shower curtain was high on the ick factor, the elevators were slow and full... otherwise, it was a good cruise.

 

Can you even imagine what the reponses would be? "Um... <crickets chirping>... if this is what's important to you, I feel sorry for you. Maybe you should stay home or find another cruise line. Let a little sunshine in your life, sweetheart. Get a life. Signed, the NCL board."

 

It just weighs you down after a while, seeing people get sucker punched. It truly IS sad and it definitely IS a departure from the way things used to be. That's probably why the old timers are nowhere to be found.

 

The ironic thing is that you are less likely to find people who jump all over you on an NCL ship. Maybe the boards will get Freestyle 2.0!

I really don’t know what board you are reading but I see negative posters on almost every positive thread. Someone will post of a positive experience and there will be those who will pop up and say they disagree, NCL is Wal-Mart, the food was gross, service was terrible, etc. It happens time and again.

 

Yet, I never see you, nor any of those others who like to chastise posters for disagreeing with a negative poster, on those threads chastising those who disagree with the positive poster. Why the double standard?

 

Is it OK to disagree with the positive but not to disagree with the negative? If you say it is, then you are just wanting the negative side presented. If you say it is not, then you should be chastising both or neither.

 

Almost every thread, positive and negative, will have those who disagree. Both should be treated the same.

 

I don’t like all the fighting that goes on either. But it’s a board. If I’m here, I have to deal with it.

[JenDalessan]

First half was compliment, second half was sarcasm. I have five kids, too- now eight, actually. 9, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18 and 23. My kids have food phobias beyond belief and I have always catered to it. It started long long ago and before I knew it I had three kinds of milk in my house. Two will literally barf if they drink skim and one can see me pour whole milk a mile away and refuse it. One will only drink soy now, for some reason. It's out of control but they are almost gone and it's too late to change now. Now my WORST eater is a freshman in college and he's eating whatever they have. I could have KILLED him on graduation night in June when he not only ordered but ATE salmon. I had heard something a while back about veggie lasagna but I couldn't believe it. Two kids eat fine, one eats pretty well but I could definitely see bringing along chicken nuggets for Christmas- if he ate them, which he doesn't, and two are beyond picky.

 

Christmas is a tough meal. Thanksgiving? I should make a giant roll stuffed with rolls. Turkey, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole (LOL), everything else, no way. Rolls? :)

 

Aunties should spoil their nieces, or at least indulge something like food issues IMHO. Again, IMHO! She won't forget that you did that.

 

OK, everyone, it's been real. See you over at the HAL board OR come join me on the MSC board- please! It's a ghost town.

 

Thank you for clarifying your post. I really do appreciate that. My children are similiar in ages to yours (8 to 23) and I have some picky eaters too. (yours sound MUCH more challenging though)

 

I do spoil the heck out of my niece. Again, thanks for the clarification. I apologize if I misunderstood.

[CorvetteLady]

If someone comes back from a cruise and writes:

 

A. Loved it! I loved the ship for the little things... towel animals on all nights, clean balcony door, sliding door in shower, lots of elevators, three chocolates on my pillow every night... otherwise, it was a cruise- and who can argue with that???

 

Posters will respond "Great! Great attitude! I love the little things, too! Love those chocolates!:) "

 

B. Liked it, but it definitely wasn't my best cruise. I know these are little things, but no towel animals, the balcony door was full of fingerprints, the shower curtain was high on the ick factor, the elevators were slow and full... otherwise, it was a good cruise.

 

Can you even imagine what the reponses would be? "Um... <crickets chirping>... if this is what's important to you, I feel sorry for you. Maybe you should stay home or find another cruise line. Let a little sunshine in your life, sweetheart. Get a life. Signed, the NCL board."

 

It just weighs you down after a while, seeing people get sucker punched. It truly IS sad and it definitely IS a departure from the way things used to be. That's probably why the old timers are nowhere to be found.

 

The ironic thing is that you are less likely to find people who jump all over you on an NCL ship. Maybe the boards will get Freestyle 2.0!

 

I think you are so right about people being sucker punched. I am fairly new to the boards and when I first posted I really got dumped on because I gave an opinion, how dare I say anything negative about NCL when I had not sailed on it first. The attitude seems to be that you can find a few things wrong with your cruise but you can't let it ruin your vacation. What they don't seem to realize is that not everyone thinks like they do. Some people just like to complain, but they usually don't say their vacation was a total loss, they just say they won't sail a paticular ship or line again and then say why.

 

We are not all the same, we don't all want the same things from a cruise, or a vacation. I think it is insulting to assume that people can't read a negative review and still want to sail on the ship. Posters here tear apart the complaints, sometimes imply that the OP is lying (because it wasn't that way on my cruise) or have no idea what they are talking about.

 

I was most concered about the food, because there was a lot of complaints about the food. I think most of the complaints were true, the food for the most part was mediocre. Did I let that ruin my vacation, NO, but it is certainly one reason why I would probably not sail NCL again. But if after freestyle 2.0 gets going and I come here and there are fewer complaints about the food then I might reconsider. Let me say this, it wasn't the actual complaints about the food but that there were so many of them. We took my in-laws with us, I said nothing to them about the food, but around the 3rd day they both commented that the food wasn't as good as Carnival. They weren't influenced by any reviews.

 

The most annoying thing for me is all the respones that tell people they should have made lemonade from the lemons. Who does that help? I hate lemonade, so I would have just tossed the lemons overboard. And yes I have read Sailor Jack's review and he made wonderful lemonade, but not everyone has Sailor Jack's disposition. That doesn't make them wrong, just different.

[DocJohnB]

You seem to be reprimanding a lot of people lately.:eek:

 

 

Then you have not been around here very long have you?

 

PE

So, I guess you are saying it has always been reactive and harsh.

 

That would be even sadder. (But it is true, IMO)

[DocJohnB]

I think we might be called "old timers"

 

Nita

 

Or people who really need to get a life. :D :D :D

 

(Now that is a joke)

[Volunton]

I posted a review should anyone care to read it. :)

 

My major complaint (see how they all vary) is when a shore excursion rep. scared everyone into thinking they MUST buy and bring bottled water from the ship onto the tender for the Belize excursions as NO water would be available once they left the ship.

 

About 40-50 people, us included, rushed to spend $4.50 on a bottle of Evian, only to get to the port at Belize and discover, much to my/our great chagrin, that there were 2L bottles available for $1.25 at two stores at the port!!!

 

The shore excursion rep. who said there'd be no water and ended up panicking everyone should be 'drawn and quartered'!

 

If I'd had the brains/energy to find out who it was, I'd be writing a letter to Colin Veitch to tell him what I thought of the guy.

 

Otherwise, my review is as 'objective' as one can make it.

[Down-Unders]

If someone comes back from a cruise and writes:

 

A. Loved it! I loved the ship for the little things... towel animals on all nights, clean balcony door, sliding door in shower, lots of elevators, three chocolates on my pillow every night... otherwise, it was a cruise- and who can argue with that???

 

Posters will respond "Great! Great attitude! I love the little things, too! Love those chocolates!:) "

 

B. Liked it, but it definitely wasn't my best cruise. I know these are little things, but no towel animals, the balcony door was full of fingerprints, the shower curtain was high on the ick factor, the elevators were slow and full... otherwise, it was a good cruise.

 

Can you even imagine what the reponses would be? "Um... <crickets chirping>... if this is what's important to you, I feel sorry for you. Maybe you should stay home or find another cruise line. Let a little sunshine in your life, sweetheart. Get a life. Signed, the NCL board."

 

It just weighs you down after a while, seeing people get sucker punched. It truly IS sad and it definitely IS a departure from the way things used to be. That's probably why the old timers are nowhere to be found.

 

The ironic thing is that you are less likely to find people who jump all over you on an NCL ship. Maybe the boards will get Freestyle 2.0!

 

We are the old timers, maybe not in age. Agree with what you say, it is more fun to be your own person than follow the crowd!

[cruise4kicks]

My point through all of this is that these threads and their replies are the same on all of the major lines. Someone has a bad cruise (which happens to all), they swear never to sail that line again, then the supporters of that line circle the wagons and attack the OP on every little point. It is simply part of the life on these message boards. This activity is not just Cruise Critic, but on other message boards as well. People who post negatives about cruise line ON THAT BOARD, have to be ready for these.

Apparently Cunard is not immune from the "I'll never sail this line again!" pronouncement, either. :p

 

From Sky News regarding a Noro outbreak on the Queen Vic: http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1298718,00.html. Notable quote: "Jean Trainor, 49, from Blackburn, Lancashire, said: 'No hygiene rules were implemented until people fell ill. If they had been, maybe this could have been avoided. There has also been problems with lavatories not flushing,' she said, adding: 'I'll never sail on the Queen Vic again.' "

[mbisson]

I have a lot of posts AND on my Norwegian Dawn roll call I'm sometimes referred to as "gramps" so I guess I'm an old timer ;)

 

(and btw-I also follow a few other boards and have noticed the same complaints about each and every cruise line. Sometimes I've even seen the same person swearing off of multiple cruise lines, they're gonna run out of cruise ships ;) )

[cruise4kicks]

I have a lot of posts AND on my Norwegian Dawn roll call I'm sometimes referred to as "gramps" so I guess I'm an old timer ;)

 

(and btw-I also follow a few other boards and have noticed the same complaints about each and every cruise line)

And, I should have about another 675 posts on my count, too. :p ;)

[Catnip]

 

 

The most annoying thing for me is all the respones that tell people they should have made lemonade from the lemons. Who does that help? I hate lemonade, so I would have just tossed the lemons overboard. And yes I have read Sailor Jack's review and he made wonderful lemonade, but not everyone has Sailor Jack's disposition. That doesn't make them wrong, just different.

 

 

Great post!!!! :) I agree with you totally!!!!!!

[CanadianTwosome]

I think you are so right about people being sucker punched. I am fairly new to the boards and when I first posted I really got dumped on because I gave an opinion, how dare I say anything negative about NCL when I had not sailed on it first. The attitude seems to be that you can find a few things wrong with your cruise but you can't let it ruin your vacation. What they don't seem to realize is that not everyone thinks like they do. Some people just like to complain, but they usually don't say their vacation was a total loss, they just say they won't sail a paticular ship or line again and then say why.

 

We are not all the same, we don't all want the same things from a cruise, or a vacation. I think it is insulting to assume that people can't read a negative review and still want to sail on the ship. Posters here tear apart the complaints, sometimes imply that the OP is lying (because it wasn't that way on my cruise) or have no idea what they are talking about.

 

I was most concered about the food, because there was a lot of complaints about the food. I think most of the complaints were true, the food for the most part was mediocre. Did I let that ruin my vacation, NO, but it is certainly one reason why I would probably not sail NCL again. But if after freestyle 2.0 gets going and I come here and there are fewer complaints about the food then I might reconsider. Let me say this, it wasn't the actual complaints about the food but that there were so many of them. We took my in-laws with us, I said nothing to them about the food, but around the 3rd day they both commented that the food wasn't as good as Carnival. They weren't influenced by any reviews.

 

The most annoying thing for me is all the respones that tell people they should have made lemonade from the lemons. Who does that help? I hate lemonade, so I would have just tossed the lemons overboard. And yes I have read Sailor Jack's review and he made wonderful lemonade, but not everyone has Sailor Jack's disposition. That doesn't make them wrong, just different.

 

I'm sorry, but to be surprised when someone tells you that they think you should wait to experience something before forming an opinion is, in my opinion, kind of unrealistic. How can you have an opinion without experience? That's how opinions work... otherwise, it is known as 'hearsay' or 'gossip'.

 

I think you've got the general idea correct about those of us calling ourselves 'Sunshine Cruisers'... but you're missing some of it. :) Yes, we believe that whatever happens, negative or positive, we will make the best of any cruise. We do not, however, expect everyone else to think like we do - in fact, we're very well aware that not all of us think alike. That's OK. :) People keep accusing us of thinking everything is perfect and not acknowledging that others may be disappointed even if we wouldn't be... nothing could be further from the truth - as we keep stating over and over and over. Of course everyone is different, and everyone is going to have a different opinion - while people may agree on whether they liked or disliked something, it will always be for slightly different reasons - because we're all different people.

 

As has been noted, there are almost no threads without debate. Whether they start positive or negative, there are always posters who disagree and say so. There seems to be some sort of preconception in life (not just here) that if you're saying something good, it shouldn't be taken as 'seriously' as something negative. It's as if the expectation is that if people are to be 'truly honest' they MUST find something negative to say - and if not, they're 'deluding themselves' or 'don't want reality'. What I keep seeing, though, is that while it is apparently wrong of us to try to point out positives when people are being negative, it's quite alright to do the opposite. Not only that, but people are encouraged to share their negative opinions by people who then say we're not being realistic because of our positive ones. Huh? :confused:

 

I just keep wondering when it became a bad thing to try to help another person see something positive in an otherwise bad experience. I guess I missed the memo.