• Then They Want the Tilt-A-Whirl

    6/19/20099:42:16 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Every now and again . . . we have a customer with a concern about seasickness. Today’s ships are massive . . . . and well equipped for any type of weather or seas. Modern vessels have multiple stabilizers . . . . . ballast tanks . . . . . and electronic equipment that can pick up a ripple from a dolphins jump.

    So how is it . . . . . . . . . . ?                 You think you know my next thought, but you may be wrong.            I agree that the ocean has movement. After all . . . this is a floating vessel. Anything that moves . . . well . . . . . moves. Airplanes, cars, busses, trains . . . . . and cruise ships. If you were to place a glass of water . . . . filled, say ¼ inch from the top . . . . in your auto’s cup holder . . . . . . . . . . chances are that half of the water would spill before leaving your drive way. Now take that same glass . . . . . and place it in a similar holder on a cruise ship . . . . . . . . chances are that there won’t be a drop spilled for the entire cruise. Yet, we still have concerns . . . . . and rightly so . . . . . about seasickness. There are many over the counter remedies and non-medicated items which work wonders, as well as the very popular patch. All of which are readily available.
     
    Myself . . . . . I don’t get sick at sea. But, give me some grand kids and a carnival ride . . . . . . . . . . . stand back.       I can’t do it.      I do it . . . but, I can’t do it. The kids love the little race cars riding on a track. Kind of a hairpin oval . . . . . . which takes you down a straightaway . . . . . . and then slings you to the other side. The age is 3 and up with room for an adult. HA!! The kids are laughing and screaming and having a good time. I am trying to hold on to one of them . . . . (for my own benefit) . . . my eyes are rolling back in my head . . . . . . . and I begin turning green. I can blurrily see the kids having a good time . . . . . and every 6 seconds, Linda . . . . . on the side . . . . . . . . . laughing at me. And when it’s over . . . . . the only thing I hear is the 4 kids yelling “again Grampi, again”. And then they want the tilt-a-whirl. Oh my . . . . drug store first.
     
    So, I do understand the possibility of seasickness . . . . . but, sometimes turning a little green is worth the overall result.

  • Don't leave the dining room

    6/11/20098:10:54 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    A few years ago, Linda and I were sailing from the port of Jacksonville. We drove down early to extend our stay . . . . . . (see May 18 blog) . . . . . . and enjoyed some relaxation before our cruise. As this was a new ship being introduced . . . . . the decks were filled with travel agents. Now, we are an OK kind of crowd . . . . . . . . . . but, not 1000 of us. However, it’s a good time to catch up with old acquaintances . . . . . . shipboard personnel . . . . friends from the home office . . . . . and many others.

     
    The dining room is always a pleasure . . . . . . as with any group . . . . . . where each glass of wine brings out a grander story. The type of story that dares another to top it . . . and another . . . . then another. By the time desert is served . . . . . . . . . reality becomes fantasy . . . . and fantasy . . . . . just becomes fun.
     
    Back to Jacksonville. Here we are . . . . the last night of the cruise and we are dining with a variety of people . . . . a couple of cruise line representatives and 3 additional couples from the travel community. The conversation is lively and then it happens . . . . . Linda asks me to go to the room and retrieve some medicine for her . . . . . which will take just a few minutes . . . . and I should return before desert. I had Linda order that last item for me as I left the table.
     
    My arrival back is met with two surprises . . . . . . the first of which . . . . was that I was having flowerless chocolate cake as my final course. Normally, I would just have a bowl of ice cream. The second . . . . . was that Mr. and Mrs. Needacar had asked Linda (in my absence) for a ride to the airport. Her response . . . . so I was told . . . . . “no problem – where’s that wine bottle”?
     
    I was a bit confused since the 6 mile trip to the airport was . . . . . not only free, but presumably better by bus than a crowded car with extra bags . . . . . . . yet, I agreed . . . . . with a blank look on my face . . . . . and asked the question. Why? As I was awaiting that answer . . . . . it quickly became clear . . . . as Mrs. Needacar had just finished a phone call and proceeded to tell her husband they received a $78.00 credit for their airline tickets. $39.00 each in their pocket so that we can . . . . . . you guessed it . . . . . . drive them to the Atlanta airport . . . . . . where their vehicle is. The Atlanta airport! The look on Linda’s face was priceless. Mine may have been better. But, the laughter from the other 6 was overwhelming, as they seemed to know what was happening from the start. They have dined with the Needacar’s before. Well . . . . Linda’s headache was better . . . . . . . . and her wine glass was full.
     
    So, the next morning . . . . . . . there we are . . . . . . . . driving to the Atlanta airport . . . . . . Linda wondering how this happened . . . . . . . and us taking nearly an extra 2 hours to get home. All because Mr. & Mrs. Needacar wanted an extra $78.00 in their pocket . . . . . . . . . . and Linda wanted extra wine in her glass.

  • The ugly American . . . and I am not talking about my personal looks

    6/1/200912:00:02 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Customers are returning from their spring cruises to Europe . . . . . . . . Mainly the Med . . . . . . . and the overall number 1 complaint. American TV programming. That’s right! American TV. A few weeks ago . . . . . mainly women . . . . . complained about, either missing American Idol . . . . or the fact that it was televised at 2:00AM (in Europe). The main complaint of guests now . . . . . mostly men . . . . . . . . concerns the lack of . . . or inconvenient scheduling of the NBA and NHL playoffs.

     
    Now, I realize how the cruise lines should be on top of this and send a “pre cruise survey” to all customers asking about their TV and sport preferences. Then the cruise line should rearrange the position of satellites . . . . . as to accommodate these requests . . . . and let the Italians know that their TV programming for the week of (say) July 1st will be arranged by Mr. & Mrs. Telly Vised of Boston. Once those arrangements have been made . . . . . the cruise company must co-ordinate with the tour guides . . . . . . so as not to cause undo inconvenience for the hundreds of guests who flew to Europe for the purpose of watching Grey’s Anatomy.
     
    The second most common complaint . . . . . English . . . . . . and the lack of it. As early as your arrival into Europe, you are almost certain to hear Mr. America blurt out . . . . in a loud voice . . . . . . “learn English if you want my money”. And instantly, you get the feeling, that if (whoever he was talking to) visited the United States, Mr. America would tell him to learn English before arriving into the USA. The same applies to money. In Europe they use the Euro . . . . . . . (I have no idea why) . . . . . . . yet, some American’s think that Geppetto’s toy store should accept the Dollar . . . . rather than the Euro. After all, should we really need the inconvenience of converting our money? It seems simpler for Geppetto to take our Dollar to his bank and convert it to the Euro so that he can pay for his lunch which he will purchase from the street vendor outside his Italian toy store. Really . . . . . do you want us to visit your country . . . or not?
     
    Mr. & Mrs. Telly Vised, along with Mr. America don’t have time for such nonsense. They need to rush back to the ship and make sure their personal satellite has been activated . . . . . . . . . and . . . . that the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB or any other sports letters have been properly notified of their vacation plans. Of course, then we have the problem of . . . . . . NASCAR. I think that is where the Europeans will draw the line. If we want racing . . . . . . it just may have to be Formula 1.                         YIKES!

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