Eastern Caribbean Cruise - Sea Day (02/01/25)

 

This would be the last day for us on the ship.   This would be the last day that we could leave our towels on the floor and have them replaced with clean ones by the room steward.  This would be the day where we would have to pack our suitcases and leave them by the door, so that we could pick them up at the pier. And this would be the day that I'd start itemizing what the cruise line did right and did wrong, preparing to write an email to the cruise line's customer service department.

But what would I write about?

Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the questionable service in the main dining room for breakfast, brunch, and lunch.  Unlike dinner service (where you sit at the same table, at the same time, and are served by the same staff), breakfast, brunch and lunch service has people sitting at random tables, at random times during the meal's dining schedule, and has multiple servers providing uncoordinated service.  One could place a meal order with one person, have a bar order taken by a second person, and food delivered by a third.  It seems like no one is talking to each other during morning and afternoon meals, leaving many cruisers unhappy.  To make things worse, our lunch server reached over the table next to us to hand us our dessert plates.  If I were running a restaurant, this would be unacceptable service.

Like the closet in my studio cabin on my first cruise with this line, the closet in our cabin has hinged doors.  This is not a problem when a cabin has enough space for doors to open, like our current interior cabin.  But this is a big problem for the line's studio cabins, as the opened sofa-bed blocks the doors, and limits access to the closet. Unlike other cruise lines, the space in this cabin is not designed to store much.  In my interior cabin on last year's California Trip, I had at least twice as much space to store things than I have on this cruise - in a similarly sized cabin.  I will likely suggest that they retrofit the closets in their studio cabins to use sliding doors, as this would be a great benefit to future cruisers.

Yet, there are good things I can say as well.  The comedians on both of my most recent cruises were good, and made us want to see them more than once. We were both Food served in the main dining room was plentiful, albeit under-spiced to many Americans' tastes.  (It's easier to add salt to a dish than to take it away.)  Dinner service in the main dining room was very good, and everyone there was very attentive to our needs. We didn't need to dine at any of the specialty restaurants, and we were glad we made the choice not to do so.

Readers may notice the scooter in the hallway at the top of this entry.  Our steward said that MSC doesn't have a policy against scooters being left in the hall.  This can be a big problem in case of an emergency.   There is not enough room for a wheelchair to roll through the hall when a scooter takes up more than half the hall's width.  I'll be sure to note this as a major risk factor in my email, even though I didn't want to complain while onboard the ship - why make things harder for people who need these scooters and ruin their cruises?

- - - - - -

Back to our day....

After breakfast, we had to pack.  So we both loaded up our suitcases and readied them for the transport from the ship to the pier.  Then came our last lunch and dinner in the main dining rooms.  We said farewell to our waiter, then it was back to the cabin to finish packing.  We were mildly disturbed by the steward when he came for the beach towels.  Yet, this was the perfect opportunity for us to hand him a tip in person.

Both of us felt as if our belongings had grown while we were on the ship.  As I write this, I'm hoping that I packed my large suitcase to its capacity and left enough room in my backpack and carry-on to handle the rest of my stuff.

 

Eastern Caribbean Cruise - Sea Day (01/31/25)

 

We finally got moving time to go to the main dining room for breakfast.  This is often a miracle, given how RQS likes to sleep late (and I have little reason to interrupt this).  However, we will need to get up very early for us when Sunday comes, as we will need to be out of the cabin before 7:30 am.

But first....

Sea days on a cruise can be very relaxing.  However, on this ship, there are absolutely no places where one can relax in a place designed to be quiet at all times outside of one's cabin.  The design of this ship almost forces one to spend money, as there is no library or card room in which to escape the racket in the common areas.  For example, we got out of a show around 10:15 pm, and the ship was holding a loud dance party in the atrium/galleria - a place in which we'd need to walk through on our way back to our cabin.   

Today, we got up early enough to get breakfast in the main dining room.  Unfortunately, so did so many other people.  To make it worse, the 8 am crowd didn't make it on line until 9 am, as many forgot to set their clocks backward the night before.  So, we ended up being part of an overflow crowd which was treated to far from spectacular service for breakfast.  RQS complained (not at me, but venting with me) that they didn't pay much attention to her multiple requests for water until I raised the issue.  In short, it was another one of those "Ignore the woman, Pay attention to the man" moments that most women find bothersome.  At least, we were able to avoid the buffet for another day.

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Dinner tonight would be another chance to get dressed up for dinner.  I will make sure that RQS and I get to a couple of photo stations before entering the dining room.  This way, we would be able to get at least one nice picture of the two of us to frame. And this we did, getting several sets of pictures from different photographers.  To make things better, we met our friends from the first 2 nights; dinners, and exchanged phone numbers.  So we'll be able to meet up with them the next time we're near DC.

Eastern Caribbean Cruise - Port Day (01/26/25 - Puerto Plata, DR)

 

The ship made port at 12:00 noon, and we made it to lunch at the same time.  We were in no hurry to do much of anything, and there would be no need to hurry until the end of the cruise.  So, there was only one drawback for me in waking up early - there was no uncut fresh fruit in the room for me to nosh on to sate my hunger.

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We went to the main dining room for lunch, and this time, service wasn't bad.  Yes, there was a minor mistake.  But it was nothing to complain about.  (Later on, we'd find that 90 people started their contracts with this sailing.  No wonder why service in the dining rooms was iffy at times.)  After lunch, it was again time to relax.  So we went upstairs to the buffet, where we could read in someplace other than our cabin.

Around 5:30, it was time to go to dinner, and our new friends weren't there.  I guess either of 3 things happened:

1. They were still dealing with the aftermath of the water pipe bursting at home, and were still making calls from the ship to see that their home gets fixed.
   
   
2. They flew home from the DR, so that they could deal with their issues in person.
   
   
3. They were tired of dining with us (RQS deems this doubtful), and found another table (and time) to dine at.
   

It felt strange to have a table for 6 to ourselves.  But we enjoyed the meal anyway.

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After another trip back to our room, we went to the theater to see a performer (LsShonda Reese) sing a set of songs by James Brown, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and others.  She was a good singer, but I wouldn't have spent money to see her perform - at least, not in a cruise ship environment.

As usual, we now are finding that our next door cabin resident regularly leaves her scooter in the hallway.  Do I like this?  No.  But there's nothing I want to do about this.  It's a pain to house the scooter in the room.  Yet, I feel that she should have booked an "Accessible Cabin" to deal with this issue beforehand. This is something I will bring up when I write a letter to the cruise line's customer service department.  I don't want to get anyone in trouble (especially not our room steward), but I think the cruise line needs a policy for this, as not all cabin entryways have room to park 1 scooter, much less 2 scooters.

Tomorrow, we will be in Puerto Rico, and we may finally get off the ship.

 

Eastern Caribbean Cruise - Sea Day (01/25/25)

 

One thing I noticed about MSC is that they tend to be low cost for most things - including medical supplies.  Today, RQS had to see about getting a walking cane to help get around.  (She left hers at home before the cruise.)  So she went to the medical center, and they rented one for $60 - which will be refunded on return to the center at the end of the cruise.  This is much better than NCL's $35 rental fee which she would have incurred had she rented one when injured on our first Bermuda cruise. (She ended up buying one in Bermuda for $30 when in port.)

With the above being said, I've noticed big differences in service in each of my 3 cruises on this line.  So far, both RQS and I have noticed a decline in service quality between our 2 cruises together.  On our first cruise, wait staff tended to be very attentive, making sure we had bottled water at our table and wines of our choice, refilled as desired.  On this cruise, we found out that this was our waiter's first sailing - and the mistakes he made were that of a good natured rookie. However, I won't excuses made at brunch, where the entire staff was inattentive.  Normally, a wait staff member would come by with either juices or pastries before orders were taken.  This did not happen until we were finished with our main courses.  RQS wanted to order a Cappuccino, while I wanted my 2 Diet Cokes, and the waiter didn't want to take that part of the order, passing it to someone else from the bar staff.  When our drinks were delivered, I had to ask the waiter to return my cruise card.  To make things worse, our desserts were delivered before we had much of a chance to start our main courses.  (It could have been worse - a lady at an adjoining table never got her second omelette.)  On top of that, RQS's utensils were taken away, and I had to shout to gain the attention of the wait staff to get these utensils replaced.  

Luckily, dinner service gradually improves with time.  As wait staff gets to know you, they will anticipate some of your needs.  For example, the waiter assumed we'd be having wine with dinner and knew to ask us what we'd be drinking with our meals.  Wait staff was concerned about our table mates not showing up for dinner, but we informed them that the issue had nothing to do with the food or service, it had to do with things going on at home.

Last night, we had reservations for a 9:30 performance at the ship's theater.  In the past, crew members checked to see if people had reservations for certain performances, and put unreserved people on a wait list to be admitted.  We arrived at the theater, and there were no capacity controls - anyone could get in, resulting in overcrowding.  Given that last night's show had performers using the aisles in their performance, this could have resulted in a very dangerous situation.  I'm glad that RQS and I decided to leave, as we'd have never enjoyed the show under these conditions.

In many ways, you get what you pay for, and on MSC, you are paying for a crew that may be learning new skills while on the job.  I'm hesitant on making complaints aimed at individuals, as we were told that MSC tends to either end contracts early or declines renewals if even a single complaint is made, not giving individuals time to learn their craft fully.  But I plan to make complaints regarding specific departments on the ship, making sure to also mention the things that the cruise line is doing right.

- - - - - -

On other matters....

Our new friends from our dinner table met us in the atrium today, on their way to lunch.  The gentleman mentioned that he was in contact with his son all morning, as there was a water line break which flooded his dining room.  This will be a cruise to remember, all for the wrong reasons.

All sorts of things can happen while one is away from home.  I can still remember something that happened to my former cruise partner towards the end of one cruise, something that affected her property.  On another trip, there was a death in her family.  Seasoned travelers have trusted people looking after their affairs while they are away.  And yet, things will go wrong at times.  I once left a car unlocked in an airport's long term parking lot, and was lucky that no one broke into the car.  So I say, expect the best, but prepare for the worst....

 

 

Bermuda Cruise 2024 #2 - Disembarkation Day (11/03/24)

 

(A blurry view of the Statue of Liberty at 4:30 am)

We had a busy morning.  Both of us woke up around 4 am, just after the ship passed under the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge.  This was fortunate, as RQS wanted to try and get a shot of the statue from our balcony.  However, the above photo was the best shot from both of our phones, as our phones were not equipped to capture low light images from a moving ship.

When we reached the pier, we got ready to leave the cabin for the last time - we showered, dressed, packed our carry-on bags, and checked the room for forgotten things before going to breakfast.  Breakfast was the worst meal we had on the ship, as both service was very slow and the quality of the eggs were bad enough for us to order freshly fried eggs.  Just before our replacement eggs were delivered, our luggage tag color was called, and we proceeded off the ship.

Using a cane off the ship had an advantage for us, as we were routed to a priority path to reach our luggage. Once in the luggage pick up area, we were directed to the small area where both our bags were stored.  And then, it was a short trip through the customs stations then to the cabs waiting across from the cruise terminal.

We were at Grand Central in less than 15 minutes, and home by 10:15 am.  Finally, our Bermuda trip was at an end.  Both of us are now ready to take another cruise - and we just got off the ship!  Now back to our regularly scheduled lives.

Bermuda Cruise 2024 #2 - Sea Day # 3 (11/02/24)

 

It's fitting that the day started with overcast skies.  Tomorrow, we'd be heading home from the cruise terminal, and dealing with traffic issues triggered by the NYC Marathon.  To most, it's a symbol of New York supporting athletics.  To people in transit to other places, it's a pain in the *** that can't be avoided.

- - - - - -

The day started with us waking up early to have one last relaxed breakfast in the main dining room.  Although the quality of food was as good as usual, the service was sloppy at best.  This might have been triggered by too many people trying to eat at Taste or Savor at the same time, or it might have been caused by bad management of these dining areas.  I won't bother to take a guess about which scenario is true. 

Once done with breakfast, it was off to the photo gallery to select one photo of the two of us that we could frame in each of our apartments.  We selected a nice photo, and then went to the duty free liquor store, where I burnt off the rest of my non-refundable cruise credits (along with a few extra dollars) on a bottle of Amaretto.  And, finally, it was back to our cabin to finish packing, accommodating our late dinner at Le Bistro (a specialty restaurant).

One of the benefits I have with my Platinum loyalty status is to get luggage tags that give me a priority in leaving the ship on disembarkation day. We went to Guest Services and got bad information from one of the crew manning the area.  After a wasted trip to our cabin, we ended up going to Guest Services again and asking for our yellow luggage tags - which we got without anyone checking our status.  Now, I know what I have to do on future NCL cruises to get priority disembarkation.

Around 8 pm, we pushed our bags into the hall for delivery to the pier, and then proceeded to the ship's French restaurant for dinner. We ordered wine with our dinner, and never had to show our cruise card for it. Could the staff be using some system to remember that we had the drink package on a prior visit to the restaurant?  Or, did they stop giving a damn about checking for drink package cruisers?  Given the behavior of other bar crew personnel on this cruise for soda and alcohol orders, I'm not sure of what is going on. RQSr and I started with the Mushroom soup, and I followed that with some more Escargot.  RQS had the Dover Sole, while I had the Beef Tenderloin.  Both were yummy.  And then both of us finished with the Strawberries and Cream over Sponge Cake.  This was pleasant, but I'd rather have had a simple Napoleon to finish off the meal.

When we were done with dinner, it was back to the cabin to try and sleep, as tomorrow would be a busy day.

Dinner at Chazz's Place

 

Today was a day I did a lot of nothing until it was time to get ready for the evening.  If I didn't commit myself to attending the meetup, I would have preferred to stay home and not be on the roads.  However, I was committed, and I got showered, dressed, and made up to look my casual best before going to dinner in White Plains.

This meetup was to try out Chazz Palminteri's White Plains restaurant. You might have heard of Chazz.  He's the performer who is known for his play: A Bronx Tale.  Although I didn't want to see the movie based on his play, I'm of a different mind now than I was when the story was first adapted for film.  If Chazz does his one man how near me, I'll go and see it.  But I digress....

As I left my home at 5:30, I found a lot of people doing stupid things on the road.  And there were a couple of "Scheisskopfen" who, because of their own stupidity, could have caused me to get into an accident.  Luckily, I was alert enough NOT to get into trouble, as I reached the restaurant safely and on time.  And then I found our group.

Unlike other meetup groups I have attended, this group tends to have small gatherings of 6-8 people.  This allows for the host (and all attending) to be able to chat with anyone else sitting at the table.  I like this.  And I was able to sit next to YGD from the Yonkers gaming meetup.  Although I was at one end of the table, I was able to chat with everyone in my line of sight.  (I was glad that the meetup host made this possible by keeping the group small.)  

It took a while for a waiter to come and take our orders.  If I have any complaint about this place, it will be about the service - I had to ask for my water glass to be refilled, and the wait staff left us a little too bit alone.  (I'd have liked to get refills on my Iced Tea without having to flag down a waiter, as if I were hailing a NYC cab.  But I digress again....)  Fortunately, the quality of the food made up for the service, and I would go back here again, now that I know about it.

On the way out, YGD mentioned that she had parked at an on-street spot where the meter was broken.  (Someone had jammed the wrong coin into the slot, preventing it from being used by another car.)  TGD, in her ignorance parked there (thinking that spaces with broken meters are free, as they are where she lives), and found a ticket under her windshield wiper.  OUCH!  Before leaving her and her car, I took pictures of the broken meter and sent them to her so that she can fight the ticket.  Do I think she'll be successful?  No.  But she'll have tool with which she can fight city hall.

As for me, I drove home for the evening and took care of things around the house....

 

 

 

Dinner with Vicki - Alone

 

Tonight was the second night of the Hudson Valley Restaurant week dinner promotion, where a group of restaurants would serve fixed price dinners to show off what these restaurants can do (and get future customers as a result).  This time, the HVRW choice did not disappoint us, and I made a joke about it to one of the bus boys.  

But first....

It took the better part of an afternoon, but they finally figured out why my TPMS idiot light kept turning on.  To put it short, after resetting the car's diagnostic history, everything worked well, and the light hasn't come on since.  However, this got in the way of me getting my nails done for dinner tonight with Vicki, as I had to stay in male presentation for the better part of the day.  

Around 5 pm, I changed into a blue striped dress on which that Vicki later would pay me a compliment. Once ready for dinner, I drove over to Vicki's, and a few minutes later, we were at the Char steakhouse in Mahopac, NY.  (I knew the area well from my many trips to see FCP.  But I digress.)  It took us a while to find a parking spot, but we got lucky - the lot was overflowing when we arrived, and I snagged a spot as someone was coming out.  Since it was only a short walk to the front door, I could have left my wool coat in the car, but I decided to bring it inside with me.

I will start off by mentioning the one bad thing I could think about in regard to this restaurant. Instead of entering directly into the restaurant area where a host(ess) would greet us, then have someone show us to our table, we had to walk through the bar area, and then across part of the dining area to meet our hostess. (I don't think this is a normal setup for the restaurant, as I think they wanted to gain an extra few tables for use during HVRW.)  Once we checked in with the hostess, we were promptly seated and served both bread and water.  (Our menus also came at that time.)  A minute or two later, we placed our drink order, and took a few minutes to decide on what to have for dinner.  Vicki noticed a nice thing - within 60 seconds of my water glass being emptied, it was refilled without me having to ask for anything. Our waiter was very pleasant, and he treated me like the lady I was presenting myself as tonight. Service was efficient, friendly, polite, and professional.  Unlike our last HVRW, everything was top notch.  So, on our way out, Vicki took the time to pay a compliment to the waiter, letting him know that we appreciated his good service.

What can I say about the food?  The salads we had were delicious, as well as the strip steaks we ate (at a $6 up charge).  Although the cheesecake served was smaller than the average slice, its quality was up there with the steaks we just finished.  Would I go back there again?  Yes.  .But it will be when I have the money to spend on a good steak dinner.

On the way home, Vicki and talked of many things.  XGFJ came to mind, then FCP.  No, I won't go into the details of that part of the conversation here.  Let's just say that Vicki said that I've grown a lot in the past 4 years, and that RQS and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time for each other. In regard to RQS, Vicki mentioned that she has the best of both worlds in me, as she has Mario as a boyfriend, and Marian as a great gal pal. 

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week

 

I wasn't planning on going to a meetup tonight.  However, I ended up going as a space freed up at the last minute - and I wanted to try out a new restaurant.

- - - - - -

Normally, I wear some kind of tunic and leggings when I go to work.  However, I wanted to look a little nicer when going to an upscale restaurant.  So I went home and stripped, then put on some stockings and a dress before going out again.

It took me a few minutes to find a parking spot near the restaurant in White Plains.  No, it wasn't that crowded in that area of town.  It was because the streets had me going way out of the way to effectively go half a block in the wrong direction on a one-way street.  But once there, I met the group and sat down to have a nice dinner.

You'll notice that I haven't mentioned the name of this place.  The food was good, but the service was inattentive.  They simply did not have the staff to maintain a pre-covid level of service, and it showed in our post-covid environment.  There were several times that we had to ask the wait staff for help, and even then, some tasks were left incomplete.  The one I noticed most was when the waiter filled the water glasses of 3 people, leaving the 4th with an empty glass. I was also affected, when the wrong dessert was brought to me. Then, when the desired dessert was delivered, I didn't get a fork with which to eat it.  I ended up using my spoon to do so.

- - - - - -

Although I had signed up for another meetup tomorrow, I bailed out on it.  I have enough things to do that will have me eating out.  So why add more calories to the waistline?