5/27/06 "Il pochi il fiero i blabbermouths" We *will* sail again Part 5

[Dancind]

Making sure all my cruise friends know that NOW is the time to request Narnia pre-screening tickets from disney visa. log onto your disney visa account online and there is information there....somewhere (I stumbled upon it)

As usual, I'm behind. Do you have a link for this? I've got a Disney Visa around here somewhere.

 

[justmestace]

So, anyway....Halloween night...Jay & I ate at the buffet....it was "Bierfest". Some if it was darn good!!

The little kids were having their costume parade all through the buffets, and then headed downstairs to parade the lobby.

The Halloween festivities for the adults were all in Club Fusion. We had a blast in there. Obviously, they played songs like "Monster Mash"....games such as "Wrap Your Spouse in toilet paper like a Mummy"......
The official adult parade was at 11:45 in the lobby. Some of the people had way too much fun with all of it. I was pretty impressed with the costumes!

Skywalker's was having a Caribbean Latin Salsa dance that night, so our host went to that. He's Puerto Rican....and loves to dance. He was also hiding from me, because I had threatened to get him into the Conga line!
Jay and I stuck around for the costume parade, and then hit the hay. We were docking in St Thomas in the morning!!
Which, by the way, is clever on the part of Princess. If they hit St Thomas first, they don't have to do the whole Customs routine.

Movies throughout the day and night:
Plots With a View
Practical Magic
Beetle Juice
Hocus Pocus
Bewitched
Hard Days Night
Rocky Horror Picture Show (didn't start until after 1:00 am, in case there were kiddies still around)

And...since it was Monday night, they had football on the big screen, the Ravens vs the Steelers....and we were told that they had reserved some deck chairs for the guys from the Mirage..... (what more could these people ask for???)

Tonight's show in the Princess Theater:
Pianoman....the music of Billy Joel, Neil Sedaka, Barry Manilow, Liberace & Elton John.

Explorer's Lounge had Comedy Showtime with Garry Carson
Wheelhouse Bar had "Elua" and the BMW Trio
Crooner's had Bert Stratton
Atrium Lobby had the ship's musicians

Plenty to do for everyone.....

 

[justmestace]

As usual, I'm behind. Do you have a link for this? I've got a Disney Visa around here somewhere.

I think the only way you can access it is through your online banking....

 

[mickeymo]

This was the day that I started to hear the rumblings of the malcontents. The ill-behaved Mirage people.

Princess and the Mirage had gone out of their way to make things special for our group. I felt really bad for the people who paid to go on the cruise, because it must have seemed that everywhere they turned, there was a roped off area, special line, special sign saying "Private Party"....it really was kind of embarrassing.
Anyway....Jay & I had been going to the cocktail parties, not so much that we wanted to, but we knew that since they had gone to the trouble of hosting them, we should show up and be polite. We noticed that each day, there were less and less people showing up. And less people coming to dinner with the group also.
I found out that many of them had become very rude with the wait-staff, some crew members, and the employees in the casino. I hadn't heard much of it first hand, when I was in the casino, I went to the far back.
Apparently, every single little thing that didn't go exactly the way these people wanted, turned into a major full-blown episode. There was a particular group of people who were really loud about their complaints. And a group of women who just plain thought they were better than everyone else.
It didn't help that their host (a woman) has a really bad attitude.
I just found it hard to believe that anyone could complain about anything, when the cruise was FREE.
Granted, I've told you guys that we weren't crazy about some of the meals, and the comparisons with DCL....but I would NEVER have said any of that to our host, to the head of the travel agency, or to the crew. Just bad form.

Wait...FREE? Next time, tell your friend to invite the double scoops- and we'll be super-appreciative, and nice, and polite - it shouldn't be that hard to have basic manners...especially for FREE...and add to get all of these perks - reserved areas, receptions, etc...I'm still hung up on FREE...I would have been over-and-above appreciative, gracious, and thankful...FREE...

 

[kikipug]

Pam - prayers and

headed your way.

 

[kikipug]

I haven't posted all day cause I'm in a really terrible mood, and don't want it to rub off on anyone else.

It has killed me for the past 2 years since we moved here NOT to be with my family for Christmas. Since Christmas Day last year, my family (sister, brother, parents) vowed to spend Christmas 2005 with us in FL... well... in the past week, both my DB & SIL and DSis & family have backed out. I am crushed. We talked about Christmas plans in EVERY conversation over the past year...I know that its not easy to travel during the holidays, but they INSISTED that they'd be here... now they're not coming. (My parents still are... for 3 months... but I want the rest of my family here, too.) If they had decided back in August, or even September, that they just couldn't do it, we could have made other arrangements to spend Christmas in Connecticut. (Yes, that WAS a movie once...)

It takes a lot to really upset me... but this did it... I cried myself to sleep last night. Christmas was always THE most important thing in our family... I know I'm being selfish, and should be happy that everyone is healthy, but self-pity won out in this situation... as it sometimes does, deservedly or not.

OK... I'm done venting... I'll get down now.

 

[mickeymo]

To Pam and her famly...

This one's for you, too - my parents have backed out of coming down for Christmas because my mom will be finished with her chemo but, will be starting radiation just after the holidays. So, with my parents not coming, my brother's family and my best friend are sticking close to home. Even though it's cancelling for different reasons, I too, was looking forward to a family Christmas, the first in five years.

We usually don't return to Chicago because with both sets of parents in the same town - it creates a lot more problems than it solves, trying to make equal time between both...And in keeping with my mom's wishes to keep the holidays low-key and as germ-free as possible, even if I thought of going there as a substitute, the holidays wouldn't be low-key and germ-free like she wants/needs...

 

[justmestace]

Kiki....I'm sorry! I do know how you feel. It doesn't really feel like Christmas here in the desert, after spending my whole life in the midwest. We've gone back there for a couple of Christmases, but on the whole, we've been here alone. My parents have been here for a few holidays, but my brothers and their families haven't. They have too many obligations with in-laws and such. It makes it awfully lonely.
We used to have Jay's family come, but that's another story in itself.....now it's just us.
I guess that's why I had such a great time on the Christmas cruise. And maybe that's why everyone on the DIS became one big family. I know some people say that they could never go on a cruise during the holidays, but for me it was the most magical holiday I'd had since I was a kid.
It makes it double worse for you, to find out now that it's too late to make other plans. I don't blame you for being mad....you can climb on that soapbox any time!!

 

[justmestace]

Wait...FREE? Next time, tell your friend to invite the double scoops- and we'll be super-appreciative, and nice, and polite - it shouldn't be that hard to have basic manners...especially for FREE...and add to get all of these perks - reserved areas, receptions, etc...I'm still hung up on FREE...I would have been over-and-above appreciative, gracious, and thankful...FREE...

I have no doubt that WE would all know how to be appreciative! I'll send a letter to the powers that be.....tell them I know a whole group of people that will bow down to them, if they'd send us all on a cruise!

 

[ohiominnie]

Stacey,
Your experiences just solidify in my mind my decision never to cruise with my sister and BIL. They both (but ESPECIALLY my BIL) are very vocal and usually completely dissatisfied with everything. It's just embarrasing to go out with them and hear them rant and rave. I just want to crawl under the table. I always feel so bad for the servers! It could be cruise quality food and impeccible service but they will find SOMETHING to complain about. I do'nt know if it's a power thing, an attention thing or an attempt to get things for free. Whatever it is, it stinks. Sounds like you cruised with my sister and BIL!

 

[justmestace]

Some things I'd forgotten about Princess.....they keep the ships on Eastern time all the time. No moving the clock forward this night, turning it back the next. That was handy. We just had to remember in port that we were on ship's time.
Since Daylight Saving Time ended, the ship chose to remain on the eastern time we started on, and we turned the clocks back the night before we came home.
And....if you have an excursion with the ship, they don't meet in one of the clubs onboard before hand. You disembark, and they have tour leaders out on the pier holding signs up. They also don't hand out towels, you have to ask your room steward for one of their blue striped beach towels.

Tuesday, St Thomas Day
I had gone online to look for an excursion, since we had done Captain Nautica with DCL in December. I found a sailboat that went to two different snorkel spots....Christmas Cove, and Honeymoon Beach...St John. The price wasn't any higher than an excursion $88 per person, and they served breakfast and a great lunch. There were about 12-15 of us on the sailboat and Bobby went with us.
It was a little choppy at Honeymoon Beach, and it seemed that the water was cloudy. That's where I swam along with the turtle, though, and it was pretty. It sprinkled rain off and on and was cloudy that morning. By the time we had our lunch and got to Christmas Cove, the sun was out and the water there was clear as glass. And of course, I ran out of film halfway through the snorkel and didn't want to go back to the boat to reload.
We had taken a taxi to Red Hook, the Sapphire Resort, to meet the sailboat. It was nice to get a glimpse of that side of St Thomas.
When we got back, we had about an hour to shop before we had to be back onboard. I found a few things that I was looking for, right at Havensight (at the port terminal). The clouds decided to open up and POUR on us as we were walking back. Didn't matter much, since we already looked like drowned rats.
It was Tropical Night....we had our cocktail party at Blackbeard's and dinner in the Coral dining room. This was one of the most fun nights we had at dinner, I think because it was casual, and only a couple of tables' worth of Mirage people showed up. But I think since everyone had gone out and done fun things, we were all wound up and had stories to tell. I laughed till my sides hurt.
Jay and I went to the tropical deck party, but it was loud, and not nearly as much fun as DCL so we went to Club Fusion for 80's night, and then decided to call it a night, since we had another excursion in the morning.

Movies showing today:
Ice Age
Princess Bride
Grease
Shrek
Herbie Fully Loaded
The Longest Yard
The Interpreter

The Princess theater had a ventriloquist and then the final showing of Pianoman

 

[mickeymo]

I have no doubt that WE would all know how to be appreciative! I'll send a letter to the powers that be.....tell them I know a whole group of people that will bow down to them, if they'd send us all on a cruise!

Best of all - it would be great word-of-mouth advertisement for the company- because they were so wonderful and generous...we'd make sure we'd tell our friends... Our behaviors would not reflect poorly on the the company...hmm, what else could we put in that letter...

 

[justmestace]

Stacey,
Your experiences just solidify in my mind my decision never to cruise with my sister and BIL. They both (but ESPECIALLY my BIL) are very vocal and usually completely dissatisfied with everything. It's just embarrasing to go out with them and hear them rant and rave. I just want to crawl under the table. I always feel so bad for the servers! It could be cruise quality food and impeccible service but they will find SOMETHING to complain about. I do'nt know if it's a power thing, an attention thing or an attempt to get things for free. Whatever it is, it stinks. Sounds like you cruised with my sister and BIL!

I think we cruised with about 10 of your sister and BIL....
It gets better, wait till I get to the part where we were flying home, and the flight attendants almost called the Air Marshals and Security to land the plane somewhere!

 

[justmestace]

Have to take Jordan to dance, will come home and write more before we meet Bill for dinner.

 

[Dancind]

Stacey, was it one couple in particular that was so badly behaved, or was it a whole group of them? Was "Max" (not his real name) on your cruise?

We had a Max on our Christmas cruise. They actually had a table in our DIS group area, and Kevin and I sat down to eat with them one night when their kids were gone. It was horrible. The guy complained from beginning to end. He berated the servers, the bartender, the Head Server. I guess he did this every night because they could not serve a mimosa (I think it was) that met with his satisfaction. And yet he ordered it every night.

Does that sound a bit like your group, Stacey? I know Max ate with you guys one night, but believe me, he was on his GOOD behavior that night.

 

[Cruisin'goose]

Have to take Jordan to dance, will come home and write more before we meet Bill for dinner.

You really know how to leave a gal hangin' don't you?????
Come on let's get to "the rest of the story"

 

[justmestace]

Wednesday, Nov 2

St Maarten.
We had booked through Princess, the Rapid Explorer transportation to St Barth's. We met out on the cruise pier at about 9:00 a.m. They took us to the ferry dock in vans...and I wish I had known that it was just a short walk around the corner from the cruise pier...I would have booked it myself for a whole lot less money.
The ferries are really nice, they have airline-type seats and free juice and sodas. The sea was really REALLY choppy. I hadn't given that a whole lot of thought, I've never been seasick, ever. The lady in front of us spent the entire 45 minute trip over, in the bathroom. It's just a good thing no one else needed to get in there. They carried her off the ferry.
Once we got to St Barth, we got a van and driver to take us on a tour of the island. Like I said before, it was stunning. So clean. We got back into the main town (there really is only one) at about noon, planned on shopping a little and getting a bite to eat. What no one told us, was that the stores all close from noon to 3 pm. If I 'd known that, I would have shopped first, and toured later, our ferry left at 2 pm!
We found a pretty little restaurant, open to the bay where there were sailboats docked and had a burger....one of the best I've tasted, ever. Rumor has it that Jimmy Buffet wrote "Cheeseburger in Paradise" on St Barth.
After lunch, we started out up and down the main streets, looking for any store that might be open. I would send Jay down one way, while I went the other. I finally spotted a rack with t-shirts out in front of a store up the street. I ran up there...it was open! I had about a half hour to get what I wanted (gifts and such) and get down to the ferry. Talk about power shopping! But I was up to the task. I was nearly done before most of the other ferry passengers found the shop.
I did some major damage in there. I had four bags full of shirts, hats, magnets, etc. but I knew we'd most likely never get back there. I had found one jewelry store open where I bought a charm for my bracelet, and a shop (before lunch) where I bought some soaps and lotions that are only made on St Barth.
Back on the ferry, the sea was much smoother, so it was a nice ride.
We got back to St Maarten with a little time left to shop. Like my credit cards weren't already flaming.....Jay took the bags from St Barth and went back to the ship. BIG mistake! Never leave me to shop alone.....my first stop was at Diamonds International. Then I hit some of the small booths to get a couple of shirts for Bill, since he was watching the kids, he wanted souvenirs.

I didn't get back on the ship in time to get dressed for the cocktail party, and we had dinner on our own.
It was Country and Western night in the clubs, so we skipped that....we get enough of that here.
There was a "Mirage Only" slot tournament in the casino, so I went down to wait for that to start and Jay went to bed.
There were 45 entries in the tournament and the final 9 played for the cash. I started out in first place at the end of the first round, eventually dropping to 9th place. At the very last second, I got bumped completely and didn't make the finals. The cruise director was our emcee, and he was a riot! It was fun to watch everyone. I was surprised to see that most of the other Mirage players left the area after they discovered that they hadn't made the finals, I thought that was really rude. It only seems right to stay and cheer the others on, besides, it was fun!
After it was over, I played the machines for a little bit and also went to bed. I'd forgotten how the air makes you so sleepy.

Movies today:
Big
Toy Story
Splash
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Wedding Date
Monster in Law
Bewitched

 

[justmestace]

About four of the men were "Max's"......and the women, well...some were "Maxines" and some just thought they were toooo hot to handle.
The next day coming up tells a little about the women.
But that night (above) in the casino is when I really started seeing most of it. Not staying for the whole tournament...complaining about not getting their (free) drinks delivered to their seat in the casino fast enough, not winning, blah blah blah..... AND.....some of them RAN OUT OF MONEY! Then they were mad that the ATM didn't give them but $300 at a time...which is what they all do....so they went to the Purser's Desk and got cash on their credit cards and were mad that they could only get $1500 at a time! But I thought it was mighty decent that the ship wasn't charging Mirage people the usual percentage fee for cash......I had won, so I didn't need to get any money, but it was nice that they weren't charging a fee.

 

[justmestace]

Have to run to dinner....back later.

 

[dobelover]

You really know how to leave a gal hangin' don't you?????
Come on let's get to "the rest of the story"

Hi Vicki!



Stacey, see above post!



Sue