Jade Western Caribbean Live Report Dec 17th Embarcation

[Yesimapirate]

The plan was to write a live report a few times a day.  Unfortunately due to a cabin issue, difficulty logging onto the internet initially and frankly being lazy, I'm 5 days late.  Oops.  Sorry!

 

Just a quick bit of background.  I like to think I'm a traveler (I also think I'm handsome so take what I say with a grain of salt).  I spent 19 years of my life traveling globally between 45 and 48 weeks a year.  I averaged about 250k air miles a year and over 200 hotel nights a year.  I was one of the early members of the big frequent flier/hotel message board and there on day one of the more in depth board that splintered off it.  I've been to 94 countries on planes, trains, maglev, helicopter, boat, wagon and once even by donkey.  However,.my only cruise prior to this was a 3 day day booze cruise last March on the Epic.

 

So apparently I have high standards,  think I know everything but I'm really clueless on this one.   In short, I'm probably the staffs worst nightmare.   Well, except for the fact that I'm polite.  I guess that actually puts me in the top 50%

 

 

[Yesimapirate]

Being a Florida resident with a cruise departing Miami on a Monday means one thing:            Pre-cation!  We spent the weekend in Key Largo, about 90 min from the cruise port.   We woke up, had some coffee, threw the luggage in the car, had some more coffee and we were off.  Of course, no cruise is complete without some Jimmy Buffett (btw, there's no coincidence his last name is spelled so close to the buffet I'll be gorging on in a few hours) so I flipped on the Margarittaville channel on Sirius radio and opened the sun roof.   Traffic was minimal until we got close to the airport and them slowed down for a few miles.  Finally cleared the jam, though the tunnel and there we were at the port.

 

We were departing from Terminal B so my brilliant self followed the signs for Terminal A,B,C parking.   Um.....there was no terminal B parking there.  Just cans and cars dropping people off to porters who looked like a cruise on the River Styx would be more exciting for them.  After getting yelled at in Creole by a cab driver, we parked at 10:16 in the terminal C garage.  I ignored the signs telling me to take my parking ticket and walked to the elevator.   Apparently the cruise port garage is similar to most airports and the parking payment machine had a big sign saying it was out of order and to pay at the exit.   Score one for the little guy and not losing a ticket!

 

At 10:21 we found a porter who made eye contact and dropped off our bags.  He became downright friendly when I tipped him well.  Welcome to Miami!

 

At 10:25 we introduced ourselves to the lounge dragon guarding the Haven check in.   We were sailing in an Aft Balcony Deluxe Penthouse (that was a ton to type, from now on I'm calling it a room in the back) and even though it wasn't actually "Haven" I was told we could check in there since the room had butler and concierge privileges.   Lounge lizard replies to our names with "are you Haven?".  My wife looks at her confused and says "No, we aren't the Haven family, we're the Pirate family".  We're told Haven only.  Unsure if she understood,  I stated we were in a suite.  She replies with "is it Haven?"  I tell her it's category SF.  She looks at me like I'm speaking in tongues and asks "what does that mean?"  I'm getting a bit Disney and I'm cranky (I'm cranky a lot, it's a few days after my birthday and I'm officially old) so I tell her it means we check in at that lounge.  She asks our name (I know it's shocking but it's the one we told her initially), we tell her again and she looks at us and says "why didn't you tell me that, you're on my list".  I smile and thank her while inwardly wondering if I entered the Twilight Zone.   

 

The rest of check in was as smooth as the seas.  We were escorted onto the ship and seated at Cagney's for lunch at 10:35.  19 minutes from parking to lunch?   Wow, I'm impressed!

[Yesimapirate]

Cagney's had a decent selection for lunch though I imagine it would get boring if you ate there every day.   Staff was very friendly and encouraged us to get apps, desserts and basically eat and drink to embarrassing proportions.

 

I had a burger and my wife and the mushroom fettuccine.   She thought hers was very good.  Mine was a typical food service frozen burger.  Not great but it actually wasn't too bad.   We finished with the fruit and banana cream pie!  Fruit was good, pie was delicious!  If we keep this up,  I may need to buy new clothes to fit into before the end of the cruise!

 

Unfortunately   we were too excited to take pics of the food.  This could possibly be a recurring theme.

 

We then spent some time exploring and getting to know the ship until our rooms were ready.  As soon as the room ready announcement was made, we headed to the room.  And that's where our day took a turn for the worse.   More on that coming soon!

 

[Kealy]

What happened next?  

[Yesimapirate]

Eventually we make our way to our room.  As we're walking down the hall, we can see that our luggage had been delivered.  Great sign!  Super excited,  this is going to be a fantastic vacation.   And then we opened the door.

 

The room looked nothing like the picture or description.  The "couch" wasn't wide enough for me to for in (I swear I'm not THAT big), there was no table for dining,  the closet wasn't accessible from both sides.   The bathroom wasn't very big and it didn't have a bathtub.   It looked like a refugee from the early 80's.  I know, it's all relatively minor, however those things were specifically listed as being on the room.  We had a few early expeditions and wanted to have breakfast in the room?  Isn't that why we have a butler and a special hot breakfast menu?  And most annoying of all (to me) was the handicap shower that took up most of the bathroom.   I don't want to stand in water when I brush my teeth!!!!  

 

Clearly the problem is we have an ADA accessible room.  We picked the room over the phone with NCL.  They never told me it was accessible and I think that's something they should disclose.   Not just because it disappoints me but it also takes a room away from someone that might need it!

 

Yeah,  I know I could have found that out on the website.   But I didn't and I was still disappointed.   Understanding how a ship works and resigned to stay in the room, I decided it can't hurt to go to guest services and ask (nicely).  I get to the desk, wait in line with everyone else for about 20 minutes.   Finally it's my turn and I ask what I think is reasonable.... "can I set up a time to chat with the guest service manager".  I'm told "no, he's busy because the muster drill is coming soon."  I tell her I understand and that's why I'd like to set up a time LATER to speak with him.  I get back, in a raised voice "Sir, I already told you it's almost time for the muster drill and I have a line to clear".  Now I'm REALLY frustrated and annoyed.   I can take being told no but it really bothers me when someone in customer service looks me in the eye and ignores what I'm saying to give a stock response.   I know the manager is busy, I'm asking when he's free!!!!

 

I give up.   If I started to argue with her I'd really lose it.  Not ruining my vacation over her or the room.  We decide to talk to the concierge after the muster drill. 

 

An hour later, we're in our room talking to Efrin.  Super nice, very professional and I'm not sure the man ever sleeps.  We've really enjoyed cruising with him!  I tell him we're disappointed and explain why.  I asked if (super long shot) if there's another empty room in our category or one above and I'll pay the difference in price.   He explains everything that's missing is because it's an accessible room.   We're told not to unpack and he'll be back.  So off to the spa to relax!  Totally worth the price for the thermal pass!!!  

 

Yay, now I'm calm.  I'm expecting a no to much requests and I'm ok with that.   I never really expected anything but I knew my wife wasn't happy so you gotta try.  All the married men reading this understand!

 

5 minutes later Efrin calls and asks to come see  us.  Oh no, this can't be good.  He needs to tell me the news in person because it's so bad???  Maybe I was more of an ass with my request than I realized?   No, it was actually good news (for me, sorry to the couple this affected).  There was a no show!  In the same category!  And the room was literally next door!  Efrin asked if we wanted to see it.  We took a look.  Did we want to move?  Oh hell yes!  Not only did we want to move, I was almost ready to pay for Efrin's kids to go to college!  Room was great and exactly as described!

 

Only bad news was the ship lost our specialty dining reservations.   At this point, I thought it was just ours and I was annoyed.   Why wasn't I told sooner so I could have tried to fix it?   We didn't care what night but wanted then we picked in advance m  2 were simple but we couldn't get Teppanyaki and that's our favorite.  Turns out the ship didn't get ANYONE'S reservations.   What a cluster!

 

We ended up at the Grand Pacific.  Dinner and service were good.  I had the wontons, Greek salad and  baked ziti. The chocolate lava cale for desert war yummy (and maybe why I couldn't fit in the couch in the first room?)

Cant remember what my wife had (we took food pics separately but I'll update when on land).  Food wasn't back but we felt, except for some of the specialty restaurants, food was on the bland and unseasoned side of things. Overall wasn't bad.  I give dinner a B-

[Yesimapirate]

After dinner, we (finally) met our butler.  She didn't bother introducing herself and had a look on her face like her puppy just died.  She finally tells us her name after we tell her ours.  I had 2 requests that I thought were fair and reasonable.   I've never had a butler at sea, only in hotels so maybe I was wrong to ask.  I'd love to hear from you guys if that's the case.

 

My wife is diabetic so we requested some sugar free sweets on the days she brought the sweet afternoon snacks.  She told us the menu was set and she can't make changes.   I wasn't sure if it was a communication issue or she was really saying we get what we get so I said I've heard you bring chocolate covered strawberries one day.  She confirmed so my wife asked if she could bring regular strawberries instead.   We were told no.

 

The other request was for a pitcher of tap water.  I literally got the idea reading these boards.  How could she say no?  She said no, "that's not part of the UBP".  Again,.minor but at this point I'm pretty disappointed in the overall service experience!

 

We then went to the opening night variety show which wasn't bad.  I'm really not a fan of magic or aerialists but they were both good and the audience really loved it.   When you remember we're on a moving ship with waves, the performance is pretty incredible!

 

Quick cheesey music game show was next.  Lots of fun and it was a good way to meet some people.  

 

Finally topped the night off with some craps in the casino.  My wife went to bed and told me "you better not lose too much ".  Well duh, that's like telling a 5 year old (or me) not to touch something.   Of course that's what I was going to do.   It was sorta like Clark Griswold on Vegas Vacation.   I didn't go home empty handed tho....I still had my key card and a $5 bill.  I was starting to think crusing may not be for me ;(

[Yesimapirate]

Tuesday morning we wake up.   It's vacation.  Who cares if the butler stinks or we miss one of our dinner reservations.   We were going to hug sloths on this trip.  All the bad and frustration will pass and we'll have fun.  We were happy!

 

Off we went to Moderno for the Haven/Suite breakfast.   Cute little breakfast buffet and table service.   I had some banana, caramel pancakes that might as well have been dessert.  Yum!  Wife had some eggs.  Service was fantastic and it was quite and relaxing.   What a great way to start the day!

 

Back to the room to change for the pool/spa/whatever my wife drags me to.   It's a sea day so nice and relaxed.   Until we get to the room.  There's a note on the bed saying we didn't put a credit card on file so all account privileges were suspended until we leave a cash deposit.   Seriously?   Another issue I have to fix?  Is this typical of Norwegian?   I KNOW the credit card I left works.  In fact, they owed me money due to another cruise I cancelled the week before.  It must be another computer issue.  Off to the guest service desk again.   My good mood is gone.  I didn't spend money so I could wait in line fixing mistakes.  

 

The line is pretty long.  Clearly I'm not the only one with issues.   I'm not just frustrated and annoyed but I'm starting to expect this to happen the entire cruise.  There's a crew member walking back from the front of the line engaging guests and directing them to the right place.  Then, someone else started to do the same 2 guests behind me.  I don't get it, isn't the whole point of a line to go first come, first served?   Why skip people?   If you have 2 crew you alternate guests.  I can't help it and a mutter under my breath (or a tiny bit higher) "go ahead and help the people behind us, we'll wait".  Guess he heard me and because he shot back "you'll be helped when it's your turn".  Thankfully none of you reading this could see the steam shooting from my ears!  I looked right at him and asked if straight lines worked differently at sea because he skipped a whole bunch of angry people.   I again was told I'll be helped when it's my turn. So he finishes with the other guests and moves forward to us.  Apparently now the line goes from back to front. 

 

The conversation begins with 'see,  you didnt have to wait long".  I just look at him and tell him he seems to miss the point.   Fabulous customer service as he escapes a minor situation by asking me "do you want help or not?"  Well, now he did it.   It may be a huge flaw but I have to be masculine and ask for the manager.  My wife hates this about me!  So here we go. 

"You can help me actually,  I'd like you to get the Hotel Director".

"I'm the Assistant Hotel Director "

"Great, can I speak to the Hotel Director "

"I'm the assistant hotel director,  how can I help you?"

"You can help me by getting the hotel director "

"He's in a meeting "

"You know he's in a meeting with out even checking at the exact time I ask for him?"

"Yes"

"That's convenient.  When will he be free? Let's set up a meeting "

"I don't know "

"You're the assistant hotel director.   I'm sure you could check for me"

 

He disappears.  Less than a minute later we're the hotel directors office.  Convenient how the meeting suddenly ended during our conversation.   I HATE being lied to like that.  Find a better excuse.   Saying they're in a meeting is just lazy and unimaginative.

 

5 minutes with the hotel director and guest service manager and all was resolved.   Butler was changed to Francis.  Suddenly my credit card was working.   A Teppanyaki reservation later in the week appeared.  And apparently asking for a sugar free option wasn't out of bounds!  

 

I know these first few posts makes me sound whiney, entitled and sorta bitchy.  I assure you we demanded nothing other than what we paid for. No request for compensate.   No give me an upgrade.   We are actually very laid back and easy going.   I just feel in the service industry you leave your bad day at the time clock and smile and be friendly to your customers.  The great news is, from this point in, service was fantastic.   There were no more hiccups and Francis,.our new butler was amazing!

[BlueLadyBlue]

Reading with interest. We are on the Jade in April.  Glad you got all your issues sorted out. I didn’t know butlers used the word NO especially for the few minor things you asked for.

[Hampton99]

On the jade in August in the garden villa!  Can't wait.  I think your request are very reasonable.  Could the concierge not help with the credit card issue.  One of the main reasons we book suites is to not have to wait in line at guest services.  This is our first time haven but have done suites on other lines and never had to wait in line for quest service.

[Yesimapirate]

16 minutes ago, Hampton99 said:

On the jade in August in the garden villa!  Can't wait.  I think your request are very reasonable.  Could the concierge not help with the credit card issue.  One of the main reasons we book suites is to not have to wait in line at guest services.  This is our first time haven but have done suites on other lines and never had to wait in line for quest service.

Yes, you're 100% correct.   He could have.  And he was absolutely fantastic so I'm sure he would have if I asked.  The hotel director even said that to us.  However,  I  feel odd asking,  especially since it was a payment issue.

 

I'll try to write more tonight.   If not, I'll get a bunch done tomorrow as that's when the cruise ends.  Have no fear,  the rest of the report is 99% positive!

I'll try to go back and add some more food and menu pics.  Unfortunately, we got lazy and failed to take a few.

[Cruising to Retirement]

Sailing on the Jade in a couple of weeks- any tips or info is appreciated-  going to Harvest Caye and Costa Maya.. Doing the specialty dining and curious about the internet service... Thanks- Great review so far.. Will be celebrating my 60th on the Cruise.. 

[Yesimapirate]

On 12/23/2018 at 10:09 PM, Cruising to Retirement said:

Sailing on the Jade in a couple of weeks- any tips or info is appreciated-  going to Harvest Caye and Costa Maya.. Doing the specialty dining and curious about the internet service... Thanks- Great review so far.. Will be celebrating my 60th on the Cruise.. 

Happy birthday!

 

We did the same itinerary although the order of the ports was switched around a bit.  

 

Happy to answer any questions. 

[Yesimapirate]

So the rest of day 2.  We hit the spa.  Shower, sauna, cold plunge, steam room, shower, thermal lounges.   Spa was far more crowded but that makes sense since it was a sea day.

 

They have 2 types of robes mixed together in the spa.  One had a fish logo.  The other had a Norwegian Cruise line logo.  The one with the Norwegian logo was like 4 times as fluffy.  I like fluffy.  If you like fluffy, pick that one.  The one with the fish made me feel like it was time for a karate class.  Too thin.  I'm old and cranky, I want cozy and not chopping pieces of wood for colored belts. 

 

On a more serious note,  there are only 6 thermal lounge chairs.   There are more than 6 people who want to use them.  Don't be the jerk who ignores the "please limit your use to 30 minutes" sign.  And if you're the guy I heard tell his wife "who cares,  I'm on vacation and I'll stay as long as I want to" well, I care.  And I'm bigger and meaner than you are.  Grow up and let everyone enjoy their vacation. 

 

That night we attended the officers cocktail party for the suite and Haven guests.  The whole I work on a cruise ship but want to be am admiral in the Navy uniform thing makes me laugh. I just don't get it but I sorta find it adorable.  I'll definitely feel safe if Jack Sparrow attacks!  The Captain and Hotel Director were actually really funny and had great senses of humor.   After the greeting line ended,.many officers actually took the time to approach and chat with guests.  I found that to he both surprisingly and endearing.   It really gave me the impression that they cared about service and it was more than a photo op.  It amazes me how many businesses miss that point.  It literally costs a company zero and can have huge returns.   Call me impressed. 

 

For dinner, we walked down the hall to Jasmine.   Jasmine is a strange concept to me.  It's basically a specialty restaurant except it's free and they don't take reservations.   The food was Ameeicanized Chinese.  Depending where you live, a step above your local take out place.   Service was efficient and friendly.   We split spring rolls,  pot stickers, orange beef and sweet and sour pork. Spring rolls were very good.  Everything else was ok to good. 

 

Two odd things, the dinners didn't come with white rice unless you asked.  They were happy to bring it but you have to mention it.  Strange to me.  I realize in China you have to order the rice but these were far from authentic Chinese dishes!  The other strange thing was that the tea was powdered Japanese tea.  I find it very bitter and I'm not a fan.  But the confusion part was the menu was entirely Chinese!  Why wouldn't you have Chinese style tea?

 

Also, please note, the entrance to Jasmine,.the Sushi bar and teppanyaki are all the same maitre de station.

 

That night we played some trivia,.back to the spa and when my wife fell asleep, time for more craps.  I felt really bad and a bit stupid for how much I lost the previous night.   I'm not huge gambler but somehow I knew in my head that I couldn't keep losing.   I've been to Vegas probably 150 (for work, ty) and I think I've heard someone tell me they have a guaranteed winning method on every trip.   I always laugh because giant casinos aren't built by people cleaning out the house.   And yet  for some reason that was my mentality.   Well, long story short,  I must have helped an old lady across the street as a kid or something because I won back everything I lost plus enough to pay for all of our excursions and tip the concierge and butler well.  After that,  I avoided the casino like they had an Ebola outbreak. 

[Sherri1]

Great writing! Very informative and so entertaining to read. Thank you. 

[mycakewalk]

I was on the Jade with you and I'm looking forward to hearing more. I was in 'steerage' in a normal non aft/non haven balcony 😉. I may get around to writing about my own experiences.

[Yesimapirate]

11 hours ago, mycakewalk said:

I was on the Jade with you and I'm looking forward to hearing more. I was in 'steerage' in a normal non aft/non haven balcony 😉. I may get around to writing about my own experiences.

Hope I was nice to you:)

 

Day 3 ( I'm so far behind)

Woke up and headed to Moderno for breakfast.   I really enjoy this perk.  Its quiet, great service,  both menu and buffet.   Only downside is the menu never changes.   It's probably fine for 7 days.  It's got to get boring on a 10 day.  On a TA, I might even want to skip it.  Wait, rewind and strike that......I'm not missing a meal.

 

Out concierge, Efrin, met everyone there and escorted us off the ship first.  Such a great perk if you have an excursion with an outside provider.   We walked through the Costa Maya port to our meeting place for Maya Chan.  The port looked like a cross between Disney and a roadside tourist trap in Flagstaff,  Az.  I looked at an "authentic" Mayan craft.  It was made in China.  It's nice to see the Mayans aren't in a trade war with China but I'll keep my $15.

 

The day at Maya Chan was fantastic.  Highly recommend it!  Service and food were fantastic.  I'll skip details since this is an NCL board.

 

That night we were at Tepayaki.  It was a bit odd as a ton of people checked in and we were then paraded through Jasmine and into the restaurant.   I was a good boy and didnt steal a spring roll off a table as our parade passed.

 

I had read there were only 4 grills in the restaurant but I found it strange that they sat all 4 at the same time and all of us got the show at the same time.  Our chef was good but sometimes he'd sing while the guy behind him was banging his spatula.   It was very distracting.  Our table was also half empty and the other 4 people (all the same family) wouldn't talk to us or interact with the chef.  Maybe they thought I was obnoxious? Maybe they hated me because I was beautiful?   I hope it wasn't mycakewalk!  Whatever it was, it took away a lot of the fun from dinner.  

 

More importantly,  the food!  The garlic fried rice had no garlic and was bland.  The veggies were undercooked and hard enough to dent the hull of the ship.  However,  the steak  chicken and shrimp were delicious.   I'll give it a C.

 

That might we went to the comedy show.   We walked in 2 minutes late and found some seats in the corner.   There was a family of 7 sitting on the aisle.  And now the Seinfeld side of me comes out.   I don't understand how you can get to a theater early,  sit by the aisle leaving the entire center of the row empty and then act annoyed when people say excuse me and pass you to get to the empty seat.   Either move the hell into the center OR stand up and let me pass when I say excuse me.  Nope, not our family.   We stand in the aisle and my wife says excuse me.  No reaction.  She says excuse me again and he looks up at her as he sits slouched with his knees touching the seat in front of him.  Ok, my turn.  I say "Excuse me" a bit louder.  He looks at me and says "I heard you".   

 

Now,  I have no idea where the guy was raised but I've been to all but 1 state and a ton of countries.   I have yet to visit a place where the the proper response to excuse me when you're blocking a path is "I heard you ".  I know my wife wanted to see the show so I bit my tongue instead of asking why no one in his family moved.  I simply stepped on their feet.  When the guys wife or sister or mother (or 2 of the 3?  I told you,  I dont know where they're from) said excuse me in a nasty way, I told her I heard her.  

 

The comedian was kinda funny.  However, I will say this over and over.  And maybe one of you will listen since my wife wouldn't.  DO NOT GO TO THE EARLY SHOW FOR A STAND UP COMIC!  The guy was G rated.   Sometimes I want to hear an F Bomb!

 

It was a very good day

[PTC DAWG]

I heard you. LOL

[noche_caliente]

On 12/23/2018 at 3:57 PM, Yesimapirate said:

After dinner, we (finally) met our butler.  She didn't bother introducing herself and had a look on her face like her puppy just died.  She finally tells us her name after we tell her ours.  I had 2 requests that I thought were fair and reasonable.   I've never had a butler at sea, only in hotels so maybe I was wrong to ask.  I'd love to hear from you guys if that's the case.

 

My wife is diabetic so we requested some sugar free sweets on the days she brought the sweet afternoon snacks.  She told us the menu was set and she can't make changes.   I wasn't sure if it was a communication issue or she was really saying we get what we get so I said I've heard you bring chocolate covered strawberries one day.  She confirmed so my wife asked if she could bring regular strawberries instead.   We were told no.

 

The other request was for a pitcher of tap water.  I literally got the idea reading these boards.  How could she say no?  She said no, "that's not part of the UBP".  Again,.minor but at this point I'm pretty disappointed in the overall service experience!

 

We were on your sailing as well (we probably saw you at breakfast, we were the ones with 3 kids including the just-turned-3 year old).  Our butler (also a female, but we were in 11024) was more than happy to have alternate snacks for us including bowls of gummy bears and m&ms, and a pitcher of water.  I'm not sure why you were told that.  I'm glad you got it sorted though!

[mycakewalk]

You're in the clear- we didn't have any bad interactions with guests or staff on the cruise! We went to the later show of the comedian and it was still a little to G rated for me. Maybe they sat on the aisle instead of the center so they could make a quick exit if the show was to 'meh' for them, haha.

[Cruising to Retirement]

10 hours ago, Yesimapirate said:

Hope I was nice to you:)

 

Day 3 ( I'm so far behind)

Woke up and headed to Moderno for breakfast.   I really enjoy this perk.  Its quiet, great service,  both menu and buffet.   Only downside is the menu never changes.   It's probably fine for 7 days.  It's got to get boring on a 10 day.  On a TA, I might even want to skip it.  Wait, rewind and strike that......I'm not missing a meal.

 

Out concierge, Efrin, met everyone there and escorted us off the ship first.  Such a great perk if you have an excursion with an outside provider.   We walked through the Costa Maya port to our meeting place for Maya Chan.  The port looked like a cross between Disney and a roadside tourist trap in Flagstaff,  Az.  I looked at an "authentic" Mayan craft.  It was made in China.  It's nice to see the Mayans aren't in a trade war with China but I'll keep my $15.

 

The day at Maya Chan was fantastic.  Highly recommend it!  Service and food were fantastic.  I'll skip details since this is an NCL board.

 

That night we were at Tepayaki.  It was a bit odd as a ton of people checked in and we were then paraded through Jasmine and into the restaurant.   I was a good boy and didnt steal a spring roll off a table as our parade passed.

 

I had read there were only 4 grills in the restaurant but I found it strange that they sat all 4 at the same time and all of us got the show at the same time.  Our chef was good but sometimes he'd sing while the guy behind him was banging his spatula.   It was very distracting.  Our table was also half empty and the other 4 people (all the same family) wouldn't talk to us or interact with the chef.  Maybe they thought I was obnoxious? Maybe they hated me because I was beautiful?   I hope it wasn't mycakewalk!  Whatever it was, it took away a lot of the fun from dinner.  

 

More importantly,  the food!  The garlic fried rice had no garlic and was bland.  The veggies were undercooked and hard enough to dent the hull of the ship.  However,  the steak  chicken and shrimp were delicious.   I'll give it a C.

 

That might we went to the comedy show.   We walked in 2 minutes late and found some seats in the corner.   There was a family of 7 sitting on the aisle.  And now the Seinfeld side of me comes out.   I don't understand how you can get to a theater early,  sit by the aisle leaving the entire center of the row empty and then act annoyed when people say excuse me and pass you to get to the empty seat.   Either move the hell into the center OR stand up and let me pass when I say excuse me.  Nope, not our family.   We stand in the aisle and my wife says excuse me.  No reaction.  She says excuse me again and he looks up at her as he sits slouched with his knees touching the seat in front of him.  Ok, my turn.  I say "Excuse me" a bit louder.  He looks at me and says "I heard you".   

 

Now,  I have no idea where the guy was raised but I've been to all but 1 state and a ton of countries.   I have yet to visit a place where the the proper response to excuse me when you're blocking a path is "I heard you ".  I know my wife wanted to see the show so I bit my tongue instead of asking why no one in his family moved.  I simply stepped on their feet.  When the guys wife or sister or mother (or 2 of the 3?  I told you,  I dont know where they're from) said excuse me in a nasty way, I told her I heard her.  

 

The comedian was kinda funny.  However, I will say this over and over.  And maybe one of you will listen since my wife wouldn't.  DO NOT GO TO THE EARLY SHOW FOR A STAND UP COMIC!  The guy was G rated.   Sometimes I want to hear an F Bomb!

 

It was a very good day

We are going to Maya Chan also-- Any tips or suggestions-- It gets great reviews.. 

[Yesimapirate]

4 hours ago, Cruising to Retirement said:

We are going to Maya Chan also-- Any tips or suggestions-- It gets great reviews.. 

You might want to take a bottle of water for the walk to the check in point and ride.   Other than that,  just relax and enjoy.   You'll be well taken care of.