[ HomeBasedTravelAgent.com ] [ CruiseReviews.com ] [ PortReviews.com ] [ Cruise-Chat.com ]
 |
|
CruiseReviews.com
PortReviews.com
Cruise-Chat.com
Submit a Review
Tom and
Mary Milano
TomandMaryMilano@Yahoo.com
Age: 75
Occupation: Retired Sales Manager & Restauranteur
Cruise Line: Celebrity
Ship: Summit
Departure Date: April 14, 2003
Itinerary: 11-Night Ultimate Caribbean
More than 91,000 cruisers have visited our page in the past 2 ½ years.
Mary and
I thank you for appreciating what we do. Our review is quite long,
we suggest it
would read more easily if you print it.
I Don’t Think I Ever Mentioned I Had Two Careers:
I retired from the restaurant business but most of my young adult life was spent
working in sales and management for Anheuser Busch and Schenley Distillers. I
had worked my way up from being a salesman to being Sales Manager for a number
of states for Schenley. I left corporate life when I was 36, bought our
restaurant Glynn’s Inn when I was 38 and in 1973 when I was 46 we retired. Our
success and early retirement are one of the many reasons Mary & I we are so
grateful to Him for the life he has provided us.
We retired in 1973 and traveled extensively, but had never been on a cruise. In
July of 1996 our travel agent persuaded us to take our first cruise. At her
suggestion we booked Celebrity's Zenith. It was an enlightening, unforgettable
experience. Being retired owners of an award winning restaurant, we were amazed
at the quality of the food and service and the over all elegance of the ship. By
the end of our cruise, we were totally addicted and have become avid, passionate
cruisers.
Mary & I have made 29 cruises in the last six ½ years and we wanted our
anniversary cruise, our 30th, to be something special. We decided to read our
past reviews to refresh our memory. When we read our review of our first Summit
cruise, it brought back so many wonderful memories of the special moments we
shared, we chose the Summit for our special celebration.
When you’ve had a very special experience, it is often difficult, if not
impossible to duplicate. We are happy to tell you, not only did our second
cruise on the Summit equal our first, it exceeded it in every way. But before we
tell you about our memorable 30th cruise, we want to tell you something about
ourselves and why we love to cruise. [Our regular readers have read the
following thoughts many times but we repeat them again for our new readers.]
Mary & I are in our seventies and we are unabashedly romantics. We refer to our
cruises as ‘Honeymoons,’ because Mary & I can’t think of a more romantic,
intimate, exciting way to spend quality time with the one you love, than when
cruising. What I mean by romantic, I now do many little things for Mary, that I
didn’t take the time or didn’t have the inclination to do, when I was in that
Macho period of my life. Mary was always romantic, but it wasn’t until the later
stages of my life, I realized when I did all those little wimpy things that my
Mary liked me to do, she gave me a lot more reason to smile. Thus the Wimpy
character, the character I refer to in our reviews, was given life. Mary loves
to cruise because she knows Wimpy is full of surprises and is going to do all
kinds of wonderful little things to make her feel special.
At our age we take the liberty of writing about things you don’t normally find
in cruise reviews. We will often digress to tell you something about our life,
or our thoughts or something that has made our latter years so wonderful. You
can better relate to our review if you know our likes and dislikes. We suggest
you read our short Bio on our Home Page: http://www.tomandmaryscruisereviews.com/
Things You Will be Reading About in Our Review:
......New Sensational 360 Degree Virtual Tour of Cabins and Venues of Major
ships:
......New Celebrity Concierge Class Cabins
......Anniversary Meditation: “If You Let It Idle, It Begins To Rust”
......Dinner at The Captains Table:
......Celebrity’s New Enrichment Program:
......It Gets More Difficult For Wimpy to Surprise Mary:
......Dining Room & Lounge Servers Are The Heart & Soul of a Cruise Ship:
......Anniversary Meditation: “Behind Every Man is a Great Women”
......The Joy of Being in The Seventies
......Dancing is Extremely Beneficial:
......The Rendez-Vous Lounge–One of Our Favorite Lounges At-Sea!
......The Normandie and Its Staff:
......Anniversary Meditation: “You Might Fall In Love All Over Again.”
......New Bigger & Better Shopping Complex in Cozumel
......How to Get a Free Margarita at Pancho’s Backyard in Cozumel
......Ninth Annual A.A. Reunion Cruise to Paradise!
......What Ever Happened to Gari Senderoff? [L&R]
To Expedite The Reading of Our Review:
So as not to be repetitious, we have placed our dozen “Suggestions That Could
Enhance Your Cruise,” at the very end of our review for those who haven’t read
them. They include:
Things to do Before, During & After Your Cruise:
A Better Way of Tipping:
The Magic of the $2 Bills:
The First Hours Aboard Ship Are Important:
Should You Buy Cruise Insurance?:
Addresses For Researching Your Cruise:
All Ships of a Cruise Line Are Not the Same:
Informative Cruise Web Sites:
How to Get the Best Price when Booking a Cruise:
You Should Write a Review:
Embarkation:
We use the period of time it takes us to drive to port from our home in New
Smyrna Beach, to get ourselves conditioned for our cruise. What I mean by
conditioned is, we play the CD’s we purchased of the musical groups we have
danced to on previous cruises. The wonderful Sherri Cafaro, we met on the
“Enchantment of the Seas.” The talented Father & Son’ duo from Celebrity’s
“Summit.” The great music of the Laura Farrow quartet from the “Brilliance of
the Seas” and on and on. The music of the various combo’s reminds us of the many
special moments we shared while dancing. Mary is one smart lady. She knows these
songs also remind Tom of the many special things Wimpy did for Mary on these
cruises and how Mary responded. As Mary inserts another CD, she see’s Tom’s eyes
beginning to glaze over and she knows that the transformation has begun.
We arrive at the Ft. Lauderdale Port entrance and are asked for our tickets and
photo identification. We proceeded to the terminal and I let Mary off and I had
the porters take our luggage. I drove to the parking garage and noticed that the
price had been raised from $10 to $12 a day. After parking, I took the shuttle
back to the terminal, met Mary and proceeded through the Captains Club entrance.
We sent our luggage through a scanner and we went directly to the Captains Club
check in. In a matter of minutes our documents were checked and we found
ourselves boarding the ship. We had our picture taken and as you can tell by the
smile our faces, the Wimpy transformation was complete. Wimpy is smiling because
he knows this anniversary/honeymoon cruise is going to be a very, very special
occasion.... I know this invitation is a little late, but we would like to have
you join us on our cruise... come with us as this pretty young lady escorts us
to our balcony cabin on the sixth deck, 6053.
Our Cabin:
We really liked our cabin. It was well laid out and I particularly liked the use
of mirrors on the opposite wall from the bed. It was mirrored from floor to
ceiling across the entire wall. The mirroring and the clear glass doors leading
to the balcony gave the cabin a very airy, spacious feeling. Mary immediately
went to see our balcony. She loved the size of it. Besides all the normal
reasons one may like a balcony cabin, Mary likes them because she can dry our
beach things.
The closet and drawer space was more than adequate. The cabin had a nice desk
area with a love seat and glass cocktail table opposite it. Bathrooms aboard the
Celebrity ships are our favorites. It’s one of the few lines, if any, that their
cabins other than the suites have a square comfortable shower area and have full
shelving with doors under the sink area. The shower area is approximately 2 ½ x
4 ft. with very good water controls. There is a hair dryer on the wall next to
the sink, with a hand and body lotion dispenser next to it. A very nice addition
was to have two receptacles in the base of the dryer, 115V and 230V. The TV had
a good range of programs with a feature we hadn’t seen before. They had a
channel that played the reruns of the “I Love Lucy,” “Everyone Loves Raymond,”
the “King of Queens” programs and a few more that I can’t remember. Mary loves
the “Everyone Loves Raymond” show and we enjoyed watching the reruns. Room
service was excellent. Never more than 20 minutes and always served with a
smile.
As with many things, Celebrity does things a little different than other cruise
lines. Whereas most lines try to sell bottled water, Celebrity has water in a
silver jug. Whereas most lines pipe their announcements into the cabins,
Celebrity doesn’t. They do not allow announcements to be made in the cabins,
except for an emergency. In the restrooms throughout the ship, they have rolled
hand towels instead of paper and on formal nights, they also have an attendant
in the restrooms to dispense them. A very nice touch. When passengers return
from a port visit, all hot and sweaty, an attendant is positioned near the
gangway to hand each returning passenger a cool, moist hand towel. They also
periodically dispensed cool hand towels in the pool area.
We had a lot of fun with our Cabin Stewardess, Irmina, from Romania. (We did our
tipping thing with her, shortly after we met her.) She not only was a meticulous
housekeeper but she had a wonderful sense of humor. She loved the scented
plug-ins that Wimpy brought with him on every cruise. (we gave them to her when
we disembarked) She also liked the things that Wimpy did for Mary. Each morning
when she made up our room, she couldn’t help but notice that the Easter Bunny
had visited our cabin. After four or five days, she couldn’t resist and joined
Wimpy in surprising Mary by using his surprises for pillow decorations. (I will
tell you more about Wimpy’s Easter surprises in the later part of our review)...
we are anxious and excited to be able to tell you about a new sensational
web-site that will enable you to check all categories of cabins... and all the
venues and public areas of the major cruise ships... It’s a great site.
New Sensational 360 degree Virtual Tour,
One of our readers, Susan Jacobs, sent us the address of a web site that which
gives you a 360 degree view of every category of cabins and every venue and
public area of the ships of most of the major cruise lines. This is actually a
marketing site to sell this new technology. It will soon be updated so you will
be able to view hotel rooms, vacation sites and homes that are listed in the
real estate market. Take my word for it, you haven’t seen anything like it. We
list the URL in our section at the end of our review, “Suggestions That Could
Enhance Your Cruise.”... while were talking about cabins... this is as good a
time as any to tell you about Celebrity’s new Captains Club Concierge Class
cabins.
Celebrity’s New Captains Club Concierge Class Cabins:
Celebrity’s Captains Club new ‘Concierge Class Cabin’ is a new category cabin
which will soon be available on the Millennium class ships. Celebrity have
upgraded these cabins to include amenities and extra touches that, until now,
were available only to guests in the suites. Welcome Champagne and flowers,
Massage showerhead, Frette bathrobes, extended room service hours, daily fruit
and hors d’oeuvres, binoculars, leather key holder, bathroom amenities and
veranda enhancements.
This is just a small part of an overall effort by Celebrity to upgrade their
already excellent services and amenities, in an attempt for them to reposition
themselves in the cruise industry. Celebrity’s goal is to position themselves a
notch above Royal Caribbean and Princess. You will be hearing a lot more about
this transformation in the very new future... after we posted our Valentines
review... we received a lot of e-mails telling us you liked our Valentines’
meditations... taking that as a cue and being this is our anniversary cruise...
we are including some of our favorite anniversary meditations in this review...
Mary & I love the title of this one...
If You Let It Idle, It Begins To Rust
Mike Mason, author of The Mystery of Marriage, writes that when most people talk
about the “work” of marriage, they primarily mean “precious time.” He says, “It
is like the amount of fuel that must be fed into a big, powerful, shiny,
eight-cylinder gas guzzler that has to be kept constantly on the road. You
cannot leave a marriage sitting in the driveway even for a day, because the only
reason for marriage is togetherness. It is an alliance of love, and love is a
spiritual vehicle, a rocket ship, that travels faster and farther than anything
else under the sun.”
“Get out of it for a moment, and it leaves without you for parts unknown; let it
idle, and it begins to rust; neglect it, and it seizes right up. It can be a
full-time job just being a passenger in this thing. But like it or not, you and
your spouse are in it together, and in it for life, and the work of traveling in
marriage is the most vital work you can do. In the Lord’s plans for the world
there is no work more important than the work of a relationship, and no
relationship is more important than one’s marriage.” we hope you liked that one
because it’s a truism... spouses who put their partners first do have marriages
that last... now we’re going to tell you what we’re going to write about and
what we’re going to leave out...
Because This is Our Second Summit Cruise:
We have told you about the venues and the public areas quite thoroughly in our
first review of the Summit.
http://www.tomandmaryscruisereviews.com/SummitCruiseReview.htm Therefore, we are
going to be writing about the highlights of our cruise and about various
personal of Celebrity that made our cruise so special.
Having Dinner With the Hotel Manager, Daniel Elias:
Daniel Elias hosted dinner at the Captains table. I was under the false
impression that the Hotel Managers responsibility was the dining room operations
and their staff. I couldn’t have been more incorrect. The position of Hotel
Manager has changed dramatically and encompasses a great deal more. What was at
one time overseen by the Chief Purser is now also encompassed in the duties of
the Hotel Manager. The Hotel Manager advises in all capacities; administration,
guest relations, guest accommodation, hotel stores, medical, entertainment, food
and beverage, casino, gift shops, photo shop, shore excursions, beauty salon,
port lecturer, and art auctions. The Hotel Manager supervises each of these
separate entities. He is third in the chain of command and is one of the four
officers that are the backbone of the Summit, in this order. The Captain, Staff
Captain, Hotel Manager, Chief Engineer.
Our invitation read that we were to meet Louise Ashbrooke, the social hostess,
in the Martini Bar to meet our dinner companions and then she would escort us to
the Captains table. As you can see by the picture the table was beautifully
appointed. We met a most interesting group of people. Across from us sat a very
charming couple from Guadaloupe, Matilda & Roberto Manicom and at their opposite
end of the table was their son, Dr. Phillippe Manicom and his lovely wife Toby.
And in between them was seated our lovely Social Hostess, Louise. To the right
of Daniel was Elsie and Leonard Moriber. They were long time friends of Daniel
and had cruised with him many times. And as you can see, to Daniels left is
seated my lovely Mary. Mary and Daniel got along famously. Five minutes into the
dinner, they were conversing like old friends who hadn’t seen each other for
years. It was obvious they were enjoying each others conversation. I have often
said to our friends, “ Mary is so secure in who she, she could meet the
President and it wouldn’t faze her. I have never seen her in a situation when
she was flustered... that is... except when Wimpy does one of his very special
Mary things.”
Dr. Manicom and his wife Toby were guest lecturers. They were part of
Celebrity’s new Enrichment Series and lectured on the various aspects of Chinese
medicine.. (Will tell you more about this most interesting program later.) We
attended two of their lectures and found them most interesting. They have a
thriving practice in Coral Springs, Florida.
The dinner was superb. Mary & I both had a veal dish that Daniel recommend and
it was excellent. The table was served by the Maitre D` and head waiters of the
dining room. Being retired restaurant owners, it was a pleasure to watch these
highly trained servers work their way around the table taking care of our
slightest desire. Everyone enjoyed Daniels wine selection and I, as
always, enjoyed my club soda, with a wedge of lime. The conversation was lively
and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. After the dessert, each of the women
were presented with an exquisite red rose, beautifully wrapped in cellophane, in
a plastic vial. When we were finished, we exchanged pleasantries with Daniel and
he said to be sure to let him know if there was anything he could do for us.
Then Louise escorted us from the dining room to the showroom, where they had
reserved seats for our group in the third and fourth rows. The gala production
show had already started and we felt like celebrities when we were lead down the
darkened isle to our reserved seats up front. Truly an elegant evening which we
will long remember and it will be a sterling addition to our memory collection.
Celebrity’s New Enrichment Series:
Since we have just finished telling you that Dr. Manicom and his wife Toby were
lecturers, this might be a good time to tell you about Celebrity’s new
Enrichment Program. Dr. Manicom and his wife Toby were part of that program.
They held three different seminars on Chinese medicine. We attended two of them.
One was entitled, ‘Chinese Nutrition For Longevity’ and another was about ‘Feng
Shui, the Chinese Art of Organizing Your Environment.’ There were also lectures
by Jan Pottker on such subjects as, ‘Washington Celebrity’s and How They Live.’
Dr. Sue Kimball lectured on Ernest Hemingway, ‘Papa Was a Would Be Spy.’ Besides
these programs, there was also one hour computer class’s, daily ballroom dancing
class’s and bridge instructions with Stan & Martha. We heard many positive
comments about these programs. It seems more and more people are interested in
having a learning experience while cruising... before we get to far along... I
want to tell you what Wimpy did to surprise Mary for our anniversary... the
effect of what he did... kept our emotions at a high pitch for our entire
cruise... it had the same wonderful feelings we felt during our Valentines
cruise...
Its Getting More Difficult For Wimpy to Surprise Mary:
I was stymied when I tried to think of a new way for Wimpy to surprise Mary.
Anniversaries are very important occasions for most wives and Mary is no
exception. Ever since he read the quote, “Marriages may be made in Heaven, but
the maintenance is done on earth,” he made marriage maintenance his number one
priority on all our cruises. This being our anniversary cruise, Wimpy wanted to
maximize his opportunity to earn some high marks in marriage maintenance. On
previous cruises, he has hit the ball out of the park every time. But for some
reason, for this important cruise, he couldn’t make up his mind what he wanted
to do. Just when things were looking the darkest he got an idea from an
unexpected source.
A month before our cruise, we were having dinner at our club with some old
friends. Marion Merkle, who was seated to the left of me, leaned over and
whispered in my ear, “What is Wimpy going to do for Mary on your anniversary
cruise.” I told her I didn’t have a clue. She said, “Being your going to be away
for Easter, why don’t you do something with Easter in mind.” Easter! It had
completely slipped my mind that we were going to be at sea on Easter. It took a
minute for her remark to sink in... then I realized... that’s it... the Easter
theme is something I could work with. There isn’t a women in the world who
doesn’t like cute little Bunnies and those fuzzy Baby Chicks... surely I could
find a way to have Wimpy incorporate the Easter Bunny in his plans.
It wasn’t long before I made a decision to adopt a plan similar to the one Wimpy
came up with on our Valentine cruise. I began collecting small stuffed Easter
Bunnies. You know the soft cuddly kind, not the chocolate ones. I hunted around
until I found them in every imaginable position. Sitting, standing, lying down,
sleeping, holding a carrot and even in the act of kissing. I know men don’t
often use the word adorable, but it’s the only word that truly describes what
they looked like. The colors and the positions of their bodies were adorable.
I searched the Internet and found a web site http://www.RomanceHer.com that had a number of nice romantic items. I ordered a Scented Gel Candle in a beautiful champagne glass with a red heart on it that we lighted when we returned to our cabin. I ordered a box of 365 red strips of paper, return address size, with expressions of love on each one, one for every day of the year. A dozen 2x3 red cards with romantic messages, in red envelopes. And for Easter Sunday, I spotted two larger Bunnies with magnetic kissing lips, in the Hallmark section of Bookland. Both were dressed. The girl bunny in a little skirt and blouse and the boy bunny in shorts and a top. I also bought five anniversary cards that said the very things I wanted to say to Mary. Each one spoke my heart in a very special way.
Being the Bunnies were made of soft material, I was able to stuff all of them in
my carry-on. I was a little apprehensive when I sent it through the scanner,
thinking the magnetic lips might set off the alarm, but thank God, that didn’t
happen.
Mary had no idea what I was up to. When we’re aboard ship, I usually wake up
first, go to the John, then call room service for coffee. Shortly after, Mary
wakes up and makes her visit. That’s when I did my thing. I’d hurry to the
closet and get the valise with the stuffed animals and quickly select the Bunny
of the day. I would put it by the light on her night table and quickly return
the valise to the closet. Wimpy was delighted when he saw the open-mouthed,
surprised look on Mary’s face. She was truly surprised and delighted. Each
morning I repeated the same routine with some slight variations. Sometimes I
would rearrange the ever enlarging family of bunnies, (as you know, rabbits do
multiply rapidly) or add a few baby chicks to the group.
As the week progressed the table was quite crowded, but it looked great. After
breakfast, and in the evening when we returned to our cabin, we would find that
Irmina, our cabin attendant, used some of our animals to make cute little
grouping on our pillows. It became a contest between the two of us, who could
display them in the most imaginative way. During the cruise, sometimes at
dinner, other times at a lunch, one of the red envelopes with the romantic
messages appeared under Mary’s plate. I would then open the envelope and read it
to Mary. By this time Mary was completely into it, and I could of told her she
was sitting on a spider and she would have reached for my hand and smiled.
Toward the end of the cruise, when Mary thought Wimpy had done everything he
could possibly do, Wimpy hit a home run. One afternoon when we returned from the
pool, when Mary was showering, wimpy took everything off the bed except the
sheets. He then took the box of 365 red love notes, held the box over the bed
and let them fall like snow over the white sheets. There was red slips of paper
everywhere. The contrast of red against the white sheets was something to
behold. When Mary came out of the bathroom and looked at the bed, she actually
gasped, “What did you do?” I told her, “Being my memory wasn’t what it used to
be, (thank god only my memory has been affected) Wimpy wanted her to have a love
note from Tom for everyday of the coming year, to make sure he never forgets to
tell Mary, he loves her.
At appropriate times during the cruise, Mary gave me four of the most beautiful,
meaningful cards imaginable. She wrote a note about our relationship on each
card, in words I will cherish forever. When we returned home, I added them to my
collection of ‘Mary Notes,’ one of which I read every morning before I pray. As
you can well imagine, we had an anniversary that we will long remember. We feel
this 35th anniversary was of a celebration of life. We both were previously
married for more than twenty years and we have been blessed to be together for
35 years in a happy, productive marriage. We are indeed fortunate that God has
chosen to use us an example of how He can take troubled lives and make them into
something beautiful. Mary & I have a lot to be thankful for. The more we cruise
the more we realize, the things we do and the way we relate to each other makes
our cruises what they are, much more so than the ship we’re on, or the itinerary
we sail. That’s why we say in all our reviews, regardless of one’s age, we can’t
think of a more romantic, intimate, exciting way to spend quality time with the
one you love, than when cruising... and every cruise we make reinforces that
thought... I know after reading all this romantic stuff... half the men are
reaching for their remotes... but for those hearty souls that have endured and
are still with us... Mary & I want to tell you about a very special person we
met.
Celebrity Still Has a Social Hostess, Wine Stewards, and Beverage Servers:
A number of cruise lines including Royal Caribbean and Princess have eliminated
the positions of Wine Stewards and Beverage Servers in their dining rooms. We
have noticed on some recent cruises that the position of Social Hostess has also
been eliminated. That is not so with Celebrity. They still staff these
positions, which leads us to tell you about a very special person the Social
Hostess of the Summit, Louise Ashebrooke. She is an absolute delight. She is
everything you would want a Social Hostess to be. She is attractive, very
professional and has a warmth about her that is very d appealing. Louise added
to the enjoyment of our cruise in so many ways. We had the pleasure of being
with her at different times and she never failed to add to the enjoyment of the
occasion. If you have a chance to meet Louise, make sure you tell her Tom & Mary
said hello. (And for the fun of it, ask her if they are still selling THAT book.
We’re sure, that will get a rise out of her.)
Dining Room & Lounge Servers Are The Heart & Soul of a Cruise Ship:
The high ranking officers may be the back bone of a cruise ship, but when
everything is said and done, the servers in the dining rooms and lounges are
it’s heart and soul. They are the ones who most frequently interact with the
passengers and they are the main reason people love to cruise. People love being
catered too and pampered and they excel in doing that. We want to tell you about
some of these very special people. .
Chinar Our Waiter:
We did our usual pre-tipping with our waiter Chinar and his assistant Wah Wahn.
We gave them their envelopes with the full suggested gratuity for the week and a
card which read, “The main reason we love to cruise, is because of servers like
you who go out of their way to make our cruises special. We want you to know we
appreciate what you do and would like you to have this as a down payment on your
services”...Thank you, Tom & Mary Milano. As usual they looked quite surprised.
As we say in our ‘Suggestions, ’ tipping on the last night, is the same as
locking the barn door after the horse has run away. We also gave our wine
steward and beverage server an envelope with a card and $5 in it. They were
especially surprised because they receive a 15% gratuity with each bottle of
wine or drink they serve. (We later did the $2 thing.)
When I looked at Chinar’s name plate, I was pleasantly surprised to learn he was
from Turkey. When I told him one of our daughters married a Turkish boy and has
been living in Istanbul, Turkey for the past 22 years, he was visibly surprised.
He gave me a big smile and a strong handshake and I knew we were going to have a
wonderful dining experience. Chinar was an excellent waiter and took care of our
every need. If he saw that we were a little slow in eating our food he would ask
us if it was all right and than he would offer to bring us something else. He
was a charming young man, rather reserved but always with a nice comment and a
ready smile. The kind of waiter we like.
Wah Wahn Our Assistant Waiter:
When I asked his name he said my name is Wah Wahn but call me Wah-Wah. We had a
lot of fun with this little guy. He was from the Philippines and he had a great
wit about him. When I first asked him where he came from he said, I’m Wah Wah
from New Jersey. I asked him how in the world did he ever come up with that and
he said I don’t know, it just sounded good. I don’t know if many people realize
the importance of an assistant waiter. Good assistant waiters are one of the
mainstays of smoothly operating dining room. If he isn’t doing what he is
supposed to do and doing it in a timely fashion, the waiters timing is disrupted
and things don’t go the way they should. They don’t come much better than Wah
Wah.
One night after we were seated, I started to kid with him like I usually did,
but he wasn’t responding in his usual witty manner. I asked him if there was
anything wrong and he looked at me with a wistful look in his eyes. He reached
into his pocket and handed me a picture of a beautiful young Filipino girl. He
said, “This is my wife, she gave birth to a little baby girl three weeks ago...
I called home this afternoon... and I heard my baby cry for the first time.” He
looked at us with those sad eyes and said, “Hearing her little voice for the
first time, tugged at my heart and I wished I could hold her in my arms.” I
asked him when his contract was up and he looked at me with those wistful eyes
and said, “in two months.” We could see that those two months was going to be an
eternity for him. By the time Wah Wah went into the kitchen and came back out,
he was his old smiling self again. That’s what these servers have to do. They
often feel lonely being away from their loved ones for periods of six months or
more, but they have to put their feeling aside and put on a happy face and do
their job. Not an easy thing to do, but they do it.
The $2 Thing:
When Wah... Wah came back to the dining room I got his attention and he came to
the table. I thought this was a good time to do the $2 thing we do, with all the
servers, on all our cruises. I take a $2 bill and keep folding it until I have a
small square, with the large imprint of the $2 covering the entire surface. I
said, Wah....give me your hand. When he gave me his hand... I took it and with
my other hand... I showed him the folded $2 bill... and as placed it in his hand
and closed his fingers over it... I said to him, “I want you to know this is a
magic $2 bill... and I can promise you... that during this coming week something
very special is going to happen to you... something that you’ve been wanting to
happen for a very long time... something that will make you very happy... I know
it may sound silly to you... but believe me... it works... but make sure you
don’t spend it... you have to keep it on you at all times... and when that
special something happens... and it’s going to happen... wherever you see Tom &
Mary... come and tell us all about it.”
Being mostly from foreign countries, most servers have never seen a $2 bill...
and just seeing one gets their rapt attention... then we could see by his
quizzical expression that he was probably thinking... I know it’s crazy but who
knows... it might work. Who among us doesn't have some form of a lucky piece? A
lucky coin, a rabbits foot, a religious medal.. all Mary & I can tell you is,
we’ve had some of the most amazing... wonderful things happen as a result of
giving out these two dollar bills... not the least is the fun and the resulting
friendliness... but also the exceptional service we have received from our
servers. Wah Wah was the first of many servers who we did the $2 thing with. [If
you don’t tell the story, your just giving a $2 tip] ... now we’re going to tell
you about two more positions in the dining room that can add immeasurably to
your dining experience.
Beverage Server Leo & Wine Steward Kreshimer:
Leo from Colombia: These two men excelled in their positions. Most of you folks
that are reading this review, know I don’t drink. In fact, I will be celebrating
my 38th year in A.A. this coming December 2nd. I will occasionally have an a
bottle of non-alcoholic beer with dinner but I usually order a club soda, with a
wedge of lime. If you would have observed Leo serving our table you would think
I had fallen off the wagon. After serving me, he would make the rounds and be
back at the table and refill my glass two or three times during our dinner,
always with a smile and a pleasant remark. And as soon as I finished my drink,
he appeared as if by magic and the empty glass was removed. During the day he
worked the pool area. He had a wonderful disposition and I can’t imagine how
anyone could be a better server than Leo. He was a gem.
Kreshimer from Croatia: Mary enjoys having a glass of Chardonnay with dinner. When I order the wine for her, I have the server bring a small glass of ice with it, because she likes to have it chilled and diluted. A bottle of wine usually lasts Mary for six or seven days. When the bottle is finished I order wine by the glass for the remainder of the cruise. These stewards, men/women, get a 15% gratuity for what they serve and time is of the essence because of the large amount of diners they have to take care of. The attention Kreshimer gave our table, you would think we were ordering a bottle of Dom Perignon every night. He was a charming man and carried himself in a very professional manner. Kreshimer, is one of the finest of any of the wine stewards who have served us. It wouldn’t surprise us to see Celebrity promote him to a management position. We wish him the very best. ...now that we have told you about some of those servers who are the heart and soul of cruise ships... lets take a break and have you read another of our anniversary meditations... every now and then, Mary likes to remind me of this one.
Behind Every Man is a Great Women
Thomas Wheeler, CEO of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, and his
wife were driving along an interstate highway when he noticed that their car was
low on gas. Wheeler got off the highway at the next exit and soon found a
rundown gas station with just one gas pump. He asked the lone attendant to fill
the tank and check the oil, then went for a little walk around the station to
stretch his legs.
As he was returning to the car, he noticed that the attendant and his wife were
engaged in an animated conversation. The conversation stopped as he paid the
attendant. But as he was getting back into the car, he saw the attendant wave
and heard him say, “It was great talking to you.”
As they drove out of the station, Wheeler asked his wife if she knew the man.
She readily admitted she did. They had gone to high school together and had
dated steadily for about a year. “Boy, were you lucky that I came along,”
bragged Wheeler. “If you had married him, you'd be the wife of a gas station
attendant instead of the wife of a chief executive officer.”
“My dear,” replied his wife,” if I had married him, he’d be the chief executive
officer and you’d be the gas station attendant...
as we’re sure you have already
noticed... we take some liberties in writing our reviews... having lived as long
as we have, we feel we have some thoughts that might benefit the younger
generation... In that spirit we are going to tell you it feels to be in the
seventh decade of our lives... we think you will be surprised.
The Joy of Being in The Seventies:
Mary & I have found being seventy is better than being sixty and it’s
significantly better than being fifty. Being in the seventies has given us a new
perspective on life. While our overall fitness has declined somewhat, our
appreciation and our zest for life have risen to new heights. Every decade has
become progressively better, the fifties, the sixties, the seventies. After
cruising for the first time and having so many wonderful things happen in our
seventies, we’re convinced that our life began at seventy. We are beginning to
wonder if we might be speaking a bit to soon and that life might instead begin
at eighty. Keep reading our reviews and we will keep you appraised how it is
being eighty. We like what Horatio Lauro (85) said when asked his prescription
for longevity. “Swim, dance a little, go on a cruise each year and live within
walking distance of two hospitals.” That’s pretty good advice... we thought this
would be a good time to tell you about an article we read and how it inspired us
to start a new morning routine...
Did You Know Dancing is Extremely Beneficial :
The is an excerpt from an article we read, “Have You Danced Today?”
**Dancing is perhaps second only to walking as an extremely beneficial form of
exercise. Dance develops flexibility and strength and also gives you a natural
“high,” whether you dance alone in the privacy of your own home, in an
instructional class with others, or socially with a dance partner. Dance can
help you get moving at your own pace so you can loosen stiff muscles, Dancing to
the music you love can help you unwind or help you to get wound up. Dancing to
soothing music can calm the nerves; can heal stress-related illnesses, relax
painful muscles, lower blood pressure and calm anxiety and tension.**
I had been working out four times a week with weights and walking two miles a
day. Mary kept telling me I was overdoing it and she wished I would stop. Being
the obsessive person I am, I didn’t listen to her even though I found myself
getting tired in the afternoon and my legs often troubled me. Then I read the
above article and I made a decision. I decided if I was suffering aches and
pains from walking, I would rather have it happen because of dancing, instead of
my trudging a couple of miles. I knew Mary would love the idea but I thought I
would put a twist on the way I would tell her, to make myself look good. I told
Mary, in a magnanimous way, “Although I don’t think I’m overdoing it, if it
would make you feel better I will give up my walking routine, but I’m going to
have to replace it with some other activity. What would you think of dancing for
a half hour each morning? I can keep my legs moving and we can practice a few
new steps for our next cruise. What do you think?” Mary gave me the biggest
smile you can imagine, took my hand and walked me to where we keep our CD’s and
said, “Name it!. What shall it be, a Rhumba or a Cha Cha?”
We have been dancing most mornings for the last month. Mary does her usual early
morning chores and I tend to answering our reader e-mails. Then after having
breakfast we precede to our garden room to dance. We start by dancing to our
favorites romantic ballads, then we liven things up a bit with a few Rhumba’s
and Cha Chas’s and occasionally some swing. I don’t know if we can agree with
the author that it increases strength and flexibility, but we sure can agree
with her when she says it provides a natural “high.”
We have found that dancing to the music we love, does calm the nerves and it
does relieve tension, but what it does for our relationship is incalculable.
Thoreau, the great American Philosopher, once said, “What you allow to enter
your mind, first thing in the morning, will set the tone of your entire day.” I
wonder what he would say about starting one’s day dancing with your loved one in
your arms. There might be better ways to start a day but I can’t think of any.
As you might imagine, it has added an entirely new, wonderful dimension to our
lives. Those of you who have the capability of doing it, why not try it for a
week, then write us and tell us how it affected your day... since we have been
talking about dancing... come with us as we go to the Rendez-Vous Lounge...
where we danced every night before and after dinner... we want you to meet a
charming young man from Bali... [This and the Wheelhouse Lounges, on the
Princess ships are our favorite lounges at sea]...
The Rendez-Vous Lounge:
The Rendez-vous Lounge is a nicely appointed room, with comfortable seating
arrangements surrounding a beautifully patterned, circular dance floor. This was
the first contract for the Mozart Duo who supplied the dance music for this
room. They did a very nice job and were well received. We met a most interesting
beverage server by the name of Pande. Pande came from Bali and is a very
handsome, slight young man, who was very polite and totally charming. We
connected immediately and we did the $2 thing. He was mesmerized by the $2 bill
and said it would never leave his body, and he meant it. This was a very busy
room but we always had the seating we liked at the edge of the dance floor
facing the band stand. Without us asking, once he knew we would be there every
night, Pande would place two folded napkins on the table, which is an indication
that the table was occupied. Then, when he knew what we drank, (a Rusty Nail on
the Rocks and a Club Soda) he would have our drinks on our table when we
arrived.
As the week progressed, we learned a great deal about Pande, his family and
Bali. Some of the pictures he showed us of Bali were breathe taking. They looked
like still shots taken from a movie set. We saw that he too, like Wah Wah, had
that wistful look in his eye. It must be awfully difficult to leave a loving
family and such a beautiful environment, but as Pande said, it’s beautiful but I
couldn’t make no money.
Celebrity has dance hosts who dance with the unescorted ladies. There was only
one dance host on the Summit and his name was Harold. There were primarily four
ladies that he danced with and one in particular caught our eye. She was a cute
little lady that was in her latter years. Our estimation was that she was quite
a bit older than us. We watched her during the week and she was something else.
Whenever it was her turn for Harold to dance with her, she was ready and raring
to go. She had the steps and rhythm to all the dances and she was good. About
the third or fourth night, I couldn’t resist, I had to go over and compliment
her on her dancing and tell her how nice she looked. Her first words were, “I’d
rather dance than eat.” I than got up enough nerve to ask her, her age and we
started the guessing game. Being the gentleman I am I started low at 72, and
worked my way up slowly, in three year increments, not wanting to offend this
very proud lady. When I got to eighty one she felt sorry for me and told me she
just celebrated her was 89th birthday. She said she lived to dance and had
danced all her life. I have the feeling that Florence’s longevity has a
great deal to do with her love of dancing and the joy it has brought her. (Read
our article, “There is a Distinct Possibility That You May Live to be a Hundred”
http://www.TomandMarysCruiseReviews.com/Liveto100.htm )
If I may say so and I will, Mary wears clothes very well. She is the same dress
size as the day we married and consequently, she has an extensive wardrobe.
There are those who might say she’s a clothes horse. I would rather think of her
as a pretty filly. Every night when we went to the Rendez-vous lounge, she
looked absolutely gorgeous. When we made our way around the dance floor, I knew
my thoughts were confirmed, when I saw the stares she got from the other ladies
in the room. My Mary, in her seventies and still a stunner. At times the floor
got quite crowded, but it didn’t bother us, in fact we liked it. The way Mary &
I dance we don’t need much room. I could see by the look in Mary’s eyes, that
Wimpy was piling up major points in the marriage maintenance derby and if he
continued what he was doing, he was going to cross the finish line with a smile
from ear to ear.
Since our return home we have been sending Pande our ‘Teaspoon of Spiritual
Nourishment,’ and we have received return e-mails from him, telling us how much
he enjoys them... It’s because of servers like Pande, that Mary and I love to
cruise and we wish him the best... after a half hour of hold me tight dancing in
the Rendez-vous... we left to have dinner in Celebrity’s elegant Alternative
restaurant... the Normandie... we invite you to join us for dinner.
The Normandie and Its Staff:
We gave a very comprehensive description of the Normandie, its food, service and
its decor in our first Summit review. http://www.tomandmaryscruisereviews.com/SummitCruiseReview.htm
We dined at the Normandie on the fourth day into our cruise and had such a
pleasant evening we decided to make reservations for our anniversary dinner. We
were anxiously looking forward to seeing the servers we had met on our previous
cruise but much to our surprise and disappointment, only two remained. The
former maitre d` Raffaele Bernardini, who now was the Restaurant Manager and a
young Sommelier by the name of Zoltan. I asked Raffaele, why was it when we
cruised on a ship for the second time, few of the original personnel were still
on board. He said because of the many new ships entering the market, management
takes the best of the crews from the other ships of their fleet to be the start
up crew for the new ships. He said if they didn’t, it would be utter chaos if
they did this with newly hired personnel. He said another reason is that most of
the crew are on six month contracts, which causes frequent changes to be made,
when a crew member take their two-month vacation. He made another point that
there is a higher % of servers than usual who leave and do not return.
The decor of the room and table appointments were stunning, just as we
remembered them. The attention to detail that Celebrity does to authenticate
what dinning was like in the days of the great ocean liners is mind boggling.
You would never think that Jazz would be the music choice for this sophisticated
dinning room, but that was the music that was played in those days. It was
called Society Jazz and it was a perfect fit for the room. I told the violinist
he played like a young version of Joe Venuti. I wonder how many of you remember
that famous Jazz violinist. There I go again, revealing my age.
As I have mentioned, we had met Raffaele on our previous cruise and it was a
delight to see him again. He greeted us as old friends and we talked about some
of the crew that was no longer with him. Raffaele impressed us from the first
moment we met him He is a handsome devil. He carries himself with an air of
dignity and self-assurance. He has reason to do so. He attained the position of
Maitre D’ hotel the hard way, he earned it! He honed his skills at a young age,
as he apprenticed at every position in the restaurant business in Italy. His
hard work and dedication culminated in Raffaele holding lofty positions in the
finest Hotels in Europe. He was hired by Celebrity in 1995... besides Raffaele,
four other servers attended our table... we would like to tell you a little
something about them.
Our table was attended by the asst. maitre d` of the Normandie, Hakan Bektas,
from Turkey, another imposing figure. When we told him one of our daughters
married a Turkish boy and lived in Istanbul, he had a big smile on his face and
was anxious to converse with us. We talked about his country and how it was
perceived by the American people. He was a proud man and he thanked us for
giving him an opportunity to tell us about the rich culture of his people. He
was a excellent maitre d` and a wonderful human being.
Roman Georagiv was from Bulgaria. Roman paid a number of visits to our table
taking care of our every need. He was an extremely pleasant person with an
appealing personality. He wanted us to know that since many Americans are
boycotting French wines, Bulgaria’s infant wine business has been increasing. I
asked him what could it compared too and he said they were similar to some of
the California wines. If you like to try new things, you can make Georagiv happy
by buying a bottle of Bulgarian wine.
Valentin Godeanu was a delight. He had a ready smile whenever he came to our
table. He only spoke when we addressed him but his smile spoke volumes. When we
did talk we learned that Valentin was married to the nurse aboard ship and that
bak home in Romania, she was a doctor. We were surprised to learn that Valentin
had studied to be an architect and was recognized as such in his country. He and
his wife were saving money and then they planned going back to Romania to
practice their professions. He was a most interesting man and we wish him and
his wife will be able to fulfill their dreams. Like Raffaele, they will have
earned it..
Last but not least is our friend Zoltan, the Sommelier. Like Krishimer our wine
steward in the dining room, he didn’t have much to do at our table with Mary
having one glass of Chardonnay and me having a bottle of O’Douls, but he was
ever present to fill my glass or to make sure Mary had enough ice. But there
wasn’t a time he was any where near our table that he didn’t have a big smile
for us. A very nice young man with a warm personality and it was a pleasure to
have him serve us.
These pictures of Raffaele and Mary & I, were taken in the Normandie wine room.
It has one table in its center that can seat eight and can be reserved for a
special occasion. The wines in the cabinets are some of the finest wines in the
world and range in price from $525 a bottle to $3,950 a bottle. If you order a
bottle of wine in the Normandie, be sure to ask... how much?
If you sail on any of the Millennium class ships, be sure you make a reservation
for their Alternative restaurant, the food and the service is outstanding. And
if you happen to dine in the Normandie and meet any of the servers we mentioned,
we would appreciate if you told them Tom & Mary said hello... I think it’s time
for another break.... let’s have a change of pace... here is an anniversary
meditation that we think you will like... in fact, there is a good chance it
could help you earn some serious maintenance points.
You Might Fall In Love All Over Again
A man who had been married more than thirty years to his childhood sweetheart
said, “I still like to hold my wife’s hand.” He went on, however, to admit that
he enjoyed holding his wife’s hand for a different reason than he had when he
was a teenager. “When we were kids,” he reflected, “I got an electric spark when
I touched her hand. Now when life becomes complex and stressful, I get a sense
of peace when I hold her hand.”
The touch of a hand can mean more than “I love you.” It sometimes means, “I
care,” or at other times, “I need you,” or simply “I’m here.”
The branches of love become interlined over time. Many sources of love and
intimacy come into play. Sometimes they are rooted in compassion, sometimes in a
sense of doing what is right and other times from being able to help someone or
some situation. .
Step back and take a long, fresh look at your spouse today. Make it a point to
find something new in her to appreciate. There is a very good chance you will
find yourself falling in love all over again!..
a good way to start... is not to let this let this day go by without telling
your special lady that you love her!...
now we’re going to take you back stage of the magnificent Celebrity Theater... and we will find out how the production shows are cast and produced... we will also tell you some things about the entertainment staff we think you will find very interesting.
The Theater & The Celebrity Entertainers:
The Celebrity theater is a beautiful and functional showroom. The lower level
has rows of comfortable, attractively upholstered love seats, with a small glass
cocktail table in between. Mary usually has trouble seeing over or around the
person seated in front of her but in this showroom, the floor is set a higher
degree of slope than most showrooms. It gives everyone clear sight lines,
regardless of where they’re seated. Besides the beautiful appointments of the
room, the stage curtain caught our eye. As you can see in the picture, it was
most attractive. It reminded us of some of the beautiful stage curtains on the
RC ships.
The first two production shows were as good as they come. The dancers and
singers were energetic and talented and the choreography and costuming were
outstanding. As Captain Club members, we were invited to have a back stage tour.
Dance captain, Rachel Diffey, took us on a half hour tour of the back stage
facilities and how they worked. Then she told us how a show is put together.
Auditions are held and the cast is chosen, according to the talents required for
the production. After the cast is chosen, they go to Nashville, Tennessee where
the production company is based and go through intensive rehearsals for three
weeks before their first engagement aboard ship. After the show is running, they
continue rehearsing during the day and perform when they’re scheduled. The When
asked her duties as dance captain, we were surprised at her answer. Rachel said
her primary duty is to see that the dancers are performing their dance routines
the way they were choreographed. Every performance is video taped. Rachel
reviews these tapes to see if everyone was in step and doing what they were
supposed to do. It is up to her to see that if any mistakes were made, that
they’re corrected at the next rehearsal. Rachel was married to a handsome young
man who played saxophone in the brass section of Celebrity’s Showroom Band...
the band’s conductor is Jeff Hughes... we had a chance to meet Jeff and he told
us some interesting things...
The band not only plays the music for the production shows but they also have to
learn whatever music is needed by the single act performers. Being these
performers usually board the ship only a day or two before they’re scheduled to
perform, I asked him how in the world can the musicians learn and play the music
and play it so well on such short notice. He said when he auditions musicians
for the band, the number one requirement is they can read and play any music
score on sight, regardless of its difficulty. They have to excel in sight
reading. A bad performance on our part can ruin a performer’s act. We have to
make it right the first time. We don’t get a second chance. Besides being one of
the best in his field, Jeff Hughes is a most congenial and pleasant fellow, who
enjoys talking to the passengers... if you sail with Jeff, make sure you tell
him Tom and Mary said hello... now to tell you about a group of people and their
leader whose job it is to make you happy and see to it that you stay that way...
Simon Weir Cruise Director:
Simon Weir comes from a family of cruise directors. His father was a cruise
director and two brothers were cruise directors. He was raised and grew up on
cruise ships and Louise said he has salt water in his veins. The first few times
we saw him on stage, he was pleasant and appeared confident and self-assured,
but somewhat reserved. That impression was short lived. Our third night at sea,
he came on stage wearing an oversized straw hat, walking in a gawky way, singing
‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm.’ When he finished, he went into the audience and
brought four men back on stage. He told them he was going to have them imitate
the animals in the song. The way he sang the song and his antics while parading
around the stage was absolutely hilarious. We saw a different Simon Weir. He
then did a comedy bit with these men that had the audience falling out of their
seats. Watching him perform, I realized I was watching one of best. He has done
his father and family proud. He is a charming fellow who has a ton of talent.
On Easter Sunday, Simon dressed in an outlandish outfit, lead the youngsters on an Easter parade through the decks to the Revelation lounge at the very top of the ship. They had all kind of activity for the children, including an old fashioned Easter egg hunt. Their faces were finger painted and they wore colorful hats. They were joined by the dancers who were dressed in beautiful costumes. Everyone had a glorious time, including my Mary.
The Single Performer Acts:
The single acts were weak with one exception, the comic Jeff Nease. He had good
material and was very funny. He did a pantomime with a women from the audience
that was hilarious. He had her stand behind him while he had his hands behind
his back. He had the women put her arms under his arms pits and in front of him.
She had short arms and he told her to react with her arms to the comments he
made. What followed was hilarious. The audience loved it and roared every time
he made a comment and she reacted with her arms. The routine went so smoothly,
it appeared she had rehearsed her part. My Mary loves comics and she thoroughly
enjoyed Jeff Nease... I know we have quite a few readers who are old timers like
us... so we have inserted the following thought that we hope will make them feel
better when they have a moment of forgetfulness...
We Old Timers Aren’t Forgetful–Its Just that Our Minds Have a Memory Overload:
Forgetfulness isn’t necessarily a sign that something is wrong with our brain.
Rather, it’s something that is to be expected with the incredible amount of
memory-overload of names, information, experiences and so many other things we
have stored in our mind over the years. When you have a moment of forgetfulness,
remember your memory hasn’t gone south, you just had a spell of memory-overload.
We hope we made everyone over sixty-five feel better... before we write our
conclusion, we want to tell you about a couple of things that should interest
you..
Some Odd and Ends:
Sushi is served in the Waterfall Grill from six to ten.
We had Elegant tea in the main dining room and it was elegant. The Scones and
assorted pastries and cake were, as Billy Crystal would say, fab.. bu..lous.
We went ashore in Cozumel to have lunch at the new Pancho’s Backyard, which is
located in the new Puerta Maya complex at the end of the Carnival pier. The new
and beautiful Puerta Maya complex is by far, the biggest and best shopping area
in all Cozumel. There are as many shops as you will find in downtown Cozumel and
the vendors don’t try to pull you into their shops. It is going to have a severe
effect on the economy of main street Cozumel.
We want to remind you, that this is the page that you should copy to get a free
Margarita at Pancho’s.
http://www.loscincosoles.com/loscincosoles/coupons.htm .A copy of this page is a
coupon for a free Margarita. Print a page for each one that is having lunch.
As you know we prefer staying on the ship when in port. The only other port we
went ashore was Aruba. We like to bring back colorful T-shirts for our God-child
and our house keepers, who not only take care of our house but also take care of
our beloved pets. Peggy and Vickie like wearing the brightly colored T-shirts
for work.
We spent our pool days at the Solarium pool, which had a glass enclosed dome. No
one under the age of 18 was allowed to use this pool The water temperature is
the way we like it, about 85 degrees. They had a food bar, that was open for
breakfast and lunch and was staffed by the servers of the Normandie restaurant.
The menu was limited , but what they served was excellent. The food was similar
to what you would expect to find at a health Spa. It was a very popular venue...
I think that about wraps it up... if we didn’t cover all the bases... read our
first review of the Summit
http://www.tomandmaryscruisereviews.com/SummitCruiseReview.htm and if that
doesn’t do it... send us an e-mail and we will answer any questions you have...
and for those who have endured and are still with us... here are our final
thoughts...
Our Conclusion:
As we said earlier, the more we cruise the more we realize, the things we do and
the way we relate to each other makes our cruises what they are. Much more so
than the ship we’re on, or the itinerary we sail. That’s why we say in all our
reviews, regardless of one’s age, we can’t think of a more romantic, intimate,
exciting way to spend quality time with the one you love, than when cruising.
The ones who are most responsible for creating the serene atmosphere of a cruise
ship, that is so conducive to rekindling the fires of love, are the servers who
go out of their way to cater and pamper us. I think it would do us well, if we
remembered this the next time we cruise and make it a point to compliment the
servers every opportunity we have. We all need to hear a compliment or a word of
approval from time to time but no one needs it more than these servers who are
away from their loved ones for such long periods of time.
Once again, Mary & I had a wonderful cruise and we collected a lot of wonderful
memories, that will line the walls of our hearts forever. Our cruising plans
have changed! The A.A. Reunion Cruise we booked for September 13, will be on
HAL’s Zuiderdam instead of RC’s Navigator. We are looking forward to meeting
fellow A.A. members from all over the world. If you or anyone you know would
like to join us, you can find all the details on the Sobriety @ Sea web-site.
http://Sobrietyatsea.com
Thank you for reading our lengthy review. We share our cruise experience with
you, hoping some of our thoughts and ideas might be of help to on your next
cruise. We would be happy to answer any questions you might have, especially
those from first time or new cruisers.
P.S. We have additional cruise information in the “Loose Ends And Random
Thoughts” section.
May your next cruise be your best,
Our warmest regards,
Tom & Mary
TomandMaryMilano@Yahoo.com
SUGGESTIONS THAT COULD ENHANCE YOUR CRUISE
How to Get the Best Possible Price When Booking a Cruise:
A day doesn’t go by
that we don’t receive e-mails from our readers, thanking us for our suggestion
on how to get the best possible price when booking a cruise. Take our word for
it, our suggestion is a win/win situation. If you would like us to send you our
suggestion, drop us a line.
Pre Cruise Things To Do:
For those of you who are reading our reviews for the first time, we suggest some
pre cruise things to do, that have greatly enhanced our cruise experience.
Read: “Before, During and After Your Cruise.
http://www.TomandMarysCruiseReviews.com/ThingsToDo.htm
Read: “How to Heighten Your Cruise Experience”
http://www.TomandMarysCruiseReviews.com/CruiseExperience.htm:
Our Tipping Suggestion:
We like to give the suggested tip for the week, to out waiter, assistant waiter,
head waiter and to our cabin attendant, the first evening of our cruise. Tipping
at the end of the week is like locking the barn door after the horse has run
away. We make out [3x5] envelopes with a note that reads... “The main reason we
love to cruise, is because of servers like you who go out of their way to make
our cruises special. We want you to know we appreciate what you do and would
like you to have this as a down payment on your services”...Thank you, Tom &
Mary Milano.
We have never had service on any of our cruises that was poor enough to warrant
us tipping less than the suggested amount. By tipping the suggested amount on
the first night, you let your servers know that you are appreciative of them and
they can expect an additional stipend at the end of the cruise. [At the end of
the cruise we usually give an additional $20 to the waiter, $10 to the assistant
and $10 or $20 to the cabin attendant]. Giving an extra forty dollars for the
week, is a small price to pay to ensure the very best from your servers. Take
our word for it. It does make a difference. Prepare Envelopes for Tipping Before
you Leave for Your Cruise:
Magic of the $2 Bill:
If what we hear from our readers is true, banks should start running out of $2
in the new future. We start collecting $2 bills weeks before the cruise. We take
with us $20--$30 in $2 bills. I call these our magic potion. I take a $2 bill
and keep folding it until I have a small square, with the large imprint of the
$2 covering the surface. I use the $2 bills a lot in the beginning of the
cruise. When you give it to the server, what you say is very important,
otherwise it doesn't have much significance. When I give it to a server, I say
to them, “Give me your hand.” When they give me their hand, I take it and with
my other hand I show them the folded $2 bill... then I say to them, “I want you
to know this is a magic $2 bill and I can promise you that during this coming
week something very special is going to happen to you... something that you’ve
been wanting to happen for a long time... something that is going to make you
very happy... I know it may sound silly to you... but believe me... it is going
to work. But you have to make sure you don’t spend it... you must keep it on you
at all times... now when that special something happens... and it is going to
happen... wherever you see Tom & Mary... you come and tell us all about it.. .”
Being mostly foreigners, most servers have never seen a $2 bill and just seeing
the bill... that alone gets their rapt attention. Then you can see by the
quizzical expression... that their thinking.. it sounds a little crazy... but
who knows... it just might work. Who among us doesn't have some form of a lucky
piece? A lucky coin, a rabbits foot, a religious medal. All Mary and I can tell
you is, we’ve had the most amazing, wonderful things happen as a result of
giving out these two dollar bills; not the least is the fun and friendliness but
also the exceptional service we have received from our servers. [If you don’t
tell the story, your just giving a $2 tip] Start Collecting $2 Bills.
Make Your Luggage Easy to Spot:
85% of all luggage is black. It will save you a lot of time and aggravation if
you put a colorful bow or luggage strap on your belongings. It will much easier
to identify them among the thousands of pieces of luggage on the terminal
floor...Tie Something Colorful On Your Luggage
The First Hours Aboard Ship Are Important:
Mary and I have found that there are certain things that we can do the first day
that will set the tone for our entire cruise. The first thing we do is check our
table assignment. We can’t stress enough the importance of doing this. It’s
important to see if the table assigned you is what you requested. If it isn’t,
speak to the Maitre`d as soon as possible and he will has a chance to make the
change you desire. If after the first evening, you are not happy with whom
you’re seated, speak to the Maitre`de and ask to have your table changed. If he
can possibly change it he will, he wants to make you happy. If the ship has an
alternative restaurant, this is the time to make your reservation. Most
alternative restaurants have limited seating, so be sure to make your
reservation as soon as you can... Check Your Table Assignment and Then Make
Reservations For The Alternative Restaurant.
All Ships of a Cruise Line Are Not the Same:
Mary & I come from large families. Our siblings have similar characteristics but
each one has their own distinct personality. Cruise lines and their ships are
like that. Not all ships of a cruise line are the same. They differ for many
reasons. The age of the ship, the size of the ship (the tonnage), the amenities,
the expertise of the Food Manager/Executive Chef but the most important
difference is how the crew comes together under the guidance and the direction
of the Hotel Manager. The effectiveness of his training of the servers is
reflected in the way the crew caters to and pampers their guests. While it's
hard to bypass bargain rates, never pick a ship based on price alone. You must
first factor in your personal interests and lifestyle, pick the ship, and then
go bargain hunting. Cruise lines do vary in their strengths and weaknesses.
The point we’re making is, if you want to increase your odds of booking the ship
that will best fulfill your expectations, we suggest you learn as much as
possible about the ships of the cruise line your considering booking. Read as
many cruise reviews as you can. Frequent the cruise message boards; there are
good ones that have many seasoned cruisers and TA’s as members. If you
have a question about a specific ship or port, post your question and one of
them will answer you. You shouldn’t leave every thing to your TA. Do as much
research as possible so you can give your TA the information he/she needs to
help you select the right ship and right itinerary for you. The Internet has a
wealth of information about cruising. The following are cruise web sites we
recommend that will help you in your research.
Informative Cruise Web Sites:
These are URL’s of interesting and informative cruise web sites. We will be
adding to this list with each new review.
[New] Virtual Tour of Cabins and Venues: http://www.virtualtoursusa.com/galleryships.htm
Cruise Reviews & Cruise Articles: http://www.cruisereviews.com
Cruise Chat: http://www.cruise-chat.com/6/ubb.x
New Ships & Cruise News http: //www.cruisenewsdaily.com/newships.html
One of the Best for Cruise Links: http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~rklein/cruise.html
Deck Plans of Cruise Ships: http://www.cruise.com/pez/ship_deck/decks.asp
Sites for the Caribbean Islands: http://www.shipboardcruiser.com/islandcruise/cb.html
Comprehensive List of Cruise Links: http://www.cruise-links.com
Ladies & Men’s Packing List: http://www.cruisereviews.com/PackingList.htm
Tip Calculator: http://members.aol.com/CruiseTip/
Sobriety @ Sea: http://www.sobrietyatsea.com/pages/1/index.htm
Cruise News-Updated Weekly: http://www.cybercruises.com/newsfile.htm
Cruising For Singles: http://www.cruisereviews.com/NancyNorris.htm
Royal Caribbean Discussion Group: http://www.evensens.net/rccl/rccl.html
The Best Cruise Ship Pictures on the Internet:
http://home-4.tiscali.nl/~t411310/indx.htm
A good way to save these URL’s and have them readily available: Swipe with your
cursor and copy. Then in your e-mail program, open new message, then paste. Then
address the message to your self and in the subject line write Cruise Sites. In
a short period of time you will receive it as new mail. Open a new folder, name
it Cruise Sites in your e-mail program and move the e-mail with the Cruise URL’s
to that folder. This way you will have the URL’s handy whenever you need them.
Our Final Suggestion is to ‘Write a Review: http://www.cruisereviews.com/submit/
After you adjust to being back home and you slowly recover from after cruise
depression, sit down and write about all the wonderful things you experienced.
You don't have to be a polished writer to write a review. All you have to do is
write as if you were having a conversation with your best friend. The important
thing is to be honest and forthright. Writing a review is a wonderful way to
relive your cruise, and at the same time help fellow cruisers by sharing your
thoughts. Tell them your opinion of the ship, the food, the crew, the
entertainment, the ports of call and any special moments you experienced. Also
write about the things that weren't so wonderful so your fellow cruisers can be
forewarned. Include your spouse and ask her/him for suggestions on what you
should include. And remember, don't be afraid of writing too much, longer is
better than shorter. People are reading your review to determine if the ship
your writing about is the one they should book. Put yourself in their place and
tell them all the things you would like to know. But whatever you do, the most
important thing is for you to have fun and enjoy what your doing. If you need
help, Mary and I would be glad to assist you.
LOOSE ENDS AND RANDOM THOUGHTS
We Attended the Honeymooners/Anniversary Party: A party was held in the
Revelations lounge for those celebrating an Anniversary or Honeymoon. Being we
qualified for both, we attended.
Exciting New Happenings at Cruisereviews.com: I wrote Tom Ogg, our editor and
owner of Cruisereviews.com, to compliment him on his exciting new Port Reviews
page. I thought you would be interested in reading his reply.
<<<Tom, as soon as I am done with the basic conversion of CruiseReviews, then I
will develop the Port Reviews site. When Port Review hits critical mass, I will
open it up for passenger reviews as well and I suspect it will become a great
site, maybe even more popular than CR. I have personally been to almost all the
ports in the world, so I should be able to nail the essence of each port without
a lot of institutional content to sway the true nature of a port experience.
Client reviews should add greatly to it. I don’t think there is anything like it
on the web.>>> Keep well, Tom Ogg
CR-Port Review Page: http://www.portreviews.com/
I suggest you keep an eye on the Cruisereviews site. Tom has a lot of exciting,
interesting ideas that are being implemented at this very moment. I know Tom
would like to hear any comments you might have and while your at it, Mary & I
would appreciate if you told Tom what you think of Tom & Mary’s web site and the
reviews we write. Write Tom@tomogg.com
A Teaspoon of Spiritual Nourishment: Mary & I have collected one page
meditations for many years. Our local paper published them as a daily column. We
now send them by e-mail, five nights a week, to our loved ones, friends, crew
members of some of the ships we have sailed on and to readers of our reviews. If
you would like to receive the ‘Teaspoon of Spiritual Nourishment,’ send us an
e-mail and we will put you on our mailing list. [Mary & I send them from our
house.]
A Teaspoon of Spiritual Nourishment
Compiled by Tom & Mary Milano
What We Learned From The Birds
Those who fly through the air in airships tell us that one of the first rules
they learn is to turn their ship toward the wind, and fly against it. The wind
lifts the ship up to higher heights. Where did they learn that? They learned it
from the birds. If a bird is flying for pleasure, it goes with the wind. But if
the bird meets danger, it turns right around and faces the wind, in order that
it may rise higher and escape. Sufferings are God’s winds, his contrary winds,
sometimes his strong winds. They take human life and lift it to higher levels
and toward God’s heavens.
Have you seen in the summertime a day when the atmosphere was so oppressive that
you could hardly breathe? But a cloud appeared on the western horizon and the
cloud grew larger and threw out rich blessings for the world. The storm rose,
lightning flashed and thunder roared. The storm came, and the atmosphere was
cleansed, new life was in the air, and in the world.
Human life is worked out according to exactly the same principle. When the storm
breaks, the atmosphere is changed, clarified, filled with new life; and a part
of heaven is brought down to earth and we can soar higher and higher, like the
birds of the air... Sufferings are God’s winds. They take human life and lift it
to higher levels.
What Ever Happened to Gari Senderoff? A number of our readers have asked us that
question. Gari was our agent and the agent of a number of our readers. For those
who don’t know Gari, I would like to tell a little about this most interesting
young man. His is a remarkable story. He left college to embark on a career in
the cruise business. He was a natural. Gari had a winning personality and an
uncommon compassion for the cruising public. He rose to the very top of his
field and was respected by everyone in the industry. At the very height of his
career, earning in the six figure range, he made a momentous decision. He
decided to leave the job that he loved to pursue his original dream of becoming
a Clinical Psychologist.
We’re happy to tell you, he has become a top student and finished his first year
of college with a 3.96 grade. He belongs to the Psi-Chi Club and is now
assisting in writing a Multi-Cultural Psychology textbook. He has made the
Presidents list, the National Deans list and has been given awards for his
volunteer work. He is working very hard to earn his degree, as a Clinical
Psychologist, PhD. We know he would love to hear from his former clients. If you
who would like to send your best wishes, send your e-mails to Mary & I and we
will forward them to Gari. [BTW, it was Gari that encouraged us to write our
first review.]
Catholic Mass: Was held each morning in the ships’s cinema, with the celebrant
being Father Ernest Loperfido. There was an Easter Mass in the theater on Easter
Sunday that was very well attended. This was also where the lecture series was
conducted and first run movies were shown here most every day.
We Are Usually Far More Generous With Compliments to Our Friends, than to those
we love most dearly. This
happens despite the fact that behavioral scientists, and our instincts, tell us
that compliment affect behavior far more powerfully than criticism. We all need
to bask in the warmth and approval of someone we respect, otherwise our personal
dignity becomes seriously endangered.
We have become so unaccustomed to compliments that they seem to embarrass both
the giver and the receiver. We are quick to criticize, yet so guarded with
praise. If someone looks especially nice, what harm can come from saying so? If
you like what someone said, why not a comment? If someone is doing a good job,
it can only reinforce the person to tell them so. Praise like love, is only
meaningful when freely shared.
Aging actually happens in your mind when you think that your present life can’t
be as satisfying and fulfilling as life was when you were younger.
Finally The End
Ever thought of becoming a part time or home based travel agent? Follow this link to see some of the books Tom Ogg has authored.
