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Tom and Mary Milano
TomandMaryMilano@Yahoo.com
Age: 76
Occupation: Retired
Cruise Line: Princess
Ship: Sun Princess
Number of Cruises: 32
Departure Date: October 22, 2003
Itinerary: 10-Night Eastern Caribbean
More than 110,000 cruisers
have visited our page
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.
We Almost Didn’t Make
This Cruise:
Two weeks before our sail date, I had unexpected oral surgery and I could
only eat soft foods. If we had been booked on any other line but Princess’
I would have cancelled our booking, but knowing that the Princess menu
featured a pasta dish every night, it sealed the deal... we were going.
Mary & I both love pasta. I have been on the Atkins diet and because of
the high carbohydrate content, I hadn’t had pasta in months. Now I had a
good reason.. a medical reason.. an excuse.. to eat pasta every night. How
could someone with the name Milano not look forward to this? As we got
closer to our sailing date, I could feel my Italian genes come alive.
We were looking forward to our Sun cruise because we had sailed on her
sister ships, the Sea and Ocean Princess. We were very impressed with both
ships and their crews. We particularly liked the layout of these ships and
were planning to book them again when we learned both ships were
transferred overseas to the parent company P & O. The only ships of this
class still sailing are the Sun out of Ft. Lauderdale and the Dawn from
Puerto Rico.
We started cruising in 1996 and I found the ambience of the ship and the
serenity we feel while at sea, made it the perfect setting for Macho Tom
to practice some serious marriage maintenance. As our regular readers know
and our new readers are about to learn, Mary & I are romantics. We have
included the following sentences in all our previous reviews because it
best describes the reason we love to cruise. Mary & I enjoy cruising
because we can’t think of a more romantic, intimate, exciting way to spend
quality time with the one you love, than when on a cruise. That is why we
look at our cruises as being another ‘Honeymoon.’ Mary & I just returned
from our 33rd ‘Honeymoon’ and like every one of them, it was very special.
We will be sharing some of our thoughts and some of the things we do, that
have made our twilight years the best years of our life
***Our regular readers are familiar with the Wimpy character I refer to in
our reviews, but for our new readers, a quick explanation. Tom had been a
Macho man most of his early life. In his latter years he began to realize
when he did those little wimpy things that Mary loved him to do, his
lovely Mary gave him a lot more reason to smile. Although Tom was macho,
he wasn’t dumb. When Tom is at sea, on another of their ‘Honeymoons,’ he
takes on the Wimpy persona to its highest degree by using these occasions
as an opportunity to do all sorts of lovely little wimpy things for his
Mary***
A Different Format For This Review:
We are not going to do our usual thing of taking you on a vicarious
armchair cruise with us. Don’t feel bad we aren’t inviting you to join us,
but being we have written two comprehensive reviews of the Ocean Princess,
the sister ship of the Sun, we are going to restrict our writing to just
telling you about the highlights of our cruise. If you would like to read
our Ocean Princess reviews, they are posted on our Home Page: http://www.tomandmaryscruisereviews.com/
The Condition of Sun Princess:
Being the Sun Princess was built in 1995, we were somewhat concerned about
the condition of the ship. We knew it was the talk of the industry when it
was introduced, but being eight years old, we didn’t know what to expect.
We expected see some wear and tear of the carpets and upholstered
furniture but they appeared like new as did every part of the ship. It
looked like it had just arrived from the Fincantiere shipyard for her
inaugural cruise. We are happy to tell you the ‘Sun’ is still a
magnificent vessel, absolutely beautiful and in immaculate condition.
Even though the atrium only encompasses four decks, it is one of our favorites. There are two banks of glass elevators just for these four decks and they create a grand visual effect. The atrium splits the fourth deck of the Atrium into two parts. One side is the Casino and the other Verdi’s Pizzeria. The Sun is one of the few ships we have been on that the traffic pattern didn’t make us walk through the Casino and the only ship that has a separate Pizzeria. We particularly liked the numerous displays of fresh flowers throughout the ship. [The picture is the Atrium decorated for Halloween]
The Base of Operations For Marriage Maintenance--Balcony Cabin A 538:
Wimpy first got the thought about practicing marriage maintenance when he
read the following quote. “A marriage may be made in heaven but the
maintenance takes place on earth” That made sense to him. He took it to
heart and he has been performing marriage maintenance for a number of
years. Seeing how Mary enjoys the things Wimpy does, he keeps on raising
the bar and has done some astounding things. But when everything is said
and done, the place where it all starts and is the most effective, is in
our cabin.
We made use of our balcony more than we have on our previous cruises. It
was somewhat small, but we liked it better than other ones we’ve had. It
was very private and it had a small, regular height dinning table and
chairs. We had breakfast on our balcony every morning. Wimpy has his own
carrying case that he keeps the items he uses to Wimpanize our cabins [Two
Wizard scented plug-ins, a three-outlet connection, a night light, a can
of air-freshener and an assortment of things to surprise his Mary.] One of
the items he brought along was a small animated figure of a bunny with a
mustache, dressed in a colorful Mexican costume, holding a set of maracas
in his hands. [see picture] The first morning, while waiting for room
service to bring our breakfast, when Mary wasn’t looking, I placed him on
the table with a note. I told Mary, Wimpy knowing she liked to listen to
music while having breakfast, arranged to have his friend Pancho serenade
her. When Mary sat down, I pressed Pancho’s toe and he started to shake
his hips and his maracas, while he sang in a low guttural voice, La
Cukarajah, La Cukarajah. Mary couldn’t stop laughing, she thought it was
hilarious. We also had a talking alarm clock that had a choice of
different alarm sounds. I had it set on crowing rooster, and when it went
off, it was loud and it sounded as if we had a barnyard rooster in our
cabin. Between the rooster crowing and Pancho singing La Cukarajah, the
couple in the adjoining cabin must of thought they had Mexican farmers for
neighbors. We had a lot of fun with our little friend Pancho and having a
romantic breakfast on our balcony was a wonderful way to start our day.
We had a wonderful cabin attendant by the name of Gemma. She had seventeen
cabins to take care of that needed to be made up twice a day. Cabin
attendants are the busiest people aboard ship. They rarely see the light
of day. She kept our cabin immaculate. As busy as she was, she always had
a smile for us and something nice to say, she was a delight. She loved
Pancho and all the little things I did to surprise Mary. Her sister was
working on the Dawn Princess that was docked next to us in Barbados. We
were happy she was able to take some time from her busy schedule to visit
with her. Whatever extra gratuity you see fit to give to a cabin
attendant, they richly deserve it.
Room Service Was Exceptional:
We have never used room service as much as we did on this cruise. We had
room service for breakfast and a number of times in the afternoon. It was
quite a good menu and the service was exceptional. When we ordered by
phone, they couldn’t be more polite and they often made suggestions that
were helpful. We filled out a breakfast card each night and the time we
wanted it delivered and they were always on time. As our readers know, we
make great use of $2 bills. We use them to tip lounge and room severs.
Every time I handed the room server a bill, I told him, this is a lucky $2
bill and I could see a big smile spread across his face. Toward the end of
the cruise, one of them told us he had been saving them and had seven of
them. He said was going to keep one and send six to his friends back home
in the Philippines, who needed some good luck. What a nice thought for
this young man to have for his friends... this young man reminded us of
our favorite meditation on friendship.. that tells how wonderful it is to
have a friend and how important it is to be a friend... we thought you
might like to read this inspiring, thoughtful meditation.
We Should Cherish Our
Friends as the Rarest of Jewels
-- J. R. Miller--
We should never let our
friends go out of our lives if we can by any possibility retain them.
Friendship is too rare a treasure to be taken lightly and then thrown
away. And yet many people are not careful to retain their friends. Some
lose them through inattention, failing to maintain those little amenities,
courtesies and kindnesses which cost so little, and yet are hooks of steel
to grapple and hold our friends. Some drop old friends for new ones. Some
take offense easily at imagined slights or neglects, and ruthlessly cut
the most sacred ties. Some become impatient of little faults, and discard
truest friendships. Beautiful friendships are often destroyed, not by any
sharp, sudden quarrel, but by slowly and imperceptibly drifting apart
until there is a great chasm between two lives that once were woven
together
There are a great many ways of losing friends. But when we have taken true
souls into the grasp of our hearts, we should cherish them as the rarest
of jewels. There is no wealth in the world like a noble friendship, and
nothing should induce us to sacrifice such a treasure. If slights are
given, let them be overlooked. If misunderstandings arise, let them
quickly be set right. Let not pride or fiery temper or cold selfishness
disdainfully toss away a friendship for a trivial cause. It is not hard to
lose a friend, but the loss is utterly irreparable. Let it never be
overlooked that we as friends must stand and be ready to do all that we
expect our friends to be and to do. If we set a high standard for them,
that standard must be ours also.
It will not do to give pebbles and ask for diamonds in return.
Why We Like Princess`
Personal Choice Dinning:
We like the traditional type seating, having the same table and the same
servers for the entire cruise. We like getting to know our servers and
having them get to know us. They quickly learn what we like and how we
like to be served and by the second night we are well on our way to having
a good dinning experience. It’s much the same as many of us do when we go
to our favorite restaurant back home. We usually have a favorite waiter or
waitress we ask for, who knows what we like and dislike. Sometimes we even
ask for our favorite table. We found that PC gives us everything we like
about traditional dinning, and some important extras. Remember. We’re
talking about the early seating, 6-6:30. The later times are a slightly
different story. Its very difficult to get a table for two on most cruise
lines but at these early hours in PC, you can get a table for two without
any problem. If you like the table, you can make a reservation for the
next night, for the same table. You will have the same servers because the
servers remain in the same station. Being all the tables are not seated at
the same time, it is much, much quieter in PC dinning.
When we had the early
seating in traditional dinning, there was always a couple hundred people
waiting in line for the dinning room doors to open. And when there opened,
it’s like being in the middle of a cattle stampede. Mary & I always waited
fifteen minutes or so, until everything settled down before we went into
the dinning room. The PC dinning rooms on the Princess ships take on a
totally different atmosphere than the regular dinning room and the service
is much quicker because the waiter’s station is rarely full at the early
times. If you are late coming back from an excursion, you can call and
make a later reservation. When you leave the dinning room that evening,
you will usually be able to make a reservation for the same table for two
you had the previous evening. If you would like a table for two so you can
have a romantic dinner with your spouse, the early seating in PC is meant
for you. (If you have any questions about PC dinning, send us an e-mail)
Food & Service Are Important To Us:
Being Former Restaurant Owners food and service are important to us. Mary
& I owned an award winning restaurant, Glynn’s Inn, in Huntington, Long
Island. We appreciate fine food and how it is presented. We’ve had
wonderful dinning experiences on our Princess cruises. Guiseppe Franchina,
was a head waiter on those cruises and we became friends. We think the
world of Guiseppe and when we learned our dear friend was transferred to
the Sun, I e-mailed him to tell him we would be sailing with him. He wrote
back and said he was sorry he would miss us, he was going on vacation, but
he would tell Maitre d`Hotel Silvio Zampieri to take good care of his
friends.
We met Silvio and found him to be a charming, gracious host. As soon as we met, I told him about my dental problem and that I would probably be ordering pasta every night. He asked me if any particular Pasta was my favorite and I told they haven’t made a Pasta I didn’t like. Pasta is also Mary’s favorite dish, so we settled on having Pasta most nights, except when her favorites, Lobster Thermidor, Rack of Lamb and Lobster tails were on the menu. We developed a special relationship with Yalcin, Silvios’s assistant. He was a nice young man with a very nice way about him. When we learned he was from Turkey, we told him our daughter had met a Turkish boy in college and had married and has been living in Istanbul for 24 years. When he asked the family name of the boy, he was even more surprised. Our son-in-laws brother Memmet Barlas, had been the leading TV anchor in Istanbul and was well known. We have been to Turkey many times and we had some very interesting conversations with Yalcin. He added immeasurably to our dinning experience and we hope we see on a future cruise.
We had two very capable servers, Jose our waiter and Robert, his assistant. They were a good team and took care of our ever need. The food and the service was excellent. It isn’t often you find Souffles on a cruise menu or can you order Coffee Latte & Cappuccino with no charge. We fully enjoyed our dinning room experience. [Mary enjoying a Souffle and Coffee Latte]
Other Food & Restaurant Highlights:
A Culinary Exhibition & Galley Tour: Maitre d`Hotel Silvio Zampieri and
Executive Chef Thomas Ulrich put on a interesting and fun-filled cooking
demonstration in the jammed-packed Vista Lounge Showroom. The stage was
set like a kitchen would be in your home. They cooked a Pasta dish, giving
the audience a blow by blow description of what they were doing and did
the same while making Scampi Fra Diavolo. They finished the demonstration
by telling and showing the audience how to make the famous Italian dessert
Tiramisu. The dialogue between the Chef and Silvio was hilarious. They got
off some great lines and with a little fine tuning, could make a good
comedy act. We all learned a little bit about Italian cooking and by the
reaction of the audience, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. After
the demonstration, Silvio invited the entire audience to tour galley.
Theme Lunches and Dinners: Princess does a lot of theme lunches and
dinners. The main dinning room had some theme nights with the menu
featuring the most popular dishes of that country and the Horizon lunch
room had a theme lunch most every day. Just to mention a few. They had an
elaborate Sushi display for the Golden Dragon lunch. It featured all kinds
of Oriental dishes and Sushi. It was a big hit. Another was a Mexican
lunch, “Pancho’s Cantina,” featuring a full array of Mexican food. But our
favorite and something we
haven’t seen before, was the “La Dolce Vita” lunch, the Executive Chef’s Italian Buffet Extravaganza. On the buffet line they had every conceivable Italian dish, many you would only expect to be served in the dinning room. But as impressive as that was, the incredible Dessert Buffet was something to behold. Silvio told us about it in advance so we could arrive early and take some pictures. We got there as they were finishing setting up and we couldn’t believe our eyes. It would have been spectacular if it was a special culinary event in the main dinning room, but to see this incredible display of Italian pastries, cakes and cookies, offered as dessert in the lunch room, was something else. My Mary loves having a nice dessert. I always kid her that she would rather skip the entree and go straight to the dessert. Looking at this once in a life time display of Italian delicacies, we decided to do just that. We skipped the buffet line entirely and went straight to the dessert buffet. There was such a wide selection of delicacies, it was hard decide which ones we wanted to try. We took our time and gradually filled our plates with an assortment of scrumptious cakes and mouth-watering pastries. We couldn’t remember having a more enjoyable lunch. An hour later, I felt the sugar to rushing through my like veins and I was wired. That evening when we were approaching the Wheelhouse Lounge, I found myself doing the Meringue. The funny part is, I don’t know how to do the Meringue. Regardless, I was a bundle of energy, ready to do some real high stepping with my lady. Wheelhouse Lounge, here we come.
Verdi’s Pizzeria and Trattoria: Verdi’s is a separate restaurant
that circles the fourth deck of the atrium. It is a very attractive room
with wrought iron table and chairs and an open viewing kitchen. It’s a
very quiet and private room. It is open most of the day and night. They
serve six or seven different kinds of Pizza’s and Calzones. Mary ordered
the Margarita pizza and I ordered a Calzone and because of my problem,
only ate the filling. Mary said the pizza was excellent. It is directly
across from the Casino and is very busy at night. Verdi’s and the Casino
are the only two venues on the eight deck.
Informal Dinner With the Captain: We were surprised to receive an
invitation to have an informal dinner with Captain Alan Wilson and two
other couples. When we opened the invitation I said to Mary, “With the
dental problem I have, I would be embarrassed to sit sown to dinner with
the Captain and then not be able to eat the food.” That night at dinner, I
told Yalcin about it and he said, “Don’t you worry, I will have the chef
make something special for you, something you can eat.” We decided I could
get by on Meat Loaf but I asked Yalcin, how it would look with him serving
me Meat Loaf? He said, “Don’t you worry, I will be attending the Captains
table and I will make it so you feel comfortable.” When it came time to
order most of the guests ordered steak. When the entree was brought out,
everyone was served and I was served last. I almost burst out laughing
when Yalcin came to the table with the Meat Loaf on a silver platter,
garnished and presented like he was serving a Chateaubriand. He also had a
waiter assist him. The waiter, was carrying a tureen as if he was prepared
to pour Bearnaise Sauce on a Chateaubriand. Instead it was a tureen of
gravy for the mashed potatoes that surrounded the Meat Loaf. After he
served me, in somewhat of a flamboyant fashion, he offered it to the other
guests who already had their entrees. Everyone had a portion except one.
At the finish of the dinner, there was some steak left on the plates but
everyone finished the Meat Loaf Chateaubriand. I have Yalcin to thank for
making me feel comfortable in a difficult situation.
The Captain was very personable and a charming host. He was very easy to be with and made us feel comfortable. He told a number of interesting, humorous stories. We asked various questions about Princess and his career. We learned he was chosen to be on the new build team for the inaugural sailings of the Dawn, Ocean, Star and most recently, the new Coral Princess. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening with the Captain and it’s easy to see why the crew holds him in such high esteem... now that we have told you the highlights of our dinning experience.. we would like to share another meditation about friendship.
Dear God, Make Me A Good
Friend
Illuminata... Marianne Williamson
We live in meanspirited
times. People instinctively attack. There’s often more criticism leveled
against success than failure, more suspicion of excellence than of
mediocrity. We do not live in a friendly society. A friend assumes our
innocence. A friend applauds our desire to play big in life. A friend
supports our efforts to live according to spiritual purpose. A friend is
always ready to help us forgive. A friend forgives us when we need
forgiveness.
A friend will see us at our worst, as well as at our best, but his love
will not waver when we have failed to show our most positive features. A
friend will not close his heart when we have made a mistake. A friend will
not condemn us but will compassionately support our return to a state of
grace. Friends will try to refrain from criticism, because it hurts the
friendship and it hurts the soul.
The conscious prayer is not “Dear God, send me more friends,” but rather
“Dear God, make me a good friend.” Do I appreciate my friends or do I take
them for granted? Do I let them know how grateful I am? Do I actively,
verbally support them in their endeavors? Do I give to my friends, or do I
do more taking? Do not pray... “Dear God, send me more friends, but, Dear
God, make me a good friend.” this is a wonderful reminder that we need
to work at being a good friend, the kind of friend that we would like our
friends to be. l am indeed blessed to be married to my very best friend,
my Mary. When we cruise, I try to do everything I can, by my words and
actions, to make sure she knows... that I’m her best friend.
The Mainstay of Wimpy’s Marriage Maintenance:
Well-written romantic cards have been a mainstay in wimpy’s arsenal for
his marriage maintenance. You know the ones when you read them, you can
swear the author had you in mind when she/he wrote it. When I look for
romantic cards for Mary, I spend a great deal of time reading card after
card, until I find the ones that express my deepest thoughts in words that
I wish I had said. Mentally, I take ownership of the thoughts as if I
wrote them. Starting the day in a romantic way has set the tone for all
our cruises. Every other morning, while Mary was freshening up, Wimpy
placed one of the cards on her pillow or on the breakfast table. On other
days he did it when we returned from lunch. He also used Post-Its to write
romantic notes that Mary found in the most unexpected places. He also
brought with him a half dozen business size cards, in bright red
envelopes, that had words of a very romantic nature. Wimpy called them his
evening cards. He would wait for just the right moment to surprise Mary.
Sometimes at dinner, sometimes while waiting to see the show, and
occasionally in between dances in the Wheelhouse. Just when Mary thought
Wimpy did everything he was going to do, he really got her attention. He
had seen an advertisement on the Internet, for a box of 365, one sentence
love notes, one for every day of the year. Http://www.RomanceHer.com Wimpy
didn’t know what he was going to so with them, but he sent for them and
added them to his arsenal of maintenance tools. There was a mirror on the
wall as we entered our cabin. As women are prone to do, every time Mary
left the cabin she would look in the mirror to see if her hair and her
make up was OK. One day when Mary was in the shower, Wimpy glued a slew of
the one sentence love notes all over the mirror. Mary came out of the
shower and was in the cabin for two hours and never noticed them... that
is until we left for lunch. When she was leaving the cabin, she looked in
the mirror and jumped back in surprise and burst out laughing. Her first
words were, “My God,
what have you done!” As she was reading them, I told her I had taken
ownership of everyone of those thoughts. She smiled at Wimpy with her
heart and came over and gave him a big hug and a kiss. During the ensuing
days, every now and then I would see Mary by the mirror. Later she told me
she read every one of those notes of endearment.
As you can tell, we had a lot of fun. One of our secrets of enjoying life
to its fullest, is we try to live our life, one day at a time. When we
cruise, it seems we are able to do that to an even higher degree, by
living one moment at a time. Wimpy tries to do whatever he can to make
those moments, moments that Mary will never forget. Many of those moments
are some of the fondest memories we have and we will carry them in our
hearts forever. [I know some of you are thinking, what a mess he made for
Gemma. Wimpy wouldn’t do that. He got some glass cleaner and a scraper
from Gemma and did the mirror for her.]
The Wheelhouse Is One of Our Favorite Lounges at Sea:
We are in our twilight years but we still have those wonderful romantic
ballads of the past playing in our hearts, just as they did many years
ago. The Wheelhouse Lounge is our favorite lounge at sea. It’s a beautiful
room with walls of dark wood paneling that is a perfect backdrop for the
lighted paintings of the ocean liners of yesteryear. Along the outer wall
are models of the grand old ships that sailed the Atlantic. There are
groupings of high backed leather arm chairs, comfortable period settees,
end tables with lamps, what you might expect to see if you if you entered
the sitting room of an English manor. On one side of the room is a small
intimate bar.
Two different combos were featured every evening, The Ralph Rabino Trio and Just Kidding. When we cruise we usually have dinner at 6:o'clock and before we have dinner, we like to dance for a half hour or so. Just as we find having a romantic breakfast on our balcony is a great way to start our day, we also find that having your loved one in your arms while dancing to those beautiful ballads of the past, is a wonderful way to start our evenings. The main reasons we like the Wheelhouse, is the type music that’s offered and the way it’s scheduled. Princess is one of the few cruise lines that has dance music starting at five o’clock and they (usually) hire combos that play the kind of music we like to dance to. We went to the Wheelhouse every night before and after dinner. We did a lot of that good old fashioned... hold me tight dancing... the kind of dancing that doesn’t require much of a dance floor... the kind of dancing that conveys ones feeling... without saying a word. The Ralph Rabino Trio was the perfect fit for the room. They played the kind of music people like to dance too and they played everything from a fox trot to a meringue. Ralph even had the combo play an occasional Tango, if he knew a couple wanted to put their dance lessons to the test. The other combo “Just Kidding” was another story. I hate to be negative and we know they were doing their best, but they shouldn’t have been in the Wheelhouse. They were better suited for a disco or a hip hop bar at best. A more appropriate name for their combo would have been... “They Must Be Kidding.” We hope Princess doesn’t change their policy but continues to hire combo’s like the Ralph Rabino Trio, the kind of trio’s that play the kind of music that has made the Wheelhouse the popular venue it is. The Wheelhouse lounge is one of the main reasons Princess has become one of our favorite cruise lines.[A picture of my lady and I on formal night... heading to the wheelhouse.]
We would be remiss is we didn’t mention two delightful, charming servers, Eddie and his partner Saowakaton. When I first looked at her uniform pin and saw her name, I knew there was no way I was going to pronounce it correctly, so I gave her a nickname and called her Bow Wow. Don’t ask me why, it just popped into my head. She didn’t mind, she thought it was cute. Before the end of the cruise, all the servers and some of the lounge customers were doing the same. We had a lot of fun with them and we hope we see them again. [A picture of Mary & ‘Bow-Wow’]
A quick story about Eddie and a $2 bill. (I rarely tell a quick
story but I’ll try.) I did our $2 dollar thing with Eddie and he was
impressed but a bit skeptical. I told him the $2 bill story and that it
would definitely bring him good luck and something he had been wanting to
happen for a very long time, would happen before the end of the cruise. I
told him when it happens, make sure you come and tell Tom & Mary. Four or
five days later, we saw Eddie coming toward us with a big smile on his
face. He said, “I was hoping to see you, you won’t believe what happened.”
During the mornings, Eddie worked in the Coffee Bar that was located on
the lowest deck. When we were docked in Barbados, he was walking through
his station when a lady asked to speak to him. She told him she had been
looking out the window at the gangway and there was a man standing there
for the longest time, looking up at the ship. Eddie looked out the window
and almost jumped out of his skin. The man standing by the gangway,
looking at the ship, was his brother whom he hadn’t seen in more than two
years. Because of the tightened security they wouldn’t allow his brother
on the ship, but they gave Eddie permission to go ashore for an hour, to
visit with him. His brother was working on the “World,” the residence ship
that was docked at a nearby berth. Of course the $2 bill got the credit
for this magical happening. Before the end of the cruise we gave Eddie
another $2 bill and he said, “I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
[Read about our $2 thing in our section, “Suggestions That Might Enhance
Your Cruise” at the end of the review]
We Thoroughly Enjoyed The Entertainment:
The entertainment was top notch. Princess programs their entertainment in
a different fashion than other lines. They have a feature act performing
in the Vista Show Lounge and at the same time have another show in the
Princess Theater. Show times for both shows are approximately 8:30 and
10:45, usually for two consecutive nights. We were able to see two shows
in one evening. It is the only cruise we know off that programs their
entertainment in this fashion. [On formal night we had our picture taken
on the way to the showroom]
The Production Shows... Words & Music... America’s Music... Cest
Magnifique... Rhythms of The City, were as good as we have seen. The
featured singers, Ben Perez and Hayley Whitney were very talented. They
had excellent voices and had great chemistry. The dancers and the
choreography were very good. The sets and the costumes were outstanding.
Our favorite show was “Cest Magnifque,” which we saw in the Vista Show
lounge. It was as good as it gets. It reminded us of being at a musical on
Broadway. In fact the Vista setting is even more intimate. The women in
the audience were ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ over the beautiful costumes and
the frequent costume changes. If you get a chance to see “Cest Magnifique”
don’t miss it, it is a sensational show.
Billy Garan: Of the single act performers, we really enjoyed Billy
Garan. He was absolutely hilarious. When he first came on stage I thought
he was a little corny and we were going to experience one of those ho-hum
comedic performances. Those feelings were short lived when he got into his
act. He took off like a rocket. He was as funny as funny can be. Mary
loves comics and she was laughing so hard at Billy’s jokes and crazy
antics, she was crying. He had the audience in stitches. He did a pinwheel
thing at the end of his act that made me think, it’s a shame this guy has
been so good and now he’s going to bomb. I can’t explain what he did but
it was an ingenious idea and the audience loved it. The audience gave him
a standing ovation before he even finished. If you see Billy Garans name
in the Princess Patter, don’t miss his act, he’s one of a kind.
A warning for our women readers. Make sure you bring a shawl when
you pack for your cruise. The air conditioning in the theaters and show
rooms are set at a very low temperature to allow for the increase of body
heat when the room is full. Consequently, if you get to the showroom
early, to get a good seat, if you don’t have something to cover your
shoulders, there is a good chance you will get a chill. Mary, for the
first time, forgot to bring a shawl. She got chilled and the next day had
a severe sore throat. She had to go to the ship’s doctor. The doctor gave
Mary a prescription for an antibiotic and a bottle of Robotusin. [$124]
It’s taken her two weeks to get over it. Be forewarned.
Our Port Visits Are Limited:
St. Martins: Having visited these ports many times, we rarely go
ashore. If we do, we usually go into town, walk around for a while and
then go back to the ship. When we docked in St Martins we went ashore and
at on one side of the walkway, there was a group of small boats that was
ferrying people into town. It cost $5 per person for a round trip. We had
an enjoyable boat ride to the main part of town. [Mary on her way to town]
We visited St. Martin three years ago, shortly after a killer hurricane
almost leveled the island. The St. Martins Catholic church on Main Street
was all but destroyed. We decided to make an altar call if the church was
open. We were happy to see that the church was open and was completely
remodeled. It looked great, as you can see in the picture. We made our
Altar visit, left a little money in the poor box and returned to the ship.
[Mary in St. Martins Catholic Church]
Barbados is a very nice Island. The people are warm and friendly.
You don’t have to go into town to do your shopping. There is a very nice
shopping area dockside. It has a large grouping of stores with above
average merchandise. Mary bought six bottles of Vanilla to give to her
friends back home. It has the best women’s shop we have seen on any of the
Islands. Mary bought a very nice woman’s top. [Mary with her new top]
Antigua: We had planned on going to Rex Halycon Cove on Dickerson Bay. It is part of the Rex Hotel chain and is situated amidst several acres of tropical gardens, with a long stretch of white sandy beach, on Dickerson Bay. It is breathtaking, a true tropical paradise. We went there on one of our first cruises to Antigua and had enjoyed it immensely. Being it’s a private, classy resort, I e-mailed them to make sure they didn’t change their policy. They wired back and said we were welcome. Unfortunately, Mary came down with a sore throat and we couldn’t make it. If you’re beach people, give yourself a treat and go to the Rex Halycon Cove on Dickerson Bay, it could be the highlight of your cruise.
Its Time For Our Concluding Remarks:
It is very difficult to put into words the feeling Mary & I have when
we’re on a cruise. Although we have a wonderful relationship, there is a
certain something that happens when we cruise that makes it even better. I
think it’s partly because we can give each other our undivided attention
without having the normal interruptions that beg our attention when we’re
home. Ever morning we can have a romantic breakfast. Then during the day,
we do a number of things that interest both of us. When evening
approaches, we can look forward to a romantic dinner, followed by a little
‘hold me tight’ dancing, then proceed to the theater to see a wonderful
show. When I wrote this, I had Mary read it and I asked her to give me her
thoughts. She read it and said, “It reminds me of the time when we were
dating.” Leave it to my Mary. She said in a few words, what that special
feeling is.. the feeling we both have when we cruise. We feel like we’re
on an extended date.. a date that doesn’t end when the clock strikes
twelve.. but continues each and every day.. for the entire cruise.
We are fortunate to have retired in 1973 at a young age. Although we’ve
had many wonderful land vacations in the states and abroad, we have never
had a land vacation that has given us the total enjoyment we experience
when cruising. We write reviews to share that experience with our fellow
cruisers and especially with those of you who haven’t cruised. Cruising
has added a complete new dimension to our life. For those of you who have
never cruised, we encourage you to try it, it might do the same for you.
We would be happy to answer any questions you might have, especially those
from first time cruisers.
We thank God for this wonderful life he has provided us, and with His
grace, Mary & I are looking forward to having many more extended dates at
sea.
May your next cruise be your very best,
Our warmest regards,
Tom & Mary Milano
TomandMaryMilano@Yahoo.com
LOOSE ENDS AND RANDOM THOUGHTS
Our Editor Tom Ogg Has
Asked us to Moderate a Forum:
Tom Ogg, our editor and owner of Crusiereviews.com, has asked Mary & I to
moderate a forum on his Cruise-Chat page entitled, “Cruise the Caribbean
with Tom & Mary Milano.” Being Mary and I have made 30+ Caribbean cruises
in the last seven years, Tom thought it might be helpful to visitors to
the Cruise-Chat message board, if we would make ourselves available to
answer questions about cruising the Caribbean. We were happy to accept his
offer. Cruising has added a wonderful, new dimension to our lives and we
are happy to have the opportunity to share our cruise experience with our
fellow cruisers. When your surfing the web, stop by and visit our forum on
Cruise-Chat. If you have a question about Caribbean cruising, we would be
happy to try and answer your question. [http://www.cruise-chat.com/6/ubb.x]
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
The Perfectionist Threat
We expect to much of our
mates. We want them to be a friend, counselor, sex playmate, prudent
banker, intellectual peer. And we want marriage to offer a lifetime of
unparalleled happiness.
Actually, we need to give ourselves a reality check from time to time:
“Why did I marry this person, and what do I really want?” Did I marry
Fritz because I wanted a resident Handy Andy? No, I married him because I
couldn’t imagine a future that didn’t include him.
Our expectations are fed both by unrealistic media and even by some
Christian speakers and authors. We’re familiar with the ideal of the
perfect wife and husband: spiritual leader, gracious homemaker, involved
parent. We read books, we listen to the tapes, and we think our marriages
seem terribly inadequate by comparison.
Yet the bible doesn’t chastise us with unattainable and unrealistic ideals
The Bible speaks instead of kindness and joy and gentleness and respect
and serving. I know that I am married to this man, and this man only, to
honor, to cherish, to enjoy. Instead of fretting about what our spouses
are not and what our marriages are lacking... we can be thankful for each
other and concentrate on loving the person God has given to each of us...
Elizabeth Cody Newenhuyse
We should be thankful for
each other.
We should concentrate on loving the person God has given to each of us.
Do You Know of any
Exceptional Internet Cruise Sites?:
We are always looking for cruise web-sites that might be of help to our
readers. If you have some favorites that you think are exceptional, that
we can share with our readers, please send us the URL... Send to:
Tom@TomMilano.com
SUGGESTIONS THAT COULD ENHANCE YOUR CRUISE
We have made an average of
five/six cruises each of the last six years and we would like to share
some of the pre cruise and shipboard things we do, that have greatly
enhanced our cruise experience. We have also included a few of our
articles that should be of interest to new cruisers.
Questions About Cruising--Q&A: http://www.cruisereviews.com/FACQ.htm
Reasons Why You Might Want to Take Your first Cruise
http://www.tomandmaryscruisereviews.com/FirstCruise.htm
This is an Article Mary & I Wrote For First Time Cruisers
: http://www.cruisereviews.com/1stTime.htm
Pre Cruise Things To Do:
For those of you who are reading our reviews for the first time, we
suggest you
Read: “Before. During... After Your Cruise”
http://www.TomandMarysCruiseReviews.com/ThingsToDo.htm
Read: “How to Heighten Your Cruise Experience”
http://www.TomandMarysCruiseReviews.com/CruiseExperience.htm:
How to Get the Best Possible Price When Booking a Cruise: It
pleases Mary & I to know that many of our readers have benefited greatly
from taking our advice. 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.
Something to Consider Before Booking Your Cruise:
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.
Cruise Web Sites That Will Help in Your Research:
We will be adding to this list with each new review.
360 Degree Virtual Tour of Cabins and Venues
: http://www.virtualtoursusa.com/galleryships.htm
Complete Listing of New Ships: http: //www.cruisenewsdaily.com/newships.html
Deck Plans of Cruise Ships: http://www.cruise.com/pez/ship_deck/decks.asp
One of the Best for Cruise Links: http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~rklein/cruise.html
Sites for the Caribbean Islands: http://www.shipboardcruiser.com/islandcruise/cb.html
A Good Venue
Ladies & Men’s Packing List: http://www.cruisereviews.com/PackingList.htm
Tip Calculator: http://members.aol.com/CruiseTip/
Cruise Reviews & Cruise Articles: http://www.cruisereviews.com
For Cruise Questions: Cruise Chat: http://www.cruise-chat.com/6/ubb.x
Another Comprehensive List of Cruise Links: http://www.cruise-links.com
A.A. Reunion Cruises: 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.
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
Our Tipping Suggestion--We Tip The First Night of Our Cruise:
Tipping at the end of your cruise is like locking the barn door after the
horse has run away. We give the suggested gratuity for the week, to our
waiter, assistant waiter, head waiter and our cabin attendant, the first
night of our cruise. 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 appreciate 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.
The week before our cruise date, we write a note on attractive 3 x 5
‘Thank You’ cards, that have matching envelopes. “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 then put them in matching envelopes with the
suggested gratuity for the week... We give them out the first night of our
cruise. If the line we’re cruising with has adopted the idea of charging
the gratuities to our account, I go to the purser’s desk and tell them I
prefer to hand the servers our gratuity and the Purser makes the necessary
changes. We don’t like the idea of the company disbursing our tip money.
We like to see the sparkle in the servers eyes, when they see what we have
done... Prepare Envelopes for Tipping Before you Leave for Your Cruise:
Magic of the $2 Bill: [This is really a fun thing to do]
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 $20--$30 in $2 bills with us. I call these $2 bills 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... you must keep it on you at all times.. so make sure
you don’t spend it... when that special something happens... and believe
me it’s going to happen... wherever you see Tom & Mary... you come and
tell us all about it.. .”
Being most of the servers are from foreign countries, they rarely if ever
have seen a $2 bill and just seeing the bill... that alone... gets their
rapt attention. Then you can see by their 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 we
have experienced, 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.
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 have 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.
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.
If you have any questions write us,
Tom & Mary Milano
Tom@TomMilano.com
The End
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