Thank you Princess Cruise Line
You "Made" My Day
B U F F E T
I
was supposed to be taking my loving bride on a cruise, but fate took
over and well, let's just say, I'm back !
But...the
story must be told as my phone rang off the hook Sunday morning.
I
was going to be a good husband following the constant reminders from
my wife that loving a computer and writing a blog seemed to be more
important than being a husband.
I
had to relent. I knew that half of what I owned depended on it
!
So...I
decided to take a break for a week and a half and clarify some
priorities in my life...namely, appreciation for the woman who, for
about 35 years, has had the chore of putting up with a man who
believes he's perfect, but is constantly reminded he is not...
...and also being reminded of her thoughts on many mornings with a mirror under his nose!
...and also being reminded of her thoughts on many mornings with a mirror under his nose!
So...after
spending a couple of days in California exploring both sides of the history
of American politics at both the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda and Disneyland, we were off on the last leg of our trip...a romantic cruise !
It
was all so well planned. We stayed in a suite at a nice hotel in San Pedro; left
my car parked; and took the shuttle to the cruise port, being greeted
by the Princess cruise staff as a VIP for being an "Elite"
member of their cruise line.
We
were not going to be forced to remain among the first time "peons";
we were told to go to a special spot where we would be the first to
board the beautiful Royal Princess.
And
now...
After
Princess Cruise line decided to keep 2,000+ people in a holding pen
for about 8 hours and being so kind as to provide us a bottle of
water to sustain our existence, they decided that the "technical
problem" consistently heard again and again, hour after hour, on
their loud speakers, was in reality a crew member who had transferred
from the infamous Grand Princess 15 days prior, to our ship, the Royal Princess.
We
were never told anything about the "technical problem",
but it didn't take a genius to figure things out when a number of us
noticed that as the hours passed, none of the luggage on the dock was
being loaded on the ship.
Hmmmm
!
OK...it
was a health issue and I can handle that, but waiting 8 hours before
canceling a cruise leaving a boodle of human flesh without food, available
planes to get them home, or available hotels to house them after 6:00pm
didn't exactly inspire cheers from a crowd thinking...
"What the
hell do I do now?"
Well,
I was the "lucky one". I drove, but I felt a "moral
obligation" to tell the world of the "comforts" and
"Tender Loving Care" Princess Cruise Line provided their
"valued" guests.
You
see, us seniors have health problems and when you have to eat or die,
the choice becomes no choice, although my wife, did make an attempt to "escape the pen" to find a food truck waiting outside the boarding area, with what was advertised to be "Taco World"...without tacos, managing to grab that last orange and banana left to be had...
...that by that point, could have been auctioned, fetching at least $100.
It became "GET ME SOME g...damn FOOD", but before I die, the world will know how you contributed to my demise.
...that by that point, could have been auctioned, fetching at least $100.
It became "GET ME SOME g...damn FOOD", but before I die, the world will know how you contributed to my demise.
And
so...I grabbed my trusty I-Phone and made a call to KLAS, Channel 8
News in Las Vegas and asked if they were interested in the topic of the day...
...and
before I knew it, they put me straight through to the newsroom, where
I spoke with a nice man who was eager to "scoop" the USA of
the latest cruise ship problem...even beating the local Los Angeles
press at covering the event.
Little
did I know this news person was the gentleman who was the actual TV
announcer who would run the report that night.
He
asked if he could interview me in my car, but that at first created a
problem....
...the hotel that I had left my gas buggy...the hotel that took an hour and a half to get us at the cruise terminal less than a mile from the dock....by an unlicensed bell hop due to the real driver leaving for the day at 1:30pm...
...finally got us back to the hotel...
... only to learn my car keys were missing !
...the hotel that I had left my gas buggy...the hotel that took an hour and a half to get us at the cruise terminal less than a mile from the dock....by an unlicensed bell hop due to the real driver leaving for the day at 1:30pm...
...finally got us back to the hotel...
... only to learn my car keys were missing !
Well,
they found them, but by then my passion to call the news guy back
once we hit the road traveling back home starting at 7:30pm in the
dark... was even stronger...
...which
not being from California, had it not been for my prayers and
constant conversations with a lady named Siri, I would likely have
ended up in Mexico, due to one highway leading into another as autos
pass you going 110 mph playing the latest in what is now referred to
as "music".
O
well, I had to call that Channel 8 man back, and so I did, completing
the interview, believing something might be reported that evening on
the local news.
All
went well until the Channel 8 reporter called me back...asking me if
I had a picture he would use.
I
told him I'm driving a car through hell dodging others trying to take my life attempting to
find my way back home; that taking a picture in the dark would be
pretty tough at the current time.
But..he
had to find a picture, and he searched Facebook to find one.
And
so he did...one taken in 2005 that many who know me now would look
at, and say "Who the hell is that guy in the picture?"
Las
Vegas has sadly taken it's toll this creature who is writing this
piece due to a six letter word....
B U F F E T
OK,
picture had been secured while on the dark road back to Vegas.
Then...at
about 11:15pm following the romantic dinner I had originally promised
my wife that turned out to be a truck stop eating In-N-Out Burgers, the
phone rang.
It
was my Anthem Opinions Blog partner, Allen Weintraub, saying I was a
"star".
Turns
out the interview was the lead story on Channel 8 that evening!
Want
to see it?
Just
click on this link.
A
thank you to Princess Cruise lines for the exceptional treatment to a
"valued" guest, and a side note essentially telling
them:
Don't
mess with a guy who writes a blog !
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