Dateline Dayton  – Back from our cruise, the best we ever have taken, and here are some memorable moments.

No, there wasn’t any unusual excitement. The ship did not get stuck on rocks. Nor was it adrift for days. The power was on the entire time. The toilets worked. No one was left behind, and no one went overboard – although we couldn’t locate one couple when we ended one tour.

Appears they took a cab back to the ship. They did not want to spend two hours at the beach in the rain. These things can happen but usually don’t. Our cruise was fun, enjoyable, relaxing.

Driving to the port was pleasant. Our first stop was for lunch at a major chain restaurant, headquartered in the south. I order a breakfast, which was supposed to include grits. When I questioned our waitress about the missing grits, her answer was, “That’s what they put out.”.

Hmm.

Shortly after, she came back and told me they were out of grits. The manager was next. “They had run out of grits,” he said, “and it will be 20 minutes before another batch is ready.”  Running out of grits at a Southern restaurant was un-American, I said. The manager agreed. Before we left, I had to deal with the manager two more times, for toilet paper and for an error on our bill.

Being gluttons for punishment, we stopped at the same chain again in the evening, drawn by the Friday fish fry. Similar experience. No toilet paper in the women’s restroom. This manager was in no hurry to correct the problem.

Since we never know where we are stopping for the evening, we never have reservations. First stop was at a chain we prefer. We have one of their loyalty cards, sometimes worth two small bottles of water.

Finally, a Time to Rest

After stopping twice and being told there was no room in the inn, I pulled into a Comfort Suites. William told me he had no rooms available and really didn’t understand what was going on. Without asking if I had any type a loyalty card, he said he would try to find a room at another motel. He did. This is the kind of service I should have received from the first place we stopped. Many people have an app on their phone that they can use to find a room. I don’t. If I did, I would not know how to use the darned thing.

On Saturday, we took a side trip to Savannah, 20 miles out the way. We had been there before, but wanted to see Tybee Island. Whatever the attraction, we could not find it. However, we did find the Crab Shack and enjoyed an outstanding meal.

By Saturday night, we were two hours from the port. We arrived at 11 on Sunday morning, the start of our boarding time.

The ship was huge and actually had a street, with shops on each side. We proceeded to the café, near the pools, for lunch. At 1, we were able to get into our cabin, small but nice. Pauline had a voucher for a free massage.

At 5:30, it was time for dinner. We joined three other couples at our table. Afterward, we walked some of the ship and attended an outstanding show.

Monday was spent at sea, so we were by the pool relaxing. Dinner that evening was formal, and we caught another outstanding show.

Next week, the rest of the trip.

Mr. Hennessey may be contacted at pmhenn@sbcglobal.net