JULY 4TH, 2003

THE JUBILEE CRUISE

Now that Marla's memory of the Gypsy had been restored, we were both in a strange mood.  Call it 'awestruck'.  The Gypsy had been very specific... "for the rest of your life".  That is more or less what was going through our minds.  Marla and I had often spoken about how we felt 'married' from the moment we met on Cinderella Night in 2001.  Knowledge of the Gypsy Prophecy had dramatically intensified that thought.  Locked into the idea of a lifelong commitment, we spoke of what the future held.  Given the success of two cruise trips in a row, 2001 and 2002, Marla and I talked about making this a yearly event.  Taking note of Marla's impressive business acumen, I had a suggestion. 

"Marla, why don't you become a travel agent?  That way we can keep the commissions in house." 

Although Marla can speak for herself, I think she would have preferred I asked her to marry me first and then suggest the travel agent role.  On the other hand, we were already planning to spend the rest of our lives together, so Marla decided to be patient.  As I expected, Marla was an instant success.  The 2003 cruise aboard the Carnival Jubilee had the phenomenal total of 144 passengers. 

THE 2004 MARDI GRAS CRUISE

Our travel group made it clear they would rather pay more money and get a quality ship like the Rhapsody than get stuck again on a barge like Jubilee disguised as a cruise ship.  No argument from Marla.  For the next trip, she wisely switched back to Royal Caribbean.  Marla made a very convincing sales pitch for her Mardi Gras cruise.   By using the Rhapsody as a floating hotel, the price was comparable to paying for a quality hotel in New Orleans at peak season.  Even better, the ship would take us to Cozumel afterwards.  Mardi Gras and Cozumel together.  Cool! 

But then tragedy hit.  Shortly after the Rhapsody left Galveston on its way to New Orleans, the cruise director made a public announcement about an accident at the mouth of the Mississippi River.  There had been a collision involving a small ship and a barge.  30,000 gallons of oil had spilled and five men were missing.  The Coast Guard had closed the Mississippi River to all ships until they could locate the missing bodies.

Closing the river caused a massive headache for our ship.  As we drew nearer, no progress had been made finding the missing 5 men.  Finally we got the bad news.  Our ship would not be allowed to dock in New Orleans.  We were headed for Gulfport, Mississippi, instead.  Distraught, we raced for our maps.  With Gulfport located 80 miles east of New Orleans, gloom settled over us.  It looked like Mardi Gras was a lost cause. 

Everyone I talked to was in a very bad mood.  The security of the castle-like Rhapsody had been instrumental in persuading people to take this trip in the first place.  Knowing that we had the ship for protection had given us the courage necessary to venture into the Danger Zone.  The proximity of the pier to the Charles Street parades were another enticement.  Placed within walking distance of the action, we could return to the ship at any time for a meal and a chance to relax before tackling Round Two of the excitement.  Alas, our plan to use the Rhapsody as sanctuary was gone.  Deprived of the chance to dock in New Orleans, there were a lot of bitter and disappointed passengers on board.  Even worse, it looked like we would miss Mardi Gras altogether.

Late that afternoon we were given a surprise.  Bus rides to Mardi Gras would be made available in the morning.  "So what?" I thought.  As rumors of a bus trip lasting two to three hours passed around, my initial reaction was that I did not even want to go.  Adding a six-hour round trip to a day that would require immense amounts of energy was discouraging.  

I wasn't the only one who felt exactly that way.  There was a lot of grumbling and negativity.  After Marla and I talked it over at dinner with our friends, we decided we had come too far and paid too much money not to at least give it a try.  That turned out to be a smart decision.  The buses were scheduled to leave at 10 am, so we had plenty of time for a good breakfast.  The bus ride was more fun than we expected.  Surprised to see our group given our very own bus, there was no reason to behave.  Filled with anticipation at our upcoming adventure, the jokes were fast and furious. 

As it turned out, we did not miss a thing.  No one had bothered to tell us that the action at Mardi Gras did not begin until noon.  Considering we left at 10 am and the actual bus trip only lasted 90 minutes, we arrived 30 minutes early.  Ultimately all the detour to Gulfport amounted to was missing lunch on board the ship.  Since there were snacks on the bus plus sandwiches awaited us when we got to New Orleans, we were well fed.  No one was willing to admit it, but all our bitching and moaning had been unnecessary.

Despite our initial frustration, to our amazement the group had more fun that day than we ever could have imagined.  We drank, we danced, we heard great music, we caught beads, and we marveled at costumes and floats.  Best of all, we stuck together for safety and camaraderie.  For ten hours we partied and celebrated to the absolute limit of our stamina.  At the end of the day, we staggered back to the bus and drifted into contented sleep during the nighttime trip back to the ship.  This was a very happy group of people. 

Even better, our trip had only just begun.  With Cozumel beckoning, we had five more days to enjoy our vacation.  This gave me time to indulge my curiosity.  One afternoon Marla and I sat down with Patricia Gaspar, the woman assigned by the ship to assist our group.  Over coffee, we established a rapport.  Surprisingly candid, Patricia revealed there had been considerable drama involved in the Gulfport dilemma. 

Patricia confirmed a rumor about a brouhaha involving Captain Charles Teige.  Although I did not witness this event personally, I had heard about it.  Patricia said the Captain had bravely conducted an open meeting with an army of angry passengers prior to landing in Gulfport.  According to Patricia, he had taken quite a tongue-lashing.  Facing a firestorm of hostility, apparently Captain Teige had weathered some extremely bitter barbs.  The taunts included being called a liar and a con artist.  Recalling how Marla and I had received a similar tongue-lashing during last year's ill-fated Jubilee trip, I smiled ruefully.  Although we had not been treated quite this badly, I still knew how the man felt.

What was the reason, I asked, for treating this man so viciously?  Patricia replied that several very aggressive travel agents had banded together to demand a free cruise for all their customers.  Their logic was that since their customers had signed up for a trip to Mardi Gras and were not about to receive it, they were due serious compensation.  I was told these travel agents were tough negotiators.  They knew full well the cruise line was not legally responsible to offer compensation, but that did not prevent them from turning into bullies.  Their demands forced Captain Teige to defend the risky decision to gamble that the river would be reopened by the time they reached Louisiana.  This Gulfport decision was merely a stopgap measure in case their gamble failed.  He reminded everyone that the problem had been caused by an accident completely out of their control. 

Unfortunately that argument failed to win any sympathy.  The biggest complaint was that the Captain knew about the accident BEFORE we boarded ship and decided to inform us AFTER we are on board to prevent us from cancelling instead.  Was this true?  Patricia nodded.  Considering the accident took place at 5 AM on boarding day, the ship had been informed.  However, since reports of the early morning accident had not made it to the Houston news channels, none of the passengers had any idea.  The travel agents continued to hammer the Captain with allegations that they had deserved to know in advance and that he had deceived them.  The meeting ended badly.  The best he could do was to tell everyone to cross their fingers and hope the ban was lifted.

After the meeting, when Captain Teige received the bad news, he decided to confront his bosses back in Miami.  The initial response from the hard-line executives had been to head to Gulfport and hope the ban was lifted.  It was not Royal Caribbean's fault that New Orleans had been temporarily rendered off-limits, so if the ban was not lifted, tell people they were stuck with Gulfport.  "Hey, y'all, tough luck, but you're going to miss Mardi Gras.  It's not our fault, so enjoy Gulfport." 

Based on how difficult the meeting had been, the Captain would face a riot if he stuck to the party line.  Instead Captain Teige argued vociferously that the front office should provide buses in an attempt to save the day.  After pointing out the hard-line position risked national media condemnation, he persuaded to company to seriously consider the bus trip alternative.  Fortunately, Captain Teige prevailed.  Smart move. 

Late in the afternoon an announcement was made that Royal Caribbean had arranged this alternative at no further cost to the passengers.  What a great move!  No matter how mad we were at having our security blanket ripped away, these efforts had at least given us a chance to salvage the day.  This thoughtful move reduced the ship-wide bitterness to a manageable level.  There were still hotheads and firebrands, but the prevailing impression I got was that someone understood our frustration and - at no small expense - was willing to help.  Pleased to see Royal Caribbean act so quickly, our spirits lifted.

Why was I so interested in this dilemma?  I had experienced a similar incident on the 2001 SSQQ Cruise.  100 SSQQ guests and a thousand other passengers had signed up for a Carnival trip to Cancun and Cozumel.  Unfortunately a hurricane was expected to meet us head on.  Without giving the passengers any say-so in the decision, we were detoured to Vera Cruz instead.  We had paid for two ports, so the ship decided to stay at this very unpopular location for two days instead of one to fulfill its legal obligation.  As one can imagine, we were pretty angry at missing out on two very popular destinations and having an inferior destination substituted.  Vera Cruz had been rammed down our throats and nothing was done to make us feel any better.  No open meeting with the captain of the Carnival ship was presented nor was any compensation offered.  Meanwhile Captain Teige and Royal Caribbean had done just the opposite.  I was impressed by the man.

Initially I had cynically expected the worst, but once I saw how skillfully Captain Teige and his staff handled the problem, I changed my mind and clapped my hands in admiration.  I had just received a marvelous first-hand lesson in customer service.

I gave high marks to Captain Teige for allowing the passengers to voice their grievances.  It was a shame he was forced to endure extremely disrespectful treatment on the part of several people but his gutsy move paid off.  By answering every question with candor and explaining the reasons for each decision, the steam began to dissipate.  I was even more impressed to discover the Captain had lobbied the executives to change their minds on the bus issue.  Smart move.  Captain Teige's good will made all the difference in the world.  Let me add that he gained a lot of respect from Patricia Gaspar for the way he handled things.  We both agreed it was impressive to watch a good leader at work. 

The 2004 Mardi Gras trip remains one of my personal favorites.  One reason, of course, was my opportunity to learn a valuable lesson in customer service.  Carnival received a black eye for its handling of the 2001 trip while Royal Caribbean received high marks for its handling of the 2004 situation.  It is no surprise that our travel group developed an intense loyalty to Royal Caribbean in the process.  That included Marla and me.  Over the years, we would go on to take many cruise trips.  Whenever given a choice, we always chose Royal Caribbean.  The unsung hero in this story was Captain Teige.  Hang on to that name.  We will hear about Captain Teige again during the Wedding Cruise.

September 2004

A WEDDING ABOARD THE RHAPSODY

Marla and I got engaged in May 2004 during a Memorial Day visit to Colorado.  Originally we thought we would get married at the remarkable Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.  The Stanley is best known as the spooky hotel place that inspired Stephen King write "The Shining".   The Stanley Hotel held significance for both of us.  This was the place where I first made the decision to ask Marla to marry me.  There was a wishing well and I had a powerful urge to ask her right there.  Unbeknownst to me, Marla had made the same wish at the wishing well.  

However, I was a bit drunk at the time, so I hesitated to make sure that I was not just acting on impulse.  Fortunately, it all worked out.  Although I was clumsy about it, two days later I popped the question.  Fortunately Marla forgave my failure to ask when I should have plus my poorly rehearsed decision to ask when I did.  Despite low marks for my lack of style, Marla eventually said yes.  It was time.  We were both very much in love.  Plus who can resist a wedding with the magnificent Rocky Mountains as a backdrop? 

However, a return scouting trip to the Stanley one year later in 2004 showed us how impractical the idea was.  In addition to being prohibitively expensive, the Stanley proved very difficult to work with.  Disappointed the Stanley Hotel was not going to work, Marla went back to the drawing board.

It did not take long to think of an alternative.  Why not get married on our upcoming September Rhapsody Cruise?  What a great idea! The trip was already scheduled, so why didn't we think of that in the first place?  Getting married on our favorite cruise ship seemed like the perfect way to complete the Circle of our relationship.  We met on a cruise ship, let's marry on a cruise ship.