Rags1 Posted September 18, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2023 The sailing crew has made it safely home. Our Vegas to Palm Springs flight was delayed about 30 minutes because our aircraft was late arriving. Then once we boarded we were delayed about another 25 minutes waiting on 8 passengers on a late arriving SWA flight from Cleveland. The direct flights from Vegas to Palm Springs are listed as one hour. When you actually board one they usually announce a flight time of around 45 minutes. Tonight once everyone was onboard they announced a flight time of 36 minutes. We made it in 27. We dropped Katie at her house, stopped to get young Melissa some vegetables for her dinner, dropped her at her house and then Stacy, Taylor and I arrived home to be greeted by some happy pets! The highlight of my day happened in Las Vegas. It might have been the highlight of my week. I was sure nothing could top that Aintzumi Chinese food in the Houston airport but I was wrong. While standing in line to board our aircraft this happened: I saw a female pilot come out of the jetway to talk to the agent at the gate. After their discussion the gate agent, another female, resumed calling out the boarding instructions. The female pilot took a step away from the podium and leaned against the wall reading something. Shortly after that a guy, maybe in his 50’s, bypassed the boarding line and kinda just thrust his boarding pass at the pilot. She looked up and said “I’m sorry, you have to show that to her” as she pointed to the gate agent. When I boarded I glanced in the cockpit and that pilot was in the left seat. She looked to be in her early 30’s. I’m sure a little older but didn’t look it. After a 27 minute flight we landed in Palm Springs and as I left the aircraft the Captain was in the jetway talking to other Southwest people. I told the family I’d catch up and I waited for her to finish her conversation. Then I told her I just had another day when I’m embarrassed to be a man. She looked bewildered and asked why. When I told her I saw the guy try to give her his boarding pass she laughed like crazy. She told me it happens all the time. And then, this is my favorite part, she said, “I just use it to my advantage. When we have problem passengers I look at them, and in my sweetest voice I say oh honey, you’re gonna have to talk the Captain about that. He’s right over there!” We both laughed and I told her “You just made my day Captain.” And she responded “No Sir, you made mine” and gave me a hug. I mean it wasn’t Chops or Mama Mia or anything, but it was a moment for sure! I’ll have more tomorrow to wrap this up WAAAYTOOO, Robert M, JVPIII and 8 others 7 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetPea Posted September 18, 2023 Report Share Posted September 18, 2023 I'm sad you're home!! I had so much fun reading your blog and joining you! I think you blog your restaurant opening. No one here will mind it's not cruise-centric. And thank you for your female pilot story ! Not to make this all about me, but i can very much relate as i work in Operations and its difficult to be female there sometimes. One time i was managing a restoration that was necessary due to a bombing (yes an actual bombing), and i asked something twice on a conference bridge to no response. I had to tell Batman to ask my question for me. Boom. Male voice got me the answer i needed. Happens all the time. Fortunately, my last name is a common male first name. So when i have to reach out to someone who doesn't know me, i try to manage over MS Teams chat where I'm often called "sir." I just go with it! WAAAYTOOO, MamaShark, asquared17 and 2 others 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireFishII Posted September 18, 2023 Report Share Posted September 18, 2023 I got out of a speeding ticket once because the police officer called me 'sir' as he approached my car. Loved it! WAAAYTOOO, SweetPea and Rags1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rags1 Posted September 19, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2023 I’m still planning to wrap this up but it didn’t happen today! We spent the day at the restaurant planning the how and when to open. But I promise I’ll do it soon because I really do have more to say Lovetocruise2002 and FireFishII 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rags1 Posted September 19, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2023 12 hours ago, SweetPea said: I'm sad you're home!! I had so much fun reading your blog and joining you! I think you blog your restaurant opening. No one here will mind it's not cruise-centric. And thank you for your female pilot story ! Not to make this all about me, but i can very much relate as i work in Operations and its difficult to be female there sometimes. One time i was managing a restoration that was necessary due to a bombing (yes an actual bombing), and i asked something twice on a conference bridge to no response. I had to tell Batman to ask my question for me. Boom. Male voice got me the answer i needed. Happens all the time. Fortunately, my last name is a common male first name. So when i have to reach out to someone who doesn't know me, i try to manage over MS Teams chat where I'm often called "sir." I just go with it! @SweetPea, Bombing? I need more about that story! I learned my lesson early in my career. One of the first protective details I worked was a formal dinner at a Washington, D.C. hotel. All of us on the team wore a small identification pin on our lapel. While securing a large ballroom I noticed an attractive female, dressed in a beautiful evening gown, hanging out where guests shouldn’t have been. I casually walked up to her and politely informed her that she needed to leave the area. I don’t remember her exact words because it’s been about 50 years ago but it was something like “Had you looked looked a little higher on my dress, instead of at my breasts, you would have seen the same pin you’re wearing. Move along Junior.” A humbling experience to say the least. Life lesson learned that night. FireFishII, Robert M, SweetPea and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rags1 Posted September 19, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2023 Received word today that an email I sent to the Hotel Director resulted in both Lusi and Jay being recognized for exceptional service. Haven’t found out yet what exactly that means for Jay but evidently Lusi received a copy of my email with hand written comments from the boss, extra time off and dinner in the specialty restaurant of her choice! That makes me happy! More tomorrow. Sorry for the delay! Lovetocruise2002, Jax, LandstromCruise and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetPea Posted September 19, 2023 Report Share Posted September 19, 2023 7 hours ago, Rags1 said: A humbling experience to say the least. Life lesson learned that night Not where i thought that story was going! I thought the attractive female was going to be Mrs Rags, aka Nurse Ratchet Oh and the ... it made national news and it occurred on a major holiday. I feel like a celebrity gossip column writing a blind item Rags1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rags1 Posted September 21, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2023 I had high hopes to close this out with a ton of witty comments and food pictures. But I’m home. I have a restaurant I need to open and it’s consuming my days right now. So I will leave it here for now. I may pop on later if I find some free time. I will definitely add a final comment when the nurse’s Just A Small Town Grill opens its doors. Thank you to all who have followed our journey! The cruises just keep getting better for us. We are very blessed to sail in that amazing suite. We have met people who have become family to us and we’re thankful for that. We survived massive hangovers from a long night of Quest, MO5AIC, tequila and a guy named Jay. Each of us in the family made great memories we will treasure for many years. The ships, the entertainment, the ports, the food all are important. But for me it’s the people. We had servers, our loft attendants, bartenders, cleaners and entertainers that we interacted with many times a day. They made each hour of our vacation special. And whether it was a hug, a high five, a joke, a filet from chops, a Starbucks drink or two dozen cartons of milk we tried to brighten just a minute of their day. As I get older a couple of things happen. I have to pee more frequently during the night and I treasure special moments with others. This cruise was full of special moments. I’ve attached an email I sent to the Hotel Director and forwarded to Miami. I’ve also included responses to that email. I’ve been assured by Jay and Lusi that it matters when we take time to let management know of great service. My last Star Class tip: If you sail with Jay as your Genie just do this: the very first moment you meet him, grab him in a bear hug, kiss him on the cheek and just tell him you adore him. Just get it out of the way - it’s inevitable! SweetPea, Lovetocruise2002, asquared17 and 4 others 2 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetPea Posted September 21, 2023 Report Share Posted September 21, 2023 Amazing! Please send Allure to NJ and I'll meet you all there! Cruisin and Boozin and Rags1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquared17 Posted September 21, 2023 Report Share Posted September 21, 2023 as someone who started out by slinging lattes at starbucks, worked in retail for years, and STILL works in the customer experience field — it makes me so happy to see these emails. there is still good in the world; and there are still people who recognise how important it is to CELEBRATE the people who go the extra mile. looking forward to seeing the restaurant THRIVE!!!! Ampurp85 and Rags1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted September 21, 2023 Report Share Posted September 21, 2023 You are right! Feedback is so important to them. Awesome that you took the time to that. Sweety 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rags1 Posted September 21, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2023 1 hour ago, asquared17 said: looking forward to seeing the restaurant THRIVE!!!! Thank you so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rags1 Posted September 21, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2023 1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: You are right! Feedback is so important to them. Awesome that you took the time to that. We all submitted the end of cruise survey and commended many crew members. I just felt compelled to single out these two. SweetPea, FireFishII, Lovetocruise2002 and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted September 22, 2023 Report Share Posted September 22, 2023 On 9/20/2023 at 9:05 PM, Rags1 said: I had high hopes to close this out with a ton of witty comments and food pictures. But I’m home. I have a restaurant I need to open and it’s consuming my days right now. So I will leave it here for now. I may pop on later if I find some free time. I will definitely add a final comment when the nurse’s Just A Small Town Grill opens its doors. Thank you to all who have followed our journey! The cruises just keep getting better for us. We are very blessed to sail in that amazing suite. We have met people who have become family to us and we’re thankful for that. We survived massive hangovers from a long night of Quest, MO5AIC, tequila and a guy named Jay. Each of us in the family made great memories we will treasure for many years. The ships, the entertainment, the ports, the food all are important. But for me it’s the people. We had servers, our loft attendants, bartenders, cleaners and entertainers that we interacted with many times a day. They made each hour of our vacation special. And whether it was a hug, a high five, a joke, a filet from chops, a Starbucks drink or two dozen cartons of milk we tried to brighten just a minute of their day. As I get older a couple of things happen. I have to pee more frequently during the night and I treasure special moments with others. This cruise was full of special moments. I’ve attached an email I sent to the Hotel Director and forwarded to Miami. I’ve also included responses to that email. I’ve been assured by Jay and Lusi that it matters when we take time to let management know of great service. My last Star Class tip: If you sail with Jay as your Genie just do this: the very first moment you meet him, grab him in a bear hug, kiss him on the cheek and just tell him you adore him. Just get it out of the way - it’s inevitable! I went letters and emails back after my cruises. I love to send encouraging words after my cruises. Rags1, WAAAYTOOO, FireFishII and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted September 22, 2023 Report Share Posted September 22, 2023 2 minutes ago, Sweety said: I write letters and emails back after my cruises. I love to send encouraging words after my cruises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rags1 Posted October 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2023 So nothing to do with sailing on a ship. But someone who loves cruising is happy to announce that we received approval today to open the restaurant! jbrinkm, FireFishII, DDaley and 6 others 3 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetPea Posted October 7, 2023 Report Share Posted October 7, 2023 2 hours ago, Rags1 said: So nothing to do with sailing on a ship. But someone who loves cruising is happy to announce that we received approval today to open the restaurant! Congratulations!!! Post your website if you feel like it! I'd love to see it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted October 7, 2023 Report Share Posted October 7, 2023 Congratulations, @Rags1 ! BIG hurdle, out of the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted October 7, 2023 Report Share Posted October 7, 2023 Congrats @Rags1!! And I agree with @SweetPea. When you are ready, post your website, FB page, IG account, whatever social media you have for the restaurant. We would love to follow your journey even though we are so far away! SweetPea and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireFishII Posted October 7, 2023 Report Share Posted October 7, 2023 5 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: Congrats @Rags1!! And I agree with @SweetPea. When you are ready, post your website, FB page, IG account, whatever social media you have for the restaurant. We would love to follow your journey even though we are so far away! And give you likes even though we were never there!! Anything for a friend. Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asquared17 Posted October 7, 2023 Report Share Posted October 7, 2023 CONGRATS!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rags1 Posted January 2 Author Report Share Posted January 2 I commented on @Lovetocruise2002 current blog last night and @WAAAYTOOO inquired about our newly opened restaurant. We opened, after 21 exhausting months of dealing with various government agencies, on December 13! We are receiving overwhelming support from our community. If I do say so myself, our casual little eatery is turning out some amazing food! Our website is still under construction. We do have an IG account but I’ll have to ask my daughter what it is. You can follow our journey on FB, Just A Small Town Grill, Morongo Valley, CA. PPPJJ-GCVAB, DDaley, MaryS and 4 others 2 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetPea Posted January 2 Report Share Posted January 2 Everything looks amazing @Rags1! Congratulations!! Rags1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDaley Posted January 2 Report Share Posted January 2 I actually thought of you guys a week or so ago when I was watching a Diners, Drive Ins and Dives from a place in Victorville and looked you up! All 5-star reviews!! WAAAYTOOO, Rags1 and PPPJJ-GCVAB 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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