After a couple of drinks, bought the band CD, had some friendly banter and I ordered a shrimp cocktail. The bartender nodded and told me I’d have to leave my stool and go over ten feet or so, to a table on the other side of the railing to eat it. He shrugged, smiled and added those were the rules and that he would save my seat.

So I moved over and when a waiter approached I ordered a shrimp appetizer and was advised there would be a ten-dollar charge. Food is supposed to be free..What was the cover charge for? I asked. ‘For the ambience’, he replied confidently.

I was more amused at the absurdity of it as I had been there over an hour. I said was paying a single premium $400/day to PRINCESS asked if, on principle, I could give the ten dollars to the band?..or to him?

Sympathetic but resigned, he smiled and excused himself. Shortly a chap in a green jacket, Salvatore tapped me on the shoulder to ask what the problem might be. Picture a Faulty Towers’ Manuel, now Ass’t Maitre de on the high seas. .’.The $10 cover is for the ambience’, as he swept his arm to indicate the barely discernable wood paneling of the deserted, darkened area and then frowned, as he checked his watch.

Embarrassed now at how long and drawn out this has become I said, I guess I’d go back to my seat shrimpless. I stood up, and Salvatore suddenly relented and told the waiter to put the shrimp on his bill and promptly departed.

As this was the first night I left a twenty tip and retired.

DAY 2
I got ready for my first full day on the boat.. er ship. Showered and shaved, I was ready to don my charge card, I punched in my code to the safe and -
nothing? The wall safe holding my all-important charge card was not responding to my code. I placed a phone call for help, – a steward Edwin soon arrived to assist.

Edwin proceeded to use tools and expertly open the safe and then unscrew the back of the safe door to reset the code. A screw fell into the safe and he was unable to find it amid the money, tickets, wallet etc lying on the fabric lining. So Edwin picked up the lining with all my stuff atop it and asked me to feel around for the wayward screw. I obliged and stuck my hand and immediately felt something sharp and then painful on my finger. I withdrew my hand to find the tip of my index finger deeply lacerated, blue and bleeding profusely. We exchanged looksand I went to the bathroom to run some water. It was quite a bloody flow .

Edwin joined me in the can holding up the culprit a long nasty cutting tool with various serrated edges. We were both silent as we watched the wound gush unabated. It clearly required some attention so I was escorted to the medical office where I received a tetanus and some derma-glue stitching.

My entire finger was wrapped top to bottom in a gauze sculpture. Doc told to keep the obscene looking digit elevated and dry and :
1)to stay out of the pool for the ten days.
2) stay out of the ocean for the ten days.
3)to shower with my arm outside the stall .
4) no going ashore cuz I was to return every couple of days for follow-up on infection, something to avoid in the tropics.
.

DAY 3
A phone call from the First Purser Michael; He and Security had determined the cutting blade was of French origin and indeed consistent with the French builders and contractors that had worked on the ship. A bottle of champagne, two glasses and some chocolate strawberries arrived in my room with a note of concern – not apology.

PRINCESS legal position after my cruise and I was looking for refund : They concluded I had brought my own carpet cutting tool on board and stored in the safe under the lining. They offered a ‘credit’ on my next cruise.

I had hoped to take that cruise but health issues intervened until this year when I was given a good prognosis – ‘clear sailing’.

I contacted PRINCESS in Feb 09 and booked passage for May to Alaska. I put a deposit and checked on the reservation two weeks prior, looking to upgrade. I was advised too much time had passed and PRINCESS was taking back my cruise credit$.

Stunned I said I wouldn’t cruise w/out the credit. They said fine I could cancel but I was being penalized another $250 from my deposit.. I tried to explain the medical circumstance that had prevented me from sailing sooner but they couldn’t care less and hung up on me.
I have since managed to get back the $250 penalty but still consider the PRINCESS org. to be a low life enterprise. (PRINCESS was off shore when KAtrina struck. They allowed New Orleans refugees to stay on the ship and billed the gov’t $250/day / person..Class act.