Alaska Airlines first class service on a transcontinental flight was at best modest in service and comfort. What you pay for does not really deliver what you would expect. The food included; warm nuts, a decent dinner, no dessert. I almost wanted to walk back into coach and see what the cheeseburger looked like which they had to pay for to enjoy. Free drinks were offered but not provided without a stern look from the flight attendant like, "why are you making me walk to the galley to bring you another (2nd) cocktail?" The seats are leather covered but not very supportive nor very comfortable for a long flight over 4 hours. The Digiplayer is heavy for its size and does not contain enough entertainment. Bring along an ipod, book, or magazine! I DO LIKE Alaska Airlines, I just think they/corporate have cut back too much on what they deliver and since nobody complains anymore, they continue to suck at what they deliver for a "First Class" ticket. Oh, and by the way, forget trying to talk to a human when you call Alaska Airlines. It takes going through many many many menus and then when you reach a human, they are gruff at best and slightly clueless when you ask them a question.
Airline Fees are going crazy. An airline Ryanair is trying to charge people to use the toilet! WTF? If this catches on, then pay the dollar or two, and use up EVERYTHING in the toilet. Take all of the tissues, and all of the toilet paper with you when you leave. Use up all of the soap too. You PAID for it! Here is an idea, what if the airlines charged you by the pound for yourself and for all of your luggage including carry on? Someone like a ballerina who is light, small, and probably carries a small bag or two would pay less than a morbidly obese person who needs to take up two seats, and carries more luggage. These nickel and dime charges that the airlines are bringing out is just plain stupid. Charge a fair price and stick with it. People, whether they charge you a low airfare and then also charge you for everything else equals what a flat fee would be showing you the true cost of your airfare. The airlines have to pay for fuel, payroll, insurance, etc., and have to make money to continue flying. So, lets all grow up and face the true cost of an airline ticket and get over the cry baby atitudes out there.
msEurodam by Holland America Line is a great addition to their corporation. This ship has been well thought out. The internal color scheme is more muted and refined than the past color explosions seen on other ships. The Tamarind Restaurant is excellent with very attentive staff. The ship sails very smoothly through rough seas even more so on this ship than on other Holland America ships. Otherwise, all of the rest of the product delivered by Holland America is on par. What did I not like on the msEurodam? The rooms sounded less sturdy as the walls seemed to shake when neighbor's doors were left to slam. You could also hear between the rooms which I do not remember being able to do on their other ships. I did not like the new atrium chandelier. It reminded many of us of a giant swollen upsidedown boob. The fountain by the pool which is a giant square seemed to be not working well already. As this is a signature of the pool area it should be fixed or replaced. HATE the coffee service in the Lido Buffet. These are new coffee makers which produce a fresh cup on demand. Well, on this cruise they were regularly out of order, or had a staff member running the machine with the front panel off and pushing buttons to make it dispense something. How about going back to the old fashioned coffee urns which work reliably and can be brought in during breakfast to suppliment the poor working new state of the art coffee machines??? Also, still no trays at the Lido Buffet. HAL is sticking to this new corporate plan. EVERYONE (paying guests) I spoke with hated it along with the poor coffee machines. Enough ragging on the Eurodam. It is a pleasure to sail on her. You will feel well taken care of. Although, the slow creep of Corporate cutbacks on service is beginning to be noticeable and the paying guests need to begin to open their mouths and complain. Even if it means opening their wallets to pay a bit more to get the service we expect, and know that they can deliver from Holland America.
AVOID AVIS Rent a Car at Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport. AVOID
I rented a car with AVIS at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport location. AVOID renting here at all costs! They gave me a car that was not licensed to drive in the city of Chicago. I had to deal with numerous Chicago police officers and tickets due to the car's lack of active paid city tags. Trying to reach AVIS by phone is useless. You will never reach a human in the USA. All robotics. When I wasted my time returning the car back to AVIS they were surly and really did not care which seemed to be due to extreme staff reductions and corporate cutbacks. The location rents many many out of state licensed cars to, I assume, avoid paying the Chicago city tags. When in line, another AVIS customer said that he was taken to the Chicago police station with his AVIS rent a car as it had license plates which were registered as stolen. DO NOT rent a car at AVIS in Chicago at the O'Hare location. They do not provide any sort of customer service, and rent cars which are not licensed to drive in the city of Chicago and or have state plates with issues. AVIS needs to address this locations problems immediately.
Q-tips - Are now crappy. www.qtips.com
Bear with me on this one as I usually post travel related topics. What the hell happened at Unilever the corporate maker of Q-tips? Have you bought a new box of Q-tips lately? When you use them to clean your ears the stick part between the two cotton ends bends like crazy now. They cut back on the amount of paper which makes up the stick part of the Q-tip. You cannot apply any presure wthout them bending in half. Again, we are subjected to the small nipping away at products and services to "save money." Does anyone even care about the quality of Q-tips? Should we call and email the company? I am going to complain to them. I guess I will have to find another brand which continues to produce a quality product. I do not know what Q-tips are good for now......filling the landfills???
Holland America Cruises, www.hollandamerica.com
Here is a perfect example of corporate suits making stupid decisions and getting paid salary and probably bouses for them. Holland America Line has removed all trays from their ships' buffets. Their guests must now grab a table, get drinks, return to table, get salad, return to table, get entree, return to table, get dessert, return to table. Get the point? Just wait until someone gets sick from someone putting Rx, or sneezing or coughing on, or anything else in the unattended food items. We have already seen guests on various cruise lines being drugged for unlawful intentions. The news has reported on ships coming into port with outbreaks of illness. If I cannot watch the food items on my table, how do I know it was not touched in some way? And that is the WORST scenario. What about people who cannot handle all of the walking back and forth? What about the guests who want a relaxing dinner and not a marathon? This had to be done and justified as a cost cutting measure. Saves on weight, saves on water and soap, saves on food as people are less inclined to fill their tray with food instead only being able to fill a plate with food. What it adds up to is BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE. Until we start complaining, the corporate suits will win. They will continue to chip away at servces and ammenities as they have done in the past. We need to wake up and let our voices be heard! Will this end wars and famine? No. But, we must start somewhere at sometime. When is enough enough??? Please contact Holland America and let them know that this is unacceptable. Thanks.
Catalina California
Catalina can be a great place to get away to. Sadly, it has fallen on the same hard times as the rest of California. It used to be wonderful, it used to be clean, it used to be vibrant and alive. Now, it seems to be a shadow of its former self. Downtown Catalina (Avalon) needs a good hosing down and bath. Then, many stores need to be repainted and freshened up. It is great if you as a hotel think you can charge top dollar for your rooms but really, what do people get when they stay there other than a hopefully clean room, bed, and bath? Not much for the money and a small room to boot. Why even make the crossing to Catalina? What is there that is not on the mainland? Catalina needs to rethink its offerings to entice more people to come, stay, and visit. Same old artwork, same old t-shirts and souveniers, same old same old. Catalina may have attracted the stars in the mid 20th century, but what is Catalina doing to attract the visitors of the 21st century?
The Neverland Ranch
I would like to put out there that the Neverland Ranch be converted to a "Graceland" style attraction. You could tour the mansion, and the grounds. Maybe even keep the rides running. The money raised would go to the upkeep of the ranch and to childrens charities that Michael Jackson supported. I can imagine a Ronald McDonald House there or even a small retreat for kids with cancer on site. They could turn this controversial piece of real estate into something which brings joy and happiness not only to the fans of Michael Jackson but to the children who are sick or down and out without families. God knows the Jackson family has their hands full right now, but maybe someone reading this is within six degrees of separation and can help plant the seed to the right people. RIP Michael, we miss you.
traveltoestwo
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