News from Buy The Sea for Nov. '10
Happy November!
I was going to feature the new Allure of the Seas, which is arriving in Port Everglades later this month. However, I will wait til December – because I have a very poignant story to share with you.
Some of you know that my son became a bar mitzvah this past weekend. For those of you who are not Jewish or have never been to such an event – it is similar in planning to a wedding – only you are dealing with a thirteen year old boy – who in my case at least – had to be tortured into studying torah for the better part of the last year. My son is a dancer, who would much rather be tapping than chanting torah! So, needless to say – it was a journey. The bar mitzvah ceremony was two hours long on Saturday, followed by an extensive lunch for about 100 people at the temple. The weekend was to culminate in a big party in the disco onboard the Carnival Freedom, docked in Port Everglades, beginning at 11:30 am on Sunday. There would be two photographers, an entertainment company and about 125 guests – 50 thirteen year old kids (mostly girls, since my son apparently has a harem) and the rest adult friends and family members.
So here’s where it gets interesting. At about 9:53 am on Saturday, just before the temple service – an e-mail came into my blackberry. Fortunately, I didn’t see it until 2:00 pm – after the service and lunch. Here is what the message said:
Dear Shari,
The Carnival Freedom will not arrive into Port Everglades until 1:30 pm tomorrow. There was a medical emergency and the ship needed to return to Grand Cayman. We cannot board passengers until 4:00 pm and are unable to have your party onboard. We do have the Carnival Valor in Miami and we will have the Food and Beverage Director from the Freedom communicate all of the information to the Food and Beverage Director on the Valor. The Valor will host the party. Not to worry.
Not to worry? Seriously? Okay, I thought….breathe! Think this through. So, after a moment of insanity, I put on my thinking cap. What would I do if this happened to one of my clients? Everything can be fixed, right? So I got on the phone. I called our local DMC – GEP South Florida and asked them to find me the biggest bus they could charter for the following day. No problem. I had the bus confirmed with a driver and a guide within 20 minutes. Then the daunting task of making about 80 phone calls to inform guests of the change, give them driving directions or confirm them on the bus. Between Caryn and me, it took several hours, but was accomplished. And then I thought….how in the world, with less than 24 hours notice, is the team on the Valor going to be able to put this together? I had spent hours on the phone with the Freedom earlier this month making sure they understood every detail. There was a custom cake, ice carvings, a substantial menu, watermelon carvings of musical instruments, dance shoes and even our dog!
Okay…I had to let go of the reins. I had to have some faith in Carnival. There wasn’t much I could do but hope it would all work out.
On Sunday at 10:45 am, the bus, and most of the independent passengers arrived at the terminal in Miami. A team of Carnival staff greeted us. There was a private security line and a private embarkation lounge. We were treated like VIPs. Once the ship cleared, we were the first to board. The food and beverage team was in the disco waiting for us. All smiles! Open arms. The Hotel Director and the Food and Beverage Director couldn’t wait to give me a tour of the food stations. The ice carving was perfect – J-A-K-E spelled out in blocks of ice. The watermelon carvings, right down to the image of our bichon frise were perfect. And the cake…well I will let the photo below speak for itself. The assignment was to take the playbill of the musical Billy Elliott and customize it for my son. Unbelievable!
The party was an enormous success. Everyone had an amazing time. And it was even sweeter knowing what the ship had to do to pull this event together in such a short amount of time.
For those of you who hesitate when booking a cruise, or wonder how a cruise line will deliver your program – just remember the story of Jake’s bar mitzvah party. This particular story is about Carnival Cruise Lines, but it could be about any cruise line. This is a remarkable industry on so many levels – full of talented, capable and caring people. I believe that in life there are no coincidences, and that everything happens for a reason. I am delighted to share this story with you.
Book cruises – now and often! Help us support this incredible industry – and give your incentive winners something remarkable and unforgettable!
With gratitude to Carnival Cruise Lines – and to all of our cruise line partners – who I know – given the same set of circumstances would have made me just as proud!
Shari Wallack
