Don't DO it.
Yeah, the attractive Groupon or Hotel deals of a $10 dinner/gambling cruise appeals to your inner cheapskate, but you MUST resist the urge.
My inner cheapskate won this battle and we booked a reservation for 2. Not knowing a thing about it, I looked it up online (their website, not Yelp), that was my first mistake.) Now according to their website not only are ALL participants supposed to dress up as if you are going for a night on the town, but THIS cruise is one of GA's premier entertainment destinations. Apparently, my BS detector was not working this day. So, planning for a nice evening out, we dressed accordingly.
Upon arriving at the dock, it quickly became apparent that the dress code was not going to be enforced, as the people, dressed in T-shirts and oil stained blue jeans, who parked next to us quickly jumped out of their truck with bricks in hand to jam under their tires so that their truck didn't roll into the dock. SERIOUSLY, that happened.
As we made our over dressed butts onto the boat, we were quickly greeted by the staff and an expedited case of emphysema and lung cancer. Holy smokes, the stale smell of cigarettes and desperation filled the cabin of the ENTIRE boat.
Even though hope was washing down the drain, our optimism still pushed us forward to our golden prize of a "gourmet buffet". As we approached the dining hall, which by the way doubles as the cruise Bingo hall, the realization of what was about to happen starting embracing our hearts. We were going to be on this boat for 6 hours with people that were a cross of Honey Boo Boo's family and a Madea family reunion. Holy crapballs!!
Needless to say as we approached the buffet line, we had already accepted defeat, what else could happen, right? Meatloaf happened, not your mom's love meatloaf, but more like prison cubed, ketchup topped meatloaf served with a side of instant mashed potatoes and gravy (with skin)...always an uplifting moment in a foodies life. Fortunately, they also provided canned fruit and store bought cookies/rolls for us as well, just to make sure that our reminiscent lunch room experience was complete. Thank you, Emerald Cruise Line!!
Now it wasn't all bad, the views and the first 2 hours of the cruise was nice on the top deck, but 4 hrs later...we were starving, irritated and just wanting off the boat...along with all the other people gambled their paychecks on the boat.
In short, sometimes one needs to re-evaluate when making such a purchase....is this worth the trouble and disappointment that this WILL lead too....in this case, that answer is a resounding... NO. read more