#the squeeze juice bar in nj

[fireheartedpup]

Someone commented "Trump" on a livestream of Kamala, and their username was "your favorite juice bar owner," so I went to their page and added it to my "Never go here" list >.>

[tropicaljuicebar]

Try The Best Smoothie And Juice In New Jersey

Smoothies and juices are healthy options for a grab-and-go meal or snack. These drinks are basically liquid dreams, from sweet to savory and fruity to green. If you're in New Jersey and want to try the best Smoothie and juice around, visit Tropical Juice Bar. All their drinks are healthy and delicious, so it's an excellent choice for anyone looking to improve their diet. There are many different Smoothie and juice bars in NJ, but we've done the research and can confidently say that Tropical Juice Bar is the best option out there.

Benefits of the Smoothie and Juice

It provides essential nutrients: Smoothies and juices aren't just delicious--they're also packed with essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. One cup of juice or Smoothie typically contains the entire daily value of these nutrients. People who drink them regularly report experiencing improved overall health, reduced incidence of chronic diseases, and improved moods. So next time you feel thirsty, reach for a healthy smoothie or refreshing juice!

Prevents Dehydration: Not only do smoothies and juices provide essential nutrients, but they can also help keep you hydrated. Both drinks contain electrolytes and minerals that help keep your body hydrated and functioning properly. If you're having difficulty drinking enough water throughout the day, adding healthy smoothies or refreshing juices is an easy way to meet your body's hydration needs.

Improves Digestion: Smoothies and juices are a great way to get more fiber into your diet, which helps promote healthy digestion. Fiber aids digestion by making it easier for food to move through the digestive tract, preventing constipation and other gastrointestinal problems. Plus, fiber can help you feel full for longer, which can help with weight management.

They're an excellent option for people on the go: Smoothies are a great option for people who are always on the run but are also a healthy snack. Smoothies contain many essential nutrients, such as fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, which can help curb your appetite and prevent chronic diseases.

Reasons to Try Smoothie and Juice at Tropical Juice Bar in NJ

Freshness: All fruits and vegetables used at the tropical Juice Bar are locally sourced and freshly squeezed daily.

Variety: With over 20 options, you can find something that fits your taste buds. Whether it's a fruity smoothie or a creamy green juice, there's something for everyone.

Quality: The juices and smoothies are made with only the finest ingredients, ensuring that you get the total nutritional value of each drink. You won't have to worry about added sugar or artificial sweeteners.

Why Tropical Juice Bar? 

At Tropical Juice Bar, we're renowned for our smoothies and juices. We use only the freshest ingredients in everything we make, sourcing locally whenever possible. This results in a delicious Smoothie that always focuses on getting the tastiest and freshest Ingredients.

The Restaurant in NJ is an open kitchen where we can watch their team and ingredients. Guests at Tropical Juice Bar can see the food being cooked and smoothies being made as they place their orders. 

The service at Tropical Juice Bar is terrific, and the staff is always happy to help you. The Smoothie here is fantastic as well! 

If you're looking for a delicious and healthy smoothie or juice, head to Tropical Juice Bar. They have something for everyone to enjoy. So go ahead and give them a try! You won't regret it.

[emoselenas]

my first tour.

i’m currently sitting in a ford e350 riding down I-95 back to new jersey, to hurriedly clean out the rental van we took for my band’s first tour ever and drop it off at bandago. we’ve been up since 8:30 am, not an unusual time for us, but we’re running on about 5-6 hours of sleep. that’s the average amount of sleep we’ve been able to squeeze in every night of tour. nine nights straight away from home, a gig almost every night. and of course, as physically exhausting as it was, it was a week that changed us and challenged ourselves as musicians.

8/12 - asbury park, nj

day one was our jersey hometown show in asbury. boy it was stressful at first, and absolutely sweltering outside from the humidity. i was so stressed because i was in a panic (when aren’t i lol) dealing with a sinus infection. anyone who knows me knows i’m a nervous wreck. i am a perfectionist, and i loathe not performing at my best; i try really hard to be perfect. i was flushing out my sinuses every hour and inhaling my humidifier that resembles a mini-nutri bullet if they came in white and also had a vaporizer tank inside. i looked pretty ridiculous sitting behind merch like this but i wasn’t taking any chances. i needed to take whatever measures i could possible to avoid a poor performance. there were a good amount of friends and people who came out to support us and i didn’t want to let them down. i was also really excited to see funeral attire, the band we went on tour with, and for people to see the progress we made in the month and a half we took to rigorously prepare for tour.

the asbury show ended up being really great, and a couple people said it was the best they’ve ever seen us. i felt overjoyed to hear such awesome feedback. i was also just really happy i could get our tourmates and close friends in funeral attire a show in asbury park. we sold out of pretty much all of our ramen shirts, which i was hoping to save for the rest of tour, but we ended up having enough to sell at least one ramen shirt a day to somebody. it was also really cool seeing like five people walking around the venue with ramen shirts on lmao

8/13 - long island, ny

and so our week of tour began- my sinus infection lessened but it persisted. the next day was long island, and we were looking forward to reuniting with our friends in i dreamt the sea who graciously put the show together for us. all of tour, whenever we played a bar with a juke box i spent $2 to play “smooth” by carlos santana featuring rob thomas and it was worth the allocated cost of $4 for all of tour. the show was a ton of fun. however i strangely sang worse than i did the day before- which was weird, and frustrating, since i felt the symptoms of my sinus infection less than i had in asbury. i was extremely upset. but i was surrounded by friends and i tried really hard to put on a brave face. all the bands we played with were super nice and liked us a lot, we made new friends and people who came out to the show dug us a lot too. we finally got to gig with u blue who are also a blue swan-eque band. so i guess even though i sucked, we did something right.

as we were getting ready to leave to go crash at my close friend jenni’s house in bellimore, our van’s battery died. bandago mentioned when we picked up our van earlier in the day that the battery had died the day before, but all they advised was that we drive the van around for a half hour or more once we began our rental. they didn’t mention anything about being wary of the battery beyond that. kelly and cassidy straight up saved us and gave us a super quick jump, and we were on our way finally. jenni was the first friend we crashed with and she really treated us to a nice sleep and some delicious bagels. so glad i could get to see her for the first time in a while too.

8/14 - nazareth, pa

the next day we headed out as quickly as possible to make our way to PA. something i feared on this tour was that we would lose our personal belongings, or have something stolen from us. this did happen - our tour photographer julie’s power strip was stolen in long island. fortunately, we were able to help her replace it. what had happened as we arrived to PA and stopped at walmart, was that i magically lost my phone somewhere between holding it in my hand walking out of the store, and sitting down to leave for our hotel. i was pretty much convinced it was gone or stolen. we ripped apart the entire van to try to find it, ran back inside walmart to see if i put it down somewhere, and even walked back to a spot we had the van parked in for a few minutes. i was convinced i was going to spend all of tour without a goddamn phone. and then, it occurred to me- maybe check… the garbage? and christ almighty. in a swath of basura juice, there was my phone. i ran back inside walmart to scrub the SHIT out of the case and carefully wash the phone itself and we finally made our way to check in at the days hotel in allentown, PA.

seriously- if you have a band of 5+ people, and/or if you are willing to spare the expense, buy hotel rooms for whatever nights you don’t have somewhere to crash for free any night of tour. i realize this isn’t feasible for 2+ week stints, or for people who literally do this for a living, but it was amazing to have beds to sleep in and free breakfast every morning for about $12-$15 a person. i actually don’t know if we would have been as healthy and happy without having that convenience. hotwire was how chris donis from funeral attire and i booked rooms, and the rates started at about $60 plus fees and tax per night. and it was fun crashing in hotels.

we met up with our friends in funeral attire and ethan from whittled down who was doing merch for most of the tour for a quick swim before the show in nazareth. we love hanging out with those guys. my obnoxious laugh is probably amplified by 10 dB just being around them. seriously almost pissed myself laughing in the pool because the guys were playing chicken and then ethan was doing kick flips into the pool with the life-saving device hanging by the pool the size of a massive surfboard. but POOL TIME was over around 3:30 pm because we had to get ready to head to the next venue, which was stehly’s bakery in nazareth a town over.

playing stehly’s was sick. small place, but they give each band member at least one free treat of some sort. i got a couple kiffles- little pastry dough roll-ups filled with fruit jellies- they were soooo cute and so good. i also caved to a helping of six potato and onion pierogies after the show. the only concerning thing was that after the first band jetsam played - awesome instrumental prog doom band - we soon realized that the show didn’t have a sound guy. there was a small PA set up, and we had mics and mic stands missing. the confusion pushed us quite a bit behind schedule but enough people at the show were resourceful and helpful enough to keep the show moving. i felt like i didn’t play an awesome set, and we also had some technical difficulties with our click track/Interlude mixer, but the funeral attire guys still had very nice things to say about us, so i trust them haha.

i was frustrated with how i totally blew my performance in long island, when we had a decent amount of people watching us, and then had a great show the next day. i actually don’t care about playing to a room of few people; i consider any opportunity to play to any amount of people of equal worth to another. so when i blow one show but not the other, i feel regret for not winning over potential fans we could have had, had i just been a better vocalist.

8/15 - philadelphia, pa

so then imagine my absolute blind rage, when we played the barbary in philly the next day, and we played our worst show all of tour. we were truly looking forward to this show and we were so devastated afterwards. my top most anticipated three shows were asbury, philly and cambridge. we love playing philly, we had some great bands on this bill we like a lot, and we actually had people coming out for us.

we were just making sure that the band on before us had almost all their gear off before we could load on, it was a really small stage. but the sound guy beckoned for us over the PA to start loading on regardless. we barely got a line check and it set the precedent for the whole set. ryan was starting to have volume issues with the volume levels on the mixer, and then because our individual levels were out of whack one of us would be louder than the other, or too loud to hear the drums. it was a straight up mess. and i didn’t know if we would win over anyone at the show anyways, but i just wanted to play well enough to have their respect. i put a lot of pressure on ourselves. i put a lot of pressure on myself.

when i have a bad set and i can’t deal with the disappointment i tend to shut down. even if i try my absolute best, even if people tell us we were still good - i just, i don’t believe them. it feels like they’re just being polite or i’m being lied to. it’s pretty pathetic of myself and sad; it’s something i need to work on. i actually wrote the small verse of lyrics in the intro of this tour about that. i just don’t think with all the experience of singing and performing i have that error is excusable anymore. after taking my best friend laura to her car i started chugging alcohol. i told myself before tour i wouldn’t drink until the last day to keep my throat in a healthy condition - whoops. i was so pissed i didn’t care and we had the next day off anyways; figured if i chugged water before bed i’d be fine. and i was right.

even when we had bad shows, my favorite perk each night was just getting to see funeral attire play every night. their song “joy” is one of my favorite all-time songs. the drowned god, blueroom and flowercrown were awesome too. oh! and a super fun thing we did was place enormous orders for cheesesteaks and had them delivered to the venue. we got guest lists this show and two free drink tickets each too. not gonna lie, it felt cool haha. we also explored a bit and FINALLY did our nine month-overdue interview with our friend brandon from audio addiction.

8/16 - day off at delaware water gap, days hotel in allentown, pa 

the next day, our day off, marked the halfway point for our tour. the original plan was hershey, but we did delaware water gap instead. it was a much better plan. we started the day with the whole tour together at cracker barrel. we then started to head up to delaware water gap, specifically milford, PA to check out hackers falls and milford beach. this day started out as absolute dog shit for me because i was dealing with a kinda heavy personal issue at home. didn’t anticipate i’d have anything to worry about in this regard, and my mental health has been worsening over the course of this year. so imagine at this point how hard it was for me to hide behind my hair and not be upset the whole morning. i’m also a horrible liar so i was fucked if i wanted to lie and say it was seasonal allergies fucking up my face lmfao

on top of that, we were super behind schedule for del water gap. we were all supposed to go jump in the waterfalls together, but we couldn’t find the specific waterfall we wanted to jump in. and the one we did find, the one i sort of swam in, it turned out that the trail to the bottom of the waterfall was closed off- which i believe had a more ideal swimming hole-type area. oh! and the worst part! we kept forgetting funeral attire had a commercial van for this tour. and one of the roads linked to where we were, PA-209, doesn’t allow commercial vehicles to travel through. so on top of me dealing with shit at home and now feeling like i was immensely inconveniencing my friends, i felt like an asshole. on my fucking day off lmao

but to my pleasant surprise it ended up being fine, and insanely fun. funeral attire didn’t get to chill at the waterfall with us but we made our way to milford beach and hung out there for the remainder of the day. thank god it was still open we didn’t get there until 5:30 pm. a bunch of us were swimming, couple of the guys just read or laid in the grass, and a few of the guys were throwing around a baseball. some of them swam across the river and back, the other side of the river was new jersey haha.

that night we got together to drink VERY heavily and hang out. that was probably one of my favorite highlights of the tour. at this point i was feeling much better. i shared a fat bottle of some pink moscato with julie. by the way, it was so sick having another girl on tour. not just because julie is talented but is also a great friend and was just an awesome presence to have for the week. her and donis helped me a lot on this day, if it wasn’t for them i don’t know i would have gotten through it.

my band partied hard for the first night all tour. funeral attire has the absolute strength and stomachs to drink most nights and then still play amazing sets every day- we’re not there at least not yet haha. holy fuck i made it halfway through this post and haven’t mentioned TIKI TIME??? TIKI TIM???

so funeral attire kept a couple sweet luau decorations from the long island venue hahaha and one of them said tiki time- can’t say i can truly encapsulate what tiki time is in a short explanation. tiki time was when we drank, but tiki time was also sort of the entire tour??? so i might be beat for explaining it well haha.

so we got super drunk and sang to old fueled by ramen/myspace emo bands, and my bandmate jaime and i played a four-way battle of magic the gathering with frankie and fez from funeral attire. i had my ass handed to me but i’m still learning anyways, it was fun regardless. it was really cool getting to know the guys in funeral attire better, i was already pretty close with donis but i feel like i got the chance to actually talk and hang with everyone.

arguably one of the funniest moments on tour - my bandmate joe got absolutely TRASHED. he somehow managed to get lost lmao or jaime had to escort him back to our hotel room late in the night. and even after joe was safe with us he woke up at 6 in the morning when housekeeping came walking in so he got up to shoo them away hahaha and THEN- he PANICKED because he realized he didn’t take a room key when he walked out the room and shut the door HAHA so he called ALL of us SEVEN times, he also accidentally called the jam room in howelll LMAO and finally as he’s on the phone with our friend ed, ed was just like “ask for help” so joe pulled aside an employee. and as that employee was approaching to help and joe turned the door knob, the door OPENED. the poor kid was sooo hung over the entire next day.

8/17 - brooklyn, ny

the second half of tour began with our drive out to brooklyn and nursing poor joe back to health. both bands arrived to brooklyn around the same time. we briefly went to a dog park, and then went to a big thrift shop where bren bought the sickest light pink leather jacket. after about an hour or so of walking around, we realized we were out of ideas of shit to do until showtime in about eight hours. we were all hungry as hell, but half of us wanted ramen or pizza. so we split up - my bandmates went to pizza, and julie and i went to ramen with funeral attire and ethan. we went to zamurai ramen which was absolutely fantastic. the prices were reasonable, too.

muchmore’s was a cool spot- a handful of my good friends came out too, it was awesome to see them and have some comfort from familiar faces. bartees cox jr was one of my most anticipated artists we were to play with on tour, and just, wow. originally his whole band stay inside was to play, but when he could only play solo i knew in my gut i still needed him on the show. what an exemplary musician of genuine talent, he truly stole the show. his voice, god. some people just sing, and some people make you feel by way of singing- i truly felt what he was singing. it’s people like him that inspire me.

well UNFORTUNATELY, i blew it at this show again too. and it felt horrible for me, considering my bandmates still played well and we promised we wouldn’t let the philly set happen again. i hate when i encourage everyone to play their best but can’t even set a good precedent for everyone. i was insanely upset, but i suppressed the urge to despair. 

after the show we crashed with jaime’s friends tim and erica who - holy shit - really pulled out all the stops for us. we had to pay $79 to park the van in the city, but even in a small lower manhattan apartment they were able to make us feel so goddamn comfortable. beds for everyone, a dinner table set for all of us and incredibly nice wine. i wasn’t going to eat but holy shit i COULD NOT turn down what tim made for us - this like, primavera white wine bowtie pasta and some DUMB thicc succulent pork. holy shit it was some of the best pork i have ever had. they also gave us breakfast for the next morning. what ANGELS

8/18 - manchester, nh

as we awoke we geared up for what would be our longest drive all tour - manhattan to manchester, new hampshire. we had at least six hours of driving to kill in time for load in at 5. we took this opportunity to watch selena- aka one of the best movies ever. the rain all day was real inconvenient, but we were excited to now be in funeral attire’s neck of the woods- new england that is. this also meant we were in the final stretch of tour; the dread was starting to set in.

this show ended up being one of our favorites. we had an enormous stage! it was fun to perform on and i felt like i personally had a great performance. it was cool to look around and see my bandmates looking super content and as into it as i was. the bands we played with were all awesome, we also played with a cool touring package (glass half empty and crafter). i was so excited to check out pinnacle, i really love their sound and their vocalist is so sick. damnit i just remembered i forgot to buy a shirt from pinnacle. I DIGRESS-

so funeral attire showed us mr. mac’s in manchester, a spot with over a dozen kinds of mac and cheese. i wanted to get the lobster one but i ended up getting jalapeño cheddar. woooOOOOOOOW it was GOOD - but of course i could only eat a little bit due to the fact i had to sing and also, milk products and my body are not a good mix anymore :—–) so i saved the rest for later and ate some while watching funeral attire’s set hahaha. julie got the carbonara which had like three different white cheeses and bacon, i almost got that one originally but we both just swapped bites. hiiiighly recommend going if you’re ever playing bungalow bar and grill or going to a show there!

8/19 - cambridge, ma

our second-to-last show was in cambridge, MA- it’s like boston’s brooklyn. rob kindly put us up for the night in his basement, and after we packed up we went to explore cambridge. to my very nice and pleasant surprise there was a GODDAMN H MART - an asian supermarket - with a food court. so we ate lunch there! i got a poké bowl, couple of the guys got ramen and sushi, and julie had this amazing dark curry. we also tried café nero, really great coffee/espresso spot that is also a chain and i straight up just had no idea. there was a bao place (super soft dumplings, kinda look like lil sandwiches) next door that julie and i grabbed baos to eat at. i got the MIT and- oh christ i forget the name of the other one- but the MIT had lamb, lettuce, sesame seeds, pickled onions and spicy mayo, and the other had most of the same ingredients but with crispy tofu. soooo delicious. the guys also bought a couple records at a shop across the street from the venue.

the venue we played was out of the blue too art gallery, an art gallery that hosts shows. AND THEY HAD AN ALASKAN MALAMUTE WALKING AROUND NAMED XO. the biggest malamute i’ve ever seen, xo was so cute. had colored feathers in her fur too. this show was funeral attire’s hometown show, so we met a lot of the musicians they’re most friendly with and they were all so kind. i wanted to get oldsoul on the show so badly and donis and jess from oldsoul made it happen, just such a wonderful band. i got hooked on em from their litter box sessions, jess has such an incredible voice. and the best part was they were all so nice, ugh. rainsound and newfield were awesome too, we got to talk to the rainsound guys a good amount. i didn’t do so hot this night - i hit a difficult note but still botched a bunch of other things - but honestly i was having such a great night so it didn’t even matter. and it was cool to see people who love funeral attire as much as i do singing the words.

8/20 - attleboro, ma

for the last night of tour frankie put us up, we left his place around noon to go back to café nero and get coffee and breakfast before checking in to our last hotel. by chance, hotelwire’s best deal was the holiday inn in mansfield, MA and holy SHIT- they upgraded our room so that we had a sofa with a pull out bed AND THE ROOM WAS MASSIVE. it was bigger than my boyfriend’s apartment in asbury park. two fluffy queen sized beds, that sofa bed, huge flat screen TV, spacious bathroom AND the sliding door in the room gave access right to the pool and jacuzzi area. we went for a quick dip in the jacuzzi and swam before we each had to quickly take real actually showers for the first time in two days. we managed to all somehow get ready within less than two hours and make it in time for load in at 5 pm, doors were at 6 pm

the last venue was cool - it was another art gallery, patterson creations. it was really nice and brand new inside. after both us and funeral attire loaded in we still didn’t have set time info, but going by the event page we assumed we at least were going on third - so minus jaime and ryan who already grabbed pizza across the street from the venue, we drove to north providence quickly to get hot dogs at olneyville new york system. it’s funeral attire’s favorite place to get hot dogs. we all pretty much ordered the way they do which is two hot dogs all the way, that comes with ground beef, mustard, celery salt and onions. i was hesitant to get two hot dogs but i was glad i did, because the one definitely wouldn’t have been enough. well, i WAS glad i did, until i got a very unpleasant phone call ha ha ha

jaime calls me as everyone is still finishing their food, and he says- “the door guy just approached me and said that… you guys need to get back here because we’re supposed to go on second.” holy shit i YELLED lmao. somehow, every other band but us and funeral attire got schedules, and we were supposed to go on at 7:05!!! it was 6:25 when jaime called me and we were twenty minutes away!!!

we quickly settled our bills and donis took me, my bandmates and julie back to the venue right away. we tried to get bands to switch but they couldn’t. thankfully the promoter was able to swap us with another band, so we had some additional time to get ready. i knew the promoter wouldn’t have done that to us out of malice, super nice guy. i had just wished we had the info prior to doors. we never go out for food if we know we have to play extremely soon. i don’t even eat less than three hours before i sing. i was losing my goddamn mind afraid of blowing our set on the last day of tour.

and i diiiiid ha ha ha as great as we started out, i blew almost the entire set. everyone also lost each other a couple times. because of the fear of fucking up royally we also completely abandoned the mixer for the interlude tracks, which we had to do several times over the course of tour. however usually we’d keep it hooked up so that ryan could hear the clicks, this time we didn’t use them at all but ryan’s tempo was still fine.

i was devastated our last set of tour went the way it did and i just couldn’t suppress the disappointment this time. i immediately inhaled a glass of wine at the bar and disappeared for a bit. as grateful and proud i was that we had just finished our first tour ever, i felt an overwhelming sense of failure. if i’m not consistently performing every night, am i fit to do this long term? am i costing the progress of our band? i worked so hard to be the best i could before we left. extra band practices and singing lessons. i did my best to proactively be aware of breathing technique while singing. is this just not in the cards for me? am i wasting my time and my bandmates time? it’s not a waste of time if it’s something i love, but am i an idiot to keep going? i know change doesn’t happen overnight, but i’ve been at this for so goddamn long now. even if i had confidence on stage to mask any evidence of error, my imperfect performance is still up for criticism. and that’s fair. i’m just afraid i’m sabotaging my own band.

after i was done cradling a box of tissues and watching newfield, i gathered my bandmates and my friend ben (we actually met on this site years ago lmfao he’s from worcester nearby the venue) to go get shit to mix alcohol with for after the show. i was also insanely depressed that funeral attire had to go home right after the show for work early the next day, so no post-show celebratory hangs. we had this stupid huge hotel room to have tiki time in and no funeral attire, we could have fit all twelve of us so comfortably.

but the saving grace of the night was singing flowers with funeral attire. what a FUn number but in all seriousness, my second favorite funeral attire song. their split with i dreamt the sea, the split that song is from, is sooo great. that perked me up a lot. 

after we parted ways with funeral attire we picked up a fat order of taco bell and went back to the hotel to eat, sad drink and watch the lion king. we spent the night sitting around in our new funeral attire merch just shooting the shit, and drinking until we fell asleep. we were easily dreading going back home, but hopeful for what the fall will bring for us as a band and to get back to EP 3 planning.

i know we’ll get to do this again. i just hate that i don’t know when right now. had some pretty bad financial scares on the road, and felt so tired i passed out in the van constantly, but i could sincerely do this forever.

i guess i also should maybe attribute some credit to the fact that chris donis and i booked this tour without any help from any booking company. no guarantees but we at least got something every night. i really don’t know what i would have done without him. i also realized maybe i have more ability as someone in the industry than i think. i feel slightly more knowledgeable now.

now that we know what it’s like to be on the road gigging every night, we can be sooo much more prepared next time. and i’m hoping to redeem myself, and i hope i can be better than ever. jeremiah was right when i called him last night crying - i’m an infinitely better vocalist than i was a year ago. i just hope our progress as a band now is enough to show people we have what it takes.

[brickhouserestaurant-blog]

Choosing the Best Bergen County Wedding Venues

Sounds like a comprehensible question doesn't it, however you actually ought to raise it first, there's no purpose of visiting a possible wedding venues Bergen County NJ, falling dotty with the thought of obtaining married there and not having the ability to form your dreams happen as a result of another bride and groom got there. If you've already chosen your special date, then we propose you the marriage venue sooner than the visit and state you'll solely create that date, if they're already engaged up then revisit to the list and realize another fantastic wedding venue. How many guests may be seated for a meal at the marriage venue? This is fairly crucial, you don't wish to book a marriage venue that have a seating room for 250 individuals if you're solely inviting sixty to a sit down meal. In turn you furthermore may wish to confirm your guests will sit well while not being crammed into tiny low venue, or perhaps worse, being left to feel as if they're shoved in at the rear, and may barely see the highest table. Once you've got a rough plan of what percentage of wedding guests are being invited, you wish to form positive your chosen wedding venue suits your necessities for catering Bergen County NJ. Request to check a sample seating set up, raise regarding whether or not they have spherical tables, perhaps even rise to check photos of previous wedding meals and the way the tables are ordered out. This may offer you a decent indication of whether or not you'll seat your wedding and guarantee most are happy. How many guests will the marriage venue accommodate for the wedding reception? Some couples choose to have tiny low and intimate marriage, and so follow that with the mother of all parties within the evening. If this can be your set up, make sure that the marriage venue will accommodate this. You don't wish to own two hundred evening guests descend on your wedding and realize all of them squeezed in, or unable to urge to the bar. Again, the flip-side is that you simply don't wish to search out out your wedding venue contains a separate floor and bar space that resembles a barn - the only simplest way to own zero-atmosphere at your reception is to find the marriage DJ, along with your wedding guests sitting round the edges not mingling. What time will we have a tendency to access the marriage venue? Exclusively yours for the complete day! Says their web site however what will that mean exactly? Every wedding venue Bergen County NJ can have their rules of once you will access the building on your day. Simply ensure what time you'll arrive sooner than the marriage, you don't wish to be left standing outside anticipating the cleaner to show up. Can the bridal party prepare at the marriage venue? Maybe this can be one thing the bride would like, rather than dashing around within the morning, why not raise the venue if they need the facilities for the bride to organize for her day within the comfort of her wedding venue. Obviously you'll wish one thing nicer then a room, or a girls ever-changing space at a golf club, however if the marriage venue contains a nice quiet comfy space for the bride to arrive and maybe have her artisan, make-up creator and also the remainder of her suite facilitate her brace oneself for her day then all the better. Can we have a tendency to offer you wedding music for the bride's entrance? If you're having a civil ceremony performed in approved premises you won't be ready to use any music that has spiritual references within the song in the slightest degree. However, if you wish to form your wedding entrance to music of your selection you wish to confirm that the marriage venue will really enable this. Assuming they're happy with you transfer on your own CD along with your favorite song on that to play at the bridal entrance, it's well price dropping it off every day or 2 ahead to the marriage venue and asking them to check the CD on their player. You don't wish for them to undertake and play it as you're nervously standing there solely to search out out your recent CD is scraped. The registrar can have to be compelled to approve the songs you've chosen sooner than the marriage, however they ought to clarify all of this once you meet them. Can we have a tendency to agree a timetable of the day, or are we have a tendency to set to your times? Obviously a Bergen county wedding venues can counsel times to you, they'll skills long every stage of the day can take. make sure you will discuss the day's timetable, agree once the ceremony can begin, set up however long the photos can take, agree the beginning time of the meal, decide what time to ask the evening wedding guests, and once the cutting of the cake and dance can come about. Can we have a tendency to bring our own drinks to the marriage venue, if not will we have a tendency to see the bar prices? This is a noteworthy one, and well price asking the question notwithstanding a marriage venue contains a licensed bar accessible they still might agree that you might bring your own drinks on - even if it's just fruit juices for the youngsters, it might prevent cash. If you're hiring a marquee at a venue, they'll have a brief bar for your guests - raise if you'll stock the bar yourself, perhaps even do a take care of somebody who'll obtain all the booze for you and manage the bar for the night. Should the marriage venue insist that you simply should use their bar facilities, make sure you rise to check the bar costs first, whether or not you or your guests are paying, nobody desires a large bar bill. Additionally check regarding wine served at the meal, and champagne for toasts. Do we have to be compelled to use your caterers, or will we have a tendency to instruct our own? Some wedding venues insist that you simply should use their caters this might be a restriction, but their own caters clearly have the information of the venue and their kitchens, and would of catered for several weddings before - thus perhaps it's not a foul factor. If it's descending, wherever would be the most effective spot to require our photos? It won't rain on your day, surely not hopefully not maybe if the sun enables you to down on the foremost necessary day of your life, you wish a back-up set up. Have a decent shop around the marriage venue and rise wherever photos are ordinarily taken throughout rainy days. You really wish to avoid having an awful background inside, once you were coming up with pretty photos out on the field. Most wedding venues Bergen County NJ are lovely places anyhow, thus they'll be wont to land weather lowering brides before, and little question have a proffered adornment inside to act because the back-drop for your wedding photographers to require your photos. This way you're saving some extra money, and doubtless saving wasted food at the tip of the night. Is there accommodation accessible at the marriage venue? Maybe the marriage venue contains a honeymoon suite available? Tons of weddings have visiting relatives from so much abroad; this implies they'll want somewhere to remain.  Even if you chosen wedding venue happens to be a part of a building complicated, you'll still ought to book accommodation for people who want it, thus get your bookings in early. Do you have a marriage cake stand we are able to use? Your bride cake has to sit on one thing, it's a concentration of your day, and can set you back a good few quid. little question the marriage cake maker can give you a cake stand and knife for rent, however very often the marriage venue can have a high quality cake stand prepared for you. If they do, it's another very little saving and one less factor to fret regarding. Will there be the other weddings on at identical venue? You may end up sharing facilities, does one mind bumping into another bride? Large hotels or golf clubs or personal manor homes are usually designed in a very approach that they will simply accommodate additional then one wedding. Let’s face it, weddings are business sector so that they wish to draw in as several as potential. If you chosen Bergen County wedding venues are going to take part in host to additional then one wedding on your day.

[hlsmaplewood]

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[squeeze-d-blog]

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[planetwanderlust]

review: 2017 RC Grandeur 12-day Southern Caribbean

i think this might've been our most relaxing cruise ever! it was 2 full, glorious weeks. it was truly a vacation. and doubly special, we were celebrating our belated anniversary and were in St. Lucia on my husband's 35th birthday.

we absolutely loved the stops on this, since this was much deeper south than we usually go. we were able to visit islands neither of us had ever been to  before. St. Lucia in particular stole our hearts.

and after this cruise, I WILL BE DIAMOND!!!! looking forward to booking whatever is next!

Mon, March 27, 2017 – Baltimore, Maryland (depart 4:00pm)

Tue, March 28, 2017 – At Sea

Wed, March 29, 2017 – At Sea

Thur, March 30, 2017 – At Sea

Fri, March 31, 2017 – Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas (9:00am-6:00pm)

Sat, April 1, 2017 – St. John’s, Antigua (7:00am-4:00pm)

Sun, April 2, 2017 – Bridgetown, Barbados (10:00am-7:00pm)

Mon, April 3, 2017 – Castries, St. Lucia (8:00am-4:30pm)

Tue, April 4, 2017 – Philipsburg, St. Maarten (9:00am-5:00pm)

Wed, April 5, 2017 – At Sea

Thu, April 6, 2017 – At Sea

Fri, April 7, 2017 – At Sea

Sat, April 8, 2017 – Baltimore, Maryland (arrive 7:00am)

Day 1: Monday, March 27, 2017  

Baltimore, Maryland (depart 4:00pm)

we left the house at 7:00am to drive from New Jersey to Maryland. it's about a 3-hour trip, and we arrived just about 10:00am. it was rainy and foggy most of the way, but my husband thinks the drive is easy and we had no issues.

check-in was super fast, and we were already on board by 10:30am! cabins, however, were not ready, and they weren't ready until after 1:00pm.

we stopped by the MDR to check out where our table was, and they pointed us to a table of 8. we had requested a table for 2, and asked to change. they said they'd get back to us, and later we had a card in our cabin with a new table number, for two.

when we went to dinner, it was a table for 2, but obviously they had just added it there. it was ok though, a little too close to the kitchen, but it was ok.

before the cruise, we purchased the new coffee card they're now offering, and the specialty restaurant deal. for the coffee card, we do like our Starbucks which they have on board for a fee. with the punch card, it's $30 for 15 coffees, which makes it totally worth it.

and since we had OBC and knew we'd be going to the specialty restaurants, we purchased their BOGO dinner deal: $30pp, so $60 total for us, for 2 restaurants. we had Giovanni's and Chops (on Day 1 and 2 only which is required). normally that would've been $29pp at Giovanni's and $35pp at Chops, which would've been a total of $128. that's a great deal!

Day 2: Tuesday, March 28, 2017 -- at sea  

we skipped breakfast; woke up at 8:30am to make it to the meet & greet at 10:00am. the meet & greet was in the Viking Lounge. there were some muffins and pastries, but they were already out of coffee when we came in on time (huh?), and there was fresh-squeezed orange juice. there was the raffle (we didn't win anything), no officers came, it was just an activity person and the cruise director (and the CD barely talked). we did lunch in the MDR... and that means: salad bar!! it was also the same menu as we remember, but still all very good.

we saw a movie in the theatre. we find this amusing, because all throughout dating, my husband and i never went to see a movie as a date. funny we never did such a simple, normal thing. the movie we saw today was Ghostbusters (the 2016 new version with all women). we surprisingly enjoyed it. it was entertaining for what it was, and for a remake of such a classic. also nice to see that when they "feature" a movie, it's actually a new-ish one.

tonight we had dinner at Chops. they sang to us for our anniversary. it was a good dinner, but still doesn't compare to our favorite: Ruth Chris in Princeton (specifically this location!)... it's definitely "specialty" but not really worth the high cover charge.

also, right before dinner, we had quite a bit of drama.  at around 5:00pm, we were in the Schooner bar/lounge hanging out before our dinner at Chops at 6:00pm. the captain comes on to announce that there is a medical emergency on board, and someone is in critical condition. first, let me say that i appreciate the captain informing us. i don't think every scenario warrants it (no reason to cause panic), but i was impressed with the way this captain handled this particular situation. this particular emergency was severe enough that we were turning around to get closer to the nearest coast guard station. the captain told us it'd be about 1.5 hours, and a helicopter would meet us at that point to land on the ship and transport the patient to the hospital on land. interestingly enough, all this would not delay us in getting to St. Thomas on time.

by the time we got to dinner at 6:00pm, we could tell we had slowed down substantially and were turned around. the landing pad must've been right above us, because from our table near the window at Chops, we saw the helicopter hover and try to land. he obviously had difficulty (i think it was quite windy at this time), because he had to try several times. at this point, we had finished our dinner and left Chops, and the captain came on again to say the patient was on his way to the hospital. we were back near around Virginia at this time.

overall, the captain came on about 4-5 times to keep us informed. i hope it all turned out ok for the patient. we don't know what happened, or what happened after he was airlifted, but hoping for the very best.

Day 3: Wednesday, March 29, 2017 -- at sea

it's absolutely the perfect temperature today, gorgeous. we had a little incident this morning as we were getting ready for the day... my husband was in the shower and nearly passed out from the lack of ventilation in the bathroom. by the time he finished his *quick* shower, the entire room wasn't just steamy, but everything was dripping in condensation. something was obviously not working.

in addition to that, we felt that the cabin wasn't cleaned properly when we boarded. it was less than par surface-cleaning at best. we have never seen this before. we went to guest services about the shower and the cabin. it was obvious something wasn't done or it was definitely overlooked or rushed. an officer/manager came to our cabin to see, and said that he would order a "sanitation crew" to wipe down the room... but he also offered us a choice between a free specialty dinner or 15% of what we paid for the cruise towards our next Royal cruise. hey, after we figured out what 15% was, we definitely took that! i was worried about how that would be handled, but they gave me an official  hard copy letter and told me an e-mail would be coming with the amount as a gift certificate. ok!

we went to see another movie in the theatre today: Fantastic Beasts!!!! it was very good, and there were some obvious holes, but overall so exciting to be back in the Harry Potter world. tonight we had dinner in the MDR, and they sang to us too!

after dinner, we went to trivia and headed upstairs to lay out on the deck in the nighttime. the movie trivia was a bust; it was movies no one has ever heard of.

it was a beautiful night under the stars. we have this private spot, with loungers, where we know people usually don't wander at night. it's amazing and romantic. :) this time though, we had some visitors and exchanged some pleasantries. one of them made some small talk with us, an ex-army guy, who found it funny and unbelievable that we don't see stars like this in NJ (he was from Wisconsin).

Day 4: Thursday, March 30, 2017 -- at sea

our third day at sea, woah. it's a lot for a small ship, especially one we've been on before. but at the same time, i love it.

today, we went to see another movie. pretty surprised how current these are. we saw the Suicide Squad today, and although it was really meh, it was entertaining for what it was... free. :D we also just discovered that the special desserts at Cafe Latte-tudes (where the specialty coffee is sold) is actually free!! they are much better than in the buffet or other places; not sure where they're coming from, but they were definitely extra special and much better.

Day 5: Friday, March 31, 2017    

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas (9:00am-6:00pm)

after a quick Windjammer breakfast, we went off the ship to walk around the shops and call home. i went back to the ship, while my husband stayed a little longer to take more photos with his new Hasselblad (there were many iguanas). actually spent about two hours in the port, much longer than we thought. and we forgot sunscreen. my poor, poor husband. we later went to nature trivia, which was at a bar and the bartender randomly gave us nuts. which has strangely never happened before. we also stayed for the Madonna music trivia, which of course my husband won... anything music. we made a last minute decision to go to Izumi tonight. and as always.... amazing! we mentioned to them that we were already planning to come back for Jeff's birthday, and they offered us 25% off and a bottle of champagne then!

tonight, there was a late night game show. i went to bed, but my husband attended. it was called "The Big Music Game Show" and apparently was pretty crazy. my husband explained... "it involved 10 balloons hanging from the ceiling, 3 chairs (labeled 20, 19, and 18), one person holding a bucket of balls and another person on the opposite side of the stage holding another bucket. the host would read a clue and then play a song (i.e. name the actors in the movie; "Blues Brothers Theme"), and then people would run up to grab a ball if they knew the answer. if the person grabbed 18, 19, or 20, they would then sit down in the numbered chair. after all 3 chairs were filled, the host would then have all 3 people answer the question. if the person in chair 20 was wrong, then 19 would win if they were correct, and so on. the person with the right answer would then be given a stick with a sharp end to pop a balloon of their choice. a numbered paper would indicate which prize they would win. the prizes ranged from a stuffed turtle to a bottle of wine to a $75 pen. i was able to get 20 on the 4th question and won a bingo t-shirt, a bingo ink stamper, and 9 bingo cards for day 8 of the cruise (our day in St. Lucia, my birthday!)."

Day 6: Saturday, April 1, 2017    

St. John’s, Antigua (7:00am-4:00pm)

we woke up super early, at 6:30am. we had a proper breakfast in the MDR, and then walked off and just wandered around port... it was meh. i think my husband is getting the hint that you should research the islands before you go. :P

we got our shot glass for Antigua, and went back to the ship.

i noticed that my husband's burn was as bright of a hot pink as ever, and he said it really hurt... we didn't have any aloe or anything, so i thought we might try to see if the medical facility did, and they did! we bought a bottle of aloe, which we knew was a total rip off, but my poor baby needed relief. after i rubbed him down, ever so gingerly, he went to take a nap, while i went to get myself some Starbucks and blogged in a quiet lounge.

Day 7: Sunday, April 2, 2017

Bridgetown, Barbados (10:00am-7:00pm)

we weren't due into port until 10:00am, but we actually arrived early, around 9:15am. in Barbados, the pier requires a shuttle to the main area of the port. then another shuttle to downtown. it’s an extremely long port, quite industrial actually, so the ship is quite far. the first shuttle is complimentary, the second shuttle into town is $2. we skipped downtown and just walked around in the port and headed back (making sure to buy our shot glass for Barbados).

there wasn't too much to the port, it was very disappointing (though we probably should've made into town).

tonight, we made a (very) last minute decision to buy an excursion for St. Lucia. my husband was getting sick of just walking around in the ports (oh really?! we could... have... planned...!). i think he was afraid of St. Lucia being the same and it being his birthday.

before we went to sleep, i gave my husband his surprise birthday gift and a special card i made. i did it now, since i knew we had an early morning with our excursion. i had already given him a gift before we left, and knew he wouldn't expect anything on the actual day since we were away. i was exploding inside as we were packing for this cruise, and i was hiding his gifts! he was so touched and surprised, making him happy was the best gift (for me!).

Day 8: Monday, April 3, 2017      

Castries, St. Lucia (8:00am-4:30pm)

TODAY IS JEFF'S BIRTHDAY!! 35!!

we woke up very early, our meeting time for the excursion was 8:45am (outside of the ship where they line up each tour).

Best Views of St. Lucia (SL57)

Port/City: Castries, St. Lucia Activity Type: Destination Highlights Approximate Duration: 3 hour(s) 15 minute(s)

Price: $59 per person

Description: Discover monuments, key landmarks, tropical scenery, traditional farming communities and gorgeous panoramic vistas in Castries and northern St. Lucia on a commentated scenic drive. The route takes you through the capital and across a mountain ridge on backroads that deliver breathtaking views of both the Caribbean and Atlantic. Marvel at lush vegetation, farms and plantations of this fertile, volcanic island. Relax over refreshments while surrounded by trees at the Rain Forest Adventure Park. Highlights: -- Castries Landmarks: See the capital's colorful market, cathedral and a military monument featuring 18th century cannons. -- Howelton House: Enjoy harbor views and a batik demonstration at the boutique inside this rare example of Victorian-Caribbean architecture. -- Scenic Drive: Stops on the panoramic route include the Rain Forest Adventure Park and Marquis Estate, a historic banana plantation.

we were told that the bus may or may not be air-conditioned. oh the horror! but ours was! oh heaven above, thank you! :D most of the tour was on the bus, with several stops along the way. we had a tour guide with us as well, and he talked to us throughout. he really talked non-stop, and was really interesting. he mentioned a lot of various points of interest during the bus ride, and our first stop was at a school campus, where there was a monument/park that gave us really awesome views from above. then we were off to the Howelton House where we saw several demonstrations on how things on the island are made: cocoa, batik (batik is a method of dying fabric), and coconut oil. there were several places while walking throughout this property that also gave us amazing views. on the way to our next stop, we stopped at a roadside place where it was the "million dollar view" and it was indeed! the tour guide bought a big cinnamon bun (sort of like a cinnamon bun?) to share with everyone on the bus as his favorite island food. he didn't have to do that, it was really sweet (the guy and the bun!). our next stop was the rain forest! there was entire venue there (excursion-type activities), but we were only here for about a half hour or so. we stopped at the front of the rain forest, and at the gift shop was the "snack" that was included. it was a special drink, banana, muffin, and fried fish. none of which i had, but my husband tried it all. we hurried through this so we could get some good photos here. and we sure did! it was gorgeous! definitely a place to go next time, just to here specifically (see my flickr for these photos!).

after we came back from the excursion, we had lunch, relaxed for a while, showered, and went to our birthday dinner at Izumi! we got our bottle of champagne, and dinner was spectacular as always. and 25% off. :) we actually saved the bottle of champagne (we didn't end up opening it). so we took it home, like our quintessential bottle of wine, and i marked it up as well, especially since it was my husband's 35th! a bottle to mark the cruise AND his birthday! <3

Day 9: Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Philipsburg, St. Maarten (9:00am-5:00pm)

this is a favorite and we were looking forward to it. we took ferry to downtown, walked around, and made a point to stop in at my husband’s favorite little shop. a local mom & pop, it sold artwork and painted objects entirely painted by artists on the island, in contrast to most island shops which feature the same cut+paste art style with a different island printed on it. it was authentic in every sense of the word, and the shop owner was so lovely. we bought hand-painted syrup dispenser (we use it for sugar, actually), a small hand-painted salt/pepper shaker for my parents, and she gave us a free shot glass too! we already have one for St. Maarten from a previous cruise, from this exact shop, so this time we got one with the painted flowers i really loved).

it was such a beautiful day, that we then rode the ferry back and forth a few times to get shots from all angles. the breeze, views, and crystal blue water is literally what heaven must be like! after that we came back and had lunch at the buffet, relaxed for a while, showered, and had dinner at the MDR.

Day 10: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 -- at sea 

and now, another 3 days at sea...

while i slept in, my husband went to an early morning sudoku challenge and got breakfast. while i got ready, he went and brought me breakfast too. i'm just the luckiest girl in the world.

we took our time and then went to get coffee and relaxed. we went to the 3:00pm bingo session with the cards that my husband won from the game show, but they were all a bust, no wins.

we were excited for tonight, to go see a movie poolside at night, under the stars. it was "La La Land" and after everything we heard about it and all its accolades, we were really looking forward to it. well, to our surprise, not only was it bad, but it was so bad that we left after 30 grueling minutes.

Day 11: Thursday, April 6, 2017 -- at sea

we slept in, skipped breakfast, and had lunch at the buffet today.

we relaxed in Schooner, walked around the ship, and hopped from lounge to lounge until we ended up back in Schooner. we skipped movie tagline trivia (might have won that), and then noticed our "trivia friends" so we joined forces for Beatles vs. Queen trivia, earning us light-up rings (ooooh, a "new" prize!). we were excited to give these to our niece and nephew.

tonight we had dinner in the MDR. they had the parade of chefs so we were glad we ended up in the MDR today. and we were given extra desserts by our waiter, besides the extra we ordered. the table was overflowing and our waiter was absolutely tickled, it was hilarious.

later, we sat outside in the rain with towels to cover up with (under the canopy), while ignoring a crappy Mark Wahlberg movie. it was pouring and it was absolutely lovely.

overall, it's still quite warm. it was cloudy today, and increasingly stormy throughout the day, and of course the storms and pouring rain in the evening (with wind and lightning), which made for sitting poolside quite entertaining. it looked like very choppy water out there, but the rocking was not bad at all. that is, until overnight, the rocking got pretty bad. nothing like my husband and i rolling into each other in the middle of the night. delicious. :)

Day 12: Friday, April 7, 2017 -- at sea

our last day. we slept in again, especially since we didn't get much sleep, it was a rough night at sea. we made it to lunch just in time, then sat around for a little bit with coffee before going back to the room to begin packing.

we went to trivia again, the first being a "top 5" where the best googlers easily won (there was a group that obviously had internet and were using it -- it's not that serious!). the next trivia was "songs with color" where our trivia buddies joined us. we got 2nd place, but the 1st place cheaters/team donated their prizes to us (lol). it was a large kitchen magnet which included little smaller magnets in the center with all kinds of cruising words, like magnetic poetry. but the coolest part was that when you remove the little magnets, the big magnet becomes a frame! that's a great prize! between that and those glowing rings the day before, we can now safely say we have any and all items of RCCL merch ever made. :D

today was cloudy and foggy but it cleared up by lunch. and it's back to the cold!

dinner tonight in the MDR was fabulous. and we're so glad it's where we ended up again: there was another parade! this time, of all the wait staff. it also gave us a chance to give our tip to Aster and Eva. our waiters were absolutely amazing this cruise, so wonderful.

we had finished packing so we went to hang out in the atrium, where we had another chance to say goodbye to Gina and Bob (our trivia buddies). they were around our parents' age, but i still regret not asking for any contact info or Facebook or anything. we don't remember their last names. :( we even talked about possibly booking a Spain cruise together while we were on board! we still think about it to this day, we're really sad over it. they probably weren't sure to ask either because we were so much younger. UGH! we could only hope that one day we run into each other on the same cruise again.

later we went back to the cabin to wind down and sleep. we actually didn't get much sleep because we ended up talking all night. it was like back in our dating days. <3

also! today was another day of drama -- what a cruise. at about 4:00pm, while we were in Schooner, the captain announces that we have another critical patient and that he was speeding up to get closer to the coast where the ER boat will meet us to pick up the passenger. a few hours later, around 7:00pm, we came to a dead stop and were heavily tilted to one side, where the ER boat came to the side to pick up the patient.

Day 13: Saturday, April 8, 2017  

Baltimore, Maryland (arrive 7:00am)

and we're backkkkkkk... dare i say, 2 weeks is too long? throughout the cruise, the weather was perfection literally every single day! the islands were hot, but breezy, and comfortable in the shade. but we still sweat like crazy.

our cabin's bathroom was a good size, but having a shower curtain is gross, and the sink faucet sucked. but overall, we had a great cabin, it was a great mid-ship category -- close enough to elevator but was far enough away that it was quiet. the oceanview window was huge, but we SO miss a balcony.

the food overall, especially in the MDR, was really great! the buffet was ok, good for a buffet. and we already miss frozen yogurt.

[naughtysenior17-blog]

Fun on the job...not!

One would think that working in the gift shop of a resort hotel in beautiful sunny Florida would be fun. That’s what I thought when I accepted the position as a “retail associate” in a bustling oceanfront establishment, just prior to “season.” I was promised a respectable store discount, a cut on room rates at the chain’s gazillion hotels and motels worldwide, and the “honor” of working for a Fortune 500 company. Of course, health benefits and profit sharing would be provided after my 90-day trial period.

Boy, was I deluded! The best part of the entire six-weeks I spent schlepping stuffed plushy alligators and cheap souvenirs from the hidden store rooms located on various floors of the hotel, and working the cash register, was the orientation and training sessions.

I showed up for the first of several mandated training blocks on-time and ready to drink the company Kool-Aid. Yes, it was boring, sometimes repetitive, and not so informational, but the complimentary food made up for it.  There were miniature pastries, sliced fruit and dark roast coffee for breakfast; a full-spread for lunch at one of establishments’ restaurants, and an afternoon snack complete with root beer floats. So what if I had to wear a polyester shirt and serviceable shoes, walk a mile from the designated parking lot to the underground entrance for “associates” and work with a bunch of women who told me daily how many years they had devoted to the hotel? I was going to eat well and get hotel discounts!

I tried to play along, thanking my designated trainer, an eight-year hotel employee (who spent most of her work shift restocking the candy counter and t-shirt display), for showing me the ropes. When I wore a black sweater that the head honcho lady didn’t approve of, I removed it without comment. I wanted to play well with others, something that hasn’t come easy to me in my decades in the workforce. The first weekend I encountered Mabel, a grey-haired lady of questionable age, somewhere over 80. I complimented her on her choice of black oxfords, and upon return from her lunch break, queried her on the cafeteria selections du jour. “I don’t eat lunch,” she hissed back. So what did she do on her 30 minute break? Sit on the commode waiting for her morning prune juice to kick-in, or hide behind the dumpster smoking Newports? I never found out.

Another co-worker and I shared some common ground; we were both from the Great Garden State of New Jersey! Susan was funny, another company long-termer and happy to demonstrate the many functions of the touch-screen cash register which I instantly saw as my enemy. Words are my friend; numbers are not. But I was game. After all, I HAD to learn how to charge purchases to the room, credit card, local club affiliation, and apply the correct discount for special guests. I poked my index finger ad nauseum at the damn computer screen non-stop with a frozen smile on my face. Of course, I messed up, and after a few elaborate corrections requiring reams of cash register tape, I was reminded WHERE I was working and instructed to “up my game.”

“So, it’s a big deal if I hit the wrong space for band- aids or crackers even if the price is correct?” I asked innocently. You would have thought I declared that Armageddon was scheduled to begin in five minutes.  “Learn it, Pat. This is not rocket science!” I was told by my semi-friend from NJ. “Alright!” I countered with a high-five that was not returned. “Oh, boy,” I thought, “this is not progressing as planned.”

Then one day, one of the many mini-managers named Vera presented me with a five-page print-out of instructions on how to close out the cash drawer at the end of my shift. “Read it and use it!” she directed. “It should not take 45 minutes every day to tally up your sales and cash.”  

“Ha, ha,” I joked good-naturedly. “It’s going to take me 45 minutes just to read this!” One look at Vera’s face and I immediately regretted my remark. “Ummm, may I go to dinner now? It’s 5:30 and Cindy is back, plus I need to run to my car….” “Go!” Vera glared. I grabbed my purse, my hotel ID, and booked it down the promenade to the nearest bank of elevators. It was protocol to allow guests on the lift first, and of course I was competing with a bunch of conventioneers ready for happy hour, so after a 10 minute session of smiling and “after yous,” I boarded, punched BG (below ground) and exited next to the associates’ time clock station and ladies rest room. The first two swipes of my time card and index-finger ID’s failed to register, but the third time was the charm. Next stop, powder room, always a hub of activity. That’s when I spotted “cook lady.” From day one, I encountered her at the sink, and from every single day after that, there she was, adjusting her back brace and zipping up her pants. She spoke loudly in a kind-of voodoo language I didn’t understand, so I always just smiled and said hi. Apparently, this was not the correct greeting, because she always shook her head at me and countered with a few incomprehensible sentences. That’s when I would wave and take my leave. But one day, I thought I heard her say, “I keeyu!” Was that like bonjour or buenos dias?” I smiled and waved. Then it hit me. “I kill you!” Really? Cook lady just stood and stared, wagging her fingers at me. I am not one to take unnecessary chances, so I booked it out of the bathroom, clutching a paper towel in my dripping wet hands. I did not look back until I was safely inside the cafeteria, scanning the daily menu. I never visited that rest tomb (room) again. Instead I traveled to the north side of the hotel where there was a single stall used only by the concierge.

While a $2 meal complete with frozen yoghurt was a great deal, I was beginning to tire of the limited choices. This was definitely not the same food as served in the hotel’s on-site eateries. I opted for the chicken and rice, succotash and vanilla frozen yoghurt plus a coffee to keep me perking along until 9 pm. I found a seat facing the TV screen broadcasting CNN and began eating. I rated the chicken a 7 out of 10, the rice a 5 and the succotash a big fat 0. The frozen yoghurt got a consistent 10. Presidential primary candidates blabbed on, my coffee was cold and it was time for me to begin the trek back to the cash register. I dumped my plates and tray and re-clocked-in for the evening shift.

The customer flow was predictable and not too demanding. I rang up toothbrushes, disposable razors, candy bars and an occasional dolphin refrigerator magnet or manatee bottle opener. A couple of families breezed through killing time on the way to their rooms to allow the kids an opportunity to squeeze the plastic oinky pigs, empty the bin of sand pails and shovels and generally create a 15-minute store clean-up. Finally, it was time to lock the door and begin the final tally of the day. I counted the bills and coins, added up the discounts, separated the credit card slips by company and began to calculate the day’s net. Filling out the final report, I discovered I was $2.05 short. My trusty trainer who never, ever made an error directed me to recount the bills and coins. I came up with the same amount.  She sighed deeply, uttered something in Spanish and told me to pack it up. I had failed again. Although we left the store together, she was 10 steps ahead of me as I lagged behind balancing the cash drawer, my insulated snack bag, water bottle, handbag and flip flops.

She generously held the elevator door for me and we headed down to ground zero to stash our cash, keys and clock-out. I called out good night as my boot camp sergeant opened the passenger door of her ride home. I waited until I was flip-flop ready before beginning my hike to the near-empty parking lot clearly outside the city limits. Now I could enjoy my 40 minute drive home on that godforsaken two-lane road they call a highway and catch some sleep before starting my 10 am shift the next day.

I retraced my steps just eight hours later and tried to be a beacon of light and inspiration as I entered the dark world of retail hell. Loaded down with the cash drawer, ringlet of keys, ID cards, shoes, insulated snack sack, handbag and water bottle, I greeted my coworker for the morning, Alice, who immediately dashed out the door to use the restroom. I lined up the oinky pigs, signed into the cash register and began checking out customers who had assembled their beach provisions on the counter. Sunscreen SPF 5 (they will be back in for the Aloe Vera burn gel by 2 pm), bottled water, snack crackers, pool toys, sunglasses and maybe a pack of cigarettes was tossed into the plastic sacks. “That will be $182, sir,” I smiled. Ah, to be on vacation with an American Express Card and not a worry in the world, I thought, smirking. Wait until they get home to Michigan and open the bill.

From behind the t-shirt display, I heard a voice ask, “Did you bring the T-shirts down from storage?” I glanced past the stuffed dolphins and mermaids to see one of my mini-managers, Vera, eyeing me with her usual exasperation. “I brought them down, but I’m not sure where…” “Yes or no,” she queried. “Yes,” I replied. That verbal exchange was the beginning of the end of my day. When I missed a discount, I tried to explain to Vera what the amount was and was told, “Stop!” which was interpreted by the customer and me as “shut the f*%$ up!” “That’s ok, I don’t really need a discount,” the customer told Vera. I simply rolled my eyes. It was becoming clear to me that nothing I could do in this establishment was going to be good enough. The verbal volleys between Vera and me continued until lunch time and I had turned from aggravated to just plain angry. Since when should I be scolded like a two-year-old? In the course of the morning I had failed to arrange the t-shirts by color, left a sheaf of orders within sight of a customer, left a gaping hole in the breath mint display and said hello, instead of good morning on the telephone. Was I ever a loser! At lunch time, Vera and the head honcho manager were conferring in the back room where I needed to grab my purse. I decided to speak up. “May I have a word with you both,” I asked politely. “What is it?” head honcho wanted to know. I looked straight at Vera and said, “Why are you so rude to me?” She look surprised, then launched into this speech on how she didn’t have time for me to ramble on; complained about how long it  took me to cash out and blah, blah, blah. I finally broke in, “You know what? This is not a good fit for me. I’m done!” “You mean now? You’re quitting now?” head honcho asked incredulously. “Yup, that’s it. Good afternoon ladies.” I picked up my purse, removed my ID tag, handed over my ID cards and keys and left via the hotel’s front entrance. I never felt more satisfied in my life, or hungrier. After a 15-minute stroll to my car, I headed down the road to the 7-Eleven for a tall Bud Light and a Big Dog. It sure beat the sucky succotash in the cafeteria! I discovered later that I made gift store history. I am only the second person in 10 years to leave before the 90 day trial period concluded. Yeah, me. I am so proud!

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