Review of my recent 10 night sailing on MSC Grandiosa out of Copenhagen.

[Stockjock]

Follow the link to view:
https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=691327

[carlmm]

i am glad you enjoyed your cruise.

A question about one detail, as yu mention the lobster in the Bistrot: How was it?

On  my last cruise this was the only foodwise disappointment. Expensive but terrible.

[Stockjock]

The lobster was an interesting preparation.  It was tasty, but hard to eat.  They gave us picks that were too big to really get at the meat.  After the waiter saw us struggling, he finally brought us a smaller pick that worked.
 

[carlmm]

Thank you.

[Stockjock]

On 10/25/2022 at 10:33 AM, carlmm said:

Thank you.

You are more than welcome, and I'll add one more thing that isn't in the review.

About 3.5 years ago, mom was still living on her own.  But one day, I got a call from her.  She told me she couldn't get off the sofa.  I drove over to see her and she was in bad shape.  She had horrible edema and unbeknownst to me, a bad heart and other serious ailments.  

Mom hadn't been to the doctor in probably 40-50 years (aka stubborn) and her health was not good, to say the least.  She refused to allow me to call paramedics, but I convinced them to not roll code (lights and siren).  I'm an ex-police officer, so I think that may have helped to convince them to turn the siren off.  She didn't want to make a fuss and have all of the neighbors come out to see her carted away on a stretcher.

While she was near death, the doctors got her stabilized and eventually she went from skilled care to an assisted living facility.  I looked after mom, talking to her 2-3 times per day, managing her affairs, and visiting her often.  Even when I travelled, I called her nearly daily whether I was in Europe, Asia or wherever.  We were quite close.

Fast forward to this July.  Mom had always been intelligent and witty, but her health was essentially falling off a cliff and she suddenly could barely speak.  She was refusing most food and forgetting how to do simple things, like answering the telephone (she was not previously cognitively impaired in any way).  My GF and I were looking forward to this cruise, as our travel plans had been on ice for the past 2.5 years due to covid.  But mom was in serious decline and I couldn't leave her alone in that condition.

So my GF and I had an agreement.  If mom was medically stable, we'd cruise.  If mom was no longer with us, we'd cruise.  But if mom was still with us, but in bad shape, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving her alone.

Unfortunately, she passed in late July, just 2 weeks shy of her 88th birthday.  It was one of those situations where I hated to lose my mother, but her quality of life was horrendous and I was glad that she was at peace and her suffering was over.

So while we very much enjoyed ourselves on this trip, it was somewhat bittersweet, as mom had passed only weeks earlier.

I had a very vivid dream this past weekend.  I got a call from mom and didn't understand how she was calling.  I asked her how it was possible, because she had died.  She replied, "I'm not dead, I'm in heaven."  I asked her where heaven was.  She said, "The next time you are outside, look up to the sky.  You will see a small patch of blue and that's where I am.  That is where heaven is."

I then woke up.
 

Edited October 29, 2022 by Stockjock

[LouChamp]

Blessings prayers and love 

[CruiseIreland]

Beautiful lady. RIP. Sincere condolences to you. She was lucky to have you willing and able to look after her as you did.👏