An Open Letter To The Ocean Jewel(Saint Petersburg,FL)-NoPokerContent

[Etaipo]

You ain't kidding about having to plan ahead. Here's my situation.

1) 6 1/2 year old son. Mom works nights. Arrange a babysitter.
2) I live in Venice. 1 hour+ to St Pete, 1 1/2+ to Johns Pass.


This means that I have to plan waaay ahead, hope my family doesn't flake out on watching my son for the evening, PRAY that there isn't bad weather that day, or that I feel crappy, have a headache, etc. Now, combined with the driving, I have at the VERY LEAST a 4 1/2 hr commute, and that's not really realistic....with all the delays and crap, we're usually at a SIX hour commute. So when I go, I tend to do ridiculous things like play 10-12 hours to make the trip worthwhile.

So yeah...the last trip, I left at 4 PM from my house, get to the Jewel around 7, expecting to take the midnight shuttle home. Except for the storm, so we had to take the boat in to shore (5 hours). Then, theres a bicycle fundraiser / race (I wouldn't call it a rice, simply for the fact that there were fat people involved in said bike riding) that the cops refused to halt to let us the **** out of there, so another 45 minute delay to get going...I finally got home around noon the next day. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

And yeah, Bill Bixby, this is what we have to go through to gamble in Florida...that's just how it is.

[Bill Bixby]

all i know is i head down highway 61 and im in tunica in 45 min. No BS boats or shuttles lol

[vox]

[ QUOTE ]
this is what we have to go through to gamble in Florida...that's just how it is.

[/ QUOTE ]

From what I've been reading in the Tribune and Times, and from what I've heard from the Seminoles, the negotiations for class III gaming are proceeding, and it will only be a matter of time before the house gets to back games and the limits go up.

I don't expect any deal to be struck while Jeb Bush (strongly anti-gambling) is governor, however.

[toddw217]

If I had a problem, I would continue to patronize the Ocean Jewel - I tried my best, and successfully so I think, to convey that I will never again set foot on the ship!
Unfortunately, there are plenty of people who have at least borderline problems that will continue to put up with this type of crap from the Ocean Jewel.

Thanks Bill - but I assure you I'm OK!

[steamboatin]

Bill just doesn't understand the situation. He lives about a half hour from wonderful poker where you get to eat and drink free and get up and leave anytime you want.

I just returned from a weekend in Tampa, and we tried out the Ocean Jewel. It wasn't quite as bad as your experience, but it was bad enough that we wouldn't go back either.

We left St Pete on the 10am Sat boat. Got to the Jewel around 11:15 or so, got off, had the buffet (which I thought was quite tasty or maybe I was just starving), and then headed to the poker room.

The poker room was pretty decent, but not much going on. only 1 table of 1/2 NL when I got there, and by the time we left at 5 they had added a 3/6 limit game and a 2/5 NL.
decent dealers, and not too smoky- no smoking at the tables- you had to go over to the bar area.

The heat was awful. It wasn't too bad down on some of the lower decks, but up on 6 where the poker was it was pretty bad. The restrooms on 5 and 6 were amazingly awful. crap (literally) all over the place in the stalls... I found one down on 3 that was ok.

Then they cancelled our boat back to st pete and we had to catch the 6pm to john's pass. they told us they'd have a shuttle to take us to St pete. well when we got off they had a 20 person van and an 8 person van, already full of course. those took off and we had to stand there in the hot sun waiting for cabs to take the rest of us 3 and 4 at a time. I think there were about 60 people counting employees that they had to get to St Pete and we were among the last to go, after standing there for 45 minutes.

On the plus side, I was up quite a bit on each of the 2 tables I played at.. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] (but I still ain't goin back)

Zath

[PhatCasino]

word of advice - your better off taking the 4hr redeye to vegas!