The Spirit of Boston

So the other night I had the privilege of going on a harbor dinner cruise with my Starbucks co-workers (or "partners" in Starbucks-speak.) We rode on the beautiful Spirit of Boston through the harbor and back. The ship departed at 7, and returned at 10. I'll try to rate everything we had--just because I want to.

Once we were all on the boat, we all got to relax on the top deck and take in the view of the city from the dock and have a drink. Quite nice. Once the ship departed, we went inside and were seated at our first-class tables which entailed waiter service, free appetizers, free drinks, pretty much free everything.

First off we were served this huge platter of lobster and shrimp with cocktail sauce....whoop-dee-do. As most of you know I am deathly allergic to all fish, so this wasn't the highlight of the night. There were other appetizers, however, so I partook of those to my heart's content. Beef Wellington wrapped in pastry dough, mini spring rolls, and all sorts of rolls and breads. Mmmmmm. 8 out of 10.

Now once the appetizers were finished, on came the salads. Nothing special here, just your basic garden salad with Italian dressing. 6 out of 10.

The buffet dinner was another thing. Roast beef, sesame teriyaki chicken, other lobster and fish, baby red potatoes, sauteed veggies, etc, etc. My first plate included beef, steamed rice, green beans, and two pieces of teriyaki chicken. Super good. I'd give the beef 7.5 out of 10, only because it didn't cut easily with a butter knife, which it should. The chicken was outstanding--10 out of 10. The veggies were very good, 8 out of 10. My second dish was mainly steamed rice with three pieces of the chicken (they weren't that big, although I am a fatty.)

Now throughout the salad and dinner, of course the drinks were flowing like water.
"I'm talkin' about a place where the beer flows like wine, where the women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano..." 11 out of 10.

Also, there was live entertainment, and it included three singers--two females and one guy. They were OK, but not great. 5 out of 10.

Finally came the dessert--we had a choice between chocolate mousse cake or creme brulee cheesecake. I went with the cheesecake. Good choice. 9 out of 10.

We continued to party and the dance floor opened up, but most of us went outside to relax. It was a beautiful night, warm enough to not need a jacket, but not too hot. We continued drinking and having a great time until we arrived back at the dock at 10 PM. After that, we boarded our shuttle bus back to the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, which Starbucks put us up in for one night. Very plush. Heck, I didn't mind at all. Now, it did suck not having Evey there, and my opinion is that Starbucks should include spouses in activities like that, but it wasn't my call.

I would rate the evening very nice overall--an 8.5 out of 10.