Before we even boarded the casino, you could smell cigarette smoke. Guests started to joke about swimming back to shore if necessary. It was loud enough to make many wonder if the engine was about to blow up. The boat stops 3 or 4 times before we get to the casino. It was not latched as it should have been. A solid steel door flies open, almost hitting my husband in the knee. We finally got under way, the air conditioning inside the ferry fails.

So, guests quieted down, thinking 'poor man'. Finally the owner announced the Captain had been in a car accident, a replacement was coming. After 45 minutes dockside, guests were getting upset. We were with a group of 7, celebrating a friend’s birthday, with plans to watch fireworks together afterwards. It was about 93 degrees outside, sunny, hot and very humid. If you want the longer version, here is what happened during the July 4th, 3:30 PM departure. Delayed departures, delayed arrivals, broken air conditioning and ventilation system, chain smokers, horrible, stale, toxic air quality, really hot inside and outside temperatures thieving slot machines that take your money and don’t even bother to operate management staff who have “no control”, and insensitive owner/operators who would rather make a buck than assure the safety of guests and employees. It will be a cold day in hell before my husband and I return to the Port Richey Sun Cruise.

Orlando casino cruise