What Time Is the Midnight Buffet?: How We Learned to Stop Worrying And Love Our Cruise

by chesterh

Why do people take cruises? What do people do on a big boat in the middle of nowhere? Is cruising just a slow ride to shopping malls in exotic places? Is there romance and adventure on the high seas? Most importantly, what time is the midnight buffet?

Kris and Chester , an unassuming couple from New Hampshire, find the answers to these questions and more on their 25th anniversary cruise. The story of their first-ever voyage became a runaway hit on CruiseCritic.com. Why? Let the cruisecritics tell you

This one has it travel tips, sentimental moments, action, gripping suspense, hilarity (hysteria?), sad goodbyes, unlikely plot turns, foreshadowing even a pronunciation guide Kraley

To those who read and admire Bill Bryson as a travelogue writer, a new star is born. Chesterh is THE business!! Wit, humor, information every sentence riveting Venezia98

I laughed, I cried, I called my travel agent. Bill

What a wealth of information for first-time cruisers and wonderful reading for those of us already addicted Bar10der421

I laughed out loud so often a neighbour looked over the wall to see what was happening (sat in the garden with my G&T). Susancy (UK)

Bon Voyage!

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Humor

120 pages, Paperback

First published August 24, 2005

Reviews

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book before going on my first cruise a couple weeks ago. The book was informative and fun. Their experience was a lot more extravagant than mine as I booked an Ocean View room not the Grand Suite and never had dinner with the Captain. The book did give some good tips such as putting your camera outside to avoid a fogged lens if you have a balcony.
Overall a good quick read to prepare for a first cruise but keep in mind most cruise experiences are not so lavish.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, frothy little book, esp. since we just returned from a cruise. Makes me want to go again! Chester writes this remembrance of his and his wife's first cruise, worried that they would not like it. Is it a primer for those wanting to go on their first cruise? Not really, as he and his wife splurged on a superior suite and extravagant purchases on board and off the ship, making their first cruise far from most people's first experience. Still, a fun and very quick read.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book proves that anyone can publish a book. While well written, and somewhat entertaining, this is nothing more then a long review of a cruise.

I did learn a little about the ports of calls, and since I will be going to Belize in a couple of weeks for the first time, that was helpful.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book which made me smile in parts, but overall, felt like a 108 page-long Trip Advisor review. But still very informative. Just perhaps not a book that one could curl up with and lose themselves among.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is basically a cruise diary of a week on board a Caribbean cruise on a US cruise ship. It was interesting to compare experiences of US and our UK cruise ships but there was a little bit too much detail at times, particularly on the excursions. A cheerful and interesting read though.

[Shanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read only the first couple chapters of this book, and I think it is the worst book that I have ever read. Terrible writing, completely vapid. I won't waste anymore time on this book.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I did enjoy this read it was a glorified blog rather than a book.

[Maiv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super funny.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining, but it's basically little more than a blog that got published. Still, an easy and fun read.

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, quick read about a cruisers "firt time"

[kathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyable read of a couple's first cruise...