One-Day Cruise

Addendum to the Gloria Lopez article (Sept. 16) and Nick Newton in reader letters (Oct. 21), relative to Viking Princess: This cruise is not for family fun! Gamblers or lovers, perhaps, although Las Vegas or a room in a luxury hotel might be cheaper.

A 20-minute wait on embarking failed to find my travel agent’s reservation, necessitating another charge on my MasterCard--fortunately rectified later. Food service for youngsters was nil. Lobster-tank swimming pool of arctic temperature. Air conditioning absent, the air foul with paints and turpentine, especially at the boarding entrance. Family members were forced to go above the Viking Deck to breathe while waiting to debark.

Not mentioned either in advertising literature or relative articles is the annoying wait of two hours going through customs on return to San Diego. Arrival time of 11 p.m. turned into 1:30 a.m. to our motel, a few blocks from the pier. A harbor cruise might have been a better introduction to the sea.

Mimi Thayer

Los Angeles