Back on March 14, 2024, we paid for a July 4th dinner cruise aboard the Louisa of the Seas which we had booked earlier this year. This cruise was to include a four course plated meal and a guaranteed window table. We were going to be celebrating my husband’s 69th birthday. On July 2, we were rebooked without our consent onto Eternity. We were told this was an upgrade and an “exclusive experience”. We would have a buffet instead of a plated meal, live music, open bar, etc. We were told to be at Pier 16 at 6:00 where we would be checked in and boarded for a departure time if 6:30. Come July 4, we arrived at Pier 16 at 5:30. There are no signs and no one to greet us. We went to the end of the pier and finally saw a NYC Water Cruises sign propped against the railing facing away from incoming crowd. Still no boat. At 6:11, the boat finally pulled up to the dock. By that point, there were more than 100 people waiting at the pier. It was immediately apparent that the boat was manned by an amateur crew. They were completely unfamiliar with the dock and had a hard time tying the boat down and stabilizing the bow. Then they could not get the gangway properly placed. They kept propping it against the boat at angles far too steep for safe boarding. After the musicians finally boarded, crew members had their families board ahead of the paying patrons. The first paying passenger to board was a man in a wheelchair. The security guy and crew members moving the gentleman up the steep gangway had a hard time. The “security” guy who was pulling the wheelchair up as he walked backward fell. Thank goodness the passenger, who was not seat-belted in, did not fall. The rest of the crowd was anxious to board and there was no check in procedure related to us. “Security” finally had us form two lines but it was still chaos. People were pushing forward. There was one teenager with an iPhone checking people in from two lines. We ended up departing 45 minutes behind schedule. Once aboard, it was a free for all as to where to sit. Thank goodness, we did secure a table on the third level but that ended up meaning we were the last to get food. What they had out initially was just cold cuts, cheese, salad, and bread. Later, very small amounts, of chicken wings, hot dogs, sliders, burgers, and fries came out but the quantity was very much insufficient for the crowd. I ended up with one and a half slices of ham, two tablespoons of potato salad and two sliders. All of the crew were obviously foreign, none spoke English. They did not comply with U.S. Coast Guard regulations. Family and guests of the crew were personally served with the best food options. The heads were disgusting. The flushers did not work properly and there were insufficient trash facilities. The open bar was nice but the lines were long and hot. There was not a bar on each level as promised. All in all, this was NOT what we paid for. This boat is obviously privately owned and the owners somehow got NYC Water Cruises to divert 4th of July bookings to them. When we were rebooked, we were told that Louisa of the Seas was not available but we could see in real time that Louisa of the Seas still had openings. Completely unprofessional, dishonest, and a rip off. However, the musicians were good.