Clueless first-timer needs advice about cruises please

On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 20:04:04 -0400, *bicker*
wrote:

That's all I ask for really, the right to travel casually without
being forced into someone else's mold - not a big ask if you ask me.
After all, I've never suggested banning formal clothing.

I still say they're independent. I'm interested in the
"social life" and will dress in a suit, but wholeheartedly
support your decision to interpret "formal" differently.

Well, avid readers of this lengthy but enlightening thread will be
pleased ..... no ... ecstatic .... to learn that only yesterday, in a
fit of conformity, I and my beloved journeyed to the nearby Op-shop
where I purchased not one but *two* jackets for the sole purpose of
appeasing the on-board style police!

Reclaimed from their former owners (who are probably dead and no
longer cruising) I paid a princely sum for them, although modesty
prevents me from disclosing exactly how much.

I shall now be able to strut my stuff with the finest from the good
'ol US of A, and to promenade up and down the dining room, my chest
proudly expanded and my tie flying as a symbol of neatness and
respectability!

You will all be very proud of me. 8*)

Bob T.

On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 20:04:04 -0400, *bicker*
wrote:

That's all I ask for really, the right to travel casually without
being forced into someone else's mold - not a big ask if you ask me.
After all, I've never suggested banning formal clothing.

I still say they're independent. I'm interested in the
"social life" and will dress in a suit, but wholeheartedly
support your decision to interpret "formal" differently.

Well, avid readers of this lengthy but enlightening thread will be
pleased ..... no ... ecstatic .... to learn that only yesterday, in a
fit of conformity, I and my beloved journeyed to the nearby Op-shop
where I purchased not one but *two* jackets for the sole purpose of
appeasing the on-board style police!

Reclaimed from their former owners (who are probably dead and no
longer cruising) I paid a princely sum for them, although modesty
prevents me from disclosing exactly how much.

I shall now be able to strut my stuff with the finest from the good
'ol US of A, and to promenade up and down the dining room, my chest
proudly expanded and my tie flying as a symbol of neatness and
respectability!

You will all be very proud of me. 8*)

Bob T.

Bob Thomas wrote:

Troll: One who disagrees with RTCReferee (Oxford dictionary)

I've never met or seen a living troll, darn it, 'cause I'll bet they are cute,
but I don't mind disagreement, and if you may recall, I'm not the first to
suggest that you (by your behavior at the time) might be a troll. As a matter
of fact, my agreement yesterday that you might be one was the first time I have
used the term at all.

The important thing about the Oxford dictionary (the really big two-volume one
with the itty-bitty type) is can you read it without reading glasses or the
magnifier, as I once could?. ;-)

Bob Thomas wrote:

Troll: One who disagrees with RTCReferee (Oxford dictionary)

I've never met or seen a living troll, darn it, 'cause I'll bet they are cute,
but I don't mind disagreement, and if you may recall, I'm not the first to
suggest that you (by your behavior at the time) might be a troll. As a matter
of fact, my agreement yesterday that you might be one was the first time I have
used the term at all.

The important thing about the Oxford dictionary (the really big two-volume one
with the itty-bitty type) is can you read it without reading glasses or the
magnifier, as I once could?. ;-)

On 6 Aug 2004 07:04:42 -0700, (Lee) wrote:


The way I see cruising, is that you're kind of sharing your vacation
with a couple thousand other people, almost like taking a bus tour in
Europe but on a larger scale. Sure, everyone has their own agenda, and
there's lots of time to pursue independent interests, activities, etc.
but you're still sharing the space, so you need to take into account
how your behavior will impact your fellow travellers. A cruise is not
like an independent travel vacation - it's just not transportation
from port to port. To me, it's more like a tour - my schedule is
pretty much the same schedue as so many others. We visit the same
ports on the same day and for the same amount of time. I prefer
traditional dining which means I share my evening meal at the same
time and with the same people every day. It's not as rigidly
structured as a bus tour is, but we're sharing the space, with really
the only private retreat being your cabin. When you travel
independently, you're independent in every way (although I would hope
that you would at least be conscious of local custom so as not to
offend).

I would agree with all of that ......... I think the main difference
will be in the way we see the ports, we're not big on the average
pre-arranged tours due to the nature of them. Wandering around in a
herd doesn't suit us at all, but that applies to all group holidays,
whether it be buses or cruises.

With that in mind, being considerate of your fellow cruisers who are
sharing your space is very much like being a good neighbor. If you
don't think of your neighbor at home as a pretentious snob because he
enjoys dressing up, try not to judge your neighbor on a cruise ship in
that way either - they picked their vacation neighborhood just as you
did, and would prefer not to have to put up fences.

Probably a bit harsh I agree, except that I always feel (rightly or
wrongly) that those who do dress up tend to look down on those of us
who don't. I'm not opposed to dressing up per se - just any attempts
to coerce the casual dressers into dressing in a way that they would
not otherwise choose.

Cruises are somewhat molded vacations - there's no getting around that
point. If you're really set on travel by boat/ship, I would suggest
looking into the various ferry systems around the world - that's
independent travel. Cruising really isn't. It's a vacation shared by
all, imho. I don't seek out planned activities and I tend to be a more
independent cruiser. But , I can't deny that there are some aspects of
cruising that are very much like participating in a tour. I feel that
way especially on great port days when I have to cut my fun short to
make it back to the ship.

That is a down side to cruising - the short stays, although I have
spent weeks and weeks researching my ports so that when I arrive I
already know what I want to see.

This is an experiment for me really. I have tried independant travel,
which is fine in English speaking places that drive on the left-hand
side; I've tried buses, which are fine except very rushed and
structured, and so now I'm trying cruising to get around luggage
problems and constant relocation issues.

The best way to travel really is the rich way - where you are
independant but can afford to pay someone at every step to do your
manual work and to drive you around. I'm doing this in St Petesburg,
and it's costing a fortune. I can't afford to do that normally.

I plan on spending my cruising days taking photos, socialising a bit,
doing nothing a bit and eating as little as possible - most of which
should be OK. I'm a reasonably social animal except when it comes to
getting overly serious about life. We tend to be pretty relaxed over
here - if we were any more laid back we'd fall over.

I have a jacket now to stuff into my luggage, and I'm sure that I'll
be able to dine without unduly lowering the standards, but it remains
an irritation nonetheless.

Your comments are entirely reasonable. 8*)

Bob T.

On 6 Aug 2004 07:04:42 -0700, (Lee) wrote:


The way I see cruising, is that you're kind of sharing your vacation
with a couple thousand other people, almost like taking a bus tour in
Europe but on a larger scale. Sure, everyone has their own agenda, and
there's lots of time to pursue independent interests, activities, etc.
but you're still sharing the space, so you need to take into account
how your behavior will impact your fellow travellers. A cruise is not
like an independent travel vacation - it's just not transportation
from port to port. To me, it's more like a tour - my schedule is
pretty much the same schedue as so many others. We visit the same
ports on the same day and for the same amount of time. I prefer
traditional dining which means I share my evening meal at the same
time and with the same people every day. It's not as rigidly
structured as a bus tour is, but we're sharing the space, with really
the only private retreat being your cabin. When you travel
independently, you're independent in every way (although I would hope
that you would at least be conscious of local custom so as not to
offend).

I would agree with all of that ......... I think the main difference
will be in the way we see the ports, we're not big on the average
pre-arranged tours due to the nature of them. Wandering around in a
herd doesn't suit us at all, but that applies to all group holidays,
whether it be buses or cruises.

With that in mind, being considerate of your fellow cruisers who are
sharing your space is very much like being a good neighbor. If you
don't think of your neighbor at home as a pretentious snob because he
enjoys dressing up, try not to judge your neighbor on a cruise ship in
that way either - they picked their vacation neighborhood just as you
did, and would prefer not to have to put up fences.

Probably a bit harsh I agree, except that I always feel (rightly or
wrongly) that those who do dress up tend to look down on those of us
who don't. I'm not opposed to dressing up per se - just any attempts
to coerce the casual dressers into dressing in a way that they would
not otherwise choose.

Cruises are somewhat molded vacations - there's no getting around that
point. If you're really set on travel by boat/ship, I would suggest
looking into the various ferry systems around the world - that's
independent travel. Cruising really isn't. It's a vacation shared by
all, imho. I don't seek out planned activities and I tend to be a more
independent cruiser. But , I can't deny that there are some aspects of
cruising that are very much like participating in a tour. I feel that
way especially on great port days when I have to cut my fun short to
make it back to the ship.

That is a down side to cruising - the short stays, although I have
spent weeks and weeks researching my ports so that when I arrive I
already know what I want to see.

This is an experiment for me really. I have tried independant travel,
which is fine in English speaking places that drive on the left-hand
side; I've tried buses, which are fine except very rushed and
structured, and so now I'm trying cruising to get around luggage
problems and constant relocation issues.

The best way to travel really is the rich way - where you are
independant but can afford to pay someone at every step to do your
manual work and to drive you around. I'm doing this in St Petesburg,
and it's costing a fortune. I can't afford to do that normally.

I plan on spending my cruising days taking photos, socialising a bit,
doing nothing a bit and eating as little as possible - most of which
should be OK. I'm a reasonably social animal except when it comes to
getting overly serious about life. We tend to be pretty relaxed over
here - if we were any more laid back we'd fall over.

I have a jacket now to stuff into my luggage, and I'm sure that I'll
be able to dine without unduly lowering the standards, but it remains
an irritation nonetheless.

Your comments are entirely reasonable. 8*)

Bob T.

On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 23:11:08 GMT, Dillon Pyron
wrote:


Now I have a new problem to deal with ... the cruise company I took
the cruise from has just admitted to me that they do not, after all,
pay for all on-board tipping (despite saying so in their brochure). So
now I'm faced with yet another expense that wasn't budgeted for!


Unfortunately for you, since the line doesn't actually do business in
Australia, your consumer protection laws won't help. This has all the
flavor of a bait & switch. You should probably talk to your agent and
encourage them to not do any more business with the line. Tell all
your friends. And tell the line you are blackballing them. It may
not help, but they may rollover for you to get you to shutup and be a
"good boy".

They are taking the line that says "All care - no responsibility", but
as the publication was by an Australian company they should actually
be liable (although going down that road is a long and probably
pointless journey.)

After all ... think of the jacket I could have bought with that money!

Sounds like you could have bought that tux. :-)

I have manage to survive my entire life without *ever* donning a bow
tie OR a tux !! An admirable record I hope to take to the grave. 8*)

Looks like a jacket will be cruising with me though ......

Bob T.

On Thu, 05 Aug 2004 23:11:08 GMT, Dillon Pyron
wrote:


Now I have a new problem to deal with ... the cruise company I took
the cruise from has just admitted to me that they do not, after all,
pay for all on-board tipping (despite saying so in their brochure). So
now I'm faced with yet another expense that wasn't budgeted for!


Unfortunately for you, since the line doesn't actually do business in
Australia, your consumer protection laws won't help. This has all the
flavor of a bait & switch. You should probably talk to your agent and
encourage them to not do any more business with the line. Tell all
your friends. And tell the line you are blackballing them. It may
not help, but they may rollover for you to get you to shutup and be a
"good boy".

They are taking the line that says "All care - no responsibility", but
as the publication was by an Australian company they should actually
be liable (although going down that road is a long and probably
pointless journey.)

After all ... think of the jacket I could have bought with that money!

Sounds like you could have bought that tux. :-)

I have manage to survive my entire life without *ever* donning a bow
tie OR a tux !! An admirable record I hope to take to the grave. 8*)

Looks like a jacket will be cruising with me though ......

Bob T.

On 06 Aug 2004 23:38:32 GMT, ando (RTCReferee)
wrote:


The important thing about the Oxford dictionary (the really big two-volume one
with the itty-bitty type) is can you read it without reading glasses or the
magnifier, as I once could?. ;-)

Certainly .... provided that you hold it a foot further from my eyes
than my arms will reach!

I'm not getting short sighted, my arms must be shrinking.

Bob T.

On 06 Aug 2004 23:38:32 GMT, ando (RTCReferee)
wrote:


The important thing about the Oxford dictionary (the really big two-volume one
with the itty-bitty type) is can you read it without reading glasses or the
magnifier, as I once could?. ;-)

Certainly .... provided that you hold it a foot further from my eyes
than my arms will reach!

I'm not getting short sighted, my arms must be shrinking.

Bob T.