Cruising

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Sure am. On top of this, I remember another time a few years back when the captain & crew were mostly Italian ... and did the same. Jumped ship ahead of the passengers. I hate flying, but have to say I can't remember hearing of an emergency landing where the attendants and crew abandoned the plane ahead of the passengers.
 
I've been on 11 cruises. As far as the ships themselves, I'm not worried.

After this tragedy, you can bet that the ship's captains are going to be managed more tightly than before, not just Carnival corp (over 100 ships under multiple lines) but on other lines as well.

This means no disrespect to the Italian people, but from reviews I have read (I've read a cruise forum for years now), Italian cruises take a bit of getting used to. Italians (and could be other Europeans) don't queue in the same orderly fashion that Americans tend to do, there is a lot of pushing to the head of a queue, survival of the fittest, this seems most evident at buffets and such. This isn't to say that they are bad people, but this is just their everyday way of life.

Combine that with a crew that is getting poor, if any direction, and a captain that is just looking after himself, and you have a recipe for disaster.

You can bet that there is going to be a complete overhaul in regards to safety procedures, to make sure this type of thing never happens again. Cruises will likely be safer than they were before. I don't think you will see captains joy riding off course anymore.
 
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In light of the Concordia tragedy are you questioning the safety of these vessels.
I'm not. I worked on a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico back in the 80s. We literally did hundreds of excursions and I never once felt unsafe, even in rough seas. Statistically speaking, the odds are probably better of dying from a meteor strike than sinking on a cruise ship (of course, those folks on the Titanic probably said the same thing ;)).

For the last several months my wife and I have been talking about booking a Scandinavia/Russia cruise in 2013 for our 25th. We're still planning to forge ahead. Not to sound flippant about the Costa Concordia event - because it truly was a heartbreaking tragedy for those involved - but if anything, it will likely cause a drop in cruise prices for awhile.
 
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I hate cruising...I find the rooms too cramped and the number of people overwhelming. So it will not change my feelings about going on a cruise. The only one I would consider would be the one that goes up to the Lofoten Islands off the coast of Norway. It is a small cruise ship and the food is outstanding (according to those I know who have done this). And, the reason I'd do that one is because my ancestors had the trading post there and the boathouse is still standing (and there are relatives in the area).
 
Did a cruise years ago with Mom and sibs. It was OK, but so many people, and while plentiful, the food was highly overrated. Getting the bar bill at the end was a real shock.

They were very safety-conscious, and we had our lifeboat drill the day after boarding.

Now, we just stay on an island we adore and see the cruisers in town and at the beach bars. They're all gone by late afternoon.
 
The only cruise I've ever considered seriously is the Riverboat Cruise on the Columbia River. Or a 3 hour tour...:angel:
 
The only cruise I've ever considered seriously is the Riverboat Cruise on the Columbia River. Or a 3 hour tour...:angel:

on the S.S. Minnow?

TV trivia: The S.S. Minnow was named after Newton N. Minnow the chairman of the FCC that referred to television as the "vast wasteland". It was sort of a joke by Sherwood Schwartz the creator of Gilligan's Island.
 
I enjoy cruises, mainly because they can be a bargain. I don't expect gourmet food, but in my experience the dining room food is usually pretty darned good, the buffets on the other hand are never that great. On the last cruise I was on, on the same deck, but in different areas, there was a place to get 24 hour pizza, a burger place, Indian, sit down pasta restaurant and asian, I often ate at these instead of the regular buffets, the food was good and quite interesting.

Cruise ships have a lot of people on them, but I find myself doing like I do at home regarding traffic on the highways, I avoid peak times, 12 noon at a buffet will be a mad house, 8 am breakfast buffet will be the same, if you adjust by just an hour, it is much more pleasant.

We have been on enough where we don't feel that we have to do everything, we just go to relax, be entertained and fed, with a shore excursion thrown in here or there. Even with as many people as there are on ships, there is always a place to go and get away from the crowds and read a book, listen to music etc. We are lucky enough to have friends to travel with that don't drag us to do every little thing.
 
on the S.S. Minnow?

TV trivia: The S.S. Minnow was named after Newton N. Minnow the chairman of the FCC that referred to television as the "vast wasteland". It was sort of a joke by Sherwood Schwartz the creator of Gilligan's Island.

LOL! Nailed in one.
 
I've always preferred terra firma. There is no value, to me, of being packed into a giant file cabinet full of people so I can float upon large bodies of water.

I love, love, love the ground. I like trees, and woods, flowers, etc. Even though cruise ships are large, I would feel too confined. When I want to go OUT and do something I don't want to have to wait until the vessel is in port to do so.

There's too much on land that I haven't seen and I would rather do that than sleep in a cubicle and be confined during the day. Cruising simply isn't for me so those who enjoy it can have my share of it.

I don't mean to sound sour, but I've never been one to be "directed" when I want to be on vacation. I just like to go where the wind blows.
 
Katie H said:
I've always preferred terra firma. There is no value, to me, of being packed into a giant file cabinet full of people so I can float upon large bodies of water.

I love, love, love the ground. I like trees, and woods, flowers, etc. Even though cruise ships are large, I would feel too confined. When I want to go OUT and do something I don't want to have to wait until the vessel is in port to do so.

There's too much on land that I haven't seen and I would rather do that than sleep in a cubicle and be confined during the day. Cruising simply isn't for me so those who enjoy it can have my share of it.

I don't mean to sound sour, but I've never been one to be "directed" when I want to be on vacation. I just like to go where the wind blows.
Cruising isn't for everybody, but I've never felt "directed" on a cruise vacation. I enjoy both cruising and land vacations, this year and last are land vacations, but next year will be a cruise because it is a much more relaxing vacation. I have a great time going to new places on a land vacation, but finding my way around a new area, having to find decent places to eat, doesn't leave much room to just chill out. That and we aren't really nature people, even though I grew up in the sticks in Maine. Cruises for us are just an easy going vacation, where we do very little and recharge our batteries. I really enjoy being at sea.
 
I always thought it would be nice to make the crossing on a grand ship but, these floating hotels really don't appeal to me. I guess I will just sit on the dock and dangle my feet in the water while I wait for my ship to come in.
 
I've been on twelve cruises, both river and sea, in the last five years so I guess you could say I like it a lot! The best part about it is unpacking once, and having nearly daily ports of call. It's really a seamless way to travel, but not for everyone. I'd never cruise again if I couldn't have a balcony though. Once you have one, you're spoiled forever.

Like everyone else, I'm horrified with not only the "chicken of the sea" Captain, but also the crew! For the crew to tell the passengers they were not in danger while the ship is listing, and to return to their rooms is outrageous. I'd imagine the 21 people they are still searching for are in their rooms with their life jackets on. What a good lesson in always questioning authority!

This will not keep me from cruising any more than the last plane crash will keep me out of the sky.
 
Kay, started he cruising career as an assistant Maitre D for celebrity.I have two close friends who were cruise ship masterspadeswood 038.jpgMy wife is a certified fire fighter (miami coastguard) who after a general alarm( 7 short blasts and one long blast of the horn) secured her muster station then put on her firefighting equip and went to the engine room to fight the fire, the skill of the master and crew saved the ship.The Master was a very tough Greek Captain, the crew were trained the Greek way, my wife said it was one of the only times she and her muster crew were allowed to use any method to keep the pax under control, she speaks 7 languages and swears like a docker with each.
The crew must follow the orders from the bridge so if the Master says the pax must go to the cabins that what they do.
We both watched the Fox prog about this disaster yesterday, my wife was very angry.
On our third cruise in the carib as pax staying in a cat 12 cabin, first time and last time with Carnival the drill was so poor in my wifes eyes that when the officers came to the station to de muster my wife told them in perfect gutter Italian what she thought.
 
I've always preferred terra firma. There is no value, to me, of being packed into a giant file cabinet full of people so I can float upon large bodies of water.

I love, love, love the ground. I like trees, and woods, flowers, etc. Even though cruise ships are large, I would feel too confined. When I want to go OUT and do something I don't want to have to wait until the vessel is in port to do so.

There's too much on land that I haven't seen and I would rather do that than sleep in a cubicle and be confined during the day. Cruising simply isn't for me so those who enjoy it can have my share of it.

I don't mean to sound sour, but I've never been one to be "directed" when I want to be on vacation. I just like to go where the wind blows.

Wow Katie, you've nailed my opinion of taking a cruise. I see no point in it. With hundreds of places to see in my own country, why in the world would I pay all that money, have to drive all the way to the departure point, be herded into pens, eat mass produced foods and be subject to the over-priced tourist junk in other countries?

I'll jump in the van and drive to a place in the USA I haven't seen yet, but is famous. There's thousands of them to go to.
 
Timothy said:
Wow Katie, you've nailed my opinion of taking a cruise. I see no point in it. With hundreds of places to see in my own country, why in the world would I pay all that money, have to drive all the way to the departure point, be herded into pens, eat mass produced foods and be subject to the over-priced tourist junk in other countries?

I'll jump in the van and drive to a place in the USA I haven't seen yet, but is famous. There's thousands of them to go to.

Cruises have allowed me to see places and do things that I would not have been able to afford otherwise. If it was the horror show that you describe, millions of people wouldn't do it week after week.

The food can be quite good, mass produced or not.
 
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