planning our first vacation in 10 years.

[laurenpetro]

i just booked a cruise for our 10th (HOLY SHIT!) and i just have 1 thing to say:

people who are on cruise message boards are fucking freaks.

if you have never been on one before, might i suggest boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1401708&highlight=butler where people mention that they have LISTS for the butlers. what???

seriously? is this the same thing that happens when white trash win the lottery?

[pixy0stix]

A butler would have to be a very patient person.

[basilosaurus]

I just finished a cruise, and I'm active on cruise critic when planning. I promise not everyone is that nuts.

Our roll call was a bit weird/weak, but we still met good couples that we traveled with both during and after the cruise. It made our trip more enjoyable. Plus, you can get pretty darn good info.

[laurenpetro]

i was hoping as much i just keep reading some of the posts and think "are you fucking kidding me?!?!?"

that, and there's an "internet etiquette" thread that had me laughing my ass off i am glad i read it before i posted anything though. the first 6 things i nearly posted would have had me run off the boards.

i'm VERY excited about our cruise, though. celebrity summit, august 2013!!! in a SUITE! sqeeee!

[Deleted]

DH is on cruise critic. I mock him :-)

[druidp]

Sweet Lord, I didn't tell you all about the Rascal cruiser on our ship! (Sorry, it can't wait for Fat Tuesday...)

Dude was easily over 400 pounds with no visible handicap, and he rode a rascal around the entire ship. Which wouldn't have been anything, except he was an ASSHOLE.

He expected people to move aside to let him into buffet lines without waiting. He harangued the staff when they were doing safety procedures on any entryway which made him have to go a different and longer route to his destination on the rascal. And I mean rude shit: "WHY is that doorway closed off?" / "Sir, we had a spill and are cleaning it up to ensure it's a safe thoroughfare for passengers." / "But I am HANDICAPPED. HOW am I supposed to be able to get onto that deck? THIS is the WORST ship for handicapped people EVER."

Just so you know, I thought of this group every time I caught sight of him.

[ttt]

Whoa. Those people um, REALLY like cruises...

[Deleted]

May 12, 2012 20:14:51 GMT -5 ttt said:

Whoa. Those people um, REALLY like cruises...

and make bump ticker overload look tame

[laurenpetro]

May 12, 2012 20:14:24 GMT -5 druidp said:

Sweet Lord, I didn't tell you all about the Rascal cruiser on our ship! (Sorry, it can't wait for Fat Tuesday...)

Dude was easily over 400 pounds with no visible handicap, and he rode a rascal around the entire ship. Which wouldn't have been anything, except he was an ASSHOLE.

He expected people to move aside to let him into buffet lines without waiting. He harangued the staff when they were doing safety procedures on any entryway which made him have to go a different and longer route to his destination on the rascal. And I mean rude shit: "WHY is that doorway closed off?" / "Sir, we had a spill and are cleaning it up to ensure it's a safe thoroughfare for passengers." / "But I am HANDICAPPED. HOW am I supposed to be able to get onto that deck? THIS is the WORST ship for handicapped people EVER."

Just so you know, I thought of this group every time I caught sight of him.

thanks to this, i'm bringing my flip for just such an encounter.

[basilosaurus]

They're really not good about things like not posting full emails and full names. It's naive in that sense. However, they're awesome about literally identifying your cabin from a picture of the ship and telling you if it's a good one.

I've been on the celeb summit before. It was far better than the newer huger fancier ncl epic I just got off of.

[laurenpetro]

yes, yes and yes. i actually saw a picture of our cabin. the good news is, it's amazing. the bad news is i saw a picture of a guy who has now slept there before me. i can't be sure but he might be the guy who was on the rascal on your cruise

oh, and there are a LOT of medical issues on that board. a freakishly large amount.

[druidp]

I LOVED our cruise. Not just for the bars and buffets everywhere, the karoake and live band singing, the shows and off-shore excursions. The freakin' service was exemplary - I have never been in an environment (hotel, resort, etc) where every staff person to the last man treated me like a respected friend. I'm not kidding: pleasant smiles, greetings, queries about our day, etc. And we asked several staff people how long they had been working with the cruise company - most were over 10 years. Someone's doing something right.

It is in my destiny to cruise again, and without the kids. And since DH is pretty set against ever embarking onto the ocean again, me thinks it'll have to be a girls-ony cruise. Anyone???

[ttt]

May 12, 2012 20:16:46 GMT -5 @septimus said:

May 12, 2012 20:14:51 GMT -5 ttt said:

Whoa. Those people um, REALLY like cruises...

and make bump ticker overload look tame

For real.

I've only been on a cruise once, as a kid, and 10 year old me thought it was the awesomest thing ever, especially when my brother and I figured out about charging drinks to the room. I'm not sure what I would think today.

[EloiseWeenie]

We just went on a cruise last month, and we had a great time.

The obnoxious people (including some of our family members) were the ones with the "special" colored room keys, meaning they cruise all the time. You would see people flashing their cards like they were the Kings and Queens of the ship, but I honestly didn't think the staff treated them differently (although BIL brags about all of the extra perks- which were apparently nonexistent on our cruise). When we were in Key West, there was a back up of trolleys going back to the port, and this couple sitting by us pulls out their room keys like it will magically get our trolley there faster. They were waving them around like fools.

ETA: I felt like I was rocking for 4 or 5 days after I got off of the boat- that totally sucked.

[emisi]

I wanted to take a cruise for the vacation we're planning, but H said no. He can be a little antisocial, and he says that on a ship, there's no way to get away from people who annoy you. Sigh.

[JLN]

I'm baffled that there are people who cruise enough to necsesitate lists of past cruises. Are these people wealthy? Or just love to take cruises? And do butlers come with the suite or do you pay extra for that?

I've obviously never been on a cruise.

[laurenpetro]

jen, i have no idea about the first part but i can tell you the butler comes with the suite. there's a list of perks for each level.

i.cannot.wait.

[dev22]

May 12, 2012 21:54:18 GMT -5 emisi said:

I wanted to take a cruise for the vacation we're planning, but H said no. He can be a little antisocial, and he says that on a ship, there's no way to get away from people who annoy you. Sigh.

Ar you married to Dylanite too? Lol

[yellowumbrella]

That message board is insane - it reaffirms my opinion that I never want to go on a cruise!

[Deleted]

For those that want to cruise, granted I've only done the qm2, but I'm antisocial and have never felt the need to socialize with my fellow guests.

Cunard has free child care which was the big selling point for me. I drop the kids off after breakfast, pick them up for lunch, return them for the afternoon, take them to the "kids tea" and then return them to the childcare. DH and I get a lot of alone time :-)

[Deleted]

I don't know what it says about me, but a butler sounds so awesome!

The closest I have is when I travel for work, my coworkers will beg the hotel staff for diet coke and oranges for me. They know I need caffeine before I can say anything.

[NitaX]

I love cruises. I told DH that I really, really want to do a cruise next year for our 5th anniversary. The problem is that H is afraid to unleash Nae on my mom for a full week.

Enjoy yourself. And I'm officially jealousE.

[Deleted]

May 13, 2012 5:25:52 GMT -5 @septimus said:

For those that want to cruise, granted I've only done the qm2, but I'm antisocial and have never felt the need to socialize with my fellow guests.

Cunard has free child care which was the big selling point for me. I drop the kids off after breakfast, pick them up for lunch, return them for the afternoon, take them to the "kids tea" and then return them to the childcare. DH and I get a lot of alone time :-)

There will be a lot more cruising in my future just because of the childcare they offer on them.

[wawa]

May 12, 2012 20:55:58 GMT -5 druidp said:

I LOVED our cruise. Not just for the bars and buffets everywhere, the karoake and live band singing, the shows and off-shore excursions. The freakin' service was exemplary - I have never been in an environment (hotel, resort, etc) where every staff person to the last man treated me like a respected friend. I'm not kidding: pleasant smiles, greetings, queries about our day, etc. And we asked several staff people how long they had been working with the cruise company - most were over 10 years. Someone's doing something right.

It is in my destiny to cruise again, and without the kids. And since DH is pretty set against ever embarking onto the ocean again, me thinks it'll have to be a girls-ony cruise. Anyone???

Which line were you on?

[msmerymac]

May 12, 2012 22:01:32 GMT -5 JLN said:

I'm baffled that there are people who cruise enough to necsesitate lists of past cruises. Are these people wealthy? Or just love to take cruises? And do butlers come with the suite or do you pay extra for that?

I've obviously never been on a cruise.

Honestly? I don't think cruises are great enough to want to do like 20+ in my lifetime. BUT I also don't like all-inclusive resorts, so take that with a grain of salt.

Cruises are like no other vacation. You aren't immersing yourself in a different city or country (especially if your ship is American, even if it's an international cruise). The ports are really touristy since that's how they make money.

I'm not saying it's not fun. I've been to Mexico on a cruise and I'm planning on going on one to Alaska with family next summer. It's just... different. And not different in a "Greatest. Thing. Ever." sort of way. Just different.

OMG, the rascal story reminded me. I was at a Ren Faire yesterday. I saw a guy on a rascal. WHO HAD HIS RASCAL DECORATED LIKE A DRAGON. Like, he was dressed in Ren Faire attire and made it look like he was riding around on a dragon.

[basilosaurus]

Oh, cruises aren't that bad. I've been on a few (enough to make a long sig , partly b/c my grandparents like to take trips with the family and cruises are a good compromise to keep 10 people up to 60 years age difference happy at the same time.

Yes, it can be touristy if you're on a large ship. It can also be a good way to see lots of different stuff without having to unpack and worry about transportation (the deep caribbean is a good example of this). And if you're a decent traveler, you can escape the tourist hordes fairly easily by doing your own thing rather than an expensive ship tour. I don't think I'd ever go to an AI, but in limited situations I think cruises can be great. I would never have seen all the unspoiled islands in the Andaman sea on my own, although admittedly that was a cruise with only 100 people.

I'm pretty anti-social, and I was nervous about the 4000 pax on our most recent trip (one of the largest ships in the world), but it was usually ok. We'd go to the hot tub after dinner, and we'd literally be the only ones there.

These companies are pretty accomplished at the logistics of handling that many people. Besides, the people watching can be highly entertaining when you do find yourself surrounded.

[charminglife]

May 14, 2012 12:57:19 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

OMG, the rascal story reminded me. I was at a Ren Faire yesterday. I saw a guy on a rascal. WHO HAD HIS RASCAL DECORATED LIKE A DRAGON. Like, he was dressed in Ren Faire attire and made it look like he was riding around on a dragon.

OMG - please tell me you have a photo of this.

[druidp]

May 14, 2012 12:37:22 GMT -5 wawa said:

Which line were you on?

Carnival. I had been on one in my junior year of high school, so really couldn't set any expectations for it. But as a mom having two kids, my mom and her fiance, and husband on board - to the poster whose husband said you can't get away from anyone - WRONG-O. I managed to do it several times, and it was flippin' awesome.

[msmerymac]

May 14, 2012 14:24:53 GMT -5 charminglife said:

May 14, 2012 12:57:19 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

OMG, the rascal story reminded me. I was at a Ren Faire yesterday. I saw a guy on a rascal. WHO HAD HIS RASCAL DECORATED LIKE A DRAGON. Like, he was dressed in Ren Faire attire and made it look like he was riding around on a dragon.

OMG - please tell me you have a photo of this.

NO! To my everlasting shame. It was later in the afternoon and really crowded. We were walking back through the entire thing to the exit (after seeing the jousting, bitches!) and all of sudden, the guy was in front of me. Then disappeared into the crowd.

[wawa]

May 14, 2012 14:24:54 GMT -5 druidp said:

May 14, 2012 12:37:22 GMT -5 wawa said:

Which line were you on?

Carnival. I had been on one in my junior year of high school, so really couldn't set any expectations for it. But as a mom having two kids, my mom and her fiance, and husband on board - to the poster whose husband said you can't get away from anyone - WRONG-O. I managed to do it several times, and it was flippin' awesome.

Good to know. i went on a carnival cruise for spring break in college, but haven't done one since. MH is convinced that several others are better, but carnival is usually so much more affordable.

I love cruises. I haven't been on one since college, but for a vacation where i just want to relax/do mindless fun rather than expand my cultural horizons, they are definitelly my first choice. They also make a really easy group trip.