Why the Hate?

Being active on several cruise forums, there is one complaint I’ll never understand. The complaint is when the person complains about children being on the cruise. First, let me explain why I don’t understand this complaint. Okay, first of all, one thing I don’t get is why these complainers cruise on family-oriented lines. Carnival for example. Or even RCCL. If you’re going on a cruise on one of these lines and expecting to get away from kids, you’re dead wrong, even in the school season. These cruise lines cater to families, hence their cheaper prices and plentiful kids’ programs/areas. If someone doesn’t like kids, then I believe a cruise line like Cunard or Crystal is for them. Their response: they’re too expensive.  Well then, it looks like cruising isn’t for you! If you’re not willing to pay a premium to get away from kids, you can’t complain about them.

Another thing, they are fully paid guests as well. They have just as much right to be on the ship as the complainer does. “They’re kids, they probably won’t even remember the cruise!” That’s a typical argument from one of these complainers. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter whether the kids remember the cruise or not. The parents are taking the kids because they want them there. It’s their (the parents’) memory. That’s what counts.

Finally, if you’re that up tight that you let some kids ruin your entire vacation, you definitely have problems. You either absolutely hate kids, or you let even the smallest things get to you. These are the same people who will vow never to go on a particular cruise line again because the room steward forgot to put mints on their pillows each night… These people are nuts.

Now, I will have to agree with the complainers on a couple points. Kids can be annoying when they run up and down the hallway all night. When they sit (literally) in the elevators and ride them all day. Even worse, when they push all the buttons. Even worse then that, when it’s a group of them and they talk about you or try to make you uncomfortable during the ride. Or when they cut in line at the buffet. Or when they do stupid things like throw deck chairs overboard. Even from someone as tolerant toward kids as I am, these things can get annoying. So I can see where these complainers are coming from.

But even still, there are much worse things on a cruise. Toward the top of the list: drunk adults. Here we go, the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Personally, I can’t stand drunk adults. Perhaps that’s because I’m not a drinker and I don’t understand the purpose of getting completely trashed, but either way they’re still annoying to be around. Let’s see. I’d say most of the man-overboard cases we see in the news each year are alcohol related, whether directly (jumping off after getting drunk) or indirectly (marital spat after becoming intoxicated). Or how about the loud ones that you just want to punch in the face? They’re pretty annoying. Or the ones at the comedy shows that literally laugh at every word the comedian says. I can’t stand that. Yes, they’re funny, but not that funny!

Okay, I know I’m sounding like a complainer myself, but I just wanted to say this because it’s something I just don’t understand. If someone could explain this to me, it would be greatly appreciated!

First Update in a While

I know, I haven’t updated in quite a while. I got busy with the start of the semester and I guess I forgot about this. Well, I think it’s time to begin updating again. To start with, I’m happy to say there are only 93 more days until our cruise! It’s coming quickly. Unfortunately, it will be over even more quickly. (I’m pessimistic, I know).

Anyway, there’s something I’d like to talk about. I read online that Carnival is talking about displaying ads (with sound) on their big-screen TVs on deck. I find this very distasteful. People spend their hard-earned money to go on vacation to get away from crap like that. And they’re actually considering doing that? I find it hard to believe. Nothing has been set in stone yet, and this is still just a rumor. I’m interested in seeing how this develops. I guarantee that if this happens, I will submit multiple comment cards on every Carnival cruise I am on, even if the ship I’m on doesn’t have these TVs. Carnival says they read every single one of their comment cards. Let’s see if they really do. I’m sure I won’t be the only one doing this, if these ads really do start appearing. I love Carnival as much as the next guy, but I am disgusted over this rumor.

Genesis

We got this month’s copy of Cruise Travel in the mail today. In it was a list of upcoming cruise ships debuting in the coming years. There are the new Disney ships, the Carnival Dream class ships (Dream and Magic), and of course, among many others, RCI’s Genesis I and Genesis II. If there were ever a dream ship of mine, this is going to be it. From what I’ve gathered, there will be a bowling alley, billiards, and more. The bowling and billiards are what I’d be most interested in.

What kind of cruise ship can house these types of amenities? A big cruise ship. I mean, a reallybig cruise ship. Weighing in at a tonnage of 220,000, these “Genesis” ships, which are currently unnamed (and most likely will not go by the name Genesis of the Seas), will be the biggest cruise ships afloat today. Bigger cruise ships also means more passengers. These monsters will be home to over 5,000 passengers on any given cruise! That’s insane. I thought the RCI Freedom class ships were huge, with a passenger capacity of over 4,000. Over 5,000 is just crazy. I hope they design the buffets really well, or else those lines will be unbearable. That’s not even to mention the wait times for embarkation and especially disembarkation. I mean, waiting a long time to get on the boat is one thing, but having to wait for 5,000 people to get off the boat will be intolerable, in my opinion. I hate waiting in lines on ships half the size. I can’t imagine what it will be like.

To get an idea of the size of this mammoth, I found an interesting comparative picture from cruisemates.com:

Comparing the size to the Voyager class really puts it in perspective for me. I was on the Explorer of the Seas, which is a Voyager class ship. That ship was the largest I’ve ever been on. And the Genesis dwarfs the Voyager. It’s like comparing the Conquest to the Holiday at Carnival. (Okay, maybe the Conquest to the Fantasy.) The only problem there is, Genesis dwarfs them too!

It seems to me that RCI always comes out with the largest ships first. I remember when Voyager of the Seas debuted, it was then the largest cruise ship in the world. Then Freedom of the Seas took the title. Now Genesis. The other cruise lines usually take several years to follow. I don’t know if Carnival still has any plans matching the Voyager class. I know their Dream class is to be 130,000 tons, but Voyager is still 140,000.

I guess the bottom line is, while I’d love the new amenities on board the Genesis, I think I might just have to pass until 200,000+ ton ships become the norm, mainly due to the long lines everywhere I’ll go onboard and off. Not to mention prices to buy cruises on these ships, especially in the beginning.

Cruise Ship Staff

The staff on a cruise ship are what make each cruise unique from all the others. I have been on quite a few cruises, and the one thing that I usually use to distinguish one cruise from another, aside from the ship itself, is the staff. Unless you travel on the same boat twice in a row, chances are you’ll never see the same group of staff twice. This is what makes them so unique.

Most of the staff on cruise ships are from very poor backgrounds. They will leave their families for months at a time to bring home some money. They’ll often work seven-day weeks, with only a couple hours off each day to eat and sleep. Their jobs are rigorous, and their pay is low. Most of them, however, can still manage to put a smile on your face.

The staff most people get to know the most is their dinner wait staff. On most cruise lines, there is a waiter/waitress and an assistant. There are many types of personalities you’ll discover in these people. Some are subdued and very nice, like our waiter Jude on the Glory. Some are extremely outgoing and even comical. The perfect example of this type was “Mr. Kool” from our Victory cruise in 2001. He had such charisma. Another type is the one who just enjoys his job (or at least appears to), and is willing to stop and chat with you for a few minutes. Their job isn’t just about serving food. It’s also about getting to know you. This was Roberto on our Legend cruise this past summer (2007). He was one of our only waiters who knew us by name and could pretty much predict what we would order. He’d stop to talk with us, answer our questions, and even ask some of his own at dinner. If we’d see him on deck, he’d get a big smile on his face and would take time out from his busy schedule to talk some more!

I don’t drink, so I’m not sure what the bar personnel are like. But I know the drink staff that deliver drinks to you on deck are quite nice. They will learn your favorite drinks quickly and will even begin to know you by name.  Another type of staff is the casino staff. Most are very friendly and will have conversation with you, or will explain the game rules to you.

Overall, the staff onboard a cruise ship are very friendly. Considering how intense their jobs are and how little they get paid, I really do have a lot of respect for these guys.

Oh, the Food!

One of the reasons I love to cruise so much is the food. All day long, there is great food to enjoy. It starts before breakfast… We usually bring danish and coffee back to the room and we’ll enjoy it out on our balcony. This is always something nice to look forward to right after waking up. Sometimes I just want to sleep all morning, but this is something that forces me to get up. If it weren’t for this, I might just sleep right through breakfast!

Next is breakfast. Depending on what we’re feeling that morning, we’ll either go to the buffet or dining room for breakfast. I’d say this is split pretty evenly. Both places have their pros and cons as well. Eating in the dining room is nice because, well, you get served. It’s nice to sit down and enjoy a good breakfast. The bad part is you get a waiter who might not necessarily know you. Either way, it’s still nice to get served. The buffet is nice because I can get what I want, and I can choose how much I want. The second part is the kicker. In the dining room, it’s up the waiter to decide how much I get (unless I specify I want multiple orders). At the buffet, I can get more bacon if I want it, or I get another scoop of eggs if I’m in the mood. It’s all up to me. Of course, the downside is that there aren’t always tables available, and that you have to wait in line. Waiting in line is a pain. I hate it, but sometimes we just have to do it. The lines usually move fairly quickly though.

Next is the pre-lunch snack. This usually consists of an ice cream cone (or just the ice cream), and either fries, a second portion of breakfast, or a slice of pizza. This is nice because it gets you ready for lunch. You know, those two platefuls of breakfast just weren’t enough! I need to have some fries before lunch so I don’t die of starvation. </sarcasm> But seriously, it’s nice to get a little something to eat and watch the buffet to see what’s going to be served for lunch.

Now it’s lunch time. Most of the time we eat lunch at the buffet. I think I’ve eaten lunch in the dining room maybe once or twice out of all the cruises I’ve been on. For some reason I’m just not into it. From what I hear, the food is sometimes better in the dining room. But I’ve just never done it. Anyway, lunch always consists of multiple portions. If I’m at the buffet, my first course consists of a small samples of everything that looks good. The next course is a full portion of what I liked the most. Next I will get full portions of other things I really liked. Finally, I get some dessert. This will usually be a slice of cake, fruit, jello, or any combination of them. Another option for lunch is the deli. I’ll get a Reuben sandwich, that’s my favorite. After that I’ll stop by the buffet for some more food.

After lunch is the post-lunch snack. This is similar to the pre-lunch snack. I’ll either get a slice of pizza, something from the grill (usually a hot dog), or I’ll go back to the buffet for some more food.

The rest of the afternoon consists of fasting. I will not eat anything until dinner. The only time this isn’t the case is when we have late seating dinner (around 8:00). Then I’ll have a snack around 4:00. But when we have main seating dinner (around 6:00), I hold back on all food until dinner.

Dinner is always a great meal. I’ll start out with an appetizer and/or a cold soup. I always get the cold soup of the night, except the cold creamy cucumber soup. Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds. The rest of the cold soups are good. They include gazpacho, strawberry bisque, cream of lychees, and more. For salad, I get the Caesar salad, which is always very good. I always get at least one entree, depending on what’s being served. Sometimes I’ll get more than one if there are a couple things I like. Finally, there is dessert. I’ll usually get one dessert, sometimes two. I get coffee to go with dessert.

After dinner is entertainment time (casino, shows, etc.), so there’s not much eating going on then. But later on in the evening, I’ll get a slice of pizza before heading back to the room for the night.

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The food itself is almost always good. Breakfast is same every day: eggs, sausage, bacon, grits, oatmeal, pancake and/or french toast, condiments, etc.As I mentioned earlier, my favorite at the deli is the reuben sandwich. I enjoy the Chinese food as well for lunch. There is also a “taste of nations” station at the buffet, which changes daily. This gives you a chance to try international cuisine.Dinner gives me the chance to order full course meals, which I normally cannot do. There is also good food at dinner. Obviously, a lot of the food I eat at dinner is food I only get a chance to eat on a cruise. The cold soups, lobster tail, and the exotic foods are some of these.You can’t beat 24-hour pizza. The pizza (at least on Carnival) is very good too. The grill has good hot dogs, burgers, and fries. Also, some grills will also cook up a steak sandwich if you ask. Most people don’t know about this. The soft-serve ice cream is good too. And from what I hear, the frozen yogurt is good as well.Overall, I would say the food is the top reason I love cruising. Good food, at all hours of the day. You can’t beat it!Coming up next time: the wait staff and other cruise ship staff.