# Nope. Nuh uh. Fergitaboutit. Cruise ships.



## Gracie (Mar 9, 2013)

Royal Caribbean Vision Of The Seas Ship Back In Port After 108 Fall Ill

With all the negative stuff that happens on them...why would anyone pay to tavel on one?


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## Desperado (Mar 9, 2013)

Been on a few cruises, never had a problem and always had a great time.


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## waltky (May 27, 2013)

Another cruise ship catches fire...

*Fire breaks out aboard Royal Caribbean cruise ship*
_May 27,`13  -- A fire that broke out aboard a Royal Caribbean ship Monday did enough damage that the rest of the cruise was canceled and the company said the more than 2,200 passengers will be flown from the Bahamas back to Baltimore where the trip began._


> The fire that began at 2:50 a.m. Monday was extinguished about two hours later with no injuries reported. A cause wasn't immediately known. The Grandeur of the Seas, which left Baltimore on Friday, never lost power and was able to sail into port in Freeport, Bahamas, Monday afternoon. It had been planned to be a seven-night cruise.  Royal Caribbean said on its website and through social media that executives met with passengers in port and that the cruise line is arranging flights for all 2,224 guests on Tuesday. It said passengers will receive a full refund of their fare and a certificate for a future cruise.  Aboard ship early Monday, the captain announced that passengers needed to go to their muster stations, rousing Mark J. Ormesher from his stateroom. Ormesher said in an email to The Associated Press that immediately after the announcement, his room attendant knocked on the door and told him and his girlfriend to grab their flotation devices. The attendant said it wasn't a drill.
> 
> Ormesher, a native of England, who lives in Manassas, Va., said he and his girlfriend smelled acrid smoke as they went to their muster station, the ship's casino. The crew quickly provided instruction.  "This encouraged calm amongst the passengers," he said. Passengers were required to remain at their stations for four hours, he said, and the captain "provided us as much information as we needed to stay safe."  Ormesher, who is 25 and on his first cruise, said the air conditioner had been shut off, and as the hours passed and the ship got hot, bottled water was distributed. The crew and passengers remained calm, and helped those who needed it. Crying babies were given formula and held while their parents used the bathrooms.
> 
> ...


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## Granny (May 27, 2013)

Gracie said:


> Royal Caribbean Vision Of The Seas Ship Back In Port After 108 Fall Ill
> 
> With all the negative stuff that happens on them...why would anyone pay to tavel on one?



I'm with you on this one! If they're not getting sick, they're falling overboard or just plain disappearing.


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## sfcalifornia (May 28, 2013)

I'm not seeing the upside to cruising.  I know people who love it.  I've done a couple of short trips by boat but I think I'd get bored on the longer trips....  aside from fires, people falling overboard etc.....

And forget hot air ballooning too.....!


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## MikeK (May 28, 2013)

Gracie said:


> Royal Caribbean Vision Of The Seas Ship Back In Port After 108 Fall Ill
> 
> With all the negative stuff that happens on them...why would anyone pay to tavel on one?


I don't like boats to begin with and I don't understand why anyone would want to get on one just to be on it.  I spent too much time on ships when I was in the military and I hated every minute of it.  (I got miserably seasick the first time.)

I recall my girl-friend's sister (back in 1956) excitedly preparing for a trip to Italy with her new husband -- on the *Andrea Doria!*  That ship was sunk in mid-Atlantic with her on it.  Luckily it sank slowly and everyone was rescued, but it could easily have been another Titanic story

Shortly after a recent cruise-ship event I heard  someone on a radio talk show complain about her cash and jewelry being stolen from her cabin on some cruise -- along with other people being robbed on the same ship.  And I seem to recall stories of people being assaulted, raped, disappearing (presumably gone overboard) and other offensive things happening on various cruise ships.  

So, after the Titanic, the Andrea Doria, and the many other cruise ship incidents, I can't understand why people still go on them.  What can one do on a cruise ship that can't be done on dry land?  One outstanding deterrent in my mind is the simple fact that if you go on a cruise and don't like it you're stuck.  You can't just turn around and go home.  

But people still go on them.


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## Politico (May 28, 2013)

If you lock yourself in a sardine can with thousands of people you get what you deserve.


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## jan (May 28, 2013)

The beauty of a cruise is that you get to visit several ports of call and only have to unpack once!  Someone else is doing the driving and it's all about being pampered.

The food is great and plentiful.  And there is always something to do onboard.


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## Skull Pilot (May 28, 2013)

I would never book a cruise.

I can't stand the idea of being trapped on a boat with a bunch of people


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## ABikerSailor (May 28, 2013)

You know....................I've spent 20 years serving in the U.S. Navy, and about half of that time was spent serving on ships.   I've served on everything from supply ships to carriers, and everything in between.

That being said.........................I would NEVER book a cruise on the ships that have recently been in the news.

Why?  Simple........................they have no way of making sure that the maintenance is being taken care of, nor do they wish to find out why the problem happened in the first place.

But then again...................I guess the military is more efficient than those who belong to the private sector.


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## jan (May 28, 2013)

Politico said:


> If you* lock yourself in a sardine can *with thousands of people you get what you deserve.



Sounds to me like you're describing a trip on an airplane.

That's exactly how I feel about flying.


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## Desperado (May 28, 2013)

ABikerSailor said:


> I guess the military is more efficient than those who belong to the private sector.



Now those are words I thought I would never hear!
The military is more efficient than the private sector?
I have heard the military called a lot of things before but never "efficient"


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## Sallow (May 28, 2013)

Gracie said:


> Royal Caribbean Vision Of The Seas Ship Back In Port After 108 Fall Ill
> 
> With all the negative stuff that happens on them...why would anyone pay to tavel on one?



Personally..I think Cruise ships and resorts are the worst way to travel. You never get a sense of the country you are exploring and it's basically a "canned" experience.

Best thing to do, in my opinion, is do a short term rental in the country you are visiting or a "Mom and Pop" hotel.


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## Sallow (May 28, 2013)

Desperado said:


> ABikerSailor said:
> 
> 
> > I guess the military is more efficient than those who belong to the private sector.
> ...



Coming from the IT sector and having worked with many Vets, they are pretty damned efficient.

And they have a sense of actually completing a task.

Which is very refreshing.


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## strollingbones (May 28, 2013)

you couldnt give me a cruise...everyone said...o that wont happen on the upper scale liners....well duh fucking duh...it has and did....

they commercials make it look great....you are on the sandy beach etc..they dont show the other 2000 people who are there too...i simply could not imagine any situation where 'sleeping on urine soaked decks' is the solution...


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## martybegan (May 28, 2013)

Desperado said:


> Been on a few cruises, never had a problem and always had a great time.



Cruise lines suffer from negativity bias. You hear all about the bad cruise trips and nothing about the ones where nothing happens.


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## ABikerSailor (May 28, 2013)

Desperado said:


> ABikerSailor said:
> 
> 
> > I guess the military is more efficient than those who belong to the private sector.
> ...



Hey................the military has more ships than Carnival does, and they manage to keep them running pretty well without them breaking down or going up in flames.

Matter of fact, the only time I ever saw a ship get into a serious problem (other than being shot at or bombed) was once during my first tour.  Seems the ship on the pier ahead of us ended up having a main space fire, but it was extinguished within the 15 min. time limit, and even though there was damage, it wasn't so bad that the ship missed it's next deployment date.


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## DGS49 (Sep 16, 2013)

As demonstrated in this thread, a lot of people have a lot of irrational misgivings about cruising.  I've vacationed in every imaginable way, from bicycle trips to bus excursion, self-guided tours, and traveled by bus and train, and although everyone's preference is different, cruising has a well-deserved army of fans.  They are not all crazy or stupid.

As hinted above, there are hundreds of cruises going on at all times, all around the world.  Each year one or two bad experiences make headlines.  To draw the conclusion that they are all trouble-prone is about as logical as swearing off airplane travel because a commercial airliner goes down. Yeah, one in fifteen million, while 30,000 Americans a year are killed in auto accidents. Most cruises are a wonder of organization, planning, and flawless execution.  They have to be, or their passengers won't come back.  If they weren't efficient, they could never get a couple thousand ignorant passengers on and off the boat in a timely fashion - let along getting them all fed 8 or 10 times a day (in my case).

Cruises have evolved over decades to be as enjoyable as possible.  Many people INTENTIONALLY stay on the ship for the entire cruise, because that's more enjoyable to them than going on a shore excursion or walk at the destination.  The entertainment and activities are constant (whether you are in port or at sea).  You get a full-page schedule every evening so you can plan what you want to do the coming day.  There is gambling (all kinds from card games to slots to board games), shopping, fun-type game-playing (bridge, Wi-games), swimming and other pool activities, trivia games,  shuffleboard, basketball, fitness activities in a gym, live entertainment, and simply great places to relax while watching the ocean or just reading a book (a hot tub or five?).  Every evening after dinner, there is a live stage act that is usually "Las Vegas" quality or close to it (as well as other entertainment in more intimate settings around the ship).  After dinner and into the wee hours you can go to a dance venue or simply listen to live music in one of three or four on-board "nightclubs.)  

And the staff on ALL cruises is 100% dedicated to making your cruise a happy one - no kidding.

Parenthetically, there are essentially NO AMERICANS in service positions on cruise ships, because we Americans generally just don't have the temperament to be grateful for having a job and wanting to make the client satisfied and even happy, all the time.

The food is generally excellent and available at all times.  You can dine like a slob or in formal attire with others who are similarly attired, or anything in between those extremes, and the ship will generally accommodate your preferred style.

In general terms, you can socialize as much or as little as you want on a cruise.  If you want to eat meals with only your own party, that will be arranged, and if you want to eat with 6 strangers every evening, that is also possible.  Believe me, you will meet a lot of interesting people, from all over the world.

When you get into a port you can either wander around on shore as you wish, or take a guided tour (the ones provided by the ship are pretty good, but god-awful expensive).  Most destinations have "Hop-on, Hop-off" buses that show up at the port, that allow you to tour the city at your own pace.

It's not the same as spending a week in Paris, or living on the economy in Barcelona; it's not supposed to be.  It is a fun, relaxing time that gives you the opportunity to "taste" a short list of distinations without having to get sick eating the local food (unless you want to).

Taking an ocean cruise, to me, is like visiting Las Vegas.  You may end up hating it, but as an American, you simply MUST do it some time in your life.  I never thought I would enjoy a cruise, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming onto my first one.  But I had a great time.

Another good thing about cruising is that if you keep your eyes open, you can do it at a very reasonable cost, especially if you don't require a window in your stateroom.  There are "last minute" deals and specials going on constantly, and they are scheduled so that you can fly in to the port and board the plane the same day, and same thing departing, so you don't have to rent a hotel room in the embarcation port.

There are some things that I dislike about cruising - they are constantly trying to get into your wallet for upgrades and extras, but if you can deal with that, it can be a great vacation with a minimum of the frenzy that accompanies other types of traveling from place to place.  Mainly, as stated above, you only unpack once.

My favorite way to travel is by car, but cruising is a close second.

Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.

One final point:  Getting seasick on a cruise ship is very rare, and can be addressed with harmless pills.  Unless you encounter very unusual conditions, the movement of the ship is minimal, and after an hour or so, you won't even be aware of it.


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