swsfrail

As far as "specialty restaurants", before their advent, the food in the MDR was excellent, and beautifully presented. Once they realized they could reduce the quality of the MDR food, and have folks PAY for something that used to be included, they jumped at the chance!

 

Yes, you can choose to NOT partake of the specialty restaurants, but nowadays, you're getting basic food...not artfully presented, and usually, pretty bland, compared to what used to be included. Such a shame.

You are entitled to your opinion. My opinion is that the meals in the MDR are quite good - at least on the lines that I patronize - and are quite satisfactory considering how the prices of cruises have gone down dramatically since the "before the advent of specialty restaurant" prehistoric time frame you are using.

It always amazes me how people practice selective memory when complaining about the state of cruising today. They conveniently "forget" that fares were higher in the past, that ships were smaller and did not provide as much entertainment and amenities as modern cruise ships, that staterooms were smaller with very few having balconies, that there were many fewer ports of call available. Nope. The forget that. But, they claim to remember how much "better" the food was in the limited number of dining venues available to them. Apparently the food was the only reason they cruised at all. :rolleyes:

Yes, lots of memory loss on these forums. :eek:

Who the heck are you listening to??? No one I have ever heard pronounces those like you claim. If you are going to paint Americans with a wide brush, at least use the correct one. :rolleyes:

 

I hate it when people who obviously have no idea what they are talking about make incorrect blanket assumptions about others. Quit insulting Americans with your obviously biased assumptions that we are too incompetent to pronounce names correctly. :mad:

Well, can you expect someone who drives on the wrong side of the road to make accurate assumptions about those of us who drive on the correct side? We drive on the right side of the road because it is the "right" (i.e. "correct") way to drive a car. :D

Even cruise ships using shipping lanes across the world pass to the right of each other. (There, that got the discussion back to cruising ;) ).

For Celebrity to go this model I think they would need a new ship. Not enough space on current ships to create all the venue beyond the 2 or 3 speciality restaurants they have now.

If Celebrity goes this route, they will no longer be my favorite cruise line. I don't care to have my cruise experienced "dumbed down" to the lowest common denominator. If I did, NCL would be my favorite line - which thankfully it has no chance of ever becoming.

Why should Celebrity copy how the lowest rated cruise line, NCL, does things? Celebrity is so much better that that.

This is a personal matter. No one should ever tell someone else what to do. (or refer to them as Cheapskates' date=' which is very low IMO)

 

We each do what we feel is best and I am willing to bet that the vast majority of pax just leave the tips as they are.

 

The end![/quote']

 

I don't care to agree with you. You say that each of us should be able to do what we want, and no one has a right to call them names for it. That's taking the low road on the topic of stiffing the staff, which is what removing tips is really about in the end.

 

Removing tips because someone doesn't think they should have to pay it is akin to walking out of a store without paying for an item because they don't think they should have to pay for it. And don't come back and tell me "Not the same. One is against the law, one is not." It isn't a matter of what is lawful or not, but what is morally right or not. Stiffing the staff because someone don't agree with the policy is not morally acceptable in any way. There is no way anyone can defend such actions other than being driven by selfishness and lack of compassion for the hard working staff. If a person knows the policy (and I refuse to accept that people actually do not know!) and deliberately ignores it, no amount of rationalizing or excuses can overlook the fact that it is a cheap thing to do to someone else.

 

The end!

In my case, I was upset by a small thing like not having had the compass delivered for 2 days but which made a big difference as it left me "completely in the dark"

These daily sheets have always been available at the customer service desk on every cruise line I have ever cruise on - I usually get a second copy to mark up while keeping a fresh copy for a souvenir. If this happens again, there is no need to get upset and be "completely in the dark." If it isn't delivered, get off your butt and go get one, and while there, mention that you are having problems with delivery.

As in much of life, a person can chose to be a victim or chose not to be.

For the first two days we had no idea what was happening on-board as there were no announcements in the room ......

That is major reason why I consider almost every other cruise line superior to Carnival. It is impossible to lay down and take a nap in the middle of the day with those ^$#%&*@* announcements blaring from the room speaker every few minutes on Carnival's ships. I cannot imagine why anyone in their right mind would consider peace and quiet in one's OWN ROOM to be a negative. :confused::confused::confused:

As far as "other passengers who don't like to hear it", :rolleyes: Who cares if they don't like it really.

As for the many who said my "who cares if others don't like it" makes me a horrible person :rolleyes: You guessed it, who cares?

The cruiser from hell is a CruiseCritic member?!?! I guess this shows that anybody can join. :rolleyes:

I have never been disappointed with Celebrity's entertainment. Much is very good, while some is only good. But from my experience, none is bad, and certainly not "the worst".

Even Rick Steves, world traveler, author of dozens of city and country guide books, host of weekly radio and TV shows, admits that he doesn't lock his luggage. And since he is a professional traveler, he uses his luggage much more than any of us do.

No locks. Just zip ties. And never had a problem, either.

While not long enough to be your primary exercise, it is certainly within the expectations of a swimming pool that someone would want to swim a little.

I have never heard these pools called "swimming pools" by the cruise lines. I suspect that they were not designed for swimming, but for cooling off or relaxing. Even their brochures don't mention swimming, but instead use the phrase "take a dip" instead. To think of these pools as "swimming" pools is a bit of a stretch.

Right.......and when someone makes a post asking about favourite cocktails, I'll post that not drinking alcohol is the best way to enjoy a cruise.

Go right ahead. Won't bother me in the least. You have every right to post your opinion, being this is a PUBLIC forum!!! :rolleyes:

Unlike some people, I don't get my knickers all in a bunch over trivial things. I'm waaayyyyy too old to get all wound up over what amounts to nothing. :D

In my thinking if you are not using an app why would you bother responding to a thread that asks what app you find useful.

 

Shak

For some people NOT using an app is the most useful. So these people aren't allowed to voice their advice? Is this forum only for the technologically addicted? Are people who aren't tethered 24/7 to their devices now substandard humans in your view, and aren't allowed to participate in discussions? Is it wrong for someone to say that they haven't found an app that they find useful on a cruise?

I am not sure why some like to hijack a thread for their personal agenda.

Who has hijacked this thread?:confused::confused: Seems like every post I have read is on topic.

ahh.. but it wont be a wiki.

and the info in a thread isn't as easy to find as in a wiki.

 

ie: info people add will be buried and you might have to read thru multiple pages to get the info you want.

 

a wiki type page would be just easier.

there are probably free programs to set up a wiki. (just like there are free programs for a forum.)

If it has to be a wiki page, why not search on wiki for instructions on how to set up such a page. Since you don't want it to be on CruiseCritic, CruiseCritic really isn't the place to come to to figure it out. It's like asking a salesman at a Ford dealership what you need to do to purchase a Chevrolet. :rolleyes:

But no matter how many pages you write I will still think they are annoying and unnecessary. But to each his own.

If they were such a great idea and worked so well, you would see many more people with them. That the vast majority do not is proof that their value on a cruise ship is minimal at best. Only the people obsessed with "got to stay in contact" think they are worthwhile. For my family, being on vacation always meant being able to have fun without being tethered to each other. If you need to stay in contact 24/7, something is wrong with the dynamics of the family. The only exception I can think of is to stay in contact with someone with a medical, physical or mental issue that needs to be watched. And in those cases it is better to stay together than rely on a radio.

It is quite amusing how the "don't need one" crowd gets their panties all in a bunch when people recommend getting one, even though it may not be required. Not sure why they get so darned defensive, other than their need to provide us with entertainment value. :D

Bottom line, if you don't need one, don't get one. BUT, having a passport has no negative aspects to it other than the $100 cost every tenth year. It is the BEST form of identification, not only around the world, but at home as well. And, in extreme cases, can be very useful for getting home in an emergency. There is absolutely no downside to having one.

So, I have a question. To those who adamantly insist that any suggestion to get one "just in case" is intrusive in your lives, exactly what harm does it do to you to be given that advice? :confused:

Giving gifts to others should be about THEM, and not about the giver. DON'T give them something you think you might like - it may not be something they like, can use, or even allowed to keep due to religious, cultural, or health reasons, or have room to store and then pack to take home at the end of their contract.

DO give them something that all of them can use equally well - CASH. Anything else is more about you than them - and that is never an appropriate reason to give someone a gift.

You both need to chill out. Hit the bar and start enjoying your cruise without judging every little difference of opinion of your fellow cruise.

Keep in mind that one of these posters wrote something in jest and used the :D icon at the end, and the other replied with a challenge to that comment and followed it by the :rolleyes: icon. Seems like only one of these two posters needs to chill out since the first poster was already "chill" before being answered with sarcasm by the second.

Full disclosure: I enjoy sea days as much as port days, so you know who's side I am on. :D:);)

I would have told them it was none of their business.

 

Asking such a question in ANY LANGUAGE IS RUDE AND DESERVES A RUDE REPLY IN

 

RESPONSE !!!

 

The humorous reply they were given was polite and to the point. The "Monday morning quarterbacks" on this thread are just looking for ways to start disputes.

And yet another kneejerk response! I guess some of you have very little tolerance for anyone who may be different from you! There was NOTHING polite about that smart-aleck response to people with a language difficulty. Even if they spoke perfect English, the response was impolite. How ironic that a perception of rudeness was answered with even more rudeness. How absolutely childish.

You complain about "Monday morning quarterbacking". I in turn complain about intolerant, quick to judge, easy to offend types who have little interest in getting along with people who are different, who they don't like, or who they don't agree with. And there are some on these boards who are very predictable in that area.

Based on some of the comments on this thread, I must say that some of you need to consider that the other people at your table might not have wanted to be around you!

I have been traveling on ships since the days when you had no choice but to dine with strangers. In those days, there were no tables for two - most tables were long, banquet type tables. But, the people at these tables were only strangers for the first few minutes. Then, with the right attitude of everyone around the table - including mine - no one remained a stranger for long.

As with everything else in life, it is what YOU make of it. If you fight it or have a bad attitude about something, you will NEVER enjoy it. Because YOU won't let yourself!

I never shied away from meeting people. My long, wonderful life has been much enriched by the strangers who have come into it, some for a short time, and some for a lifetime. Each has brought a new perspective, a new thought, a new appreciation about something I never considered before. And I am forever grateful for their willingness to share their life experiences, because knowing them has made my life fuller.

It is all what you make of it.

I find it sad that some people will give tips in novelty currency for their own "what clever guy I am" reasons rather than for the benefit of the person they are giving the tip to. I was brought up believing that a tip was for the benefit of the recipient, and not for the giver's benefit. I guess this is just another example of the "it's all about me" mentality that is so pervasive in society these days. :rolleyes:

As for me, when I tip someone, it is for their benefit alone, so I do so in whatever manner is most convenient to them. I don't do it to feel better about myself, nor do I do it to be "remembered", as some people apparently have a great need to be.

Man does that ever apply to about half the thread topics I see.

 

But...this is a discussion board, people are free (so an degree) to offer their opinions and discuss the topics of their choosing. In the same manner, people are free to disagree and/or ignore the topics they are growing tired of seeing.

Yes, it is a discussion board. But, some people take this to mean it is a complaint department, and dump some of the most illogical, unreasonable, and petty complaints here for the rest of us to wade through trying to avoid such nonsense. I have been around for a long time, and it still amazes me how petty some people get with their complaints. I am convinced that tolerance and common sense is rapidly becoming extinct.

Discussion is good as people are exposed to new thoughts and views on topics. Complaining does little but cast a cloud over the boards and rarely, if ever, produces anything productive.

Its yet another cut, nothing more and nothing less.

Some of us stopped going long ago because it was much too chaotic and crowded, even worse than the buffet area on embarkation day. It may have looked pretty for the first people to enter the room, but if you didn't get in line a half hour before opening you ended up having to force your way past the rabid food gatherers who were heaping food high onto their plates, leaving empty serving trays or with the least desirable morsels abandoned as not good enough for them.

I won't miss this overrated event. To me, it is not a cut, but a positive move towards a more dignified cruise experience.

I'll probably get flame to all heck but that's fine...I'm so sick and tired of all the political correctness BS!!My dog is extremely well trained! you can tell her to sit , then you put a steak down and tell her to stay, you walk out of the room and go back 20 minutes later and she is still sitting staring at the steak ( I know this because my DH did it once when I first met him to prove to me how well behaved she is. I thought he was kidding but he wasn't).

Why would anyone torment a pet like that! That borders on animal cruelty. Oh, right! I'm being too "politically correct" for you!

I have a bad back. Been that way most of my life. Many years ago my doctor prescribed a service python for me. She is 9 feet long now and gently wraps herself around my torso. When my back begins to hurt, she tightens ever so slightly giving my back the added support needed. Without her I often can barely walk. With her help, I can continue to Samba, Tango, and Boogie the night away. She is so well behaved in the MDR that she is barely noticeable.

Here is a photo of us on a ship excursion years ago when we were both much younger.