Am I the only one?

[kyrisong1]

I'm with you on this one, meeting the captain would not make or break my trip. I agree with the post that said it's a status thing.

I also don't get the CD thing but then I don't attend any of the activities except maybe high tea. The other things people enjoy like the hairy chest, newly wed game, all that other jazz, well it's just not my thing.

My husband and I are pretty capable of entertaining ourselves. And I can't say I've ever been bored on my sea days, but the CD really didn't make a big difference in our lives.

Anyway just my two cents, meeting captain ? who cares............... meeting my cc group .........exciting !!!!!

Cheers, Carole

[G'ma]

The Captain's Welcome Aboard reception used to be a grand thing. Everyone dressed to the nines, the Captain and the officers all in dress uniforms, dance music playing, waiters passing through to serve cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. It was a pleasant hour and a time to go through the reception line, be introduced to the Captain and shake his hand.

 

It was a traditional thing, and very enjoyable. There was plenty of dancing to the live music, folks actually listened to the welcome by the Captain...and the introduction of his officers and staff.

 

As ships got bigger and bigger, it soon became almost impossible to maintain a reception line. Shaking hands with a couple hundred people is relatively quick and easy; doing so with 2-3000 people, not so easy.

 

Then, some folks decided that this festive occasion was a good time to see how many "free" drinks they could consume in 45 minutes....and how many hors d'oeuvres they could stuff into their mouths...and, it became just another grab from freebies.

 

Then, they lowered the dress standard from "formal" to "elegant" which gave many the excuse to show up dressed more for dinner at McDonald's than a cocktail reception, some with shorts and sneakers.

 

The whole event has changed now....it's no longer "gala", it's no longer a reception, it's no longer an opportunity to dress up, put on the dog, dance with your sweetie, enjoy a couple of drinks before dinner.

 

So, I can understand why some think it's a waste of time.

 

Like the Past Guest reception, the Captain's reception is going the way of the horseless carriage. It's too bad that so many will never know what they've missed.

[HoustonTodd]

G'ma, as I said ... I wasn't knocking the event of the Captain's reception. I thought it was a great event. I was discussing more simply the fact/act of meeting and/or talking to the Captain that many people seem to value so highly.

 

I honestly thought I was going to get flamed by some when I made the thread, I'm actually quite releaved to see I'm not the only one who feels the way I do.

[LemurCat]

I think G'ma hit it on the head. It's something from a by-gone era. When you consider that back in the day, as in the age of fighting sail, when passengers who bought cabin passage would *eat* with the captain in his great cabin and passage from India to England could take 3 months, it was very, very important to be on good terms with the Captain and his steward, thus a good first impression was absolutely necessary. This tradition carried on into the age of the great ocean liners, with the dining rooms (and menus) divided by class (and very reflective of society). The sea service, be it cruiselines, merchant marine, or naval, is very loath to give up it's traditions.

 

(And let's not forget the magical things that happened on the Love Boat when one was friendly with the captain.)

[drosphot]

It's kind of like meeting the President. You think it's going to be great and oh so special, but after hello, what are you going to say?.

 

Since most seem to be Italian, I'd probably open with "How about that pasta dinner last night?" :rolleyes:

[EmmasNana]

I met Franco Harris once. Only because I had better seats than him at the MLB all star game. :p

 

Who is Franco Harris?

 

I don't care anything about the captain either as long as he is doing his job.

[LemurCat]

It's kind of like meeting the President. You think it's going to be great and oh so special, but after hello, what are you going to say? You probably have absolutely nothing in common, so there's no ground for any real conversation. They're like anyone else. Some can keep a conversation going, but some can't.

 

Actually, I asked him if he had an extra cigarette, which he did. So we discussed the relative merits of tobacco brands, and then the NJ governors race, strategic redevelopment in urban areas, and finally, sending his kids to a Quaker school. :p

 

 

 

Okay, I'm kidding. At least about the everything except the smoke.

[suzy1212]

I don't care anything about meeting the captain at the captain's party or having a chat with him. I am looking forward to meeting him on the Behind the Fun tour because I hope he will have interesting information for us.

 

I certainly don't think of the captain as a "bus driver". He's worked very hard for his position and does deserve respect.

[Nunu]

Who is Franco Harris?

 

I don't care anything about the captain either as long as he is doing his job.

 

I just put his name to see who the chicks were in this thread. :p

[LemurCat]

Who is Franco Harris?

 

I don't care anything about the captain either as long as he is doing his job.

 

Obviously *NOT* a Steelers fan ...

[G'ma]

G'ma, as I said ... I wasn't knocking the event of the Captain's reception. I thought it was a great event. I was discussing more simply the fact/act of meeting and/or talking to the Captain that many people seem to value so highly.

 

I honestly thought I was going to get flamed by some when I made the thread, I'm actually quite releaved to see I'm not the only one who feels the way I do.

 

I didn't think you were knocking anything at all.:p

 

My post was just to recall the original purpose of the event and to mourn it's passing.

 

Many of we "veteran" cruisers remember what a special occasion this was and I thought some of the newer cruisers would like to know.

 

Frankly, I haven't attended this event the last 2 cruises - nor the Past Guest Party.... I'd rather enjoy a nice before-dinner cocktail at a lounge nearby and watch.....HA!!!

 

That doesn't mean I don't miss it though......

[willy32465]

The "bus driver" also deserves respect. He/She is out working and not sponging off the system. Anyone who works should not be belittled by what they do.

[Nunu]

Frankly, I'd rather meet G'ma than any ships captain. :D

[suzy1212]

The "bus driver" also deserves respect. He/She is out working and not sponging off the system. Anyone who works should not be belittled by what they do.

Very true, but I don't think the job of captain of a ship is comparable to driving a bus. It requires far more training and years to get there. I don't belittle any person doing any job, but the jobs I've had as a waitress, bartender, house keeper, etc. were not jobs that compared with driving the ship!

[Kurbanfan]

Captain who:confused:

Although I did want to meet Captain Johnny and his harley on the Mariner........but he was on vacation......

[H82seaUgo]

I didn't think you were knocking anything at all.:p

 

My post was just to recall the original purpose of the event and to mourn it's passing.

 

Many of we "veteran" cruisers remember what a special occasion this was and I thought some of the newer cruisers would like to know.

 

Frankly' date=' I haven't attended this event the last 2 cruises - nor the Past Guest Party.... I'd rather enjoy a nice before-dinner cocktail at a lounge nearby and watch.....HA!!!

 

That doesn't mean I don't miss it though......[/quote']

 

Same here. After a while, it's been there done that.

 

Unless it is an exclusive VIP for a group leader or similar, we now take that time to do other things WE like to do. Even if it's a romantic walk up deck.

[glrounds]

I always wonder who is steering the ship when he is busy shaking hands at the Captain's party......:eek:

 

BFD. When you meet him, think about how many people he has met in the past. He won't remember you 5 minutes from that time. I too respect the position and also wonder why isn't he guiding the ship instead of meeting the passengers. Just like the pilot of an airliner. Nice to see him, but, hope he gets you where you are going in one piece.:D:D

 

On one of my cruises, I believe the PRIDE out of LA, the Captain was introduced on the stage. He was tall, dark, middle aged Italian (so good-lookin' it hurt :rolleyes:). . . the women swooned. He took some questions from the audience. One lady asked, "Who's steering the boat?"

The Captain just smiled, looked the lady right in the eye and said, "She's not a boat and I don't steer. She knows the way and she's VERY OBEDIENT." :rolleyes:

That got him a few oooooooooooooohs from the NOW crowd. :D

[Ted Striker]

This (these) say it all:

 

http://www.ianhughesphotos.com/boatfunnies/b_lb42.html

 

He is the most interesting man in the world...

 

(well, maybe not today...)

[glrounds]

If I misread your post then I appologize. When you said:

 

 

 

Particularly the part in bold, coupled with what came before it, it just seemed as though you were 'coming at me' on my thoughts. Again, I'm sorry if I took your post out of context/misunderstood.

 

With all due respect, you do that a lot, Todd. Just because some people disagree with you on occasion, they are NOT NECESSARILY attacking you or "coming at you". Mr. Pete hasn't got a vindictive bone in his body. He would never attack you, but if he disagrees with you, he may voice his opinion. :)

[Nunu]

With all due respect, you do that a lot, Todd. Just because some people disagree with you on occasion, they are NOT NECESSARILY attacking you or "coming at you". Mr. Pete hasn't got a vindictive bone in his body. He would never attack you, but if he disagrees with you, he may voice his opinion. :)

Man I've got some messageboards that would really scare people here... :eek:

[Kurbanfan]

With all due respect, you do that a lot, Todd. Just because some people disagree with you on occasion, they are NOT NECESSARILY attacking you or "coming at you". Mr. Pete hasn't got a vindictive bone in his body. He would never attack you, but if he disagrees with you, he may voice his opinion. :)

 

 

LMAO!!! Now that's funny:D

[Payd]

Who doesn't "get" all of the hoopla about the Captain and meeting him on a ship? What brought this to mind in particular was the thread about the behind the scenes excursion where people keep saying things like "but you get to spend 'x' ammount of time meeting the captain!" And then also there was all of the issues around the captain's/welcome aboard party relatively recently with some of the changes Carnival made.

 

I mean, I enjoy the Captain's party as much as anyone, and I give respect to the Captain for his position and authority. However, as far as I'm concerned "but I got to talk to the Captain!" holds about as much weight to me as "I got to talk to the room steward's supervisor!" He's just a normal human being. He has two legs just like anyone else, he puts his pants on the same as anyone else. I don't see him as anyone overly special.

 

Again, I'm not disrespecting him. All respect to him for his position. But I'm not going to get all weak in the knees about meeting the guy. It really has no meaning to me at all.

 

Now the view from the bridge and seeing them at work would be cool ... but as far as the man himself goes, I've never understood all of the fuss at all.

 

As long as the Captain is doing a great job - I could care less if I meet him!

[glrounds]

This (these) say it all:

 

http://www.ianhughesphotos.com/boatfunnies/b_lb42.html

 

He is the most interesting man in the world...

 

(well, maybe not today...)

 

I'm guessing he once had an uncomfortable moment just so he'd know what it felt like. :D

[dan40]

Who doesn't "get" all of the hoopla about the Captain and meeting him on a ship? What brought this to mind in particular was the thread about the behind the scenes excursion where people keep saying things like "but you get to spend 'x' ammount of time meeting the captain!" And then also there was all of the issues around the captain's/welcome aboard party relatively recently with some of the changes Carnival made.

 

I mean, I enjoy the Captain's party as much as anyone, and I give respect to the Captain for his position and authority. However, as far as I'm concerned "but I got to talk to the Captain!" holds about as much weight to me as "I got to talk to the room steward's supervisor!" He's just a normal human being. He has two legs just like anyone else, he puts his pants on the same as anyone else. I don't see him as anyone overly special.

 

Again, I'm not disrespecting him. All respect to him for his position. But I'm not going to get all weak in the knees about meeting the guy. It really has no meaning to me at all.

 

Now the view from the bridge and seeing them at work would be cool ... but as far as the man himself goes, I've never understood all of the fuss at all.

 

In 50 cruises I've met maybe 6 Captains. Certainly less than a dozen. On an RCL cruise a couple of years ago, I met the Captain and his wife on the Promenade. On the roll call people were talking about dining at the Captain's table. I, JOKINGLY, said, Why would I want to eat with the hired help? When we met the Cap and his Lady we talked about ships and cruising and the internet. I said my board name and she said, Oh! You're the one that doesn't want to eat with the help!" We had a good laugh!

[lawyergirl25]

I have about as much interest in meeting the captain as he does in meeting me. I like the Captain's party, but I rarely get my picture taken with him or try to talk to him because beyond "So nice to meet you, what a beautiful ship!" I don't have anything to say. (And sometimes these exchanges have felt incredibly awkward to me - like the captain was dying to get out of there.)

 

I'm sure the cruise lines have very interesting people navigating the ship, but meeting them isn't a highlight for me.