CC article in Palm Beach Post

[Krazy Kruizers]

Personally, if I had written such a wonderful article, I would want the cc'ers to know who I am.

Months ago I read about the first 2 or 3 pages of the roll call board. But since we had made other plans for the first night (day), I never bothered to go back to it. And I don't remember much about it now.

[csg99]

The article has whipped around all the Hosts already. They are jealous. Doug and I have the honor of hosting the HAL boards and dealing with all you great folks and all the other Hosts can do is hope and dream that someday....,

somehow.....

 

It also answers a frequently asked question...do HAL exec's read Cruise Critic. Here's the answer:We had no awareness that this article was being written but we are thrilled at both the article and the great folks we have as members who participated in the Zuiderdam events. It made for a great day today...in fact a great week!

 

Walt, you and Doug do a great job! We appreciate your input and judgement.

 

I was a member of the roll call for the sailing following the group covered in this piece--as the article stated, we had quite a verbal sparring contest going between the two groups! It really was fun and helped pass the time until our cruise. It was funny because several members of my roll call really missed this group when they were out to sea! We kept checking in on their thread, just to let them know that we were thinking of them....I found CC only a few weeks before we sailed--I wish I'd found it so much sooner!

[serendipity1499]

What a wonderful article this is.:) Have e-mailed it to several friends..One in particular is Handicapped & have been telling them about our HAL cruises..Also suggested they join CC..This article just might help to do the trick..

 

Praises to the author & thanks for posting the article here..

 

Only 33 1/2 weeks to go before our "Prinsendam" cruise..Hope the time flies!

 

Happy cruising everyone:)

[Cruising Jake]

Tide, thanks for thinking my post was not critical.

 

I did comment that the article was great. I have participated in CC meetings on several cruises. This past summer DH and I toured St. Petersburg and Poland with 4 couples whom I met on this board. I enjoyed the article for the CC information.

 

I did make a comment that I thought was non-judgmental, non derogatory and completely harmless. Its intent was to join in what I thought was an open forum. Obviously others did not read it thusly. I will only make completely complimentary comments if I post again.

[Oceanwench]

Oh come on, you know we have to dissect every sentence posted on this board! ;)

 

Seriously, many of us who have met Mr. Deering know what a fabulous person he is, and we know he'd never ignore important feedback -- positive or negative.

In this case, he no doubt forwards comments that are specific -- "I was on the Zuiderdam and I enjoyed meeting Hunky Dory in the Lido each day."

 

But when there's a negative statement that's vague -- "my bedspread was rumpled" -- how can he pass that along to the specific person responsible? And how can the department manager do much more than issue a general statement saying that bedspreads should be smooth?

 

In the time I have been on this board, I have seen praise given to specific crew members, but most of the negative comments have been general in nature.

 

Sorry if I [or anyone else] misinterpreted what was said about Mr. Deering. Perhaps if you are fortunate to meet him along the way, you'll see why we feel he is such a great guy -- and a great manager.

[Ziggy7]

I am very sorry, I guess my comment started this all off which was not my intention, I simply was hoping that for a change on the HAL boards that we didnt pick apart or debate a really nice thread. :)

 

I guess I'm believing there actually could be such a thread other than the Bon Voyage threads, which I guess I better stick with, as I'm not a fighter, I dont run from controversay because I'm weak, I run from it because I'm strong and dont see a need for it always. And before anyone flames me, I'm just talking about myself. :p

 

[Host Walt]

... posted that the writer DID NOT WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED!!! Why then would you post who you think it might be??? Why would you not honor his/her wishes? I, too, would want the CC'ers to know I wrote the story, but this isn't about you and it isn't about me. This writer deserves our respect.

Folks, the article is the focus, not who wrote it. Think about it. All efforts to determine who was the author, if completely successful, will accomplish nothing good at all for anyone and it will frustrate the apparent preference of the author to not be identified.

 

How about let's simply enjoy the fact that, as a group, the folks that make up our membership just received "positive press" and that should make everyone feel quite good about themselves and their cyberfriends.

 

Thanks.

[TidePrideGA]

I am very sorry, I guess my comment started this all off which was not my intention, I simply was hoping that for a change on the HAL boards that we didnt pick apart or debate a really nice thread. :)

 

I guess I'm believing there actually could be such a thread other than the Bon Voyage threads, which I guess I better stick with, as I'm not a fighter, I dont run from controversay because I'm weak, I run from it because I'm strong and dont see a need for it always. And before anyone flames me, I'm just talking about myself. :p

 

Debbie, please don't feel bad!! You were NOT the one who started this! Jake and I were jumped on immediately, and I think you came in seeing all the jumping and just naturally thought someone had been criticising Mr. Deering, which again was NOT the case. When I saw it was getting out of hand - and KNEW because I was one of the ones being jumped on that we had been misinterpreted, I just happen to reply to you.

 

You're AWESOME - you KNOW how I feel about that. If you stuck to BV threads, who would have helped me have the wonderful ORANGE cabana instead of the far hinterlands terracotta one?? I'd be lost without you!

[Oceanwench]

Please don't take any blame for misunderstanding on this thread.

 

And please continue to share your positive outlook on life and cruising with all of us on any thread you wish! Your posts always make me smile! :)

[dakrewser]

A lot of people said a lot of things in this thread that could be misinterpreted, but I saw very few instances of real nastiness.

 

AS to identifying the author - that's what writers have to put up with when they publish.

[serendipity1499]

Wow-Great story:) ....Whoever the author is, he/she did a wonderful job!

 

 

Also thank you Sunshine for posting the link...

 

Happy cruising everyone :)

[Ziggy7]

Folks, the article is the focus, not who wrote it. Think about it. All efforts to determine who was the author, if completely successful, will accomplish nothing good at all for anyone and it will frustrate the apparent preference of the author to not be identified.

 

How about let's simply enjoy the fact that, as a group, the folks that make up our membership just received "positive press" and that should make everyone feel quite good about themselves and their cyberfriends.

 

Thanks.

Bless you Host Walt, you said it best :)

[tomc]

Holland America Lines President and Chief Executive Officer Stein Kruse also reads the message boards daily, Deering said. "It's the busiest cruise-related site on the Internet," Deering said. "You just have to sort out the crazy (posts) from the sane."

 

I almost don't want to know where Mr. Kruse sorts my semi-serious (mostly comic) "Live From The ---dam" onboard review series that I started some years back. I hope he has a pile between crazy and sane, labeled "funny stuff," or "more of tomc's comic riffs."

[Ziggy7]

I almost don't want to know where Mr. Kruse sorts my semi-serious (mostly comic) "Live From The ---dam" onboard review series that I started some years back. I hope he has a pile between crazy and sane, labeled "funny stuff," or "more of tomc's comic riffs."

I'm sure he does, I bet he passes your stuff all over the ship to the crew, a good laugh almost always improves morale and spirits hehehe :) I know yours do that to me :)

[sunshine72]

I started this thread because I found a wonderful article that I thought all CC'ers could enjoy. Unfortunately, there are a few who can't take it at face value without challenging people and trying to act superior. This is why I don't like to post on the CC boards.

[sunshine72]

Wonderful! A voice of reason!!! You completely get what my purpose was in starting this thread.

[Host Walt]

I started this thread because I found a wonderful article that I thought all CC'ers could enjoy. Unfortunately, there are a few who can't take it at face value without challenging people and trying to act superior. This is why I don't like to post on the CC boards.

 

Sunshine, I understand your point.

 

You said "there are a few," which is very true. 99% of our members are here to chat and enjoy the experiences and thoughts of others who share their enjoyment of cruising.

 

Think of the message board as if it were a huge table in the dining room on your favorite ship where you are assigned with others; some opinionated and others who are not. Do as you would do at the table. Participate in discussions with those with whom you feel comfortable and avoid discussions with those whom make you uncomfortable.

[sunshine72]

Thanks, Walt, you make a good point. I'll keep your advice in mind. It can be very intimidating sometimes to post here. It reminds me of road rage--people seem to be a little braver and sometimes more hostile if they feel they are anonymous or invisible.

[bepsf]

I'm so glad that Ziggy forwarded me the article last week - I really enjoyed reading it.

I also just yesterday learned that Mr. Deering will be the Hotel Manager aboard Oosterdam when I sail on her in a couple weeks! I'm hoping that he'll accept my invitation to cocktails....

[Host Walt]

The guidelines are quite clear, and includes an admonition that seems to have been overlooked:

 

...Additionally, the discussion of our management policies and procedures ... is considered off-topic discussion for our cruise boards and will also be removed without notice....

 

This thread was initiated by the original poster to call attention to a very positive article about our Roll Call feature and its impact on some Cruise Critic members.

 

For reasons far beyond my comprehension the thread turned into a point/counterpoint about journalistic style, about the motives of the author of the article and about individual members. As a result several posts have been removed.

 

I respecfully request that everyone remember our mission statement:

 

Our mission is provide a haven* on the internet, if you will, that will provide a resource for those planning a cruise and for those that love cruising.

 

*haven -

S: (n) haven, oasis (a shelter serving as a place of safety or sanctuary)

S: (n) seaport, haven, harbor, harbour (a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo)

 

Thank you,

[Sow There]

OK, Walt says we should play nice with each other so let's try again. Here's a link to the Palm Beach Post article: Cruising the information super 'Hi' way

 

I think we all owe the reporter/columnist/travel writer/whatever a big thank you for his article and for the opportunity to experience how the ROLL CALL process can really make an upcoming cruise a whole lot more fun.

[csg99]

this article is so much fun I thought it should be available to any new CC members who may have missed it the first time....