The Typical Celebrity Cruises

[SS Cruise Lady]

Based on your experience, is the typical Celebrity Cruiser different than the impression one would get from reading this message board?

[Leela]

Based on my experience on a variety of discussion boards, starting in 1984 (yes, that is not a typo), I've found that a lot of people who post to boards of any type are a bit different in real life than they are on the boards. In my experience, people posting to discussion boards tend come across as a little more strident and argumentative on the boards than they'd ever be in person. I think the reason for this is that it is impossible to convey body language and tone of voice in a text discussion like this, and so there are a lot of misinterepretations and misunderstandings about people and their points that you just don't get in person.

[SS Cruise Lady]

Based on my experience on a variety of discussion boards, starting in 1984 (yes, that is not a typo), I've found that a lot of people who post to boards of any type are a bit different in real life than they are on the boards. In my experience, people posting to discussion boards tend come across as a little more strident and argumentative on the boards than they'd ever be in person. I think the reason for this is that it is impossible to convey body language and tone of voice in a text discussion like this, and so there are a lot of misinterepretations and misunderstandings about people and their points that you just don't get in person.

 

Leela, I agree with you but feel there is another factor, as well. Many people who are too shy to assert themselves in real life have a tendency to be very aggressive on message boards due to their pent up frustration.

[cruising with marti]

Leela, I agree with you but feel there is another factor, as well. Many people who are too shy in real life to assert themselves have a tendency to be very aggressive on message boards due to their pent up frustration.

 

WHAT PENT UP FRUSTRATIONS????

Phil

[trcori]

Two ways to look at your question -- is the typical cruiser LIKE the people you find on the boards, or, is the typical cruiser like what we WRITE we have encountered on board?

 

No to #1, yes to #2. I find the people on the boards are not your typical cruiser -- they (we!) are so into cruising, they (we!) know a lot about the ports, the ships, the policies, the differences between lines/itineraries, etc. Outside the Cruise Critic parties, I have met very few people like that on board. Most non-CC'ers I've encountered on board just happened to book the trip and don't know/don't care about all the aforementioned details.

 

BUT I do find that those who answer the questions here about the general ambience on board are very good "reporters" -- when describing the age, attitude, dress, behavior, etc.

 

TR

Galaxy PC 4/1/06

****

Mercury AK 8/05, Millennium EC 12/04, Mercury CA-MX 4/04, Infinity AK 8/03, Century WC 3/03, Century EC 9/02

[SS Cruise Lady]

Two ways to look at your question -- is the typical cruiser LIKE the people you find on the boards, or, is the typical cruiser like what we WRITE we have encountered on board?

 

No to #1, yes to #2. I find the people on the boards are not your typical cruiser -- they (we!) are so into cruising, they (we!) know a lot about the ports, the ships, the policies, the differences between lines/itineraries, etc. Outside the Cruise Critic parties, I have met very few people like that on board. Most non-CC'ers I've encountered on board just happened to book the trip and don't know/don't care about all the aforementioned details.

 

BUT I do find that those who answer the questions here about the general ambience on board are very good "reporters" -- when describing the age, attitude, dress, behavior, etc.

 

TR

Galaxy PC 4/1/06

****

Mercury AK 8/05, Millennium EC 12/04, Mercury CA-MX 4/04, Infinity AK 8/03, Century WC 3/03, Century EC 9/02

 

Hi TR :)

 

You raised a very interesting point and I agree with you. There is a wealth of information shared on these boards that is very helpful and accurate most of the time. At the same time, I think if someone who had never been on a Celebrity Cruise read this board, they might feel that Celebrity Cruisers are more aggressive and egocentric than they are based on the online persona of some people who post.

[SS Cruise Lady]

Duplicate Post

[SS Cruise Lady]

Duplicate Post

[Karynanne]

I wouldn't classify a 1st time impression of CC writers as agressive...just involved. I do feel we are in a minority compared to the amount of people crusing with Celebrity. We are just more inquisitive, helpful, and definately in love with the world of cruising...

 

Karyn

[nu2sea]

I tried to explain the difference of my online persona and my real life persona on another thread about formal attire. I would never volunteer an opinion on another person's attire or behavior,etc., in the flesh. Nor would most of us cruisers on these forums. Most of us tend to be polite, well-mannered adults (I hope, well, maybe Phil's pent up frustrations will allow him to be the exception;) :D ).

 

However, on these boards opinions are solicited and freely given. Do they sound highly opinionated and even strident? Probably, but then that is what is requested, our opinions. As such, they tend to sound opinionated, and then when challenged, it is human nature to become defensive and stridency frequently follows.

 

And so we wind up sounding much more "aggressive and egocentric" than we had planned or perhaps wished. Part of it is due to the lack of visible body language as Leela pointed out. And there may be some who are shy in the flesh but aggessive on line as you suggest, Cruise Lady... but I doubt that they are in the majority.

 

As for first time readers, sorry to say, but they will just have to deal with it. We were all first time readers once, and we survived the apparent lack of civility. I'd like to think most newbies can as well, at least long enough to realize that the wealth of knowledge is worth separating from the chaff. And, as Karyn said, they will come to realize just how much we all do love cruising.

 

Susan

[catmand]

Based on your experience, is the typical Celebrity Cruiser different than the impression one would get from reading this message board?

 

I am trying to answer your question but I don't know what your impression is.

[SS Cruise Lady]

I am trying to answer your question but I don't know what your impression is.

 

Let me put it this way. Do you feel the typical passenger on a Celebrity Cruise is similar to the way posters on this board appear to be to you? By the way, one of the reasons why I love Celebrity is because of the wonderful people we have met on each cruise.

[catmand]

SS......................or should I cal you lady? or cruise?

You still ain't telling me what YOUR impression is, are you asking me for mine?.:D

When I first stopped on these boards around two years ago there was different "feel" here, or maybe all the new folks feel this? I sort of thought there was a large "mutual admiration society" here and if you were not part of the "group" your questions, thoughts and/or comments would go mostly ignored. Very few of those posters are still around but I bet the real question here is:

"Are those on the ships a bunch of uptight snobby sob's, like the posters here?"

.............................................am I close?

You will find the majority of "regular" contributors on any of the cruise line boards are "passionate." Personally, I try never to form opinions about people based on how they read. I don't think anyone would be disappointed to find themselves in a room with the folks who regularly post here.

[catmand]

I just mentioned this to AkaWanda, she reminded me of some friends who actually canceled a Celebrity cruise after spending sometime on these boards, their loss.

She also said for a much better on line relationship go to the roll call boards.

[SS Cruise Lady]

SS......................or should I cal you lady? or cruise?

You still ain't telling me what YOUR impression is, are you asking me for mine?.:D

When I first stopped on these boards around two years ago there was different "feel" here, or maybe all the new folks feel this? I sort of thought there was a large "mutual admiration society" here and if you were not part of the "group" your questions, thoughts and/or comments would go mostly ignored. Very few of those posters are still around but I bet the real question here is:

"Are those on the ships a bunch of uptight snobby sob's, like the posters here?"

.............................................am I close?

You will find the majority of "regular" contributors on any of the cruise line boards are "passionate." Personally, I try never to form opinions about people based on how they read. I don't think anyone would be disappointed to find themselves in a room with the folks who regularly post here.

 

This is one significant difference I have noticed. On our cruises most of the passengers we have met are very intelligent people who enjoy having interesting discussions wherein different view points are expressed. In contrast, I think it is difficult to voice an opinion on this board without being insulted or having your words twisted. A case in point was the reaction to the opinion I verbalized about trivia games aboard ships.

[gkm]

Cruise Lady, I love the boards and have made some wonderful friends here. Granted some of the threads are mighty controversial and argumentative and on the most part, I try to stay away from them (though I must admit I read them). Through Cruise Critic, I have bonded with fellow cruiser, have sailed with them and have made lasting friendships. I am looking forward to cruising with new friends (and even book cruises so we can) and look forward to and anticipate meeting others here. This is a wonderful site for those who love cruising and are looking for others that share this passion.

 

Garry

[dmarch@islc.net]

(IMHO) We're just plain folks that like a nice vacation.

[kitty9]

SS one thing you must realize is that it's impossible to convey intent when posting on any board. What one person might read as insulting, another might see it as just another point of view. Another thing is that sometimes, comments are made tongue-in-cheek and many people might not see it as that, and they take the post as insulting or condescending. When using a forum such as this, you must remember that one person's insult can be viewed by everyone else as opinion. There's also the idea of a person's sense of humor. Sometimes a very dry wit comes off as stinging criticism. To be honest, in one of your posts you said that the people you met on the ship were "intelligent people who enjoy having interenting discussions wherein different viewpoints are expressed". Someone might read that statement and think you're saying that the people who post here are not intelligent and incapable of having an intelligent discourse without being insulting. See what I mean about content and intent?

[mechcc]

When I first booked our first cruise on X I checked out these boards, having gained a lot of info for our HAL cruise from the HAL board. I don't know if it was the first few weeks that I started looking here or the normal overall cruise critic member that sails X, but I got a feeling that the average X cruiser was a very stuffed shirt type of person. We prefer quiet, understated elegance but also want to have fun on our vacation. Fun for us is good conversation, decent shows, enrichment series presentations, an hour or two in the casino, drinks before dinner and drinks after dinner listening to music. Fun is not belly flop contests and how many bucket of beers can you drink in one day. Nor is fun evaluating what everyone is wearing at all hours of the day. Expectation is that everyone will try and follow the dress code for the day to the best of their financial ability but that no one turns up their nose if an individual is not dressed to the nines. These boards bothered me at first in that some individuals seemed a bit snobbish. After a few weeks (and a few challenges on my part), I came to realize that X may be exactly our type of cruiseline. We are now comfortable that we will fit in with the average X cruiser and that we will have a great vacation. So will you.

[Ine]

Since english isnot my 1st language, I find it a little difficult to express my opinion about the question of the typical Celebrity Cruiser ...

We have cruised X (and other lines) and will cruise again. I have met real nice people on board, with some we are still in contact.

My impression is that passengers on board the ship seem to be more open, more friendly and even complain less.

 

I have the impression that on this board the questions/answers etc are often more negative than positive. I have posted once a thread about it with a wish for more positive reactions....

Like mechcc says it looks like the HAL board is more friendly, more positive, the same for the boards with destinations (questions about what to do, where to go etc. are often very positive.

 

Of course after many sailings a ship isnot brandnew, but it can be clean. Yes, you might see some stains, (a little) worn furniture etc.

If the weather is bad in a port accept the risk that tendering cannot take place.

Meals...we always had great meals, sure if you want to complain, you will find something. Everybody's taste is different, food in many countries is different.

Your waiter might have bad news from home, been working too long shifts. etc. so maybe one night he is just a little less friendly.

 

"Live" people on board to me seem however to be more positive, than the idea I get on this board.

That is why we hope to make more cruises in the future.

[SS Cruise Lady]

Aside from factual information, it is very helpful for people who are planning a cruise to hear a variety of opinions on any cruise related topic so they can make informed decisions, based on their own personal likes and dislikes. If more people felt that they could post exactly how they really feel on any cruise topic, without being attacked for having that opinion, this board would do a better job of accomplishing its intended objective. It is easy to forget that the number of people who are posting on this board represent a relatively small percentage of people who are reading it.

[Texed]

And some of us are jerks on the board and on the ship. :)

[SS Cruise Lady]

I would like to apologize to anyone who may have been offended by some of my posts on this thread. Most of the people on this board are very helpful, and it is possible that I misunderstood the intended tone of the posters who appear to insult people who don't agree with them. Since we don't hear the person's voice or see their facial expressions when we read a post, it can be difficult at times to distinguish between a joke and a mean spirited post.

[Cruise Arizona]

A couple things to add here.

 

I once asked the question "Are you as uptight on ship as you are on the boards?" as a general question to all posters. Everyone came back with a resounding "No, I have a great time and the cares just melt away".

 

As for myself, I have chimed in with an opinion or two on the boards that I probably would not be so vocal on in person. I've also recently made a vow not discuss dress codes anymore, because I realized that while most people get it, there will still be that 10% that no matter what don't, so I will accept them the way they are. Its not worth it to worry about it anymore.

 

I love meeting people on my roll call, we will all meet in person so that is fun. Everyone has been extremely polite and helpful.

 

I try to be polite when putting my opinions out, but I know that sometimes my word choice doesn't come across the right way and I have offended people. One time I started a thread that started to got really in a bad direction and I asked the moderator to have it pulled. I felt bad that I had gotten people stirred up when that was not my intent.

 

Another example is that if I feel like I'm wrong or have over reacted and someone calls me on it, I'll applogize, I mean hey I'm not right all the time or perfect. Sometimes it is a good thing to learn the errors of ones thinking. So Cruise Critic can be good self improvement tool as well.

 

I really enjoy reading what people have to say, and I have learned so much about Cruising. I've really become a serious cruise addict, and as soon as I get off the Infinity I'm going to start dreaming about my next cruise.

[C 2 C]

When I first stopped on these boards around two years ago there was different "feel" here, or maybe all the new folks feel this? I sort of thought there was a large "mutual admiration society" here and if you were not part of the "group" your questions, thoughts and/or comments would go mostly ignored.

 

I still think this is true for general threads. Roll calls attract a different crowd probably because you are communicating with people you are bound to meet.