Do you regret

[JMorris271]

So how does one say that they have been, visited, toured, seen, and so on without overstating things?

Anyone that mocks another person that way should be spending their time looking at the sights instead of laughing at or mocking others.

And then there are those that say, You haven't been to Rome until you've had Mama Rosa's Pizza?

[cruisemom42]

35 minutes ago, JMorris271 said:

So how does one say that they have been, visited, toured, seen, and so on without overstating things?

Anyone that mocks another person that way should be spending their time looking at the sights instead of laughing at or mocking others.

And then there are those that say, You haven't been to Rome until you've had Mama Rosa's Pizza?

 

I'm not sure if your question is purely a rhetorical one....?  

 

For me, I'd say something along the lines of, "Yes, I've been to XX, but only on a brief port stop on a cruise."  That is, I'd just be upfront. For some ports a day visit really is enough to get a good idea of a place. For others (pretty much any large city or broad geographic area) it is clearly just scratching the surface.

 

I'd certainly never say "We were in Rome for a day and with a good private tour we managed to see everything."  The impression given is that anything one did not see on one given day in Rome is not worth seeing.....  

[Lois R]

On ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 9:41 AM, cruisemom42 said:

 

While that's true, I love both cruising and the Med and have done 10 Med cruises since 2006.  When you know you will be going back, there's no need to squeeze too much into every day. For example, I've visited Kusadasi enough times to visit Ephesus three times (focusing on a different section each time) as well as nearby Didyma, Miletus and Priene twice, farther off Aphrodisias once, and the Ephesus museum as well.

 

While I also do land travel in Europe and the Med, I find Med cruises fulfill both my desire to visit Classical sites and my love of being at sea.

Hi girlfriend....I have not been to the Med nearly as many times as you have but I have LOVED all my cruises to the Med.

No regrets here...…...not all of us want to do land trips either so as for the poster who said "Why Bother"? I love cruising and just because I choose not to go on a land trip to "Rome" for a week does not make my cruise any less interesting, fun, fulfilling.

Different strokes for different folks!

[calliopecruiser]

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I'm not sure if your question is purely a rhetorical one....?  

 

For me, I'd say something along the lines of, "Yes, I've been to XX, but only on a brief port stop on a cruise." 

 

Or even, "I spent a day in Copenhagen last June and it was lovely - I really enjoyed the National Gallery there."

[JMorris271]

5 hours ago, calliopecruiser said:

 

Or even, "I spent a day in Copenhagen last June and it was lovely - I really enjoyed the National Gallery there."

For me the question begs, were you really in Copenhagen in June ? We were there as well and loved the museum.

[SRF]

19 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

 

 

Whoa.

 

Why do you need to "mock" anyone at all?  Or laugh at them?

 

Just because someone has different priorities than you have, or perhaps different opportunities (or knowledge)... you *mock* them?  laugh at them?

 

People have differences of opinions, and different priorities, and as long as they aren't trying to force theirs on you, why do you need to pressure them (by mocking, for example, or other behavior) to experience things the way you prefer?

 

What is so "wrong" if someone would rather use whatever travel time they have to experience smaller time periods in more and more varied locations than you yourself would do (with the same time and money constraints as they have, not to mention similar backgrounds and interests!)? 

 

And then there is the possibility that someone else doesn't have the good fortune you seem to have, such that they don't have enough experience (yet!) to know where they would want to spend "more" time.  As mentioned above, a cruise can provide a very convenient way to get a brief experience of many different places, to see which places one may want to spend more time.

And all of this could matter much more to those with relatively small travel budgets (of time and/or money), so they don't have the luxury of spending "more time in each of more places".

 

Perhaps to "them", they HAVE indeed "been there", because, well, they HAVE indeed BEEN there!

How *much* time is "needed" or preferred or even *possible*... that can vary. 

I certainly understand that they even may not realize what they are "missing" (or that they are missing much of anything), but let them do the best they can, and enjoy it... and enjoy telling others, too, if they wish.

 

Not to mention how the Cambridge Dictionary (yes, of Cambridge, *that* Cambridge...) defines "been" in both "American" and, well, "English" [see their little chart].  In both cases, "been" is used to mean "traveled or visited" or "used as the past participle of 'go' when the action referred to is finished".

A "full immersive experience" is not required, not to mention... just *how* long a time is "needed" in your mind to have "been" somewhere.  I suspect that whatever your personal timing experiences, there would be some other worldly travelers who might look (pitifully? mockingly?) upon you for having spent such a short amount of time, yet claim to have, well, *been* there...

 

But "mocking"...? laughing at others...?

 

???

 

We ALL had to "start someplace".

And not everyone had or has the background (or finances) to understand/afford international travel and "other cultures"... laughing or mocking... that's certainly not going to encourage those who could learn...

 

And Happy New Year to you, too!

 

GC

 

The mocking comment came from replies to my posts.

 

I don't mock them in a public manner.  But I do look at them with a view of REALLY???

 

And again, I am not talking about those who understand how limited their view of someplace it. But those who have not need to go to some place, because they have been, for less than a day as a cruise stop.  And again, not talking about a small port, but say Barcelona, Copenhagen, Rome, Athens, Stockholm, Rio, Lisbon, Charleston, etc.  Places that cannot be seen in a day.

[calliopecruiser]

8 hours ago, JMorris271 said:

were you really in Copenhagen in June ? We were there as well and loved the museum.

Seriously?  No, I made it up for illustrative purposes; I've never actually been to Scandinavia.  It's on my list, but every time I think about it, it seems to get pushed aside by other travel options. 

[Markanddonna]

Just wanted to give a "well done" to Geezer Couple. Well thought out and sensitive posting. 

[K32682]

4 hours ago, SRF said:

The mocking comment came from replies to my posts.

 

I don't mock them in a public manner.  But I do look at them with a view of REALLY???

 

And again, I am not talking about those who understand how limited their view of someplace it.

But those who have not need to go to some place, because they have been, for less than a day as a cruise stop.  And again, not talking about a small port, but say Barcelona, Copenhagen, Rome, Athens, Stockholm, Rio, Lisbon, Charleston, etc.  Places that cannot be seen in a day.

The cruisers who deserve to be regarded with complete disdain are those who become instant experts on a place after just one cruise stop.  They are slightly ahead of someone who has never been there but only slightly. 

 

[LynnTTT]

Not a regret, because I would never book a cruise with the intent to visit anything of significance. A few hours in Rome or Istanbul or Barcelona or Hong Kong?  Never. If your dream is to see Italy, book a land tour thru one of the many low cost but well rated companies on the internet. Or rent thru AirBNB or other sites and see Rome on your own. 

Cost?  Many people pay thousands for a deluxe ship cabin and could easily do a land tour instead.

 

[ilikeanswers]

On 12/30/2018 at 3:52 PM, JMorris271 said:

No go zone in France??? You are kidding, right?

 

Some of the public housing complexes in cities in Southern France have fallen under control of the Coriscan mafia. They run the areas like their own little fiefdoms restricting who can go in and out. Depending on who you talk to police are either unwilling or unable to do anything about it. When I was driving to Marseilles I was told to stick to the main roads and stay around the historical and seaside areas so as to avoid driving down the wrong streets😥. The "lookouts" apparently get quite anxious if they see an unknown vehicle going down their streets and it has been known to lead to violent confrontations.

Edited January 1, 2019 by ilikeanswers

[K32682]

18 hours ago, LynnTTT said:

Not a regret, because I would never book a cruise with the intent to visit anything of significance. A few hours in Rome or Istanbul or Barcelona or Hong Kong?  Never. If your dream is to see Italy, book a land tour thru one of the many low cost but well rated companies on the internet. Or rent thru AirBNB or other sites and see Rome on your own. 

Cost?  Many people pay thousands for a deluxe ship cabin and could easily do a land tour instead.

 

A few hours in a large and diverse city wouldn't appeal to me either but there are sites of significance where a cruise does make some sense because they are otherwise hard to get to or lack reasonable amenities.  Antarctica, Galapagos, Easter Island, Marquesas come to mind. 

 

Some people don't have what it takes to disconnect from the mothership.  They are better off going somewhere on a cruise that you and I would never consider because we are more independent travelers who can manage a different language and culture. 

Edited January 1, 2019 by K32682

[calliopecruiser]

49 minutes ago, K32682 said:

Some people don't have what it takes to disconnect from the mothership. 

That's a little dismissive.....They may have what it takes, but don't want to use it all the time.  For instance, people who are independent travelers on their own might choose something different when traveling with family, or with friends who aren't so independent.  Or choose something different if they have a very limited time for vacation, for instance, and travel differently when they have more time.  It's not always about being unable to "disconnect" (which really isn't required for independent travel, in my opinion), but about what suits best at that time and place.

[calliopecruiser]

2 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

When I was driving to Marseilles I was told to stick to the main roads and stay around the historical and seaside areas so as to avoid driving down the wrong streets😥

I was told the same in Chicago -- one mistaken turned corner and I could be in the wrong (unsafe) place.  I think that's not uncommon in many places.  I loved my day in Cartagena and would love to go back to spend more time there, but I don't doubt my experience would have been very different if I'd not spent my time wandering in the old city and ventured other places instead.   Sometimes there's nothing wrong with playing the tourist and staying safe.

[SRF]

On 12/31/2018 at 9:17 AM, K32682 said:

The cruisers who deserve to be regarded with complete disdain are those who become instant experts on a place after just one cruise stop.  They are slightly ahead of someone who has never been there but only slightly. 

 

 

Yeah, THOSE are the ones I am talking about.

[JMorris271]

9 hours ago, calliopecruiser said:

I was told the same in Chicago -- one mistaken turned corner and I could be in the wrong (unsafe) place.  I think that's not uncommon in many places.  I loved my day in Cartagena and would love to go back to spend more time there, but I don't doubt my experience would have been very different if I'd not spent my time wandering in the old city and ventured other places instead.   Sometimes there's nothing wrong with playing the tourist and staying safe.

Whatever you do in Chicago, don't ever take the Orange line.  Don't even take a cab.