You Be YOU

[Mike981]

As my wonderful wife and I get ready to set sail in a few days, I started thinking of how a lot of energy in our early cruises was spent worrying if we will "fit in."

 

Don't be like Mike, you be you. Trust this semi-old guy, almost everybody is going to be into doing their own thing, and not thinking about you. If you do come across someone that does not play nice, smile and walk away. Even a 'small' ship is huge, there are lots of places to make a day home. And I can almost guarantee you that when other passengers find out that this is your first cruise, they will love to share all of their wisdom.

 

Cruising is so different from most of our lives, it can be hard to make the leap. Just know the cruise lines want you to have a great time so you come back again and again, so they make it easy for you to have a good time.

 

You will be fine, it's your vacation, have fun.

[klfrodo]

Same can be said for all travel. They say to try to blend in, don't stand out. It's all hogwash in my opinion. The first time I open my mouth to say a greeting, no matter what country or even US State I may visit, it's going to be obvious I'm not a local. The minute I pick up my knife and fork in Europe, the locals know I'm not from around there.

You're a tourist. Accept that. That doesn't mean to let your guard down. Always be aware of your surroundings and maybe watch a few YouTube videos to find out what the local scammers are doing to try to separate you from your money.

But, like Mike said, be you. Have fun, meet new people, be respectful and gracious and maybe try a new dish that you never thought you would.

[BklynBoy8]

We all were First Timers once in the past, my experience was 53 years ago. 

 

And my DW was 42 years ago.

 

We enjoy each and every Sailing meeting "Newbies" on board or on a Roll Call to exchange ideas, suggestions and comments.

 

We are so blessed to have built relationships online and zoom to this day even with Crew Members.

 

Each sailing also sometimes turns into an adventures.

 

[Mike981]

6 hours ago, klfrodo said:

maybe try a new dish that you never thought you would.

 

My daughter is a little more adventurous like me. When our family would cruise on Carnival they have that menu area something like "have you ever" and it was fun to pick a couple of dishes and then share. I can't remember many of the items, but I believe there was tongue and ox tail. She was in here early teens and now at 28 she is still adventurous.

[Elaine5715]

I can't imagine wasting energy worrying about what others are  thinking about me. 

“You'll worry less about what people think about you when you realize how seldom they do.”

― David Foster Wallace 

[BklynBoy8]

2 hours ago, Mike981 said:

My daughter is a little more adventurous like me. When our family would cruise on Carnival they have that menu area something like "have you ever" and it was fun to pick a couple of dishes and then share. I can't remember many of the items, but I believe there was tongue and ox tail. She was in here early teens and now at 28 she is still adventurous.

 

WOW, those were two items introduced to me in my childhood.

 

Now in NYC you can't afford those dishes so expensive.

 

Back then they were cheap to buy.

 

We always like to try new dishes that we wouldn't think of cooking at home.

[CDNPolar]

You be you is the only way to live.  

 

There is NO advantage to being something or someone that you are not.  (But, I do say that there are times and places that you may have to tone down who you are a bit....)

[clackey]

Be yourself.  You will probably never see these people again.

[Z'Loth]

I disagree. There are some key words to remember on a cruise, among them "please", "thank you", "yes sir", and"no ma'am"among them. A little bit of patience helps too.

[ldubs]

I would hope that "you be you" does not mean good manners would be ignored.  

 

If you being you includes being grumpy, rude, and constantly complaining about everything around you, then please don't be you.  🙂

[jlawrence01]

On 1/10/2024 at 7:26 PM, BklynBoy8 said:

 

WOW, those were two items introduced to me in my childhood.

 

Now in NYC you can't afford those dishes so expensive.

 

Back then they were cheap to buy.

 

We always like to try new dishes that we wouldn't think of cooking at home.

 

You make a good  point.

 

I would like to add that MANY of the dishes that you are served in the MDR and NOT dishes that many modern chefs have made since they left culinary school.

 

I take pictures of a lot of the dishes on board so that I can duplicate a lot of them in my home kitchen.  Some of the combinations are really great and not ones that I would have thought of (Heart of palm, Phillipine Mango and Florida avocado salad on HAL).

Edited January 22 by jlawrence01

[clo]

On 1/10/2024 at 4:02 PM, Mike981 said:

 

My daughter is a little more adventurous like me. When our family would cruise on Carnival they have that menu area something like "have you ever" and it was fun to pick a couple of dishes and then share. I can't remember many of the items, but I believe there was tongue and ox tail. She was in here early teens and now at 28 she is still adventurous.

Oh praise be 🙂 !!!!!! Eating local food is one of my very favorite things to do. On the ship and especially in ports. Give your daughter my congratulations.

[BklynBoy8]

22 hours ago, jlawrence01 said:

 

You make a good  point.

 

I would like to add that MANY of the dishes that you are served in the MDR and NOT dishes that many modern chefs have made since they left culinary school.

 

I take pictures of a lot of the dishes on board so that I can duplicate a lot of them in my home kitchen.  Some of the combinations are really great and not ones that I would have thought of (Heart of palm, Phillipine Mango and Florida avocado salad on HAL).

 

Ditto!

[BklynBoy8]

32 minutes ago, clo said:

Oh praise be 🙂 !!!!!! Eating local food is one of my very favorite things to do. On the ship and especially in ports. Give your daughter my congratulations.

 

We enjoy the Greenhouse in St Tom and Martin with the same menus.

 

Learn of it from the crew members we know on board.

 

Great Local food like Conch.....

[Z'Loth]

As a general rule when traveling, I avoid the chain restaurants that are readily available in my area such as McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Carl's Jr/Hardees. or Taco Bell, and prefer the local restaurants. I broke this rule when in FLL when I wanted to try the local PDQ Chicken in Fort Lauderdale, but the dining room was closed, so I ended up at a Panda Express where I haven't gone to in years.

 

Same with the MDR. I will try some meals that I normally would not choose because of the expense or rarity such as duck or some preparations of the chicken. 

[navybankerteacher]

On 1/13/2024 at 1:00 PM, ldubs said:

I would hope that "you be you" does not mean good manners would be ignored.  

 

If you being you includes being grumpy, rude, and constantly complaining about everything around you, then please don't be you.  🙂

Exactly —- when you are among others, it is a good idea to follow that old kindergarten mantra:  “play nicely with others”.

[klfrodo]

5 hours ago, Z'Loth said:

As a general rule when traveling, I avoid the chain restaurants that are readily available in my area such as McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Carl's Jr/Hardees. or Taco Bell, and prefer the local restaurants. I broke this rule when in FLL when I wanted to try the local PDQ Chicken in Fort Lauderdale, but the dining room was closed, so I ended up at a Panda Express where I haven't gone to in years.

 

Same with the MDR. I will try some meals that I normally would not choose because of the expense or rarity such as duck or some preparations of the chicken. 

After enough time on the road and trying the local cuisine, sometimes, I just want some comfort food. Something I'm more accustomed to. I was just in Paris. While I enjoyed much of the food and wine while there, I just had to run into Popeyes Chicken across the street from Gard Du Nord.

[Z'Loth]

3 hours ago, klfrodo said:

After enough time on the road and trying the local cuisine, sometimes, I just want some comfort food. Something I'm more accustomed to. I was just in Paris. While I enjoyed much of the food and wine while there, I just had to run into Popeyes Chicken across the street from Gard Du Nord.

 

That is completely understandable, and I did say "local restaurants", not "local cuisine". And, you did state that you were there for a while. What bothers me is when someone travels to a different region and beelines it to a MickeyDees. (I might make an exception if I ever travel to Maine). In my two cruises to the Carribean, I did notice multiple Burger Kings and KFCs, but rarely a McDonalds. Haven't been in one though. 

[ldubs]

On 1/23/2024 at 3:49 PM, Z'Loth said:

 

That is completely understandable, and I did say "local restaurants", not "local cuisine". And, you did state that you were there for a while. What bothers me is when someone travels to a different region and beelines it to a MickeyDees. (I might make an exception if I ever travel to Maine). In my two cruises to the Carribean, I did notice multiple Burger Kings and KFCs, but rarely a McDonalds. Haven't been in one though. 

 

Where someone who I don't even know wants to eat doesn't bother me at all.   For those who beeline to the fast food places, I suspect it is mostly about convenience and familiarity.    In the spirit of you be you, I guess they are being them.  🙂

 

 

Edited January 28 by ldubs

[Z'Loth]

On 1/27/2024 at 9:10 PM, ldubs said:

Where someone who I don't even know wants to eat doesn't bother me at all.   For those who beeline to the fast food places, I suspect it is mostly about convenience and familiarity.    In the spirit of you be you, I guess they are being them.  🙂

 

Shrug. It's their money and digestive system. 

[jlawrence01]

On 1/27/2024 at 8:10 PM, ldubs said:

 

Where someone who I don't even know wants to eat doesn't bother me at all.   For those who beeline to the fast food places, I suspect it is mostly about convenience and familiarity.    In the spirit of you be you, I guess they are being them.  🙂

 

 

 

Heading to a US based fast food chain in the Caribbean is a strong guarantee that you will find decent WIFI.

[Katherine_Allen]

Hello! Eeverybody hope you all doing well 😀 This katherine and I have keen interest in traavelling around the world and explore and now want to take a cruise journey.

I'm really excited being the part of the community so let's connect and share are thoughts and experiences with each other.

Edited February 6 by Katherine_Allen

[CruiseNewbie2025]

On 1/28/2024 at 3:10 AM, ldubs said:

 

Where someone who I don't even know wants to eat doesn't bother me at all.   For those who beeline to the fast food places, I suspect it is mostly about convenience and familiarity.    In the spirit of you be you, I guess they are being them.  🙂

 

 

Hubby and I have travelled many times, and even though I'm more adventurous than him, we both like variety, so we try and eat new things - but at some point on almost every trip we've wanted something quick, easy and familiar, and we've probably had McDonald's in over a dozen countries. I also like that they're NOT exactly the same - they can be anything from a multi-storey to a tiny takeout, some do table service, some even sell alcohol, and they all have very slight local variations to the menu. Probably the one place we don't usually go there is the US (we're in the UK), because there are so many alternatives that we haven't tried - on our last trip we went to a Wendy's for the first time 😂

[CDNPolar]

15 hours ago, CruiseNewbie2025 said:

Hubby and I have travelled many times, and even though I'm more adventurous than him, we both like variety, so we try and eat new things - but at some point on almost every trip we've wanted something quick, easy and familiar, and we've probably had McDonald's in over a dozen countries. I also like that they're NOT exactly the same - they can be anything from a multi-storey to a tiny takeout, some do table service, some even sell alcohol, and they all have very slight local variations to the menu. Probably the one place we don't usually go there is the US (we're in the UK), because there are so many alternatives that we haven't tried - on our last trip we went to a Wendy's for the first time 😂

 

I guess that we don't eat this at home, so we have no desire to eat this in another country.

 

We are very "clean" eaters with vegetables and fruit being 70+% of our diet.  Meats and grains are an accompaniment.

 

I find it especially amusing and interesting how popular certain chains are in places like China such as KFC and McDonalds.

 

When we are in the food court of the mall, the Burger King and outlets like that seem to always have the longest line.

 

I am not saying that I have never, nor would never eat at one of these chains.  I have and I will, but they are not commonplace for us at home, and if I am in another country and culture, I am not seeking something familiar, I am seeking the new, and the unique to me, that is the authentic to that country or culture.  I can have familiar at home.

 

No offence to anyone.  This is just how I am wired.

[Mum2Mercury]

On 1/10/2024 at 12:42 PM, klfrodo said:

... The first time I open my mouth to say a greeting, no matter what country or even US State I may visit, it's going to be obvious I'm not a local. The minute I pick up my knife and fork in Europe, the locals know I'm not from around there ...

Yes, I've never understood the people who put effort into pretending they're locals.  It's a goal that's bound to fail.  

On 1/12/2024 at 11:43 AM, clackey said:

Be yourself.  You will probably never see these people again.

Maybe.  You never know who you might encounter on a cruise.  For example, a couple years ago I ran into a relative in the terminal!  Neither of us knew the other would be sailing on that ship.