Speaking of rules, HAL's not worried

[Linerguy]

"I intentionally hit all of the hot buttons, as I explained. Why did you, and everyone else, pick up on smoking? What happened to the others?"

 

Perhaps because the quote you posted from HAL employee only mentions smoking and not chair hogging, booze, children, etc.

 

That was the bait, folks took it and now you're trying to throw it back in their face.

[RevNeal]

lknick,

 

3. I don’t see any attempt to cast you as a trouble maker. You do, however, have a tendency to parse. “I’ll go post somewhere else” sounds like sour grapes.

 

1. I believe I was responding to your statement that I was exerting an "effort" to start an "agenda." I was also responding to your reference to "my lead" on the smoking issue. Those references made me think you were accusing me of focusing this on smoking, as if I had some form of a nefarious agenda.

 

2. Yes, I have a tendency to parse. So do you.

 

3. No sour grapes. I just don't want to be thought of as causing a fight. If I'm causing trouble, tell me and I'll move on to another topic. I kind of had already, but your giving me your thoughts occasioned my response.

 

4. I intentionally hit all of the hot buttons, as I explained. Why did you, and everyone else, pick up on smoking? What happened to the others?

 

It was your quote of what the HAL employee said -- "…the non-smokers are becoming more militant all the time." -- not so much your remarks, that caught my attention. Sorry. :)

 

There is nothing to make me believe that all of our yammering, parsing, opinionating, point-of-view taking, emoting, tail flapping or anything else has any impact on HAL’s decision making process. If you look at this board as the passing of information, amusement or taking a moment to clear the mind after a challenging activity, then we are in keeping with the boards abilities.

 

I sometimes think that we (yes, myself included) bloviate just to read ourselves bloviating. Said more positively, we're sharing because we enjoy sharing. Anything else is speculation or anecdotal ... including the event when my reference to being turned down for Chaplain duty got reversed. What that demonstrated was that someone at HAL HQ was reading the board close enough to catch the remark and act upon it; it doesn't demonstrate that we have an impact on HAL's decision making process through what we write on this board. If I want to really try and do that, I write a physical letter to Seattle ... and, even then, I don't assume that my lone voice registers as anything more than a minor squiggle on their meter.

[RevNeal]

Perhaps because the quote you posted from HAL employee only mentions smoking and not chair hogging, booze, children, etc.

 

Correct. And, you're right, I fell for it. :) Good call. :) That's what I get for spending my day off doing nothing but browsing around the internet. :D

[BorderLady]

Maybe they were sent to their rooms without dinner. "No soup for you!"

 

There is, however, a brig on each ship. I think it's called 'the detainment facility.'

 

Cactuslady, as part of their new Signature Of Excellence, they could do it in pink, with velvet wallcoverings -- but with no Room Service or soft-serve ice cream.

[cactuslady]

Now I have another question. 'Vegas Jim, what does your dictionary say "bloviate" means? I looked it up in my trusty old Webster's New World from 1970, but it's not in there. :confused:

[jhannah]

To discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner: “the rural Babbitt who bloviates about ‘progress’ and ‘growth’” (George Rebeck).

[lknick]

Perhaps because the quote you posted from HAL employee only mentions smoking and not chair hogging, booze, children, etc.

 

That was the bait, folks took it and now you're trying to throw it back in their face.

You give me much more credit than deserved in deviousness. Never thought of the connection.

 

No matter what compliments you rain on me, I still didn't like the QM2.

[ryansmemom]

Actually, research shows that Hot Pink is the color that calms people down. I don't know why, but it would be a good color to paint that detention room. :D

 

********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

 

Linda

[HeatherInFlorida]

Whatever anyone may say is the reason for additional security, I agree with Anngie that the "real" reason is concern about possible terrorism. HAL will not tell us this because the last thing they need is us fearing for our safety, i.e., people will stop cruising.

 

So there may well be an increase in "incident" reports because people are aware there is more security. So it has to at least appear they are there for another reason. I doubt very much the couple referred to earlier were taken away and thrown in the brig. More likely they were ushered somewhere and issued a nice little shipboard credit to make them feel better.

 

Nope, I believe it's all a cover to explain away the additional security. You'd have to be living under a mushroom not to know that there are enormous concerns about terrorism on cruise ships. It's not like it hasn't been done.

 

As for these Boards being for amusement only, thereby suggesting they have no material value, I disagree along with RevNeal. I can promise you I certainly wouldn't spend so much time on here purely for amusement. While it can be enormous fun, I also have gathered volumes of valuable information without which I couldn't make the intelligent decisions I've made about cruising over the past couple of years.

[lknick]

To quote Freud, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

 

OMG, that has to do with smoking. Bad me!

[BorderLady]

Actually, research shows that Hot Pink is the color that calms people down. I don't know why, but it would be a good color to paint that detention room. :D

 

Linda

Nice catch, Linda! I started to specify the wall color as Baker-Miller Pink but decided to not get technical. The research and anecdotal reporting is fascinating.

 

Wonder if CC would consider using it as a background color on these pages? :)

[cactuslady]

Thanks, 'Vegas Jim, for all the definitions. Now I have one . . .

 

Perhaps the Cruise Critic boards exist as a place for critics to ply their trade.

 

Critic, n. A person who boasts himself hard to please because nobody tries to please him.

 

There is a land of pure delight,

Beyond the Jordan's flood.

Where saints, apparelled all in white,

Fling back the critic's mud.

 

And as he legs it through the skies,

His pelt a sable hue,

He sorrows sore to recognize

The missiles that he threw.

--

Orrin Goof

.

 

The above definition is from Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary (which comes in more handy than Webster's sometimes).

[RevNeal]

I still didn't like the QM2.

 

Now I'm curious. Why? Have you posted a review someplace where I can read it? I know this isn't on-topic, or even for the board ... but ... I'd like to hear your opinion.

[HeatherInFlorida]

To quote Freud, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

 

OMG, that has to do with smoking. Bad me!

And sometimes .....(as we should all know very well by now:rolleyes: ) .... it's not.

[RevNeal]

Wonder if CC would consider using it as a background color on these pages?

 

If they did that we'd get confused with the Gay Cruisers board. :eek:

[lknick]

So there may well be an increase in "incident" reports because people are aware there is more security.

Onboard security has seldom been discussed here. How would people know there was increased security since security for the most part is not uniformed?

 

I doubt very much the couple referred to earlier were taken away and thrown in the brig. More likely they were ushered somewhere and issued a nice little shipboard credit to make them feel better

A nice contention. The poster said she observed them being ushered out of the Lido smoking area…nothing more.

[lknick]

Now I'm curious. Why? Have you posted a review someplace where I can read it? I know this isn't on-topic, or even for the board ... but ... I'd like to hear your opinion.

OH Rev...I won't go through that flame again.

 

Try the Cunard board about July 1 or 2.

[RevNeal]

OH Rev...I won't go through that flame again.

 

Try the Cunard board about July 1 or 2.

 

Oooh ... flames ... should I take some marshmallows with me to the Cunard board?? ;) Thanks ... I'll search for it over there.

[lknick]

Oooh ... flames ... should I take some marshmallows with me to the Cunard board?? ;) Thanks ... I'll search for it over there.

An asbestos suit may more fit the bill.

[anngie]

Iknick, not to beat a dead horse but on the increase in incidents and the increase in security, maybe since there are additional people who are working undercover they are actually witnessing more of these occurrences for the first time.

Maybe these events have gone on before but they went unnoticed or there was no one around who had the authority to do something about them.

[lknick]

One cannot argue with logic. At least it’s better than a conspiracy theory that HAL is trying to mislead its passengers.

 

Yet, consider the fact that it was 2 years after 9/11 that additional security was placed on board, about the same time as the Vista class ships were added to the fleet, management changed in Seattle and the marketing strategy was revised.

[RevNeal]

At least it’s better than a conspiracy theory that HAL is trying to mislead its passengers.

 

Actually, that's the objective of the Council of Foreign Relations (you know, HAL is the "Holland Amerika Line" ... obviously an international community plot!) to cause disruptions on all HAL's ships. :) The Trilateral Commission and the Skull & Bones are involved too, I'm sure. :D ;)

[Ziggy7]

I will be on the zuiderdam soon :)

I will check out all this security first hand

and report back :)

[Nasmas]

This is funny. I love these boards, but I really hate to see people get upset over a harmless remark. As for us smokers, someday we'll all be exiled to an island and we can smoke all we want. I've been on several cruises and I've not seen any problems. Most of the smokers know where they can smoke and where they can't. It seems they do honor the 'no smoking' rules. I know some of them are militants too, but if the non-smokers don't want to sit by a smoker, why are they in the smoking area. JUST MOVE. I was in the bar at a seafood restaurant once and the bar was the only smoking area in the restaurant. There was a table of elderly people next to us that keep waving their hands and hacking and giving ugly looks to the people smoking. That only made the smokers smoke more. I didn't say anything but I sure wanted to ask why they were sitting there when the restaurant had numerous non-smoking tables that were not taken. Some people just like to gripe IMHO

[The_Hall_Monitor]

...if the non-smokers don't want to sit by a smoker, why are they in the smoking area. JUST MOVE. ...Some people just like to gripe IMHO

 

You hit the nail on the head.

 

A couple years ago on a Panama Canal transit, people gathered in the Crow's Nest. The area was divided in half -- smoking and non-smoking. A man left the non-smoking area seeking a better view. He pushed his way to the front windows on the smoking side, then turned around and snapped, "You people shouldn't be smoking here."