the one thing I might never understand....

[halos]

Someone just suggested you call yourself the Stepford Cruisers .....

not surprised. Miserable people are repulsed by happy ones...which is good. We don't want them near us anyway. ;)

[isles1]

not surprised. Miserable people are repulsed by happy ones...which is good. We don't want them near us anyway. ;)

And, IMO, it is those miserable people who (based on what they report) allow their vacation to be ruined by a meal that was not up to par (or their personal preferences) or some other imperfections. Nothing is perfect. I have never cruised before, but short of food poisoning or being thrown off the deck into icy waters, I have no idea how even a week of disappointing meals could ruin a vacation. Then again I am not expecting, nor am I used to 4* meals at every serving at home or when I travel. Sure, I may sail a different line next time or fill out a comment card if the problems I observed were objective (hot foods were cold, the casino was closed, etc.) rather than subjective (I didn't like the buffet, embarkation was slow), but some of the trip reports you read, you'd think these people were sent off to a third-world country for a week.

[halos]

), but some of the trip reports you read, you'd think these people were sent off to a third-world country for a week.

 

which reminds me...

don't you love the people that complain about the islands because they're so poor????????? :eek:

Hey, I do get tired of the 'hard sell' at some of the ports, but I always remind myself that if I had kids to feed and this was the only way I could do it, I'd be peddling my butt off (not literally :eek: ) as well.

[CanadianTwosome]

I agree, Pete. I dislike all the nickel & diming now and paying extra for the "good" food.

You don't have to be a "negative nit-picker" to notice the not-so-good changes on the mass-market lines over the years. Just because you do notice the changes and come back here to report some, doesn't mean you went on a cruise with a "bad attitude" or went "just looking to have a bad time".

I always go on my cruises looking forward to a great vacation. And I always do have a great vacation. However, without my rose-colored glasses, I do notice many things that could be improved. Does that mean I have a terrible cruise? No. Does that mean a few small things ruined my cruise? No. But it does mean that I can keep my eyes wide open & notice the changes.

 

I hate to break it to you, but the attitude you're describing is EXACTLY the attitude that the Sunshine Cruisers are promoting. The 'rose tinted glasses' thing was just attributed to us, but we are pretty much just like you - it's not that we don't see issues, we just don't let them ruin our vacations. :)

 

One last thing I would like to comment on. I think the future of mass-market cruising will "dumb-down" even further, where you will be forced to pay extra for most things that used to be included in your cruise fare.

 

 

I find this insulting. Using the term 'dumb-down' suggests that anyone who accepts the extra charges is somehow 'dumb'? I not only accept the extra charges, though, I WELCOME them. I have explained why in detail, so I won't bother to do so again. What I will repeat, since it seems to be lost on so many, is that opinions are NOT fact, and insulting people simply because they have a different opinion than you is never appropriate. I could just as easily say that I think anyone who allows a cruise line to take money from them for services they have no intention of using is an idiot. **Please note, this is simply an example and NOT my actual opinion. I understand that many people simply prefer to pay a lump sum rather than make choices for themselves. That doesn't make them idiots, it just means they have a different outlook than I do.

[carontori]

I would rather pay extra for some services and get a cheaper cruise, than pay for services I don't want or need. That way I get to cruise more often!!!

[Catnip]

I find this insulting. Using the term 'dumb-down' suggests that anyone who accepts the extra charges is somehow 'dumb'? Sorry you find it offensive. It was not directed at you.

 

insulting people simply because they have a different opinion than you is never appropriate. I certainly agree.

 

I could just as easily say that I think anyone who allows a cruise line to take money from them for services they have no intention of using is an idiot. Yes, you could make that statement if that's the way you feel. And I won't be offended. ;)

[CanadianTwosome]

I find this insulting. Using the term 'dumb-down' suggests that anyone who accepts the extra charges is somehow 'dumb'? Sorry you find it offensive. It was not directed at you.

Who was it 'directed at'? I didn't take it as a statement directed at ME alone, I took it at face value - as an insult to anyone who accepts the extra charges. I would be happy to have you explain how it was NOT meant in a derogatory way.

 

insulting people simply because they have a different opinion than you is never appropriate. I certainly agree.

So... might I suggest not using derogatory phrases to refer to people who disagree with you?

 

I could just as easily say that I think anyone who allows a cruise line to take money from them for services they have no intention of using is an idiot. Yes, you could make that statement if that's the way you feel. And I won't be offended. ;)

 

This will never happen because I would consider it hypocritical of me to do something I believe is wrong. (and of course, I stated as clearly as possible that this is NOT what I believe)

I have read similar sentiments from other people who have made comments I (or others) have found offensive. I interpret it to mean that if THEY don't find something offensive, nobody else should. Unfortunately, that attitude does NOT prevent your words or actions from being offensive to others. If you actuallly care whether you offend people, you have to consider their feelings, not yours.

 

Wake up horsie! Wake up! The horse won't wake up!!

[petesweet]

Wake up horsie! Wake up! The horse won't wake up!!

 

Speaking of waking up (:) ), did I go to sleep and wake up a few days later? I thought this nice thread was closed. I used to be subscribed to it, and I have not gotten a notice for a couple of days now. Also, I thought I saw a reference to a closed thread and assumed it was this.

[Retired not Expired]

Wake up horsie! Wake up! The horse won't wake up!!

WOW, Step away from the eggnog.

 

All this ranting because someone used the term dumb down to describe cruising.

 

Someone pass me an umbrella.

[chrisbd1]

I think we are seeing the downside of too many people off work for the holidays. Can't get mad at co-workers so we're getting mad at our fellow posters. :eek:

 

Once we get back to work and remember how sucky it is, we'll long for the respite that CC brings.

[DMRick]

I don't understand the rose colored glasses and the lemonade. This (IMO) thread has gone as south as the other one that started with someone talking about his freinds cruise...except the colored glasses people think that people should love their cruises no matter what. and they are the only "right" people, because they see everything in a positive way (well, I'm sorry, but my non airconditioned room for two full days had no lemons in it, since they would have been smelling in the heat). I want to see both sides, myself, and I hope people aren't afraid that because of the heating tar, they shouldn't post them. I don't want them to be chased away. I still want to know when things have gone wrong..so I can prepare for them not to go wrong on my cruise. Most people point out the bad and the good. Some point out only the good. Some point out only the bad. It all equals out. I assume that those with the sun and ship will now never be able to let us know if something goes wrong..since then they become the 'dark' side. I personally think it's childish. I want to hear about the cruises, good and bad..not comments saying that people should look at everything trhough rose colored glasses. Why can't the reports be posted and we take what we want from them?

 

By the way, I have no allegiance to any cruise line..I find good in them all..and some not so good.

[carontori]

Everyone has a right to their own opinion, all we are saying is that WE prefer to look on the brighter side of things. I would hate to have to cruise without my A/C and would find that to be a legitimate complaint, but it still wouldn't ruin my cruise. It's the nit picking about silly things like no chocolate milk that bothers me. Why go through life looking for something to complain about?:confused: .

[carontori]

P.S. If you don't like our attitude, don't read the thread!!!

[DMRick]

It's the nit picking about silly things like no chocolate milk that bothers me. Why go through life looking for something to complain about?:confused: .

Then that's a review that you would do better to just ignore. I've read a lot of reviews, and one person saying there was no choc milk wouldn't bother me. I skip over what's not important to me..and if the choc milk wasn't important, I would just continuring reading. I go into a cruise expecting to have fun, but to me that is different than rose color glasses. If something on a cruise bothers me, it bothers me..it doesn't have to bother you (you in the sense of anyone it would bother not just you), to make it important enough to be a part of a review. And I want to hear all the reviews..even if some would think a part of it wasn't important enough to be mentioned. It might be important to me.

 

By the way, when soda stopped being included, I was glad to read it..so I could then buy and bring on board my own. Some would have thought that was nitpicking (announcing soda was an extra).

[DMRick]

P.S. If you don't like our attitude, don't read the thread!!!

 

Yep..real nice. This is just what I was talking about.

[chrisbd1]

I don't understand the rose colored glasses and the lemonade. This (IMO) thread has gone as south as the other one that started with someone talking about his freinds cruise...except the colored glasses people think that people should love their cruises no matter what. and they are the only "right" people, because they see everything in a positive way (well, I'm sorry, but my non airconditioned room for two full days had no lemons in it, since they would have been smelling in the heat). I want to see both sides, myself, and I hope people aren't afraid that because of the heating tar, they shouldn't post them. I don't want them to be chased away. I still want to know when things have gone wrong..so I can prepare for them not to go wrong on my cruise. Most people point out the bad and the good. Some point out only the good. Some point out only the bad. It all equals out. I assume that those with the sun and ship will now never be able to let us know if something goes wrong..since then they become the 'dark' side. I personally think it's childish. I want to hear about the cruises, good and bad..not comments saying that people should look at everything trhough rose colored glasses. Why can't the reports be posted and we take what we want from them?

 

By the way, I have no allegiance to any cruise line..I find good in them all..and some not so good.

 

On my last cruise my cabin steward left alot to be desired. Did it bother me enough to tell everyone I could to find about him? No. Just because this guy wasn't great, didn't mean that ALL NCL CABIN STEWARDS SUCK, it just meant that mine wasn't great. Is that something that I would put in a review? Maybe, but I don't think that this one guy was a good represetative of NCL room stewards. Plus, it didn't bother me enough to ruin my cruise.

 

I didn't like the T-bone I had at Cagneys but loved the prime rib. I think I just got a crappy piece of meat but not everyone got a crappy piece of meat, so the fact that I didn't like the T-bone THAT day at THAT meal may or may not help someone decide to dine at Cagney's. It also didn't ruin my cruise. It's not rose covered glasses, it's enjoying my vacation.

 

Some people only remember the good stuff and some people get stuck on the bad stuff. I'm happy to be onboard the ship and visiting places I've never seen. I and most Sunshine Cruisers are just more low maintanance than other cruisers, that's all. Ship happens and no one can really predict when ship will happen. Dwelling on ship happenings, to me, isn't fun.

[DMRick]

I didn't like the T-bone I had at Cagneys but loved the prime rib. I think I just got a crappy piece of meat but not everyone got a crappy piece of meat, so the fact that I didn't like the T-bone THAT day at THAT meal may or may not help someone decide to dine at Cagney's.

However, if we start seeing several reviews about that crappy piece of meat, I might decide it's not worth a trip to Cagney's, if the t-bone is what I had in mind. So what might not be important to you, may be to me..rose glasses aside. My point is, that a "club" like rose glasses reminds me of high school. To me, it sounds like the rose glass people are putting down those who may not see everything with rose colored glasses. And it doesn't make the other people bad..just different. In High School there were also 'outside' clubs, meant to make others feel bad. This is a cruise board..why start an outside club, meant to exclude (or even ridicule) those who may see things differently than you, to the point where someone may feel ill at ease to report something that they (or maybe even myself) may think is important? Maybe your idea of nitpicking isn't someone elses, but I may not hear about how many times the Star missed a port, which would help me decide if I want to go on it, just because someone is afraid they'll be called a nitpicker, just because a ship misses a port 3 out of 4 cruises, and they are upset? I'm sure hoping that anything wrong with the Star is fixed, so I don't miss ports, and I want to hear about it. Saying that someone is high maintenance just because they don't see things the way you do again, just reminds me of high school antics. It's actually a form of name calling...but you can get away with it, because the word is longer than most names.

[MonaCK]

See, that's the thing. I don't think anyone is saying that you shouldn't post negativity - all all - in threads - but just that there's a way to say it or not to say it. If having a piece of crappy meat at cagneys ruins someone's cruise, then they have larger issues than even a cruise can solve. That being said - you had a LEGIT issue, Rick. If we had been in your situation, I can guarantee you that my husband and I would have raised holy hell until it was fixed. But that being said - once it WAS fixed, we would do our best to enjoy the rest of our vacation and not let something that happened completely ruin it for us.

 

When we went on our Costa cruise, and were literally the last two people who walked on the ship because of lousy embarkation, we could have let that ruin our cruise. But we didn't. We got a good night's sleep, got up the next morning, and had a great trip with our family.

 

It's all about choices. And it's all about how you react to choices. And I think that the most respect is gained from a reviewer who presents a balanced review that gives both the positives and negatives of the trip, and not talking about how not being able to find chocolate milk ruined their trip.

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

Just ignore him, maybe like a bad cold, he will just go away in time. He can't bring us down. We are the Sunshine Cruisers after all!!! :D :D :D

[H82seaUgo]

Yep..real nice. This is just what I was talking about.

 

Don't waste your time. They just can't see it. It's all meaningless anyway. It really has NOTHING to do with cruising.

[JenDalessan]

I am typing slowly so that perhaps mr. Rick might understand.

 

No one cares if you complain. Complain all you want. However, if you complain about stupid stuff, we won't take you seriously. If you pay a few grand for a cruise and then claim it was "ruined" because of some minor problem, then you have ALLOWED your vacation to be ruined.

 

The ONLY point is that you should not allow the small stuff to ruin your cruise. That's IT. All this other crap about not complaining was never the point in the first place. Do you understand now?

[chrisbd1]

Saying that someone is high maintenance just because they don't see things the way you do again, just reminds me of high school antics. It's actually a form of name calling...but you can get away with it, because the word is longer than most names.

Actually I said more low maintance than others. My other half is high maintanance and once she chilled out, she didn't want to leave the ship.

 

My example about the steak was based on MY opinion, though. That's why I would be hesitant to mention it as a negative. My sister and father would have thought the steak was just fine but that's because they like their steak cooked WAY differently that I do. I shudder when they order steak well done. I simply hurts me in very profound way. I loved the Prime Rib but I like huge medium rare pieces of meat. Again, my opinion.

 

Some stuff is subjective and some stuff isn't. Some people get caught up in subjective things and some don't. If no one got there cabin cleaned or no cabin steward introduced themselves or everyone couldn't eat when they wanted or everyones meals took four hours, that would be important only if everyone gave a crap about any of that. Not everyone does and those who don't care don't mention it. Those who do care, mention it but don't dwell on it are the ones who give balanced reviews-good with bad . Those who do care, mention it and dwell on it, get flamed. Its really quite simple.

[DMRick]

Just ignore him' date=' maybe like a bad cold, he will just go away in time. He can't bring us down. We are the Sunshine Cruisers after all!!! :D :D :D[/quote']

Are you talking about me? So now a 'sunshine cruisers' are telling their members not to talk to other cruise critic members who may not agree (or understand the pont of them) with them (no one but me sees how high school this type of remark (ignore him (except I'm a her) he'll go away, or don't read the thread if you don't like what we have to say). This isn't a closed board..where only this new sunshine group can talk. This is a cruise critic board. I've been around awhile..I'm not going anywhere. I have just as much right as you to voice my opinion. I've not complained about the lack of chocolate milk, but I do defend the right of those who think it's important, to post it. I don't think any one thing has ruined a persons cruise, as some of you are trying to depict. Did the lact of air ruin my cruise? Nope, neither did the tub that didn't drain, or the shower head that couldn't be adjusted..it just pointed down. But the point I'm trying to make, is, people should have the right to talk about what bothered them on a cruise, without someone saying they are high maintenance because it bothered them. When a 'club' makes fun of others (like in high school), someone reading it might have had a legitimate complaint, but are now not going to post it, because the feel of the tar and feathers, isn't pleasant. So, maybe the name of this board should change to cruisers with rose colored glasses only, instead of cruise critic.

[DMRick]

Obviously you are not typing slow enough for me to feel I have to agree with you. What I see in what you typed, is that you are trying to insult my intelligence. Again, high school stuff. And that would be Mrs. Rick. Shouldn't make assumptions.

 

Minor problem is in the eye of the beholder. But it does seem you know what should and shouldn't ruin a cruise for someone. If you say it, then it must be so. What I see is a group of people making fun of people that they feel are slamming "their" favorite cruiseline. When in fact, it's just some people posting what they see as their reviews. You think if you continue to insult them (and me), it makes you right. It's just their reviews, and it won't change how you feel about a ship, so to you it's not important. But you don't speak for everyone. Some people like to read all of the reviews..good and bad. Small problems and large. The shame is when a small group of people start a 'club' to try to make people feel bad about something that was important to them. Again..High school.

 

I am typing slowly so that perhaps mr. Rick might understand.

 

No one cares if you complain. Complain all you want. However, if you complain about stupid stuff, we won't take you seriously. If you pay a few grand for a cruise and then claim it was "ruined" because of some minor problem, then you have ALLOWED your vacation to be ruined.

 

The ONLY point is that you should not allow the small stuff to ruin your cruise. That's IT. All this other crap about not complaining was never the point in the first place. Do you understand now?

[Catnip]

WOW, Step away from the eggnog.

 

All this ranting because someone used the term dumb down to describe cruising.

 

Someone pass me an umbrella.

 

hehehehehe..........