the one thing I might never understand....

I don't mean to sound critical and I hope it doesn't come out that way.

We are about 3 weeks out from a very much needed cruise vacation. Honestly, it could rain every day and I would still enjoy the whole trip. I am looking forward to the total "away" feeling that only a cruise can bring. I am looking forward to no email, no cell calls, no messages, no dishes, no housework, and most importantly, I am looking forward to time with my family.

So, I will never understand how someone can come back from a cruise with a list of complaints about the most silly things. The dining room doesn't always serve things I personally like, but SO WHAT? I can nibble on new things and grab something in the buffett later.

I guess I also don't understand the need for pizza, burgers and ice cream and how this can affect some people's cruise. Those are pretty mainstream and easy to aquire items. Whem I am on a cruise I want some steak and lobster. I want gourmet items that I never have time to make at home (as if I know how).

I don't mean to offend. I am from NY and pizza is a food group here. It's the last thing I want on vacation.

I have never been on a bad cruise. I don't think it's because I am special, I don't have the cruise fairy has a special touch for me. I think I just go on vacation with an open mind and embracing everything that vacation means- relaxation, no chores, and family. I wish more people would go with this mind set.

**hops off soap box**;)

Can I say that I agree 110 % with what you said!!! That is definitely the attitude I am taking on board the Jewel in February!

I don't mean to sound critical and I hope it doesn't come out that way.

 

We are about 3 weeks out from a very much needed cruise vacation. Honestly, it could rain every day and I would still enjoy the whole trip. I am looking forward to the total "away" feeling that only a cruise can bring. I am looking forward to no email, no cell calls, no messages, no dishes, no housework, and most importantly, I am looking forward to time with my family.

 

So, I will never understand how someone can come back from a cruise with a list of complaints about the most silly things. The dining room doesn't always serve things I personally like, but SO WHAT? I can nibble on new things and grab something in the buffett later.

 

I guess I also don't understand the need for pizza, burgers and ice cream and how this can affect some people's cruise. Those are pretty mainstream and easy to aquire items. Whem I am on a cruise I want some steak and lobster. I want gourmet items that I never have time to make at home (as if I know how).

 

I don't mean to offend. I am from NY and pizza is a food group here. It's the last thing I want on vacation.

 

I have never been on a bad cruise. I don't think it's because I am special, I don't have the cruise fairy has a special touch for me. I think I just go on vacation with an open mind and embracing everything that vacation means- relaxation, no chores, and family. I wish more people would go with this mind set.

 

**hops off soap box**;)

B - R - A - V -O

That is perhaps one of the BEST postings I've seen on this board in a loooooooong time!

What a fabulous post! Bravo to you.:D

I agree completely and not to change the subject... but what part of NY are you from?

it's called the "rose colored glasses" way of travel or as i have been called "the pollyanna" attitude. it's the only way to travel, not just cruise.

glad i am not the only one with this attitude.

but don't be surprised if this thread gets moved to one of the other boards, since it's general and not just to NCL.

but it's a great posting.

We are so lucky to be able to enjoy such a fabulous vacation. I wholeheartedly agree with you. Now, duck, because they will start coming at you!:p

I am also a 'Pollyanna' with 'rose tinted glasses' when I travel. I've had all kinds of things happen while travelling that would have been a HUGE deal to many of the posters I've seen here, based on the things they've complained about, but they certainly didn't ruin my enjoyment. I'm just so freakin' happy to be away - from home, (most) responsibilities, work, school, cold weather (a lot of the time for us), and CHORES. I generally take most things in stride anyway, though. Life is just too short to care about trivial things that I have no control over. :)

I agree completely and not to change the subject... but what part of NY are you from?

I am from good old Buffalo! Lots of snow= lots of snow days in front of the fire and best of all, I have the best excuse to own a reallty fun Jeep Grand Cherokee. Gotta have 4x4 when you live 20 miles outside of the city.

I wanted to add:

On our Caribbean Princess cruise we had a not-so-good steward. He did not meet several requests, was not really very attentive, and he seemed like he did not have a clue. So, Bill and I chatted with him a little found out that he was on his FIRST cruise! We took him under our wing and offered helpful suggestions on things. We gave lots of compliments and left a raving review. I really hope that this helped set in off in a good direction.

I cringe to think of what other people might have done to this poor fellow.

To this day I still think of that cruise as our very best one.

Jen - I could not have said it better myself. I feel very much the same way about cruises and vacations in general. It takes a LOT before I say that a vacation completely stank, and for me it's more about getting away, and certainly bad food or even bad service cannot ruin a trip for me.

I'm definitely looking forward to meeting you, BTW . :) We can go and enjoy the mediocre food together. ;)

Agreed! :)

I also think that in most cases, if the friends/next-door-neighbours/bosses/employees/etc. of the "petty complainers" were to ask them in person how the cruise was, the aforementioned complainers would no doubt smile and say "It was great!" and forgo relaying the picky complaints about how the toilet paper was put on the roll wrong in their cabin and that the elevator buttons weren't shiny enough or whatever else didn't suit them perfectly.:p

I think that being (somewhat) anonymous and with a captive, (cruise enthusiastic) audience is what brings out the passive-aggressive, crabby side of a lot of people (not just on CC, but forums in general for that matter).:rolleyes:

I was just saying this to my husband earlier today, it also amazes me to see peoples complaints about the same sailing I was on.....I sometimes wonder if they were on another ship. My favorite posts are the "I'm never Cruising Again" and I say "Thank god, I won't ever have to run into them"

You have the right attitude. That's the one that I try to take with my on every trip. Any day away from work and where I don't have to cook or clean at home is a good day!

 

I'm definitely looking forward to meeting you, BTW . :) We can go and enjoy the mediocre food together. ;)

I am looking forward to meeting you also! I also want to meet granny and Leah!

I remember our Honeymoon cruise on the Grand Princess. It was our first cruise and we were just in heaven. We had no idea we would love it as much as we did.

On the last sea day we were on our balcony and the couple next door chatted with us a little. They asked us how we liked the cruise and we said it was AWESOME. He shrugged and said that his last cruise was on RCCL and it was more "relaxing"....he kept saying how this cruise was not relaxing enough for him. We did not know what to make of this guy. Now I see people like him on these boards all the time.

We also had a night on the CB where they were serving German food in the buffet and some other strange stuff in the dining room. I looked at my husband and said "I am actually feeling hungry on a CRUISE? How can that be?" and we both cracked up. When all else fails, just laugh.

I wanted to add:

On our Caribbean Princess cruise we had a not-so-good steward. He did not meet several requests, was not really very attentive, and he seemed like he did not have a clue. So, Bill and I chatted with him a little found out that he was on his FIRST cruise! We took him under our wing and offered helpful suggestions on things. We gave lots of compliments and left a raving review. I really hope that this helped set in off in a good direction.

 

I cringe to think of what other people might have done to this poor fellow.

 

To this day I still think of that cruise as our very best one.

You are truly good people.:)

I was once on a cruise where they literally had no activities. It was cruise from New York on the Regal Empress, and at the end of the trip, they condemned the line for unsanitary conditions in the kitchen. Did I ever sail on the Regal Empress again? Uhm, no. But you know something? I had some great laughs, as my mom and I sat around a closed casino because we were too close to land to have it open. And as we stopped in Martha's Vinyard for something like 3 hours. And as we went to St. John, New Brunswick at night,l when everything was already closed, so all there was to do was walk around a closed mall. ;)

So we sat around a closed casino, and told jokes. And I got to meet the sister of Sammy Davis Junior. And it made me appreciate the other cruises I've been on so much more. :) I was with my mom. On vacation. What more could I ask for? :)

Thank you! I often get on here to read about past cruises I've taken or the one I will be taking in March. It sometimes makes me disappointed when I read reviews that are negative. So...I try to skip the negative ones. A cruise is totally what you make of it. If you go in thinking about all the things it doesn't offer and all the crap you've heard about it, you are going to have a horrible time. But, if you go in thinking it's simply time away, no worries, no dishes, NO WORK.....you'll have a great time. We all should be thankful (and YOU all are) that we can afford to go on vacations. My family never could afford things like this and I thank God everyday that I can experience what I have and what I will in the future.

I have to agree 100%. Ive been on 10 or 11 cruises so far and Ive loved everyone of them... only one or two times have there been issued which caused a sigificant dent, both of them involved excursions which were just horrible and had a significant effect on that portion of the cruise.. but thats it, the cruise itself was still fanttttttasssssssssssstic. I love to read all reviews and see what people say, but it kills me when people complain about something like "the carpet in the hall had a stain on it"... I never even notice things like that and it certainly wouldnt have an effect on my vacation. I love cruising, its just so EASY. No cooking, no cleaning, its so uncomplicated!!

Well said Jen! Like most, I'm just thrilled to be going somewhere new, to meet new people and not have to cook or clean up after anyone! :D

GREAT post, JenD!!!

I would like to form a club of past cruisers called the Low Maintenance Cruisers Club or the LMCC. I would like to enroll EVERBODY who's posted replies to OP JenD's post!!

Proposed Motto: ANY day on ANY cruise ship from ANY cruise line is better than a day at home!

Rules: As we are LOW Maintenance Cruisers we should have a bare minimum of "rules". However,we should have some rules so here goes:

Rule #1 - NO WHINING!!!

OK, so how do we define a "whine" with regards a past cruise experience. Am not really sure but here's some examples from past postings seen on CC:

1) Towel animals not available on a regular basis

2) Lack of chocolate milk at meals.

I'm sure you can think of others.

What do you all think?

Tom & Eileen

PS: We hereby nominate Cathi (Toyz711) as President and JenD as recording Sec'y.

I would love to accept your nomination! How fun!

I have a couple more rules to suggest:

1. no comments on what other people are wearing. Who cares? I just care how my handsome DH looks and beyond that I don't notice who wears what.

2. People who treat staff badly are fair targets for every insult and joke you have ever heard.

3. silly complainers are not to be taken seriously.

What a GREAT thread!!!!!!

I am from good old Buffalo! Lots of snow= lots of snow days in front of the fire and best of all, I have the best excuse to own a reallty fun Jeep Grand Cherokee. Gotta have 4x4 when you live 20 miles outside of the city.

I'm from the opposite side of the state, Westchester County. Not nearly as much snow!

Well this is a breath of fresh air! I want to join too! Great thread! I sometimes think that because this site is cruisecritic, that some think critical instead of critique.

Coka