Bobtails12

My experience is that service must be from Miele in order for the warranty to be valid. In Canada they will not let someone else touch their product or else the warranty is invalid. Service people here are very good and expert in Miele. Luckily our Miele appliances came with a 10 year full warranty. If there is an issue they come and service it at no cost. After the warranty runs out I will be worried. But our Maytag crashed after 8 so we may be better off. The washer has been the issue, the gas dryer has never had a problem.

 

Apologies to the OP, this is way off topic so back to your original question.

 

 

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no problem at all- theres a miele showroom on my running route and always thought they looked like nice machines....but i am probably seduced by the miele coffee machines too..

but good to know mixed experiences for next kitchen overhaul....

They can call me anything they want. I'm sailing Seabourn so I don't care. I'm on the ship! Yahoo!

 

Once got a letter from the IRS that I hadn't filed my taxes. Seems my W-2 from my employer had my professional name, whilst my husband and I filed jointly as Mr and Mrs His Name. No biggie.

oh absolutely each to their own.....but i don't have a married name in any context ....work or personal....so think it's rude of companies to make one up for me....because they have a limited cultural viewpoint...

in context...if my name was in a language too difficult for them... is not acceptable for to make up a name for me .... as culturally the company believes it should be that way......no problem not using any name....but don't make one up cause your company have a narrow mind on certain matters....

I have not noticed this as an issue at all. I’ve traveled on Seabourn alone, with friends, with family, and with my partner.

 

In my experience, both of us have always gotten the post-cruuse survey and invitations were addressed to both. My partner did get called by my last name a couple of times (and me by his) but we are used to this and don’t generally care unless it is important somehow that they have our names right.

 

My only funny mangling of relationships occurred when I was traveling with my mom and one night they did the full-on romantic room turndown with our single beds. Rose petals everywhere, heart shaped arrangement, the battery-operated flicker candles, love songs playing. We chalked it up to getting the wrong room until the suite stewardess asked us the next day how we liked it. 😳

i think that turn down sounds very forward thinking of them.....like you were going to have your glass of champagne or whatever and then get into your singles beds....very doris day....

funny that some staff would go the other way and assume all people together are a couple....it's like they trained for the Arc.......

i do remember - on celebrity standing at the bar ordering and the man next to me who was waiting for his card back...getting a very rude waiter - he asked for his card as they hadn't given it back- and the rude waiter starts shouting he had given it to his wife and the man said no- his wife wasn't there - and the waiter starts shouting he gave it to me....( which he hadn't) and when the man told him i wasn't his wife.....the waiter shouts - of course she is :rolleyes: he kept shouting at the man that's your wife - and then his colleague found the man's card.

talk about american politician's not being able to have dinner with a woman....the waiter here married us off for standing together...

Oh I totally agree that the reason he was entertained was because it doesn’t happen often. The two of us have had multiple discussions about how it’s funny when his name gets changed by accident but extremely irritating when mine gets changed (even my own family tries to call me by his name because they are upset that I never changed my name).

 

But the only time that I noticed Seabourn staff try to call us by the same last name was the one trip I specifically told them we were celebrating a special occasion (in the special occasion comments section when we booked we stated that we were going on a honeymoon). The other two cruises the staff all called us by our correct names.

 

I was wondering if some of the errors were because of TA issues because some of the name problems other people were noticing (hyphenating names that shouldn’t be hyphenated for example, or selecting a different person as the main contact person of the group). As far as the underlying culture of Seabourn being chauvinistic, I have not noticed any of the things described (from the staff at least) and I usually am very sensitive to this issue.

the funny thing is i am perfectly happy for staff - especially when they are so many people and changing every 2 weeks- not to know my name hello sir/ madam i think is fine.... its when they try and make me a mrs.....making up a name for me...i find it annoying...

but people seem to be saying seabourn is better than usual on this......so high hopes....

apologies SLSD - took your thread on a MR's tagent....

I wonder if these errors are being done because of information that people’s TA’s are giving Seabourn. I do all the travel planning myself and my husband comes along for the ride, plus I don’t use a travel agent, so Seabourn gets all their information directly from me. I have never been called by my husband’s name in any of our three Seabourn cruises (we have different last names), and on our most recent cruise I noted that all written correspondence to us has my name first on the cards/letters. Now the order could be because I go by Dr Jones and he goes by Mr Smith, and their programming may state that Dr goes before Mr, but they also seemed to not be thrown off by it when greeting us.

 

The only time Seabourn staff got confused and thought we had the same name is on our first cruise when we were on our honeymoon. I think they assumed that we would go by the same name since we wouldn’t have had time to update our travel documents with our recent marriage. The funny thing is that because I did the travel arrangements, they thought we were Mr and Dr Jones (my name) rather than Mr and Dr Smith (his name). He never corrected them the entire time because he was really amused at getting called Mr Jones by everyone!

i can see your husband being entertained and mine was too....but then thats maybe because it doesn't happen too frequently .....when it happens more often than not ...less entertaining

but we never use a TA and in fact most documents/booking systems you never announce your relationship to the other person.....names of travellers are requested....so no reason to assume married....

another gentleman was on here saying when travelling with his husband... people would ask where their wives were......

so just seems part of a culture thats very narrow minded....we all need to fit into an 1920's narrow minded box ....

well good on the security....though knowing my chance....sods law......i'd pack really light and it would go missing.....hence why i hope the machines would be ok for delicates...

we were doing islands in thailand a while back left in our laundry( no delicates all cotton stuff) picked it up in a bundle didn't unpack it but straight into a bag ...and onto another island.....when we unpacked were a few strangers clothes - but too late to bring back then....

I started this thread and I am satisfied now that my issue is a result of a glitch. However, we ran into another issue in the printed list of guests on our last Ovation cruise.

 

My name had been listed as (an example) Lisa Smith Jones. Smith is my family name before marriage. In the guest list, I was listed as Mrs. Lisa Smith-Jones and alphabetized with the Ss.

 

My husband's name as (an example) John Martin Jones. HE was listed in the guest list as John Martin-Jones--under the Ms.

 

We both have the (example) last name Jones and should have both been alphabetized under the Js.

so they hyphenated both - which is unusual enough - and went with the first half of the hyphenated name....

in belgium they used to insist that children take the fathers name if known...in 2006/2005 case was taken by a spanish belgian couple as spanish tradition would be mothers name and fathers name.( belgium had a lot of weird laws like this- after living their for some time....)

this became eu law.- and belgium changed it's legislation.....so changing people's names in many cultures is insulting to their culture and companies should use the name customers have given....not changed/ shortened etc....

My point is - at least on Seabourn - I don't think it happens because of chauvinism. I think it is inadvertent because the crew member doesn't know both names.

but why would they know one name.- the man's- ..and not bother with the other...so the idea of maybe not bothering to use or call the female by her name as in their minds 'sure we can just use the man's name' ....seems blatant chauvinism to me ......

in my experience - when the names of a room/cabin occupants are on your booking screen/system in front of you or on a card....and you still insist on calling me by a name you made up....based on my husband's name....seems chauvinistic...

but i wait with baited breath to see no chauvinism on seabourn.....:halo:

My better half has also kept her own name and she is usually called by it on Seabourn.

 

It has happened that she has been called by my name and it has also happened that I have been called by her name. It doesn't bother either of us.

 

I don't think it is chauvinism. Rather it is a crew member trying to get it right without actually knowing and making an assumption which, in 95% of cases, would be the right one.

yes my husband spent two weeks being called my name as i had booked the holiday....but I suppose it happens more to me...and it is an assumption that people are married ....and that someone has given up their name...

i think i would call it chauvinistic as mostly does happen to women..... especially when someone is looking at a cards or room details with two names and make the decision to call you by the man's name.....to me MRS always implies MR'S Property....

when someone now calls me MRS XXX - i usually look blankly at them and tell them they have my cabin/room confused with someone else as that is not my name.

its also a security issue - the name on the passport is the name on the card and not to be changed by staff cause they feel like it....your card is your passport getting on and off ports....so it's correct...

but sounds like seabourn won't do this ...so i'm hopeful..

Cunard - though imagine they could and would find something to do...i would think is more if an adults ship.... especially a crossing.... as outdoor activities limited

azamara is small - and no real children areas i saw - but we were travelling in the off season -

Star clippers - do not encourage children- older teens can entertain themselves but under 16 isn't really appropriate as deck space small and no specific areas for kids or alternative evening dining....( last trip two under tens screamed their way around the decks and cabins every morning at 5am ....am sure yours are brought up far better than that..... but there was no kids area due to the size of the ship).

celebrity - do kids clubs and have a lot of activities.....some of the kids club staff though were a bit off i thought( one one cruise they got the kids to go around the boat on their own asking passengers questions - nationality etc - as part of a game ( collect 100 nationalities or something)and the staff were not near them...

personally i thought it was wrong of them to tell children to go and " make friends with strangers"....on a big ship 5000 passengers.... another 500+ staff......numbers and logic will tell you there will be numerically at least 1 person who has an unhealthy interest in children.....so i felt the kids club staff were inappropriate in that game....and weren't supervising them at all...

i am sure you thought of this but port intensive would seem better choice for children- that sea days- on a medium size ship....with a well supervised kids club if they want that(but not required if you are all happy to spend the day together doing stuff)....as during the day they will see great places and in the evening have dinner with you.......

it could be as simple as you not be ticked to receive e-mail or promotional material somewhere or at one stage you asked not to be sent promo material or a TA just ticked your husbands name as the 1 person per house address to receive.....

i haven't been on seabourn yet.... a few weeks to go....but my litmus test for c chauvinism on ships is the mr&mrs thing....

i have my own name....always did...passport in my own name... credit cards....no account in a 'married name'........but some ships and hotels etc....even though they have your passport in front them .....insist on calling you Mrs Husbands name.......even when my name is clearly in front of them..... now i find that chauvinistic....

hilariously as in hot weather my fingers can swell a bit and i hardly ever wear my weddings rings on holidays....so the assumption is a bit much..

so if they call Ms. Bobtail .... MRS HUSBAND NAME...next month.... I will have to agree with you they are chauvinistic....

Recently, on Ovation, our laundry took 2 days as the information on a card in the room told us it would take. There is an option to pay more for one day service. There is also something written about not expecting one day service on the last full day of the cruise.

thanks - i can plan a bit better based on min of 4 days rotating evening wear - when the rest is in laundry

much obliged for the help...

Bob

also one last quick question ....does the ship laundry normally take 48 hrs like pre noon to noon plus two days? as that was my previous experience .....

thanks again for help on mundane query...

Bob...

thanks all.

sounds like i will keep machines for gym gear and try the laundry on the more delicate stuff.:)

hello all,

Very mundane boring query here so apologies upfront....

do the washing machines odyssey have alternative to fix no spin options on washes. i have had another injury due to a hit and run recently...on top of existing arm weakness...so want to have to pull minimum weight in suitcase.

so am looking at my dresses that like a light 20/30 wash and no or light spin option that can be used again and again ...drip drying...over 3 weeks.....hence wondering if this is available on odyssey to save my arm......apologies on boringness of post...

thanks so much

bob

Sadly, there are hateful cretins on cruise ships and I guess that they feel entitled to spout their poison in the comfort of their cruise ship zone. That's how it goes.

 

 

But the quote from the earlier poster about the refugees won't be forgotten any too soon and it disgusts me. So much so that I am not sure

 

I would follow my own advice to deliver a sharp look his/her way and immediately move away fast before anything else happened:

 

 

"- or in siciliy when an italian rescue boat was bringing refugees to a red cross tent on the pier - having literally being dragged from the sea - man shouted out " you should just line them all up and shoot them' - i wasn't talking to him but was standing next to him..... i have to say have never forgotten the hatred in his voice."

 

 

What a vile character, not worthy of consideration, except to avoid afterwards at all costs.

 

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

i think the problem is people who are full of hate its like they are covered in radioactive muck and when they shake themselves some of that muck gets on you.......and it's hard not to think of it - the comment burns your psyche.

a few years back i ended up walking by a courthouse in a major city when a child serial killer was being sentenced and due to protests they suddenly shut off the pavement - and in a weird turn of events - i ended up on the inside of the blockade with the serial killer and his guard - (i'm 5'2 - no police force thinks i am a danger to anyone !) and the police asked me to wait there till they got him in the van and driven out - so i was standing there with the child killer in cuffs and the guard - and i remember that feeling of just being near evil and hatred.

when that man made those comments about the refugees - i felt the same thing.

sorry for that far too deep for cc - and happy holiday thoughts...

thanks all to your comments - has made me feel less anti-social and also maybe less wary of accepting an ice breaker from a seemingly nice person

...perhaps we got stung a few extra times over the quota - so our luck should change - and as many of you rightly pointed out even though i don't like being curt or making an atmosphere especially in a confined area - sometimes it really will be the only way..... or the princess bride quote ....quite loud with twitchy eyes.;p

thanks all for your comments - much appreciated....

This thread seems to have devolved into a political leaning thread instead of an unpleasant fellow passenger thread.

 

To address to OP's concerns I think nothing but firmness will do. Here are some suggested approaches:

 

1. We are dining alone tonight. You are not invited.

 

2. We want to be alone. Please make other arrangements.

 

3. We want to meet other people so are going off on our own.

 

And finally, if those don't work....

 

You don't seem to be able to take a hint. We prefer not to socialize with you. I'm sure you will find others who do. Now please excuse us!

thanks for these - read then over dinner and did give me a great laugh - i'm hoping our luck has changed and i won't need these for the next few years( but writing them on a card for my pocket anyway!) - but would have been handy when clingy family mentioned above followed us to a romantic deserted beach- literally no persona there at all- where we were hoping for "alone" time....but no....they popped up out of the sea in snorkelling gear...announcing they had been looking for us ....:)

i had the disturbing thought that if they arrived ten mins later...they would have asked to join in....:o

Interesting.

 

I did find the MAGA cap on a SB excursion quite hard to stomach but everyone to their own I suppose.

 

 

 

Sorry if i am stupid here - but what is MAGA?

So my husband I and I work in hospitality, spending a lot of time each day answering questions and being nice to people who sometimes don't deserve it. On vacation we tend to stick to ourselves, which I'm sure some people view as "stuck up" or "aloof" of what have you. We just want to be left to enjoy our time by ourselves (not sure when taking a cruise turned in to "meet your new best friends for life", although happy for those that do). We love talking to the crew and getting to know them (something a lot of people don't even bother doing) and telling them about us if they ask.

 

But as for our fellow guests...on our most recent cruise (Viking Ocean) we reluctantly got on a tour bus and within 30 second a woman (from Texas we would come to find out) leaned forward as asked us (a gay couple, in 2018...) "Hey. Where are your wives?" No joke. I looked at my husband and said, "Are you the wife today or am I?" She totally didn't get it.

 

We met other nice people that we exchanged polite conversation with, but between our work and reluctance to roll the dice we do find that we aren't very social.

thanks russg - makes me feel not so anti-social just because we are once bitten twice shy.....i don't know if it is 2018 in some peoples minds the stuff the come out with....as in my other half does laundry on holidays and women of a certain age in the laundry room treat him like he's curing cancer.... or the woman who berated us very publicly for not having children....and whose own child was taken off her and raised by someone else as she was unfit...:confused:

i must be quite evil though - as if i was you i might have been tempted to mess with that texas woman's head...:)

Roxburgh, I mostly agree with the last paragraph, especially at initial interactions. But that includes avoiding the assumption that everyone at a communal dining table or on an excursion is of similar and “correct” views on politics, religion, morals, economics, the relationship of man to the universe, and perhaps even whether or not cats or dogs are superior beings. In my opinion that means pax should not let a discussion at a group table degenerate into making condescending or derogatory remarks based on the assumption that fellow pax are all like-minded and anyone who has alternative views is stupid, uneducated, or a fair target for snide remarks, mockery, and jokes.

 

 

 

Bobtail,

 

although you will likely be pleased to know that SB and other luxury cruise pax seem to generally lean left politically for various reasons, they are actually almost always a mixed but intelligent, tolerant and pleasant group, so make no negative assumptions. Most are not clingy or like you described, and are civilized, and will take your headphone and book hint if you do not want to talk ( exceptions are those who think the universe revolves around them and their group, e.g., the selfie-stick addicts who push themsleves into the best view spot or to the front of a line, loudly take over an excursion with their unique desires and demands, or cannot stop talking about their wealth, their importance, or their virtue).

 

 

 

I personally prefer to give people I just meet the benefit of the doubt and listen to each person individually and see if people have anything interesting or unique to say on controversial topics from perspectives I have not previously heard, to make me think, but only after a few drinks, if they bring up a topic.

 

Ultimately, no risk, no reward, so go ahead and comment on the nice dress etc, have no fear on SB ( I would not say the same thing if you go on Hapag-Lloyd luxury ships, there the older German culture is mostly to mind your own business and not bud in).

 

 

 

BTW, though I am not entirely clear why you think your question is “existential”, as for the cat vs dog controversy I mentioned, it is quite clear that cats are the ones with the greatest existential angst and more likely to be of the view than dogs that “hell is the others” but also yourself:

 

thanks for the cats perspective went to to watch cat thoughts 3 and 4 too.....funny i grew up with cats and yes they are very philosophical...

Lol! Y'all sound like a lot of fun. Great thread. I feel that if you cruise long enough you will encounter those you prefer to avoid. On our recent Viking Oceans cruise a group of us said the cruise would be perfect if we could just send half the passengers home.:eek: but then, put any 900 folks together for 4 months and I guarantee there will be a few you just don't get along with. With our accumulated life experiences, we don't hesitate to be as direct as it takes to make those leave us alone. I would rather be nice but some people just won't let you........;p

i can imagine for 4 months there would be a few divisions - and that's fine and life - it's more the people who want to ignorantly make comments on your life - and insist on clinging on to you.....like make up your mind - be civil and the conversation continues - or be ignorant and i have someplace to be fairly immediately.....but don't be ignorant to my face about my culture and life choices etc - and wonder why i speed walk in the opposite direction next time i see you or....

and this is everyman for themselves - pretend to be asleep if i am sitting on deck( doesn't work in restaurants :))....my partner then unfortunately gets caught in conversation as they are very polite - while i make snore and drool noises with my sunglasses on....i then " wake up' with a start and snort.....and announce that i am going to the bar for water while escaping the ignoramuses....:)

as i said everyman for themselves - poor partner has to dig their own escape hatch......the fake sleep also works on planes when your partner meets their fifth cousin /neighbour/ oddball co-worker....

We have met a great many people on Seabourn and very few who we chose to avoid subsequently (a well kent Australian lady springs to mind). In fact we have met many very pleasant, very interesting and very well travelled people and have enjoyed their company. Hopefully they have felt the same way about us.

 

Subjects to avoid include politics, religion and making moralistic judgements about others. Discussions about the state of the deck or the slowness of the internet are generally good ice breakers.

that's good to know about seabourn - my problem is not breaking the ice - rather i now avoid responding to those who attempt to join our conversation - due to hateful ignorant comments from people in the past.

So it;s not me bringing up politics etc - its someone deciding to butt into our conversation having heard our accent or our small talk with a barman - and tell us their politics and opinions on our life choices.....

the effect that has had on how i respond to someone is that i am now very cautious...so in the past if i was standing in a bar and someone said in passing to me - 'singer has a great voice '- i might have said "yes - so did the other group here last night etc " or something that may or may not lead to conversation...

however now after having had negative experiences with guests( on high end and jumbo ships but not seabourn)....my response might be more " indeed' ....or to nod and smile briefly with no verbal interaction...

so was wondering had negative experiences on seabourn or other cruises made others cautious to engage on ships when it is a somewhat confined space..

ROFL. With quips like that it's no wonder people want to associate with you.

yes but i really need to practice my princess bride speech for the oddballs....

you know..

" my name is Bobtail Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Wow. Amazing the nerve of some people. I'm not even judging them for their thoughts or opinions but shocked at what can only be determined to be brazenness or ignorance.

i think when ignorance and nastiness - have a quickie in an alleyway- you end up with those kind of horrible people