Zammie

Hi Yvonne. Yes, write a nice note to the Cruise Director outlining what you would like to do and suggest a time/place. I found 3pm on 'sea days' worked well. Strangely, the Chapel is often unavailable because it is used for customs and other administrative duties. On my last cruise on Diamond Princess we were offered the Skywalker's Nightclub which was absolutely stunning. Princess will advertise your meeting on 'The Wake Show' and in the 'Princess Patter'. As always, remember to be flexible and gracious as the staff have many conflicting requests to sort out. Whatever you are offered will still be a time of great blessing as you meet with fellow believers enjoying the great privilege of cruising on God's wonderful seas. Happy cruising! Phil

Hi all. I'm an ordained Anglican Minister in Australia and have cruised twice with Princess. Both times I have been allowed to run Bible Studies for my fellow passengers. The Cruise Directors were both very helpful and provided a venue and publicity. We experienced good roll-ups on both cruises and made lovely friends.

Can I suggest that you plan to do the same when you are cruising? Ask the Cruise Director, in writing because they are very busy at the beginning of a cruise. If you can't run a Bible Study yourself, plan to meet for a half an hour and just read a bit of the Bible together. It's a fabulous way to enjoy fellowship on sea days and supplements the Sunday Interdenominational services which are worth attending.

Can I ask one thing though? Please remember to be polite and not demanding. They will do their utmost to accommodate your request and find a suitable venue and time but they do get a lot of requests for groups of all kinds to meet. Let's be sure we honour Christ while aboard and be good neighbours to our fellow travellers.

Smooth sailing everyone!

Rev Phillip

Hi folks. I am surprised to see so little discussion by Christians on this forum. However, I see some have commented that they would like to have fellowship with fellow Christian cruisers. It is not hard to organise!

My wife and I went on our first cruise last year from Vancouver to Beijing on the Diamond Princess.

With the encouragement of a lovely couple we met at breakfast, I wrote to the Cruise Director (hello Kelvin) who was most accommodating and helpful.

Yes, I am an ordained minister but anyone who wants to host a get-together should be able to get a place and time allocated which will be advertised on the ship's TV and daily newsletter. We kicked off with 80 participants - not bad!

We met on sea days in a dining room and studied the Bible together for half an hour. If you can't manage that, why not just meet and read a chapter of the Bible together? It is a fabulous way to enjoy the privilege of being part of God's family with people from all over the world while enjoying cruising.

A highlight was when we all sang 'Amazing Grace' while looking out over the blue ocean and remembering that John Newton (who wrote the hymn) had been a sailor and slave trader before God got his attention and radically changed his life.

The only thing I would ask is that (as always) you make your request with courtesy and respect. If refused, don't argue; you can still meet on decks or other public space.

May God bless all who sail!

Rev Phillip