2chiefs

I'm glad the worst things I've seen don't even come close to some that are on this post. We usually sail on Royal. Last year we sailed on Celebrity and Royal and they both have their pros and cons, but I certainly didn't find a more "refined" group of passengers on Celebrity than on Royal. We are a multi generational family that travel together and we save our money to be able to go on a cruise together only once a year, most years. Last year, we had 23 to 65 years old in our family. We are what is considered blue collar...teachers, law enforcement, govt. worker. We are Diamond on Royal, so when we sail on Celebrity, we are Elite status. Maybe there are a lot more cruisers on Celebrity with more money than on Royal or Carnival because their demographic is older and in part because the families usually gravitate to a line with more activities for the kids. I've heard some heartwarming stories from people on both cruiselines. Some had been given a gift of their first cruise by their grown children because they had never had the money to go on one and had always dreamed about a cruise. Some were spending the cruise with family celebrating surviving cancer. We took a dear Aunt with us on one of our cruises because she had stage 4 cancer and loved cruising. We knew this was going to be the last trip she would be able to physically make. She didn't want to sit on the balcony. She wanted to be out on the pool deck, getting a fruity drink and enjoying all the chaos around her and laughing with the crowd. We sat at breakfast in the MDR one morning listening to two of the most self-absorbed and boring couples I've ever encountered, discussing their stock portfolios and investment properties, making fun of the people that they had encountered that worked and lived paycheck to paycheck that shouldn't be spending their money on a cruise. Please be mindful when you talk about how "refined" people choose Celebrity. You can find people on both lines that aren't your cup of tea. I saw people on Celebrity touching the food on the buffet with their bare hand after adjusting their bikini bottom, under their cover-up. We saw a woman who constantly boasted about how "refined" it was on Cunard reach across with the fork she had been eating with to snag a roll out of the bread basket. I'd prefer watching a Hairy Leg contest to that. People from all walks of life can be found on all the cruise lines today and you never know the story behind some of these people on a cruise with you.

Agreed. We took our first Celebrity cruise last month. Very nice but we didn't think the food was any better or the people more "refined". We did like being on a ship with less kids though. (Nothing against kids but we've "been there, done that" and prefer more adult activities). Having said that, I like how RCI handles the kids programs.

I've only seen the sexiest legs contest.... :)

I think they have that and the belly flop on every cruise. I never went to one but I've seen them on the TV the next day.

The hairy chest thing I've only seen advertised once or twice but I did see it. Perhaps it was a short cruise on one of the smaller ships with less family activities....

Well, I don’t want to degrade any passenger base, but I was surprised by some activities on Carnival. I understand you can see some adult stuff during the Quest (closed to under 18 kids), but just to get d your an example:

 

Main pool area on Carnival Liberty during school vacation.

1) Hairy chest contest.

Senior lady and 12 men.

She is blindfolded and sitting.

One by one all men get to sit on her lap and she is feeling their chests.

 

2) Don’t remember a name of this contest

Each participant is given a bucket

They also get “gross” dishes like very fatty meat.

Who eats a dish and manages not to barf gets to the next level.

Of course we had to witness barfing too

 

This all goes on near main pool

 

To be fair I’ve seen some questionable contest on HAL Zuiderdam,

when contestants had to swim to the other end of the pool, drink a can of beer , to burp loudly and to swim back.

It wasn’t pretty, but at least it was by adult only pool.

I've seen the Hairy Chest contest on RCI too. Not actually seen it but seen it advertised in the Cruise Compass on a couple of cruises. Not having witnessed one, I don't know how they do it on RCI but they do have them.

In England a pasty it is a pastry filled with various fillings ie meat and potatoes,cheese and onion, chicken pieces etc.

They are very good too. We had a Pasty restaurant in my home town in WI in the 50's

That is when you pull out your phone and start filming them. If they ask why, tell them there is a huge market for zit popping videos on the internet and you're going to make them into stars!

Bwa ha ha .....

we all know the people who troll all the threads are respectful of this request ;)

lol

I find the Diamond Lounge to be stuffy and lacking in atmosphere. <SNIP>

Some are better than others but I believe it really depends on the people you socialize and interact with. For the most part I've enjoyed it. Sometimes it's stuffy and lacks atmosphere. My two pennies

We have looked in CL and DL during the day when there has been cookies on display.

I also noticed several fly's around the cookies so decided i would not eat any.

Fly's or Cookies? LOL

That's right, though I would think that the late diners would not want to enter the lounge until the early diners have left. Less crowded that way.

We always eat late. We don't go to the lounge until after Early seating starts.

Lots of different lifestyles. I’m on the road 20 days a month, and when I’m home the last thing I want to do is catch up on expense paper work.

 

So it’s usually a TGI Friday’s at DFW. I see lots of others working there as well. Never thought of it as rude.

 

 

 

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This is pretty much accepted at airports for the reasons you cite. I too have a similar travel schedule. However, I would not use my laptop at a regular restaurant, especially an upscale one (not to say MDR is upscale but it is more "formal" than TGI Fridays at an airport-in my opinion - no flames please LOL)

Can someone please tell me what "pasties" are ??!! I haven't a clue!

1. Nipple covers (typically used by strippers when full breast nudity is illegal) or...

2. A meat pie.

As long as the nice window views in the DL are unchanged we will be in DL regardless.

Agreed

 

 

 

That’s cool, Navy Chiefs. That is quite an accomplishment for both of you to have made Chief.

 

Army here But was Stationed at Little Creek for some unique training.

 

 

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Sallie was chief and I was Master Chief but somehow she still outranks me....

When that has happened, I have been known to join the conversation. :D

Classic!!

<SNIP>>Do military members wear their medals of achievement any time they are in public?? <SNIP>>

 

Sometimes. I see a lot of veteran hats. Some put medals on them and I've seen the purple heart the most. I don't see it as flaunting however. My neighbor wears a Vietnam Veteran hat. I think it's a matter of pride for him. I was in Vietnam but I don't wear hats. But if I did, I guess I would consider a Vietnam Veteran hat.

 

My wife and I are both retired Navy (hence our screen name) so again, in our minds ... pride.

 

If someone wants to wear a CA level pin, I'm OK with it. It's the people flaunting it it to try to get better seats or a place in line when not policy that's troublesome for me. I see many people in the Diamond lounge wearing their pins and most all are very nice people.

Interesting......i never thought of that before bit I can see where it would make a difference, thank you

 

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Yeah, I guess a lot of people don't cruise the same ship over and over again but when we lived in the Houston area it was handy to drive to Galveston so we took many Voyager and Mariner cruises. You could tell the difference in crew and customer service from one cruise to the next. I guess everything is variable though. You can have bad and good waiters on the same ship for instance. Some bad customer service might skew your optics on the entire crew as well.

The DL is accessible with the SeaPass card 24 hours, but most of that time there's nothing but the coffee machine available.

Also water and tea I think.

Some ships will provide snacks in the afternoon such as cookies.

Also, there are usually a couple computer terminals for use. It's a nice quiet place to hang out and read a book and relax if so inclined.

We like Voyager and Freedom class the best. Just like to hang in the promenade and just like the general layout.

(There are no bad ones).

Another consideration is the crew. What might have once been a favorite turns out to not be so nice when the crew has significantly turned over for instance.

Semi serious. I used to wonder why someone with Pinnacle level would be in the DL vs the SL on Oasis.

 

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When we were on Oasis last month, there were these two guys from suites that came to the DL every night. We got into a conversation with them one night and they said their wives were off at the casino at that time each night and they liked coming to the DL instead of the SL. They didn't say why. I guess "One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor" (Paul Simon)

I've seen D+ listed on those signs.

 

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I didn't see it on Oasis. You are on there next week according to your signature. Perhaps you could verify. Certainly I would have noticed. Ah, Er, well maybe not. I always get in trouble when I don't notice certain things that I should when Sallie gets back from the hairdresser.

Each ship can be different, but that's the first time I've heard of ship not having the Tutti Salad for lunch.

I stand corrected (by Sallie of course).

I just didn't see it.

Outside of the Diamond Club, CL, or SL most passengers probably would have no idea what the badge means, If I got to 700 points you bet I would wear it, with pride.

 

It's not a bad thing, and doesn't make passengers status driven. Almost all of the pinnacles I've met are very nice people. Those that weren't, were probably a**holes at D or D+. LOL :cool:

 

Is it really necessary for officers on the ship to wear a uniform? Status...

 

This whole thread is riddled with baseless speculation.

Agreed.

If you are proud to be a grandparent, you show off their pictures.

If you are proud of your travels, you put souvenirs in a curio cabinet.

If you are a veteran, you might display awards.

If you are proud of your car, you wax it and drive it around.

The list goes on and on but I think the point is whether it is viewed as something to be proud of or used to flaunt. It all goes back to who the person is and how he/she acts, not what they wear.

Yes.

M

Ah! Now it all falls into place.

I think I'm confused. There's some discussion about whether or not to wear a name tag to the DL. Are we talking about the C&A PIN or a name tag? Does the Pinnacle pin have the person's name engraved on it? I have never seen one up close.

come on man, admit it you have pinnacle envy. ;p

roloflmao