Dinner Table Talk

I read somewhere that sometimes the people at your dinner table will play a game to find out who spent the least on their cruise. Is this actually done? It seems a bit tacky to me, but then again, I am quite proud of the $$ I saved by winning my cruise at an auction.

So, anyone experienced this particular ritual??

:confused:

I agree, I think it's a tacky thing to do - it would be like asking you "How much did you pay for your dress/suit?" It's nobody's business how much I paid for my cruise - maybe I felt exceptionally flush that day and paid full price for the Penthouse, or I might have just scraped enough to pay for an inside cabin. Nobody's business but my own. Of course, if you've won the cruise(and I have won 2 of them), haven't paid anything and the question is moot. Just my humble opinion.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Sorry, I don't think about saving money when I am on a vacation. I also don't think about work. I only think about what will be the next fun thing to do and where.

Regina

I'm from Canada so it depends on the dollar that day what I paid. It is my secert the exact amount. Even my children do not know. It is in a sealed envelope that I leave with instructions if anything happens. Then I forget the amount because there is airfare and hotels involved as well. (It is a little hard to cruise from the middle of Canada.

I'm really not going to go there on a conversation like this. What if they paid less, then I'd feel like an idiot. Nope, not going there.

OMG!!! I feel this is tacky. :eek: What nosey tablemates! When DH and I vaca, the last thing on our minds is what other people pay. :eek:

ger77,

how did you win 2 cruises?- i want to know the secret!!!

ger77,

how did you win 2 cruises?- i want to know the secret!!!

When we were just on the Carnival Miracle, they had a game of bingo (towards the end of the cruise) where you were play for a 5-7 day cruise for 2 people. A couple with a baby shouted out "BINGO!!!" and the entertainment guy calling the numbers said "no way". They went to check it was a bingo & indeed it was a good one. He then laughed & told the crowd that he had been with this couple on another cruise ship & they had won the cruise bingo then & that is how come they were on this cruise!

I must admit I was very jealous at their luck. :(

~Sharon~

I've been very lucky in my life ... must have a horseshoe in my DNA or something. First cruise was won through a local radio station - had to predict the month, day, hour and minute when the pelicans would return to our city and land on the river from their winter migration. I was 1 hour and 1 minute away on the correct time they landed. From that time on, our son has declared the pelican to be our "family bird" - at 22 he still takes pictures and sends them to me whenver he sees them. The prize was a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean on Carnival's Paradise - and that was what turned me into a cruise-aholic!

Second cruise was won on the internet - McCain Foods (think frozen pizza and french fries) had what I thought was simply a survey where you likely received a grocery coupon for pizza for filling out the survey. Filled it out, submitted it, and nothing, no instant pizza coupon, so I closed down the website. A couple of months later I received a phone call from the company telling me that over 45,000 people had visited the website, entered the "contest" (I thought it was a survey ... must read more closely next time!), and I'd won a travel voucher to be used any way I wished. Two days later we received a mailing from Holland America that listed their "Black Sea and Beyond" cruise, and we decided that we would use the contest voucher to take the trip of a lifetime. We spent two wonderful weeks aboard the Prinsendam cruising the Mediterranean and Black Sea, seeing sights we never thought we'd ever experience. My husband is a history/geography major, so for him it was a dream come true to be able to see places in Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Monaco and Italy that are so steeped in history. I enjoyed the history, but loved the shopping :D (think: extra suitcase purchased for the trip home!)

As far as cruise Bingo's go, have not had any luck in that department - closest I came was sitting beside a woman who was 1 number away and they continued to call 6 more numbers. She didn't win. I never play Bingo except on a cruise, so I don't know about luck in that department.

Smooth Sailing!:) :) :)

Money really is not a big deal to me, so I personally would not be offended if someone started this "game" at my dinner table. I would never initiate such a conversation, however. Sometimes you just click with your tablemates, and feel comfortable discussing things you might normally not in another social situation. So, I guess my participation would hinge on the kind of camaraderie I had with my tablemates, and on the spirit in which the game was commenced. If I felt uncomfortable, I would likely say "I am happy with the fare I was able to obtain", and let it go at that.

I find you can always break the ice by telling the others at the table "Boy, I sure plan to enjoy myself on this cruise. It's the first one I've been on since I got my parole" *S*

I've been on 5 cruises and the topic has never come up, nor would *I* ever bring it up.

However, I have had discussions about TA's which might imply who get's people a good cruise rate. But no one has ever discussed actual dollars. There's too many variables factored in and it's tacky to get down to a nitty gritty discussion. Besides, I'm on vacation, not at work!

Jane

Love your answer, Michmike!

Thanks! I work in a prison so in a sense I guess I am on parole when I cruise. We leave for 10 days on HAL's Volendam a month from today.

Why not just say "Ya know, I don't ask my hubby what he pays for vacations and he doesn't ask me what i pay for clothes". So far i have not had this conversation. I really don't want to know if i overpaid. And although i love a good bargain i really don't want to make anyone feel bad. So, go on your cruise and enjoy. The less said the better.

I agree with Jane. I have never had anyone bring up how much they paid for the current cruise at dinner. I have met people that I really "clicked with" on cruises and we would discuss where to get the best deals, which websites are the best for bookings, etc.

In fact, I think if someone were bold enough to actually ask that, I am not sure how I would respond. I guess it would depend upon the circumstances.

There are 3 things I chose not to discuss with anyone - on a cruise or not - money, politics, and religion.

I would much rather talk about sex...:eek: It's no more rude that talking prices... I don't even believe I would stay to listen. Why would anyone want to make someone else feel like crap bragging about how much they may have saved for the same cabin???

I gotta agree with you on that one, that is rather tacky. We also won our trip from a $5 raffle ticket. Am proud of the money that we saved....

How cool to win your trip. Now, if I meet you I won't ask what you paid. Ha Ha. anyway, let us all enjoy our cruises. This is not about money. Its about enjoying life. Money doesn't necessarially buy you enjoyment. You make that yourself so, lets do it and ignor those who don't know how.

I would much rather talk about sex...:eek: It's no more rude that talking prices... I don't even believe I would stay to listen. Why would anyone want to make someone else feel like crap bragging about how much they may have saved for the same cabin???

Hey! what cruise are you on next? I'd rather talk about the same!:D :D :D

Better yet....let's play the game of "Who spent the most?" Holy Moly, I think I might win that one. God knows all the stuff I've had to purchase for my family of six and we haven't even gotten on the boat! LOL. :eek:

It sounds like a stupid ignorant game anyhow. For heaven's sake,

it's a vacation...I'll worry about how much I spent AFTER, and then have to put in some overtime. You'll see my kids with selling their clothes off the dock in Long Beach.

In twelve cruises I have never heard of this 'game?' and I for one would not participate. Chances are very few prices are the same, and remember, if you cruise by price alone, you may get an unpleasant shock. You will find that 'location, location, location', applies to cabin selection too. I found out the hard way. john taylor

I find you can always break the ice by telling the others at the table "Boy, I sure plan to enjoy myself on this cruise. It's the first one I've been on since I got my parole" *S*

LOLOL!!!!

Greg and I will have our own table, but sometimes when I cruise with my girlfriends we have a mixed bunch of us and strangers,.....great opener, thanks for the idea!!!

As far as asking how much I've spent on a cruise, nosey people they don't need to know...

I would prefer to know where the people are from and a little bit about them. I don't want to be too nosy and I will tell them a little about us too. Discussing the amount paid for a cruise is like discussing how much your meal is at an expensive restaurant. Tacky, I agree.