Teenagers cruising with Cunard

[Louise D]

Perhaps there is a difference in the reaction you find, and what a 17 year old would find?

 

Obviously, we appreciate our fellow passengers, and expect them all to to upright and above reproach. But the truth is that cruise ships are not immune to the same crimes that occur on land. To give the impression otherwise is false and misleading - certainly not advice for a minor (or even someone purporting to be a minor).

 

Salacia

 

Salacia, this is good advice for any passenger on board, young or old. People do need to keep their wits about them, even on holidays.

[capnpugwash]

Hi J,

 

Yeah, alright. (: I will try my best to heed your advice and strike up a conversation with some the older passengers. You know actually, I don't find old people boring or irrelevant! I'm also a very patient person too! When my grandma fell and broke her hip, I literally spent ~13 hours a week taking care of her at the rehabilitation centre in my mom's stead. (She has to go to work almost everyday, but tried her best to visit her as often as she could. She felt bad though because her sisters stayed with her every weekday all day, so I was put in charge of weekends :D).

 

I think it's an interesting idea, but how do you suggest I start this comversation? //imagine this//

-Me walking up to a random old person-

Me: "... Hi c:"

Him/Her: "Hi? (:"

Me: "... Tell me a story. c:"

 

LOL I don't know how well that'd go. :D

 

I think rambling might be more appropriate than random! :)

[lovely_serenity]

Imagine having just turned 17. Your parents don't allow you to date. You spend most of your time on vacation with your little sister and your parents, missing several weeks of school on various cruises. And then wise older people on an internet forum suggest you strike up a conversation with even older folks - maybe hang out in the lobby on the off chance that a conversation will get underway.

 

Something is wrong with this picture.

 

Relax Salacia! :D' First of all, I am not as much of a child as you've written me out to be. (I've been 17 since May lol) And I can assure you that I am plently sensible enough to carry myself around without needing to seek out the permission of my parents for every little thing. In actuality, the only reason that my parents don't want me dating yet is because they think all the boys at my school are too dumb to be with me & university should provide better candidates :D. They're also concerned that if I start dating when I'm too young, it will affect my studies. Don't worry yourself too much about me, I'm very keen & alert when it comes to strangers & anyhow, even if I were to strike up a conversation with some random old person, it'd probably just be idle chit-chat. I have no intentions of becoming best friends, you know? And just for your information, even if I did happen upon a bad guy, I'll have you know that I have been practicing martial arts for the last 8 years of my life and in the next 1-2 years, should be getting my black belt in taekwondo (I currently am black-stripe). I think I'd be able to hold my own against 'em. ;) I fully understand and appreciate your concern for me though. Thanks :)

 

P.S. I spend most of my time with my sister because we're tight like that. && With my parents because I like them. I don't go to the teen clubs as often because in the past, my older brother would go and it'd be awkward to befriend his friends so I usually used to steer clear of the teen clubs. Now I've just grown accustomed to it. Another thing is because (honestly), activating my social skills is a lot of work (you know, turning off my lazy, relaxed face into perky/smiley face && pretending to be interested in the other persons' stuff) when I'm on vacation and trying to relax. You know? :o

[seasidegal]

Perhaps there is a difference in the reaction you find, and what a 17 year old would find?

 

Obviously, we appreciate our fellow passengers, and expect them all to to upright and above reproach. But the truth is that cruise ships are not immune to the same crimes that occur on land. To give the impression otherwise is false and misleading - certainly not advice for a minor (or even someone purporting to be a minor).

 

Salacia

 

Good morning Salacia,

 

The reason I mentioned the QE lobby and the Lido was because they

were environments that are busy and well staffed so would be considered

safer than some others.

 

The lobby in the QE is small and those staffing the Purser's Desk look

out into the lobby. It also one of the main ways of getting through

the ship and the computer room enters off the lobby, so it is a busy place during the day and evening.

 

two views of the lobby taken at 5 a.m.

 

 

Purser's Desk taken from seat in lobby

 

But the truth is that cruise ships are not immune to the same crimes that occur on land. To give the impression otherwise is false and misleading

 

I had assumed after reading Sarah's blogs and taken note of her interests,

and the fact that she is well travelled and apparently trusted

by her parents to 'roam the ship', that they would have (in my kid's words)

read the 'riot act' to her about the dos and don'ts of her interactions with others.

 

I would be far more concerned about the 'roaming' than sitting in a very

public venue having a few conversations with some elderly people.

 

Sarah is 17, I would not have offered this advice to someone younger, of course.

 

A post was made originally to encourage Sarah to speak to some very

elderly people while on board. Others agreed to that advice. I simply

added a couple of places I thought would be safe venues if she decided

to have a chat with some elderly passengers on board.

 

Not sure what was misleading about that, but if it was, for sure that

would be a wrong thing to do. Thank you very much for pointing that out.

 

Confused, however, what this means:

 

"certainly not advice for a minor (or even someone purporting to be a minor).":confused:

 

Have a good day,

 

seasidegal

[fantasy51]

Sarah, just enjoy yourself in the best way you can. It's YOUR holiday.

 

Don't go looking for older people to talk to, but don't turn away from us if you are sitting nearby. I think it could take quite a long conversation with someone before they opened up to tell you the stories of life as it was. Think of a question to circumvent that time, such as 'I'm really interested in how life was different for people of other generations. Could you tell me ONE thing that really stands out when you think of your life at my age.'

 

And just in case you encounter someone who makes you feel uncomfortable, keep an excuse handy so you don't have to use your martial art skills:'Oh, is that the time? I promised a friend I'd demonstrate the black belt Taekwondo moves. I'd better rush.'

[candle in the wind]

Perhaps there is a difference in the reaction you find, and what a 17 year old would find?

 

Obviously, we appreciate our fellow passengers, and expect them all to to upright and above reproach. But the truth is that cruise ships are not immune to the same crimes that occur on land. To give the impression otherwise is false and misleading - certainly not advice for a minor (or even someone purporting to be a minor).

 

Salacia

 

Salacia has been gently trying to tell you what you can find out for yourselves by looking up the aforementioned person's past posts. She also posts as a mother of three in a thread about letting children roam around by themselves, is surprised that someone entered her for a"competition" without her consent in another and Canon will be delighted with her frequent advertising. I hate to see such sincere people being made fun of on this forum, but just look at her last post, not wanting to use her vacation time to pretend interest in what someone was saying?!

[seasidegal]

Salacia has been gently trying to tell you what you can find out for yourselves by looking up the aforementioned person's past posts. She also posts as a mother of three in a thread about letting children roam around by themselves, is surprised that someone entered her for a"competition" without her consent in another and Canon will be delighted with her frequent advertising. I hate to see such sincere people being made fun of on this forum, but just look at her last post, not wanting to use her vacation time to pretend interest in what someone was saying?!

 

Good evening, Candle in the wind:

 

Thank you for explaining Salacia's comment.

 

I'm not in the habit of checking someone's past history unless they give me some reason to do so (bashing, hurtful comments to others on this forum, etc.) Sarah has never done that on this forum that I remember or else I missed it if she has. I also read back on some people's posting if there posts are ones that I really enjoy, etc.

 

(honestly), activating my social skills is a lot of work (you know, turning off my lazy, relaxed face into perky/smiley face && pretending to be interested in the other persons' stuff) when I'm on vacation and trying to relax. You know? :o

 

I've heard the above many times from other teens just worded a bit different if they do not want to go to a certain place where they will not have much in common with others teens there.

 

I would think that Sarah writing as a mother with kids while dragging around in her posts the links to her blogs where it is stated she is 17, has her picture and shares about her family and her being the 'middle child' wouldn't be very smart. So either Sarah is not smart or there is a reason for what she wrote.

 

Having been told myself today I was misleading and untruthful and knowing how horribly that has made me feel (especially when concerning endangering a child) I would like to give Sarah a chance to explain before forming a bad opinion about her.

 

 

I hate to see such sincere people being made fun of on this forum

 

That is very kind, Candle. On the internet we have no real idea if most people are who they say they are, or have taken all the cruises they have written down, etc., However, when people do things that are not honest it only reflects poorly on them not the people that try to help them, eh?

 

Take care and thanks again,

seasidegal

[fantasy51]

Well said Seasidegal.

[candle in the wind]

Good evening, Candle in the wind:

 

Thank you for explaining Salacia's comment.

 

I'm not in the habit of checking someone's past history unless they give me some reason to do so (bashing, hurtful comments to others on this forum, etc.) Sarah has never done that on this forum that I remember or else I missed it if she has. I also read back on some people's posting if there posts are ones that I really enjoy, etc.

 

 

 

I've heard the above many times from other teens just worded a bit different if they do not want to go to a certain place where they will not have much in common with others teens there.

 

I would think that Sarah writing as a mother with kids while dragging around in her posts the links to her blogs where it is stated she is 17, has her picture and shares about her family and her being the 'middle child' wouldn't be very smart. So either Sarah is not smart or there is a reason for what she wrote.

 

Having been told myself today I was misleading and untruthful and knowing how horribly that has made me feel (especially when concerning endangering a child) I would like to give Sarah a chance to explain before forming a bad opinion about her.

 

 

 

 

That is very kind, Candle. On the internet we have no real idea if most people are who they say they are, or have taken all the cruises they have written down, etc., However, when people do things that are not honest it only reflects poorly on them not the people that try to help them, eh?

 

Take care and thanks again,

seasidegal

 

You are a very warm and fair person.

[lovely_serenity]

Salacia has been gently trying to tell you what you can find out for yourselves by looking up the aforementioned person's past posts. She also posts as a mother of three in a thread about letting children roam around by themselves, is surprised that someone entered her for a"competition" without her consent in another and Canon will be delighted with her frequent advertising. I hate to see such sincere people being made fun of on this forum, but just look at her last post, not wanting to use her vacation time to pretend interest in what someone was saying?!

 

Please do not read my post in the wrong way. I am fully aware that Salacia is being very kind in trying to keep me aware of the dangers of the internet & the real world. If in any way I did offend her, I do sincerly apologize because that was not my intent at all. The only reason that I made that post was to try to express that I am not as much of a child as she seems to believe I am. I have indeed spoken to Salacia on several other threads and she always seems to get extremely worried about me all the time. I fully and completely understand her concern, but I am simply telling her that there is no need for her to treat me like a little kid. It's just that, everywhere I post, if Salacia is there, she will always strongly emphasize that I am a minor, which kind of makes me sad that she might think that I am not mature enough to interact with adults. Hopefully, she will see that that is not the case. That was my only intention.

 

And mind you, regarding the "writing as a mother of 3" post, if you have taken the time to go read all of my posting history, you may want to take some time and read the post more thoroughly. In that post, at no point in time did I say that they were MY kids. I merely said that: "the 3 children in my family", okay? I simply felt that, with the obvious presence of parent-only posters, I felt that it'd be awkward to be like .. "Yeah, I'm a kid trying to give an adult advice". So I merely wanted to tell them the ages that the kids in our family was permitted to roam on our own.

 

Secondly, what in the world are you talking about, "competition"?! I just mentioned to the people who linked my trip report in their alaska trip reports 2013 thing that I was delightfully surprised that my report was already there without having the need for me to ask them to add it. That is all.

 

Lastly, I am very interested in photography so I don't understand your hostility toward my commenting on the Photography forums and mentioning my camera in the comments.

 

I seriously don't understand your problem with me. In no way was I trying to "make fun" of Salacia, and I am quite offended that you think I was. It is obvious that Salacia is a genuinly kind person with the heart of a mother who is just trying to look out for me, so I don't understand why you must try to twist things to make me sound like a bad guy.

 

I don't know if you read it the wrong way or what, but when I was talking about "activating my social skills" I was only refering to speaking with other teenagers like me. Okay? As a teenager myself, I know that interacting with other people my age requires a lot of energy. Energy that I honestly do not have when I am in full relaxation mode. In no way am I trying to imply that I fake interest in other people just because. Obviously the chit-chat with other passengers thing is different than full on trying-to-befriend-other-kids idea. Idle chit-chat is a leisure activity that I enjoy doing.

 

In all honesty, I am very angry that such a post was written about me. If you don't mind, please stop snooping into my other posts to try to squeeze out details to try to make other people form a bad opinion about me. It's not nice.

 

Thanks.

[lovely_serenity]

Sarah, just enjoy yourself in the best way you can. It's YOUR holiday.

 

Don't go looking for older people to talk to, but don't turn away from us if you are sitting nearby. I think it could take quite a long conversation with someone before they opened up to tell you the stories of life as it was. Think of a question to circumvent that time, such as 'I'm really interested in how life was different for people of other generations. Could you tell me ONE thing that really stands out when you think of your life at my age.'

 

And just in case you encounter someone who makes you feel uncomfortable, keep an excuse handy so you don't have to use your martial art skills:'Oh, is that the time? I promised a friend I'd demonstrate the black belt Taekwondo moves. I'd better rush.'

 

Absolutely, I was actually planning on doing something along those lines. I wasn't going to purposely seek out random strangers to talk to, I was simply going to chit chat if one happened to want to chat with me for a bit. Do not worry, I am one of a strong character so if I am ever starting to feel uncomfortable about something, it will be expressed. Thanks! :)

[lovely_serenity]

 

I had assumed after reading Sarah's blogs and taken note of her interests,

and the fact that she is well travelled and apparently trusted

by her parents to 'roam the ship', that they would have (in my kid's words)

read the 'riot act' to her about the dos and don'ts of her interactions with others.

 

Precisely, this is absolutely correct

 

I would be far more concerned about the 'roaming' than sitting in a very

public venue having a few conversations with some elderly people.

 

Sarah is 17, I would not have offered this advice to someone younger, of course.

 

A post was made originally to encourage Sarah to speak to some very

elderly people while on board. Others agreed to that advice. I simply

added a couple of places I thought would be safe venues if she decided

to have a chat with some elderly passengers on board.

 

Not sure what was misleading about that, but if it was, for sure that

would be a wrong thing to do. Thank you very much for pointing that out.

 

Confused, however, what this means:

 

"certainly not advice for a minor (or even someone purporting to be a minor).":confused:

 

Have a good day,

 

seasidegal

 

seasidegal,

 

I could not agree with you more. Your inferences on how I carry myself as a young adult could not be more on the dot. I can assure you that I am indeed very vigilant wherever I go. (By the way, I wasn't kidding when I said I know martial arts. It's part of the reason that my parents are more lenient in how much we are allowed to roam solo)

[lovely_serenity]

Good evening, Candle in the wind:

 

Thank you for explaining Salacia's comment.

 

I'm not in the habit of checking someone's past history unless they give me some reason to do so (bashing, hurtful comments to others on this forum, etc.) Sarah has never done that on this forum that I remember or else I missed it if she has. I also read back on some people's posting if there posts are ones that I really enjoy, etc.

 

I've heard the above many times from other teens just worded a bit different if they do not want to go to a certain place where they will not have much in common with others teens there.

 

I would think that Sarah writing as a mother with kids while dragging around in her posts the links to her blogs where it is stated she is 17, has her picture and shares about her family and her being the 'middle child' wouldn't be very smart. So either Sarah is not smart or there is a reason for what she wrote.

 

Having been told myself today I was misleading and untruthful and knowing how horribly that has made me feel (especially when concerning endangering a child) I would like to give Sarah a chance to explain before forming a bad opinion about her.

 

That is very kind, Candle. On the internet we have no real idea if most people are who they say they are, or have taken all the cruises they have written down, etc., However, when people do things that are not honest it only reflects poorly on them not the people that try to help them, eh?

 

Take care and thanks again,

seasidegal

 

seasidegal,

 

I very much appreciate your faith in my reasons for saying what I say, and not simply jumping to conclusions. Thank you very much. It actually means a lot to me that you didn't just assume that I was a bad person.

 

(lol I want to hug you for being so kind)

 

Thank you. :o

 

P.S. For those who just hit "Last Page", my explanations are on the last page before this one at the bottom

[Scrapnana]

Absolutely, I was actually planning on doing something along those lines. I wasn't going to purposely seek out random strangers to talk to, I was simply going to chit chat if one happened to want to chat with me for a bit. Do not worry, I am one of a strong character so if I am ever starting to feel uncomfortable about something, it will be expressed. Thanks! :)

 

Sarah,

 

My mother took me traveling freqently when I was a child (that's when I discovered my love of cruising). I was an only child and very quiet and shy. Very often I found that older people would talk to me (nothing creepy even though we didn't hear much about that then). I have a feeling you may find that a number of people will want to talk with a well-mannered, mature young lady as you seem to be. Being a "random old person" (some days more random than others:eek:), I would enjoy talking with you if we were ever on the same ship.

 

I am looking forward to seeing your pictures, especially of QE and the food. Enjoy your cruise!

 

Kathi

[lovely_serenity]

Sarah,

 

My mother took me traveling freqently when I was a child (that's when I discovered my love of cruising). I was an only child and very quiet and shy. Very often I found that older people would talk to me (nothing creepy even though we didn't hear much about that then). I have a feeling you may find that a number of people will want to talk with a well-mannered, mature young lady as you seem to be. Being a "random old person" (some days more random than others:eek:), I would enjoy talking with you if we were ever on the same ship.

 

I am looking forward to seeing your pictures, especially of QE and the food. Enjoy your cruise!

 

Kathi

 

Thank you very much Kathi (: and that's quite interesting that your childhood sounds a lot like mine! Haha ^^

 

Absolutely, if we were to coincidentally wind up on the same ship, I would very much like to chat as well.

 

I will try my best to create a trip report unlike any other. Thanks! :)

[seasidegal]

seasidegal,

 

I very much appreciate your faith in my reasons for saying what I say, and not simply jumping to conclusions. Thank you very much. It actually means a lot to me that you didn't just assume that I was a bad person.

 

(lol I want to hug you for being so kind)

 

Thank you. :o

 

P.S. For those who just hit "Last Page", my explanations are on the last page before this one at the bottom

 

Sarah,

 

"It actually means a lot to me that you didn't just assume that I was a bad person."

 

You have never done anything that would lead me to think of you as a bad person.

 

There is a quote that I like by Honest Abe Lincoln (have you learned about him in Canada :-)

 

"Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." President Abraham Lincoln

 

People will say all sorts of things about you through out your life. Just remember that you can't control what others say and do, you only can control your own actions and words. If someone's words hurt you, remember

that hurt when you are tempted to say harmful words to someone else.

That builds a strong character or as Abe would say, "a strong tree" ;) Lesson 101 from an old person.:D

 

From reading your blogs, I think your parents have done a great job of raising you and the fact you enjoy being with them must make them very happy, eh?

 

"(lol I want to hug you for being so kind)"

 

Hugs are always appreciated! :-)

 

take care, Sarah,

seasidegal

 

p.s. I think there was some confusion regarding Candle's post and your reply. Or else, I'm really confused (which is entirely possible :-) good night, Sarah.

[lovely_serenity]

Sarah,

 

"It actually means a lot to me that you didn't just assume that I was a bad person."

 

You have never done anything that would lead me to think of you as a bad person.

 

There is a quote that I like by Honest Abe Lincoln (have you learned about him in Canada :-)

 

"Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." President Abraham Lincoln

 

People will say all sorts of things about you through out your life. Just remember that you can't control what others say and do, you only can control your own actions and words. If someone's words hurt you, remember

that hurt when you are tempted to say harmful words to someone else.

That builds a strong character or as Abe would say, "a strong tree" ;) Lesson 101 from an old person.:D

 

From reading your blogs, I think your parents have done a great job of raising you and the fact you enjoy being with them must make them very happy, eh?

 

"(lol I want to hug you for being so kind)"

 

Hugs are always appreciated! :-)

 

take care, Sarah,

seasidegal

 

p.s. I think there was some confusion regarding Candle's post and your reply. Or else, I'm really confused (which is entirely possible :-) good night, Sarah.

 

Mm very wise words seasidegal. Words that should be followed by all. And yes, I have heard much about Honest Abe through television and internet. (:

 

Thank you very much, I'm sure my parents would be very happy to hear that :) and yeah, I find that we're really close with our parents compared to many other people.

 

Oh okay, //hugs// :-)

 

P.S. Basically, Candle thought I was being mean to Salacia (which I wasn't) and started making these random referals to my post history. (And there were some obviously negative implications in the way my other posts were referred to). The "aforementioned person" Candle refers to is me.

 

Thanks again,

[Louise D]

Mm very wise words seasidegal. Words that should be followed by all. And yes, I have heard much about Honest Abe through television and internet. (:

 

Thank you very much, I'm sure my parents would be very happy to hear that :) and yeah, I find that we're really close with our parents compared to many other people.

 

Oh okay, //hugs// :-)

 

P.S. Basically, Candle thought I was being mean to Salacia (which I wasn't) and started making these random referals to my post history. (And there were some obviously negative implications in the way my other posts were referred to). The "aforementioned person" Candle refers to is me.

 

Thanks again,

 

The only way to deal with the suspicion is to stick around, prove yourself, and not be frightened off. Then after a short time (say 5 or 10 years) you too will be able to write of your private army of Fashion Police (or other similar outrageous activities) and they will all just shake their heads, smile and indulge you.

[candle in the wind]

Please do not read my post in the wrong way. I am fully aware that Salacia is being very kind in trying to keep me aware of the dangers of the internet & the real world. If in any way I did offend her, I do sincerly apologize because that was not my intent at all. The only reason that I made that post was to try to express that I am not as much of a child as she seems to believe I am. I have indeed spoken to Salacia on several other threads and she always seems to get extremely worried about me all the time. I fully and completely understand her concern, but I am simply telling her that there is no need for her to treat me like a little kid. It's just that, everywhere I post, if Salacia is there, she will always strongly emphasize that I am a minor, which kind of makes me sad that she might think that I am not mature enough to interact with adults. Hopefully, she will see that that is not the case. That was my only intention.

 

And mind you, regarding the "writing as a mother of 3" post, if you have taken the time to go read all of my posting history, you may want to take some time and read the post more thoroughly. In that post, at no point in time did I say that they were MY kids. I merely said that: "the 3 children in my family", okay? I simply felt that, with the obvious presence of parent-only posters, I felt that it'd be awkward to be like .. "Yeah, I'm a kid trying to give an adult advice". So I merely wanted to tell them the ages that the kids in our family was permitted to roam on our own.

 

Secondly, what in the world are you talking about, "competition"?! I just mentioned to the people who linked my trip report in their alaska trip reports 2013 thing that I was delightfully surprised that my report was already there without having the need for me to ask them to add it. That is all.

 

Lastly, I am very interested in photography so I don't understand your hostility toward my commenting on the Photography forums and mentioning my camera in the comments.

 

I seriously don't understand your problem with me. In no way was I trying to "make fun" of Salacia, and I am quite offended that you think I was. It is obvious that Salacia is a genuinly kind person with the heart of a mother who is just trying to look out for me, so I don't understand why you must try to twist things to make me sound like a bad guy.

 

I don't know if you read it the wrong way or what, but when I was talking about "activating my social skills" I was only refering to speaking with other teenagers like me. Okay? As a teenager myself, I know that interacting with other people my age requires a lot of energy. Energy that I honestly do not have when I am in full relaxation mode. In no way am I trying to imply that I fake interest in other people just because. Obviously the chit-chat with other passengers thing is different than full on trying-to-befriend-other-kids idea. Idle chit-chat is a leisure activity that I enjoy doing.

 

In all honesty, I am very angry that such a post was written about me. If you don't mind, please stop snooping into my other posts to try to squeeze out details to try to make other people form a bad opinion about me. It's not nice.

 

Thanks.

 

Excellent response.

 

I would like to explain that I was not snooping to extract details and certainly at no time did I audit your posts, but while perusing other message boards weeks ago noticed that you were asking for advice about Cunard on the HAL board, which I thought odd, and from time to time will come across other interesting posts by yourself.

Please forgive me if I don't respond to further posts at present, as I am away from home and my usual computer.

[seasidegal]

Excellent response.

 

I would like to explain that I was not snooping to extract details and certainly at no time did I audit your posts, but while perusing other message boards weeks ago noticed that you were asking for advice about Cunard on the HAL board, which I thought odd, and from time to time will come across other interesting posts by yourself.

Please forgive me if I don't respond to further posts at present, as I am away from home and my usual computer.

 

Candle,

 

Excellent response.

 

best regards,

seasidegal

[lovely_serenity]

Excellent response.

 

I would like to explain that I was not snooping to extract details and certainly at no time did I audit your posts, but while perusing other message boards weeks ago noticed that you were asking for advice about Cunard on the HAL board, which I thought odd, and from time to time will come across other interesting posts by yourself.

Please forgive me if I don't respond to further posts at present, as I am away from home and my usual computer.

 

Thank you Sir. But please refrain from saying things that might lead people to think negatively of me, if you could do that, that'd be great.

 

&& I see, interesting. Actually, the posts of "on the HAL board" were simply within my own trip report. I thought it'd be an interesting idea to see if any of my readers happened to be Cunarders as well, and perhaps knew a thing or two about it. Maybe they could even give me some advice, so I wasn't just randomly posting about Cunard on HAL, really, I just wanted to ask my own readers.

 

& perfectly understandable.

[lovely_serenity]

The only way to deal with the suspicion is to stick around, prove yourself, and not be frightened off. Then after a short time (say 5 or 10 years) you too will be able to write of your private army of Fashion Police (or other similar outrageous activities) and they will all just shake their heads, smile and indulge you.

 

Mmhm, I couldn't say it better myself ;). Perhaps in 5-10 years, I will have my own army of followers who could tell some cruise lines that I am in dire need of a free cruise. The more voices, the more influence, right? :D