Unusual/unpopular opinions

[lenquixote66]

19 hours ago, Drew B 58 said:

What are some opinions you hold when it comes to cruising that you think may be pretty far outside the mainstream?

 

I’ll start.  Cabin location matters way more to me than cabin type.  I’d definitely choose an interior cabin in the location/deck that I prefer over a balcony cabin elsewhere, even if the price was the same!

How about not cruising till Covid is eradicated.

[Smmessineo]

19 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Unpopular opinions?  

 

- I'm perfectly happy with an inside cabin.  

- I don't care if the cabin's in a "loud location".  I can always sleep.

- I'm perfectly happy with the no-extra-fee foods.  

- I don't drink a lot on a cruise.  

- I spend more time in the gym than the casino or the bars. 

 

My husband and I agree with everything you said except we do drink copiously on a cruise.... And use the gym to recover 😀

[Smmessineo]

My husband and I smoke cigars and appreciate having nice place to relax, drink and smoke. Outdoors is fine !  We fully understand that indoor smoking in casinos or lounges can  be overwhelming, and that is unfair to nonsmokers. 

But if I'm outside on deck in a designated smoking area that you can easily avoid, don't be that obnoxious person who comments or fake coughs or glares at me as you walk by.  

Edited October 20, 2022 by Smmessineo

[Zach1213]

20 hours ago, vicky3vicky said:

I also think that 3 or 4 videos of "drunksgone wild' is not a huge ammount for a cruise that offers the"Cheers" program. 

 

Especially when you realize I am responsible for at least half of the videos

 

20 hours ago, Ashland said:

We don't care to share a dining table other than when we cruise with family.

 

 

My level of desire to meet new people on vacation is below zero 

 

9 hours ago, DirtyDawg said:

I also HATE most Cruise entertainment. For me, most of it is on par with your local amateur theatre. 

 

If by local you mean Scranton or Sioux Falls, yeah. I find most stuff in mid-level cities and above to be better. It's why we went to a couple of shows early in our "career" of cruising and never went back. 

[ldubs]

10 hours ago, MBP&O2/O said:

For me ... not bothered for

Hosted tables

Shared tables ...

Fixed time dining ...

Theatre productions ...

Pretentious menu's  ..

Pretentious passengers with over inflated ego's. 😁

 

 

 

If I even tried to impress by affecting greater culture or importance I would fall flat on my face.  As long as Mrs Ldubs and the grandkids think I'm important, that is all I need!  lol

[ldubs]

9 hours ago, momofmeg said:

  I agree if it is an itinerary I want to do, that is more important than the ship. I know we did the British Isles this past summer and we picked Carnival Pride because it was nearly a $1000 a person less than Princess or NCL in an inside, and we got a balcony. I was fine with the ship.

 

Lol, but there was one thing that turned out to be a downside. The cruise was port intensive, not enough sea days and I am older now and found out I need them to rest up.  I used to be the opposite and not want many sea days because I got bored. Now I found out I need them.

 

 

 

My comment was just to add some humor.   Our cruise selections are also itinerary driven, though we do enjoy the ship experience.   We occasionally do a group family "local" cruise that is more about the get together than the places.    Not so long ago, the perfect cruise for me would have been no sea days.  On our last cruise I was wishing for more.  Mrs Ldubs is in the process of finalizing a pretty aggressive land tour for next year.  A seven day cruise is tacked on at the end.  I intend to use that to lay back and catch my breath.   So yeah, my perspective and preferences have definitely changed with age.   

[Mum2Mercury]

20 hours ago, vicky3vicky said:

 About 15 cruises ago, my Autistic son had a seizure at dinner the first night. We never saw our table mates again 

That's awful!  If I'd been your tablemate, I would've offered to accompany you to Medical and/or caught up with you later than evening to see if your son had recovered!  

11 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

People on B2Bs and longer cruises a long way from home are asking for trouble #covidstillexists

I'm totally with you on "Covid still exits" -- I just had another booster on Monday -- but how does a longer cruise put you at greater risk?  You could catch the bug while waiting to board a two-day cruise. 

5 hours ago, Top_of_the_Cube said:

When packing for a cruise, my philosophy is "more is better."

4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I have never been on a private excursion that was that great.  

Except for these two thoughts, I agree with pretty much everything voiced here!  

[Drew B 58]

5 hours ago, Top_of_the_Cube said:

When packing for a cruise, my philosophy is "more is better."

Agreed!  I’d much rather bring something I never use than want something and not have it.

[ldubs]

10 hours ago, DirtyDawg said:

Mrs. Dawg and I do not wear matching outfits on a cruise. I assume this is unpopular from the amount of couples who we've seen do this on cruises. 

 

I also HATE most Cruise entertainment. For me, most of it is on par with your local amateur theatre. 

 

 

 

Matching outfits?  Oh heck no!  lol

 

A lot of the entertainment isn't exactly major league.  But I can still enjoy.  At the risk of repeating myself, in most cases I prefer the lounge musicians to the big production shows.  

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

How about not cruising till Covid is eradicated.

There are some who've decided that and that's cool, but I don't think that the virus will ever go back in the test tube.

[lenquixote66]

22 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

There are some who've decided that and that's cool, but I don't think that the virus will ever go back in the test tube.

The pandemic in 1918 was gone by 1920.Now with all the scientific advancements nothing can be done .Very strange.

[ldubs]

11 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

The pandemic in 1918 was gone by 1920.Now with all the scientific advancements nothing can be done .Very strange.

 

 I read that variants of the Spanish flu are still around.  Seems we do a decent job covering those with our annual flu shots.   

[K32682]

Shared dining with strangers is a non-starter. I have more than a sufficient number of friends and I have no interest in sharing my table or my life story with you. 

 

Formal nights are nonsense. I have no desire to play childish dress-up games on a cruise or relive my high school prom. 

 

Sea days suck. I cruise to see new and interesting places. Floating on a boat holds little interest. They are tolerable if I can find a quiet niche away from the crowds. 

 

Cruises seem to attract an assortment of people who act like children. Hanging stuff on their doors, hiding rubber ducks, wearing matching outfits and other juvenile behavior. 

 

Baked Alaska parades are stupid. There are few things dumber than underpaid servers from the Philippines marching around with flaming/sparkling desserts as the assembled diners wave napkins over their heads.  

 

I love rough seas. I could stare at a roiling ocean for hours but am not predisposed to motion sickness so have no need for magic amulets, silly glasses or various OTC and prescription pharmaceuticals. Being doped on a cruise is not my idea of a vacation.  

 

 

[Mike981]

3 hours ago, Smmessineo said:

My husband and I smoke cigars and appreciate having nice place to relax, drink and smoke. Outdoors is fine !  We fully understand that indoor smoking in casinos or lounges can  be overwhelming, and that is unfair to nonsmokers. 

But if I'm outside on deck in a designated smoking area that you can easily avoid, don't be that obnoxious person who comments or fake coughs or glares at me as you walk by.  

 

Back in the day when I used to smoke cigars, I was at a restaurant that promoted allowing cigar smoking and of course selling cigars. I went to the bar holding an UNLIT cigar and the bartender came over to take my order and started coughing over and over. I laughed out loud and told them that it wasn't lit. They were not amused as I shared it with anyone within earshot at the bar.

[mom says]

2 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

The pandemic in 1918 was gone by 1920.Now with all the scientific advancements nothing can be done .Very strange.

1918 was influenza. Thousands of people still die of flu every year in your country. Influenza is still present.

Covid is not influenza. Since you won't cruise until it is eradicated, then I'm sorry to say your cruising days are over.

[Honolulu Blue]

10 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I'm totally with you on "Covid still exits" -- I just had another booster on Monday -- but how does a longer cruise put you at greater risk?  You could catch the bug while waiting to board a two-day cruise. 

Well, since you asked... here's a detailed explanation of my logic:

 

1. I've read bunches of posts (too many) about cruisers who have picked up COVID-19 on their cruises.  The majority of them seem to be either on B2Bs or on extended cruises.
2. On longer cruises there's more time for the virus to show up
3. On longer cruises there's more time to do more risky things
4. How many of us dine in restaurants night after night on a cruise as compared to on land?  How many of us go to shows night after night?  How many of us sit by one of the many bars night after night?  How many of us go see comedians when they're offered?  How many of us go listen to the piano player?  How many of us go hang out by the atrium to do activities there?  And how often are we wearing respirators while doing these things??
5. The stories of how cruise lines treat passengers who test positive haven't changed much since the winter - they generally range from "could've been worse" to "OMG!!! This is the WORST!!!!"

[sparks1093]

9 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

The pandemic in 1918 was gone by 1920.Now with all the scientific advancements nothing can be done .Very strange.

 

9 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

 I read that variants of the Spanish flu are still around.  Seems we do a decent job covering those with our annual flu shots.   

ldubs took the words out of my mouth, but the flu in many different forms is still with us. For many reasons it is not as deadly as it was in 1918, the biggest reason likely being all of the advances in medicine. 

[DirtyDawg]

12 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

If by local you mean Scranton or Sioux Falls, yeah. I find most stuff in mid-level cities and above to be better. It's why we went to a couple of shows early in our "career" of cruising and never went back. 

More like Flin Flon or Medicine Hat.  I forgot to mention I HATE those really bad cruise line comics. I've seen WAY better comics in St. Louis du Ha! Ha! than on any cruise ship. 🤣

 

(And yes, that's the town's name - including the !'s.) 🙂

[DirtyDawg]

10 hours ago, K32682 said:

Formal nights are nonsense. I have no desire to play childish dress-up games on a cruise or relive my high school prom. 

But you have to admit, Formal nights and their dress codes do spark some of the most entertaining threads here on CC . 😁

 

Hey I also think watching NASCAR races is entertaining. They both go round and round ... and round again, and all the while I'm waiting for the "big one" (the big crash) because we all know it's coming. 😄 

[lenquixote66]

10 hours ago, mom says said:

1918 was influenza. Thousands of people still die of flu every year in your country. Influenza is still present.

Covid is not influenza. Since you won't cruise until it is eradicated, then I'm sorry to say your cruising days are over.

You are correct.It was referred to as Flu Pandemic.My father was 23 at the time and said that it was something unbelievable.

[Mum2Mercury]

8 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

On longer cruises there's more time for the virus to show up

Eh, this is the only one I accept.  If you're on, say, a three-night cruise, you're still going to be in close contact with the same people -- it's just that you go home before you discover you have the virus.  

7 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

ldubs took the words out of my mouth, but the flu in many different forms is still with us. For many reasons it is not as deadly as it was in 1918, the biggest reason likely being all of the advances in medicine. 

Yeah.  I just had a flu shot -- it was for a variant of that old-time flu.  

 

It's been 10-15 years ago, but we had a really bad flu year, and two students at my high school -- strong, healthy young teens -- were put into the hospital with flu.  Those boys genuinely could have died.  That was scary.  

 

An elderly relative lived with us while I was growing up.  She talked about that horrible year when they started the winter with a mother, father, five sisters and a brother in a one-room cabin -- and ended the winter with a father and two sisters.  Those memories haunted her until the day she died.  

Edited October 21, 2022 by Mum2Mercury

[Mike981]

1 hour ago, Mum2Mercury said:

An elderly relative lived with us while I was growing up.  She talked about that horrible year when they started the winter with a mother, father, five sisters and a brother in a one-room cabin -- and ended the winter with a father and two sisters.  Those memories haunted her until the day she died.  

 

I can not imagine the horror.

[AKJonesy]

I don't care about any of the musical entertainment.  I don't go.  I've probably gone to 2 shows and I'm 4 star.  I don't know...it just doesn't appeal to me.  

[robthens]

I think my opinions are because I am older and have traveled quite a lot.

- When I first started cruising, I wanted port intensive days.  Sea days were a waste of time.  

  Now, I love the sea days & if I have been to a port on other cruises, I may choose to stay on the ship.

-  Traveled in an inside cabin on first cruises (mainly because of the price). 

    Now, I enjoy having a suite.  Next cruise is the Owners suite on Princess.

-  NEVER, eat at the buffet now.  Too many people touching the food.

- Previously DH & I enjoyed meeting new people in MDR.  Now that I travel with my daughter & DIL, I'm not interested in strangers. Could care less where people are from & how many cruises they have taken. Their families, blah, blah , blah

-  Formally, I picked cruises based on itinerary.  Now, I pick based on the ship

 

WOW,  I've changed a lot.

   

Edited October 22, 2022 by robthens

[pete_coach]

I cannot understand some cruisers obsession with who the Captain is. Do they also care who  is flying their plane to the departure port??

Or who the Cruise director is? Why?

Or the Hotel manager is? Again why??

 

I am also confused by the cruisers that are concerned/obsessed/upset with what I wear on vacation? It is my holiday. I can wear shorts into restaurateurs at home, why not on the boat??

 

Because you have been on 32 cruises does not make you the rules maker of the cruise line.

 

We cruise for the itinerary, the variety of food because we don't have to cook it and. to wake up somewhere else every morning.

 

Oh and we like a balcony cabin because coffee and a muffin in the morning while we wait for each other to finish our shower is superb place to be. Oh and a cocktail late at night under the moon is cool too 🙂