Travel

[lovesrecess]

Just saw three headlines today about people on cruises doing weird or strange things...my last cruise sounds like heaven compared to these:

One 75 year-old man died when he jumped voluntarily from his 8th floor balcony into the ocean.

Another nutty woman climbed over the railing to take a selfie...she wasn’t hurt but she was banned from the cruise line.

One ship failed to stop at the places on the itinerary, had sewage odors throughout the ship,  and a huge group of passengers rioted in protest; one couple was so disappointed they got off at one port and decided to find their way here me on their own. This cruise charged $5500-$6500 per ticket, so passengers had a right to be upset when they sailed right past ports they were scheduled to stop.

Guess I am not planning any cruises for a while. Have you had problems on cruises you have taken?

[patbz]

@lovesrecess : You certainly "cherry picked"your examples.  There are many thousands of passengers on any number of ships and just like buses,planes,cars there are some nutty people.  Can you think of any reason a cruise might bypass a particular port? Bad weathet?  Political situation? Problems with mechanical parts of ship,etc?  I cruise a lot and have only missed 2 ports (one cancelled because of rowdy crowd around major religious fest, the other I don't recall).  Cruising is more relaxing (especially for Seniors).

[lovesrecess]

I did no cherry-picking. As I stated in my post, all three examples popped up today on my newsfeed....found it strange to see them all in the same day. I also enjoy cruising and have been fortunate not to have had any of the well-publicized viruses, etc. on the trips I have been on. Not sure why you felt the need to respond to my post in such an accusatory way, but I hope you feel better tomorrow. The ship that skipped several ports offered no reason for not stopping other than weather concerns, but no weather problems were confirmed anywhere in their area..,.weather can be used as a reason for not stopping in certain areas so the cruise line doesn’t have to reimburse the passenger....cruise lines often do this according to several sources. You can do your own research since I am doubtful you will believe this. 

[Sooner]

We have never considered a cruise.  There is nothing on a cruise ship that would interest us, and FAR too many people to deal with.  

I know lots of people who love it, but I'd maybe one who would flee the ship!  Ha ha. 

[FancyPhillyshopper]

I am Crazy for Cruises!

I have traveled on cruises for almost have a century---have seen all the changes, and still love going on them!!  

I traveled by cruise ship this summer for two weeks in Greece--there is no better and more luxurious way to see those islands and so many other places.

One should always know what the weather will be like in each season. 

Twice I have been in the Caribbean in August with upcoming hurricanes--once we raced away after a shorter stop at the port, another time we skipped the port.  

Northern European waters can be rough and cold as Fall and Winter approach. 

Those passengers who were mad about missed ports in the northern European sea should be thankful they were safe unlike the cruise ship that was evacuated in Norway this past March.

The captain always makes the final decision about port stops based on weather and safety and no port is ever guaranteed.

Regarding selfies, the issue is NOT cruise ships. (People are getting injured and dying from selfies all over the world!)

[Foxxee]

Nothing occurred on the cruises I have been on, but with larger ships being built holding more people, more likely to encounter nutcakes, the only way I'd go on a cruise now would be if my family and myself were the only ones on the ship. 

[denisemb]

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@Foxxee wrote:

Nothing occurred on the cruises I have been on, but with larger ships being built holding more people, more likely to encounter nutcakes, the only way I'd go on a cruise now would be if my family and myself were the only ones on the ship. 

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Totally agree.  Was an avid cruiser in the 80's to early 2000, but once they hit the 3,000+ passenger limit, that was it for us.  Just too crowded and more passengers meant more "crazies:"

Was great while it lasted, though!

[kaydee50]

@denisemb  Agree.  Cruising has definitely changed in the past 20 years. It was a great way to see many different countries, cultures easily.   Have never/would never go on a 3,000+ passenger ship but even the mid-size ones, under 2,000, have noticeable differences from when we first started cruising.  Our enthusiasm for them has gone way down and we're sticking to the land for the foreseeable future.

[Alter Ego]

comments in order...

(1) I think cruises are popular for suicides. Don’t know why, but this guy won’t be the last.

(2) I saw the photo (not her selfie, but the photo showing the woman on the ledge.) Just stupid, although it did at least look like someone was holding her legs. Anything for “the Gram”. She should be banned from all cruise lines, not just Royal. (BTW, don’t you just know if she fell, the cruise line would be sued because they didn’t do enough to keep people from climbing over the railings.)

(3) I personally wouldn’t think about hurricane season in Northern Europe, but it is. And, as I’ve begun to say, never go on a cruise for a particular port. Plus, for me, regardless of the price, don’t go in hurricane season! I don’t know much about the ports in the area, but there may not be a good alternative route. At least in the Caribbean, they can change the route in advance. I followed someone who’s route was changed from eastern Caribbean to western; they were “stuck” on the cruise for 5/6 additional days and basically just kept stopping in Cozumel. I don’t know what happened in NCL’s case, but I do believe some sort of compensation was given.

[PamfromCT]

We have only been on one cruise, but we loved it.  We do prefer to plan land- based vacations and travel around by train or rental cars.  That said, I would avoid any cruises that advertise all alcoholic drinks are free.  I don’t personally drink, but I have no issue with anyone drinking in moderation.  But the notion of all you can drink for free would encourage some bad behavior in some people.