Welcome to Cruise Talk the Internet's most popular discussion forum dedicated to cruising. Stop by Cruise Talk anytime to post a message or find out what your fellow passengers and industry insiders are saying about a particular ship, cruise line or destination.
>>> Reader Reviews >>> CruisePage.com Photo Gallery >>> Join Our Cruise Club.
Latest News...Carnival Cruise line released the following statement regarding Hurricane Beryl: Carnival's Fleet Operations Center in Miami is actively monitoring forecasts for possible impacts to itineraries from Hurricane Beryl. Given Hurricane Beryls projected path, Carnival has adjusted the following itineraries: Carnival Horizon will add a visit to Nassau, The Bahamas on Friday, July 5....
Carnival's Fleet Operations Center in Miami is actively monitoring forecasts for possible impacts to itineraries from Hurricane Beryl. Given Hurricane Beryls projected path, Carnival has adjusted the following itineraries: Carnival Horizon will add a visit to Nassau, The Bahamas on Friday, July 5....
Latest News...Oceania Cruises has marked an important milestone in the construction of its new 1,200-guest ship, Allura, at the Fincantieri shipyard in Sestri Ponente, Italy, bordering the famed seaport of Genoa. A landmark moment as the ship moves towards completion, the vessel was floated from the dry-dock and moved to the fitting-out berth to begin outfitting the luxurious, designer-inspired interiors....
Latest News...Crystal, the leader in exceptional cruise experiences, announced today the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with renowned Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. This agreement marks the commencement of the construction of two groundbreaking ships that will redefine high-end travel on the seas.The 690-passenger (based on double occupancy), 61,800-gross-ton ships ...
Just because everyone does not speak American onboard a ship, does not automatically make it a bad cruise. I had to laugh at the reviewer that said "Many passengers failed to make an effort to communicate with him"! Now how is that for a truly arrogant statement. Maybe he should make the effort to try communicating with them!
[This message has been edited by topgun (edited 09-12-2000).]
Being British myself - I can confirm that Britain IS part of Europe, both geographically and now politically via the European Union, of which we are a member state. But saying all that, we are not very good at being 'Europeans'! We are an island and regard ourselves a primarily 'British'.
Topgun is right about cultural differences, they are very real. They are not necessarily a problem for everyone - but they do exist. I would suggest that Americans on vacation in particular feel most comfortable being surrounded by thier own nationality and culture.
I think that the success of cruising for the American market is the fact that American's can travel and take a floating 'slice' of America with them. And of course these slices of America (ships) seem so get gets bigger every year!
An American can now visit the most remote parts of the world such as Antarctica, but still drink budwiser, spend dollars and watch a Broadway show! In the travel trade it's called 'soft adventure'.
(Sorry if I sound Anti-American,because I'm not,this was unintentional).
[This message has been edited by Malcolm (edited 09-12-2000).]
Diana's point about passports hit the nerve.Each time I leave a US port, my passport along with all those of other so called 'Aliens' on board is confiscated. No ifs and or buts.If I run afoul of the system in any Caribbean port, my first lifeline, my Canadian passport is gone.
To add to this inconvenience, on the last morning of a cruise, I am required to meet with a US immigration official. This at an ungodly hour of the morning. These officials all appear the same,totally indifferent to my lack of sleep and breakfasting on the coffee and doughnuts that I wish I had access to.
One fine day I would like to present myself as a really good alien with an antenna sticking out and the whole bag of tricks. The possible sentence to Leavenworth or whatever for pulling this one deters me from living out this fantasy.
I think the Canadian problem is that you guys are just too polite and too quiet about your country. Even Canadians sometimes seem to have a poor understanding of their nation's achievements throughout history. Unlike Americnas and Brits who know what we've done and take great delight in sharing the knowledge. Canada lost more of her young men in World War One than the U.S. ever sent to Europe - but while the U.S. will frequently address the impact of the First World War on their society, a lot of Canadians ahve forgotten that Remembrance Day honours the end of the First World War and the men she lost in it.
Canadian achievements range from building a trans-continental railway when she was less than twenty years old to Producing two-thirds of the NHL's Hockey Players.
The Canadian Navy - which is joked about even by Canadians and dismissed as an inconsequential force - has been at the cutting edge of anti-submarine warfare technolocy since the middle of World War 2. The list goes on. (Sorry I am highlighting mostly military stuff - I fear that's what I know most about, so that's the sopabox I preach from...) :-)
But for the most part, everyone seemed to get on okay, and different groups congregated at different parts of the ship. I say go for it, tho' the European fondness for smoking might get in my way.
Quote:
Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding DingThis is the Officer of the Watch - Today we have etc...... ALL IN ENGLISH...
Know what I mean...
CheersMary
In Britain we would never be allowed to refer to a race or races as 'Alien' of 'Foreign', It is just not PC (politically correct.)
Malcolm...Not quite. The people of the United States, Mexico and ourselves are all Americans. Or more properly, North Americans. They just think they are the only ones from common usage, but then we wouldn't want it anyway......
Ultimate Bulletin BoardTM 6.1.0.3
More Vacation & Cruise Specials...