The most hilarious....when we ordered "sail away" Pina Coladas, they came without straws...so I asked the bartender for a straw and he said "Carnival no longer offers straws on any of their ships, it's part of our environmental protection program...the plastic straws sometimes end up in the ocean and we cannot allow that".

C'mon...you know how hard it is to drink a frozen cocktail without a straw??? My wife ended up with part of it on her shirt because it came out in a large mass of frozen cocktail when she tried to drink it (it was funny thought).

Let's think about this, figure Carnival corporate wide probably spends around $300,000 to 400,000/year in straws alone...which now goes to the bottom line...additionally, the price of drinks has not come down, so it's more profit for the cruise line....

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wile1170 wrote:
Just an interesting observation...using 'environmental protection' as a reason to cut out straws...

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Regardless of where it is on the ocean, sensitive areas or not, nothing should go overboard. There is too much rubbish in the ocean that is not biodegradable, and a lot ends up poisoning and choking marine wildlife. When we left Piraeus in 2002, the Saronic Gulf seemed like a dump. Every now and then you’d see plastic bags and other rubbish floating around, and this went on for nearly an hour out from Athens. In this situation wile1170, I applaud Carnival for changing their ways. It is a start.

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debm3553 wrote:
I have very limited upper mobility and need a straw to drink whatever I may be having.

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Sorry to hear this. I wonder if someone has come up with a solution to the straw ‘problem’, something that is biodegradable (broken down by the sun) and that doesn’t affect marine wildlife adversely if eaten (swallowed).

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Surely cigarettes are the biggest cause of trash? 90% of smokers litter. Just look at bus stops, outside offices, and in the street. How many smokers who can’t find a trash can, take their cigarette butts home? I seen more cigarette butts thrown overboard from ships than I have straws.

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Originally posted by debm3553:
I use straws out of necessity.

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Deb a friend of mine was the same. She carried about with her a selection of those ice cream parlour long spoons that incorporated a straw within the stem. Usually hard plastic in all sorts of bright colours, but she said they were of more use than some flimsy straws, and of course when you got nothing with a cup of coffee, rather than have to ask she was prepared. She did also have a silver metal one, for 'smart' occasions I assume these things are also used in the US.. maybe you have some anyway?

This sort of 'spoon' would also be useful for Carnival, they can be washed; but of course cost a lot more than the usual 500 bendy straws for $1/£1. I don't think straws generally blow away; I too think it is an excuse for a cost cutting exercise rather than an environmentally friendly policy. I bet you still got the plastic 'glass'.

Malcolm if there were more rubbish bins around people would use them. I can't imagine how a smoker would take a butt home? or perhaps carry a tin or something around for the purpose. I don't think I have ever seen an ashtray thing by a bus stop, not even a normal bin here, just the place where people eat or drink something whilst waiting. Of course on a 5 mile stretch of road through fields near here, there is a bin half way along. I often wondered who used it, until the other day I saw an old tyre sitting on top of it.. LOL

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Originally posted by PamM:

Malcolm if there were more rubbish bins around people would use them. I can't imagine how a smoker would take a butt home? or perhaps carry a tin or something around for the purpose.

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I do know a smoker who does use a tin! Most offices do have a bin for cigarettes, but the floors are still littered.

London has a lot less rubbish bins theses days because of the IRA bombings in the 1970's and 1980's. The 'Tube' (subway) system has none on the stations or on the trains.

Personally I do not think a lack of bins is any excuse for littering.

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Originally posted by bulbousbow:

Sorry to hear this. I wonder if someone has come up with a solution to the straw ‘problem’, something that is biodegradable (broken down by the sun) and that doesn’t affect marine wildlife adversely if eaten (swallowed).

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Cheers

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Well it wasn't all that many years ago that drinking straws were made out of paper (before the 1970s I would guess.) It seems that those could make a come-back on ships, just like paper containers did at McDonalds.

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Originally posted by Linerrich:
Well it wasn't all that many years ago that drinking straws were made out of paper (before the 1970s I would guess.)

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Originally posted by PamM:
We don't want more deafforestation for straws!

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Paper is made from soft wood or Eucalyptus. These are both managed sustainable crops. Deforestation, such as rain forests, is for hard wood. That is likely to be used for the ships furniture etc.

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
Not sure how we got from straws to Cigs?

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Similar shape, both go in the mouth, but don't try to drink a frozen cocktail with a cigarette !

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debm3553 wrote:
...Foster's...

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Americans with taste! ...but you should also try other top Aussie beers: Coopers, Boags and Cascade.

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Originally posted by bulbousbow:
Americans with taste! ...but you should also try other top Aussie beers: Coopers, Boags and Cascade.

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Globaliser wrote:
Fie! Where's the HP?

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Well, I was actually going to add Hahn Premium as the fourth beer (...and a nice one to tell you the truth), but I declined to do so because they are owned by Lion Nathan.

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debm3553 wrote:
...His preference is dark beers...

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Well, there is no choice but Coopers Stout then!

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Originally posted by bulbousbow:
... but I declined to do so because they are owned by Lion Nathan.

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Globaliser wrote:
...what's wrong with Lion Nathan? Obviously something that doesn't travel as far as the UK!

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Let's put it in cruise line terms (hypothetically, of course): Lion Nathan is Carnival Corp and Coopers is Silversea, and Carnival Corp wants Silversea (the family-owned business).

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Boddingtons, (not brewed in Manchester though) Grolsch, Guiness etc available.

Who needs Fosters, Coors, Bud etc? and all those other failed imitations of lager?

Oh - and they had straws - but that's not the way to drink beer!

We also came across the Westerdam in Lisbon. I didnt even realise the apartment behind the dock was afloat until I saw the stovepipe which I won't dignify with the title of funnel.