This is the Title

nowhere special, i always wanted to go there
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Re: This is The Title

Post: # 1879Post drib »

ijkh wrote: Fri Aug 24, 2018 3:59 pm ... Where were the "play rooms"? Still weirds me out. Not that it happens but more importantly on Crystal!!?!!

This promo for the next sex cruise clearly shows some Symphony scenes as it was during the recent sex cruise.


You have to click play twice.

The passengers in the video were a little more fit than the typical Crystal passengers ... maybe current Panama Canal cruise excluded.

#bsexy #bsensual

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Re: This is The Title

Post: # 1901Post ijkh »

Well I am not a Chinese food snob so I will enjoy Silk as much as possible. Why? Well I just got diagnosed with Celiac. That means no gluten for life. No beer, no bread, no dim sum. Between Kerry and I we are nearly impossible to feed. At least it isn't cancer. Which was what I was fearing. Enough about physical ailments. Back to cruising.

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Re: This is The Title

Post: # 1908Post bodogbodog »

One thing I can say is that Crystal is VERY good on dealing with dietary issues - don't be shy to let them know - they can make sure you stay compliant and will try very hard to provide options. On our last cruise they outdid themselves in terms of offering dairy free desserts and afternoon tea options in Palm Court. Plus they had dairy free ice-cream available at the ice-cream bar
Email - bodogodog@gmail.com

Future Cruises - who knows if cruising ever resumes? But maybe they’ll include these ones
May 2022 - Silversea Silver Muse - Tokyo to Vancouver - 21 days - nope Japan was closed
Dec 2022 - RSSC Explorer - Singapore to Sydney
Feb 2023 - Silver Muse - Cairns to Singapore
September 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Vancouver to Tokyo
December 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Sydney to Auckland
Dec 2023 - Crystal Symphony - Auckland to Melbourne - 16 days - nope Crystal went belly up

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Re: This is The Title

Post: # 1911Post ijkh »

I am still in the oh poor me space. :violin: It will be ok. I don't drink beer except with Japanese food and then it is a requirement. Sigh. No more. Soy sauce is out. Tamari is in. :naughty: I can have all the chocolate I want but no normal cookies.

wah wah wah. More of an excuse to cruise. None for us until June. Meanwhile Mexico twice, Kauai once and Lake Tahoe. I have a very hard life.

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Bon Voyage to Grand Panama Canal, August 10, 2018

Post: # 1919Post drib »

Done:
drib;56799566 wrote:May B requested that I post this:

imgx

I know this one looks the same, but it's actually a different image.
drib;56806213 wrote:The problem was not with your connection. That server was down for awhile yesterday. You should be able to see them now ... you may need to do a hard refresh ... but I'll post both images again, below, with new names.

imgx
drib;56816147 wrote:One modern idea that I think would work well (www) in staterooms is to have a Crystal equivalent of Siri, Alexa, Echo, and so on.

Her name would be Crystalina - Lina for short. And you could say things like "Lina, is the MDR open for lunch today?" Or "Lina, where can I get scrod in Boston?*" Or ... snip:

Image
* Lina: I've been asked that many times before, but that's the first time in the past-pluperfect tense! (old joke)
drib;56818510 wrote:Better!
imgx
drib;56819958 wrote:I thought this was a very beautiful image:

imgx

I don't know if that is a planet up at the top, or a blotch, but all this week multiple planets have been visible over San Diego. It's not unusual to see Venus, nor Mars. But all week long, I could see Mars, Saturn, the Moon, Jupiter, and Venus, with the naked eye, in a single line across the sky.

I didn't see the meteor showers though.

Anyway, at your next port stop, can someone please pick me up something primavera. Thank you.
drib;56815093 wrote:Bruno, looking for rafinmd ... snip!

imgx
Roland4;56836774 wrote:
drib;56836715 wrote:Image of the day - Esprit in a Croatian parking lot. The Captain had to send out for a shipload of dimes to feed the meter.
imgx
And having been there on Esprit last year, it looks even funnier from the land side!
ijkh;56836774 wrote:At least the captain found a spot! That lot looks might full.
drib;56818499 wrote:Someone forgot to say cheese!

imgx
drib;56799566 wrote:But this one is on me:
imgx
drib;56799566 wrote:
imgx
drib;56822830 wrote:And this is your random live view of the day, Mahler, probably on the Rhine:

imgx


To do:
drib;56730711 wrote:
imgx
drib;56818510 wrote:More ..
imgx
drib;56822830 wrote:You can't clock the best side of a ship like you can the number two horse at Del Mar. We have a Panama Canal cruise coming up, also west to east*, and our travel agent thought that we would we should pick a port side cabin so we could see the California coast. I picked starboard, though, for the sunsets. (I can see the California coast whenever I want!) Also, the sunrise side can be as annoying as a Bob Dylan rooster alarm clock.**

Surprise, today sunrise was on the starboard view.

imgx

It's also fortunate because the camera for the Symphony port view is severely tilted. There are no good images on the port side.

======

* If you live on the left coast, the advantage of west to east is that you don't lose a whole day flying to embarkation. Instead, when you debark, you gain all three hours back in a single swoop, and can have a pretty productive day when you return home.

** A rooster that crows off-key.

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US News & World Report 2018 Rankings

Post: # 1923Post drib »

Travelcat2;57003277 wrote:Hoping this is okay to post but it is pretty much a fact (heard from many sources) that Crystal gave/gives incentives to their passengers to vote favorably in polls. Don't blast me as I am simply passing on information that is very believable.

Second, Azamara, Oceania and Viking Ocean are not luxury lines - they are one step below Regent, Crystal, Silversea and Seabourn).

In terms of luxury lines, we have only sailed on Regent and Silversea. Silversea is much more formal than Regent but has great food and service. Silversea also charges for at least one of their dining venues (depending upon the ship - sometimes it is more than one). Crystal also charges (sometimes - it is a very strange policy) if you want to dine in a specialty restaurant more than once.

Regent is the only luxury cruise line that includes international business class flights and excursions (I believe that Silversea was including a few excursions for a while - not sure if they are done).

Crystal has the smallest suites overall and their ships are quite old. On the other hand, they reportedly have better entertainment and enrichment programs than other luxury cruise lines.

Hope that this helps.

Marc - Regent is making more money now than it has ever made. The ships are in better condition than since we began sailing with them in 2004. FDR is a very successful, savvy individual that would not be in his position if he was anything less. Pus, it was NCLH's idea to replace their former CEO with Frank Del Rio. Perhaps you just don't like him which is fine but he has little to do with the day to day running of Regent or Oceania anymore - only on the highest level.
Bellaggio Cruisers;57003287 wrote:Just checked out the report and how ratings were established.
Note -“expert” rating.
Only Regent and Viking got 5.0. All the others received 4.+.
Very interesting.
Sheila
snuggarelli;57003332 wrote:Thanks TravelCat for sharing. I wouldn’t blast you. That’s very interesting about Crystal rigging the results. I’ve been meaning to ask (because I don’t know), what defines a luxury line?

We liked the idea that Regent had larger suites, all verandahs on most ships, king beds, and business class air for international flights.

Thank you for sharing your insight.
MalbecWine;57004549 wrote:When Edie Rodriquez at Crystal was CEO she came out with the bribe of free internet if you voted but she has been gone and Internet is now free. So no real incentive to vote for any particular line. We do vote on the Condé Nast polls which are independent of any cruise line. Look at our political polls they are all over the map.

What is important is your opinion voting or not.
Travelcat2;57006951 wrote:Most intelligent people have learned (sometimes the hard way) not to believe polls so if there is any effect from reading these ratings, it is likely minimal. If Crystal was doing so well as a result of their rating, I wonder why they have deceased the fare on a cruise a year away twice in the past four months. That speaks louder to me than a poll.
JMARINER;57009475 wrote:I cruise Crystal as well as Regent. I am not surprised that Crystal is ranked higher. They have a very loyal and active clientele. There two ship are very nice and in many ways better than Regent.

Crystal never offered me anything to post any review or vote for them. If this was done it was a long time ago.

I would be careful about making slanderous comment about a Companies practices if I did not know them first hand.
555lavan1t;57009607 wrote:We have sailed on Regent/Radison since 2003 (gold) but not as many sailings as many on this board. We have also sailed Crystal with our last three cruises on Crystal Serenity. We love both lines. As for entertainment, I agree with most that the troups on Regent are not as good as Crystal, however Some of the best entertainment we have seen has been on Regent when they bring a headliner in for a few days. None of this matters to me because I just love the experience on both lines. The polls and rating do not matter to me either because my vacation/cruises are personal and I truly enjoy both lines regardless the polls. I just don’t care what others think about one line being better than the other line and how many people actually vote anyway in these polls.
Travelcat2;57010514 wrote:Agree but one Crystal regular just confirmed what I posted. I am aware of the repercussions of making slanderous comments as one poster on the Regent board was banned from Regent about 5 years ago due to such comments (yet continues to post on this board). Not naming anyone so I hope that this post is okay!
MalbecWine;57010643 wrote:We also are looking forward to the Ritz Carlton ships as well. We have the same thoughts as you. We are not permanently married to any line. Some people will never change and are not open minded to change which they maybe missing some fabulous cruises and better quality. No, they will stick to the line they enjoy and not even bother tipping their toe on another luxury line.

Nobody has a right to comment on a cruise line they have never sailed or experienced. We will be on the Explorer next year so we cannot make any opinion of the experience until we sail.
Travelcat2;57011056 wrote:Anyone on CC can "comment" on any cruise line that they wish. After all, there is enough information on the web (reviews, cruise line website, etc.) to have a very good idea of what to expect. I do not need to sail on Crystal, for instance, to know the size of their suites.

I find it interesting that several years ago I was judged because we had only sailed on Regent. Then I sailed on Silversea but the same comments were made. Next year we will sail on the 3rd of 4 luxury cruise lines (only considering the top 4 for U.S. passengers) and will likely hear the same comment. Why the judgments? We have also sailed on Oceania, Celebrity and NCL but still am hearing the same old comments.

It is wonderful that we all have choices and no one should be put down for theirs. After all, how many cruise lines must one sail before they are permitted to sail on one cruise line simply because it is the right fit for them? By the same token, it does not matter if someone stays in the top suite or the least expensive suite.

As an aside, having just disembarked from a Celebrity cruise yesterday, I could not help but notice how nice the passengers were - not judgmental, pushy, set in their ways, etc. While Celebrity is a one time experience, it opened our eyes as to how some people are on Regent.

It seems that on this board, judgements and slams are rampant. That is really too bad and very sad. After all, any of us can cruise any ship/cruise line that we wish and should be able to do so without judgement but rather it would be lovely if all of us posted thoughtful, helpful posts.
JMARINER;57011868 wrote:Repeating secondhand hearsay is not going to offer any protection from a slander or libel claim. Unless you yourself have witnessed this action, or have a proven source, you have no way of knowing if there is any validity to the allegations. Making or repeating false disparaging remarks against a Company's reputation is not protected speech and the injured party does not even need to prove that the false remarks caused any real monetary damages in order to win.

In this case you have accused Crystal Cruise lines of having offered incentives to people to vote for Crystal in a very prominent trade publication without any firsthand knowledge of the fact, nor have you supported your statement from any credible source. I think all would agree that such an accusation, true or not, would be damaging to the reputations not only to Crystal but to US News and World Reports magazine as well. Using the defense that you read it in some third party post is not going to offer any protection unless you, yourself, can prove the allegations as being truthful.
Travelcat2;57011994 wrote:Appreciate your concern but I am very confident that this allegation is true (as of a couple of years ago) and has been discussed previously on CC. What I alleged had nothing whatsoever to do with with the current article but polls in a different publication which another poster mentioned above. And, while I do not want to get political, allegations against most news networks has not resulted in any lawsuits that I am aware of.
Keith1010;57012281 wrote:Let me start off by saying I always love US News & World Report High School Ratings as my High School (public) that I attended as a youth is one of the highest ranked schools.

With that said, I do have to commend the magazine for providing a criteria for their rankings which I just read through. That was impressive.

Now to these rankings.

It lists some cruise lines that as best I know are not luxury cruise lines.

And like all rankings and just like us the eyes are in the beholder because in the end a lot of this is subjective because we are all different and because of that our views are different.

What is the best car?

What orange juice tastes the best?

Ritz Carlton vs. Four Seasons; which one is number one?

What is the number one city in the world to visit?

What type of cut of steak is ranked number one?

Number one beach in the world?

Best airline?

Better yet rankings of worst airlines?

Best sports shoe?

Best Hotel in Paris?

And the list goes on and on.

Oh a favorite of mine. Rank the ships within a cruise line? Which one is number one?

In the states I get Consumer Reports. A solid magazine but does that mean the product that is ranked number one is truly number 1? And even if it is when you try it out number 5 might be your number 1 product. Why? Because we are all human.

So for me it is always nice to see the rankings. This includes rankings such as these and even ones in Trip Advisor.

But then I have to defer to my own experience. Last year I stayed in what I consider one of the nicest hotels we have ever stay at around the world in Paris. But it is not ranked number 1 nor 2 nor 3 nor I am not sure how many other number in some of the rankings of hotels for Paris. And I have stayed at others ranked higher. Yet for me this was on outstanding experience.

I do believe that if you are new to a product and sometimes at an age that the rankings are important to many people. I will be the first to admit that when I was in my earlier years that I would digest the rankings and that they had some influence on me in terms of potentially considering an item for its ranking. Certainly ones that were ranked very low I might just not look at period. But as I have gotten older and more experienced I learned that they represent that publications opinion. And just like our opinion sometimes they vary considerably. This is why many companies such as in the travel industry do look at these as being something that can be important in their ability to market their product.

Have you ever been on the same cruise as others and gotten back and shared your opinions on Cruise Critic as others have and sometimes you wonder were you on the same ship/voyage as the experiences vary greatly? I know I have. In the end only one opinion matters (your own) because if we all saw everything the same way there would be far less products as we see today in all areas and other than cost we would all pretty much use similar products, eat the same food, and so forth and this would be quite a boring world.

So nice to see the rankings. Always interested to see how one set of rankings by one publication vary with another one. If many of us were making a list of the top luxury lines other than a discussion of whether a couple of the lines should be on the list we would have had the majority on our list. But each of us even if we took each line would have ranked them in our own way as these publications do.

However, why this line is ranked one on x publication and two on y publication and five on z publication says it all to me. It all comes down to the eyes of the beholder.
MalbecWine;57013378 wrote:We also love reading Consumer Reports, U.S. News and the Robb Report also visit Trip Advisor and get a pretty good consensus on what hotel, cruise or land vacation we are leaning towards. Absolutely, some boutique hotels are superior to Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons as we have found out as well. If you don’t try something you simply don’t know and really should not make comments or allegations.

The poll that was taken on Crystal about three years ago was an open poll I think for Condé Nast had all cruise lines listed and you could vote anonymously for any line you wish. Crystal did offer the incentive of free internet at that time to vote and Crystal would not know the results until they were released by Condé Nast. O oxygen was twisting anybody’s arm to vote for Crystal.

What about people offered a free maiden voyage cruise on a luxury line? That to me is more suspect and more of a bribe.
rxlowry;57020972 wrote:
MalbecWine;57017797 wrote:Why not tell us what line you are considering in 2019? I think it would be interesting and hearing some feed back for those who may have cruised the line also informative to you and all of us.
MalbecWine;57019460 wrote:Your guess is as good as mine. Do we care? TC can do as she wishes.
I think that was the right question!

That MalbecWine is a troublemaker, me thinks.

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Comparing Viking Ocean to Regent

Post: # 1924Post drib »

Travelcat2;57008092 wrote:Some people that dine with crew members simply prefer their company. These men and women are away from their families for months at a time and many times have extremely interesting stories. We have been "friends" (more than acquaintances - less that close friends at home) for years. They are like an extended family. Not all cruise lines have crew members that are as open and friendly to passengers as they are on Regent.

Judging people based on who they want to have dinner with or hang out with is usually a poor judgement and does not mean anything. We all cruise for our own reasons which is great.

Some people are loyal to cruise lines because they choose to be and are not bored by the cruise line or the meals they are served - or even the entertainment. Using ourselves as an example, we sailed two other cruise lines this year and a couple others in the past. All it does is reinforce that Regent is the cruise line that we enjoy and should be sailing on. The benefits are great but most Regent cruisers can afford laundry, private transportation to and from the ship, etc. So, it is a choice for us and nothing else.

Viking Ocean sounds as if it may be an excellent cruise line and even a less cost alternative to Regent (assuming that they are less expensive than Regent). Oceania is also a good alternative.

Really enjoying reading information from those that have sailed on Viking Ocean. One cannot learn enough about the world of cruising
RachelG;57010878 wrote:I agree with Travelcat about dining with crew members. I don’t particularly seek that out, but we have cruise a lot on Regent and Silversea, and have become friends with certain members of the crew. A couple on Regent we have been friends with for over 10 years. We keep up with each other even when not cruising, so if we happen to be on the same cruise, we definitely will dine together at least once, not because they are crew members, but because we are friends and want to catch up.
freddie;57011995 wrote:Regarding certain posters who regularly point out that they prefer to socialize and/or dine with crew members who are "friends", rather than with other passengers, one must bear in mind that crew members are paid to be friendly to passengers, irrespective of their genuine preferences, whereas other passengers can determine on their own which people are worthy of their friendship.

That is not at all to suggest that some crew members have not established bonds with some passengers. However, if one is to be a realist, one must recognize that the crew members do not make their "friendships" with passengers as independently as those of us on the other side of the transaction are able to do.

It is instructive perhaps to look at the history of a particular passenger on another luxury line who "imposed" her friendship upon the crew (including calling the room stewards, her "little chickens"), when behind the scenes she was apparently held in high derision. We all would maybe do well to recognize that our relationship with the crew is not, unfortunately, one of social or work equality, despite our best efforts to pretend that the opposite is the case.

Aside from that, we are certainly looking with great interest in the Viking Ocean offerings, although the opinions of people whom we know and trust, such as Alainciao and his wife, are giving us some serious second thoughts about those offerings, compared to Regent and Seabourn.
Travelcat2;57012016 wrote:And just how would you know this? It is fine if you wish to dispute myself and Rachel but I really don't see the point. I learned a few years ago how phony some passengers can be and have not had that experience with crew members (when they are working or when they are at home). As I've said previously on several threads, casting aspersions and judgements says more about the person making those judgements and aspersions. And, what in the world does this have to do with Viking Ocean and Regent??
freddie;57012082 wrote:Ah, TC, you cannot not have the last word, as usual. I was merely commenting in response to several other posts on this thread, including yours. I was casting no aspersions whatever. One might modestly suggest that it is possible to disagree with other posters without "casting aspersions".

Of course, it is always interesting to read a comment suggesting that one prefers to deal with the crew rather than with other passengers because the latter are "phony". Maybe that "says more about the person making those judgements".

This has something to do with the main subject of this thread as it addresses matters of the relationship between passengers and crew on the two lines. That is certainly a legitimate subject of comment. Crew/passengers dynamics are an important aspect of any cruise and one which is a worthy area of discussion.
======

I must be losing it; none of the last two threads archived here have had posts deleted there.

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Re: This is The Title

Post: # 1927Post bodogbodog »

Good old TC - can't resist a dig at Crystal - even though she's never set foot on any of their ships

I would have replied earlier but I fell asleep reading Keith1010's epic on choice and polls - for a moment there I thought I'd stumbled onto War & Peace
Last edited by bodogbodog on Thu Sep 13, 2018 5:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
Email - bodogodog@gmail.com

Future Cruises - who knows if cruising ever resumes? But maybe they’ll include these ones
May 2022 - Silversea Silver Muse - Tokyo to Vancouver - 21 days - nope Japan was closed
Dec 2022 - RSSC Explorer - Singapore to Sydney
Feb 2023 - Silver Muse - Cairns to Singapore
September 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Vancouver to Tokyo
December 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Sydney to Auckland
Dec 2023 - Crystal Symphony - Auckland to Melbourne - 16 days - nope Crystal went belly up

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I have received a warning

Post: # 1934Post drib »

Welcome to the club, EleanorWW!
EleanorWW;57025623 wrote:for behaving badly. I finally said what I’ve thought for many years. Maybe that comes with age. In this instance ... no regrets.


I see the thread has been closed. Something was posted about a much loved ship that should have been kept to oneself. I couldn’t let it pass.


We all have opinions.


............................




Dear EleanorWW,

You have received an infraction at Cruise Critic Message Board Forums.

Reason: Personal directed comments to other members.
-------
Personal directed comments to other members.
-------

This infraction is worth 1 point(s) and may result in restricted access until it expires. Serious infractions will never expire.

Original Post:
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthr ... p=57019225
Our “entry-level ship” was the Radisson Diamond. Our first ever cruise and the best ship ever!!

Saying that, our favorite ship is now the Navigator. We were thrilled to see it’s doing the Amazon cruise this year and looking forward to November.

I don’t post often on cruise critic. But seeing my ship called “entry-level” by an incessant poster has me shaking.

Must you have an opinion in everything? Must you always voice it? Have you any idea how patronizing you sound?

I will be sorry later. Right now, I’m furious.
All the best,
Cruise Critic Message Board Forums
Focused1;57025843 wrote:So sorry that your frustration resulted in the infraction notice. Do you think some posters take great delight in reporting threads to CC monitors? This way, the paper trail is removed or post is closed. Happens all the time.
MalbecWine;57025949 wrote:It seems sadly a poster who does not agree with you can and will report you so it seems. I saw nothing wrong with the posters comments but we don’t make the rules on CC. It is what it is but glad that we have a forum and have to comply with the rules.
Gray Eagle02;57026036 wrote:Good for you. I rarely post but once when I did I got chastised by the same insufferable poster. I think her post was deleted by cruise critic but, if so, it wasn’t because I complained. I will say that other posters came to my defense. The whole experience left a very bad taste in my mouth and haven’t posted since that cruise until now.
MalbecWine;57026190 wrote:Gray Eagle, this thread will also be closed soon as well. Some people just report to CC which is their right to but some of it is nonsense reporting.

CC is a valuable tool but some people interrupt constantly. We have to go with the rules.
I've been hovering constantly over this thread because it has such a short life expectancy!
pingpong1;57026221 wrote:EleanorWW - All I can say is that it's happened to me, as well....and to many others. Many, whose comments, wit, and intellect added real intelligence and valuable knowledge to the board over the years simply "moved on" and left the website completely, out of total frustration. While ironically, the central focus of the issue...still remains.
gnomie1;57026349 wrote:Join the club!
GUT2407;57026383 wrote:Of course now you’ll get another infraction for breaching the rules about closed threads.
Maybe I should start giving out points to drib critic members who don't post.
gnomie1;57026411 wrote:There are many people who could add valuable insight to this board but chose not to just because it is not worth the effort if they are constantly worried that their thoughts and experiences will be questioned - this is quite unfortunate because any group board is more valuable with more participants with different experiences and ideas. So many knowledgeable posters have moved on, which is quite unfortunate.

Just my 2 cents
EleanorWW;57026589 wrote:I wonder. How can one say that “your insights are appreciated and it is obvious you are passionate about the Regent product. But please consider not posting on what seems to be every thread on every topic.”

It never stops! The line between helpful and gratingly opinionated has been crossed repeatedly. There are other voices that speak with reason and calmness and nothing ever penetrates.

I do visit cruise critic with greater infrequency.

In the meantime, I’m bailing. I should try to stay silent as there is nothing to be gained by railing. But I did need to speak up for a sweet ship and shriek at the same time. Look at when I joined. I’ve been here for a while.
Zqueeze1;57026628 wrote:I’m on my second infraction and may be looking at a third one for posting here. The first was my fault for posting my email address in order to pass on the name of my TA (big no no) and the second one was for recommending to a poster to drink less and proofread more. Their posts were killing me especially since English is my second language.
Z and TB
MalbecWine;57026674 wrote:Don’t worry, but don’t bail out of CC. Your opinions are greatly appreciated and you should be allowed to express within reason, which IMHO you have and very fair.
drib;57026746 wrote:I'm in the Club, Class of 2014, for "Recommending a disallowed web site."

I'm ready to leave Cruise Critic anyway, so I'll just mention that at drib critic . com, there is no moderation at all *, and your posts belong to you, so you can edit them and delete them whenever you wish.

But not one ever posts there, because no one ever posts there ... except for me, and a couple of former Cruise Critic derelicts. But you are all welcome, and if you have a group that would like to have a private forum, I'd be glad to set that up too.

======

* Except for spam. I remove spam and spammers forthwith.
gnomie1;57026862 wrote:After much frustration, I also bailed a number of times and only recently came back - I enjoy sharing my experiences, both good and bad. I participate in a number of travel boards and have made many friends (and travel companions) along the way. But it is not like I am drowning in free time and I am ready to bail again - if I want to carefully think about every word I write, I might as well spend more of my time writing for professional journals.
mikenbob;57026949 wrote:Surprisingly, I have not received a rap on the knuckles from the nuns (yet), but do find it amazing that a particular prolific poster seems to lord over this forum and insists on the last word on even the most mundane topics. I am assuming that this poor unnamed soul has nothing else fulfilling in his/her life. As we often say in the South, “bless his/her” heart”.
Marq;57026991 wrote:I and a number of my friends were banned in 2003 and 2004; it is only recently that I have come back to cc. Great forum except for those few that seem to like to tell me that my opinions aren't valid,
pingpong1;57027031 wrote:Gnomie - I really did miss you, the last time you went on "sabbatical". I was very glad when you decided to come back this last time. You add a wonderful point of view, as well as knowledge, to these discussions and I love reading your viewpoint on things. The same applies to Malbec, Zqueeze, Wes, Ronrick, Drib, RallyDave, and others, as well. I learn something new, every time I read your collective posts! I don't understand how any one person can be allowed to run roughshod over an entire board. Oh - maybe that just got me another "demerit" or a trip to the "naughty room"! Regards to all!
And at 19:26 Pacific Time the thread was removed.

It remains to be seen if anyone on cruise fucking critic will bother to read its contents, in which case I might live to strew my subversive ideas there another day.

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Re: I have received a warning

Post: # 1939Post bodogbodog »

drib wrote: Wed Sep 12, 2018 3:44 pm It remains to be seen if anyone on cruise fucking critic will bother to read its contents, in which case I might live to strew my subversive ideas there another day.
You're starting to remind me of someone trying to jump off a bridge and failing on each and every attempt :bow:
The things you've posted on there and they still don't ping you - you're one lucky subversive :dance:
Email - bodogodog@gmail.com

Future Cruises - who knows if cruising ever resumes? But maybe they’ll include these ones
May 2022 - Silversea Silver Muse - Tokyo to Vancouver - 21 days - nope Japan was closed
Dec 2022 - RSSC Explorer - Singapore to Sydney
Feb 2023 - Silver Muse - Cairns to Singapore
September 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Vancouver to Tokyo
December 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Sydney to Auckland
Dec 2023 - Crystal Symphony - Auckland to Melbourne - 16 days - nope Crystal went belly up

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Re: This is The Title

Post: # 1941Post drib »

Well, I'm currently playing hide and seek with the images from the Panama Canal thread. One day, the images are visible, the next day, they are not. And that would be true with the same images on this thread - all I do is change the folder name back and forth.

But this one, which is now hiding, should do the job:

imgx

It's not the bridge that I'm jumping from; it's the fuck pile that I'm jumping into!

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Re: This is The Title

Post: # 1944Post bodogbodog »

Cute dog - one of yours?
Email - bodogodog@gmail.com

Future Cruises - who knows if cruising ever resumes? But maybe they’ll include these ones
May 2022 - Silversea Silver Muse - Tokyo to Vancouver - 21 days - nope Japan was closed
Dec 2022 - RSSC Explorer - Singapore to Sydney
Feb 2023 - Silver Muse - Cairns to Singapore
September 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Vancouver to Tokyo
December 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Sydney to Auckland
Dec 2023 - Crystal Symphony - Auckland to Melbourne - 16 days - nope Crystal went belly up

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Re: This is The Title

Post: # 1948Post drib »

No, that was a random Corgi that I "liked" on Twitter.

You can never go wrong using a Corgi to bring good cheer!

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Re: This is The Title

Post: # 1952Post bodogbodog »

drib wrote: Sat Sep 15, 2018 6:11 pm You can never go wrong using a Corgi to bring good cheer!
Works for HRH Liz
Email - bodogodog@gmail.com

Future Cruises - who knows if cruising ever resumes? But maybe they’ll include these ones
May 2022 - Silversea Silver Muse - Tokyo to Vancouver - 21 days - nope Japan was closed
Dec 2022 - RSSC Explorer - Singapore to Sydney
Feb 2023 - Silver Muse - Cairns to Singapore
September 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Vancouver to Tokyo
December 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Sydney to Auckland
Dec 2023 - Crystal Symphony - Auckland to Melbourne - 16 days - nope Crystal went belly up

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Post: # 2036Post drib »

Who but a solipsist would express the highlighted text, below, as just a passing comment?
Our cruise concluded on Sunday, October 12.

Hopefully many of you continued to follow along vis-a-vis my Blog.

The last seven day voyage was terrific as was the first two voyages.

The overall weather was nice in most ports but we had a couple of days with either morning or afternoon rain.  We passed on Gibraltar which we had visited many times because of the rain.

We had an alert in Lisbon.  The forecast called for high winds the night before we left the ship.  The morning and afternoon was fabulous.  In fact, they closed the port at 8:00 PM.  I guess the winds got up to the low 20's in terms of Miles Per Hour but where we live that happens from time to time so it really didn't seem like much.

The day we disembarked there was a marathon scheduled for later in the morning.  Sort of ironic that we had a Marathon in Rome the day we embarked and a marathon in Lisbon the day we disembarked.

Disembarkation was one if not the most organized disembarkations we have ever experienced. We did have a private vehicle booked with Crystal.  When we arrived to the Crystal Plaza (15 minutes prior to the scheduled time as the concierges asked) we were greeted by the concierge who said our vehicle was ready.  The gangway was on a major angle.  Crew members were on hand and they took our hand luggage for us to the port shuttle to take us to the terminal where the luggage was located. At the terminal we were greeted by the Chief Concierge.  There were porters there all in suits and one assisted us with our checked bags.  We were escorted to the exit by the Chief Concierge and then a Crystal Rep met us and walked us to the vehicle with the porter.  The rep verified with the driver where we were going.  When we arrived to the airport the driver unloaded our luggage and we were met by another rep. who escorted us into the airport and showed us where to check in for our flights.  I have to say we had excellent private transfers with Crystal for both embarkation and disembarkation.  

Back to the cruise.  I know some people worry about a cruise before dry dock. This is our second one as we were on Serenity in 2016 before its last dry dock. In both cases the crew was focused on the guests.  Food remained in great supply.  Service at high levels.  

There was a sad note and I have to say I am still numb over it.  Some of you may know Walter Pietschnig.  He had been Food & Beverage Manager for many years.  There was a time where he swung between Symphony and Serenity but more recently on Serenity.  He was a professional and focused on the key responsibilities of his position.  He might not have been as visible to the guests because of the focus he places on the food and beverage areas.  His life was taken in a senseless act by others.  He left a wonderful wife and darling daughter. Over the years we met the two of them when they would come to Serenity from time to time to visit him.  When they were not on board if Anne Marie and I asked hm about the family his face lit up with a big grin.  They were truly the loves of his life.  To the crews credit (and they were shaken) they carried out all of their duties the way they always do with care for the guests and a high degree of professionalism.  

I know I've said this often but this reaffirms my view about enjoying each day and trying to not let the little things bother us because in a blink of an eye one might not be around.  It also reaffirms my view that our own lives are like a book and no one knows when that last chapter will be written.

A few thoughts about the three cruises.

They were port intensive.  We knew that.  We found balance between time in port and creating our own sea days.

Each voyage was full.

A nice diversity of guests on board.  There were some groups on each cruise but had no impact at all on our enjoyment.

Interestingly the last cruise had around 24 children on board from very young to around eight.  All well behaved and Crystal brought on Junior Activity Directors.  

I plan to post a review in a few days.

I hope that you check out the photos and narrative on our blog.

Stay tuned for the next adventure.

Should anyone have questions, comments, etc. please be sure to post them.
The man was murdered in an armed robbery.

https://philippinenmagazin.de/2018/10/1 ... -ermordet/

And now a few thoughts about all-inclusive cruising ...

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Re: This is The Title

Post: # 2037Post SuziQ »

Thank you Drib for that. I occasionally follow 'The Oracle's' blog out of fascination (sorta like some can't take their eyes off a car accident) and I was perplexed about that paragraph. Can't recall this crew member ever being 'mentioned in dispatches' in the past so was puzzled. Holey moley, the poor man!!!! But ...

the show went on ... and on .... and even oner! What the ...?????

Bizarre if you ask me. But what would I know? :?

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Re: This is The Title

Post: # 2039Post bodogbodog »

Please sir - can we have a LIKE button :-)
Email - bodogodog@gmail.com

Future Cruises - who knows if cruising ever resumes? But maybe they’ll include these ones
May 2022 - Silversea Silver Muse - Tokyo to Vancouver - 21 days - nope Japan was closed
Dec 2022 - RSSC Explorer - Singapore to Sydney
Feb 2023 - Silver Muse - Cairns to Singapore
September 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Vancouver to Tokyo
December 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Sydney to Auckland
Dec 2023 - Crystal Symphony - Auckland to Melbourne - 16 days - nope Crystal went belly up

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Re: This is The Title

Post: # 2041Post drib »

Welcome to drib critic, SuziQ.

I wish it were in more pleasant circumstances.

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Serenity Question

Post: # 2121Post drib »

MalbecWine wrote:My signature is not on this site.  So please address the screen name.  Many people are names are the same.  My wife and I will meet people as we cruise.  I reviewed CC rules Law case is that you can’t assume who somone is by having similar names on social media without permission.  Many lawsuit cases have won this.  Nobody should be assumed to be another person when they are not.  Anonymity of all posters should be considered.
Where is this going?

One thing I'm sure of is that MalbecWine is not one of the Straights of Florida.
Jayayeff wrote:Whilst I'm not sure I understand your post in its entirety I am someone with responsibility for compliance to a corporate code of conduct, and I have to admit that I am surprised that Cruise Critic continually allows some users to address or refer to others in their comments by anything other than their username, unless of course a user has chosen to identify themselves either by way of invitation or personal signature etc. Privacy, and the violation of the same, especially on social media or other internet platforms, is a huge issue these days and if this practice is still something that is allowed within Cruise Critic t&cs then not taking steps to protect the anonymity of their members is to me a huge fail on their behalf and is something that should be addressed sooner rather than later.

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Where is it going...

Post: # 2124Post bodogbodog »

Deleted of course - within an hour or so - CC cant have any evidence that their members actually raised privacy and breach thereof....lets let some members breach privacy - even though its supposedly outside the CC rules

The lawyers are getting warmed up....
Email - bodogodog@gmail.com

Future Cruises - who knows if cruising ever resumes? But maybe they’ll include these ones
May 2022 - Silversea Silver Muse - Tokyo to Vancouver - 21 days - nope Japan was closed
Dec 2022 - RSSC Explorer - Singapore to Sydney
Feb 2023 - Silver Muse - Cairns to Singapore
September 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Vancouver to Tokyo
December 2023 - RSSC Explorer - Sydney to Auckland
Dec 2023 - Crystal Symphony - Auckland to Melbourne - 16 days - nope Crystal went belly up

Locked