Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they are trashy. I do think people really need to consider how the workers are treated before giving a cruise line their money.

The workers are not slaves. It is a volunteer position where they make more money than other options in their country. Do they make 200k? No. Sorry.

Cruise ships companies make huge profits on the backs of its exploited employees (and on the backs of the environment). If you life in a country like Philippines you are not in a "volunteer position". Take it or die. But nobody gives a sh... Just let's have fun. But on sundays running to chuch and praying for the poor.

So the alternative is just to let them "die" in the Philippines, if we eliminated cruises?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cruises really do not generate the pollution you think they do.

There is more Norovieua at your local school and hospital percentage wise than on your cruise ship. Cruise ships just have to report it while schools and hospitals don’t!

Went on a food tour with seven ships in port several years ago with over 16,000 coming in to the island. We never ran into another cruise ship passenger and went to places you would never visit out of fear. AmazingZ

Went to a Sanctuary really off the beaten path in Jamaica and had hummingbirds feed out of small bottles of sugar water I held in my hand. Sure I could have done that on a land trip, but a relaxing cruise has made that possible.

I'd actually love to see some cites on this. I like cruising, but am concerned about the environmental impact. But I also don't feel like I have the data to assess it. Would love to see some!

Anonymous wrote:Being judgmental is trashy.

Anonymous wrote:My in-laws took us all on a cruise to celebrate their 50th anniversary a few years ago (pre-covid). It was MIL and FIL (early 70s), DH and I and our 15 and 13 year olds, BIL and his wife and their 7 year old twins. It was eastern Caribbean out of Miami, 7 nights, on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas. Yes, it is a huge "mass market" ship. But what I liked about it was that it was just so painfully EASY, especially with a large group. With a bigger group with such a large age range, it can be a challenge to find trip options that everyone will enjoy but a cruise offered that. MIL and FIL got to relax, book and drink in hands, by the pool and beach. The teenagers were able to have their independence.

No, the food wasn't Michelin star quality, but everyone could find something they liked. I enjoyed not having to dole out cash or my credit card every time my kids wanted ice cream or a snack. I liked that the kids could try new foods without me being annoyed I dropped $20 on something they took two bites of. I liked how little planning was involved. I liked that we could go see a show and if it was awful (and some of them were, yes) and the kids were bored out of their minds...oh well.

No, the days at port didn't offer some incredible culturally authentic experience, but everyone was able to do things they were interested in and enjoyed themselves. If that makes us trashy, so be it!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cruises have changed a LOT in the last 30 years. Of course it’s more classy to stay at your home in the Hamptons. For the rest of us there are cruises at every price point.
Some are actually a better way to see things. Viking for older people. Certain cruises for kids. Alaska cruises. Don’t be a snob and miss out. BTW I have been on 3 never sick for a minute.

Funny, because a lot about the Hamptons strikes me as trashy, not classy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just because something is expensive doesn't mean it isn't trashy.

I think if there are more than 20 or 30 people on your boat there is a good chance it is trashy.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. Hoi Polloi are entitled to enjoy themselves. But I wouldn't want them to be doing it near me.

How is 200 people on a Viking river cruise different than 200 people in your hotel?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI $300k

White collar professionals with fancy degrees living in the dc metro area

We thought we weren’t (gasp) “cruise people” until we took a Disney cruise and realized how relaxing cruising is. No stress. No planning. Just show up and have fun. You have a picky eater? No problem! The waiters will literally bring you whatever you ask for, or you can just order room service for the kid before or after your dinner (and it’s included).

Go price out a Disney cruise for a family and you’ll realize it’s not a trashy lower-class trip. It’s $$$$$. We’ve done Europe for less than a cruise.

I chuckle at the quips about cruising not being “real” travel or less “authentic.” No clue how your weeklong stay on an island is more authentic than my day trips to 5 islands during a cruise. I mean, we hire a driver or charter a boat for the day, hit local spots for food, and spend the day on off the beaten path beaches or outer islands that you probably never saw because you didn’t leave your resort unless you were herded onto a catamaran for an excursion.

I wonder if the cruise haters simply hate the Caribbean.

Disney cruises are expensive but still trashy. Let’s not pretend your “day trips” off the cruise ship are filled with authentic food and adventures. They aren’t. They are places that are catering to cruise folk. They know you are coming. But I feel the same about all inclusive resort trips. So at least we can agree on that

I’m not sure how a week at a luxury resort is more authentic then spending the entire day with a local tour guide. I mean, you aren’t interacting with servers in any meaningful way. One guide (who I’m still FB friends with and hire whenever we are on his island) took us to his aunt’s bakery, a truly behind the scenes tour of historical sites, a secluded beach (we were the only family there), a restaurant/bar filled with locals and local music. We were the only tourists wherever we went. We got an earful about their local politics and shifting demographics. We talked sports. He gave my teen son a beer.

Needless to say, we never have experiences like this when we stay at resorts or villas unless we hire a guide or captain for an entire day.

Anonymous wrote:Cruises really do not generate the pollution you think they do.

There is more Norovieua at your local school and hospital percentage wise than on your cruise ship. Cruise ships just have to report it while schools and hospitals don’t!

Went on a food tour with seven ships in port several years ago with over 16,000 coming in to the island. We never ran into another cruise ship passenger and went to places you would never visit out of fear. AmazingZ

Went to a Sanctuary really off the beaten path in Jamaica and had hummingbirds feed out of small bottles of sugar water I held in my hand. Sure I could have done that on a land trip, but a relaxing cruise has made that possible.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they are trashy. I do think people really need to consider how the workers are treated before giving a cruise line their money.

The workers are not slaves. It is a volunteer position where they make more money than other options in their country. Do they make 200k? No. Sorry.

Cruise ships companies make huge profits on the backs of its exploited employees (and on the backs of the environment). If you life in a country like Philippines you are not in a "volunteer position". Take it or die. But nobody gives a sh... Just let's have fun. But on sundays running to chuch and praying for the poor.

Anonymous wrote:Just because something is expensive doesn't mean it isn't trashy.

I think if there are more than 20 or 30 people on your boat there is a good chance it is trashy.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. Hoi Polloi are entitled to enjoy themselves. But I wouldn't want them to be doing it near me.

Anonymous wrote:Cruises have changed a LOT in the last 30 years. Of course it’s more classy to stay at your home in the Hamptons. For the rest of us there are cruises at every price point.
Some are actually a better way to see things. Viking for older people. Certain cruises for kids. Alaska cruises. Don’t be a snob and miss out. BTW I have been on 3 never sick for a minute.