Cruise ships are certainly popular among land lubbers. Last year alone over 14 million people took vacations aboard cruise ships but… how many of those passengers are professional mariners?
So… Have you ever vacationed aboard a cruise ship?
I have on Royal Caribbean. Sure wouldn’t catch me in Carnival.
Never vacationed, but worked on them for 10yrs. I’d go again, but mainly to see some of my friends still working on them. Plus, they can get me really cheap fares.
[QUOTE=captaint76;105535]I have on Royal Caribbean. Sure wouldn’t catch me in Carnival.[/QUOTE]
Same, Oasis of the Seas, March 2010. No Carnival, no way, no how. RCCL was nice enough but 6000 passengers and 2000 crew is A LOT of people for one finite space. I became a merchant mariner because I wanted to know that I was on a ship when I’m on a ship, not feel like being on a floating city.
I visited them as a contractor, not as a pax
Maybe one of the small lines that are still out there, but Carnival? Hell to the NO. They can keep their roach larvae, cabin thieves, drunkfights and mechanical failures, thanks.
I did my wiper time on the SS Independence for American Hawaiian Cruises 21 years ago. I haven’t had any desire to be on a cruise ship since.
My first was as a passenger on the Holland America MS Oosterdam in January 2009. The only reason I was aboard was for the Delbert McClinton Sandy Beaches cruise: 7 days of insane music and great concerts. Barely looked out the window. Since the ship was only half full we had a nearly 1:1 ratio crew/passenger. Now, I’ve just taken a position as Mate aboard the SS Legacy for Un-Cruise. Just 192’ and 88 passengers on week long adventure cruises in Alaska, Puget Sound, and the Columbia River. Won’t pay as much as GOM or tugs, but it sure as hell will be fun.
Tourists, right?
2006 on the Grandeur of the Seas. Best vacation I’ve ever had. My bar tab was double my ticket though lol. As soon as we departed Baltimore, the steward kept me topped off.
[QUOTE=lymanlouis;105558]My first was as a passenger on the Holland America MS Oosterdam in January 2009. The only reason I was aboard was for the Delbert McClinton Sandy Beaches cruise: 7 days of insane music and great concerts. Barely looked out the window. Since the ship was only half full we had a nearly 1:1 ratio crew/passenger. Now, I’ve just taken a position as Mate aboard the SS Legacy for Un-Cruise. Just 192’ and 88 passengers on week long adventure cruises in Alaska, Puget Sound, and the Columbia River. Won’t pay as much as GOM or tugs, but it sure as hell will be fun.
Tourists, right?[/QUOTE]
That’s a trip I would do. Sounds like fun.
I took a cruise for my honeymoon to Alaska in 2008 with Princess out of Seattle… My ship at the time as anchored in the harbor… My wife " you work on the one with f-Ed up paint" Yup!
I have made 7 cruises on Carnival, Never had a problem. I guess I am the lucky one…
[QUOTE=Captainmugsy;105603]I have made 7 cruises on Carnival, Never had a problem. I guess I am the lucky one…[/QUOTE]
Now might be the best time ever to cruise on Carnaval:
http://www.examiner.com/article/now-is-the-time-to-book-with-carnival-cruise-lines
I work on a boat. I dont want to vacation on one. If/when I actually ever go on a vacation again ill fly into the place and do the hotel thing.
My wife booked us a cruise on Celebrity for our anniversary. I thought it would be a bus-man’s holiday, but I had a great time in spite of myself. I don’t know when it will be, but I am rather looking forward to the next cruise.
I have never vacationed on one, but some years back, I rode the EMERALD SEAS to carry out their SOLAS Passenger Ship surveys. As noted above, not too bad if you are working. I had done quite a few other “Riding Ship Surveys” when I was with ABS, but those were all tankers and involved floating around in rafts in cargo tanks and crawling through other nasty spaces. The attitude and scenery were much better, however the “cruise ship” was the old Moore McCormack BRASIL, not really fit out to be a cruise ship, so the passenger and crew count wasn’t like on the more popular lines. Pay money to do that? Well, I never say “never”, but in this case I might be able to. I didn’t really like the social aspect of the cruise, either. I think that I had two dinners in the main dining room; one at my assigned table and another at the Captain’s. The rest of the time I took my meals in the ship’s officers’ saloon.
Rode an NCL for my honeymoon in 2010 and I had a better time then I thought I would. Wanted my wife to sail the seas at least once. It was nice to have drinks without worrying about blowing over a 0.04 and maneuver in port without being in the engine room. Heck I even had an electrician come and change out a light bulb for me!
Accidental repost.
the only way I’d go passenger on a cruiseship is if it was to someplace I couldn’t fly to like Antarctica otherwise…NYET!
actually if Sea Shepard Society ever starts offering cruises I’d go just to fuck with stuff when no one is looking and plug up the toilets!
[QUOTE=c.captain;105922]the only way I’d go passenger on a cruiseship is if it was to someplace I couldn’t fly to like Antarctica otherwise…NYET!
actually if Sea Shepard Society ever starts offering cruises I’d go just to fuck with stuff when no one is looking and plug up the toilets![/QUOTE]
You could do it all in one!
We’ve done 13 with another gonna happen in December. They have all been carnival except the first one, that was the costa magica. We usually have a group of 4 to 20 pax.
Decent food, good lookin women and the booze can be cheap if you get in good with the bartender. We have never had a bad trip, but some were better than others.