GulfSurferGirl

If waiting staff deserved 10s they probably wouldn't be working on cruise ships on a poverty wage.

Training every free moment, constant work, pressure from management, pressure from demanding tacky cruisers below, no days off. Formal dinners of badgering Walmartians making constant condescending demands of the wait staff (and more irritatingly allowing their ungrateful children do the same), left me passively aggressively sipping my dessert latte fantasizing about an old-fashioned after dinner keel hauling....

They all get tens from me.

Hard for me to stomach watching the ridiculous parade knowing the wait staff works more than eight hours a day, SEVEN days a week, for SEVEN months. By the 5th cruise, I am sure the staff must begin to feel like trained seals.

My last lead server was a true gentleman - a professional who was highly-trained, kind, and a family man. I could tell it was embarrassing for him, which made me feel awkward too.

RC needs to treat their employees better, and they will give stellar service. The last night should be a show of appreciation to the customers from a happy, well-paid, well-treated staff -instead of making them grovel for gold stars like first graders - which in my mind, doesn't feed one's wife and kids very well.

1. People making out of the ordinary demands of the wait staff without saying "please" and "thank you".

2. Bar staff not making eye contact or helping you last because you are wanting to refill prepaid drink cups instead of bar orders (bigger tips).

3. Smokers on balconies

4. A cruise director (and yes, a fully grown man) whose name is Dan but goes by "DanDan". After a "weekweek" you are driven "nutsnuts" that he refers himselfself as DanDan.

5. THAT guy. You know the passenger. He thinks you can't have fun without him being social director wherever you are. He's loud, he's drunk, he's EVERYWHERE. He's making his way around the excursion boat while you are trying to take in the calm, the scenery, the beauty of it all without wanting the experience to be a frat party. At one point he was spraying the women passengers with his water bottle and shouting out "ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?!?!" Yes, gold chain guy, we are having fun. Chill.

All in all, it's pretty amazing you can be with a few thousand people if and it all goes so well :)

Here is my happy treat to be worn formal night:

I'm always in the water. Whatever you decide, your polish is going to chip or come off altogether, so choose an option that allows you to touch up or even completely redo a nail.

For women planning on surfing, snorkeling SUPing, etc. I would stay away from extensions for your cruise.

Get the passports. They really don't take as long as they used to and they last ten years, during which a whole lot of travel opportunities are likely come up. Further, they are an excellent form of identification for purposes outside of travel.

I have a different take on this.

If you are inclined to buy art while on vacation, please, for the love of heaven and earth, go to the galleries and even street vendors in the places you visit, and buy from local artists, not the absurd cruise art shows.

Art on cruise ships come from clearing houses like Park West, and buyers report paying not only 4-5 times the value of the art, but also claims of misrepresented pieces. Do the web search on cruise ship art auctions.

If you want to remember you trip, get what you pay for, support a gifted artist, have a truly beautiful and original piece of art, and contribute to the local economies we have the privilege to visit - buy local.

The art shows are passé and embarrassingly pretentious for the cruise lines. Instead, how about art classes where people get to try drawing or painting? I think a LOT more people would be willing to spend money on that type of activity and would like to learn and try something new!

What about golf slacks or technical hiking pants? They travel well are extremely comfortable.

I'm working on losing weight and doing much better

Heck yes, good for you !!!! :)

It's all about commitment and progress.

Point 1: It's not how you will look on this cruise, but how you are NOT going to look in a hospital gown down the road. You stay with what works for you, not for the cruise but for life.

Point 2: If fifty percent of us on your cruise are adult women, and more than a few of us have created babies with our bodies, lost people we have loved, faced rejection, been belittled, had our bodies cut and scarred from cancer and surgeries, looked in the mirror to see our hair fall out with radiation, been the lucky recipient of the big-nose gene, we are nothing as women if we don't uplift each other all the time. That said, reread #1.

Point 3: Isn't it quite remarkable that we would all be together on a little speck floating on a sea in a vast universe of space and time? Don't worry. This makes us practically family.

Do a test run now to see if you like it. Agree on the points of defoliating before you go and do the day before you plan to stay home in case you are unhappy with the results or worry about being too dark the first day.

I am surfer who loathes booties, but wears them, and water shoes when otherwise in reefy third-world surf, these are the ones I currently own:

https://www.rei.com/product/866378/jambu-tidal-terra-marine-water-shoes-womens

Remember that what's the most STYLISH is trying something new and having fun! ~~~~~

I love red! Here's my only thought:

You mentioned that you are wearing satin. Since this is humid summer season, I often suggest testing a dress or top for how it will handle perspiration by putting a drop of water on an inside hem. Other than that, go for it and share a pic!

Perfect, Bajan Keith! Brian, Da Action Man, is exactly the kind of guy I want to do business with, and he sounds like he's got the board I will need and can point me in the right surf direction. I'm looking forward to spending some good water time while in Barbados and supporting a local with a home-grown business. Thanks so much!

Doesn't my arm look huge? lol.

I like you already! I run most days and surf a few others, but middle age has its own ideas; when I spread my arms wide, I look like I am wearing one of those high tech squirrel suits. I guess I either live with it or take up base jumping.

:)

My family runs daily, goes to the gym, and goes on muddy excursions like it's their career. What we have learned is to go with synthetic fibers that are designed for outdoors and travel. We avoid cottons - like jeans - that take too long to dry in humid air.

To remove body odor from tech clothes, add a little rubbing alcohol to your hand washing mix for items that will hang dry.

(That said, NEVER, put clothes in which you have added alcohol into a clothes dryer because of it's flammability).

We've had great success washing wringing and drying items in the room, and always bring extra hangars to do just that.

The BEST suggestion here, and one my grandmother taught me was to lay out a towel, and then put a wrung out item on one side of the towel the long ways and fold the other side over the top (taco style). Then roll the folded towel with the washed item, squeezing as you go. Unroll it, and then hang the item to dry.

Totally agree about the risk of sending items out - best to DIY.

I always wear nicer sundresses and am adding a maxi dress this year. It's personal choice and a respect to other diners that I steer away from jeans and capris. Susie, the skirt is perfect for evening dining!

If anyone has suggestions on surfing Barbados, I would appreciate your feedback on beaches and companies that do rentals and transportation for an intermediate level surfer. I realize that is being summer, it's a roll of the dice, but would be interested in hearing about your experiences.

Thanks in advance!:cool: