amybeth4

He wanted to KILL you? LOL. I think we have a future serial killer on our hands. At the very least, someone with some SERIOUS anger management issues. :)

PS you have George Bush to thank for that.

I know, I do too. I was just kidding. ;)

 

But seriously, have you read the comments on Yahoo? :eek:

Comments on any article I read online are beyond amazing. People say the most idiotic things behind their computer's anonymity. The spelling is torture, and it all usually ends up being Obama's or Bush's fault anyway. :D

I feel so privileged "knowing" not only you, but the REAL story! :) Congrats on your new found fame.

I'm so glad it all turned out NOT to be a joke (which I realized back on page one, really). When I went to the turtle video and saw it was posted in May and had 2.4 million hits, I was like, "OK now this video is gonna be a joke because WHY would it have so many hits??"

I'm glad I continued on to see! :)

Reading some of the articles makes me want to scream. How many of them are gonna say that you took on the name of Aquahound in order to solve this mystery???

Also, I read a few of the Yahoo article comments. I want to SCREAM at the guy who asked why you didn't just use the camera's serial number to find out where it came from..."Oh yeah, then he wouldn't have gotten his 15 minutes of fame."

Amazing that when one bit of info is left out of an article, it completely turns everything around. I wanted to scream, "OF COURSE HE DID THAT BUT THEY ARTICLE DOESN'T MENTION IT."

I better stop reading now, lol.

First Paul, thanks for posting the NBC video link. I just started reading this thread today (YES I had to read through EIGHTEEN PAGES, lol) because I just kept ignoring it.

I actually thought it was gonna turn out to be some kind of joke. I'm so glad it wasn't. What a great story. And I love that it's someone I went back and forth with on this board for quite a while, especially last year when I was here much more than I have been lately. I feel like I know you, lol.

Anyway, congrats on your new-found fame. BTW in listening to you on NBC...where are you originally from? Sounds like a bit of Chicago in your accent there.

Ship - Majesty

Deck - 9

Stateroom # - 9024

Stateroom Category – Superior Ocean View

Starboard or Port Side - I don't remember

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Very

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Any specific problems with this cabin? - No problems

Any other comments? The obstructed views in this category aren't that bad EXCEPT FOR THIS ROOM. I was able to see the views from many other cabins because I was doing a B2B and on turnaround day, I was the only passenger onboard and I was allowed to check out my new room. All of the doors were open. I don't really care about the view - I picked this room because my sister was joining me so we wanted to move into a bigger room from what I was in before (see posting right above). If you care about the view, don't take 9024.

Ship - Majesty

Deck - 5

Stateroom # - 5077

Stateroom Category – Interior K

Starboard or Port Side - I don't remember

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Very

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Any specific problems with this cabin? - None major. Some rust and dirt in the bathroom...

Any other comments? This room is tiny. I had it to myself. 121 sq. ft. I think. I don't know how easy it would be to share a room this size, but then again it's only 3-4 nights so it's probably doable.

Ship - Liberty

Deck - 8

Stateroom # - 8377

Stateroom Category – Interior N (I think it was N)

Starboard or Port Side - I don't remember, but it wasn't along a corridor, it was in between the two sides. Hard to explain.

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Surprisingly, yes, even though I think we MIGHT have been near a steward station or closet or something. And I'm the world's lightest sleeper.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Any specific problems with this cabin? - None

Any other comments? - Definitely a small cabin (152 sq. ft I think) but suitable for two, and had plenty of storage space.

What bothers me the most is I dont remember Port Everglades being that horrible. It's only been a year since I've been there and it wasn't an issue at all, in face I thought of it as one of the better facilities.

Same here. And what surprises ME the most is a bathroom being locked, which I've NEVER EVER seen on ANY cruise. Weird.

Maybe on your next cruise, you should look into luggage valet or express luggage, I'm not sure exactly which one it is, but it's where you can take your own luggage off the ship, that way no one can steal your luggage! :)

You're talking about express check out.

as promised, a pic of the Crown and Anchor on my ankle. My CC name is simply my favorite 3 animals. I used to have a wolf-hybrid, I have a cat, I used to have a horse.

You are one crazy bastid. The funny thing is, I can see that it's the back of your ankle, right above your heel, but it REALLY looks like the front of your leg and the tattoo is right above your knee. Now THAT would be an interesting place, haha.

WOW, wolfcathorse, you are as loyal as they GET!

I love my 16.5-year-old car. Maybe I should get the Nissan emblem tattooed on me somewhere. :eek:

Yeayyyy, welcome to the club!!!!! :D

 

It's better than the Sweaty Boob Club! I feel bad for the crew who has to handle Amy's sweaty boob sea pass. :eek::eek::eek:

 

{yes, I am ducking for cover, where is she tonight?}

I'm back! I was actually in a play tonight (closing night...waah).

And ::ahem:: the card goes under the strap, right where the cup part begins. It doesn't go UNDER my sweaty boobs... ;)

(And it only goes there if I'm going somewhere real quick, like from the cabin to a cigarette break, and back!)

:D

You got it sister.... those suckers make great storage... as long as you've got enough there to hold everything in place... :D

It's really fun when you put cash in there and forget about it...then you get undressed at night and you're like, "Woohoo! Jackpot!"

OMG! Do you have bruises from warding all the ladies and special men off?

We are call gay men....its ok you can use that term freely...so much better than "special men"

We are call gay men....its ok you can use that term freely...so much better than "special men"

LOL! I was like, "Special men?" Whaaaa??? Never heard 'em called THAT!! :)

At night in my bra.

A bra's second most useful quality is for holding little things like cash, credit cards, sea pass cards and lighters!!!!

Guys are you listening....necklace...get it off your neck and put it in your pocket.

Maybe I SHOULD wear it on formal night as a necklace...a few less pieces of jewelry to pack!

I couldn't imagine wearing a seapass card as a necklace. Yuck. I always carry my Royal Carib. backpack during the day because it has lipstick, cigarettes, gum or candy, my camera, a magazine...

At night I put it in my evening bag.

I had a great day at Majahual beach. Go through the shopping area at the pier to the back and you'll see a van. Get in the van. It's $3pp and they drop you off in front of the Hotel Majahual, which is a hellhole. But on the other side of the hotel is a beach.

There are lounge chairs plus tables with chairs an umbrellas. Everything's free of charge. People walk up to you and ask you what food and drink you want. There are also bars and dive restaurants. It was a GREAT, relaxing day.

We also saw people renting kayaks and jet skis, as well as someone parasailing.

A taxi back is $2pp in a yellow taxi.

Residency rates aren't only for FL. They pick and choose (at random, it seems) what states get the special rates and when. There are also provinces in Canada listed. On the home page on the left, click on Exclusive Rates and put in all the info needed on the page.

Someone in the cabin must have a gov't ID showing they live where they say they live. I've never been asked to show ID but there was a thread on these boards a couple of months ago where someone got screwed.

I KNOW! It's the greatest idea and it's amaaaazing how many people don't think of it. They wrap everything up and put stickers on it. When I read about the duffel bag I was like, "DUH!"

Here's a great suggestion I've seen people type on other threads covering the same topic.

Take a duffel bag and put both the water and Red Bull in it. Luggage tag on bag, bag to porter, bag shows up with both drinks. :)

Yep. You can bring non-alcoholic drinks.

Quote:

I am a tour guide in Niagara Falls. After eight years of experimenting I have found routine that produces the highest income for me, but I was wanted to hear from travellers at what point does a guide's mentioning of tips really start to take away from your enjoyment of the trip? By the way, I drive a mini-bus that seats 32, but my average group size is 18. So I am both a driver and a guide. Here's my routine:

 

1. The bus has two small signs (one in front and one in back) that say "If you enjoyed the trip, please don't forget the tip. (15% is customary) Thank You"

2. At the beginning of the trip while I talk about what we will be seeing and doing, I also say, "And just so everyone knows, the tour bus drivers and guides here in Niagara Falls, as with drivers and guides all around the world, really do depend on the tips that they recieve for the lion's share of their income. So I'll trust you to read the signs on the bus and at the end of the trip you can be the judge at how I did at giving you all a great time today."

3. At the end of the trip as I'm saying a bunch of thank yous I say, " So when we get to each of our drop offs please let me step off of the bus first, I'll help you down off of the bus, I'll give you a good handshake, and I'll thank you for your tip at that time."

 

Those three items are the only mention of tips during a 5 hour tour. I have found that if I leave any one of them out, my average tip per person drops from $6.61 to $3.82. If I say nothing many people give nothing and most only give a dollar or two.

 

So would you be bugged on my tour? When would you start to be irritated? I've only had one complaint in 8 years.

I don't mind a verbal reminder at the end of a tour (e.g., if you enjoyed the tour, tips are welcome) or even the ubiquitous tip jar, but this would be over the top. Would I complain to the company about it? No. Because it is passing irritant during what should be a good time, why extend it by spending more time on it? But I would never use that company again or recommend it to others. Would I tip? Yes but half of what I would normally simply because as Ms. Manners is fond of saying, being rude to rude people is rude.

I don't know if I'd consider the above rude, but it IS a bit over the top, with the two signs AND the TWO reminders. But it's a tough call since apparently people don't tip very well unless they're overly reminded. I don't remember ever being "reminded" to tip before the end of a trip, but I may have also seen a sign (never two).

I'd stick with one sign and a reminder at the end...beyond that get's annoying. Sorry. :(

Part of the reason I'm continuing this discussion is because I want people to understand that tips ARE an essential part of the guide's income. Companies pay tour guides minimum wage or less because they assume that they will make up for it in tips. This is EXACTLY the same situation as waiters in a restaurant. The trouble is that most people know that about waiters, but they don't know it about tour guides.

Unfortunately your blanket statement isn't ALWAYS the case. On my last shore excursion (through RCI), I kayaked in Key West. Our two guides were the two owners of the whole kayaking company. And they both "reminded" us at the end that tips are appreciated, guilting 20 people to hand over about $5 each...

I've yet to be on a tour (and I've only taken ship-sponsored excursions) where we weren't "reminded" at the end that "tips are appreciated." :rolleyes: