Kamlhj

I was quite naughty on my last cruise. On the day of the towel rabbit, I folded several origami paper rabbits and placed them around it - leaving a note saying that the rabbit had babies and I was out looking for the "babies' daddy", adding "crew worker?". The monkey hanging from the ceiling, I hand wrote a sign saying "the floor is lava". On one of the other animals, I rolled up a tube of paper to make it look like a cigarette and put it in the animal's mouth. And (*sensibility warning*)..... the last day, I used the same "cigarette", put it in the kangaroo's nose, bent it forward, and then took the frilly paper cover from the bathroom glass, inverted it, put a small mound of baby powder in it, and moved it under the paper "straw". The room steward literally could not stop laughing, which made me unable to stop laughing. His name was Cornelius (the steward, not the kangaroo) and was one of the best I had on any cruise. Of course, Just before I left, I told him not to send me any more rehab animals if I were to cruise with him again.

Most of the CDs  I had on Carnival and NCL were fantastic - energetic, great sense of humor, ubiquitous, and humble. On RC, I only remember one being like that (a young Polish guy from Canada who was once a Royal Mountie), and all their others you hardly knew were there. In fact, partly because of the CD and partly due to the Fun team, I'm planning to do another Carnival cruise in a few weeks (health permitting).

As for me, I have no problem with people leaving me alone. I am forever polite and have no trouble talking to other people, but if it gets too personal or long winded, I'll "suddenly" have a bathroom emergency or forgotten appointment.

My best advice for cruising solo is..... have fun! You don't have another person to anchor (pun intended) you down.

Love your videos, man. Funny and informative.

My first cruise was circa 2008 on NCL's Majesty (the one which a few cruises later was hit by a freak wave in the Mediterranean). That first cruise exceeded all of my expectations and I became hooked! Btw, my very next cruise was on Carnival's Triumph (another great one) which a few months later caught fire off of Mexico. Don't worry though... all the rest of my cruises had no after-effects.

I get sea sickness and motion terror. Luckily, meclizine works wonders for me (no side effects) in the former and about half of the latter.

I am just OK with burgers, but Guy's are truly something else! Luckily, I can't eat a lot of food at one time, otherwise I would probably eat three. I don't know if its the flavor or the texture or the fact that you can add your own toppings, but they are definitely my favorite of all hamburgers ! Concerning your comment on food waste.... planning how much I believe I will be able to eat at each meal is how I roll.

Thank you very much for your detailed log of your 25 days cruising on a freighter. I thoroughly enjoyed it and all the new information it gave me (along with the explanations from the other posters)! Great job!

My urologist and therapist suggested that I also give up cruising since I suffer from paruresis and certain cruise situations could prove damaging, but I love cruising probably more than anything else, plus those situations are extremely unlikely, so I'll continue to cruise. Of course, a simple catheter would do the trick, but doctors are reluctant to proscribe them. Btw, I only got sick after my last cruise.

Well, I had my first case ever of bed bugs on a cruise. Happened on my recent cruise on the Grandeur of the Seas. They quickly did a thorough treatment of my cabin & I had no trouble since - even having none appear later at my home.

Btw, great video. Looks like you guys really had a lot of fun!

Bob, were there any cabins on the ship which you didn't visit?:p That ending in the captain's cabin was so great!

I personally loved your reopening this thread! and just FYI, ShakeyBeef is a female, just in case she gets upset with you and sends you a case of rancid cruiseship chocolates!

ShakyBeef a female? Perhaps I read a little too much into her screen name :o. Actually, I'm open to receiving chocolates :D.

Wow - I can't believe how my one post started so many comments! My post was actually a joke, based on a comment made by ShakyBeef, saying exactly what he said someone would say five years later.

My personal preference with the chocolate squares was to break them up into small pieces and sprinkle them on the soft-serve ice cream the next day. MMMmmm!

Hmmm... does anyone here remember when about five years ago ShakyBeef posted his very scientific survey to prove that the chocolate squares which Carnival put in our cabins had indeed changed from a minty chocolate with a firm texture to a mint-less artificial chocolate of a softer quality? That was such a high point in my life!

Cabin crawl... sounds like me on a cruise morning!

LOL!:confused:

I really doubt you’ll ever see a toilet on a lifeboat, but probably still more likely than you ever needing a lifeboat.

Agreed. In an emergency the only thing anyone cares about is getting off the boat that is sinking or on fire and into a boat that is not.

Unfortunately, my condition excludes me from being anyone, hence, my original question. Thank You for your time.

OP, I've read your other thread on the matter. I think you are asking the wrong question. The right question is how often are passengers evacuated to lifeboats and when that does happen how long does it take before they are rescued.

 

Your concern is not at the forethought of the cruise lines when they design the ships and lifeboats. They intend to never need truly them, so they want light weight and efficient (getting as many people to safety as quickly as possible).

 

I don't know the answers to the questions, but that's what I would seek out if I were you. This is clearly on your mind and knowing that lifeboats are used for passengers in .00001% of sailings and when used it typically takes a few hours for rescue; may make you feel better (again, making up those numbers but you get my point).

 

If this fear is preventing you from being comfortable booking you may want to choose not to cruise. Plenty of people do for claustrophobia reasons. While your physical issue is real, your fear of the lifeboats is impractical. I'd be willing to bet you are more likely to get struck by lightning on a sunny day than have to evacuate in the lifeboats and be stuck in them for 8+ hours.

 

 

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The odds against this happening is the reason that I am able to cruise at all. Another poster suggested bringing a catheter, which is a great idea since my disorder manifests as a physical inability to urinate. Thank you very much for your time!

Been stewing about this for 4 years, huh. Interesting.

Actually, for over 52 years now.

I've not seen them before.

 

Keith

Thank you!

Was there a reason you started another thread about this? Four years is an awfully long time to worry.

I am horrible with computers - was trying to start a new thread(?) and my new posts got myself connected with the old posts (if that makes any sense:confused:).

Actually, your information is incorrect. The lifeboats hold 100% of passengers only, along with the assigned boat crew, which is 3-4 for the smaller 150 man lifeboats, and 15-16 for the 370 man mega-boats on the Oasis class ships. The vast majority of crew, and the 50% excess capacity use life rafts. Now, the space designated for a "person" in a lifeboat is based on a 75kg person (165 lbs), and is 18" wide and 24" front to back. Sit down some time and have someone measure you from shoulder to shoulder and from knees to back of butt, and see if you fit in this space. A fully loaded lifeboat has people sitting with knees touching the backs of the people in front, and given the average size of passengers, with alternate people leaning forward so their shoulders don't jam into the person next to them.

 

Now, with regards to toilets in the boat. Yes, the 370 man lifeboats do have a toilet, but I cannot say how "private" they are, and in my professional opinion they are simply there to meet a regulation, since getting out of your seat in the boat and moving to the toilet is going to be a major exercise for nearly everyone in the boat.

 

All other boats have no toilet facility, and given the need to squeeze as many bodies into the boat as possible, there aren't any plans to add toilets to the smaller boats. Space is so tight in the boats that water, food, and essential tools for survival are in storage bins built into the seats, again requiring gymnastics on the part of the people in the boat to get up, and open these lockers.

 

Now, you must realize that in a survival situation, which is what you would be in if you were in a boat, that all modesty has long left the room, if this is a serious concern for you I would recommend learning to catheterize yourself, and bringing a cath with you on a cruise. Don't worry about urinating into the bilges of the boat, everyone else will be as well, and that is why there is a bilge pump.