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HAL cruise mavens, use your influence wisely


LMaxwell
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Many on here know I continually shop HAL cruises looking for just the right one. I posted an innocuous comment on an excursion thread, no negativity at all, just 3 sentence fragments, and was immediately smeared and shouted down by a forum regular. Frankly, I don't even know how my comments were taken out of context.

 

I can only imagine the hard stares and nasty comments a young family might garner from a relatively minor handful, but it makes us think again. Behavior like that DOES play into my consideration of what type of guest I'm going to spend thousands of dollars to share my vacation with.

 

Many here are what Malcolm Gladwell would term a cruise "maven".

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/know-your-strength-for-more-success-are-you-a-connector-a-maven-or-a-salesman.html

And that's generally a good thing because mavens want to educate. But consider your attitudes also reflect when trying to espouse high points of a brand or product. Use your influence wisely.

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Being a "forum regular" requires no kind of test -- intelligence, knowledge, ability to behave in a socially appropriate manner. "Influence" is part and parcel of credibility. I rather doubt the posters you are referring to have any credibility, therefore no influence. Certainly anyone like that has zero reputation capital.

 

But I totally "get" your point. ;)

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Many on here know I continually shop HAL cruises looking for just the right one. I posted an innocuous comment on an excursion thread, no negativity at all, just 3 sentence fragments, and was immediately smeared and shouted down by a forum regular. Frankly, I don't even know how my comments were taken out of context.

 

I can only imagine the hard stares and nasty comments a young family might garner from a relatively minor handful, but it makes us think again. Behavior like that DOES play into my consideration of what type of guest I'm going to spend thousands of dollars to share my vacation with.

 

Many here are what Malcolm Gladwell would term a cruise "maven".

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/know-your-strength-for-more-success-are-you-a-connector-a-maven-or-a-salesman.html

And that's generally a good thing because mavens want to educate. But consider your attitudes also reflect when trying to espouse high points of a brand or product. Use your influence wisely.

Agreed. After having the full experience of being a Carnival newbie, from cruise shopping through all the on-board roll call activities, I was impressed by comparison, as I was with regard to DCL. (Full disclosure: I could not say the same thing vis a vis Royal.)

 

Sometimes it seems as if some people would rather see Holland America dwindle to nothingness rather than allow space for new cruisers with the changes to the line that they would invariably bring.

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Now I'm Just curious to know which thread! I don't see "mavens" but I sure do see boors lately who don't know as much as they profess to know. And some that just crave attention. Hopefully someone will give a clue as to which thread you are referring to - I tend to read few of them these days.

 

Sent from my SM-J320W8 using Forums mobile app

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Now I'm Just curious to know which thread! I don't see "mavens" but I sure do see boors lately who don't know as much as they profess to know. And some that just crave attention. Hopefully someone will give a clue as to which thread you are referring to - I tend to read few of them these days.

 

Sent from my SM-J320W8 using Forums mobile app

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2562015

For future use if you click on a user's name there is a link to their prior posts.

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I thought maybe it was just me, but the general "ambiance" seems to have changed in the past year or so. It seems like it used to be difficult to find a thread where someone jumped on someone else for their opinion ... not so hard to find now.

 

I may be wrong, but when I first joined CC, it seemed like there were more "grounded" inquiries or subjects or general information posts. Now it seems like there are so many threads that seem to just be thrown in for attention-getting purposes.

This is such a great source for information --- hope it can find its way back to that.

 

Then again, I could have it all wrong ...

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I've rather new here (as you can see from my post count), but I've been participating in forums, bulletin boards, etc. since the late 1980s. I'm retired from 32 yrs in IT, and I'm not often intimidated by strong personalities that usually show up on boards like these. My usual method when joining a new forum or board is to read for a few days to get a "feel" for the personality of the players/discussion, then jump in with my question(s).

 

I joined CC just after I'd booked my first cruise: a 14-day Alaska trip R/T from Seattle on the Amsterdam (September 11-25 this year -- it was wonderful!). Yes, I had a few questions and I'd say in nearly every case, I got the info I needed from folks who were friendly and generous with their time in explaining things.

 

Only one instance was a little bumpy: someone (an active forum regular -- not on this board) accused me of "obviously" not reading my cruise contract when I asked about the layout of the Seattle's Pier 91 cruise terminal and whether it was necessary to request embarkation assistance before I arrived or could I wait until I saw the layout and determined if I'd actually need help. Apparently, since I had "obviously" not read my cruise contract, I didn't realize that I was clearly "unfit for travel" and would get booted off the ship if I asked for help "too often." I have a couple of physical issues that make walking uphill or long distances or going up and down more than a few stairs at a time problematic, but I'm fine, although slow, on "level ground." The ONLY solution, according to this person, was to rent a scooter. ?!? (I've never used one, don't need one, etc.) Sheesh! So, I avoid posting on that forum, although I do read it occasionally.

 

Over the 7 or so months I've been "active" here, I've picked up a sort of "who's who" list of folks who 1) seem to know what they're talking about, and 2) are able to respond in a calm and ultimately helpful way to questions. As soon as I see that one of these folks is the author of a post, I immediately pay a bit more attention. No one is infallible, but these folks are quick to respond courteously if they happen to get something wrong, and go out of their way to explain alternatives/options where indicated.

 

I'm now looking forward to my next HAL cruise: the 38-day Voyage of the Vikings next summer, and I know I'll have some questions before that. But I know where to come for answers.

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As am I.

I'm a relative newbie to CC, but I couldn't agree more.

Being a "forum regular" requires no kind of test -- intelligence, knowledge, ability to behave in a socially appropriate manner. "Influence" is part and parcel of credibility. I rather doubt the posters you are referring to have any credibility, therefore no influence. Certainly anyone like that has zero reputation capital.

 

But I totally "get" your point. ;)

 

Agreed. After having the full experience of being a Carnival newbie, from cruise shopping through all the on-board roll call activities, I was impressed by comparison, as I was with regard to DCL. (Full disclosure: I could not say the same thing vis a vis Royal.)

 

Sometimes it seems as if some people would rather see Holland America dwindle to nothingness rather than allow space for new cruisers with the changes to the line that they would invariably bring.

 

 

Sent from my XT1650 using Forums mobile app

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Completely agree with OP. In the few months I've been on the board I've seen quite a few "I know more than you" posts. Makes me, and I'm sure others, hesitant to ask any questions or provide replies.

I'll go back to lurking now.

 

Oh don't go back to just lurking.

 

Ask your questions. There are lots of people on the board happy to help.

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I Now it seems like there are so many threads that seem to just be thrown in for attention-getting purposes.

 

 

Then again, I could have it all wrong ...

You don't and this thread is a perfect example. I don't want to search through hundreds of threads to just to find out exactly what OP is referring to. Throwing out an allegation that other posters can't analyze doesn't seem purposeful.

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From a few years of using this board I think the long-time regulars do a good job handling the combativeness that sometimes occurs (usually when a topic involves opinion or preference). I think this fairly small set of individuals deserve a ton of credit for the quality of this board as it faces challenges, such as the one described by the OP. I just hope they know who they are.

 

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I sometimes wish that the ones answering the questions about specific on board experiences are the passengers that have actually cruised on the line.

 

Too often I see people jumping in a thread where their answer can be either useless, just wrong, are trying to push their personal agenda of what the onboard ship experience should be or just plain stirring the pot.

 

A perfect example was a recent thread where a cruiser who is used to cruising on lines with a relaxed dress code wanted to know if a certain article of clothing was appropriate in the dining room. Long time cruisers of the line answered with what was acceptable on recent cruises on the line.

 

Unfortunately, there were posters that decided to parse the written dress code and decided that the experienced cruisers did not know what was acceptable and furthermore, were just trying to hang onto outdated standards that did not fit into what they wanted to wear or was different from what might be acceptable at home. That poster left the thread feeling that the passengers on the line were unfriendly while it was the posters who just wanted to stir the pot that caused the nasty tone that the thread deteriorated into.

 

I know personally that I only post on the boards of cruiselines that I have been a passenger on. I will not give specific answers on the current on board experience unless I have very recently been on a cruise on that line to the area that the question may be about. I am also good for history of many of the lines (when did my life become history???? ).

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I've rather new here (as you can see from my post count), but I've been participating in forums, bulletin boards, etc. since the late 1980s. I'm retired from 32 yrs in IT, and I'm not often intimidated by strong personalities that usually show up on boards like these. My usual method when joining a new forum or board is to read for a few days to get a "feel" for the personality of the players/discussion, then jump in with my question(s).

 

I joined CC just after I'd booked my first cruise: a 14-day Alaska trip R/T from Seattle on the Amsterdam (September 11-25 this year -- it was wonderful!). Yes, I had a few questions and I'd say in nearly every case, I got the info I needed from folks who were friendly and generous with their time in explaining things.

 

Only one instance was a little bumpy: someone (an active forum regular -- not on this board) accused me of "obviously" not reading my cruise contract when I asked about the layout of the Seattle's Pier 91 cruise terminal and whether it was necessary to request embarkation assistance before I arrived or could I wait until I saw the layout and determined if I'd actually need help. Apparently, since I had "obviously" not read my cruise contract, I didn't realize that I was clearly "unfit for travel" and would get booted off the ship if I asked for help "too often." I have a couple of physical issues that make walking uphill or long distances or going up and down more than a few stairs at a time problematic, but I'm fine, although slow, on "level ground." The ONLY solution, according to this person, was to rent a scooter. ?!? (I've never used one, don't need one, etc.) Sheesh! So, I avoid posting on that forum, although I do read it occasionally.

 

Over the 7 or so months I've been "active" here, I've picked up a sort of "who's who" list of folks who 1) seem to know what they're talking about, and 2) are able to respond in a calm and ultimately helpful way to questions. As soon as I see that one of these folks is the author of a post, I immediately pay a bit more attention. No one is infallible, but these folks are quick to respond courteously if they happen to get something wrong, and go out of their way to explain alternatives/options where indicated.

 

I'm now looking forward to my next HAL cruise: the 38-day Voyage of the Vikings next summer, and I know I'll have some questions before that. But I know where to come for answers.

 

Thumbs up!

 

From an avid cruiser with a similar background (unretired from 40 years in IT). We've seen all kinds of kinds of computer users over the years. Same on CC. There are always the "special" ones.

 

One truism through the migration of EDP to IT, it's not about technology, it's the people that determine project success or failure. In my book, sincere generosity trumps knowledge with an attitude any day. Cheers!

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I thought maybe it was just me, but the general "ambiance" seems to have changed in the past year or so. It seems like it used to be difficult to find a thread where someone jumped on someone else for their opinion ... not so hard to find now.

 

I may be wrong, but when I first joined CC, it seemed like there were more "grounded" inquiries or subjects or general information posts. Now it seems like there are so many threads that seem to just be thrown in for attention-getting purposes.

This is such a great source for information --- hope it can find its way back to that.

 

Then again, I could have it all wrong ...

 

Totally agree and it's not a "friendly" ambience!

 

Completely agree with OP. In the few months I've been on the board I've seen quite a few "I know more than you" posts. Makes me, and I'm sure others, hesitant to ask any questions or provide replies.

I'll go back to lurking now.

 

Agree and this is why it seems the same group of names are the ones posting all the time. People are hesitant and/or turned off by the comments their reading!

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...

 

Sometimes it seems as if some people would rather see Holland America dwindle to nothingness rather than allow space for new cruisers with the changes to the line that they would invariably bring.

 

This point ignores the fact that many people like the way HAL positions itself differently from other lines. It also assumes that HAL's maintaining its distinct character, which earns it a certain amount of loyalty, is a certain recipe for disaster. What it does seem to attempt is an argument that all mass market lines must follow the same model: ever larger ships offering ever more bells and whistles -- becoming one of a herd, rather than maintaining a special character.

 

It is entirely possible that, as people continue aging, there might well be a continuing stream of the "nearly dead" who do appreciate the ambience which HAL offers.

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RuthC and ithaca gal, I'm with you on this one

Me too. It's not as pleasant or as informative as when I signed on. I realize that I haven't been contributing as much and make my New Year's Resolution here to be more active and helpful in 2018. (Hopefully that will help with informative. "Pleasant" may be in the eye of the beholder LOL)

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Many on here know I continually shop HAL cruises looking for just the right one. I posted an innocuous comment on an excursion thread, no negativity at all, just 3 sentence fragments, and was immediately smeared and shouted down by a forum regular. Frankly, I don't even know how my comments were taken out of context.

 

I can only imagine the hard stares and nasty comments a young family might garner from a relatively minor handful, but it makes us think again. Behavior like that DOES play into my consideration of what type of guest I'm going to spend thousands of dollars to share my vacation with.

 

Many here are what Malcolm Gladwell would term a cruise "maven".

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/know-your-strength-for-more-success-are-you-a-connector-a-maven-or-a-salesman.html

And that's generally a good thing because mavens want to educate. But consider your attitudes also reflect when trying to espouse high points of a brand or product. Use your influence wisely.

 

I've noticed an overall change in the number of annoying nasty commenters on CC lately too. I recently learned about a CC feature that allows me to block any member if I choose to. I've used that CC tool to block several people where I don't see their comments when I'm browsing the boards to both give and receive help. IMHO, that is a very valuable tool that enhances my CC experience. After blocking several members (one of which has posted to this thread), I've found my CC experience to be much more enjoyable.

 

Overall I've found most of the people on the CC boards to be very kind and helpful, and I continue to enjoy the boards because of them. I'm very grateful to them. I'm always happy to answer someone else's cruising question if I can too.

 

It's pretty easy to identify who the problem children are after running across a few of their comments on the boards. I suggest you block them once you identify them, and then just get back to enjoying the boards as you have in the past.

 

Thanks for your post. I enjoyed reading your comments and can identify with them.

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