Give the people from Puerto Rico a break!!!

[FinelyCruising]

Howley-- FWIW the weather channel has four regions, the west, the northeast which includes the mid-atlantic states, the south and the mid-west. The Almanac breaks this down further as I described.

[sgttami]

Everything is in Spanish and the locals do take over the ship.....yes, we still had a good time but the espanol was enough for me!!!!!

In November...1600 plus locals and 12 US residents....enough said!!!!!!

[Guest OBAYbee]

On Adventurer of the Seas only 12 American Citizens?

[babs275]

Ahem...residents of Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens by birth.

[colette5479]

This reminds me of a review I read about the Elation out of Galveston. The reviewer said he could not believe that everyone on the cruise had a southern accent. Hello Buddy....you're cruising out of TEXAS;) I live in OK and I always laugh when I hear elderly people refer to people that live in northern states as Yankees:p This has to be a southern thing for sure! Where I am from, you can meet a stranger that can be a good friend within an hour or you have those who depict the Jeff Foxworthy Rednecks:D

[coupleofcruisers]

[COLOR=Red][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS]I don't mean to offend anyone but I really don't know how to say this nicely so I'm just going to spit it out.
On the old boards if you did a search(when it was working) you would find posts that indeed DID give Puerto Ricans a break! A tremendous break in price! I know that all of the cruiselines have resident specials, senior specials, etc. However, when ANYONE(whatever nationality) pays $300 per person for a balcony cabin and lets it be known to others(again whatever nationality) paying much more than that it can lead to bad feelings. You can end up with a sailing exactly like Sgttami's with hundreds of local US citizens, a few mainland US citizens and a few other nationalities.
I've been on a sailing where many got a reduced rate and those who didn't were irate! The entire time of the cruise it was a hot topic! I was astounded to see so many people asking others what they paid for their cruise!

ANY large group tends to take over whatever space they occupy - be it the lounges, bars, dining room, etc.-it's inevitable. If you don't belong to the group you may feel like a fifth wheel or be unable to find an empty seat. If the group is extremely large they may take over many public venues. I'm speaking of groups in general and not any particular group.
It doesn't mean you can't have a good cruise but it may make you think twice about booking a cruise KNOWING there is a large group onboard[/FONT]! [/SIZE] [/COLOR]

[Andipanda1]

[quote name='coupleofcruisers'][color=red][size=3][font=Comic Sans MS]I don't mean to offend anyone but I really don't know how to say this nicely so I'm just going to spit it out.
On the old boards if you did a search(when it was working) you would find posts that indeed DID give Puerto Ricans a break! A tremendous break in price! I know that all of the cruiselines have resident specials, senior specials, etc. However, when ANYONE(whatever nationality) pays $300 per person for a balcony cabin and lets it be known to others(again whatever nationality) paying much more than that it can lead to bad feelings. You can end up with a sailing exactly like Sgttami's with hundreds of local US citizens, a few mainland US citizens and a few other nationalities.
I've been on a sailing where many got a reduced rate and those who didn't were irate! The entire time of the cruise it was a hot topic! I was astounded to see so many people asking others what they paid for their cruise!

ANY large group tends to take over whatever space they occupy - be it the lounges, bars, dining room, etc.-it's inevitable. If you don't belong to the group you may feel like a fifth wheel or be unable to find an empty seat. If the group is extremely large they may take over many public venues. I'm speaking of groups in general and not any particular group.
It doesn't mean you can't have a good cruise but it may make you think twice about booking a cruise KNOWING there is a large group onboard[/font]! [/size][/color][/QUOTE]

So help me to understand why there is so much resentment about your fellow US citizens gettting a resident break in cruise prices? And please, please, please tell me that you don't think EVERY "local" brags about how much they paid? Why would you even spend your precious vacation time worrying about what someone else paid? Life is just too short for that! And finally, if people want to spend every waking moment of their cruise bitching about how much someone else paid, it sounds like a huge personal problem to me. Nobody pays the same rate for anything these days. I wouldn't let it spoil my cruise.

And what's wrong with sailing with hundreds of local US citizens? We're all Americans, I thought. Or are the "locals" just a handy scapegoat? Please help me to understand this because I'm fairly new to this board and what I'm reading seems pretty ugly.

And if you want to take advantage of the resident prices, move to a port city. Is it worth getting this worked up over?

We're considering cruising out of SJ and we have no hesitation about it. As for hearing Spanish all the time, it's no problem. Living in the Washington DC area, we live in a very diverse area--and have been living with fellow Americans who speak Spanish, Korean, Amharic, Mandarin, Russian, and Greek. We love the diversity, and embrace it.

[Heidict]

[quote name='sgttami']Everything is in Spanish and the locals do take over the ship.....yes, we still had a good time but the espanol was enough for me!!!!!

In November...1600 plus locals and 12 US residents....enough said!!!!!![/QUOTE]

Your kidding right? Everything on the ship is in spanish? Really.......well, when I was on the AOS the FIRST announcment was always in english then it was repeated in spanish. Should they not have done that? Would it have been better just say it in english and screw everyone else who didn't speak english so they wouldn't offend or drive up the wall anyone who didn't speak spanish?

How can you be suprised that there was a large amount of passengers that were from PR when you were sailing from PR? Would it be better if they denied boarding to anyone who resided in PR? God, I hope you never take a cruise out of Europe. You will never be able to handle the fact that not everyone on the ship is american and that they do the announcments in different languages.

And 12 american citizens? First off, puerto ricans are american citizens. You might want to go back and do a little studying on american history. And while you're at it, read up on your math. I have a very very very very hard time believing that there were only 12 "mainland" americans on board a ship that holds over 2000 people.

Glad you were still able to have a good cruise despite these horrible and unexcusable condition.:rolleyes:

[nynewfies]

My first "big" cruise was to Alaska on HAL. Before that, I had done a 3 day Disney after 4 days at the parks combo. I knew nothing about comparison shopping and I'm sure the TA I used made out like a bandit. I will never forget that trip as long as I live. It was the most magnificent place I'm ever even imagined! I'm glad I didn't compare prices with anyone else on board who had a clue. I might have felt like a bit of a fool. But I still would have spent every day with my jaw hanging down in awe of the place. And talk about being a minority! I think my family was about 30 years younger than the next youngest people on the ship! On every shore excursion that involved a bus, it took at least 20 minutes for the last person to totter off the bus and probably longer for the last one to totter on at the end. There was no such thing as a 10 minute bathroom break. People would have been in tears! : ) One of my favorite people memories was watching my son sit with three elderly ladies playing cards on one of the longer coach bus trips (we did a cruise-tour). We had met some people from Florida who, in truth, were our age (but - as far as I could tell we were the only two couples who were) and they were sitting behind them. Our son, about 14 at the time, became surrogate grandson for many. All of a sudden the Florida husband bursts out laughing and leans over to tell us he was watching the sweet little old card sharps cheating by looking at the reflection of my son's cards in the bus windows. We were totally tickled by that. When you think about it, there are SO many ways to be "in a minority".

Why don't we resolve to just make it that the nice people having a great time and enjoying each other's company are the vast majority on every cruise and that the few people who complain about everything, hog chairs and tables, push their way to the heads of lines, etc. remain a small enough minority that the rest of us can easily ignore them while giving each other knowing, conspiratorial glances reminding us what we're doing there - which is having the time of our lives.

[Ocean Boy]

I was once on an Air France flight from Rome to Paris and can you believe that the anouncements were in three different languages and the first one was french not english. What were they thinking?!?!

[Ocean Boy]

[quote name='FinelyCruising']NJ is the northeast so the poster from RI may want to disqualify themselves for that region, but heck where are you going to go...tinest state in the union!

For those who want to moo over fact...this take a look at the Farmer's Almanac. Maryland/Delaware begins the mid-Atlantic region.

:)[/QUOTE]
Disqualify myself from what??? What is your point? :confused:
As for the Farmer's Almanac... is that where you look for your weather forcast too??

And... RI may be small but we have miles of coastline and ocean. And that is ALL that matters to me.

[xpcdoojk]

[quote name='sgttami']Everything is in Spanish and the locals do take over the ship.....yes, we still had a good time but the espanol was enough for me!!!!!

In November...1600 plus locals and 12 US residents....enough said!!!!!![/QUOTE]

Actually, I don't buy your statistics for even 1/2 of a second, but definitionally it is absurd. Puerto Rican residents are citizens of the US.... so 1612 US residents by your made up statistics.:rolleyes:

jc:D :D

[FinelyCruising]

OB - Sounded to me like you wer trying to disqualify yourself from NJ! So simmer down there.

And yes, I do pick my summer shore weeks based on the Almanac and have for years. We go to Cape May and that area is really more related to the weather pattern of the mid-Atlantic states.

Don't goff at the Almanac's ability to predict weather. Much of it is based on sun spots, and with sun spots you can predict future weather.

[xpcdoojk]

[quote name='coupleofcruisers'][color=red][size=3][font=Comic Sans MS]I don't mean to offend anyone but I really don't know how to say this nicely so I'm just going to spit it out.
On the old boards if you did a search(when it was working) you would find posts that indeed DID give Puerto Ricans a break! A tremendous break in price! I know that all of the cruiselines have resident specials, senior specials, etc. However, when ANYONE(whatever nationality) pays $300 per person for a balcony cabin and lets it be known to others(again whatever nationality) paying much more than that it can lead to bad feelings. You can end up with a sailing exactly like Sgttami's with hundreds of local US citizens, a few mainland US citizens and a few other nationalities.
I've been on a sailing where many got a reduced rate and those who didn't were irate! The entire time of the cruise it was a hot topic! I was astounded to see so many people asking others what they paid for their cruise!

ANY large group tends to take over whatever space they occupy - be it the lounges, bars, dining room, etc.-it's inevitable. If you don't belong to the group you may feel like a fifth wheel or be unable to find an empty seat. If the group is extremely large they may take over many public venues. I'm speaking of groups in general and not any particular group.
It doesn't mean you can't have a good cruise but it may make you think twice about booking a cruise KNOWING there is a large group onboard[/font]! [/size][/color][/QUOTE]

Resident discounts are available to anyone all you have to do is move to Puerto Rico and you can get them. :rolleyes: Last minute discounts in Puerto Rico are difficult for a mainlander to take advantage of because they haven't completed the bridge yet and you can't drive to the port have you tried to purchase airfare a week out to Puerto Rico? Not cheap, and it will more than consume those great last minute discounts. :eek:

jc

[Marysunshine]

Okay, a few remarks from me: Firstly, I am a senior but apparently, nobody told me, because I don't cut in line in front of people, I don't think anyone owes me anything, and I don't get a discount on the cruiseline. Secondly, I am from New York. May I tell you that New Yorkers are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. We may be a bit loud, but it comes from being outgoing, welcoming and friendly.
Having said that, I often resent bilingual education and what it costs fiscally. However, having said that, I have cruised from San Juan 4 times. It offers a great experience. First of all spending a few days in the culture there is fun. The lounges there bring out all the locals who are fantastic dancers, and watching them is such fun. They know how to enjoy life and are a joy to be around. In St. Maarten in particular, at Orient Beach, there is one lunch stand that has live music, and inevitably, all the Puerto Ricans wind up there for lunch and dance and make it fun for everyone, including me and whoever I'm with. Wouldn't change that for anything.
Conclusion: Live and let live....be where you are happy...stay away from what will make you unhappy. Life is about choices....everyone has them.....use them wisely.

[Ocean Boy]

I am actually hoping that there is a large latin american influence on our upcoming Serenade cruise. I love being surrounded by a different culture. That is part of what makes Europe so great. Travel a short distance and the culture and language change. One of the reasons why I like Jamaica so much is because when you are there you know you aren't in the States any more. My experience has been that people from Mediterranean and Latin cultures know how to have a fun time. I'm happy to let them take me along for the ride.



FinelyCruising... I have nothing against the almanac nor do I doubt its ability to predict weather. Nor do I have anything against New Jersey. I did my medical residency there and liked my time there very much so I don't have to try to distance myself from the place. But NJ is a Mid-Atlantic state. :D

[nynewfies]

marysunshine (I love your screen name) I hope you were not offended by anything in my post. I certainly didn't intend to equate seniors with cutting in line or anything negative at all. The comment I made about exiting tour buses was true, because we had a number of people with significant physical limitations on the bus. No criticism at all was intended. In fact, I have to tell you I have great respect for people that keep active and enjoy all there is to do in life long after some others have thrown in the towel and wouldn't dream of "getting out there" anymore. I hope I'll be doing as well myself.

[Aldeya]

[quote name='Heidict']Your kidding right? Everything on the ship is in spanish? Really.......well, when I was on the AOS the FIRST announcment was always in english then it was repeated in spanish. Should they not have done that? [b]Would it have been better just say it in english and screw everyone else who didn't speak english[/b] so they wouldn't offend or drive up the wall anyone who didn't speak spanish?

And 12 american citizens? First off, [b]puerto ricans are american citizens.[/b] You might want to go back and do a little studying on american history. And while you're at it, read up on your math. I have a very very very very hard time believing that there were only 12 "mainland" americans on board a ship that holds over 2000 people.

Glad you were still able to have a good cruise despite these horrible and unexcusable condition.:rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

Just curious.

I always thought that every American citizen should be able to SPEAK and UNDERSTAND the language of the country he/she belongs to?

[nrdsb4]

[quote name='Aldeya']Just curious.

I always thought that every American citizen should be able to SPEAK and UNDERSTAND the language of the country he/she belongs to?[/QUOTE]

Wow, where did you read this about what language any American "should" speak? Definitely it is helpful to speak Engish in the U.S., but it is not a requirement that everyone speak English as their first language.

The citizens of P.R. spoke Spanish long before they became a U.S. territory. There is no reason why announcements cannot be made in both English and Spanish on a ship whose home port is in Puerto Rico.

I read these posts about the language situation on the AOS almost on a weekly basis, and I always want to ask the question "Just how does the fact that announcements are made in both English and Spanish hurt you?" If it's annoying to some, then I have to conclude they are REALLY easily annoyed, and I wonder how these people survive daily life which is full of small aggravations.

I sailed the AOS, had a great time, and barely noticed that two languages were used. I also never wondered what other passengers paid, as it is really none of my business, just as what I paid is none of anyone else's business. Live and let live.

[normaxs]

[quote name='Marysunshine']Okay, a few remarks from me: Firstly, I am a senior but apparently, nobody told me, because I don't cut in line in front of people, I don't think anyone owes me anything, and I don't get a discount on the cruiseline. Secondly, I am from New York. May I tell you that New Yorkers are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. We may be a bit loud, but it comes from being outgoing, welcoming and friendly.

Your name tells it all. You enjoy meeting others and can have a good time anywhere. Stereotypes are wrong now matter how they are applied.
I am a senior too and was raised in Brooklyn but live in the midwest. I don't expect anyone to give me anything and have worked hard to earn everything I have.
Norma

[Aldeya]

[quote name='nrdsb4']Wow, where did you read this about what language any American "should" speak? [b]Definitely it is helpful to speak Engish in the U.S.,[/b] but it is not a requirement that everyone speak English as their first language.

The citizens of P.R. spoke Spanish long before they became a U.S. territory. [b]There is no reason why announcements cannot be made in both English and Spanish on a ship whose home port is in Puerto Rico. [/b]

I read these posts about the language situation on the AOS almost on a weekly basis, and I always want to ask the question "Just how does the fact that announcements are made in both English and Spanish hurt you?" If it's annoying to some, then I have to conclude they are REALLY easily annoyed, and I wonder how these people survive daily life which is full of small aggravations.

I sailed the AOS, had a great time, and barely noticed that two languages were used. I also never wondered what other passengers paid, as it is really none of my business, just as what I paid is none of anyone else's business. Live and let live.[/QUOTE]

Where is in my short comment did you find that I said that announcements on the ship SHOULD NOT be in English and Spanish? I never said that.

I understand perfectly that having passangers from different countries requires announcements in different languages.

What I DID say and I still stand corrected that one of the requirements of having an american citizenship IS an ability to speak and ungerstand English. At least it was when I was taking my citizenship exam many years ago.

[coupleofcruisers]

[COLOR=Red][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Andipanda
Since you are new to the boards you weren't around when it was posted in many reviews about the price given to Puerto Ricans to fill up a ship. Resentment overflowed from passengers who paid a much higher price. ALL cruisers deserve the same opportunity to have a great cruise. Many felt they were denied this due to the overwhelming numbers of Puerto Ricans onboard. Complaints ranged from cigar smoke in the hallways to rudeness in getting on the elevators, cutting lines, children running up and down the aisles in the Theater, all Spanish music to name a few. I have no personal knowledge of this as I have not sailed out of Puerto Rico.
There is No resident special that has rates that come close to $300 for a balcony cabin.
You don't have to live in a cruise port to take advantage of resident specials (Though I wish I did). RCCL and Celebrity have resident specials and senior specials every week along with the Happy Hour specials.
Sorry, If I gave the impression I was spending any of My vacation time worried about what someone else paid. It IS too precious to waste! I was told when booking my first cruise that if there were 3 couples at a table the couple to the left paid more and the couple to the right paid less than the one in the middle. That's the way it goes.
[QUOTE]posted by coupleofcruisers I've been on a sailing where many got a reduced rate and those who didn't were irate! The entire time of the cruise it was a hot topic! I was astounded to see so many people asking others what they paid for their cruise!
[/QUOTE] I was fortunate to be one of the people who HAD the reduced rate. Normally people don't talk about what they paid. It's considered rude. But apparently many fellow passengers didn't see it that way.. I was asked several times a day what I paid for the cruise. I didn't answer and changed the subject but it did get tiresome! Usually it was on an excursion or while I was waiting in a line. All week you would hear someone say what a great time they were having and how much they paid for the cruise. This only infuriated those who paid much, much more. I know one man paid $1,000 more than I because he told me ,repeatedly, how much he paid and how unfair it was. Unfortunately I ran into him more than anyone else on the ship! But it didn't ruin my cruise or even come close! I've never had a cruise I didn't enjoy! I've loved them all!
[QUOTE]posted by coupleofcruisers ANY large group tends to take over whatever space they occupy - be it the lounges, bars, dining room, etc.-it's inevitable. If you don't belong to the group you may feel like a fifth wheel or be unable to find an empty seat. If the group is extremely large they may take over many public venues. [/QUOTE] You have 2 choice in this situation. Embrace it or leave it. I was on the Rhapsody out of Texas and probably 85% of the passengers were Texans. I have never met a more friendly bunch of people! I was an honorary Texan that week and proud of it!
I once was considering a cruise on one of the Carnival ships until I found out it was a group cruise for 1200 Country music fans plus a couple of well known Country Music performers. I like country music. I've been to Nashville and to the Ryman Auditorium. But I choose not to cruise on a ship with 1200 Country music fans. I choose to exercise my free will and not go.
Again, I don't mean to offend any one or any group. Just trying to explain myself since Andipanda asked...
[QUOTE]posted by xpcdoojk Resident discounts are available to anyone all you have to do is move to Puerto Rico and you can get them. Last minute discounts in Puerto Rico are difficult for a mainlander to take advantage of because they haven't completed the bridge yet and you can't drive to the port have you tried to purchase airfare a week out to Puerto Rico? Not cheap, and it will more than consume those great last minute discounts.

jc [/quote]

Good one jc! I love it!! :) Will you let me know when they've completed the bridge? ;) I've heard the Puerto Rico airport is a nightmare! :D [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]

[Heidict]

[quote name='Aldeya']Just curious.

I always thought that every American citizen should be able to SPEAK and UNDERSTAND the language of the country he/she belongs to?[/QUOTE]

The offical and native language of PR is spanish. English is not reguired in schools but is offered as a language class just as spanish is offered here in America.

When you come from another country and obtain citizenship in the US you are required to speak english because you desire to become an American citizen. But people from PR do not have to take citizenship tests, they are born citizens of the US. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States, just as Guam and the US Virgin Islands are.

Why is it not required that all citizen of PR speak english? I don't know. Probably because the native language is spanish. The US goverment has never made it a law that english has to be taught in schools in PR. Not everyone takes it. Probably because english is not needed to live in PR unless you are working in the tourist industry, and even then you don't need to be fluent in it.

When people from PR come to the US to live they often move into areas where there is a large if not mainly PR population. Everyone there, including the shop owners and neighbors all speak spanish. Therefore it is very easy to live in this county even with very little knowledge of english.

[babs275]

[quote name='coupleofcruisers'][color=red][size=3][font=Comic Sans MS]I was asked several times a day what I paid for the cruise. I didn't answer and changed the subject but it did get tiresome! Usually it was on an excursion or while I was waiting in a line. All week you would hear someone say what a great time they were having and how much they paid for the cruise. This only infuriated those who paid much, much more. I know one man paid $1,000 more than I because he told me ,repeatedly, how much he paid and how unfair it was. [/font][/size][/color][/QUOTE]

This is exactly the reason rccl has given for their change in pricing policies

[coupleofcruisers]

[COLOR=Red][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Barb, I understand what you are saying in regard to different TA's and their pricing. Everyone wants to get the best deal! In this particular instance it was RCCL who had the special after the final payment date! It lasted for weeks up until the manifest had to be turned in. That's why there were so many people(including me) who were able to take advantage of it!
Instead of a few booking the Happy Hour and the Other Specials, it seemed like there were hundreds! I seriously don't know how many there were but I personally know of at least 50. I don't have any idea the average number of how many people book the Happy Hour,Senior,resident specials. But on a whole I suspect it's not near the number who were booked on this particular special. I'm sure RCCL heard from many of the passengers who had booked early thinking they were getting the best price.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]