Is it just the Emerald....or is it happening fleet-wide?

[mmyorkston]

We returned last week from the Emerald 10-day Southern Caribbean cruise. Wonderful cruise overall. But one major thing (at least for us) was missing. We are elite and have cruised often, but this was the first cruise with absolutely no interdenominational church service on Sunday morning and no request for a passenger to lead the service. There were meetings for every other conceivable group onboard - LGBT, Friends of Bill and Bob, dancers, crafters, bridge players, etc., etc. There was a Jewish Sabbath service on Friday evening.

 

I might have understood had we been in port that morning and had an opportunity to attend a local service onshore; however, we were at sea. Needless to say, we were disappointed.

 

Please tell me this was an anomaly (merely the choice of the CD, Tim Donovan) and not part of a bigger fleet-wide move.

[Celandine]

Did you ask someone on board? (that's the first thing I would have done)

[geocruiser]

Hi,

 

We were on the 11/28/10 cruise. We were traveling with a friend of ours who is a Roman Catholic Priest. He asked Tim if he could do services on board. He got the run around from him. Tim never got back to Father. Father had to keep leaving messages for him. Tim did give him a room for a Sat evening mass. Ther were over 160 people there. Another day he gave him the chaple. But would not put the mass down in the platter (other than the Sat mass). Tim did not seem to care much about having any church services.

 

Maria

[caribill]

We were on the Diamond in December and there were also no services on the two Sundays during the cruise. However, both were port days.

[Whimsy]

I had the opportunity to attend a Mass before we docked at Princess Cays on our first cruise. There was a priest traveling and he offered the Mass. I have not seen anything like that on any other cruise.

[geocruiser]

Whimsy,

 

Holland America has a priest on board for every cruise. He does daily mass. Alot of time if a priest is on board he will offer to do mass. We have traveled with our friend on about 10 cruises, and he has all ways offered his services. But HAL get a priest for ever cruise.

 

Maria

[RickEk]

On our recent Crown Princess voyage, there was requests in the Patter for folks to lead various services...

[west coast cruiser]

Princess used to have Catholic services along with Protestant services, but the last few years there have not been any. I was on a cruise two years ago durning Easter and there was a Catholic Priest who did Good Friday and Sunday Mass.

[Celandine]

Hi,

 

We were on the 11/28/10 cruise. We were traveling with a friend of ours who is a Roman Catholic Priest. He asked Tim if he could do services on board. He got the run around from him. Tim never got back to Father. Father had to keep leaving messages for him. Tim did give him a room for a Sat evening mass. Ther were over 160 people there. Another day he gave him the chaple. But would not put the mass down in the platter (other than the Sat mass). Tim did not seem to care much about having any church services.

 

Maria

 

Being given the run-around sucks. Refusing to print a mass in the Patters also sucks. I know many people are interested in attending a mass.

 

I think I remember seeing masses in the patters on my Crown TA in May (patters are in Canada, I'm in China or I'd go check)....

 

I'm intrigued to see what other posters say...and obviously I'll be checking my Patters for it in a few days on the Ocean.

[mmceachn]

We returned last week from the Emerald 10-day Southern Caribbean cruise. Wonderful cruise overall. But one major thing (at least for us) was missing. We are elite and have cruised often, but this was the first cruise with absolutely no interdenominational church service on Sunday morning and no request for a passenger to lead the service. There were meetings for every other conceivable group onboard - LGBT, Friends of Bill and Bob, dancers, crafters, bridge players, etc., etc. There was a Jewish Sabbath service on Friday evening.

 

I might have understood had we been in port that morning and had an opportunity to attend a local service onshore; however, we were at sea. Needless to say, we were disappointed.

 

Please tell me this was an anomaly (merely the choice of the CD, Tim

Donovan) and not part of a bigger fleet-wide move.

 

On the CB in June, there was a non denominational Christian service in the explorer lounge on Sunday morning. I'm pretty sure that Someone from the ship was doing the readings. It was in the Patters. Last year on the Crown the same type of service was offered.

I'm boarding the Crown today and will post back when I return.

 

I have seen Jewish sabbath services offered on Princess and NCL, with an invitation for a Passenger to facilitate.

Costa ships have a Catholic priests on board. On the Costa Mediterrania in January 2009 Saturday Mass was held in one of the large theaters. I arrived a couple of minutes late and all of the seats were taken.

 

Thank you to your friend for offering Mass on board. I'm certain that the 160 attendee's appreciated it.

[grandsmack]

I just checked some previous patters for the Golden to Hawaii, both Sundays they offered an Interdenominational Church Service 9am and every sea day there was a 1pm Bible Study offered.

[Coral]

There was service recently on the Sapphire.

 

I think it may be up to the CD.

[Pam in CA]

The CD is the one who plans and schedules all events. Princess does not have regularly-scheduled services but rather, it'll depend on whether there is someone inboard to hold them. I'm on the Sapphire right now and since the 2nd or 3rd day of the cruise, there's been a daily mass listed in the Patter. FYI, our CD, Lee Childers, is a very poor planner and CD. Which is a shame.

[Coolmama_1]

This is certainly an interesting topic. Last yr when we cruised, I asked how we would go about finding out about a church service. My husband is clergy and would have been glad to organize and lead a service. Some of the comments posted were very nasty and hurtful. I was a little taken back and dropped the issue.

[Liz54]

While I am not a churchgoer, I am surprised that this is not a matter of policy so that people can plan on the services they wish to attend - subject to a person being available to lead them.

 

If an individual CD took a decision NOT to offer Friends of Dorothy of Friends of Bill W there would be howls of outrage and accusations of bias.

Beginning with me !!! In the interest of meeting the needs and wishes of all passengers, there shoould be a fleet wide policy on services and a method to get the message out - like the Patters! Just my two cents!

[geoherb]

We were on the Island last month for Christmas. They had a priest on board to do Catholic services and also had Protestant services as well.

[Northender]

I find it interesting that any CD would think he/she was Director of anyone's faith. Shame Princess. Now if no-one steps forward to lead a service, that would be different. But to just not try is a shame.:(

[mom23guys]

I too am leaving tomorrow on the Crown. Hopefully there is some type of service. There was mass on Celebrity cruises.

[caribill]

We were on the Island last month for Christmas. They had a priest on board to do Catholic services and also had Protestant services as well.

 

They will have clergy on board for Christmas and Easter services.

 

The rest of the year it will be ship's personnel to conduct any Christian services unless some clergy happen to be passengers. This assumes that there are services scheduled.

[1025cruise]

I believe there was a interdenominational service on the Crown back in November on Sunday. I know there were also scheduled bible studies.

 

That being said, I was cruising during the beginning of Chanukah, so there was also a nightly Chanukah celebration, with food.

[Richard in Panama]

Cruise lines do what guests want and demand. If something is dropped and no one takes note it disappears. If people raise a fuss directly with the powers that be, they take notice. Gradually on most cruise lines Protestant services have been dropped. (I started in this cruise stuff years ago as a chaplain on board when there was always a minister, a priest and a rabbi. One by one those volunteer positions have disappeared on most cruise lines because those cabins can generate revenue.) If you don't contact the cruise line and let your wishes be known, and not just posting on CC, the conclusion is whatever has disappeared wasn't that important anyway.

 

Sometimes the assumption is that the Captain or CD can do the protestant service and the cruise line will provide food for the Jewish folk and if they want a service they can do it. I've seen Captains and CDs read verbatum something . . . some have been OK, a few good. But, if Captains & CDs are can do a service that qualifies as "excellent" (which of course everything on board must be), can we assume any clergy who happen to be on board are qualified to do an excellent job driving the ship or leading line dancing?

 

Regards, Richard

[tequilasunrise]

While I am not a churchgoer, I am surprised that this is not a matter of policy so that people can plan on the services they wish to attend - subject to a person being available to lead them.

 

If an individual CD took a decision NOT to offer Friends of Dorothy of Friends of Bill W there would be howls of outrage and accusations of bias.

Beginning with me !!! In the interest of meeting the needs and wishes of all passengers, there shoould be a fleet wide policy on services and a method to get the message out - like the Patters! Just my two cents!

 

You can hardly compare Friends of Bill W to holding church services. Alcoholism is a disease, and for many people Friends of Bill W. is a tool for controlling it. I would more likely compare it to the ship's having the medical center.

 

Friends of Dorothy is a social gathering, and isn't cruising about socializing?

 

I have no problem with people gathering for a peaceful religious service in a public room, if they like, with a passenger who is willing to lead. I don't think Princess would stop anyone who wanted to do this. I just don't think it's the cruise line's responsibility to provide and advertise this. IMO, Tim Donovan does a GREAT job doing what he is supposed to do-entertain us :D

 

As to why they might not help advertise and coordinate these--if the cruise line were to provide services and or advertising for services, then they should accommodate ALL of their passenger's religious beliefs. In a single cruise there might be muslims, pagans, buddhists, shinto, ba'Hai, christians, jews, daoists, etc, on board. This would get unbelievably complicated. If a CD ditches getting into this, I completely understand. It's probably not meant to be disrespectful. He simply has other things to do.

[BosoxI]

This is certainly an interesting topic. Last yr when we cruised, I asked how we would go about finding out about a church service. My husband is clergy and would have been glad to organize and lead a service. Some of the comments posted were very nasty and hurtful. I was a little taken back and dropped the issue.

 

You are so right; some of the people on CC are vicious in their dislike of religion, as I found out last Christmas. Putting an announce in the Patter should be no big deal, and no one is forced to attend. No harm, no foul as they say in basketball. When their is a priest on board, I always write a thank you note to Princess.

[BosoxI]

This is certainly an interesting topic. Last yr when we cruised, I asked how we would go about finding out about a church service. My husband is clergy and would have been glad to organize and lead a service. Some of the comments posted were very nasty and hurtful. I was a little taken back and dropped the issue.

 

You are so right; some of the people on CC are vicious in their dislike of religion, as I found out last Christmas. Putting an announcement in the Patter should be no big deal, and no one is forced to attend. No harm, no foul as they say in basketball. When there is a priest on board, I always write a thank you note to Princess.

[Liz54]

You can hardly compare Friends of Bill W to holding church services. Alcoholism is a disease, and for many people Friends of Bill W. is a tool for controlling it. I would more likely compare it to the ship's having the medical center.

 

Friends of Dorothy is a social gathering, and isn't cruising about socializing?

 

I have no problem with people gathering for a peaceful religious service in a public room, if they like, with a passenger who is willing to lead. I don't think Princess would stop anyone who wanted to do this. I just don't think it's the cruise line's responsibility to provide and advertise this. IMO, Tim Donovan does a GREAT job doing what he is supposed to do-entertain us :D

 

As to why they might not help advertise and coordinate these--if the cruise line were to provide services and or advertising for services, then they should accommodate ALL of their passenger's religious beliefs. In a single cruise there might be muslims, pagans, buddhists, shinto, ba'Hai, christians, jews, daoists, etc, on board. This would get unbelievably complicated. If a CD ditches getting into this, I completely understand. It's probably not meant to be disrespectful. He simply has other things to do.

 

 

WOW!!! I dont go to church but am sympathetic to the fact that many find it to be essential to their well being. As another poster said - no harm no foul.