Do we need a "Watercooler" Thread

[cerise638]

During these times do we need a thread that allows like minded Regent Cruisers to share random stuff not necessarily related to a cruise.  I really enjoy the Silversea board watercooler but since I haven't sailed on them for about 10 years not relevant to contribute

 

i notice that unetbills attempt at lightening the mood has been consigned to something called floataway lounge. 

 

My questions are 

 

Does the Regent Board want something like this

Can we all be kind when posting and responding

Host what do we need to do it response is yes

 

[Travelcat2]

I personally would LOVE it!  There are no many interesting cruising and non-cruising  items that posters discuss on the Silversea watercooler and they get thousands of posts.  Great idea!

[JMARINER]

Ask host Dan to start it. He can pin it to the top of the all the Threads. 

J

[Travelcat2]

Do you feel that Regent posters can keep it reasonably calm?  If it gets acrimonious, it will be removed.  Would like it if someone other than myself would request this of Host Dan as I give him enough headaches.

[flossie009]

IMO, No

I visit this Board to glean information about Regent.

 

If there is a need to discuss other general topics then there are other CC Boards and numerous other social media forums.

A “water cooler” is unlikely to stop other topics being derailed, and itself could easily degenerate into divisive, aggressive or Political rants.

 

Just my humble thoughts.

[DeepFreeze63]

Please do!  I would NEVER read it (based upon the experiences related above) but it might just "sharpen-up" the normal threads to remain focused on the title subject and about Regent cruising.

[Travelcat2]

15 hours ago, cerise638 said:

During these times do we need a thread that allows like minded Regent Cruisers to share random stuff not necessarily related to a cruise.  I really enjoy the Silversea board watercooler but since I haven't sailed on them for about 10 years not relevant to contribute

 

i notice that unetbills attempt at lightening the mood has been consigned to something called floataway lounge. 

 

My questions are 

 

Does the Regent Board want something like this

Can we all be kind when posting and responding

Host what do we need to do it response is yes

 

 

Thank you for trying.  It doesn't sound as if it would work with this group (the "kind when posting and responding part"), but certainly is great on the Silversea board.  It gives them a place to post off-topic posts and keeps other threads on track.   And, you are right about Bill's lighthearted thread.  It would have been perfect on a Watercooler thread!

[forgap]

The contentious responses always seems to involve negative opinions or less than perfect experiences about Regent.   At that point, some posters will dispute that experience or accuse the poster of having ulterior motives or an ax to grind with Regent.  
 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all use phrases like “I’m sorry you had a bad experience, but this is what happened to me in a similar situation.....” or, “I appreciate your opinion about .....but my opinion differs.....”. 
 

Cruising (and life) is not always perfect and this includes Regent.   Current and future cruisers need to know the good, the bad, and the ugly so they can board with their eyes open and not have unrealistic expectations.  

[Travelcat2]

41 minutes ago, forgap said:

The contentious responses always seems to involve negative opinions or less than perfect experiences about Regent.   At that point, some posters will dispute that experience or accuse the poster of having ulterior motives or an ax to grind with Regent.  
 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all use phrases like “I’m sorry you had a bad experience, but this is what happened to me in a similar situation.....” or, “I appreciate your opinion about .....but my opinion differs.....”. 
 

Cruising (and life) is not always perfect and this includes Regent.   Current and future cruisers need to know the good, the bad, and the ugly so they can board with their eyes open and not have unrealistic expectations.  

 

Agree.  We have not had anyone with a positive or negative Regent experience in over 2 months.  While our responses may not be in your words, most of us do understand that this is their experiences but share our experience.  One poster was making fun of me repeating the phrase "Our experience has been different .........".  Sometimes a negative experience is simply because Regent did not meet their expectations.  Their expectations could be based on their experiences on other luxury lines, or, perhaps they are moving from a premium cruise line and find Regent boring.  Heck, there are people that have never sailed Regent or have not sailed in a long time but are still posting negative things about Regent.  It makes no sense.

 

What I have been seeing recently are actually "hate" posts regarding Regent and the CEO of NCLH.  IMO, there is no room on any board for these types of posts.  I have also noticed that the issues are not as much from cruisers new to Regent that may not have had a positive experience but from "regular" posters being rude to each other for their opinions.

 

In any case, this has been going on since before I started posting on this board (only reading).  That was almost 15 years ago.  It speaks volumes that posters do not feel that a thread for off-topic would work on the Regent board.  Something to think about.

 

This is the type of thing that is generally posted on a watercooler board 

BEST SUITES IN THE SKY

While the TPG team isn't back to reviewing flights and hotels just yet, we're once again beginning to plan future trips. And, with improved award availability, flexible airline policies, and, in some cases, exceptional fares, it could be time to consider locking in something special for down the road. That's one reason I decided to revisit our guide to the best suites in the skies, with first and business-class products so special that they're worth going out of your way to experience. See what it's like to fly the world's best suites yourself, with: TPG's 4-class review of Etihad's superjumbo A380 Experiencing the first flight for Emirates' new suite How to fly the best luxury suites in the sky And, as a sign of the times, with loads of personal space and a sliding door, these six products just happen to double as the ideal pick for anyone hoping to practice social distancing onboard.

If someone started a thread on this topic, it would be moved to CC's airline thread where most of us may not see it.  It is something that is of interest to Regent cruisers since most of us sail international Business Class.

Edited May 22, 2020 by Travelcat2

[mrlevin]

There is already a Cruise Critic Forum on "Cruise Air:"

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/77-cruise-air/

 

Marc

[Travelcat2]

7 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

There is already a Cruise Critic Forum on "Cruise Air:"

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/77-cruise-air/

 

Marc

 

Yes there is but I wonder how many people read it.  This article, IMO, was targeted more to passengers that fly Business or First Class which is Regent or other luxury cruisers.  IMO, it is easier to see it on the Regent board.  Other opinions may certainly differ from mine.

 

This would have been a perfect place for the river cruise line thread where people have really bashed the TS (Thread Starter) for even starting the thread.  

Edited May 22, 2020 by Travelcat2

[mrlevin]

Cruise Critic has set up scores of fora to support all of us that use the site for information.  Each forum is individually searchable which comes in handy so we don't have to search in all the fora to find information on Emirates, for example.  Some "hosts" are more active in moving and combining threads  to make the site more readable.  Still, Laura and all the staff here are doing the best they can to make this site useful to the readers while also profitable for the owners.  I kind of like cc the way it is.

 

Marc

[cerise638]

This is merely an observation and please don't take it the wrong way but if I were new to luxury cruising and reading cruise critic before deciding on which cruiseline to take I would have chosen silversea as the board is quite relaxed. 

 

However the reality is that I took a Silversea Cruise first before I knew about CC when we where in our early 40's and whilst it was lovely we weren't keen on the vibe.  A few years later when at a loose end for a holiday for our silver wedding anniversary we decided on a Regent Cruise and loved it and all the subsequent cruises we have taken with them.  To be fair to Silversea we may have just not have been ready for cruising at that stage of our lives

 

Having then subsequently discovered CC I am in a better position to not judge as I know the majority of people who both cruise on Regent and post on this board are great fun and great company

 

I perfectly understand why people want to keep the board as a fact based information resource but can I say it does come across as a bit dry

 

I love reading about people's experiences on Regent and there are so many posters who really bring things alive and a general board could give us an outlet for fun stuff whilst we can't cruise or follow others journeys (enviously) but if is not to be I am fine with that

[mrlevin]

There is also a cruise critic forum on Luxury Cruising:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/343-luxury-cruising/

 

I think that is the first forum I ever read in cc.

 

Marc

[cruiseluv]

I wouldnt participate. In my experience , those  kind of forums eventually veer into politics and nastiness, and in the current environment that's the last thing I want . But obviously, if the majority wants it why not, you can all have fun

[Travelcat2]

6 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

There is also a cruise critic forum on Luxury Cruising:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/343-luxury-cruising/

 

I think that is the first forum I ever read in cc.

 

Marc

 

As you can see, I also post on that board.  It gives me an insight into other luxury lines.  Unfortunately, Hapag-Lloyd (even under their new ownership) does not warrant their own board so I basically ignore them.  I found it interesting at first but learned that they welcome families (aka children) and have few English speakers.  We spent years in resorts that spoke in multiple languages  (mostly French) so I now appreciate English speaking cruise lines.

 

Maria, you and I were posting at the same time.  I have found the "luxury" board to be nicer (in general) than the Regent board.  The arguments tend to be about which cruise lines are luxury and which are not.  In recent months, it is pretty well understood which is which.  So far, I have not seen a political thread on the Luxury board but I understand that there are some boards can get into things that you mentioned.  

 

OTOH, perhaps you are speaking about the Watercooler threads.  People on those threads are aware that the thread will be shut down for nastiness or politics so they tend not have arguments.  OTOH, I have seen political threads (almost always about UK politics since most Silversea passengers are not from the U.S.).  As with any thread or posts that I am not interested in, I just ignore them.

 

Speaking for myself, I would like a thread where we could discuss cruise-related things (like my post above about luxury business/first class on some airlines. In any case, it does not sound like it is not of interest to some posters. Plus, the nastiness that I've seen the last few weeks would not be tolerated.

 

[freddie]

I would emphatically vote against the creation of a "Watercooler" thread on this forum, if it is destined to resemble the one on the Silversea board.   

Although in its very early days, the thread on the SS board was sometimes amusing and interesting, it quickly degenerated into little more than a private forum for one particularly self-involved poster and his "posse".   And it has remained so, sadly.

Considering the current domination of this Regent board by certain posters, I would suggest that a similarly unfortunate situation would very likely arise here, thereby rendering the Watercooler thread as simply a private screed for those posters.

All things considered, friends, perhaps it might be more prudent to keep topics retained within their proper threads.

Edited May 23, 2020 by freddie

[cruiseluv]

2 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

 

 

Maria, you and I were posting at the same time.  I have found the "luxury" board to be nicer (in general) than the Regent board.  The arguments tend to be about which cruise lines are luxury and which are not.  In recent months, it is pretty well understood which is which.  So far, I have not seen a political thread on the Luxury board but I understand that there are some boards can get into things that you mentioned.  

 

OTOH, perhaps you are speaking about the Watercooler threads.  People on those threads are aware that the thread will be shut down for nastiness or politics so they tend not have arguments.  OTOH, I have seen political threads (almost always about UK politics since most Silversea passengers are not from the U.S.).  As with any thread or posts that I am not interested in, I just ignore them.

 

 

 

Yes, I was referring to "Watercooler" kind of threads, Ive never been to that "luxury board". Is that on CC?  Although I dont know anything about the Silversea Watercooler one, I know very well the one in the Fodors forum( where I was very active) , the one outside their regular travel boards. Super nasty! And of course, political to the hilt, an echo chamber for people of the same persuasion. So no, don't want to burn my bridges on CC , I rather to the extent possible just comment on the regular boards. I think we should be flexible with travel related topics, even if its not directly Regent related, but at least there're some boundaries. 

[fizzy]

7 hours ago, freddie said:

I would emphatically vote against the creation of a "Watercooler" thread on this forum, if it is destined to resemble the one on the Silversea board.   

Although in its very early days, the thread on the SS board was sometimes amusing and interesting, it quickly degenerated into little more than a private forum for one particularly self-involved poster and his "posse".   And it has remained so, sadly.

Considering the current domination of this Regent board by certain posters, I would suggest that a similarly unfortunate situation would very likely arise here, thereby rendering the Watercooler thread as simply a private screed for those posters.

All things considered, friends, perhaps it might be more prudent to keep topics retained within their proper threads.

I find the regular postings on the SS forum to be interesting and helpful but agree with you 1000% about that particular watercooler thread and it has nothing to do with country of origin. It is more like a private cult of kool aid drinkers/ followers.

[Travelcat2]

No need to bash people on other boards.  It is no big deal - if posters don’t want it - we won’t have it.  

[bissel]

I enjoy the SilverSea water cooler thread and have read it for years. I don’t find it political or nasty. It frequently focuses on food and wine. By design, there is little mention of cruising really. It seems quite civilized to me.

[Mudhen]

I would think this would all be pretty simple. If enough Regent folks are interested in a "water cooler" than if it's possible, there should be one. If you're not interested, then no one if forcing you to read it.

When we were cruising with SS it was fun to check in on what was happening in "the cooler", but after  while I became somewhat bored with it and I now don't read it, even tho we still like SS. Just because I'm not interested any more, doesn't mean there shouldn't be one. 

Simple....if you like it, read it.....if you don't, then don't!

[bissel]

Yes, of course Mudhen. But I think to even create such a thread one may need permission from cc since it deviates from their guidelines of writing just about cruising.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I think the Cooler is diverting and enjoyable reading.

[Travelcat2]

29 minutes ago, Mudhen said:

I would think this would all be pretty simple. If enough Regent folks are interested in a "water cooler" than if it's possible, there should be one. If you're not interested, then no one if forcing you to read it.

When we were cruising with SS it was fun to check in on what was happening in "the cooler", but after  while I became somewhat bored with it and I now don't read it, even tho we still like SS. Just because I'm not interested any more, doesn't mean there shouldn't be one. 

Simple....if you like it, read it.....if you don't, then don't!

 

Agree with you but, based on the negativity about this topic, I suspect that it is doomed before it is even tried (this thread has even lowered itself to name-calling - like some young children do in school).  However, if anyone wants to contact Host Dan and ask him about it and see if he will will set it up, I'm all for it.

Edited May 23, 2020 by Travelcat2

[CruisetheCs]

I don't understand the purpose of a watercooler thread on the Regent board.  I looked at a few recent pages of the Silverseas watercooler thread for the first time.  All I saw were general posts and pictures of food, cartoons, something about diabetes and blood sugar, etc.  For those who want that kind of non-focussed discussion, why not just read and post on the Silverseas board or some similar board on CC.

 

I don't want to scan through dozens of pages to find posts related to Regent mixed in with pages of cartoons and photos such as I saw of a 4 pound piece of roast beef on the Silverseas watercooler thread.  It seems to me that if posts specifically relate to Regent then they would be better on an appropriate titled Regent thread.  

 

I have no objections to a thread that would actually prohibit specific discussion about Regent, but then why have such a thread on the Regent board. Another reason for no watercooler thread is because spell check keeps changing watercooler to watercolor!