First & last NCL cruise

[RocketMan275]

8 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

You and Complawyer came a bit before I did.  I missed all that dust up in Viet Nam, too!  Y’all didn’t have a choice.  I did have a choice (and  still signed up).  Go figure!!!

 

Did do some contract work for WPAFB.  Then, I went corporate.  You and I spoke about that other big company in Huntsville that’s not NASA or IBM!

Actually, I did have a choice.  I was commissioned in 1970.  By that time Vietnam was winding down.  I think most of us were offered a choice between two years active or six years in the reserve.  The appollo program was winding down too and jobs were scarce in the Aerospace Industry.  I choose the two years active.  I got lucky and avoided Vietnam.  My active duty time got me into the missile business and I spent the next 40 years working on Army rockets and missile programs.  

 

The Army brought me to Huntsville and, except for brief period, I never left.  IBM isn't so big now.  Many companies in Huntsville are much bigger.

[complawyer]

rocketman, i too spent 12 weeks at fort benning. summer of 69, but it was nco training school, hence "shake & bake"  I qualified for ocs, but being drafted, i didnt want to give them the extra year.,

 

ever been to ft polk (the alleged arm pit of the army)?

[PATRLR]

2 hours ago, complawyer said:

is that the hamburger bun ALWAYS falls apart before I'm finished with the hamburger. LOL!

Whoa!!!!! I too have had that complaint for years (I think we've discussed it in the past).  Well, I just realized that on Viva this past December, I didn't have that problem.  And because of the limited hours of the buffet, and the location of Surfside Grill just outside Vibe, we ate many burgers from Surfside Grill.  Not one bun fell apart, they definitely had different buns!   Maybe the provisions from San Juan are different?  Maybe the problem is fixed on all the ships?  When were you last on an NCL ship?

[complawyer]

this past july-aug b2b southampton to copenhagen/ copenhagen to stockholm. Hekkovan itinerary!

 

and yes, ive mentioned my dismay with ncl hamburger buns many times inthe past

[julig22]

2 hours ago, PATRLR said:

Whoa!!!!! I too have had that complaint for years (I think we've discussed it in the past).  Well, I just realized that on Viva this past December, I didn't have that problem.  And because of the limited hours of the buffet, and the location of Surfside Grill just outside Vibe, we ate many burgers from Surfside Grill.  Not one bun fell apart, they definitely had different buns!   Maybe the provisions from San Juan are different?  Maybe the problem is fixed on all the ships?  When were you last on an NCL ship?

I was just going to say that on my recent trip (Dawn), we also had what I'd call normal burger buns.

I don't know if they bake their own or buy ready-made. So maybe a new supplier or a new recipe?

[RocketMan275]

2 hours ago, complawyer said:

rocketman, i too spent 12 weeks at fort benning. summer of 69, but it was nco training school, hence "shake & bake"  I qualified for ocs, but being drafted, i didnt want to give them the extra year.,

 

ever been to ft polk (the alleged arm pit of the army)?

I was doing ROTC summer camp at Fort Sill in the summer of 69.  Most useless training I've ever experience.  Over 100 degrees by 1000.  Freeze at night.

I was on orders to Fort Polk but they were changed to Fort Hood.  Just one of the lucky breaks.  

[complawyer]

we're way, way, way off topic here, but talk about useless training, everything we were taught from basic, ait, ncl school, went right down the drain when i got to nam. if you followed anything you were taught , you'd probably end up dead meat, or on the receiving end of a frag grenade rolled under your bunk. by the way, i got home oct 1970. as for fort polk, you certainly didnt miss anything

[graphicguy]

6 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I spent a few months at Fort Bennng too.  Infantry Officers Basic Course.  1971.

Spent some time there for jump school and my wings!  Not exactly a skill set that is/was in great demand.

 

Geez..this is like reminiscing with a bunch of old frat brothers from college!!!!  LOL!

 

I promise….no more “I remember when”…

 

Back to cruising!

Edited January 19 by graphicguy

[chewsifer1220]

I don't know about anyone else but I'm finding this thread drift a good read.  But yeah we probably stick to talking about cruising lol 

 

Appreciate your service fellas and ladies 😁

[complawyer]

chewsifer1220. you are100% correct, we're a long way off topic. that being said, however, one last service comment if you dont mind.  whenever someone says to me "thank you for your service" while i appreciate the thought, i always respond   "dont thank me, i was drafted"

after that, my wife usually punches me in the arm

[olemissreb]

11 minutes ago, complawyer said:

chewsifer1220. you are100% correct, we're a long way off topic. that being said, however, one last service comment if you dont mind.  whenever someone says to me "thank you for your service" while i appreciate the thought, i always respond   "dont thank me, i was drafted"

after that, my wife usually punches me in the arm

Good!  I'm glad your wife punches you in the arm.  You may have been drafted, but you still served our country when so many others fled - so THANK YOU!

[PATRLR]

41 minutes ago, complawyer said:

whenever someone says to me "thank you for your service" while i appreciate the thought, i always respond   "dont thank me, i was drafted"

My dad was a WWII vet (Marine).  He felt that way.  He never understood all the fuss people were making over the "greatest generation" and thanking him for his service.  His opinion was that they had no choice in doing what they did.

[graphicguy]

47 minutes ago, complawyer said:

chewsifer1220. you are100% correct, we're a long way off topic. that being said, however, one last service comment if you dont mind.  whenever someone says to me "thank you for your service" while i appreciate the thought, i always respond   "dont thank me, i was drafted"

after that, my wife usually punches me in the arm

 

4 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

My dad was a WWII vet (Marine).  He felt that way.  He never understood all the fuss people were making over the "greatest generation" and thanking him for his service.  His opinion was that they had no choice in doing what they did.

Said it before...no thanks needed or required.  I appreciate the sentiment.  But, it was a job...a means to an end (paid for my college)...a line item on my resume.  Now, quitting the job wasn't an option, but you know that going in.  And, much of the training was not transferrable to any job I had subsequently.

 

Don't get me wrong, before I enlisted, I had few attractive career options (aside from factory work...in local factories that were shutting down left and right).  So, getting an education and having it paid for was a BIG DEAL and my goal.

 

My late Father was part of the initial wave of the invasion of Normandy.  He always said he wouldn't wish that as a career move for anyone given what he experienced.  He had no choice in the matter.  My experiences were worlds away (both literally and figuratively) than what he experienced.  His was the generation that should be thanked, and those who had combat experience (I did not)...those who were drafted and had no choice.

 

He told me when I was discussing my future when I was still a teen..."if you're going to enlist, do it when there is no war, when you can choose the branch of the service you want to serve in, and with specific goals you want to achieve".  Check, check and check.  He was right on all counts.

 

I keep saying I'll stop, and I keep going.  Sorry. I promise....I'll stop. LOL!

 

 

[UKstages]

hey, now!

 

i watched "band of brothers" and "saving private ryan" and enjoyed them very much.

 

on the other hand, i watched "commando" and felt that the director should have thanked me for my service afterwards. (the special effects were good, though. in one scene, they actually made it appear as if schwarzenegger was acting!)

 

sorry, i just wanted to share my combat experience, so i could fit in with all the kool kidz.

[complawyer]

uk stages... sorry, ain't nuthin' kool about war or combat. while i get where youre coming from, being at/in a war is some serious s**t.

 

it's a little different than what you've watched, when real bullets are flying at you!

[chewsifer1220]

5 hours ago, complawyer said:

chewsifer1220. you are100% correct, we're a long way off topic. that being said, however, one last service comment if you dont mind.  whenever someone says to me "thank you for your service" while i appreciate the thought, i always respond   "dont thank me, i was drafted"

after that, my wife usually punches me in the arm

 

Many feel the same way you do. And their spouses will all punch them in the arm  😂

[UKstages]

56 minutes ago, complawyer said:

sorry, ain't nuthin' kool about war or combat.

 

agreed.

 

of course, i wasn't implying that war was "kool." i was implying that the folks talking about their service were kool.

 

it was actually a reference to the relentless off topic convo.

 

the contributors to this thread could just as easily have been talking about hamburger buns falling apart, in which case i would have mentioned "the great british bakeoff." or the cost of a platter of room service shrimp, in which case i would have mentioned "forest gump." or the disappearance of hash browns, in which case i would have mentioned "faith like potatoes."

 

the comment truly had nothing to do with making light of war. it was making light of the extended off topic conversation, a recurring theme of which was "i know this is off topic, but let me just add this one more thing..."

 

the structure of the joke is such that there is an outsider who desperately wants to belong and since it seems the only thing being discussed is military service, he has to find an "in." aha! he'll explain his connection with the military, which, as it happens, is just from watching a few movies.

 

that's the joke, folks. nothing to do with mocking war or military service. and the joke was made after the contributors to that conversation had already commented on how off topic it was. bonus: there are two additional jokes... playful references are made to a universally panned film and the acting ability of a former governor of california.

 

sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

 

and not everybody commenting on the thread has an agenda.

Edited January 19 by UKstages

[complawyer]

still, really poor joke, and i told you i understood it

[mugtech]

          My number came up in the lottery when I completed college, but I went from 2S to 4F without a physical.  I was not moral enough to burn villages and kill women and children because I smoked pot.  Got busted with an oz in 1970, was a felony in PA, could have done 5 years, got off with 3 years probation plus a $500 fine plus court costs.  Had a degree to teach, could not.  Could not become a CPA.  When people speak of medical marijuana, I usually comment that smoking weed in 1970 might have saved my life.  My dad was disgusted with me.  He had fought with the 25th division in 1945, he was a supply guy saw the recapture of Manila as 100,000 civilians died, mostly at the hands of the Japanese.  He could not see the humor in Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant.  Said his dad was OK.

[complawyer]

well, since we're still off topic, i was also with the 25th infantry division. it's a shame you got busted.

i returned home from nam in 1970. if anyone that was there ever tells you they never smoked, you  can smile at them and say with utmost confidence, "youre ful of s**t"!

[WarfRatWA]

On 1/13/2024 at 2:24 AM, Fishboy1947 said:

As someone looking forward to their first NCL cruise in June, this post hasn’t been a ringing endorsement of NCL. Seems like NCL sucks in many areas but be happy you’re on vacation. 

My prior 9 cruises on Princess & Celebrity have been great with minor problems. 

 

I expect that I’ll feel the same about my NCL cruise. Great itinerary on Escape with grandkids.

Realistic expectations will go a long way to ensuring a fantastic trip.  Knowing what you are getting into before you get on the ship feeds into those realistic expectations.

[WarfRatWA]

On 1/19/2024 at 12:39 AM, complawyer said:

rocketman, i too spent 12 weeks at fort benning. summer of 69, but it was nco training school, hence "shake & bake"  I qualified for ocs, but being drafted, i didnt want to give them the extra year.,

 

ever been to ft polk (the alleged arm pit of the army)?

I got sucked into a 24yr tour of the world (and now on another one as a civilian).  I was at Fort Benning for Jump school, very glad I was never stationed there.  Sadly, I was at Polk more times than I have fingers on one hand.  Calling it an armpit is an insult to armpits.  Sorry LA residents.  

 

BTW, Benning is now Fort Moore, named after LTG Hal Moore, Vietnam Veteran. 

 

It's nice seeing veterans in the cruising community.

[complawyer]

im not sure this is consistent in the entire ncl fleet, but we did a b2b last july-aug on the dawn. i had previously registered as a vet (they give you 10% off as a military discount).

 

on both legs of the cruise, there was a very nice booklet, a ships medallion, and a veteran's commemorative medallion waiting for me, as well as a veteran's cocktail party and free picture.

 

even though i bristle a bit when someone says thank  you for your service, i thought this was a very nice gesture on the part of ncl. we're booked on the star in april, and i'm curious as to whether or not this will be repeated.

 

hey warf... in 1969 benning wasnt so bad. i spent 12  weeks there. fort polk is fort polk. nuff said, i was  there twice within 1 year. if  you were there as often as you say, you have my deepest sympathy

[bkrickles1]

7 minutes ago, complawyer said:

im not sure this is consistent in the entire ncl fleet, but we did a b2b last july-aug on the dawn. i had previously registered as a vet (they give you 10% off as a military discount).

 

on both legs of the cruise, there was a very nice booklet, a ships medallion, and a veteran's commemorative medallion waiting for me, as well as a veteran's cocktail party and free picture.

 

even though i bristle a bit when someone says thank  you for your service, i thought this was a very nice gesture on the part of ncl. we're booked on the star in april, and i'm curious as to whether or not this will be repeated.

 

hey warf... in 1969 benning wasnt so bad. i spent 12  weeks there. fort polk is fort polk. nuff said, i was  there twice within 1 year. if  you were there as often as you say, you have my deepest sympathy

I received the same package on Joy this past July. Very nice! I did miss the cocktail 🍹 reception. 

BTW for whoever said Fort Polk was the armpit, I contend that Fort Bliss was. 

I served from 1984 - 1988 and spent about 6 months at Bliss before heading to Germany for 3 years. 

I used to feel a little uncomfortable too when I was thanked for my service as I served during peacetime and had a lot of fun traveling all over.

I'm sailing Getaway in April and I expect the package will be waiting for me again. 

[complawyer]

im not sure this is consistent in the entire ncl fleet, but we did a b2b last july-aug on the dawn. i had previously registered as a vet (they give you 10% off as a military discount).

 

on both legs of the cruise, there was a very nice booklet, a ships medallion, and a veteran's commemorative medallion waiting for me, as well as a veteran's cocktail party and free picture.

 

even though i bristle a bit when someone says thank  you for your service, i thought this was a very nice gesture on the part of ncl. we're booked on the star in april, and i'm curious as to whether or not this will be repeated.

 

hey warf... in 1969 benning wasnt so bad. i spent 12  weeks there. fort polk is fort polk. nuff said, i was  there twice within 1 year. if  you were there as often as you say, you have my deepest sympathy