Meet Your Celebrity Message Board Hosts

[Host Anne]

It’s occurred to me as the Cruise Critic message boards have grown over the years, that many who post on the boards don’t really know the hosts and what’s involved in our role on the boards as moderators.

Therefore, I thought I’d take a few minutes to introduce myself and discuss a few things about the boards and our role as moderators. Host Walt is planning to follow with an introduction as well.

I joined Cruise Critic several years ago when researching information on an upcoming cruise. The amount of information and the friendly people who were providing the information kept me coming back time and again. During a cruise on Explorer of the Seas, I happened to meet several Cruise Critic hosts and our Community Manager, Laura Sterling, who were sailing on the same cruise. We began talking and I learned a lot more about Cruise Critic and the folks who ran it. When an opening for a host came up later that year, Laura approached me about serving as a host.

As a volunteer (I have a real job and family), I looked at being a Cruise Critic host/moderator as an opportunity to get away from the demands of my every day job, help keep the boards a friendly place to be, continue to gain information for our own cruises and meet many wonderful members that we sail with on cruises.

I started cruising back in 1992 when we decided to try a family vacation in a warm climate versus the winter ski vacations we used to take. Once we boarded a ship that was it. We’ve been sailing ever since. Both Cruise Critic and cruising have changed significantly over the years. Our first ship, Monarch of the Seas, was one of the largest cruise ship sailing at the time. Now she is considered small! Likewise, there were less than 20,000 members of Cruise Critic when I joined. Now there are nearly 200,000! The growth of both has been amazing and it’s been fun to be a part of such a wonderful industry that for the most part brings a lot of enjoyment to people’s lives.

Since 1992, we have been EXTREMELY fortunate to sail to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mediterranean, Baltics, Hawaii, Alaska and Mexican Riviera. We have enjoyed each and every cruise even though some weren’t as great as others. We have met wonderful people on every cruise and stay in touch with passengers from almost every cruise. It is the best thing about cruising.

As for Cruise Critic, our host responsibilities are pretty simple and straightforward. We are here to ensure that members abide by the Community Guidelines. They exist to keep our on-line community a friendly and informative place to be. While everyone agrees to abide by Guidelines when they sign up as a Cruise Critic member, I’m guessing that many haven’t taken the time to review the Guidelines. I’d like to take a few minutes to review some of the important items in the Guidelines that surface frequently on the boards so that you may have a better understanding of why hosts do the things we do.

NO PERSONAL ATTACKS

This probably sounds pretty simple but unfortunately, especially when dealing with an emotional issue, people sometimes begin to post things that are directed as a personal attack on another poster. There simply isn’t room for that on the message boards and those posts are removed. Subsequently, anyone that posts something related to an item that has been deleted must also be removed because the subsequent posts no longer make sense since they refer to something that no longer appears on the boards.

BOARD POLICY DISCUSSIONS

The boards are here to discuss the topic of “cruising.” Any questions regarding board policies, the Community Guidelines, etc. should not be posted to the board itself. Members are free to contact the board host/moderator or our Community Manager, Laura Sterling (community@cruisecritic.com) with any questions regarding the Guidelines or policies and we’ll be happy to answer them in a private email.

ALL COMMENTS ARE WELCOME

Not all cruises are alike and people (even on the same cruise) have varying opinions on things they like and dislike. That’s one of the best things about Cruise Critic. You can get a wide range of information from a lot of people. You’ll find positive and negative things about cruises and it’s up to a member to determine how they utilize the information. Hosts do not remove any information because it reflects positively or negatively on a cruise line, a port of call, etc. Only information that is in violation of our Guidelines is removed.

USING THE ALERT BUTTON

We depend on our members to help us keep the boards a friendly place to be. There is a quick and easy way for members to “alert” hosts when they see what they believe is a “problem” post on the boards. Hit the little “red triangle” that appears in the right hand corner of every post. This will bring up a box where you can type a message that is sent to the hosts to alert them to a problem post. While we are not on line every moment of the day (both Walt and I have full time jobs), we do our very best to address problems as quickly as possible. Most importantly, avoid responding to problem posts. This is probably the hardest thing for members to do. Unfortunately, the more people that jump in on a problem post, the more the problem tends to grow. Remember to use the alert button. Of course we want you to state your opinions on any given subject, but keep in mind that others may and will have varying opinions from you own and everyone’s opinion is welcome.

MY FAVORITE THINGS

No question, cruising is what we enjoy most. We cruise once or twice a year and have been fortunate enough to sail to many ports around the world. There is still plenty left to visit, though, so we are still working on places we haven’t been. Other than cruising, I enjoy photography (taking sunset photos are my favorites), playing tennis, all types of music, and cooking. While some cruises have been better than others, we have yet to be on a cruise that we didn’t enjoy in some way. While Celebrity is at the top of our favorites list, we also regularly cruise on Princess and Royal Caribbean and enjoy both of them a great deal. We like the smaller ships (under 80,000 tons) much better than the megaships. I like feeling like I’m on a ship rather than in some big hotel. We like traditional style cruising as we feel it is more conducive to getting to know fellow passengers and crew members.

We have a daughter in college and she cruises as much as she can with us. I’m now waiting for her to begin taking us on cruises once college is complete and she’s among the working! Everyone tells me not to hold my breath. :)

Finally, I’d like to remind everyone that the discussion of cruising should be fun (for the most part). When problems occasionally arise, our boards certainly are an important place for members to come discuss issues. But for the most part, we hope that members find participation in Cruise Critic and their cruise experiences to be enjoyable and helpful. Together, we can keep our boards the place that everyone wants to come to learn about and discuss cruising.

Happy Cruising to All ~

[judyfssw]

Hello Anne,

It's nice to know some things about you. Our first cruise with Celebrity was also on the Mercury, but I do prefer the M class ships now. Thank you for sharing your information.

[Host Anne]

You're most welcome, Judy. We enjoy the M-class ships as well. Just booked Millennium for next year. Hope to see you posting on the boards often!

[DonLou]

Thank you for the info Host Anne. I always thought the hosts were on the computer every second of the day, vigilantly reviewing every single word of every post; ready to get out their magic little eraser wand and banish all offending posts (or posters). To find out that you are actually human strikes me as being rather amusing. ;) Keep up the good work.

[Host Anne]

Don ~ that's one reason I wanted to "introduce" myself after all this time. I do think that people think we sit here just waiting for "things to happen." ;) My favorite thing, actually, is engaging with other Cruise Critic members in cruise-related discussions. I volunteered to do this because I want to see the boards remain friendly and that requires someone to watch over things, too.

 

Glad to provide some amusement....anytime I can make someone laugh is a good thing!

[SheilaNC]

Anne,

Really appreciate this thread. Enjoyed learning more about you and look forward to more info about other hosts. You all do a great job and help to keep the board sane and useful. Thank You!

[Host Anne]

You're most welcome, Sheila. Believe it or not, the hosts are REALLY a fun bunch of people! Those on the October 15 sailing of Freedom of the Seas will have a chance to meet many of the hosts personally as we'll be on-board.

 

Host Walt will be posting his "intro" shortly! Look for it!

[katree]

Anne,

 

Thanks for the intro. I do wonder if you are the person to ask about the # of "sticky" threads on this forum. They seem to be growing to the point where they'll soon fill the first page by themselves. Is there some process used to "Un-Stick" a thread when it becomes less relevant?

 

Katie

[BaltiGator]

What a great idea to share a little about yourself with us. Really personalizes the board. Thanks!

[dmk]

What a great idea, Anne, to post this sticky. It is nice to have an idea what moderators do and have some personal knowledge of who you are.:D

I am very much looking forward to meeting you on our Transatlantic in 2007.:)

[Host Walt]

Anne,

 

Thanks for the intro. I do wonder if you are the person to ask about the # of "sticky" threads on this forum. They seem to be growing to the point where they'll soon fill the first page by themselves. Is there some process used to "Un-Stick" a thread when it becomes less relevant?

 

Katie

The list has indeed become a bit longer. The current bunch will be trimmed back a bit in a week or two.

[Host Walt]

Anne started it off, now I'll add a bit about me.

I’m a practicing CPA who, after graduating from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, started out on Wall Street with Price Waterhouse many years ago. (I won't say how many years, but as a hint, Larry Brown and Billy Cunningham were my classmates and Dean Smith began his head coaching career my Junior year.)

Then I accepted a VP position with a retail holding company based in Los Angeles. In 1997 I went back to my CPA roots and accepted a position with Coopers & Lybrand. Shortly afterward C&L merged with Price Waterhouse and I would up back with my original firm.

Today I’m in a full services CPA practice in Woodland Hills, CA where I supervise all of the non-routine (i. e., non-tax related) services provided by the firm.

My first "cruise" was on an old war surplus LST that was used as a truck/car ferry from Orient Point, Long Island, NY to New London CT over 50 years ago. My first time spending a night on board a ship was in 1978 when we sailed from Port Hardy at the north end of Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert on the ill fated Queen of the North (BC Ferry). (The Queen of the North sunk last March after hitting a rock near Prince Rupert.)

Finally my DW convinced me to take a real cruise on HAL’s Nieuw Amsterdam in 1987 on a 7-day Inside Passage cruise and, as they say, the rest is history. Been on many cruises, barges, ferrys, and sailboats since. Unfortunately, many of our ships are now either tuna cans or deep sea diver objectives.

I found Cruise Critic during its first year of operation when it was offered as part of AOL’s content offerings in the good old AOL 2.0 days. It was my first experience with any web message board and I found it fascinating how otherwise virtual strangers could engage in meaningful discussions, share experiences and create friendships. I was hooked.

Then out of the blue, a guy name of Steve Faber sends me an e-Mail. Seems that he’s the monitor to enforce AOL’s Terms of Service on CC and needed some help. He liked my posts about my cruise experiences and invited me to replace his previous partner, SafariLama. Because he lived in Studio City CA, just down the road from my home in Tarzana, he invited me to lunch at Pinot Bistro. Never one to pass up a free lunch at a great restaurant, no less, and he talked me into splitting the workload. Interesting what a good meal and a great bottle of wine can accomplish, isn't it?

Steve is now retired in Florida and spends a lot of time cruising. Both on big ships and on his sailboat.

If I remember correctly we had an average of, perhaps, 50-60 posts total on all boards back then and had boards for such lines as Royal Cruises, Regency Cruises, Seawind, Renaissance, Premier, etc., etc.

The crises never stopped. Back then AOL had a major problem with its huge growth; it had a totally inadequate number of inbound modems. It was so bad that it made the national news for a while, and AOL had to abandon it’s pricing plan of “nickel minutes” (5 cents per minute of connect time) and go to flat rate pricing. We at Cruise Critic were affected because our members couldn’t get on because they couldn’t connect with AOL. And us Hosts were also out of luck so if a flame war started, we would have to hope it would burn itself out.

Then AOL started the series of ill-fated buggy upgrades, AOL 3.0, 4.0, etc. And Cruise Critic was growing rapidly. It finally became necessary for Cruise Critic to decide whether to leave AOL and go on the web, or stay as we were as an AOL content offering. The decision to go with two Cruise Critics was made. There was the web Cruise Critic and the AOL Cruise Critic. Finally the call was made to go forward with just the web, so all of the AOL only folks had to migrate over (with no transfers of any old material from the AOL Boards). That was back in 2000.

The Hosting gig has been a lot of fun, especially when I see how many people learn from us and contribute so much useful information to our members. And sharing the gig with Anne has also been great. She has been on more X cruises than I have and fills in the blanks for me quite well. And the best part is that she is just a fun lady.

I won’t repeat Anne’s list of Board matters, because it covers the waterfront rather well, so I’ll stop now.

Thanks to all of you for your great participation on the boards. Without you things would be boring and lonely.

[idssms]

Wow,,, a GAAP and GAAS man.

 

Nice to finally learn something about you 50 emails later,, lol

 

 

Now its Ms Sterlings turn.

 

Don

[SheilaNC]

Thanks for your intro, Walt...as a Chapel Hillian with 2 kids who are alums, it was fun to figure out when you went to school here. Let us know if you're ever in the neighborhood for a reunion and we'll provide the wine and food! And thanks for the history lesson - as a long time foe of AOL due to the bugginess, I hadn't realized that it birthed Cruise Critic...so guess I owe them one. :)

[Host Walt]

Wow,,, a GAAP and GAAS man.

 

Nice to finally learn something about you 50 emails later,, lol

 

 

Now its Ms Sterlings turn.

 

Don

 

Not only GAAP and GAAS, but SOX, ARS and PCAOB as well!

 

Now I wonder if anyone but us two know what all that means. Or cares.

 

(Some may suggest GAAS is what I may be full of, and they may be right, but it stands for Generally Accepted Auditing Standards, and some may think that ARS means something anatomical, but it stands for Accounting Research Studies, the precursors to the APB's, the FASB's and the SOP's.)

 

I know. Yawn.

[BaltiGator]

Thanks for posting, Walt. Our alma maters have something in common the last two years...NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!

[Host Walt]

Thanks for posting, Walt. Our alma maters have something in common the last two years...NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!

Yes, and both alma maters enjoyed wins over a ne'er do well team known as the Seminoles!

[BaltiGator]

Yes, and both alma maters enjoyed wins over a ne'er do well team known as the Seminoles!

 

OK, now I love you! :D

[Lois R]

Quote by Walt

"Yes, and both alma maters enjoyed wins over a ne'er do well team known as the Seminoles"

 

Quote by Baltigator

"OK, now I love you!"

 

And I thought I could say something nice at least on

the "Meet The Hosts" Thread:eek: :rolleyes: :D (I am one of those

Seminoles)

 

Seems I am outnumbered...but I like you both anyway;)

[BaltiGator]

Seems I am outnumbered...but I like you both anyway;)

 

GROUP HUG!!!

 

But seriously, you're in Jax - a Gator fan I would prefer, a Bulldog I could understand. But a Nole in Jax??? :eek: :D

[Lois R]

GROUP HUG!!!

 

But seriously, you're in Jax - a Gator fan I would prefer, a Bulldog I could understand. But a Nole in Jax??? :eek: :D

 

Yes, there are a few of us here........I would prefer a Bulldog.:D

Seriously back to you....I was there in 1976 when the program

changed. Of course I almost have as bad a feeling for the team

in South Florida as I do for ya'lls.

 

Oh this is off topic:eek: back to cruising...........

[Host Walt]

Yes, there are a few of us here........I would prefer a Bulldog.:D

Seriously back to you....I was there in 1976 when the program

changed. Of course I almost have as bad a feeling for the team

in South Florida as I do for ya'lls.

 

Oh this is off topic:eek: back to cruising...........

Not really OT because the 'canes are in the hometown of RCL and CCL, and it's also the departure point for many voyages.

 

And when the 'noles were playing the 'canes, I tended to favor the 'noles; that is until they joined the ACC.

[Host Anne]

I have to add (and this is on-topic because it should be considered part of my introduction) ~

 

I went to West Virigina University (no comments, please) and Bobby Bowden was our football coach at the time (liked him then). Never cared much for the 'Noles (sorry Lois) but ALWAYS preferred them over the 'Canes. Amanda was offered a scholarship to the 'Canes but new no one in my family would speak to her again. ;)

 

To keep this "on-topic," I studied journalism at WVU, have been a newspaper reporter, magazine editor and then moved into conference and show management with a magazine. Started my own business managing conferences, trade shows and associations for manufacturing in 1990. Andy is part of the biz, too.

[Host Walt]

...Andy is part of the biz, too.

To resolve any misunderstanding, the Andy she mentions is her DH, who is not Host Andy (no relation).

[SheilaNC]

Anne,

Interesting connections I have with you and Walt. Besides living in Chapel Hill (for Walt), my son-in-law is a WVU grad and his boys are die-hard WVU football fans!! So good to get to know more about both of you!