home from 3/31 noordam

[hammybee]

"Cuss fights". Ahahahahahahaha!!! We were on this same cruise, and one of the couples at our dinner table recounted witnessing a fight over lounge chairs on the aft pool deck. Some women had put towels down over two loungers and then left . . . for several hours. Finally, two other women removed their towels and used the loungers. The first women showed up later and started a fight over the loungers, almost resulting in a fist fight. Obscenities, threats, you name it. The people around the fighting foursome were getting nervous until one of the women started yelling "You want a piece of me? Do you want a piece of me?" One by one, the people around them started cracking up and the fighters realized how stupid they looked and started calming down.

 

How fabulous. Live theatre onboard HAL. Does it get any better than this?

[seasideny]

I was on this same cruise. SOME kids were a little annoying but easily handled. When I was splashed in the pool I splashed back so they stopped. Kids were jumping in the pool - as kids do- and kicked a man in the head. My husband told them they'd better be careful because if they kick him he'll make them cry until their mommy's come and get them - they stopped them more than they did when security told them to stop.

 

But the bigger problem was the 'ethnic' passengers who really don't know, understand or abide by our cultural norms - waiting in line, speaking using thier 'indoor voices' and being curtious to other passengers by not hogging all of the deck chairs. One lady nearly bit my husbands finger off while he tried to get the hotdog he ordered from the grill! One man commented "there people are hungry like they are still in the bread line!" You did need to be aggressive and call them on their rudeness.:cool: But I did meet one very nice family from that group who were friendly, courteous and civilized.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but the ethnic group in Platoon and Full Metal Jacket were Vietnamese. There was less than 10 Asian families on the cruise - and all well mannered as I would expect. However the group I saw were 'Eastern European' and specifically - Polish, Ukrainian and Russian. I was so surprised by their behavior that I actually checked the immigration list when I was going through (as I am a foreigner also) to see their nationality and read their country of birth.

 

Overall - I enjoyed my cruise (even thought I didn't get a deck chair all cruise long) and would do it again preferably not with the exact same people who lack manners.

[babyher]

Seasideny,

 

yes that is the group I was referring to with "Platoon" and "Full Metal Jacket"

 

Copper 10-8 was joking around and I also played along :)

[seasideny]

just checking if I'm losing my memory.;) I guess I'm not being PC by explicitly naming.

[Seago2]

Germans!!;) I knew it, always the Germans!:eek: They took my Dad's radio and bicycle in WWII

 

John, quit making me laugh, can't you see I'm being called on the carpet here about school vacations? Why don't you hop over to the "other thread" and save me from the mess BRIAN created :) gracias.

[Seago2]

"Cuss fights". Ahahahahahahaha!!! We were on this same cruise, and one of the couples at our dinner table recounted witnessing a fight over lounge chairs on the aft pool deck. Some women had put towels down over two loungers and then left . . . for several hours. Finally, two other women removed their towels and used the loungers. The first women showed up later and started a fight over the loungers, almost resulting in a fist fight. Obscenities, threats, you name it. The people around the fighting foursome were getting nervous until one of the women started yelling "You want a piece of me? Do you want a piece of me?" One by one, the people around them started cracking up and the fighters realized how stupid they looked and started calming down.

 

SAME THING happened to me on the 1/17 sailing. "You want I should call security! I call security right now! You are crazy woman! You steal my bag!" I mean, it was horrible- but she was screaming at me! LITTLE OLD ME. Like I cared about her bag or chair??? Eastern European, Russian, not sure- just the rudest group of people. So then she cuts me in LINE later... ahhh!!!!!!!! Bad memories :mad: :mad: :mad: .

[Canne12]

with the stack of old hardcover books used to reserve deck chairs? I saw a boy and girl distribute the books, unfold the pool towels and head off to points unknown.

[2boyzmom]

Sorry to say but bratty kids running amock occur out of every port- not just New York cruises! And please people- ethnicity has nothing to do with rudeness. I've witnessed white "WASPS" screaming and fighting on an entire cruise a few years back!

[nurseblissful]

i had to laugh at your thread. nah, they weren't germans. they were eastern european. and they were americanized. but, i still think they do not get the american thing (except aggression). there were alot (and i do mean alot) of problems. but, if you met a couple alone, they were fine. it was definitely cultural. i am still offended, and since i am the voice of equality (i thought), my dh is having a great time with this. no one better shove me for the next couple of weeks. that is all i am saying. lol.:D

[SakeDad]

i had to laugh at your thread. nah, they weren't germans. they were eastern european. and they were americanized. but, i still think they do not get the american thing (except aggression). there were alot (and i do mean alot) of problems. but, if you met a couple alone, they were fine. it was definitely cultural. i am still offended, and since i am the voice of equality (i thought), my dh is having a great time with this. no one better shove me for the next couple of weeks. that is all i am saying. lol.:D

Hmmm...sounds like this cruise turned you from NurseBlissful to Nurse Ratchett!!:eek: Sorry to hear folks had to "scrap" to get a little space of your own on this one.:rolleyes:

[hammybee]

with the stack of old hardcover books used to reserve deck chairs? I saw a boy and girl distribute the books, unfold the pool towels and head off to points unknown.

 

And you did what?

 

Take the books and towels and toss them someplace where the sun don't shine.

 

( former tri-state area refugee) :)

[hammybee]

However the group I saw were 'Eastern European' and specifically - Polish, Ukrainian and Russian. I was so surprised by their behavior that I actually checked the immigration list when I was going through (as I am a foreigner also) to see their nationality and read their country of birth.

 

My DH is Ukranian, born in a consentration camp, in Germany, more than 60 years ago. He speaks some Russian and Polish too. NY has a huge and growing Russian and Ukranian population. Chicago has more Poles than Warsaw. I know the culture well.

 

It can sometimes be perceived as rude and crude. Generally speaking, the culture tends to be highly assertive/ possesive, especially around food. Maybe this has to do with a long history of food shortages and near starvation. And some of it is fear - better to push than be pushed/seize every opportunity than to lose an opportunity, no matter how insignificant.

 

I am not defending the behaviors exhibited on this cruise. I do however, understand that every ethnic group has different values and none have to conform. And cruising is the greatest melting pot of all.

[nurseblissful]

my shame knows no bounds......:rolleyes: and hammybee, it was completely cultural.

[Canne12]

My DH is Ukranian, born in a consentration camp, in Germany, more than 60 years ago. He speaks some Russian and Polish too. NY has a huge and growing Russian and Ukranian population. Chicago has more Poles than Warsaw. I know the culture well.

 

It can sometimes be perceived as rude and crude. Generally speaking, the culture tends to be highly assertive/ possesive, especially around food. Maybe this has to do with a long history of food shortages and near starvation. And some of it is fear - better to push than be pushed/seize every opportunity than to lose an opportunity, no matter how insignificant.

 

I am not defending the behaviors exhibited on this cruise. I do however, understand that every ethnic group has different values and none have to conform. And cruising is the greatest melting pot of all.

 

They did not want others sharing a dining room table with them. A couple I met had a horrible dinner experience. They were completely snubbed/ignored -there was no interaction whatsoever- even the waitstaff complained. Luckily they were moved (to sit with new friends of mine) so I had the opportunity to meet them!

[Seago2]

Sorry to say but bratty kids running amock occur out of every port- not just New York cruises! And please people- ethnicity has nothing to do with rudeness. I've witnessed white "WASPS" screaming and fighting on an entire cruise a few years back!

 

It was HIS fault!

[caribbeanqueenie]

Rude is rude

Doesn't matter what race, color you are.

No excuse for it.

 

Sorry we noticed that they were the trouble makers.

[hammybee]

They did not want others sharing a dining room table with them. A couple I met had a horrible dinner experience. They were completely snubbed/ignored -there was no interaction whatsoever- even the waitstaff complained. Luckily they were moved (to sit with new friends of mine) so I had the opportunity to meet them!

 

I have been seated with other pax where we did not share the same language

on several different cruise lines, including HAL. Yeah, it can make for a less than ideal table, when that happens. I felt badly for all of us that language prevented us from getting to know each other and someone usually switches.

[hammybee]

Rude is rude

Doesn't matter what race, color you are.

No excuse for it.

 

Sorry we noticed that they were the trouble makers.

 

What I may consider rude behavior may not be considered so, by another culture. The more one travels, the more one realizes this. Rude people, by my definition, are on every cruise. How does a cruise line, any cruise line, weed out the people I might consider rude? Should I give them my criteria and then expect the cruise line to not sell a cabin to anyone who does not meet my criteria?

 

I choose to not let what I perceive to be other people's rude behavior effect my cruise experience. I cannot change other people's behaviors. All I can do is control my reaction to it. So, I give them silly nicknames and look for them in the crowd. It becomes a game to observe them and on a few occasions, go out of my way to beat them to the punch and then have a good laugh with them. It really is part of the magic of cruising and travel in general, to be exposed to so many different types of behavior and values. I try to offend no one and take no offence and I have yet to have a bad cruise.

[caribbeanqueenie]

What I may consider rude behavior may not be considered so, by another culture. The more one travels, the more one realizes this. Rude people, by my definition, are on every cruise. How does a cruise line, any cruise line, weed out the people I might consider rude? Should I give them my criteria and then expect the cruise line to not sell a cabin to anyone who does not meet my criteria?

 

I choose to not let what I perceive to be other people's rude behavior effect my cruise experience. I cannot change other people's behaviors. All I can do is control my reaction to it. So, I give them silly nicknames and look for them in the crowd. It becomes a game to observe them and on a few occasions, go out of my way to beat them to the punch and then have a good laugh with them. It really is part of the magic of cruising and travel in general, to be exposed to so many different types of behavior and values. I try to offend no one and take no offence and I have yet to have a bad cruise.

 

Lets see I consider rude behavior as:

 

Pushing

Shoving

Tramping on feet

Hearing foul language

Disrespecting others

Not abiding the rules that were set by Holland.

 

Yes I will agree with you rude people are everywhere, but you made a comment

(Quote)

How does a cruise line, any cruise line, weed out the people I might consider rude? Should I give them my criteria and then expect the cruise line to not sell a cabin to anyone who does not meet my criteria? (Quote)

 

Who was asking that the cruise line weed out rude people? I think they put up with enough till they finally started to throw people off the ship. It was 24-7 with these people. The cc members that were on this cruise – just observed this behavior. We all still laughed and had a good time. Every time I ran into a roll call member or someone we became acquainted with, we had smiles on our faces. I don’t recall anyone commenting that it ruined his or her cruise; this was observation at its best.

 

This was my 9-year-old sons first cruise; he had the time of his life. He made some real nice friends, the crew treated him great, and I was very proud of the way he conducted himself.

 

I made a comment never again out of New York and that was an observation comparison to the cruise I took out of Norfolk, with Holland, where most passengers were pleasant, refined, observed the rules, and wanted to know more information about you personally. That’s what I want.

 

Glad to read that you do not let others behavior effect your cruise.

No one should be expected to change others behavior.

I like you had some silly nicknames for most. But these people really did want to rumble with crewmembers, officers, and some passengers.

 

Safety, Safety, Safety, was the main concern. Was it there? At times NO.

On land you can walk away – Where are we to go on a ship?

 

I am not an expert cruiser, but I have traveled extensively all of my life, and will continue to do so, so if this is a norm and my last two cruises were to say I lucked out, then how come all of you keep cruising? Because I know that it’s not a norm.

[hammybee]

Lets see I consider rude behavior as:[/color][/font]

 

Why are you yelling? I think we are in agreement.

 

I am choosing my words very carefully here......may I suggest that anyone considering a cruise, on any cruise line, out of NYC, during Winter and Spring break weeks, first take a ride on a NYC subway.

 

Look around you and observe the behaviors of everyone. Listen to the patter. And know that there is a increased possibility that your cruise will resemble your subway experience x 20. Pushing, shoving, tramping, foul language and disrespect are elements of life, in the greater NYC area. And so is kindness, compassion, courtesy, rich vocab and respectfullness. Which behaviors will dominate a cruise, is anyone's guess.

 

I have said all along, that HAL and other cruise lines, sailing from NYC ports can and should do more to increase their security presence onboard those sails most prone to a NYC subway experience, with an emphasis on safety and rules. I do not think most of the existing crew is capable of this and it will take seasoned professionals, with skill at diffusing emotional situations, in the street, to do the job, well.

 

Having said all this, it sounds as though this cruise may have been a bonding experience for many pax and that most were able to have a good time and appreciate the service.

[caribbeanqueenie]

Why are you yelling?

 

Gee Whiz - I think yelling would be - I AM YELLING

 

I decide to use word to correct my spelling since I proclaimed already I can not spell and changed my font and now you are accusing me of yelling.

 

By the way I did the NYC subway - some years back and found everyone to be very polite and helpful because I was lost and on the wrong subway wanted to go from Battery Park to Grand Central Station and ended up going to Brooklyn Heights. Everyone helped me very much I had tourist written on my forehead.

 

All I can say is you had to be there to understand. As nurse said it was weird.

[hammybee]

All I can say is you had to be there to understand. As nurse said it was weird.

 

I do understand. Most pax do not expect to be confronted with other pax who "want to rumble", while onboard a cruise ship.

 

BTW, I just noticed that there are slim pickins for cruises out of the NYC area, Spring Break 2008. I wonder if this is intentional on the part of some cruise lines or serendipity.

 

In any event, I am thrilled that those pax we have heard from did not let this experience ruin their cruise.

[serendipity1499]

I do understand. Most pax do not expect to be confronted with other pax who "want to rumble", while onboard a cruise ship.

 

BTW, I just noticed that there are slim pickins for cruises out of the NYC area, Spring Break 2008. I wonder if this is intentional on the part of some cruise lines or serendipity.

 

In any event, I am thrilled that those pax we have heard from did not let this experience ruin their cruise.

 

Is someone using my name in vain?;) As a transplanted New Yorker (Long Island) to be exact, I'm really ashamed of those folks who behaved like this & permitted their children to run amok...

 

However Carlalenal your biased pronouncement that New Yorkers/ Long Islanders are all rude is very hurtful to many of us!:( We've traveled all over the world & see rude people everywhere..My son was never like that & if he ever was fresh or rude to us or anyone else or Out of Control he would have been punished immediately! Everywhere we went we had folks complimenting our Son on his behavior..There are Bad Parents everywhere!

 

You remind me of a gal who was a Secretary to a Sales Manager in our company & had transferred from Buffalo..She insisted that prostitutes were only in New York City & never in Buffalo! She also had the audacity to question her own "Boss" as to why he took another gal from their office out for a two hour lunch.. Apparently this was the "straw that broke the camels back:..He was so angry & called us to request that we take her into our Department..We accepted her so she would not be fired! About a month after she began working in Reservations, She berated another co-worker about him not accepting Communion in Church, when we were attending the funeral of another Employee..Now that's what I would call RUDE & she was from Buffalo..

[Seago2]

Is someone using my name in vain?;) As a transplanted New Yorker (Long Island) to be exact, I'm really ashamed of those folks who behaved like this & permitted their children to run amok...

 

However Carlalenal your biased pronouncement that New Yorkers/ Long Islanders are all rude is very hurtful to many of us!:( We've traveled all over the world & see rude people everywhere..My son was never like that & if he ever was fresh or rude to us or anyone else or Out of Control he would have been punished immediately! Everywhere we went we had folks complimenting our Son on his behavior..There are Bad Parents everywhere!

 

You remind me of a gal who was a Secretary to a Sales Manager in our company & had transferred from Buffalo..She insisted that prostitutes were only in New York City & never in Buffalo! She also had the audacity to question her own "Boss" as to why he took another gal from their office out for a two hour lunch.. Apparently this was the "straw that broke the camels back:..He was so angry & called us to request that we take her into our Department..We accepted her so she would not be fired! About a month after she began working in Reservations, She berated another co-worker about him not accepting Communion in Church, when we were attending the funeral of another Employee..Now that's what I would call RUDE & she was from Buffalo..

 

Sorry- you are right. It's never OK to generalize! I know we have our problems here in Buffaltucky, believe me! Cosmopolitan we ain't. But then... we have our diamonds in the rough (clearly the secretary was NOT). It's just that when I refer to kiddos from the Tri-State area, I am not trying to demean the munchkins, not at ALL. I'm referring to the parents, who tend to be:

 

a) older

b) more educated

c) have less kids

d) postpone childbearing

e) have more $$

 

than your "average" cruising family from Fly-Over Country. This appears to ME to be the demographic of the average NYC family that I have seen ON CRUISES.

 

When you combine a-e above you tend to see overly indulgent parents who do not have the energy or the inclination to discipline well (IMHO! IMHO!). They are also usually blinded by their love for their kid/kids and may not even see that throwing planter rocks all over the place is not charming to others.

 

Then you take the pushiness that New Yorkers are known for (not just me- you have to admit that this is a generally accepted view) AND the accent that to SOME, NOT me, might think is abrasive, and BOOM, you have the stereotype that I was trying to get across so clumsily.

 

I have lived all over the country but I consider Fire Island to be "home." So I am used to New Yorkers and by that definition I AM one. I'm certainly not a Buffaltuckian.

 

Go Sabres... and apologies to those from Kentucky.

[2boyzmom]

Sorry- you are right. It's never OK to generalize! I know we have our problems here in Buffaltucky, believe me! Cosmopolitan we ain't. But then... we have our diamonds in the rough (clearly the secretary was NOT). It's just that when I refer to kiddos from the Tri-State area, I am not trying to demean the munchkins, not at ALL. I'm referring to the parents, who tend to be:

 

a) older

b) more educated

c) have less kids

d) postpone childbearing

e) have more $$

 

than your "average" cruising family from Fly-Over Country. This appears to ME to be the demographic of the average NYC family that I have seen ON CRUISES.

 

When you combine a-e above you tend to see overly indulgent parents who do not have the energy or the inclination to discipline well (IMHO! IMHO!). They are also usually blinded by their love for their kid/kids and may not even see that throwing planter rocks all over the place is not charming to others.

 

Then you take the pushiness that New Yorkers are known for (not just me- you have to admit that this is a generally accepted view) AND the accent that to SOME, NOT me, might think is abrasive, and BOOM, you have the stereotype that I was trying to get across so clumsily.

 

I have lived all over the country but I consider Fire Island to be "home." So I am used to New Yorkers and by that definition I AM one. I'm certainly not a Buffaltuckian.

 

Go Sabres... and apologies to those from Kentucky.

 

 

I had to edit my response to this comment. Better to say nothing sometimes........