Who would be interested in a DU cruise?

[Crazy Guggenheim]

Poll question: Who would be interested in a DU cruise?

The place would never be the same!!!! These crazy DU'ers on a cruise ship!! I can see this now!!

I just want to get a head count.




:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

1. Example of the ships.

[KitchenWitch]

2. Which cruise line, and what itineraries?

[Crazy Guggenheim]

4. Maybe the Caribbean or Southern Mexico. Carnival or Celebrity.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

3. Party

[Crazy Guggenheim]

5. Dance Hall.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

6. Dining

[Crazy Guggenheim]

7. If we can get above 25 (?) I think we can get a great deal!

[Swamp Rat]

8. What kind of deal, bub?

Some of us are BROKE! :(

[Crazy Guggenheim]

9. We could put out the word on DU first. But I/we can call my

travel agent. But I can tell you right now it's going to be about $1200-1500/person, Dou. Occ.

[Swamp Rat]

11. Leaves me out by over a grand...

I'm poor... put me in a suitcase and drop me off in Jamaica for a month... or if you go further South, leave me in Brasil for good.. tô morrendo de saudades! :cry:

[FizzFuzz]

13. we'll have a fundraiser for ya, Swamp

I think it'd work.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

37. I think it would work too! lol.

[TreasonousBastard]

10. I can get us a great deal on this...

[Scooter24]

12. Of course!!

Who doesn't love cruising? hehe..

:woohoo:

20 cruises and counting :)

If you need any help finding rates, etc. I have a handful of outstanding agents I work with that always get me a great deal. I cruised last year with a friend for about $600 a piece and this past January we paid $1250 total for both of us. :)

From last year:

[FizzFuzz]

14. just be sure it's during a time when we're on break

we're not allowed to take vacation at any old time. Has to be when the college is on break.

I wanna go!

[quispquake]

15. Count me in!!!

I would LOVE to do something like this...I've taken a couple of cruises over the past few years, and really love it (and if price is an issue for people, there are some one week cruises as low as $599 & $349 for the 3rd & 4th person in the room...that of course is without airfare or tips, but still pretty affordable!).

[Awsi Dooger]

16. I just finished a 7 day cruise to Alaska on the Norwegian Star

And the world is still rocking two days later. I'm not kidding at all. Especially when I'm lying in bed or in the bathroom it still feels like a constant bobble.

That was an awesome cruise! Seattle to Juneau to Skagway to Glacier Bay to Ketchikan to Victoria, BC before returning to Seattle. NCL features freestyle cruising where you can eat whenever and wherever you want, casual dress and the friendliest crew ever. Small additional cover charges for the fanciest restaurants. I gained 12 pounds, smack on my projection. I decided to book the cruise after I had a good season wagering on college basketball and needed a break from Las Vegas.

The greatest part was I more than paid for the cruise via winnings in the little casino! Imagine my shock when they had a dozen Vision style bonus slot machines like the ones Las Vegas used to be swamped with in the late '90s. And I was the only vulture onboard who knew how to abuse those machines. I'm talking two Wild Cherry Pie machines, one Diamond Thief, one Kool Kat, one Slot Bingo, one X Factor, one Good Times and many Diamond Mine machines including a $25 one. Just walking into the casino every couple of hours was generally worth $40 or more.

Only problem was the whale sightings, just two brief ones this time and only on the surface. My last visit to the Alaska inside passage they were literally showing off alongside the ship every day, full leaps out of the water.

[Enraged_Ape]

21. I took that same cruise last year. It was just awesome.

I worked out in the ship gym EVERY DAY for an hour, and I still managed to gain five pounds. There is food EVERYWHERE.

The weirdest part was wearing short-sleeve shirts in Skagway and still being hot. I never thought Alaska was supposed to be that warm.

[Heidi]

17. It's not a Tom Cruise, is it? (nt)

[Huckebein the Raven]

18. I would prefer to cruise in this:

on the Autobahn but a cruise ship would be nice too

:P

[Swamp Rat]

20. I'll take the Autobahn @ 240 kph+

:D Well, that's the fastest I've been on the Autobahn, but I'd sure like to go as fast as the Porsche that passed me like I was standing still, at 220 Kph!

[tsakshaug]

19. How I cruise

[Lisa0825]

22. something to think about...

I would LOVE a DU vacation. But I have a bad impression of the cruise industry. It's very environmentally damaging. If you are determined to cruise, as opposed to just traveling to a destination for a week, please research the various cruise lines and see if any have made any recent improvements in their environmental records.

Quite a while ago, someone at DU asked for info on cruising, and I mentioned how irresponsible the companies are when it comes to environmental impact. I was extremely disappointed that on a liberal site, no one really seemed to care about that issue.

http://bluewaternetwork.org/campaign_ss_cruises.shtml

[Lisa0825]

24. Here's some info:

Seems like Royal Caribbean is attempting to improve it's environmental image:

http://bluewaternetwork.org/news_stories/cv_cruise_5-6-04_CA.pdf

http://www.stopcruisepollution.com/

[LynneSin]

27. Thank you! I think cruises are just a bad idea altogether

If we wanted to have a national gathering somewhere I'd try my best to make it.

But if it was a national gathering on a cruise ship - no way jose!

I was reading some statstics about cruises while flying to AUstin last March. Cruises are a major billion dollar business but do you know something like 85-90% of all people who take cruises are American?

I know there are DUers who love cruises and I respect that, but I think cruises are just a bad idea for a major DU gathering. It seems environmently unsound and politically incorrect

[Lisa0825]

31. Remember when people were yelling about

the Republicans plans to have a cruise ship for their national convention? I guess it's only wrong for Republicans? :shrug:

[FreedomAngel82]

60. A convention on a crusie ship??

Never heard of that. Wouldn't that be weird and pricey? My family about a year or two ago went on a Disney cruise for my parents wedding anniversary and it was pretty pricey for a few days. But it was a lot of fun. :D And yes there were a lot of adults there by themselves. I was really surprised.

[Catchawave]

33. I did a poll a couple of months ago for a national

meetup location with ten major cities listed. Maybe we should try that again? I believe Chicago won for the central location, or it was Minnesota by write-in vote...lol.

I think NYC would be perfect!

On edit: I found my poll !!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=3115860&mesg_id=3115860

[northzax]

29. more info

www.stopcruisepollution.com

big cruise ships are awful. enough said.

[Lisa0825]

30. Thank you.

I feel better that at least a couple people are acknowldging my point this time. I wish more people would at least consider this. It seems to be a case of "ignore it and it will go away." :shrug: :cry:

[northzax]

32. I have some experience in the cruise ship campaigns

so I know what's going on, My girlfriend loves them and I can just shake my head and sigh...

Frankly, I don't see what's so great about getting on a big metal ship and playing volleyball for four days, while being waited on hand and foot by filipinos in indentured servitude? but maybe I'm missing something.

[LynneSin]

35. The fact that like 80-90% of all cruise participants are American...

...should explain this.

Cruises are a way to visit other countries without really visiting them. Best way I can explain the appeal is to bring up a trip to Mexico I made back when I was in High School.

I was in a select singing choir and each year we made a major trip for a singing competition. THey had just done Europe the year before (which I wasn't in the group that year) so this year they opted for Mexico City. We'd sing in the competition and then do the touristy thing. There was 24 of us in our group and about 10 parents who came as chaperones (to be honest, if you were a parent and paid your way you could come along on the trip).

The one girl who I was friends with in the group had her parents on the trip. Her mom was the chaperone that stayed in our room (there was 4 of us to a room, 3 students and 1 parent). Plus, since I was friends with her, her parents were naturally around us during much of the trip (Cept when some of us bought tequila one night and got drunk).

Her parents complained the entire trip about how miserable Mexico was, all the dirty people and places and how their idea vacation was taking their RV on the road where they had all the convienences of home or taking a cruise where they had a nice comfortable room to come back to at the end of the day. To them, vacation was like an extended series of day trips where they could visit 'strange worlds' like Mexico but return home to the American comforts that they preferred.

These people annoyed the hell out of me to the point that I pretty much quit hanging out with my friend (we were friendly but I wouldn't consider her 'best friend' material) and ended up hanging out with one of the teachers and some geeky kid in the group that the rest of us normally ignored. Those 2 at least were enjoying the sites, sounds and surroundings of Mexico!

Because of that vacation, I try to make it a point to travel to places where I don't have to hang out with a bunch of American Tourists. Personally, I think Americans are the worst tourists in the world because wherever we Americans travel we still expect to be treated like Americans and have the same comforts of Americans. But I realize I'm clumping all of us into a redstate stereotype! I know there are plenty of liberals including many DUers who enjoy cruises, but I know that cruises have their biggest appeal to people who want to have Americanized Vacations even when they leave the country and that ruins it for the rest of us.

I would have to say the best vacation I ever had was in Costa Rica. To save money we went during the 'rainy season' which basically meant that at sunset there was a massive thunderstorm and then everything went back to being beautiful. Our hotel was filled mainly with Germans, Dutch and a few folks from Belgium and we had the best time with these folks even though none of us really spoke any one else's language.


So that's my bad attitude towards cruises. I would do a cruise if it was environmentally sound AND provided some sort of rewarding experience like a small boat where we'd tour an ecological area like the Galapagos. But big cruise ships - you can have them. If I won a cruise I'd sell it for the money!

[struggle4progress]

49. Just what the oceans need: more raw sewage and diesel exhaust!

[Lisa0825]

50. exactly.

I wish this would get more attention, considering liberals are supposed to be pro-environment. :shrug:

[In_The_Wind]

23. more details please

what time of year are you thinking about

Going on a cruise with other members of DU would be totally awesome! :woohoo::party::woohoo:

[jswordy]

25. Try to skip an e coli epidemic, and it'll be more fun. n/t

[Catchawave]

26. Could be fun!

What port are you thinking of? Travel fares to the port can almost be as much as the cruise!

I think some cruise lines give great group rates, especially in off seasons :)

[purr]

28. I'd go in a heartbeat...

Always wanted to go on a cruise!! Caribbean sounds fantastic!

[Bunny]

34. I'd go, but I feel pretty sure I'd be voted off the island fairly quickly!

:D

[Crazy Guggenheim]

41. Not with a name like Bunny.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

36. I'm going to take a look at this.

[jswordy]

38. Can we have an orgy of liburul lust? Just askin'. Heh.

[Lannes]

39. Watch out for freepers in submarines!

:P

[Crazy Guggenheim]

40. lol. Bring the depth charges!!

[Crazy Guggenheim]

42. How's August?

[funkybutt]

43. Here's a good cruise and the dates

http://www.carnival.com/Itinerary.aspx?embkCode=MSY&itinCode=WC7&shipCode=SE&durDays=4&subRegionCode=CW

[GreenPartyVoter]

44. Are ya paying my way? And is it a WindJammer Cruise?

[Crazy Guggenheim]

45. No you're paying for me and it's on Crystal Cruises.

[GreenPartyVoter]

46. I don't have any money. :^( Say, we could try hauling my

trailer down to the water and see if it floats! (Although I somehow doubt it, what with the holes in the bathroom floor and all.)

[Crazy Guggenheim]

47. Woooo Hooooo!

[struggle4progress]

48. Cruise Ship Blues

By Teri Shore

Despite cruise industry efforts to ban him from the airwaves, Cruise Ship Blues author Ross Klein is speaking out about the underside of the cruise industry across North America. Bluewater Network coordinated his San Francisco trip, booking him on major radio stations including KQED's FORUM and KCBS and important venues such as The Commonwealth Club. A cruise ship lobbyist tried to bully producers into canceling Klein's appearances to prevent him from broadcasting the industry's shortfalls. But it didn't work. Klein went live, outlining the cruise industry's felony convictions for dumping oil and hazardous wastes into coastal waters and careless regard for the environment. Cruise lovers, travel agents, environmentalists, and the general public turned out in force to hear his message. His website, www.cruisejunkie.com, documents in detail the cruise line's dark history on environmental, social justice, public health, and customer service.

Since Cruise Ship Blues was released in mid-November, Klein has been on the road, criss-crossing North America from Anchorage and Juneau, Alaska, to British Columbia and Toronto, Canada. In February, he'll be touring the East Coast before making a swing through Southern California. Europe is next. The book is already in its second printing by New Society publishers.

Klein is an encyclopedia of facts and figures about the cruise industry. To start with, he notes that the cruise industry has experienced massive growth in the past two decades, dramatically increasing its footprint on our oceans. In North America, the number of people taking a cruise doubled between 1990 and 2000. But this growth has come at a price to the environment, as these ships travel some of the most pristine waters of the world, dumping sewage, graywater, garbage, and pulverized foodstuffs all along the way.

The cruise industry has tried to portray itself as environmentally friendly. But Klein points out that while touting its "Save the Waves" campaign beginning in 1992, Royal Caribbean has dumped oil and hazardous chemicals into the sea. In 1999, the company pled guilty to illegal dumping - it paid in total $33 million in fines. And such deeds are not old news. Just last summer, Holland America discharged about 40,000 gallons of sewage sludge directly into Juneau harbor. The violation has not yet been settled. In mid-January 2003, a Carnival Cruise ship dumped graywater into the port at Channel Islands, a no-discharge zone. <snip>

http://www.baycrossings.com/Archives/2003/01_February/bay_crossings_environment_cruise_ships_blues.htm

[Crazy Guggenheim]

51. Bump

[Catchawave]

52. 28 would go so far :)

That's pretty good !

[RagingInMiami]

53. Where would you guys depart from?

If you depart from Miami, maybe I can sneak on. I've been on an extremely tight budget lately.

[terrya]

54. Only if we can wear Speedos when we want.

:-)

[Crazy Guggenheim]

59. Except at dinner time.

[sundog]

68. i cruise du daily

;)

:P

[Catchawave]

55. Kruise Kick for the night crowd !

Had a blast on this boat! And they don't dump their sewage in the ocean either :)

[swag]

56. A masochist.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

57. Only if Rev Acts is there!

:P
The real question is how many DUers can fit in 1 hot tub?

Kidding, the funds would probably not be there for me to go. But it's a cool idea.

[El Fuego]

58. It would be real convenient for me

If we sail out of Fort Lauderdale.

[leftofthedial]

61. soon as my divorce is done

soon soon soon . . .

[BlondieK143]

62. My aunt and I are planning one for next year.

So there's two DUers on board already. :D

[Crazy Guggenheim]

63. PII.

Does anyone know of a good Travel Agent?

[Catchawave]

65. Try the Cruiseline websites first.....

I'd recommend Royal Caribbean, only because I know their ships are ocean/environmentally friendly. Choose a date in 2006, off season cheap rates would be summertime '06. Not to mention it would give our interested DUers time to plan and save.

Group rates would kick in about reserve minimum 8 state rooms, at least 16 DUers would have to commit with a deposit.

RCCL is very family friendly, with daycare, youth and teen programs.

It would definitely be worth looking into, and letting DUers save? I would even suggest a small "DU tax" to pay for Skinner, Elad and Earl, Team Admin's way also. They can certainly hang an "under construction" sign on DU for a week <snort>

Gawd, this would be fun. June 2006.

[Ladyhawk]

64. Yeah, but those cruises cost $$$.

Lots of folks here would LOVE to go, but just couldn't afford it. Sad, but it's just the way it is. :( I wish I could afford lots of things.

LH

[Catchawave]

66. 36 heads counted :)

[Lady President]

67. I like the idea

I would need a few more details, but I think it sounds like a lot of fun. The older I get the less I like destination vacations-- two days in Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, Cancun, etc. and I'm bored to tears. A cruise is a nice solution for me.

One question, I would be traveling solo... Would we try to make arrangements to share cabins with other DUers to cut costs?

[supernova]

69. Sure. Why not?

I've never vacationed with anyone but my family. And I already know DUers are fun to hang out with. :D

edit: I would need a roommate to make it economically feasible.

About the cruise thing. We could also opt for a resort somewhere so that maybe getting and and having authentic cultural experiences are a little more feasible.

[JVS]

70. Will there be alcoholic beverages?

[Catchawave]

71. The ticket price includes EVERYTHING but....

alcoholic beverages. Of course there's the additional cost of shopping onboard and a couple of really fine restaurants. And, tipping your cabin boy and waiter at the end of the cruise.

There was enough to do for Free, I never had spend extra on food or excursions in the ports. However, my consumption of lovely beverages did set me back a bit :)

[Crazy Guggenheim]

72. Bump.

[Left Is Write]

73. I'd be interested, but it's unlikely I'd be able to attend.