“Crew Only” means just that!

[CruiseShipGirl]

See, they pay all this money and believe that FINALLY they'll have servants to order around and obey their every whim. Watched too many old movies, I'm betting. So they get all bent out of shape when it doesn't actually work that way. They'd be appalled if they were made to understand that the crew is actually getting paid to be there, not paying for the privilege.

One thing we found a lot was that the ships offer these amazing discounts to fill up the boats and you end up with a lot of passengers who really can't afford to be there. They can't afford the drinks, they can't afford the tour packages, the can't afford to sightsee. The one thing they then feel they can do is be the world's biggest EW.

[MaseMan]

Reminds me of when I worked in retail and our store's breakroom/stockroom entrance was an unmarked green door in the back of the store. I guess management thought putting an "Employees Only" sign on there would look tacky, so we had to constantly deal with customers deciding the mysterious green door was too compelling not to open up and go through. It was funny how many times we'd find some clueless person wandering around our stock room, as if they had entered some mysterious new world full of exciting wall to wall cardboard boxes.

[AccountingDrone]

One thing we found a lot was that the ships offer these amazing discounts to fill up the boats and you end up with a lot of passengers who really can't afford to be there. They can't afford the drinks, they can't afford the tour packages, the can't afford to sightsee. The one thing they then feel they can do is be the world's biggest EW.

Some of the rich [appearing] fat cats on the cruise we went on a couple years ago were the worst entitlement whores. There is a fratching component about us handicaps not being able to get on a freaking elevator to save our lives but barring that - if you don't like the planned menu, go to the freaking buffet or the specialty restaurants, don't be nasty to the poor waitstaff. If you don't like crowds, stay in your freaking room, or find times to go swimming that aren't crowding, like during mealtimes. You can get meals in your room for nothing more than a tip at any other time [well, midnight to 6 am there is a $3 surcharge on Royal Caribbean] If you don't like the 'lesser races' don't go on a cruise to the caribbean, which is full of darker skinned people, and on a cruise ship that is populated by employees from tropical islands and eastern europe.

Honestly, I love cruises - if you have a budget for the extras, it is great as everything is paid for. We budgeted $1000 for extras, and spent $550 on a specialty dinner for 2 for our anniversary, 3 bottles of wine split between 6 dinners, about 10 or 12 alcoholic drinks/specialty coffees and a deep hair conditioning combined with a full body massage for me and a head waxing for mrAru. We could have been just as happy not having those extras. [and as memory serves, we spent $150 in tips for the room steward, $150 for the waiter and bus guy, $50 for the maitre de and $50 for the sommellier, but we had already known about the tip amounts and had them already enveloped and in our room safe when we pulled out of the dock]

We had the best service from everybody on the ship, saw plenty of nice people in addition to the entitlement whore SCs. How can you not be happy and nice to people when you are on an all inclusive vacation where you literally don't have to lift a finger to do anything

[Kogarashi]

One thing we found a lot was that the ships offer these amazing discounts to fill up the boats and you end up with a lot of passengers who really can't afford to be there. They can't afford the drinks, they can't afford the tour packages, the can't afford to sightsee. The one thing they then feel they can do is be the world's biggest EW.

One more reason to be grateful that Hubby and I don't drink. The one cruise I've been on with his family (treat from his parents), we didn't have to worry about paying for drinks because we don't drink, we only went to the free meal places, we perfectly enjoyed ourselves with the free entertainment, and his parents had already made arrangements for the tour package that we were all going to take as a group. I was quite happy to hang out on the ship doing other fun (free!) things for the week-long cruise.

[Argabarga]

I knew that!

You can thank Terry Pratchett ("Monstrous Regiment") and this slow-mo video I saw on YouTube, in which the guys in the video sprinkled some flour over a lit flame and taped the flash-up.

You wouldn't think a grain elevator would be something that could violently explode like it was packed with dynamite.... but grain dust can level one if it accidentally ignites...

[Racket_Man]

I knew that!

You can thank Terry Pratchett ("Monstrous Regiment") and this slow-mo video I saw on YouTube, in which the guys in the video sprinkled some flour over a lit flame and taped the flash-up.

Powered coffee creamer is just as flameable if airborne and lit on fire. Mythbusters did a segment based on a YouTube video. nice big ol ball of fire. as seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRw4ZRqmxOc

[Jay 2K Winger]

Powered coffee creamer is just as flameable if airborne and lit on fire. Mythbusters did a segment based on a YouTube video. nice big ol ball of fire. as seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRw4ZRqmxOc

The Creamer Cannon is still one of my favorite MythBusters fireballs.

[Cat Herder]

When they were asked to leave, they were pissed!!!

Oh, how shockingly rude of the crew! You should not only have welcomed them in, you should also have entertained them with a special performance of The "Strike the Set" Show - with singing and dancing!

When they were asked to leave, they were pissed!!!They apparently complained to the purser’s desk that crew were drinking and having fun when they should be working!

Si, Mr. Fawlty, men are working! You WORK, men!

[protege]

And I'd bet dollars to donuts that the important bits ARE clean, and that there's almost no loose flammable materials. Certain things can look like complete hell to an outsider, when actually those in the know are maintaining evreything just perfectly. I've been in sawmills before and it's the same way - looks like hell, in spite of everyone running around with brooms all the time.

Sort of like my workshop. My workbench looks like a mess, since I usually have about 20 projects going on at any one time. There are several sports cars being assembled, a few more in being prepped for paint, a pair of locomotives (rather nice HO scale E units) being rebuilt, a couple of Kubelwagens, a bus (yes, *that* bus), all scattered all over the place. Nearby, is a haphazard stack of kit boxes, piles of parts in various places, etc. Also nearby, is an old music stand, which usually has the instructions for whatever I'm working on.

To an outsider, the room is a mess...and I usually hear something like "this shit needs cleaned up." Yes, the place looks awful, but everything has its place. Things I'm working on, are on the workbench--their remaining parts are in the stack of boxes nearby. I don't leave things out, unless they're too big to fit inside their respective boxes. That's why there's an 86-foot boxcar model sitting on the test track--the damn thing won't fit inside its box with the couplers on!

Same with the garage. Some of you know that I'm rebuilding the suspension on my project car. When I'm messing with it, there are tools strewn all over the place. Usually, so whatever tool I need, is within reach. I hate having to get up and look for a wrench! It derails my train of thought.

Otherwise, as soon as I'm done working on the car, the tools go back to their proper locations. Sockets go back in their case, the impact wrench on the shelf, the beer bottle in the recycling bin, the jack pushed under the car (it's on axle stands) and there's nothing left on the floor.

[earl colby pottinger]

Recent Cruise

Just did a cruise in Feb.-Mar. of this year.

From our postion on the tenth floor, if you looked down at the bow of the ship you could see a hot tub that was rarely used and was on positioned to give a great view of where the ship was cruising.

The lady I was with wanted to use that tub as she did not not like the idea of using one shared by thousands of people doing who knows what.

Anyway no matter how I tried to get to it I could not, finally I asked a crew member who was on break and happened to be looking down at said hot tub.

We had a pleasant conversation where he stated the tub were for crew members only. Did we complain about not being able to use it? NO! We thanked him for the information and stated that it was nice to hear that they had a few perks as crew.

SC would have demanded access, then complain about crew wanting to use it at the same time as them.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Reminds me of when I worked in retail and our store's breakroom/stockroom entrance was an unmarked green door in the back of the store. I guess management thought putting an "Employees Only" sign on there would look tacky, so we had to constantly deal with customers deciding the mysterious green door was too compelling not to open up and go through. It was funny how many times we'd find some clueless person wandering around our stock room, as if they had entered some mysterious new world full of exciting wall to wall cardboard boxes.

Didn't you know that everyone wants to see what's behind the green door?

Song: Green Door.

Famous Porn Movie: Behind the Green Door.

[dakhur]

Salt can be impressive as well. Burns with a blue flame. Best idea is to fill a potpuri bag with mineral salt and toss it onto a bonfire. Nice blue fireball if you get it right. Flour does something similar.

[TheCheerfulTreeRat]

From our postion on the tenth floor, if you looked down at the bow of the ship you could see a hot tub that was rarely used and was on positioned to give a great view of where the ship was cruising.

On a few Cruise ships I've been on there's a pool or jacuzzi up forward which you can't see from PAX areas, which is for crew.

I think it's designed as a treat for the Bridge officers, as crew average out a tad better looking than the PAX...