They make you get off

[Bill]

Just as I get settled in to a routine, meet some new people, discover the best lounge to people watch from before dinner,and having broken in the waiter and his assistant to my needs for bread
sticks, tea etc.,they make this announcement about putting out your bags and disembarking the ship.What is this about?
I've finally gotten used to the mattress, found a place for everything and gotten totally into the routine of the ship and they want me to get off? What do they mean that someone else is coming to take MY room? I just finished breaking in the cabin steward as to which days I will need extra towels for my snorkel excursions and just got into a routine with the drink steward that he knows the exact intervals that my drink needs to be replaced. The cruise director wants me to come to a meeting to learn disembarkation procedures! Why? Did I win too many trivia contests? Didn't I laugh at the 10 most often asked questions ?Didn't my wife buy enough inch of gold, loose gem stones, bargain watches and sale tee shirts? What did I do that they tell me the cruise is over and I have to go HOME? How can I avoid this , the one worst gripe, THE CRUISE COMES TO AN END? It happens every time.

Book a back to back Bill you can do it all over again.

[Kuki]

Bill.. I LOVE it.. just the way I feel!

Regards,
Kuki

Bill, you had me going there for a minute! I thought you were going to say you got caught smoking on a non smoking ship. Thanks for the laugh....really needed it!!!

[Donna]

Hi Bill,
I think most of us feel the same way, you also notice how long it takes to get to cruise after you book, then its like over in an instant

Donna
Tuesday Chat Host

[Linda]

Bill you have summed up every cruise I have ever been on. Are you sure you're not me? 51 hours till I board the Spirit, and already I am dreading goig home! Linda

[MIKE]

The last day of the cruise, they have to get security to cut the chains which tie me to the cabin door. I go kicking and screaming.

...we tried the back-to-back cruise approach a while back, with the break-day in Istanbul. It was wonderful heading off for a day of exploring on our own while hundreds of others sat sadly waiting for their disembarkation number to be called. Our smugness ended on coming back on board to discover that hundreds of complete strangers had invaded OUR ship. Now I try to have the next cruise booked before the current one starts. It does help - a bit.

[Bill]

There was a point in time last year that we actually had 3 cruises booked . I've taken two and booked another so I still have two "comming" this year . It doesn't help. People still get on MY ship. They take MY room, sit in MY lounge chair, Get served by MY waiter, steward , asst't waiter, and bar steward. They sit in MY seat in the dining room and in My seat at the second show. They look at MY sunrises and MY sunsets.The stare out at MY blue water.
Let me suggest that at least in my case I have found a cure for this problem that gets me through the trauma.
Immediately upon arriving in our home area , I proceed to the residence of one of our daughters. When the door opens we are approached by one or more little people. Then I hear the words that cure ALL " I missed you Papa, I love you". At this point I will also get a reality check from my daughter. "Little Phil's diaper needs to be changed Dad, do me a favor a take him upstairs and change it for me". Isn't this something the cabin steward should be doing?

[pamda]

Thanks for the giggle, Phil.

I'm still waiting for a cruise long enough that I WANT to get off.

Seven days just is NOT long enough. 11 closes in. 15 or so is even more better.

We once did a l-o-n-g Panama Canal cruise. I think on Legend. We had to skip Acapulco as a port because of pesky storm that attempted to destroy the city. I think we were at sea six or seven days. People got off the ship and kissed the ground.

And, yeah, what are THOSE people doing on MY ship ???

pamda -- CM FIrst-Time Cruisers Editor

Any one have a DISembarkation clock on their screens?

Bill, great message. I know the feeling. Two days before we leave for the cruise I am lamenting "It's almost over". The only cure is to start looking for the next cruise booking and to cruise vicarously by logging onto Cruisemates.

[John]

You guys are great. And mind readers too. No fine upstanding citizen of our good old USA should be forced to leave our" cozy compounds of comfort". We paid good money to be on these ships. We`ve only had a week or so to meet new friends, find out where everything is. And the best times to flush.Isn`t it our right to cruise??? I say "AMEN"
Preachers around the country should be in their pulpits condemning this practice. It just ain`t right.

Peace out, John