Live onboard Zuiderdam -- "Friends of Dorothy" party request DENIED!!
 

Hey folks...I'm writing live onboard the Holland America Line Zuiderdam. We
are at sea today (having not been able to tender at Half Moon Cay).

This morning I wrote a nice note to the Cruise Director Pete (can't remember
last name....) requesting a Friends of Dorothy party to be scheduled for
tomorrow, which is also a sea day.

Pete was kind enough to leave me a voice mail letting me know that, per Holland
America corporate policy in Seattle (my paraphrase) about 6-7 weeks ago they
can no longer host and publicize such gatherings. He said he would be happy to
put such a party together in a public room, but they could not put it in the
daily bulletin!

At this moment....I am damn angry! Which I certainly don't need on my long
awaited vacation. At great splurgy expense to myself I have booked as a solo
in a Cat S suite....not exactly chump change! But this is absolutely my 2nd
and last Holland America cruise unless this policy is changed asap! I can't
believe in this day and age such a policy would exist. I think in today's
program, for example, they've had meetings for people who like to play bridge,
and for veterans. So what is the big deal -- we are but yet another group of
people who have some common interests. Isn't the cruise line's job to bring
people together for an enjoyable vacation experience?

I do want to be clear I do not harbor any ill will towards the CD...he was kind
enough to respond to my note and was just relaying a corporate policy -- which
he did not create -- to me.

In any case, Pete said I could call him at various times this evening, but
really why bother? The whole point is to get a room and have it in the daily
program....it's not like I have some magic ability to "spread this by word of
mouth", using his words....to every gay and lesbian passenger on the ship. I
don't want to go around making presumptions about people right?

Holland America -- wake up!!

Jeff Coudriet -- taking my $$ back to Celebrity which has never turned down my
request to host such a party.

Holland America -- wake up!!

Jeff Coudriet -- taking my $$ back to Celebrity which has never turned down my
request to host such a party.

On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 00:13:39 GMT, Karen Segboer wrote:

Wow, I'm surprised.

I'm not.

I wonder if the other Carnival Corp brands have
the same policy now? Cunard doesn't like fat Americans, and now HAL
seems to want to keep their gay guests under wraps.

What a shame.

Karens

Shame, yes? Good business, yes.

When you can fill your ships with "mainstream" folks, why take on the ones
that aren't?

The pendulum has swung. Once again.

Holland America -- wake up!!

Jeff Coudriet -- taking my $$ back to Celebrity which has never turned down my
request to host such a party.

On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 00:13:39 GMT, Karen Segboer wrote:

Wow, I'm surprised.

I'm not.

I wonder if the other Carnival Corp brands have
the same policy now? Cunard doesn't like fat Americans, and now HAL
seems to want to keep their gay guests under wraps.

What a shame.

Karens

Shame, yes? Good business, yes.

When you can fill your ships with "mainstream" folks, why take on the ones
that aren't?

The pendulum has swung. Once again.

On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 17:13:24 -0600, jcoulter wrote:

Unfortunately the storm clouds are gathering. This mornings paper
reported on the unlikely and unholy alliance of Baptists and Catholics
to stomp out the spector of GASP! "homosexual marriage."

Cats and dogs sleeping together.....

On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 17:13:24 -0600, jcoulter wrote:

Unfortunately the storm clouds are gathering. This mornings paper
reported on the unlikely and unholy alliance of Baptists and Catholics
to stomp out the spector of GASP! "homosexual marriage."

Cats and dogs sleeping together.....

Not the only cruise line doing this . . . I work for another line and the
"FOD" meetings are no longer being advertised in the daily planner per
corporate guidelines in the interest of a consistent "brand quality" across
the fleet. This is much to the chagrin of CD's who are FOD and enforced by
shoreside personell who are also FOD, by the way. I see it more of a
corporate PC move as opposed to singling out a group, like minimizing
'holidays'.

There's always the RSVP or Atlantis charter route.

Not the only cruise line doing this . . . I work for another line and the
"FOD" meetings are no longer being advertised in the daily planner per
corporate guidelines in the interest of a consistent "brand quality" across
the fleet. This is much to the chagrin of CD's who are FOD and enforced by
shoreside personell who are also FOD, by the way. I see it more of a
corporate PC move as opposed to singling out a group, like minimizing
'holidays'.

There's always the RSVP or Atlantis charter route.

"sf" wrote:

Not the only cruise line doing this . . . I work for another line and the
"FOD" meetings are no longer being advertised in the daily planner per
corporate guidelines in the interest of a consistent "brand quality" across
the fleet.

Is this other line also in the CCL "family"?