Your best and your worst dinning companions OF ALL TIME!!!!

Once on a Carnival Cruise, we had tablemates all week who were delightful.
There were 3 different couples who did not know each other, but all happened
to be Canadians, and we spent all week laughing and swapping stories and
political talk. We were the only Americans. One of the couples had a
disastrous but very funny experience participating in the Not so Newlywed
game, which entertained us for several days to come.

All was fine until the night before last of the cruise when all 3 (count'em)
couples started discussing how to stiff the cruise staff and not tip anyone!
No one was showing up on the final night. To this day I am still wondering
if this is a Canadian custom, and I hope not. One couple even occupied a
SUITE, but explained that Carnival needed to "straighten out their own labor
problems and pay their staff properly; it was not the customers' problem."
We were shocked, and said so. Needless to say, we had a slightly
uncomfortable parting with our tablemates, and an uncomfortable last night
when we were the only ones at our table. We felt we owed an apology to our
waiter and busboy who had done such an outstanding job of serving us all
week.

This experience really colors how I feel about tipping, and some of my other
posts in that regard.

Shauna

)))

Shauna Wrote all 3 (count'em)
couples started discussing how to stiff the cruise staff and not tip
anyone!
No one was showing up on the final night.

Peanut Shauna -

That's just horrible. It sounds to me like they were looking for
excuses not to tip. I love cruises and I love the people, but there are
always a few rotten apples. I do have to agree though, that the
overall staffing situation on Carnival stinks in comparison to RCCL,
Princess and Norwegian. Doesn't Carnival own Princess? Anyway, there
has to be a pretty good reason not to tip. I took one staffers tip
away once. And in retrospect, I over-reacted -- even though he was a
weenie. Don't mess around with my dinner drink. The horns come out!

We've had some great dinner companions. Among the "most missed" recently
were the Nonnymeeses! Never a dull moment when we're with them.

Ermalee

"Brian K" wrote in message
nk.net...
On 2/19/06 4:38 PM Jean O'Boyle consulted a Magic 8 Ball and declared:
"Brian K" wrote in message
k.net...

On 2/18/06 9:04 PM Jean O'Boyle consulted a Magic 8 Ball and declared:

"Nonnymus" wrote in message
news:9swJf.23$m63.9@fed1read05...


Any cruise with Ermalee and Jean + spouses is tops.


Ahhh... Aren't you sweet! Then how come you haven't joined us in such a
long time?
We've missed you and Mrs. Nonny!

--Jean

She was new to cruising, on the first night she blew chunks all over the
dinner table and my good shoes. That was the absolute worst! :-(

My best was everyone else. Also, I always enjoy traveling with my
sister. She has a knack for breaking ice and putting folks at ease.
Karen is one of those people who can take the dullest of table
companions and draw out the conversationalist in them.


WHAT are you talking about, Brian? We have never even met! ;-)

--Jean


Jean, you mean you once blew chunks all over the dinner table on a cruise
ship? I would rather think that you were too lady like to barf in public.
You'd find someplace private to hurl, no. If you were at my table on ship
or on land, I don't think you'd be dull. Could it be that you've never
consulted a Magic 8 Ball? If not give it a try. It's fun. ;-)

--
________
To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera "Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951

"Shauna" :

All was fine until the night before last of the cruise when all 3
(count'em) couples started discussing how to stiff the cruise
staff and not tip anyone!

No one was showing up on the final night. To this day I am still wondering

if this is a Canadian custom, and I hope not.

As a Canadian I do get the impression that we do tip less than Americans.
But no, it is not regular to not tip at all.

At the end of our trip my ex-girlfriend and I debated how much to tip but the
thought to not leave tips never crossed our minds.

Earl Colby Pottinger

--
Cruising, building a Catamaran, Rebuilding Cabin, New Peroxide Still Design,
Writting SF, Programming FOSS - What happened to the time?

I've never been on a cruise. My wife and I almost considered one for
our upcoming special anniversary. After reading through this thread, I
sure am glad my first instinct was correct. A cruise sounds like it
would have sucked. We just put a deposit on a two week Hawaii vacation.
I'm looking in to some day charters. A four hour cruise sounds just
right (a little Gilligan humor.)

Earl Colby Pottinger wrote:
"Shauna" :

All was fine until the night before last of the cruise when all 3
(count'em) couples started discussing how to stiff the cruise
staff and not tip anyone!

No one was showing up on the final night. To this day I am still wondering

if this is a Canadian custom, and I hope not.

As a Canadian I do get the impression that we do tip less than Americans.
But no, it is not regular to not tip at all.

At the end of our trip my ex-girlfriend and I debated how much to tip but the
thought to not leave tips never crossed our minds.

Earl Colby Pottinger

--
Cruising, building a Catamaran, Rebuilding Cabin, New Peroxide Still Design,
Writting SF, Programming FOSS - What happened to the time?

Thus spake :

I've never been on a cruise. My wife and I almost considered one for
our upcoming special anniversary. After reading through this thread, I
sure am glad my first instinct was correct. A cruise sounds like it
would have sucked. We just put a deposit on a two week Hawaii vacation.
I'm looking in to some day charters. A four hour cruise sounds just
right (a little Gilligan humor.)

You don't know what you've missed. And I guess you never will.

We love Hawai'i. Especially the Kona area of the Big Island. We also
love Disney. Each has its own appeal.


Earl Colby Pottinger wrote:
"Shauna" :

All was fine until the night before last of the cruise when all 3
(count'em) couples started discussing how to stiff the cruise
staff and not tip anyone!

No one was showing up on the final night. To this day I am still wondering

if this is a Canadian custom, and I hope not.

As a Canadian I do get the impression that we do tip less than Americans.
But no, it is not regular to not tip at all.

At the end of our trip my ex-girlfriend and I debated how much to tip but the
thought to not leave tips never crossed our minds.

Earl Colby Pottinger

--
Cruising, building a Catamaran, Rebuilding Cabin, New Peroxide Still Design,
Writting SF, Programming FOSS - What happened to the time?
--
dillon

Could have been is in the past
Could be is in the future
There is only the now