Saturday, September 6th – Day 4 of 7 – Ho Hum! Another Sea Day
This cruise has been an eye opener in many ways. Today, I want to share some things I’ve learned.
People—no matter where they hail from—are creatures of habit. At first, I thought it funny 
that people scope out and claim “their” spots in the big dining area. Every morning, I see the same couples having breakfast in the same locations. Many will rise earlier that they would be willing to do back home, just to claim their preferred seats. (Reminds me a little bit of church. J )The only exceptions I’ve been able to find are those who come late to the feeding trough and have to take whatever is available. That’s when I realized – I’m the same way!
People, again across cultures, have a single focus on self and rarely see outside their space—unless forced to. How is that a man wearing a backpack that sticks out a foot or more will back up in the elevator to make room for a newcomer, only to squash you behind. Oblivious.
Another thing I’ve noticed, one that reassures my faith in the goodness of man, is that more people, by far, will put a limb in danger to hold an elevator door open so others can enter than will punch the close door button to keep them out. (Funny, at work it’s exactly opposite.)
In every crowd there are always a few loud, obnoxious people who know it all and want you to know they know it all. These people inevitably have voices that pierce every corner of their space, voices that cannot be tuned out.
People—some all the time, others only now and then—practice what I call the “ME NOW” philosophy. In other words, it’s all about me, my needs, my wants; now. The Library on this ship is a particular irritation for me. This is the first cruise ship we’ve been on where they put the Internet Café inside the Library. Now a library by definition means quiet. Right? Not here. People come in to use the internet and express their irritation loud and long—gotta make sure everyone knows their frustrations, right?—about the impossible connectivity problems. Rude. Bad manners. Obnoxious. Discourteous. Offensive.
And speaking of the internet, some of the things people say are plain ridiculous. “I can’t believe Carnival won’t invest in better technology.” “I paid good money and they’re wasting my minutes.” “This is ridiculous. It’s the 21st century, for heaven’s sake. We should be able to connect to the internet anywhere in the world.” – Get my drift?
The list is long and, while funny at first, it leaves a sour feeling when you realize there’s no end to selfish idiocy. Do your homework people. We checked with our provider and knew going into this cruise we wouldn’t have coverage after Mexico until we reached Fiji. The ship’s bulletins spell it out. The Cruise Director has made repeated announcements. We’re in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, no land for thousands of miles, not to mention civilization. The ship is totally dependent on satellites to provide internet connectivity. And satellites are tricky in this part of the world. I mean, think about it. Why would the powers that control satellites route them over an almost totally unpopulated area? And they require constant tweaking to maintain connection because, guess what? The ship and the satellites are all moving, each on a different course. But it’s still all about ME NOW.
Towel Art of the day — a Sea Monster!
