Passengers

[Merrill]

( I read this review Do you agree?)

I recommend
against Adventure of the Seas in particular at this time for cruisers
from the United States because RCI is having a problem filling this
ship, so it is offering many cheap local resident specials which means
half the passengers are from Puerto Rico. If I had known this in
advance I certainly would have still booked this cruise myself. I am
making this recommendation against Adventure based on the complaints I
heard from so many passengers on board who were very upset about what I
would call a mismatch of very different cultures aboard the sailing.

[Merrill]

( I read this review Do you agree?)

I recommend
against Adventure of the Seas in particular at this time for cruisers
from the United States because RCI is having a problem filling this
ship, so it is offering many cheap local resident specials which means
half the passengers are from Puerto Rico. If I had known this in
advance I certainly would have still booked this cruise myself. I am
making this recommendation against Adventure based on the complaints I
heard from so many passengers on board who were very upset about what I
would call a mismatch of very different cultures aboard the sailing.

[Emily_newbiecruiser]

Hmm, well i don't see the problem. So what does it matter where the passengers are from? We all live on the same planet, and are from all sorts of cultures -- here in America aren't we proud of being the "melting pot" of the world? Which means we are proud to be part of that "mismatch" of cultures

I suspect what the complaints are based on is some sort of snobbish Caucasian economic class superiority complex and they're upset because the Puerto Ricans are less affluent? I don't know, the whole thing of culture and race and all that has always been confusing to me. My skin is pale due to some European ancestors but there are also a lot of non-Caucasian ancestors mixed in there too, so I consider myself a "Heinz 57" and am not so self-deluded (as many of my family members and neighbors are here in the American South) to believe that there's any such thing as a pure white race, or that being a "real" American means being white-skinned -- that whole mindset is unrealistic, illogical, unscientific, and destructive to human society, IMHO.

Besides, being an Air Force brat who grew up in Asia and California, i'm well aware that just because cultures are different in some aspects doesn't mean one culture is "better" or "worse" than any other culture.

My husband's sister, is white-skinned and looks down her nose at anyone who isn't, totally ignoring the fact that her mother's grandmother was full-blood Cherokee! What makes my husband's sister's racism even more ridiculous is, she considers herself a shining example of Christianity (because she goes to church a lot) -- and to top it off, she's so proud of her white skin that she has spent several months every year of her life since she was a teenager (she's almost fifty years old now) baking herself in the sun to make her skin DARKER! LOL And a few years ago she even went out and bought -- yes, bought -- for several thousand dollars -- her very own tanning bed, to which she has devoted one whole room in her house.

So like i say, this whole subject has always been totally confusing to me!

Personally, having lived in the American South for close to thirty-two years now, surrounded by people just like my sister-in-law, I always enjoy with a sense of relief the rare opportunity to visit with people from other cultures -- and a cruise with some of my fellow human beings from Puerto Rico or anwhere else on the planet would be a welcome change for me!

[amy68]

well said, Emily....well said. I know this is off the subject of cruises, but now more than ever is the time we should all unite with one another...what better place to do it then on a cruise having the time of your life?!

Amy

[Merrill]

On this sailing, there were 2200 Puerto Ricans on board. This in and of it self did not bother us, but the way the crew catered to them did. It was clear that we were in the minority and it was very blatant at times. We would be at one of the games or shows (not the production shows) and the MC would talk in Spanish for about 5 minutes and never bother to translate what he said to English. So we had no clue what they were saying. But anytime there was something said in English, it was immediately translated into Spanish. Many times the MC would try to get a USA vs. Puerto Rico thing going. Ok, but PR is a territory of the United States. That really bothered both Dave and myself. But did we let this spoil our vacation? NO!!

[Merrill]

hate to say it, but we were very much in the minority on this cruise - the Puerto Ricans were catered to every step of the way. We found most of them to be nice, but very noisy at night in the hallways and some were quite rude.

[Merrill]

Royal Carribean must be giving great deals to people that live in Puerto Rico if they don't sell them before the sail date, so be careful, there are some shady characters on board. Something I didn't see when sailing out of Florida.

Don't you think there are Puerto Rican's, Asian's, African American's and all other cultures I fail to mention that may have also at one time felt they were in the minority? On a cruise ship? I would find it hard to believe there isn't. You should realize that it works both ways. Anyone that thinks otherwise, I would question their ability to be open minded (for lack of a better term). I think RCCL had to cater to the majority, in this case the Puerto Rican's. It wouldn't make any more sense if it was 2200 american passengers who are only spoken to in Spanish at all the games and shows, just to please the few 100 Peurto Rican's on the ship. Right? RCCL and all the other cruise ships cannot and will never have the ability to accomodate every single "mismatch of very different cultures" aboard their ship, it would be impossible. But I do believe RCCL would try, I certainly would like to think so, it seems obvious to me they were trying to do this in your case. This may not have "spoiled" your vacation, but it sounds like your return came with much resentment. Hopefully you will cruise again one day with a more positive experience.

Amy

[Emily_newbiecruiser]

LOL For us lighter-complexioned (uh, is that a word?) humans, who are not used to being a "minority," nor used to being TREATED like a "minority," the experiences Merrill is describing can be welcomed as a rare opportunity for learning and growth (a.k.a. walking in another human's moccasins so to speak).

One of my favorite books is "Black Like Me." Maybe Merrill or one of the other light-skinned light-haired affluent non-"minority" cruisers would enjoy a similar adventure and write a book called "Puerto Rican Like Me"

To experience what it's like to be a "minority" -- to be treated with such casual disregard, to be, in a way, invisible -- can serve as a reminder -- nobody enjoys being treated that way, and everybody -- not just "whites" -- have real feelings, real emotions, and real humanity.

You don't like to be treated this way -- so remember to never treat anybody else this way either. That's a good lesson for all people, regardless of the color of their skin or the language they speak or the geographic location they think of as Home.

And by the way, speaking as a light-skinned person, and having known hundreds of other light-skinned persons, and having seen news stories of thousands more light-skinned persons, I think I can say, with all honesty and fairness, that there are a LOT of light-skinned "shady characters," light-skinned rude people, and light-skinned people who make a lot of noise in the hallways late at night LOL

[This message was edited by Emily_newbiecruiser on March 19, 2003 at 05:57 AM.]

[CruisenBoy2]

After reading this article and comments I have to give my thoughts and experience. We sailed on the Destiny out San Juan last year. First of all the cruise was a nightmare straight from hell. There were some many people on board who had unruly kids everywhere and CCL did nothing. They don't care what people do. There were kids throwing cups from on top level of the atrium to the bottom floor...security was right there and did nothing. As for the Puerto Ricans on board we had half of San Juan on board. There is no such thing as a minority anymore. Lets face it and be honest...why should Puerto Ricans be treated better then anyone else? When we go to their country we are expected to learn spanish and thier customs...why don't they do that for us in return. The PR's onboard the Destiny were out of control. Screaming in the halls,cutting in lines, too loud at dinner etc. Personally I do not agree with the cruise lines dropping the prices so low that the PR's get on board. Why don't they drop the prices for us on the mainland as they do for the people in PR? With 85% of the people in PR on wellfare how the heck can they afford a cruise? I am sorry but if people can't act like humans when they are around other people then they should not be allowed to sail. I have some very good PR friends who are good hard working and affluent people however I also know that there are alot of down right rude, ignorant and ill mannered PR's who should not be on board.
I know a lot you will completely disagree but I am sick and tired of the oh POOR minorities...who take complete advantage of REAL americans and live off of us. The way that PR's treat us white US citizens is deplorable. If it wasn't for us those people would not be able to afford a cruise even if it is dirt cheap. If it wasn't for the USA....they could have very easily been taken over by CASTRO. I will never ever apologize for feeling this way. I have spent my entire life working my *** off to stay out of poverty. I have never ever taken one penny of welfare, paid my own college, worked full time and went to school full time, bought my first home when I was 23. Not once did I ever ask anyone for a penny. Just maybe if these minorites would take advantage of the programs available to them they might might something out of themselves. And just maybe they would get the respect that they so desire.

Just a note: My doctor is PR and a very good individual who I call a friend. Even he is embarrassed by most of the PR's...especially the ones here in the US. One last note...I can't stand it when the PR's here fly their PR flag...whats with that? I say either get rid of that PR flag or get the hell out of our country and go back to where you came from. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.....

Good Day