General Chat

He wouldn't have been upset with your point of view though, Mac's a very amiable person. :)

I don't know what Mac said, but to a certain degree he is right in that cruises are for the wealthy. It all comes down to perspective.

In the eyes of people in less affluent countries, a cruise would be a luxury and therefore those that take them must be wealthy by their standards. (there again, they may regard many of the people in the UK as wealthy)

I would suspect that even some people in our country who have never been able to afford a holiday and who struggle to just to feed and clothe their family would see a cruise as an unobtainable luxury.

However, I can understand why people say that cruises are no longer for the wealthy as more people can afford them than in the past. People don't see themselves as wealthy when they compare themselves to the rich or the mega rich. :)

No problem Red Squirrel but it seemed as though Old Geezer was under the impression that only wealthy folk went on cruises with big fat wallets and that is not the case at all.

Not sure who you're referring to Morleyite but if you're referring to Mac (Old Geezer) deleting his posts, I thought you should know he usually deletes his posts after a day. It won't be due to anything you've said :)

Seems as if people who post on subjects then get a reply that they don't agree with get a bit upset on here, But the facts are that cruising is now much more affordable than years ago and it is far more enjoyable than spending two weeks in the same resort where you get fed up after the first week.

I was shocked to read this but having thought about it I agree that the tourism can only help Haiti. Their economy is shot along with their government. What I cannot understand is why we are hearing nothing about Dom Rep. Its the same island. Why don't we hear of help coming via Dom Rep.
Although cruises are expensive, they are indeed the new 'all inclusive' and opening up to everyone.

Cruising is not much more than an all inclusive holiday Old Geezer. The idea that only wealthy folk cruise is out dated and many people save their hard earned cash to enjoy these holidays.

Maybe not at this early stage, but tourism, (not to Port au Prince of course) will help with the economy, they do need every penny they can get, and now they have to rebuild an already economically damaged country from nothing.

Tourism is so so important to many poorer countries, it will be the same for Haiti.

It's far too soon now though, I don't think I could get off that ship now, knowing the horrible, horrible situation there.

As much as I love to cruise I would not get off the ship at this stop, to think of all those people not far away without food or water. Royal Caribbean have decided to go ahead with scheduled visits to Haiti, sixty miles from the devastated earthquake zone.

Independence of the Seas was the first to dock in Labadee on Friday, and Navigator is due to dock shortly.

The resort has been heavily guarded by armed men at the gates.

Understandably, the decision to go ahead with the visits has divided passengers, and many passengers chose to stay on board.

However, Royal Caribbean has pledged to donate all proceeds from the visit to help stricken Haitins.

"I just can't see myself sunning on the beach, playing in the water, eating a barbecue, and enjoying a cocktail while [in Port-au-Prince] there are tens of thousands of dead people being piled up on the streets, with the survivors stunned and looking for food and water," one passenger wrote on an internet forum.

"It was hard enough to sit and eat a picnic lunch at Labadee before the quake, knowing how many Haitians were starving," said another. "I can't imagine having to choke down a burger there now.''

Some passengers are concerned about keeping to scheduled stops at Labadee, afraid that desperate people might breach the resort's 12ft fences to get food and drink.

Whilst others seem determined to carry on as normal..."I'll be there on Tuesday and I plan on enjoying my zip line excursion as well as the time on the beach," said one.

"In the end, Labadee is critical to Haiti's recovery; hundreds of people rely on Labadee for their livelihood," said John Weis, vice-president. "In our conversations with the UN special envoy of the government of Haiti, Leslie Voltaire, he notes that Haiti will benefit from the revenues that are generated from each call …

"We also have tremendous opportunities to use our ships as transport vessels for relief supplies and personnel to Haiti. Simply put, we cannot abandon Haiti now that they need us most."

"Friday's call in Labadee went well," said Royal Caribbean. "Everything was open, as usual. The guests were very happy to hear that 100% of the proceeds from the call at Labadee would be donated to the relief effort."

Forty pallets of rice, beans, powdered milk, water, and canned foods were delivered on Friday, and a further 80 are due and 16 on two subsequent ships. When supplies arrive in Labadee, they are distributed by Food for the Poor, a longtime partner of Royal Caribbean in Haiti.

Royal Caribbean has also pledged $1m to the relief effort and will spend part of that helping 200 Haitian crew members.