I have not posted in awhile, I am one of those people who feel that if they have nothing to say, it is best to keep silent.
Keep a woman silent?? Impossible! So here I am again.
At my age, I have been there and done that. 'Had a pickup/camper, been on many cruises, train trips, escorted and unescorted. Etc. Etc.
My impression is that we deafies should PUSH the fact that deaf money is just as good as hearing money!
Example: My husband and I signed up for a Panama Canal Cruise on the Queen Elizabeth 2 many months before the actual trip. I noted that Bill Cosby was the entertainer of choice on that trip, and I did not allow any grass to grow under my feet, writing to the cruise company and asking for an interpreter. I never did hear back, negitive or positive, just NOTHING. No response, period.
So on the actual cruise, we rushed through dinner, hoping to get a "ringside" seat, close to the stage so I could at least see the body language. Wrong! Fellow cruisers were holding seats for their friends who had a late dinner, or whatever. Nothing was available for at least the first 4 rows, everything was covered with coats, purses, shoes, anything to "establish ownership". We wound up not going to the show at all.
This has happened quite a few times. On one cruise, I lucked out and wound up sitting next to a CODA! That one worked out great.
On our train trip across Canada, from Vancouver, BC to Nova Scotia, (two weeks long) the problem was DINNERTIME. A conductor (?) walked through the train sing-songing "First Dinner", Second Dinner" and so on. 'Meals on a train, the time varies quite a bit. Neither my husband or I could hear the conductor. We were late for more than one dinner with the result that my husband lost his cool. This was an "ESCORTED" trip and we should have been taken care of. Eventually the trip guides caught on and the last half of the trip was pretty uneventful.
I never was and never will be a "Deaf Sheep". Signing up for a Deaf Cruise does not appeal to me at all. I know the culture darned well, and I prefer to travel with my husband and/ or my family without the stress of a few dozen deafies who might or might not get along with one another. I feel that each one of us should be able to travel THE WAY WE WANT without being discriminated against.
I have found a company called "vacations to go" who is very compassionate and has kept in touch with me for quite sometime. Anyone interested should email: alanfox@vacationstogo.com and he will put you on a special needs email list for you to consider.
Lantana
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
MY GOODNESS!!
ReplyDeleteFrom Your admiring friend,Mark
Hmmm, we are joining the deaf cruise this fall and I'm actually looking forward to it. I figure with 4,000 deaf people, there's gotta be a few interesting ones in there. :)
ReplyDeleteI never have been to cruise, hopefully one day i would love to see what the cruise have provide for us. What the name of best cruise you been to? I am curious!
ReplyDeleteHi, Mochame: Really, it depends on what your interests are. The Panama Canal trip, the Canal itself is mostly attractive to the male species. I found it kind of dull. But of course there are the other stops that are included, Aruba, Nassau,etc. that are fun for the ladies. All cruises spoil you and try and load you up with food! The Queen Elizabeth 2 is an old fashioned type ship and not in keeping with the extreme luxury of some cruiselines, but I liked it alot because I was able to get the feeling of "yesteryear". I enjoyed our Alaska cruises, but with the inside passage, once is enough.
ReplyDeleteI hope this helps.
Lantana
Oh cool about the train trip from vancouver to nova scotia.. I would love to hear from you in that regards cause I want to take my friend from overseas in the fall.. I need tons of info what I should know when planning that trip.. Hope to hear from you...
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about going on a trip independently to a different world to refresh your mind and soul. smile
Thanks,
It can be so frustrating not to be able to access entertainment on cruises, trips, movies, and so on. Having an interpreter for entertainment should be a common practice by now. It's sad to know we deaf people have to surrender the fun or fight to get our needs met. Sigh...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post, Lantana. Nice to see you again!
~ LaRonda
For your information; their are only two cruise lines that will provide interpreters; Royal Carribean has a god mother who uses a wheel chair and she said the only way she would accept that honor was if all the ships were accessible to all; Therefore, all a person has to do is request an interpreter for their cruise and one will be granted. Disney had a few court cases and now they provide interpreters. BUT unfortunately under the ADA the cruise lines are NOT REQUIRED to provide interpreters. My husband and I have been on numerous cruises and I will NEVER go on NCL for this purpose alone; they promished me they would provide; when we got there they said "oh, we forgot, its too late now"...
ReplyDeleteso, stay with RCCL and you will be happy..
Human
RCCL is one of the cruiselines that stops in Astoria, too. That is nice to know, thankyou.
ReplyDeleteLantana
The Coastal Vacations Business Opportunity is a strong, 15-year-old, grand slam venture in the discount travel club industry. The organization offers travel bundles that are worth over $15,000 however are sold for significantly less.http://aroundbulgaria.com/taxi/varna/bucharest/
ReplyDelete