Shipboard Sociology 101

There are definitely several categories of cruisers aboard the Destiny. These categories are not necessarily disjoint (or orthogonal, for math-oriented readers), and some individual cruisers belong to multiple categories.

 

The first category is directly related to the fact that this is the final cruise of the Destiny. It will re-emerge from drydock as the Sunshine. This category of cruiser is the diehard lover of Destiny. For example, a cruiser at breakfast yesterday with Pati and Beebee claimed to have been on both of Destiny's maiden voyages (which he clarified as a pre-voyage and the first real voyage). He is upset over the changes that will happen to the ship, replacing certain public spaces with passenger cabins. But his concerns seem legitimate: Destiny is a very special ship.

 

The second category of cruiser (which Pati and Beebee have met for the first time on this cruise) has replaced land-based living with perpetual cruising. They find that living on board does not have to cost more than traditional housing, and they have sold their houses and cars to help finance this lifestyle.

 

The third category is the frequent cruiser, who keeps on top of the cruise bargains available (especially last-minute cruises) and keeps a suitcase packed and ready to go on a moment's notice.

 

The fourth category is the experienced novice traveler. This morning, Beebee and Pati met early retirees who sailed their own ship for 20 years but had never been on a cruise ship before and had never been to Europe despite spending many years away from the US.

 

The fifth category is the cruiser to whom the cruise is just another extended stay somewhere. Their other destinations tend to be on land, where they immerse themselves in the culture for months at a time. One such couple is headed for Germany, where the husband will be teaching economics at the undergraduate level. For another couple, the cruise and their extended stays at various European destinations will be subjects in a travel book she is writing.

 

The sixth category includes the few (?) cruisers who stand out and are in a class by themselves. One example is a one-armed man (attention Dr. Sam Sheppard) who wears crazy hats all the time (e.g., a red dragon). Another is a gay couple who look - to Pati at least - like a pair of life size muppets. They both have two foot long beards, one jet black and the other silver (think "Hair by John the Baptist"). The one with the jet black beard is a long distance truck driver who is also an amateur gladiator. The one with the silver beard thinks that the changes that will be made to the Destiny are "tragic." Pati noticed that eating with a two foot long beard allows one to check what was on the menu long after dinner is over :(

 

The seventh category includes those who live below decks and come up only to serve, as in H.G. Well's The Time Machine. In general, they are younger, slimmer, and more diverse than those they serve. They may be the most interesting of all the people on this ship.

 

PTi and Beebee wonder how they are being categorized in their fellow travelers' blogs.

Total distance by 19:30 PM - 1930 nm

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