The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Try a Cruise! Some time ago, a Right Corner article talked about a cruise and the fascinating people one can meet on this somewhat decadent type of holiday, where the emphasis is on eating, being entertained, going on shore excursions, and generally just relaxing. This will be a similar, mostly non-political commentary about a fairly inexpensive 11-day Hawaiian cruise on the Norwegian Wind out of Honolulu, one of the world's most intensely touristy places. First of all, to book such a holiday, go to a reputable company such as Vacations to Go, a Houston company that only deals with cruise vacations. Agent Russ Cooper really looked after us, giving us a deal of over $400 less than a Winnipeg travel agent. All details and information we needed, Russ sent us or made sure the cruise company did. We lucked out and booked our air flight with Hawaiian Air Lines from San Diego Ð hundreds of dollars cheaper than any competing air line, and a good old fashioned company that feeds passengers and doesn't worry about the amount of carry-on luggage. The flight was a delight. We also booked a cheap (but very adequate) hotel room at the Royal Grove, only a block from the Waikiki Beach, for a few days prior to the cruise. We drove to San Diego Ð a return trip of 9,000 kilometres Ð but made it part of the holiday and visited such touristy places as Tombstone, Arizona, and Las Vegas. Tombstone is totally cowboy western, but worth a visit. Las Vegas I will avoid next time. One of the residents told us that locals never go down to the "strip" where all the gambling joints are located because there are just too many people, especially on weekends. Want to see a show? Be prepared to spend a lot of money, as we found nothing cheap Ð even Barry Manilow! Hawaii is certainly different, and packed with tourists, especially those from Japan. Almost everything is very expensive and designed to make the tourist pay. The only things reasonable are breakfasts and bottles of liquor. Want to see Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona display? Don't take a tour, just jump on a transit bus for $2 and get dropped off at the site. The museum and ship tour are free, paid for by the government, and the transit bus will take you back to your hotel for another $2. It's worth the price. The cruise that left from Honolulu is designed for customer satisfaction. The Norwegian line has "freestyle dining" Ð you eat where and when you want. They extract $10 per person per day for gratuity and spread it out among the service personnel. Your food and entertainment is included in your cruise cost, but everything else is extra. Drinks are at regular prices with a 15 per cent tip added, and so on. The serving/cleaning personnel are poorly paid and depend on tips for survival. One man told me he had been with the cruise line for 14 years and had a salary of$100/month! They can get away with this because their ships are registered in the Bahamas (like Paul Martin's shipping line.) If they were registered in the U.S. or Canada, they would have to pay minimum wage and follow labour codes. As mentioned, the best part of a cruise is the people. One very nice and interesting Florida couple were Bill and Claudia, retired teachers. Bill took many pictures and they kept a daily diary, which they sent out by e-mail as a memory of the voyage. We had many great dinners with this couple and hope to see them again. There were also quite a few Canadians on this cruise. One interesting pair were from Prince Albert, celebrating their fourth wedding anniversary. He is 89 years young and she is much younger. His son told me he is at best a red Tory, and most likely a conservative Liberal, but he couldn't stand the actions of the Chretien/Martin gangs. Other people met were from such places as Roblin, Manitoba, and Devil's Lake, North Dakota. The latter couple own a flooded farm and are obviously pleased that something is finally being done about the problem. Is a cruise the best type of holiday? You certainly have little to worry about and can just relax. You can also take the shore excursions or ignore them, and go yourself. Would I recommend it? You bet 'cha! Roger's Right Corner runs Wednesdays.
