Boaty McBoat Face

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

This was my first passenger liner in 1965 – so you can see why I am a bit (lot) of a "stick in the mud!"

**LINK**

Only three years before, I was trundling up and down the North Sea in a Geordie collier built in 1949! – Culture shock, – before the Transvaal Castle I was on the war-built cargo ship Richmond Castle.

Bob

[Derek BradleyParticipant @derekbradley32270]

The one and only time I went river cruising was in the 1950s doing my National Service as a Royal Marine with the Royal Naval Rhine Squadron, aka HMS Royal Prince. I wonder what happened to all those impressive gun boats and landing craft. Happy days.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

The key to cruising the Nile is to take a top class boat, it makes all the difference, costs very little more and we had no problems whatsoever last November. If you have the opportunity then do it, you will never forget it. 3 nights in Cairo at the start or finish is the icing on the cake,

If you are interested you can see my review here:

**LINK**

Colin

Edited By Colin Bishop on 06/02/2018 19:58:46

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

It does sound good, but I see there was the obligatory 1 star from someone suffering from "grips in ye guts!" and I think that is enough to put my wife off, although I think I would be OK after all the poor food I ate at sea during my cargo ship years – was never ill at sea – ever.

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Was that aboard our boat MS Mayfair? Seems unlikely to me. If so they may have picked up something ashore. On some of the optional excursions you are given lunch and need to take care what you eat. Cooked food preferably and maintain good hygiene by washing your hands and not putting your fingers in your mouth. Just common sense really. You can get much worse on a cruise ship!

Some people, as you say are more sensitive than others. I tend to have an iron stomach, my wife less so but she was fine except for the last day in the hotel in Cairo when we were both affected by the wine one evening. I was able to shrug it off with mild discomfort but my wife did have a stomach upset but was OK after an hour or so.

People don't help themselves. I have noticed on cruises that some ignore the hand sanitisers when entering dining areas unless insisted upon by the staff and my wife and I have both noticed that many passengers don't bother to wash their hands when using the communal toilets. Disgusting really.

Colin

Edited By Colin Bishop on 06/02/2018 22:48:33

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

No, it was aboard the Emilio. I suppose modern cruise ships are often hit by bugs because there are far too many people aboard them. I never sailed in any ship that was hit by these bugs on a grand scale, but the most passengers I ever sailed with was 1,000, plus 350 crew on the Reina del Mar. Windsor Castle had 250 in first class, plus 600 in tourist and 400 crew. We don't even have passports now (too much globe-trotting), so will not be cruising anywhere, or even leaving the country, but it is interesting to hear others experiences. I am an "armchair adventurer" nowadays. Had my latest book From Good Hope to St Helena, published on 4th December last. It sold out by 30th January! That is as far as my seafaring goes these day. It will not be reprinted though, as the first run of a book has to sell out within two weeks of publication, if it is going to be a success., but it still gave me great satisfaction, although it would not appeal to the modern BoatyMcBoatface generation.

The hardest times often leave the best memories!

Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

This has been a sage lesson in how expressing a forceful and possibly contentious opinion might result in your own feelings being hurt when you receive an acrimonious response.

In other words think before you type.

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

My feelings haven't been hurt at all! I didn't actually know what acrimonious meant , so I just looked it up: "Full of anger, arguments, and bad feeling!" I am not full of anger and bad feeling at all – far from it, but it does sadden me to see the sea and ships treated in this way! (But one has to get used to it these days) I must have typed millions of words in my time, and I always think before I type them! Just looked up contentious as well – "Likely to cause an argument!" Well – it was not me that started this BoatMcBoatface thing!

Bob

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