Traveling with Aussies - Volume 2

Cruise Day 14

We were at sea for seven days straight. I loved it – very relaxing! Plus more time to observe the Aussies On Holiday.

They continue to be a lively bunch. They are very participatory, too. Every show, game, activity, jewelry sales pitch – lots show up with great enthusiasm. A surprising number of tuxes and sparkly dresses on Formal Nights, too.

Even with the threat of a dead fish, the Aussies
were eager to fully participate in the maritime
Crossing the Equator ceremony.
Good on 'em!

They LOVE line dancing and “meet-ups.” Through the magic of Facebook, the self-propelled Aussies have arranged group gatherings for folks from various parts of Australia, people who were on last year’s World Cruise, people who want to knit together, chair yoga enthusiasts. A group took over my favorite quiet area today, complete with a whiteboard and handouts. I didn’t stick around to find out what they were doing. The lingering bartender was mystified, too. Rob later suggested it was a bridge playing group. Completely organized by the cruisers themselves. I'm hoping they asked Guest Services for the whiteboard, but I wouldn't put it past them to have toted it onboard themselves back in Sydney.

Photo snagged off the Facebook page.
I took a few photos of pool-side line
dancing but this one is better. From
my eavesdropping (much harder due
to their accents), at least half of the classes
are led by enthusiastic passengers.

The Aussies have kept our Cruise Director, Lloyd, very busy with all sorts of requests. He’s arranged special movie showings (requiring the Corporate Office to secure the licensing rights), added extra performances of favorite entertainers, and found locations for passenger-led activities and talks (Scottish line dancing taught by a passenger was niche but well attended as I wandered by). I even noticed two women who are clearly passengers now sporting name tags in the Library as semi-official Book Hosts.

The Australians also have been quite entertaining snarking at each other. There is a cruise-specific Facebook page where people post photos of their excursions, desperately ask about lost items, arrange the aforementioned meet-ups, and make a litany of requests of poor Lloyd. They also use the space to blast perceived poor cruiser behavior, call each other names for being rude, and provide dissertations on the proper way to eat a dinner roll (not even kidding; SO wish the post hadn't been deleted!). 

There is also a Communications Board in a common area near the Photography Department. I've never seen this on a cruise before, so I have no idea if it is a World Cruise thing, or if the Aussies requested it before we got on board. Either way, the bulletin board is supposed to be a venue for finding like-minded folks for activities, giving glowing shout-outs to crew members, and other happy public displays of encouragement. However, the board has devolved into an analog version of Facebook with all sorts of complaints and insults. I overheard one woman refer to it as the Bitch Board. She's not wrong! But wow, so much negativity! It's amusing...and sad.

The board had recently been cleaned out, which
prompted another set of complaints. Also amusing:
how often there are crowds gathered to read and
tsk tsk at all of the negative, gossipy comments.
Humans are so entertaining!

So, two weeks later, my initial impression of the Aussies hasn't changed. They are still loud and extroverted and demanding. But – at least for now – I am finding them more entertaining than annoying.