I generally don’t read Forbes. And their online version has been
spamming me for years even though I’ve unsubscribed and told them several times to knock it off…but that said I
happened to wander over to the site today and came across
this article about all the
wonderful cruises now available, and how they are a bargain and how bloody luxurious cruises are. Now I don’t know
about you, but the engaged traveler does NOT go on cruises. Why? Well, for the very reason that the article says
cruises are great:
Traveling on a cruise also provides for a more even, stress-free experience. Passengers
don’t have to deal with maps and foreign languages when trying to hunt down that perfect little restaurant for
dinner; someone else has already done this for you. “You can travel to the most remote parts of the world and not
have to worry about oddities and discrepancies with hotel rooms and food,” says Ricca.
Don’t have to deal with maps? Or the “oddities and discrepancies with hotel rooms and food”? What the hell are you
doing traveling then? Isn’t this part of the whole travel experience, the stuff that makes travel so enriching? I got
no beef against the cruise ship folks, but I do want it to be known that it could be said cruise ships are for wimps.
Could be said….not that I’m saying that, mind you. Anyway, that’s my rant for the day. Or perhaps there will be
another. Now, for your cruise ship reading entertainment I offer
one of the funniest
articles ever written on taking a cruise. This article by Infinite Jest writer David Foster Wallace. (and I mean
it…read this…it is awesome).
Oh, and regarding the meaning of the title of this entry…the Forbes article also has a little sidebar about the
world’s most expensive cruise. The winner:
The 279-foot Annaliesse is the most expensive private yacht charter in the world, and it’s owned by entrepreneur
Andreas Liveras. The ship comfortably holds 36 passengers and has one-to-one guest to staff ratio. On board there’s a
gymnasium, library and a medical center, as well as a spa and cinema. The owner’s suite is 1,200 square feet, and the
ship is available for $840,000 per week.