Voting from Sea Just Takes a Little Effort
Day 11, South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand Cruise
Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022; At Sea, Pacific Ocean.
I’m one to settle into a routine on the ship, especially on sea days. I start early, around 6 a.m. with coffee in the Lido. My usual table is available at that time, and there are a few other regulars who sit around me. Typically, I sit for a couple of hours, slowly having some breakfast and coffee refills, and power up the laptop to catch up on other cruising blogs, get up to date on the news, start Wordle and Spelling Bee (two daily puzzles) and deal with any new email that needs my attention.
Today I moved to a new table across the Lido, and if you know me, you know it’s a big deal. A couple of the early morning risers at the next table have taken to beginning their days with a lively and somewhat loud political discussion. It’s just not the way I want to start my day.
I am noticing more political talk around the ship on this cruise than during long cruises in 2019 and early 2020. At dinner and happy hours, passengers generally follow the traditional admonition to avoid talk of politics (and religion). But once they find someone in their tribe, they don’t hesitate to talk among themselves. In the public areas of the ship, the discussions don’t always stay private.
We are polarized enough as it is. Even on our stateroom televisions, we have a choice of Fox on the right and MSNBC on the left. Thank goodness for the third news option – BBC, where I learn so much about the rest of the world. So I vote for leaving the political discussions on shore.
Speaking of voting, we have midterm elections coming up in the United States in early November, well before I will return home. As every state sets its own voting procedure, it takes some research to figure out how to vote. We left before mail-in, absentee and early voting began in most states. My home state, Texas, doesn’t make it as easy to vote as some.
But thanks to the Federal Post Card Application procedure required by the federal government for the military and other citizens who are living overseas (which I am considered to be doing), I am able to cast my ballot. As much as I love cruising, I would have to think twice if it kept me from voting.
Cruise Critic Meet and Greet
I don’t think I reported that our Cruise Critic roll call group had a “meet and greet” on our first day at sea. These groups are organized by passengers on the Cruise Critic website for virtually every cruise, but the participation varies greatly. I’ve been on cruises that had 6,000 posts before we sailed, and some that had only one.
This roll call was moderately active, with people struggling to plan private shore excursions because most of our ports are just opening up again to tourists. We also stumbled through the need for visas and the various processes to obtain them.
A few dozen people gathered in one of the lounges to meet in person, although this time without the usual introductions or meet-up plans around common interests. Still, I put several names with faces and am thankful to those who organized it.
Have to tried the MDR for your breakfast routine? I rarely eat breakfast there myself but then again I am rarely up at 6am either. I wonder if they would care if you lingered over a laptop for a couple of hours? They always seem to want the tables to turn over there.
No, Pete, I haven’t tried the MDR breakfast in recent years, as it would be too late for me. And I don’t think I would use the laptop there. Now I am going up to the Crow’s Nest for a latte and table there, as it is less crowded. But I did always enjoy sharing the table in the Lido — I’ve met some great cruise friends that way.
Fascinating!
Really enjoy reading your adventures.
I want to have sincere, open conversations with people on a cruise. It’s one of the activities I like most about being on a ship for several weeks. But, I do not want to engage in political conversations. I find it becomes defensive and acrimonious quickly. Discussing politics has become a zero sum game. And I wonder if somehow we have lost the art of conversation – of really listening to each other without the anticipation of our next retort.
When I think about the pandemic and what it brought to my personal life, that time allowed me to be more in the present. I couldn’t work or swim at the YMCA. I thought about how I could serve my friends and neighbors and my relationships grew deeper and more meaningful. This time was unsettling in many ways and sad too but I had a measure of peace I hadn’t had in a long time.
I am sorry you had to move your table but you are choosing a new setting, which I hope will bring you peace.
Your blog continues to be thought-provoking and wise. And the fact that you’re back writing it again and sharing it is a beautiful thing.
I agree, Kate — it’s almost impossible to discuss politics these days. I’m glad to hear you found some good amid the pandemic. And I hope to see you again on one of these ships. Unfortunately, we don’t have any lecturers on this long cruise — even with 11 sea days so far. The cruise director reads a script about the history of some of these islands, but there’s no opportunity for Q&A or any deeper understanding.
I am enjoying your cruising blog so much. You are a very good travel writer. As a retired travel agent I find you write of so many things I was very familiar with. I shan’t say that I won’t be ocean cruising again (never say never) but it is kind of doubtful, so your descriptions of ports and shipboard life are very much appreciated.
The information about voting was so interesting. This is one of my favorite posts because it gave me a glimpse into your delightful morning routine and created a link between your cruising life and an issue American citizens are dealing with: changes in voting laws. (Iowa where I live has made it much more difficult to vote.)
Thanks, Dorothy! If I stayed home more often, expanding voting rights would be a cause I could get behind. And thanks for sharing the blog on your Facebook page.