Empress of the North to become the largest cruise ship in Alaska??

A really beautiful flag! Are there any other "republics" in this country, aside, of course, from Texas.

Figured I'd stir someone up with those remarks. Doesn't matter. It's always a good idea to know how to save yourself and stay out of trouble, whether it's a dingy or the SS Big Kahuna. I know the press blows things out of proportion every time a serious cruise ship incident occurs, but in this day and age, I don't think these things should happen at all.

The last part of your post struck me the most interesting because why is the Hawaian market such a killer so often? It was that end of things that caused the problems for American Classic Voyages. And the gossip I heard was that it was too much money for a rather dirty and old and grungy (is that a word?) boat.

Also, flagged under a US flag does mean a lot more paperwork and more jobs are filled as a result. As to whether it is safer or not, that has yet to be proved. The SOLAS laws after the Yarmouth Castle fire were applicable to US flagged ships- which the Yarmouth Castle was not US flagged.

Yes, even Disney is Bahama flagged.

When I read the story about the Empress of the North pilot, I thought to myself that the pilot has earned his college degree and while he was inexperienced, he may have been more conscientious about things than a seasoned pilot. There were no injuries or loss of life. Sure, I might prefer my pilots and captains have a blend of both education and experience but I was annoyed when I read the article and thought how the pilot was being attacked because of his youth and if he had been over 65 he would have still been attacked because of his age.

Again, because of my involvement with the airline industry, I think that how many people pay attention to the safety lecture or look at their card in the seatback in front of them. I have to order replacement cards whenever they go missing or get torn or worn out. But would everyone really remember to pull the card out in an emergency? Yet, that doesn't mean they should be eliminated.

If I am travelling at sea, I do check about PFDs and lifeboats, hoses, safety matters. And it would not matter to me where the vessel was flagged. But I also observe the crew and see how they function as a team. That I do regardless of how I travel because it is that team who will be ultimately the people who can help me.

That brings me to my own opinion of the crews not always functioning as well. It doesn't matter whether you have college kids, oldies, union, or non-union- if the leadership or management cannot create a team atmosphere, they failed and need to be replaced. There have been a lot of re-runs of the movie The Dirty Dozen and it brings up the same issue- without teamwork, all is lost. And, I might add, that is probably another one of the reasons why I admire the entertainers. Usually that field is filled with the biggest egos but on every one of the boats I worked on, the entertainers were a team.

Elaine,
Count me as one of the few who appreciate those cards & reads them. I get a kick out of how they show to carefully stow the emergency door on the seats. Heck, if I'm opening that door, the plane will likely never be used again--I'm gonna just toss that thing out and out of the way! (We often get the emergency aisle, love the extra leg room, & I'm the kinda guy who would be helping people out in an emergency anyways.)
S'
David D.

Lexie Palmore;9117 wrote: A really beautiful flag! Are there any other "republics" in this country, aside, of course, from Texas.

Lexie,

With all due respect and affection, being a transplanted Bostonian lost in the wilderness that is Central Texas, I think that in many ways, Texas is not so much another republic as it is another planet.

Paul

LOL- David, I am only 5'1" and one of the perks of working the airline industry is being placed in the emergency exit seat or first class. I am practically beside myself with legroom which is kinda funny. As a crew member on the steamboats, I would invariably get a middle seat and last to board with no room for carry on and be in a panic if I was travelling to the boats rather than home for vacation. On my way there, I had to have my luggage arrive with me- it had my uniform. It got dicey about carrying my corkscrew after 9/11 and I had to change how I did things after that.

Oh- and I always laugh when they tell you about the oxygen masks and travelling with children or someone who might need assistance and if you have more than one person to assist, decide who you love more.

But it is funny how different jobs have given me different perspectives.

California was a Republic, still states that on the state flag. And then there's the case of the Great State of Jefferson, being that part of Northern California somewhere north of Chico, CA and that part of Oregon south of Eugene, OR. It depends on where you're from, some place the southern border at Redding, CA, and the northern boarder at Grants Pass, OR. And then there's Humboldt County, a place unto itself even today! (that's were most of the Redwood is).
S'
David D.