Cruise Travel Tips Especially for My Fellow Canadians

This is the second in my three part "The Dull Co-Worker Cruise Tips" articles which I was inspired to write based on last week's cruise experience. In this post, I try to inpart some wisdom to my fellow Canadians which may or may not be helpful to those readers from other parts of the globe:

• On a cruise, lines may mean nothing. I’ve experienced on more than one occasion where most passengers follow social etiquette and stand in line to get food but then, another passenger or two will walk right past the line to the counter and get served immediately. It’s interesting because no one seems to confront these line jumpers…likely that’s because the line is full of other Canadians who would just apologize for being in the person’s way in the first place. My tip here for my fellow Canadians: do not apologize in this situation for heaven’s sake. I know we have a habit of apologizing for no reason at all so try your best to quash that instinct. Just be your laid back self and do absolutely nothing but wait until you are called upon.
  


• Be prepared that you will find very limited hockey news on the ship. The ship will carry ESPN (the sports network) and will report on everything but the hockey scores. Even though there are over 25 NHL hockey teams in the USA, there’s barely any hockey news to be found on the TV. Does Canada sell a patch to help their hockey fans handle a week without hockey news? Perhaps this is something that could be sold at Tim Horton’s (our unofficial national coffee & donut shop).
  
  


• If you are a Canadian, others will identify you as a Canadian soon after you speak. Apparently, we say “eh” after most sentences and we may not even realize this. At least we’re self-deprecating and can easily make fun of this trait, eh?
  


• You will meet people who know nothing about your country. Be gracious when answering questions. Especially if you are Canadian and another passenger has visited Vancouver which they believe to be right next to Toronto. Or, they may believe we have snow year round and we all speak French. Also, don’t be surprised if they are offended by our free health care which some may tell you is a symbol of communism????