Our daughter (Lisa) and son-in-law (Aron) were bitten, or smitten, by the travel bug early in their relationship and as a result they have been to places we’d likely not consider visiting without their experiences. One of the many things they’ve told us is how appreciative people are in countries where poverty is the norm, when visitors deliver some of life’s basic necessities, things like soap and shampoo.
Anybody who has cruised the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico can identify with these conditions.
In all the years that cruise ships have been stopping at what appear to be ports of poverty, do you think nobody noticed?
Well, lots did…even when the ports didn’t have locals near the terminals looking for handouts.
We discovered first-hand that Celebrity ships distribute wheelchairs and TVs that have been replaced on board, because they know people in some of their ports will make use of them.
Holland America routinely gives mattresses, linens, cookware and partially-used toiletries to homeless shelters, and televisions to charities to be relayed to low-income families. Last month, three of the cruise line’s grand pianos went to three schools in south Florida.
Princess recently donated 4,000 televisions to shelters, recovery houses and social housing buildings in Vancouver, a city like all cities with people in need.
This is probably routine procedure in the cruise industry because the high standards that have to be maintained mean many things are replaced before their time, in particular the change to flat-screen TVs. For whatever reasons, it’s always a low-key process. No bragging. No photo-ops. No press releases.
Unfortunately, the giveaways don’t include the most disposable product cruise ships have — food. The risk that some food will go bad and some recipient will get sick is a risk too great to take.
That’s it, we’re done.