Living thru Hell Week Aruba right now

[psguru]

I've been in Aruba several times during Hell Week. We never called it that while we were there but none of the stories on this board are exaggerations.

Good luck taking a misbehaved kid to the parents because a. you probably won't find the parents, maybe a nanny or b. if you do find them, they won't give a crap.

Two years ago, a group of them were playing football in the lazy river, splashing everyone, not giving a damn. I got a hold of the football and threw it away. They stopped.

Years ago, my family and I were ordering lunch at the OC. A kid walks up to the waitress, grabs her and tells her to take his order first since he's hungry. To this kid, we weren't even there.

The hallways don't quiet down til 3 or 4 in the morning. Better to bother everyone but their parents.

And I don't think i've ever seen any of them throw away a piece of garbage.

I think calling it hell week is actually being nice! It could be called much worse.

 

[SueDonJ]

You have fun on vacation by laying still on a beach or by a pool. Kids have fun by running around playing catch and rough housing. Different strokes for different folks.

This is just people wanting everyone around them to only act the way they want.

That's your opinion. In mine, formed from reading various websites over a period of several years and taking into consideration the "reputation" of posters who have been eyewitnesses, it is much more than what you want to minimize it to. Even if you take into account a degree of embellishment for anonymity and/or folks maybe posting when they're in an aggravated state, it's still so much more.

 

[Ridewithme38]

Sue, I agree some of the posters are people I respect. BUT re-read what they wrote. Most is 3rd hand info at best. The info that is 1st hand is just kids being kids, or one example of a kid who's parents shouldn't have 'spared the rod'. If kids playing catch and 'splashing around' is really the extent of it, it may just be an age issue.

 

[LDT]

Don't forget to take the photos of the women wearing almost nothing in the pool someone mentioned previously. I think those will unlock the answers we are looking for.

I will say one thing, there is plenty for the men folk to look at. I have never seen so many nice looking young women dressed to the hilt just to walk to the beach or pool. I asked why they wear dresses and high high heels and was told that the women try to outdo each other. That part I did not mind!

 

[SueDonJ]

Sue, I agree some of the posters are people I respect. BUT re-read what they wrote. Most is 3rd hand info at best. The info that is 1st hand is just kids being kids, or one example of a kid who's parents shouldn't have 'spared the rod'. If kids playing catch and 'splashing around' is really the extent of it, it may just be an age issue.

Re-read what I wrote, Ride. My opinion isn't based on only this one thread, or only on TUG reports, or only this year. If you want a better understanding than you seem to be getting from this one thread, put in the effort to find the information that's out there. But of course if all you want to do is validate the opinion you've formed, feel free to keep disagreeing with those of us who don't share it.

 

[Beefnot]

The specific group is from a religious organization in Brooklyn New York. But you treat this discussion as if its maligning Sephardi or the greater Jewish religious community.

I dunno, I thought the quote below at least toed the line. Perhaps it does not qualify because the aspersion was just refined to those in Brooklyn, I dunno.

The best thing to do going forward is to check the website of any sephardic hebrew school in Brooklyn to find out when their winter break is. They usually do not have off for Christmas so mid to late January is when they have their break.


I've been there many times with them. It's a horror show and gives us other Jews a bad name.

 

[Saintsfanfl]

I dunno, I thought the quote below at least toed the line. Perhaps it does not qualify because the aspersion was just refined to those in Brooklyn, I dunno.

I agree with it toeing the line. I may be out of line but it seems to me that when you combine "any sephardic hebrew school in Brooklyn" with "gives us other Jews a bad name" it indicates that some non-Sephardic Jews might be prejudice against Sephardic Jews, or at least the ones in Brooklyn.

 

[psguru]

I'm prejudiced against any group that ruins my vacation.

 

[Saintsfanfl]

I'm prejudiced against any group that ruins my vacation.

Well, should it be limited to only the ones actually ruining your vacation? That puts it on a specific individual or isolated group basis and not a general paint brush across a larger group. Setting aside the rest of the world, the ones in the Brooklyn "group" that never go to Aruba far outnumber the ones that make it and ruin vacations.

 

[vacationhopeful]

I'm prejudiced against any group that ruins my vacation.

Esp if it is my relations or relatives --- I don't invite them along for 5 or 10 years.

 

[Saintsfanfl]

Esp if it is my relations or relatives --- I don't invite them along for 5 or 10 years.

Isn't that the truth!

 

[m61376]

I understand completely that the discussion could be irritating and can be downright infuriating to those who share a common religious bond with the specific group, especially when the discussion includes elements of antisemitism or stereotyping. But the moderators have skillfully removed even the mere suggestion or implication of anti-Semitic remarks or stereotypes.

I agree that the moderators have done a wonderful job this year, and that also- from what I've read at least on this thread- there was far less moderating required than in prior years. I know I, and I venture to guess several others here, have been sensitized by the way prior years' threads have devolved into snide, generalized comments about the people and not just the aberrant behavior of some of the guests that come down generally during week 3, but sometimes during week 4.

I know I open this thread with a bit of trepidation as to where it will be headed next. That said, I agree that IF the behavior again has escalated (and, as I said, I was told that it was much better over the past few years from people who were there and I overlapped a weekend two years ago without noticing anything out of the norm), then everything possible should be done to exert pressure on Marriott. I have no doubt from what I've heard that, at least a few years back, the behaviors were pretty obtrusive, but from what I was told over the past 2-3 years or so and what I experienced over an overlapping weekend, the problems had largely been dealt with and remediated.

So I'm left to wonder if whether things have gotten bad during week 3 or 4 again, or if people are just over-reacting to annoyances that can be encountered on any vacation because of stories that have been blown out of proportion (like the old game of telephone...).

 

[DeniseM]

Sue, I agree some of the posters are people I respect. BUT re-read what they wrote. Most is 3rd hand info at best. The info that is 1st hand is just kids being kids, or one example of a kid who's parents shouldn't have 'spared the rod'. If kids playing catch and 'splashing around' is really the extent of it, it may just be an age issue.

SERIOUSLY, Folks? Ride is already "riding" both sides of the thread. On one hand he is going to "lay hands" on any kids who ever behave this way to him, and then in the next breath, he is defending them and making comments about "AGE ISSUE." i.e. - "you people are just old and grouchy!"

He has BOTH sides arguing with him!

You are being played!

 

[amanda14]

SERIOUSLY Folks - Ride is already "riding" both sides of the thread. On one hand he is going to "lay hands" on any kids who ever behave this way to him, and then in the next breath, he is defending them and making comments about "AGE ISSUE."

He has BOTH sides arguing with him!

You are being played!

Like button please

 

[Weimaraner]

I will say one thing, there is plenty for the men folk to look at. I have never seen so many nice looking young women dressed to the hilt just to walk to the beach or pool. I asked why they wear dresses and high high heels and was told that the women try to outdo each other. That part I did not mind!

I'm a woman and have to agree with you about the dresses, heels, coverups etc. As a Project Runway fan, I was drooling over some of the New York Sex and the City clothes ( i know you were staring for other reasons. Haha). Even my 6-yearold was outdressed at the pool and I didn't see the usual Target swimsuit. My sister said, "oops forgot the heels at home."

 

[heathpack]

Like button please

My favorite part of this is when Ride (who I believe is in a custody dispute with his ex) posted that he finds it reasonable for 3-4 year old children to swim unsupervised. Wonder what the family court judge will make of that, should said ex be savvy enough to use his Internet postings in the proceedings?

Sometimes I just cannot look away.

H

 

[DeniseM]

Ride has a sizzling presence on the Internet - a savvy attorney could make mince meat out of him.

He uses the same user name everywhere - a 5 year old could "find" him with an Etch-A-Sketch.

 

[Ridewithme38]

I used to be internet famous. (Please don't ask for autographs) I've burned out my 5 minutes of fame though.

 

[joewillie12]

I will say one thing, there is plenty for the men folk to look at. I have never seen so many nice looking young women dressed to the hilt just to walk to the beach or pool. I asked why they wear dresses and high high heels and was told that the women try to outdo each other. That part I did not mind!

Now that's what I'm talking about!. Nice to hear something pleasant. Toilet paper all over,special elevators, over flowing commodes,ignorance & rudeness, hijacked planes or re-routed planes,out of controlled children & adults and so on is bs. No excuse is not tolerable. Until Marriott decides to control the inmates that show up sometime in January this lunacy will continue to happen no matter what anyone complains about or video tapes. According to the prior threads this has been happening for sometime. Rules & Regulations are set to keep people safe and protected. Time to enforce them Marriott. I'm sorry to hear that people's vacations are being ruined by these renagades. Thanks LDT. I'm looking forward to the scenery and my time at MSC.