Witness Cruises

by undercover 19 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  undercover

  Another post on another thread about a witness cruise got me to thinking about when the dubs would block whole sections of cabins on cruise ships and have "witness cruises". I never went on one myself, but I knew a few that did. I heard some pretty sordid stories. Hated I missed all the fun.

  I remember at a MS school onetime when the DO or the CO gave a stern warning about these cruises. He basically told all elder/MS's in attendance if they were planning on going on one, they better think better of it. I remember that some that I knew were planning on going on one and had to cancel. Lost their deposit and everything. Do any other ex-elders/servants remember being warned about this?

  How many of you went on these and what was your experience like? I'd like to hear some experiences on these trips.
• 

  cruzanheart

  I vaguely remember hearing about those, but I wasn't into cruises, so I didn't pay much attention. The big thing in Lancaster/DeSoto/Duncanville was ski trips every year, and I went on one of those. If it hadn't been for two friends who went with me, I would have been thoroughly bored. Most of the people who went were very pretentious. We had the obligatory Watchtower study while we were there (though I'm sure Crested Butte has a Kingdom Hall somewhere in the area!). I'm not much of a skier, so I spent a lot of time alone while everyone else was on the slopes, but I liked that part. Crested Butte is a beautiful town, and the mountains were spectacular! Honestly, I tried to learn how to ski but I kept running into things (other skiers, trees, the patio of a condo, etc.) and I finally decided that I wanted to live so I quit. Besides, it was kind of embarrassing that the Ski Patrol knew me on sight by my first name.

  Nina
• 

  tazmaniac

  I remember one elders school where they came down hard on cruises and JW internet dating sites too. I remember the practice sessions for the elders that had parts on the program. Man was the CO a harsh director. Every word was analyzed. I remember that a few of the elders that had the "skit" on handling overhearing about friends going on witness cruises and 2 of the elders had been on a few of those cruises themselves.
• 

  Sara Annie

  The only thing I can think of that would be worse than being trapped in a room for a week with a couple hundred JWs is being trapped in a room on a boat for a week with a couple hundred JWs. Seasickness has got nothing on that little scenario...
• 

  Mutz

  I used to look forward to NOT spending time with Witnesses on holiday. I always seemed to forget to pack my suit so I didn't have to pretend to look for the local 'Kingdumb Hall, oops naughty me. A JW cruise is my idea of hell, Brother or Sister Self-righteous always ready to spoil the fun *shiver*.
• 

  freedom96

  Imagine the witnesses renting the movie room so they could study the watchtower.
• 

  NameWithheld

  Aren't Witness Cruises one of Dante's level's of hell?
• 

  undercover

  LOL, I guess not too many of ya'll went on these then. The ones that I knew that always went were usually not the pioneer types. I'm sure there were some conservative, corn-cobb-up-the-butt types along, but the dubs that I knew that went were usually your more liberal, fun-loving, living-on-the-edge worldly types.
• 

  rocketman

  Another case of crackdown on anything that people, including jws, want to do for fun. On the other hand, I can imagine things getting easily out-of-hand. The repressed might tend to go a little hog-wild when Big Brother ain't watchin'.
• 

  cruzanheart

  The only thing I can think of that would be worse than being trapped in a room for a week with a couple hundred JWs is being trapped in a room on a boat for a week with a couple hundred JWs. Seasickness has got nothing on that little scenario

  How about being trapped on a nice, smelly BUS for TWO DAYS???? Never again.

  Nina