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The National Review Institute Cruise
It was great to be cruising again, and to be on an NRI cruise. Although neutral observer and I have been on a few NR cruises, this was our first NRI cruise. The difference? The NR cruises had a lot more speakers and panel sessions. Even with the reduced number, we had a lot of fun and learned a lot. First of all, we had a near-continuous Ricochet Meetup underway. I don’t have the ten-Ricochetti dinner pictures, so someone else will have to post those. Here we go:
Left to right, we have Stad, neutral observer, Bob Herring, GLDIII, and Red Herring. The picture was taken at the bar (no shicker there) by the stylish main atrium:
Of the seven dinners, we had three guest speakers. First, here’s GLDIII discussing building one’s own airplane with Charles C.W. Cooke:
Our next guest speaker was none other than Andrew McCarthy. Here is neutral observer trying to figure out how to ditch me and head to Andy’s cabin:
Finally, we had not only dinner, but breakfast that morning with Veronique de Rugy:
Charles was his usual reserved former British self, but Andy and Veronique were a lot more open and animated when they discussed their passions: the law and economics, respectively. The three also shared many personal stories, some hilarious, others more somber. Bottom line? All of the guest speakers were approachable, very warm, and personable.
As for the Ricochetti, let’s just say there was a challenge to break the limit on our beverage packages, which included alcohol. I’m sad to report neither I nor neutral observer was able to break it (too old, I guess). Fellow Rico-shipmates can leave their excuses in the comment section . . .
Oh, the parties! There was a kickoff cocktail party, a cigar smoker, and a farewell cocktail party. Here is a picture from the farewell party (again, fellow cruisers – post your pics!):
Here we have Mrs. GLDIII, GLDIII, Stad, neutral observer, Red Herring, and Bob Herring.
The bottom line? Cruising is back in general, and it looks like the NRI cruises are returning. No word on a regular NR cruise, but it’s a possibility if they can rope the NRI President, Lindsay Craig into doing it. Oh! She’s a sweetheart, and was ready to join in the fun even though she had a job to do. I highly recommend NRI cruises, as you get to meet and hear from people who have done or are currently doing great things.
Okay, fellow shipmates – post your pics!
(Pssst. @roblong and @jameslileks, you missed a good one!)
Published in Meetups
We didn’t pay all that money to be angry, negative, and miserable.
He started a conversation about the great time ricochet folks had. Five friends of mine also were on the cruise and had fun mingling with us, so much so that they are going to check out the site. I bet at least 3 join. Do you think they would be interested in joining a bunch of sour pusses?
I remember that post well.
We all need to have some close fiends.
I love his books: Holidays in Hell, Give War a Chance, Parliament of Whores … good stuff.
Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
It is a vacation.
@eherring, those photos are kind of small. Could I have your permission to edit your comment and display the photos in a larger size?
Moderator Note:
There was no intention violation of the rules here, but since this post has gone to the Main Feed, I replaced the last name of one of the members with his screen name, since he may not want the larger world to know who he is.Yes, you may. The meetup picture was shared to all of us by @gldiii. The rest are Herring pics.
Thanks.
It is easy. NRI sent an email to cruisers asking what topics they wanted discussed and who they wanted to sit with. On panels, the would interview one or two people on topics then open up the floor for questions. On Burke to Buckley seminars, the three were announced in advance and people signed up so they could give the ship a head count for food and place settings. It was a private continental breakfast for attendees. Those were more interactive. Socials were free for alls where we could mingle with speakers and cruisers. Each was open bar and catered with hors d‘oeuvres.
It’s not that the cruisers “couldn’t get over the fact” that NR is solidly anti-Trump. I never heard a single comment by any speaker or any cruiser that suggested that Trump would be an acceptable nominee. Perhaps there were a few who would accept or even support Trump, but they did not speak up–even once that I heard.
It was absolutely common coin that Trump is unfit for office and would, if nominated, lose the election so badly that the GOP would be seriously damaged for a long time to come. Most agreed with Andy’s long-stated view that the Dems are actively rooting for a Trump candidacy (which is why a federal indictment is unlikely until Trump is no longer a viable candidate).
Egads, that sounds awful! How long ago was this?
Geez, Louise, are you sure we aren’t really sisters? My idea of what to do on a cruise is exactly the same! We have been on two Hillsdale College cruises, and I have hundreds of photos of the water, and the sky, and seabirds taken from our balcony. There is nothing more relaxing than sitting on your stateroom balcony with a good book and a drink, just watching and listening to the water go by. I don’t need lots of activities (even though all the Hillsdale lectures were fascinating).
That was part of Rico lore when I was still a newbie. I’m guessing it happened sometime from 2013-15, though I’m not sure.
That’s the BDB Cruise.
Pretty in Pink? I know me too.
Where do you cruise to and from? How long are they?
The only cruise I was ever on was a booze cruise from Dublin to Holyhead and back. Good old fun we were met by the police on our return but I didn’t do it whatever it was.
Nice!
Same with the drink package . . .
But if he is the nominee, will you support him against the Democrat in the general election?
Or sitting by the pool with a bucket of Corona watching the bikinis, then sorting out who should or should not be wearing them . . .
My dream cruise . . .
That was May of 2015, following the glorious Nashville Mega-Meetup. Barkha’s nutrition article is here, and it ran to 576 comments!
And if anyone wants to read the post-meetup reports from Nashville, they are here, here, and here. That was a great time.
During the height of Covid Hawaii announced restrictions that included being confined to your hotel room for 14 days after arriving in the island.
I told my wife I could think of several vacation ideas worse than sitting on the balcony of an Ocean-front hotel room in Hawaii for two weeks and that we should consider it.
Are they ones that did an acceleration/deceleration and cornering analysis of a Navy Destroyer?
Not true for some people.
I don’t drink beer anymore so I’d probably start crying before I reached Wales if I went on one now.
Gosh, I miss some of those people (and not always fondly). I am sad when I see some of the comments that read so defensively, and amused when I read the remarks of those who shout the dietary equivalent of “Get off my lawn!”
LOL. No prizes among the old-timers for guessing who wrote that. 👠👠
And I think that’s the most depressing aspect of such comments, then and now. When you can read a comment and–without looking to see who wrote it–you already know who wrote it, then the place becomes boring, and we might as well just phone it in. Or, in this third decade of the 21st-century, we could just send in the bots. Far better, IMHO, to mix it up, change it up, demonstrate all the smart inconsistencies of larger minds, and keep people guessing.
From my first comment on the thread:
I made so many subsequent comments, I’m proud to say–#157 was particularly good–that I think this was the first (but far from the last) time I received a message from a moderator urging caution before I got myself suspended. LOL. Had it happened, it would have been totally worth it.
Oh, we were there and were referred to as “idiots” six times the first two days by fellow passengers in questions to the speakers. I kept my mouth shut because I wasn’t in the mood to ruin my vacation in a pissing contest…nor am I an idiot…nor do I appreciate the elitist snobbery that has overtaken some on our side. If I wanted condescension, I would be a Democrat voter. Had Hassett, Mahoney, and VDH been there, we would have heard a more balanced debate. It is too bad personal matters kept the first two off the ship and a fallout cost them the latter. I had requested a session with Hassett on his The Drift and it was on the schedule. His absence denied us the counterpoint.
There were a lot of absent cruisers. A normal NR cruise could expect 450 cruisers but I have seen many more. Once the Trump bashing began, the 2019 cruise had under 300. There were no Covid restrictions and no masks and ships are starting to reach capacity yet we had only 140. There also was a healthy dose of rationalizing their stand (easy to figure out why). I am still a firm believer in NRI even though I disagree with some of the NR views. NRI worked hard to give cruisers a good time and TCAVA worked hard to ensure the ship gave us a good time.
We were there and they knew it. We are here and you know it. I don’t want to live life in a pissing contest but I am also not part of the sheeple to be molded by the elitists. I am also eager for NRI to announce the next cruise so I can plan and budget to be there….Alaska, I hear, great opportunity for a meetup at sea again.
Most shouldn’t have been.