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Cruises

Past Progressive Tense

Date: Nov 07 2011

Grammar: Past Progressive Tense

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Intro

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Cruises sound pretty fun in theory. You sail around on a giant floating hotel, visiting one beautiful spot after another. All your meals are included, and if you don’t feel like sightseeing one day, you can relax by the pool instead.

But while a cruise might be the perfect vacation for some, it can be a nightmare for people who get seasick. Plus, most cruises only allow you to spend a short time at each stop. So they aren’t great for travelers who really want to get to know a new place.

Mason’s grandmother wants his family to take a cruise together. But as he explains to Devan, he doesn’t think that’s a very good idea.

Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Devan

Mason: My nana likes us to take family vacations, and she keeps trying to get me to go on a family cruise, and I am so against that idea.

Devan: I am with you on that. My friend’s family took me on a cruise with them, which, although I’m grateful that they took me on an all expenses paid vacation, was in my opinion the absolute worst way you can travel. I would rather just go…instead of going to four different islands for a few hours at a time and being stuck in the tourist traps, I would rather just go to one island for like a week, and get away from the tourists, and go see more of the culture, as opposed to…you know, it’s just very claustrophobic being stuck with all those people on a boat.

Mason: Right! You have just outlined every argument as to why I do not want to go on a cruise.

Devan: Yeah, not to mention I totally got seasick. The boat was moving, it was making me nauseous. The buffet was terrible, terrible food. And the crew was very cheesy. They sing and they dance, and they try to get you to participate, and if you’re anything like me, you just want to be left alone when you’re on vacation.

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Discussion

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Mason’s grandmother wants him to go on a family cruise. But Mason thinks that sounds like a terrible idea.

Devan agrees with Mason. She doesn’t like cruises. She went on one once, and she didn’t enjoy it very much. She didn’t like being stuck on boat, and she got seasick. She would prefer to spend more time in a single place, rather than taking a cruise ship from place to place and spending only a few hours in each spot.

Would you like to go on a cruise? Describe your ideal vacation.

Comments

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DominikLi

China

“晕船的孩纸你伤不起！”

It’s hard for me to be in cruises cause I have a seasick,I just can’t stop shaking when I see ocean around me.

Yutiko

Ukraine

I wouldn`t like to go on a cruises,because I get seasick.Also I don`t want to go on a cruise alone.My friend is a sailor and sail for a few months.So I think it will the worth idea of his vacation to go on a cruise

mahmoud touati

Tunisia

i would like to travel by plane more than travelleing by boat ,the real cruise is on the plane not on the boat i think :p

selvgali

Honduras

I don’t like boating, nor cruising since I had a bad experience in which I almost died. It was in a very narrow boat they call “callucos”, we were in a little island and started crossing the sea towards the dock, then suddenly we crashed against a rock and the boat stayed stopped and the waves were hitting the boat everywhere and we were about to sink, so I started to scream and so the others in the boat and my children were crying, but at last the boat could go on and when we got the dock I was furious with the man in charge of the boat and I decided not to get on a boat again in my life.

negin_negin

Iraq

hi how are u?

keroro520

China

I am on Devan ~

I prefer staying a place for several days to travelling several places in a short time.And it sounds that the cruises is not fun ~

kukuka

Ukraine

Oh I’ve never been on a cruise so I would do it willingly. I bet that would be a great experience!

Maria del Alba

Spain

I’ve never gone on a cruise but I’d like to be on it because it is better to travel on a boat than by car (unless you get seasick) because I love water, the sea, the tides, and the sensation you feel when you breath the air see and your body touchs the sense of the breeze.

Anyway, visiting an island is gorgeous because you can see the sea surrounded you everywhere. It is like you can see ‘the infinite’.

Bruce_zhou

China

As for me ,i like vacation very much,i like travel to some new place which i never went to in my holiday,but there have one problem we have to think about it ,travel always need much money to support,expecial travel to other country,as for me ,i prefer cheap travel without travel agent,you know ,if you travel by youself and without travel agent,you have to think about thorough before you go,such as the weather in the tourist place and the traffic the view and so forth,you can think about anything exactly,the more the better,you will more convenience if you think about thorough.if i have a chance to travel on cruises,maybe really interesting and funning,actually , i never got seasick when i was on boat,so i think i will like this way to travel on cruises,you can see the sea and relax on the deck,also you can drink some wine if you want,and also ,you can enjoy the sunshine on the deck,but maybe your skin will become brown,anyway ,travel on cruises very nice idear and much funning.

jnain

Saudi Arabia

It is a great idea but as Devan said i am so afraid of sea
My ideal Vacation is:
Going to beach for Romantic Journey
It is a dream

jnain

Saudi Arabia

yes

Ledy - Brendy

Canada

I would love to go on a cruise. It’s my dream since my childhood. I hope one day it become true and I get to know some of the most wonderfull places in the world.

tihame

Denmark

Why not? I am an adventurous person. And i would like to try a cruise. may be it is a nightmare or not.

ahmadmoon

Syrian Arab Republic

I like to try anew thing’s .

And i think the cruises ‘ll be great experience

I hope to try it one day .

TAMER0988

Iraq

I love cruises , when I was a kid I’m do that more than this time , with my family , we have a river near our house , we paid some money to get a boat , & went faraway ..

Its very good days , now , our age & works & life take us faraway from these adventures ..

But I & my friends repeat those days in every time we are met .. Its very good , try to get your hand in the river while the boat will walking on the river surface ..

Its romantic …........

alhgag

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

i love cruises it’s so beautiful although i have never traveled by the ship and at the same time i’m afraid sea cruises because of the sea you know tidal wave and drowning especially when person doesn’t master swimming like me but truly it’s real experiment and you need to be rich for this journey .
have a great day!

peyman gh

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I like it

softlili

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

money is very important

i love life

Palestinian Territory, Occupied

i like to spend my vacation away of the others when the weather be is modest with of the open air it.s depend on of the palce there are a lot places around the world very nice I hope to visit some day in the future

only thing makes us hesitate to decide travels just money and some times our liabilities we dont have time often from the other hand you should to choose of the right time to spend your time a nice atmosphere

I really like to recognize about others civilization this is for me a big pleasure

I think I should to save a lot of money in my bank balance

if I right to select what is of the country I like to visit it

my favorite palce is france and turkey and I really to prefer tourism more than my food if you ask me what do you like from your life ?

my answer I wish to spend my honeymoon in somewhere over the world because all countries are beautiful

HAVE NICE TIME TO ALL

khaethe

Philippines

i like the sound of cruising because it is expensive of course..it is fun..you can meet lots of different people.. you can relaxed..but then i hate and afraid of riding a ship and im scared of the sea and the fact that its gonna be like titanic.