Ngaire:

For what it may be worth, I think moving the "Off Topic" posts to a separate identified forum is a very good idea. This way, anyone new to the board can go to "Cruise Talk" for information directly relating to cruise experiences, and can go the the "Off Topic" forum to see what other interests cruisers on Radisson and Silversea have.

This is not a small matter to us, as we have always felt that one of the MAJOR reasons for our preference for Radisson has been how basically nice our fellow guests are on that line. So the "Off Topic" forum gives people new to luxury cruising a chance to get to know what their fellow guests will be like, in advance. When such people go to the "Off Topic" forum, they will learn that we are not "stuffy" as they might have believed, but instead love our animal companions, cars, birthdays, jokes, and (for most of us) informality.

The importance of one's compatibility with fellow guests is reinforced by the contents of another cruise board (Cruise Mates' Cruise Gripes forum), where the majority of "Gripes" are about fellow guests. Your "Off Topic" forum gives a prospective cruiser a chance to "get to know" what fellow guests will be like, before booking.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)