What was your experience like playing TT on a cruise ship?

[futureman39]

Hi TTD Forum members. I'm curious to see what experiences we've had playing table tennis on cruise ships i.e. tournaments etc.

 

[yogi_bear]

Wouldn't be that too windy?

 

[futureman39]

Wouldn't be that too windy?

Some tables are indoors. Depends on the cruise ship.

 

[PushSmasher]

This is how I got started playing TT. Loved it so much when I got back home I discovered there was a TT club just 5 minutes from my home. Now every cruise I take I bring my own racket and TT balls on the ship. Often you'll find good club players so it's good to have your own blade instead of having to use the rubber ones often on ships.

 

[Orca]

I work onboard a seismic vessel, this is where I play everyday after shift. Just 100m long and about 20m wide, luckily they dedicate a room for table tennis right in the centre of accommodation. With vessel moving nearly 5 knots most of the time while towing 8km of cables, the tt room is a bit stable, though we could feel the vessel rolling and pitching most of the time.Since I played nearly every day while onboard, it took me some time when I got home to get used to play without sea motion, as sensation while playing onboard is too big difference compared to playing on firm ground. And I showed up at local club only twice a week or practice or play, and the first two weeks are always the hardest to get the timing correction when hitting the ball. 😅😅😅

 

[Kontra]

Best tt on cruise ships is definitely in staff only area. I used to work on huge cruise ships and luckily there was always 5-6 really good players from all over the world. One of them when he was younger, used to play top league, I think he was from Indonesia. To win few points against him was very difficult. Whenever I saw guests playing I wasn't really impressed with their skills so I would just walk by. Most of the tables for guests are placed on open decks which, if ship is sailing, are windy.

 

[brokenball]

I have two Chinese practice partners that travel together on cruise ships. They said wind was a problem. Also, they had ship wide TT tournaments but they had to use the ship's paddle. One of the two is very good ( 1st table when the club was open ) and he alway won.
I didn't ask if they played while sailing or only in port. I just remember that wind is a problem.