What's causing bad behavior on cruise ships?

[Hawaiian Mongoose]

The bad behavior we've observed on our last several cruises that is disturbing is potentially easily corrected, by simply enforcing existing rules and policies. We observed inumerable violations of ship board posted rules and violations of normal social manners that have been totally ignored by ships' officers and crew in the area. Some have been ignored even after being brought to the attention of a ship's officer. We've seen drunken behavior of all kinds, bands of pre-teens roaming the ship at night, parents repeatedly putting a baby with diapers in a hot tub and pool and passengers sitting in a hot tub all week long drinking from glasses under a sign that says No Glass Allowed in the Pool Area. Officers and other crew look right at the offenders and keep on walking and talking. The wait staff even bring new drinks in glass to the hot tub!! My persistent comment on end-of-cruise surveys is "Cruise Lines/Ships are not willing to offend the "offenders" but are willing to offend the 95%+ that follow the rules and expect others to do so." I never cruised during the "golden age" of cruising but I'm willing to bet that back then stewards and officers stepped up and informed passengers when their behavior was out of the social norm. Why isn't it done now? :(

[kooljamming]

I still firmly believe that standards of behaviour have fallen generally and a cruise is a microcosm of what's happening in the wider community. Kids no longer respect authority, be it their parents, teachers, priests and yes, even cops mainly because in our child-centric world there are no longer any meaningful consequences to such bad behaviour and holding them to account might crush their fragile self-esteeeeeeem. They run rings around us because they know they will get away with it and develop a grossly inflated sense of entitlement with it. And then they become adults with kids of their own and so the cycle continues. I'm afraid the problem begins in the cradle.

 

It could also be a greater means of reporting it. I am far from impress with some of the responses by posters I assume are older and far from childhood. This leads me to believe as kids they/we were no better. If you judge the responses here by the cruise history, what went wrong with some of the posters up brining for them to be so harsh and judgemental:confused: The ones pointing the finger are often the source of the problem. Read the insults on a dress code threads by older cruisers who have no idea that class is not what is worn but something that is possessed. We are all apart of this mess, somebody raised these kids and their parents.

 

Majority of the posters here are not children or even young adults. How could you rate the behavior on some threads. Is that kind of name calling going on in your community...not in mine? Most imporatantly, looking through your posts, how would you rate yourself? How would a kid judge your words:D

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

It seems to be a consensus that political correctness, Dr. Spock, and Commie /Socialism are responsible for some bad behavior on today's cruise ships.

 

The above big three are also responsible for the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, Senator Haynes's caning of Charles Sumner, Andersonville, lynching in the South, and Prohibition. Further, the above big three are responsible for the rise and continuance of organized crime in America (when asked about organized crime by a newspaperman in 1935, a great American hero replied...there is no organized crime in America).

 

And...it must truly upset football coaches in Texas when they see Troy Polamu make great play after great play with his long hair flowing from out under his helmet.

 

My points...as great a country that the USA is, we have always had behavior that was not right. And never ever judge anyone by what they look like, as difficult as it may be at times. For talent, dedication and winning, there are very few like #43 of the Pittsburgh Steelers who wears his hair like he wants to.

[ovccruiser]

Problems are cruise ships IMO are caused by the low offers being banded about and attracting the wrong sort of people. Item 3 in the poll is a direct result of item 1. If the cruise price is kept relatively high, people will not have so much money to spend on booze.

 

I also beleive there is more drinking on short 2 day cruises than say a 10 night cruise and therefore possibly more trouble

[jewopaho]

We've been on nine cruises, on 5 different lines. I find that most of the passengers are very relaxed and well behaved, after all we are on vacation. There are always a few that drink to much. and make a spectacle out of themselves.

 

I always seam to find the few passengers that are just pissed off at the world. They complain about everything, nothing is good enough, the lines are to long, the boat rocks to much, the prices are to high, the food is gross, etc.

 

I realize that some people just aren't happy unless they're miserable, and misery loves company.

 

I do commend the staff of all the cruise lines for keeping their cool in dealing with the malcontents. On more than one occasion I wanted to just slap the cr*p out of a few of them.:mad: Instead I just look at them as another form of entertainment, watching them make an a** out of themselves. I refuse to let them ruin my vacation.

 

Ain't that the truth!!! Whether it be a cruise, a TV, washer, or whatever ... there are always those who can't find a positive thought in their minds. We just did some research on new appliances ... I swear, the same folks who continually complain on cruise ships are the ones who wrote the totally negative reviews on the items we purchased. I read one by someone who rated an otherwise five-star fridge (over 30 reviews) as 1/2 star. Reason: the freezer handle wasn't comfortable to grip ... that's it!! With all the components that go into a cruise, this guy would have a field day. How would you like to be his waiter or steward??? Granted, things go wrong ... but we've always brought it to the staff quietly, and the issues were promptly resolved. But I guess that being boistrous and rude, totally disregarding those around you, is expected, if not accepted, these days. Really sad ....

[toberman]

I've only been on two cruises and I have to admit I have not seen the behaviour everyone is talking about here. There might be the odd person push in line at the buffet, but I'm in no rush so who cares? I have mostly been in contact with courteous people.

 

Yes, there are chair hogs, but that is simply rectified by watching a chair for half an hour or so, and then taking it. Never had a problem.

 

Maybe we should all lighten up a bit, give others the benefit of the doubt for we don't know what they might be going through. If they're just ignorant, ignore them, don't let them ruin a fantastic experience!

 

Janette

[RetireeWannabee]

Problems are cruise ships IMO are caused by the low offers being banded about and attracting the wrong sort of people.

 

I disagree strongly enuf to respond.

 

I have known some very poor people. And many of those poor parents raise their kids to hold their heads up, be clean, be polite, and be all you can be. Use that free education to better yourself, do better than your parents did, don't let anyone tell you that money makes the person. I support that.

 

At my place of work (basically an entertainment venue), we have special programs ("darned near free") for the disadvantaged in our state. I have seen firsthand how some of those parents make their children mind, don't climb on that, be quiet, wait your turn, etc. Manners are free.

 

Money does not equal class nor appropriate behavior.

 

Of course, we can only state what we've seen, so, I hope you get to see some, um, less well off families with stellar behavior. And I hope to see some super rich that treat people with respect vs the common belief that the world revolves around them.

[room010]

Of course, we can only state what we've seen, so, I hope you get to see some, um, less well off families with stellar behavior. And I hope to see some super rich that treat people with respect vs the common belief that the world revolves around them.

 

Agree. Money does not equal class, nor can it buy you any.

[kooljamming]

Money does not equal class nor appropriate behavior.

 

 

It might be a long time before some people ever get this fact. I doubt some ever will, because having less is always about being less. To a lot of people, you have to be rich to take any cruise.

 

Maybe I need to look harder because in 10 cruises, I have been blessed to meet great people. Yes there have been behavior that was unbecoming but still not anything for me to get my knickers in a knot and condemn a group or a generation. I am currently booked , so maybe it's time to pay attention. I will keep booking until I find these 'poor' people behaving badly. I will keep booking until I find the people who can ruin my cruise;):D

[SavannahLime]

It's not just on cruise ships where rude behaviour is on the rise; it's everywhere, schools, malls, offices, restaurants. And it's not exclusive to economic class or anything else. Bad behaviour has no boundaries for class, ethnicity, race etc.

 

It has a lot to do with how you were raised and how you raised your children along with the fear of businesses being sued for all to often ridiculous reasons. :(

[JAMS1]

It's not just on cruise ships where rude behaviour is on the rise; it's everywhere, schools, malls, offices, restaurants. And it's not exclusive to economic class or anything else. Bad behaviour has no boundaries for class, ethnicity, race etc.

 

It has a lot to do with how you were raised and how you raised your children along with the fear of businesses being sued for all to often ridiculous reasons. :(

 

I like your way of boiling it down short and sweet - I believe you are correct!

[ovccruiser]

I disagree strongly enuf to respond.

 

I have known some very poor people. And many of those poor parents raise their kids to hold their heads up, be clean, be polite, and be all you can be. Use that free education to better yourself, do better than your parents did, don't let anyone tell you that money makes the person. I support that.

 

At my place of work (basically an entertainment venue), we have special programs ("darned near free") for the disadvantaged in our state. I have seen firsthand how some of those parents make their children mind, don't climb on that, be quiet, wait your turn, etc. Manners are free.

 

Money does not equal class nor appropriate behavior.

 

Of course, we can only state what we've seen, so, I hope you get to see some, um, less well off families with stellar behavior. And I hope to see some super rich that treat people with respect vs the common belief that the world revolves around them.

 

Talk about out of context. There are people who take their annual holiday on a cheap package because they would prefer to drink while they are on their holiday. Consequently they go for the less expensive holidays freeing up money for the booze. Now if those same people can have a cruise for the same money as their cheap package tour, they will. They will still drink heavilly, smuggle more booze on board, if they can and be generally obnoxious people. They are not the poor people you refer to, far from it, they are generally reasonably well off but have different priorities to you and I, and I am sure it is not just a British thing.:D:D

[Gathina]

I think people like you describe, or people that have to nickle and dime everything to death should just stay home if they can't afford to go in the first place and that's my opinion. If you know market rate for a hotel in a certian area is $200, quit whining and budget for it. If you know drinks are going to cost a certain amount, stop crying and budget for it. If you can't fit in your cruise clothes stop whining about how expensive new clothes are and lose weight to fit in your old ones.

 

Rude adults were probably rude children at one point and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. It's time peopel realize their rights to be an idiot doesn't replace their responisbility to be a decent person.

 

Talk about out of context. There are people who take their annual holiday on a cheap package because they would prefer to drink while they are on their holiday. Consequently they go for the less expensive holidays freeing up money for the booze. Now if those same people can have a cruise for the same money as their cheap package tour, they will. They will still drink heavilly, smuggle more booze on board, if they can and be generally obnoxious people. They are not the poor people you refer to, far from it, they are generally reasonably well off but have different priorities to you and I, and I am sure it is not just a British thing.:D:D

[Doug R.]

I think different geographies/local norms come into play as well. We took the exact same cruise on the exact same ship exactly one year apart -- only difference was the first one departed from Fort Lauderdale, the next year from New York.

 

On the second cruise I have never encountered so many pushy, loud, belligerent cruisers (of all ages). It was quite a different story to the year before, and I can't believe that manners had deteriorated so much in just one year....:cool:

 

People would pile onto elevators without letting others out first, and the concept of a line in the buffet was apparently unknown to these passengers. I witnessed an actual fist fight that occurred in the Princess lounge over the saving of seats. :eek: I heard another occurred in the laundry room. I have never heard staff talked down to so rudely on any other cruise I've been on. And the dress was much more casual as well.....folks trying to wear shorts in the MDR at night, etc.

 

Key difference here....New York. New Yorkers have a sense of entitlement like no others, after all they are from the city that is the center of the known universe. That attitude extends itself to the entire metropolitan area. I was born and raised in that area and am very glad I got to see how the rest of the world acts. Love them to death but sometimes I get very disgusted with their attitude and actions. I live at the Jersey Shore and in the summer they provide endless entertainment for us with many of the same actions you describe.

 

Oh and you New Yorkers can come and flame me if you like :p! My hide is pretty tough after working in Manhattan from 1998 to 2007.:D

[Texaswinediva]

I think people like you describe, or people that have to nickle and dime everything to death should just stay home if they can't afford to go in the first place and that's my opinion. If you know market rate for a hotel in a certian area is $200, quit whining and budget for it. If you know drinks are going to cost a certain amount, stop crying and budget for it. If you can't fit in your cruise clothes stop whining about how expensive new clothes are and lose weight to fit in your old ones.

 

Rude adults were probably rude children at one point and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. It's time peopel realize their rights to be an idiot doesn't replace their responisbility to be a decent person.

 

 

I agree!!!

[luddite]

Key difference here....New York. New Yorkers have a sense of entitlement like no others, after all they are from the city that is the center of the known universe. That attitude extends itself to the entire metropolitan area. I was born and raised in that area and am very glad I got to see how the rest of the world acts. Love them to death but sometimes I get very disgusted with their attitude and actions. I live at the Jersey Shore and in the summer they provide endless entertainment for us with many of the same actions you describe.

 

Oh and you New Yorkers can come and flame me if you like :p! My hide is pretty tough after working in Manhattan from 1998 to 2007.:D

 

Do ya think? :D

[PattyG12]

I'm not sure "rudeness" is confined to cruiseships---drivers (at least in No. Va!) are rude as hell! Restaurants, offices....you name it.

I think it's a by-product of the cell phone, internet, etc....everyone is just too "into" themselves. There's no recognition that others share our space!

 

AMEN CB ... I'm in Alexandria and it's just terrible!!

[Cruzaholic41]

AMEN CB ... I'm in Alexandria and it's just terrible!!

 

OMG! If I had to name one place with more selfish people, especially drivers, than Miami, it would be your area.

 

You have a real problem there.

[easyrb]

I would like to see everyone have to pass a test BEFORE boarding for acceptable table manners, waiting in lines, supervising their children, treating the staff, cleaning up their messes, appropriate attire for the location and audience, and just plain having decent manners in general!!!

 

So many adults do not know how to eat with proper manners so they can't teach their children table manners. Look at the table and floor where your children are seated - is there food everywhere?? Then it is time to teach the darling some table manners and yes, they can begin before age one.

 

I am so tired of seeing everything on display that nature gave to the ladies - I have the same equipment and I don't need to see yours. I see it in the theatre, the dining room, the shore excursions and especially the pool. Have some respect for yourself if not for the rest of us.

 

I am tired of shore excursion tours being ruined by smokers who think the group won't mind them smoking - afterall, it is an outdoor tour. We can't exactly distance ourselves if we want to hear the guide or stay with the group. Why can't you be polite and distance yourself or just wait.

 

The cruise lines do a great disservice to all the passengers when they won't enforce the rules. I will speak up if I am about to be run into or affected in some way. I am not afraid to voice a complaint even it it is on deaf ears.

 

I am not afraid to stand my ground and let the little darlings run into me as I am a tall and stout woman and won't feel it near as much as Junior will. I am not afraid to lose my balance and spill my drink, drop my whatever at the buffet table on an arm or foot that wasn't there before me, or backup and step on the person shoving behind me - all with a smile and a "Oh, my goodness".

 

Of course, none of that would be necessary if Jr was taught how to behave in public, wait your turn, and act like you have been raised in a civil and educated environment.

[sparky-elpaso]

I would like to see everyone have to pass a test BEFORE boarding for acceptable table manners, waiting in lines, supervising their children, treating the staff, cleaning up their messes, appropriate attire for the location and audience, and just plain having decent manners in general!!!

 

So many adults do not know how to eat with proper manners so they can't teach their children table manners. Look at the table and floor where your children are seated - is there food everywhere?? Then it is time to teach the darling some table manners and yes, they can begin before age one.

 

I am so tired of seeing everything on display that nature gave to the ladies - I have the same equipment and I don't need to see yours. I see it in the theatre, the dining room, the shore excursions and especially the pool. Have some respect for yourself if not for the rest of us.

 

I am tired of shore excursion tours being ruined by smokers who think the group won't mind them smoking - afterall, it is an outdoor tour. We can't exactly distance ourselves if we want to hear the guide or stay with the group. Why can't you be polite and distance yourself or just wait.

 

The cruise lines do a great disservice to all the passengers when they won't enforce the rules. I will speak up if I am about to be run into or affected in some way. I am not afraid to voice a complaint even it it is on deaf ears.

 

I am not afraid to stand my ground and let the little darlings run into me as I am a tall and stout woman and won't feel it near as much as Junior will. I am not afraid to lose my balance and spill my drink, drop my whatever at the buffet table on an arm or foot that wasn't there before me, or backup and step on the person shoving behind me - all with a smile and a "Oh, my goodness".

 

Of course, none of that would be necessary if Jr was taught how to behave in public, wait your turn, and act like you have been raised in a civil and educated environment.

 

Well said. I agree completely.

[cruzin w chris]

i dont think bad behavior has anything to do with the folks that now sail because suddenly they can afford it. we have been on 3 cruises and i have seen well to do people as well as all other classes of people act like complete idiots by being loud , demanding, rude and selfish. i think alcohol plays a role in some circumstances of course but just plain ignorance is one of the biggest.

[HattieCR]

First of all, having money has nothing to do with manners or miserlyness. The most generous people I have encountered in my life have been the poorest; the biggest misers have been the rich. (Part of this, I think, is the idea that everyone is after their money.) Second, when you are raised in a "pushy" environment, such as the New York City area, this is what you are used to and think nothing of it. For me, smoking is a big nono (lung problems) and I would not hesitate to say something to a person who is smoking on a shore excursion. If they are smoking, THEY should move away from the crowd.

 

I think the "vacation is here so let it all hang out" is one mentality that creates a problem. I have seen people do things on vacation they would never do at home. And, of course, heavy drinking goes along with that. Nothing more obnoxious to a sober person than an obnoxious drunk.

 

If you think that cruising is all about bon voyage parties, porters carrying three heavy trunks on board, confetti departures and the "genteel life," you have been watching too many movies.

 

If you don't like cruising behavior on the ships you have been on, try going on ships that are much smaller. Sort of like - if you don't like sitting in economy on the airplane, pay for business class or first class.

[kooljamming]

Talk about out of context. There are people who take their annual holiday on a cheap package (ME) because they would prefer to drink (or vacation more) while they are on their holiday. Consequently they go for the less expensive holidays freeing up money for the booze (or more time away from home). Now if those same people can have a cruise for the same money as their cheap package tour, they will (YES). They will still drink heavilly (one has nothing to do with the other), smuggle more booze on board (because a drink in the cabin is convenient), if they can and be generally obnoxious people (wow, not sure what to say, haven't met them). They are not the poor people you refer to (No, middle class), far from it, they are generally reasonably well off but have different priorities to you and I, and I am sure it is not just a British thing (No, I Californian but Jamaican born and bred) .:D:D

 

Making judgement and putting people in a category can be tricky!

I never known frugality as any excuse for bad manners. I am from a culture, where people are said to be pushy and I kinda agree:D

[goldengreeke]

Too large of ships, too many pax, too long of lines, no tables on lido, no empty deck chairs, no good seats in the show lounges, not enough servers to pamper you anymore, etc. I am willing to bet there is no rude behavior on the few small ships that are left. Bigger isn't always better.

[Canuker]

See also this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1096613

about unlimited drinks packages on Celebrity ships