Chair Hogs, Dress Codes and Smugglling Alcohol.

[mcvalette]

How funny would it be to see someone wearing jammies to dinner, lol. Ok not funny funny but omg how ignorant funny. Im a people watcher by nature and its my amusement to say 'what were they thinking". Now Ill be on the lookout. Thanks for the laugh and the visual.:eek:

[BeachChik]

There will always be people that follow to the letter of the law and those who don't why bother wasting you're time even worrying about being the hall monitor for adults? If it bothers you that bad make a formal complaint to ship personnel who will promptly turn around and ignore it for fear of losing the revenue of the "evil rule breaking party".

If someones hogging chairs.. who cares? walk the 20 ft to the empty one that has the same view of...gasp... the ocean! My gawd the thought of not being able to stare at scantily clad people in the pool (or children for that matter if thats why you want to be close) just ruins my cruise.

If someone smuggles booze on board.. oh wait if? As a former bar tender I can tell you for a fact that the cruise makes a ton of money off of booze it sells with or without people smuggling because a) they bulk order cheap booze b) they receive major discounts from companies for serving their product over others. Cost of a mai tai =9.50 cost to make the mai tai 2.50... don't worry your little heads that cruise rates will increase over the smuggling of liquor... believe me it doesn't have an effect. Ask someone with a financial background if you don't believe me.

No dress code... fact of life some peoples casual jeans are anothers sunday best. There are all types of people who all dress differently, so instead of sitting at dinner fuming how dare someone walk into my line of sight dressed in a manner I don't approve of... you take that fork stick it into the delicious food in front of you and chew appreciating the yummy goodness that is cruise food.

 

So come on people instead of complaining and whining ( well maybe that is vacation to you) just enjoy your own vacation. Now if a rowdy group of co-eds gets wasted and decides to interrupt your deck side nap with a water fight, someone shows up in their birthday suit to dinner, or makes a fort out of 30 deck chairs... then go complain. But really the rest of this is just so trivial and mundane it really just seems like people want to complain about something for the sake of sticking their nose high in the air and saying "na na na na na i'm right and you're wrong"

 

Personally i plan on laying back enjoying the sunshine and food and not giving a donkey's butt about what other cruise passengers may potentially be doing or not doing.

 

I thought it was kind of funny that all the people that so desperatly want to sit in the chairs right next to the pool don't even use it. I saw very few people in the pools even on sea days. Is it just the feeling of thinking they got the best seats?

 

I also saw a woman wandering around in a robe on more than one occasion as well as a girl who when she sat down on a chair you could not see the bottoms on her swimsuit. However I could have cared less. I will dress how I am comfortable and I hope everyone else does the same. I would not do it but if you want to go in the MDR with shorts on feel free. I wouldn't give it a second thought much less say that it was ruining my experience.

 

So many posts about peoples dress. Its really kinda sad that something so trivial can make or break it for some people.

[yakdaddy42]

Lets take a look at booze smuggling and the bottom line. For one it's kind of like shoplifting in reverse. You are bringing it on board with the intention of not using the cruise lines alcohol as little as possible if not at all, an item I might remind you that generates income for the company.

 

The average drink onboard is what $4.00. You have say four drinks in the course of a day. Total 16.00 a day x 7 days = 112.00 doolars a week x 52 weeks = $5,724 a yr. for one person. Say 100 people a week do this on ONE ship. Annual lost revenue is $572,400 for one ship. I think I have errored on the low side also, as far as how many like to do this.

 

So if what you say is true why is Carnival still letting people under 21 and friends of Bill W on the ship. Using your math of 112.00 a day amount you pulled out of you a**, Carnival is losing a lot more than that per ship per week. Say a Conquest class ship with 3000 people and only half drink than the each ship stands to lose 1,176,000.00 a week or 25 ship fleet wide loss 2,940,000.00 each and every week. For a year the total is 1,528,800,000.00 that is a hell of a loss for any company to take would not agree. please explain how carnival can stay in business losing that much money each year by allowing non drinkers on board. Lets not even talk about the dead beat non gamblers costing poor carnival 100% profit to the bottom line.

 

Of course I'm not stupid enough to buy into the loss money debate because its not lost money if they never had it in the first place.

 

For me I will still smuggle a bit of grog on with me to carry on the little bit of rebel pirate spirit I have.

[hellokitty4me]

But wait now we can have the best of both worlds, now that jeans are allowed in the dining room and they now make pajama jeans we can get away with wearing our pj's to dinner!:rolleyes:

 

HA!!! LOVE the commercial for pajama jeans!

[TallTwosome]

How funny would it be to see someone wearing jammies to dinner, lol. Ok not funny funny but omg how ignorant funny. Im a people watcher by nature and its my amusement to say 'what were they thinking". Now Ill be on the lookout. Thanks for the laugh and the visual.:eek:

 

We were on a cruise a couple of years ago with 12 friends from the UK and 2 more from Ohio. They pushed 2 tables together along the upper rail of the 2nd level in the dining room for us every night. About halfway through the cruise we all came to dinner in our pajamas. We all had a blast, and the waiters, fellow diners, and Maitre D' thought it was hilarious! We blamed it on our crazy British friends, of course... ; )

 

On a related note... sometime during dinner, the background music in the MDR was Bohemian Rhapsody, by Queen, and one or two started singing along quietly, then it spread, and soon we were all singing it at the top of our lungs... Apparently no one minded, because once the song was over, the entire dining room gave us a standing ovation! (although I can't rule out that maybe it was BECAUSE it was over)

 

Have FUNNNNNNNNN

[ferfoodle]

No, shop lifting is stealing something that belongs to some one else. The reverse would be to give something to some one. Smuggling alchole is not stealing from anyone. Lost revenue? Who's to say those people would spend all that money on drinks if they couldn't smuggle? Lots of people have a budget when they cruise. That was some fantastic math based on assumptions you did there, but in the end it proves nothing. Not all rules are equal. Some rules can be bent and even broken without hurting other people. Do I smuggle alchole on the ship? No, but I wouldn't think less of some one for doing it.

 

It is the shade of gray that creates the controversy....I believe this intersection doesn't warrant a stop sign so I shall only yield because I need to hurry and get my leftovers I smuggled out of the $8.99 all you can eat buffet home before they spoil. Did anyone get hurt when the law was broken to bend the rule? Define hurt?????

[TallTwosome]

So if I'm understanding the "smugglers" they don't see any harm in bringing their own alcohol aboard, because the ship won't miss the revenue?

 

Why not let everyone 'smuggle' their alcohol on board? Not a few, not a few hundred, but EVERYONE. Do you think the ship would lose much revenue THEN?

 

Or is 'smuggling' just OK for YOU, and everyone else has to pay?

 

Rationalize it any way you see fit, if it wasn't stealing revenue from the ship you wouldn't feel the need to 'smuggle'. You do it because you know it's cheaper than paying ship's prices for all your drinks.

 

You keep smuggling, and we'll all keep paying your way.

[mystone99]

So if I'm understanding the "smugglers" they don't see any harm in bringing their own alcohol aboard, because the ship won't miss the revenue?

 

Why not let everyone 'smuggle' their alcohol on board? Not a few, not a few hundred, but EVERYONE. Do you think the ship would lose much revenue THEN?

 

Or is 'smuggling' just OK for YOU, and everyone else has to pay?

 

Rationalize it any way you see fit, if it wasn't stealing revenue from the ship you wouldn't feel the need to 'smuggle'. You do it because you know it's cheaper than paying ship's prices for all your drinks.

 

You keep smuggling, and we'll all keep paying your way.

 

How is this stealing revenue from the ship? By your logic, children and those who don't drink are "stealing" revenue from the ship.

People smuggle because it's cheaper than playing for cruise-ship prices for drinks. If I can get it cheaper, doesn't that mean the cruise ship is stealing my revenue?

[going2cruz]

I might need to find flame resistant suit. But these are just my thought I am throwing out here.

 

I have been reading and posting on the boards and there are a few common threads that make me scratch my head and wonder if I need to do some research.

 

Holding chairs with towels or some other item for your use later in the day is against the rules and if you read threads on this topic the normal response is “why can’t people obey the rules”.

 

Alcohol Smuggling is breaking the rules and is a very heated debate for and against.

 

But then comes dress codes and most everyone responds that these are recommendations but do as you want it’s your vacation do what you want.

 

So it’s my vacation – hmm. My vacation do what I want –

 

Hog at least 5 seats in the prime location for all shows for DH and I- I don’t like to sit next to folks so there are 2 extra seats to be left empty and a seat for my bag and wrap. Why should they be in my lap it’s is my vacation.

 

If I have traditional dinning I am going to show up 30-45 late or early because that works for my schedule and if I have MDT I need a table for 6 for DH and myself (again I do not like to sit next to strangers and we want to dine alone). And I will ware PJs because there comfy and well I am on vacation. Rules/recommendations don’t matter.

 

Again Hog 5 lounge chairs in a prime location by the pool all day so at 1 pm we can have the perfect sun for half an hour while topping off the sodas (DH and I got using only one fountain card) with the Rum we smuggled in with our rumrunners.

 

Walk up to any bar/counter a head of the line and have my desires full filled.

 

I could go on but won’t since it is all about me.

 

Now back to reality – When were we as a society taught the rules/recommendation did not apply to us when we are on vacation? Most of the rules/recommendations come from common curtsey and manners. Even my 6 year old son knows there are rules that apply under all circumstances or suffer the consequence.

 

You might see this twice as I am also posting to the Royal Carribean Thread.

 

 

I'm guilty of all three...............and will never stop!!!! Oh I've lost many towels and have never been charged:D:D I'll never tell this secret!!!

[valley1pw]

So if I'm understanding the "smugglers" they don't see any harm in bringing their own alcohol aboard, because the ship won't miss the revenue?

 

Why not let everyone 'smuggle' their alcohol on board? Not a few, not a few hundred, but EVERYONE. Do you think the ship would lose much revenue THEN?

 

Or is 'smuggling' just OK for YOU, and everyone else has to pay?

 

Rationalize it any way you see fit, if it wasn't stealing revenue from the ship you wouldn't feel the need to 'smuggle'. You do it because you know it's cheaper than paying ship's prices for all your drinks.

 

You keep smuggling, and we'll all keep paying your way.

 

K&R, I'm in both camps a little and following the rule method is preferred. But....astronomical prices per drink IMO is what causes it. They either need to lower prices and strictly enforce the smuggler rules or live with it as is. I think there is plenty of room to lower alcohol prices and increase profits simultaneously. But, it's a tight rope walk plus a high % of "us" smugglers also like the casino......as a result gamblers "pay the way" for many too. Bottom line.....I'm paying thousands for my group and I'm bringing my own in cabin pain reliever.

[Vanessa L]

I agree with your post, OP. But you are preaching to the choir. Yes, this is the ME generation and we brought up in the generation before think that the world has gone to hell for sure. However, I think if you inquire, you will find that any one of our grandparents will feel the same way about OUR generation, and I think we turned out ok. Our grandparents saw "the world go to hell" when TV took over...and then there was (GASP) rock and roll, lol!!! Yes, this new generation is up to their eyeballs in issues, but so were we.

 

The people who live that way are not going to stop, and really, would read your post as gospel, not in the facetious way you intended. They'd probably say something like, "See honey, she GETS it!!!!" It made me chuckle for sure. But also left me shaking my head because I know some will read it and shout out, "RIGHT ON!!!!" Sigh.

[yakdaddy42]

You keep smuggling, and we'll all keep paying your way.

 

 

 

 

So using your theory how much money will I be stealing from the cruise ship if I don't buy any drinks and I don't smuggle, or gamble or buy any shore excursions. The answer is nothing. How can it be a loss of money if they never had it to began with.

 

Again thanks for picking up the tab for all us low life smugglers it takes a lot of stress out of the vacation knowing your getting hosed.

[idreaminpink]

I don't understand what's unclear about the stealing revenue thing. If someone didn't smuggle alcohol on board they would buy it instead. However I think if someone brought their own liquor and got a little tipsy first they would still buy liquor later lol. I'm not saying if I agree or disagree with the rule, but I understand what they mean.

 

As for the MDR dress code, I agree that it is disrespectful if not followed. You don't have to eat there, there are plenty of places to eat in shorts on the ship. Though the MDR does allow "dress shorts" now lol. But it won't ruin my vacation if someone doesn't follow it. I just don't know why they bother to set any rules if they don't follow them. :confused: