It Isn't ALWAYS Someone Else's Fault.....

[ariawoman]

Great points, sail.

 

We could ALL find negatives in pretty much any situtation if we really wanted to. As many have said, you are mostly responsible for the success of your cruise. It DOES suck when things go wrong, and moreso if you feel your valid concerns aren't being addressed by the cruise line, but look at it this way, does keeping yourself upset about it change the situation? Not really. Your best bet is to try to make lemonade out of lemons. A bad day on board is more than likely better than your best day at work. :)

[Live4cruises]

Thank you, Sail, for this thread. Perhaps all the marketing about being pampered and your every wish attended to helps to create some unrealistic expectations. Since I discovered many years ago that I'd rather be on a cruise ship than anywhere else in the world, I try to let the little things roll off, and remember that almost everything is a little thing.

[Taxguy77]

@sail7seas = very well said and very necessary for folks to be reminded of this. I would also add, if you get handed a lemon on a cruise, make lemonade. Whether you have a good time or not is mostly in your mind and in your attitude. If you're relying on the ship/officers/wait staff/stewards to cater to your every whim and need in order to have a good time, then you're taking the wrong vacation. You need to have your own yacht and staff who will jump when you snap your fingers. As has been said before, the worst day cruising is still better than the best day at home (or work).

 

As Ron White (country comedian) says, "and find somebody whose life has given them Tequila, and have a party". :)

Very interesting that the posters so far all agree while much of the country complains about everything and refuses to take responsibility for anything! :(

Do you think that's why we meet such interesting people on ships?:confused:

[geocruiser]

I am allergic to shellfish. I all ways get the next days menu the night before. They all are very helpful and try to keep me safe. But things can still happen. Once on HAL the dinning room was not open for lunch. So I went up to the buffet. I ask for the chef. He came out and I told him no shellfish or oyster sauces or like sauces. He show me what to eat. I got my food. Pick up a fork full and was just about to put it in my mouth and the head waiter runs about 10 ft and grabs my hand. He save me. He told me that there was oyster sauce in it and HAL uses the good stuff.

Another time on X I order a veggie spring the night before. That night I ask the waiter to make sure it was OK again. He went to ask the chef and told me it was safe. I am eating it and now it is becoming hard to breath. Yes, there was shell fish in it. The head of the dining room saw me getting pale he ran me to the ships Dr ( he also called him as we were going to tell him the route to his office we were taking). The mistake was the egg roll bin was next to the spring roll bin and one got in the wrong place and lucky me got it. Now the funny part of this story is 6 year later on a Princess ship first night on board. I spoke to the head of the dinning room. Talking to him he starts to tell me a story about a woman who got the wrong spring roll years ago. I look at him and finished his story for him. But I said to him it happened to me on X. He said he was working for them at the time and gave me the name of the ship I was on. He was the on who helped me. I was nice to know I would be in good hands again.

Also some of X's salad dressings are made with fish stock. They had to make my dressing. I also had trouble on Azarmara's buffet after the chef went through the food choice with me.

 

So things can still happen. I try not to eat at buffets.

 

Maria

[CowPrincess]

I'm another one with food allergies. I do not trust anyone except myself to keep me safe. I learned that lesson the hard way. I don't even trust my DH to be vigilant enough.

[rafinmd]

Dare I take this thread in a slightly direction? I think we all like to be served and we need to take responsibility for ourselves, and is it possible to have too much "service" on a cruise. I am thinking in particular of one luxury line (one I have no desire to go back to). I had just completed my morning walk and stopped at a lounge for coffee to take back to my suite. The attendant INSISTED to on carrying my coffee to a table and essentially told me "If you want to have coffee in your room, go back there, call room service, and wait for it to arrive.

 

Funny thing is next morning I called room service, 10 minutes later the guy arrived, went to set up the coffee on the table, and broke the table.

 

I still somehow enjoyed the cruise, but voted with my feet for the future.

 

Roy

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I totally agree that we have to take responsibility for ourselves and only we ourselves can truly make or break a cruise vacation but I will say that since I started cruising and then changed careers a couple of years ago (hard to believe it has been two years the first of July) I have learned a lot about travelers.

These are the things I have learned that granted does not apply to all people but tends to be what happens on average.

1. Those who pay the least expect more and are the first to complain. Of course it goes without saying those that paid the most are happy cruisers :)

2. Those that constantly stress over the price and constantly check it... while they are being smart shoppers some take it a bit too far and start to question everything including what they are being charged on board are also the ones that come home and are still convinced they could have gotten a better deal and these people tend to be the ones with complaints in the end.

3 Those who have lots of problems before their travels have just as many on the cruise.

4. Those that are high maintenance really should not be sailing a mass market cruise line or they really should chose another form of vacationing.

5. Those that are worried and worry themselves sick about getting motion sick will definitely get motion sick not matter what treatment they take before hand.

6. Those who study and read CC daily with tons of questions before their very first cruise often walk away disappointed. Because of having too high of expectations. While I know it cannot be done but addiction to CC should be prohibited till you have your first cruise under your belt. Sometimes the unknown is a bit more fun especially for that first cruise or first cruise in many years.

 

7. Please do not flame me for this one but those with serious food allergies and serious medical issues for the most part should not be cruising. While it is one thing to dislike a certain food it is a whole other issue if you have a severe allergy. Eating on a large cruise ship where food products can be cross contaminated is just asking for problems and will make for a miserable cruise for those involved or at the least for that cruiser having a constant worry.

 

Cruising is all about fun and relaxation, leave your worries behind. Granted "Ship" happens,same with life in general but it is all about how we except what gets thrown at us. I feel truly lucky each and every time I step on a ship while I know that not all cruise lines are created equal I have learned what makes me the most happy :)

[SwissMyst]

Dare I take this thread in a slightly direction? I think we all like to be served and we need to take responsibility for ourselves, and is it possible to have too much "service" on a cruise. I am thinking in particular of one luxury line (one I have no desire to go back to). I had just completed my morning walk and stopped at a lounge for coffee to take back to my suite. The attendant INSISTED to on carrying my coffee to a table and essentially told me "If you want to have coffee in your room, go back there, call room service, and wait for it to arrive.

 

Funny thing is next morning I called room service, 10 minutes later the guy arrived, went to set up the coffee on the table, and broke the table.

 

I still somehow enjoyed the cruise, but voted with my feet for the future.

 

Roy

 

Agree, I also found this similar type service, probably on the same "luxury" line too much -- too intrusive. Creeped me out actually to have one diligent service worker go out of his way to make the point to always address me by name every time he saw me. I tried to avoid him, yet I am sure this name recognition was encouraged by management and is often cited by other passengers as one of the main reasons they keep coming back to that "luxury" cruise lines.

 

Different strokes for different folks. For some of us, we just want to be left alone while cruising. Happy when things happen silently behind the scenes to make the cruise enjoyable, but we both find the encouraged conviviality by some cruise lines more than we are looking for.

 

Which why we like HAL - just enough, but never over-bearing. And always delivered with a smile, warmth and professional courtesy.

[piscesgal223]

I agree that if you've got allergies, maybe you shouldn't be cruising. Awareness of one's allergies is a good thing(my aunt is allergic to shellfish and she had to give a seafood place in Louisiana that looked like a hole in the wall but had good food a miss because she was afraid of having a reaction. Which was smart.)

[AlexandNessa]

Agreed. And feel we should also include book only a room you will be happy with. Do not rely on upgrades and upsells. If you have booked your favorite room by all means mark it DO NOT UPGRADE so you won't get moved.

[ariawoman]

Dare I take this thread in a slightly direction? I think we all like to be served and we need to take responsibility for ourselves, and is it possible to have too much "service" on a cruise. I am thinking in particular of one luxury line (one I have no desire to go back to). I had just completed my morning walk and stopped at a lounge for coffee to take back to my suite. The attendant INSISTED to on carrying my coffee to a table and essentially told me "If you want to have coffee in your room, go back there, call room service, and wait for it to arrive.

 

Funny thing is next morning I called room service, 10 minutes later the guy arrived, went to set up the coffee on the table, and broke the table.

 

I still somehow enjoyed the cruise, but voted with my feet for the future.

 

Roy

 

Roy -

 

Sounds like you had a similar experience to that which I had on Seabourn. Now, some people WANT that level of service, but me, it made me feel slightly self conscious. I am able to carry my own plate at the buffet and from the buffet to my table, but they will NOT let you do that lol. I just felt weird. Yes, I was completely pampered and I was totally not used to it. It was a nice level of service, but one which I don't require.

 

I only went on the Seabourn cruise because it was a private charter and I paid well, 1200 for 7 days on an all inclusive cruise in the mediterranean, so I'd have been insane not to go (was though my BFs employer). I get tons of mailers from Seabourn due to that cruise, but I dont suspect I'd ever return, the price is very high (though understandably considering the service and the all inclusive nature).

[rafinmd]

Ariawoman, Seabourn's been on my "must try" list, but if I have the same experience there it will be another "one and done".

 

I believe the purpose of service is to meet the needs and reasonable desires of those served, not to conform to some steward's job description. I firmly believe "They also serve who only stand and wait".

 

Roy

[ANSalberg]

I mean this in the nicest possible way for all of to think about what we personally should do to assure we have the best possible cruise.

 

 

I think you get my drift......

 

Sometimes the things we view as 'having gone wrong' might not happen if we take more responsibility on ourselves to be sure our requests and needs are clearly understood.

 

There are lots of other guests each steward, bartender, excursion office staff, front office staff person are taking care of. We aren't so important they need to remember each of us and our needs indvidually after one casual, brief mention of what we want.

 

I would add a STRONG person belief here; IF you are on a wonderful cruise/a wonderful vacation and an exotic itinerary- "My coffee was cold one evening and it ruined my whole cruise" doesn't make it!

Put things into perspective; SMALL things will go "wrong" -you CAN'T negate that China was an adventure; that Bermuda was delightful, that 'the fall colors' took your breath away, and that Holland America [ or any other cruiseline] did the best they could sans hurricanes/rough seas/someone on a skooter/the lady with all the HATS!

AND enjoy the adventure; That's what life is all about! ;)

[erewhon]

I mean this in the nicest possible way for all of to think about what we personally should do to assure we have the best possible cruise.

 

We have to be responsible for our own good time and not expect the dining steward, after being told once, perhaps on the fly, with all sorts of demands being made on him that you are allergic to seafood. It is up to the guest to mention it at every appropriate point and not expect him to remember you can't have shellfish. If your tongue starts to swell and you are in a bad state, if you didn't inquire if what you ordered was in any way likely to have shellfish in around or on it, it was your fault. IMO

 

If you want ice at a given time each day, mention it to your steward politely the first few days until you are sure he has made note of your preference. To slip it into the conversation when you first meet along with wanting more blankets, towels, water, mini bar emptied and everything else, makes you feel it is now his responsibility and no longer yours but it is still up to you, IMO, to be sure 'he got the message'.

 

I think you get my drift......

 

Sometimes the things we view as 'having gone wrong' might not happen if we take more responsibility on ourselves to be sure our requests and needs are clearly understood.

 

There are lots of other guests each steward, bartender, excursion office staff, front office staff person are taking care of. We aren't so important they need to remember each of us and our needs indvidually after one casual, brief mention of what we want.

 

Thank you for your excellent post.

Maybe this thread should be "bumped "to the front page every few weeks.

[erewhon]

LAFFNVEGAS,

 

Am sure you are correct with the points that you listed.

Thank you.

[jer_l]

]6. Those who study and read CC daily with tons of questions before their very first cruise often walk away disappointed. Because of having too high of expectations. While I know it cannot be done but addiction to CC should be prohibited till you have your first cruise under your belt. Sometimes the unknown is a bit more fun especially for that first cruise or first cruise in many years.

 

Our first cruise was in 2000. We were totally ignorant about cruising, but read enough from the cruise line website to know what to pack. We had no idea that there were guaranteed cabins, although that's what we had--inside guarantee. We found our cabin number once we got to the pier and checked in. Our destination was Alaska where it rained every day. In fact it was raining so hard in Skagway that we weren't able to do much at all other than loook through stores. We ran into a storm while leaving the Hubbard Glacier and the ship rocked and rolled all night and the dining room was only half full.

 

Looking back, it was far from a perfect cruise, but not knowing what to expect we fell in love with cruising and with Alaska. We've taken 12 more cruises and went to Alaska for the eighth time this year. We've had perfect weather, better cabins, longer cruises, but we still think fondly of that first cruise that opened up a whole new dimension of vacationing for us.

 

I think Lisa is right--had we set high expectations we might have been disappointed and would have missed some of the best times of our lives over the past decade.

 

We still cruise on a budget. We had our first balcony this summer thanks to a wonderful offer from HAL for an upsell. (And what a balcony it was--thanks to our TA!!) I have yet to take a cruise that I've regretted.

[IRL_Joanie]

When you think about it, who is the person who can take the best care of you? YOU! And personal responsibility is so empowering.

 

There is a saying I like to keep in mind - the 10 most important 2 letter words in the world: if it is to be, it is up to me.

 

I Love those 10 IMPORTANT words!!!

 

Joanie

[SwissMyst]

I keep having to remind myself we were robbed in Antigua a few blocks from the ship on our first HAL Maasdam cruise because even that did not keep us from signing up for more and more and more cruises.

 

And I was robbed again in Capetown South Africa at the end of another cruise. Bummer. But we still look at both those cruise as over-the-top wonderful. Only when threads like this come up does it even bring back, yeah we had some crummy things happen on some cruises too .

 

BTW: HAL was wonderful to us after that robbery in Antigua and made sure we were able to cancel all our credit cards etc before the ship even left the port. Plus sent us a condolence gift and message which we thought was a bonus since this happened on our time and not theirs. (There were 3 other cruise passenger robberies that same day - but on other ships also in port.) Ship does happen.

 

BTWII: we now take a lot more shore excursions than doing independent wandering as a response - we are older now and realize coming in to a lot of ports with any cruise passengers relative affluence does make a lot of us sitting ducks and a crime of opportunity.

 

We have been used to traveling on our own independently so we did not have good "Group of Tourists In Port Today Prime for the Picking" awareness on those first cruises.

[BumperII]

This thread really spells out why we love cruising with CC members. Every cruise we meet wonderful people from all walks of life that just want to enjoy themselves for a while.

About all any cruise line can do is provide the opportunity for us to have a good time. The rest is all up to us.

I'm looking forward to our next cruise and to the steward with the hauntingly beautiful eyes serving me beverages and chocolates. I have a vision of a waiter preparing flaming shiskabobs tableside in the Pinnacle Grill. And all those wonderful folks who bend over backwards to make sure we have a good time.

A HAL cruise is kind of like making love. The worst experience I ever had was TERRIFIC!!!:o

[RoupMom]

Just have to add my two bits here:

As geocruiser pointed out, even when one is prepared, the unexpected can happen. My DH has been having an increasing reaction to crab -- mostly N/V-- so we have said he is allergic and he is always careful about crab. Last year on a HAL cruise to Alaska he carefully avoided crab on the night they served it. Others in our family enjoyed the crab. No problem, or so we thought. Later his tongue started swelling and he was very itchy. DS ran all over the ship to find sudafed, which often helps with allergies and which we didn't think to bring. It ended fine after the sudafed. All we could figure was that a waiter or someone had touched crab, and then his dinner plate. This year on our 2-week cruise we will enjoy a wonderful room service dinner on the crab-fest night! :D And bring sudafed and an epipen just in case.

 

Also similar to Jerry, on that same cruise all 4 of our DS's family got severely ill for 24 hours (probably the dreaded noro, but few people on the ship had it). It was their first cruise, and despite spending an inordinate amount of time in their bathroom, they all said the cruise was wonderful anyway. DDIL says, well we were only sick for 1 day and we were on the cruise for 6 that we enjoyed.

 

One time we were seated at lunch with an obnoxious man and his wife. They complained about EVERYTHING, scolded the servers, and ate with their mouths open. We made sure we never sat with them again! I later saw him berating the Lido staff and asking to speak to the captain. I'm guessing he didn't really enjoy that cruise experience.

Kathie

[SF49erfan]

Thanks Sail for starting this thread. It has many good points. The only person responsible for me is me!

[3rdGenCunarder]

I would add a STRONG person belief here; IF you are on a wonderful cruise/a wonderful vacation and an exotic itinerary- "My coffee was cold one evening and it ruined my whole cruise" doesn't make it!

 

I met one of those cruisers. It was the last day of a cruise, and I had gone to the computer room to write a letter because the form didn't have room for all of my (positive) comments. Another passenger was there to write a letter of complaint. It seems the wine steward broke the cork in a bottle of wine one evening. This man told everyone in the room how it "RUINED MY CRUISE!"

 

I didn't say anything. I figured it wouldn't make him feel any better if I said, "Gee, I had a fantastic cruise!"

[jiminyC_fan]

I mean this in the nicest possible way for all of to think about what we personally should do to assure we have the best possible cruise.

 

We have to be responsible for our own good time and not expect the dining steward, after being told once, perhaps on the fly, with all sorts of demands being made on him that you are allergic to seafood. It is up to the guest to mention it at every appropriate point and not expect him to remember you can't have shellfish. If your tongue starts to swell and you are in a bad state, if you didn't inquire if what you ordered was in any way likely to have shellfish in around or on it, it was your fault. IMO

 

If you want ice at a given time each day, mention it to your steward politely the first few days until you are sure he has made note of your preference. To slip it into the conversation when you first meet along with wanting more blankets, towels, water, mini bar emptied and everything else, makes you feel it is now his responsibility and no longer yours but it is still up to you, IMO, to be sure 'he got the message'.

 

I think you get my drift......

 

Sometimes the things we view as 'having gone wrong' might not happen if we take more responsibility on ourselves to be sure our requests and needs are clearly understood.

 

There are lots of other guests each steward, bartender, excursion office staff, front office staff person are taking care of. We aren't so important they need to remember each of us and our needs indvidually after one casual, brief mention of what we want.

 

Beautiful!!

[WriterOnDeck]

Also similar to Jerry, on that same cruise all 4 of our DS's family got severely ill for 24 hours (probably the dreaded noro, but few people on the ship had it). It was their first cruise, and despite spending an inordinate amount of time in their bathroom, they all said the cruise was wonderful anyway. DDIL says, well we were only sick for 1 day and we were on the cruise for 6 that we enjoyed.

 

24-hour illness is not generally norovirus, which takes 3 days to run its course. More likely food poisoning. Just saying...

[sparky-elpaso]

Then there are the passengers like the gentleman at the front desk who was complaining that he and his wife hadn't gotten any dinner one evening. Unfortunately I was called over to the desk before I could hear the response from the crew member who was helping him - the last thing I heard was that the dinnerless evening had happened on their previous cruise! :confused: I don't think I would have been able to keep a straight face.