What is the real intent?

[doliver]

On the Princess boards as well as those of other lines, you get a fair number of post WARNING you of something unjust, or telling you to BEWARE of this or that, bemoaning how they were unfairly treated by someone and any number of major (although usually minor) issues were encountered in their pursuit of the absolutely, completely, 100% perfect cruise experience.

 

You see things like:A) My dinner was ruined when I noted that the carrots were sliced length-way instead of horizonally. Apparently Princess doesn't care about the vitamins leaching out of their vegetables in an accelerated fashion. B) My cruise experience was ruined when the taxi driver taking us from the ship to the airport rolled his window down. Apparently, Princess takes no steps to screen the taxi drivers when they are selecting port cities.

C) My cruise was ruined when I fell asleep and missed my early dinner seating. I can't understand why they wouldn't seat me at 7PM. I will be writing to the corporate offices and expecting compensation. D) I think Princess just doesn't care about it's passengers. I felt the ship moving all day. Can't they slow down and it be smoother? Did I mention they got into port late? E) and on and on it goes.........

 

Don't get me wrong, I love to hear the details of people's trips. I think it is great to ask questions. I learn a lot from most of the post. But I'm really wondering about something. Do you think that these type of post are trying to relay a valid point to other cruisers/potential cruisers or do you think they are just trying to get back at the cruise line by possibily persuading someone not to cruise with the cruise line in question?

 

Personally, I think it is a bit of both. However, a third possibility is that nobody in the real world will listen to them, so bitching here is their only form of expression. I guess it doesn't matter, I enjoy reading all of them.

 

Oh, and did I tell you that while getting dressed for formal night on my last cruise, I dropped my cuff link just as we hit a big wave. It rolled under the bed. As I got down one one knee to get it, I knelt in a spot where my DW had previously spilled a drink that had not yet dried. This resulted in a spot on the trousers. I called to inquire about dry cleaning, I was told that I would have to take the pants off and it would probably take more than 15 minutes to have them back. I can't believe the state of cruising. What really gets me is that I'm certain the roll of the ship that caused the whole thing was from a wind gust hitting the MUTS screen. You would think for a suite passenger.....

[Trlbnd1]

Now that's funny! They're the same people that think they're cell phones sould work in the middle of the Caribbean Ocean...

[naplesam]

LOL

 

Been on many cruises and you run into these people on the ship too! Complaining about everything! We were on a cruise a few years ago that had a ship FULL of complainers! From the moment we got in the embarkation line to the time we left the ship 7 days later, it was constant no matter where we went---on the tender, in the dining room, on tours, in the bar, etc., etc. I will remain PC and not say which port, but I think that had a LOT to do with it!

 

We did NOT let it ruin our trip and even turned it into a type of game for us to see what all we could hear! We did resolve to never sail out of that port again tho!

 

LOL again!

[Colo Cruiser]

You are right they are cronic complainers.

[catmand]

doliver....................thanks for the laugh this afternoon. I don't have any idea what motivates these "complainers", at times I think the majority of them must be related to my ex-wife.

One of the things that makes my bp rise, people that come home from their cruise, complain about something and then complain about it over, and over, and over, ad nauseium (I think I just made up a word). I just read something yesterday and they were comlaining about food, this was 2 months after the cruise. Give it a rest, please.

[cherylandtk]

ROFLMAO!!

 

I love the way you pointed out the ridiculous expectations some have. I am not sure if the reason is #1, 2 or 3, and suspect all may apply to some folks.

 

Every time I see another gripe/whine/woe-is-me type of posting I check the rest of that person's posts; if there is a primarily negative tone I know they are not here to help others with information or advice. And then I don't bother with trying to give them a response. They don't want a response, they just want to complain somewhere.

 

Now pardon me while I contact my attorney; my fingernail was chipped during the pool games, my bathrobe had fuzzy strings on it irritating my delicate skin and the trauma of it all will require extensive psychotherapy; all of which I expect Princess to pay for, with interest and with added pain and suffering.

[Mbouck1]

I sort of like all these complainers, because they sure make me laugh. I was just on the Island Princess and one of the good one was an elderly couple waiting to go down on the elevator. The elevator stopped on their floor and the light showed up and down. They started to complain that they did not know where it would take them so they will wait for one flashing down. I got on the elevator laughing and proceded to go down.

Another was a man getting off the ship and forgot his cruise card. He started whining so his wife went to get it. While waiting he started to complain that he was not informed by Princess that he needed it to get off and on the ship. (DUHHH). I ended up getting stuck sitting in front of him on the bus to the Arizona Memorial and listening to his constant whining and complaining to his wife that I wanted to turn around and kill myself in front of him to make him stop. We ended up trying to avoid him the rest of the day to keep our own sanity.

Life certainly puts the oddest people in your path. The can sure make you laugh or just shke your head.

[Dreamer333]

I have to laugh at the irony of people complaining about complainers!

[coiran]

Some peoples idea of enjoyment is complaining! Let em complain. Just don't pay any attention to it.

 

Ron

[Princess Di]

OLIVER, I like your Twist. :cool:

 

I agree with A through E. I also agree with Sam that this makes a fine Game to play - making fun of the CCs (Chronic Complainers Club). ;)

 

THE GAME RULES:

Just start complaining louder and longer than the others - make it a competition. I do this with a friend at work in the elevators. Most people think that we are having a fight, but we are really acting and having fun. We do it to amuse others, as well as amusing ourselves.

 

Dreamer: Who said that Oliver is complaining? :confused:

He is Acting, Making Fun, and Having a Good Time. It is different from Complaining.

 

Some people live their lives complaining. It is their Hobby. Two Solutions:

1. Ignore them (harder to do in an Elevator).

2. Join the Game - it will make you Laugh. :D

[Dreamer333]

Dreamer: Who said that Oliver is complaining? :confused:

He is Acting, Making Fun, and Having a Good Time. It is different from Complaining.

 

In answer to your question, I don't know who said Oliver is complaining.

I didn't state anything about anyone in particular.

[rxmurphy]

I hope the game is not limited to complainers. The ones who amuse me most on a cruise are the ones who have to be first at everything. First on the boat, first at the pool (to save chairs), first on line at horizon court, first on the tenders, first in theater for the shows, etc. The best is when they practically knock people down to be first OFF the boat to go home!! What is the @#%&!ing hurry??!!

[donna5]

maybe they're trying to get people to go on the other cruiselines--

 

A. They have stock in another line

B. They want the particular cruiseline to have to lower prices, so they can go on more(if there business drops).

[spongerob]

You'd have had those pants back in ten minutes if it wasn't for MUTS. :D

[Howlev34]

I love complainers because I know that, no matter what I say, they will ALWAYS find something else to complain about. When people complain, I give them my best sympathetic expression and say,"Gee, I'm so sorry you having a bad time. I'm REALLY enjoying myself." I usually never hear from them again.

I always find that when people act a certain way, you just act or reply in an opposite way (it worked for George Costanza).

[naplesam]

I don't think anyone is complaining here! Just the opposite! Don't let the chronic complainers ruin YOUR cruise! Laugh it off and laugh at them! They probably NEVER have a good time.

[doliver]

No, I wasn't really complaining.....however, complaining about complining does have some ironic humor for sure.

 

What is your favorite baseless complaint?

 

Mine has to be that the food was not suitable for human consumption. What are these people eating? In my world, a piece of fruit or bowl of cold cereal is the normal breakfast before rushing to work at 80 miles per hour. Lunch is fast food or a cup of dry roasted peanuts. Dinner is basic or IHOP if we are too exhausted to even cook. How can the ships food not be better than that? Good Lord, they put the pepper on the salad for you. Several choices to select from. No dishes to do.

 

I don't think I'll ever have a bad cruise!

[NitaBcruising]

Thanks for the chuckle! :D

 

I have some grumpy relatives, mostly a bit older, and I wonder if ill health makes them so grumpy?!!

 

Ah, no excuses, I intend to have fun, regardless! :p

[cherylandtk]

No, I wasn't really complaining.....however, complaining about complining does have some ironic humor for sure.

 

What is your favorite baseless complaint?

 

doliver, I, too don't think we are discussing complaining itself-we are discussing complaining about ridiculous expectations and baseless complaints. And hopefully using humor to deflect any misdirected barbs.

 

My favorite baseless complaint: Lady on a pre-cruise package did not leave her bags outside the room when checking out of hotel AS DIRECTED IN WRITING in the cruise docs and by Princess coordinator. Started loudly worrying about her bags when she realized everyone else had done as instructed and our bags were neatly stacked waiting for the bus. Went upstairs to check her bags, found them still inside her room (!), came downstairs (sans bags) and instead of trying to correct the situation or tell someone she began to complain to everyone near her EXCEPT the Princess rep. I truly think she was more interested in complaining than in seeing her bags get onto the ship.

[Crowsie]

We make a sport of paying attention to what the complainers are saying..then we compare stories over cocktail hour.

I usually have to reapply my mascara because my eyes tear from laughing so hard.

 

So..here are a couple of the gems that I heard within the last 3 weeks while on board the Sapphire from Sydney to Bangkok.

Sure hope none of these are from any CCer's or am I going to feel embarrassed!

 

Some background: we missed our first port of call in Malaysia and it unfortunately made a scheduled 4 days in a row at sea turn into 5 days in a row.

 

I'm first in line at the tour desk on our 5th sea day. The lady behind me is talking to another passenger, complaining about having 5 sea days in a row.

Here's her story, paraphrased:

"We started our trip in XYZ, flew to LAX and spent the night there. Flew to XYZ and spent 4 nights. Flew to Aukland early and spent 3 nights there before boarding the ship. Then we're staying over in Bangkok for 3 nights after this cruise is over (she must have been doing a b2b). Well..with all the sea days on the Aukland to Sydney trip and now another sea day on this cruise we've just been gone way too long from home!"

 

Geez lady...you planned your trip to be gone all those days....how does having an unexpected sea day suddenly make your trip too long to be away from home...didn't you count the days you'd be gone while you were planning your trip...DUH!

 

Another one from a chair hog...I was at the pool and a couple of chairs had towels on them for two hours with no sign of them being used. So finally someone asks me if the chairs are available, and I tell them no one has been there for at least two hours so these folks move the towels and grab the chairs.

Finally, the chair hog arrives and starts yelling at the passenger using the chair. The chair hog says " I had to get up at 3am to save these chairs so they'd be available when I was ready to use them!"

I laughed so hard I almost spit my beer across the deck...and actually said loud enough for the chair hog to hear me: "Are you kidding me?"

 

Here's the best one:

We were in the Princess Theatre waiting for our shore excursion to be called. They sectioned the theatre so you sat with all the people that were taking the same tour as you. The theatre was really crowded because they had lots of different tours staging there.

In the row in front of us the guy at the end of the row tells his wife he's going to the bathroom and he'll be right back.

Some lady walks up (without her tour sticker on her shirt so she must have come in the wrong door cuz she didn't have her bus assignment yet) and tries to take this guys seat. (It was the only seat in the area as we had been waiting for about 20 minutes and none our busses had been called yet).

So the wife says the seat is taken...and this lady just rips into the wife about how you're not supposed to save seats in the theatre!

The wife says it's okay to save the seat if you've just gotten up to go to the bathroom and the lady just walks away...totally clueless.

 

There must have been thirty of us that broke out laughing and we boy were we relieved that she didn't end up on our tour!

 

Complainers are the best source of entertainment on a cruise!

[naplesam]

Great stories and a great attitude!

[LarryF]

I stood in line at the Pursers desk at the end of our cruises. The lady in front of me had her nose so high in the air I thought is was going to start raining!! She was making them reduce the cabin stewards tip because there was a roll (dinner roll) on her balcony and she purposely left it there for 4 days to see if the cabin steward was going to throw it away!! Can you believe she actually left it there and blamed it on the cabin steward! How lazy can you get! I almost told the woman she won the prize for being the biggest b..... I'd ever met!!! Meanwhile Princess was very accomodating and reduced the tip for her...

[queeng]

My standard line to chronic complainers is ...."Oh well, what can you do"

I call people that complain all the time "energy suckers":mad: because that is what they can do, suck all the good energy out of a room. There are people that raise the energy level, happy, upbeat, grateful people and there are people that lower the energy level, whining, bitching, ungrateful people. I try to be the former and limit my contact with the latter!:)

Aloha,

Ginger

[WCAB]

I have mixed emotions on this one. I sometimes find it difficult to make waves, excuse the pun, when I should speak up and will let a situation pass or rationalize that it was not that bad or I do not need the hassle, to avoid situations which could become unpleasant. I have to admire those that take a stand when something is not right. We should hold the cruise line to a certain standard. On the other hand, I sometimes find a complaint to be mere trivia or outside the control of the cruise line. I like to think I weigh each post on its merits and learn from those that impact my enoyment of cruising.

 

Carol

[Wennfred]

You should read the ones that only Cruise with Princess and then go on 1 Carnival cruise and the **** hits the fan, talk about the peas are not as crispy as on Princess. LOL

 

Go to the Carnival Thread and read how pissed off these Princess cruisers get and you will get a laugh out of it.

 

Crowsie, Thanks for Cracking me up !!!