What/Who sets the feel of the ship

[lmsdf]

This may sound like an odd question, but what or who sets the tone or feel of the ship? We went on a cruise last year on the Sunshine and the feel of the ship was "Family Friendly". This year we went on the Glory and the feel of the ship was "Party Party Party". These were completely different experiences, one which I liked, and one which I did not like. What or who sets this mood of the ship and how can we find out what other ships will be like? TIA

[mishka422]

In my opinion, no one arts the feel of a ship. The atmosphere of the ship seems to change based on the guests on board. No way to predict it

 

Sent from my SM-G925V using Forums mobile app

[tef43]

The guests.

[Florings]

Definitely the guests. And the shorter cruises have more party atmosphere than the longer cruises that we have been on.

 

We, too, prefer the shoulder season and longer cruise.

[Warm Breezes]

It is a combination of things, but mainly it is your passenger mix which can change by the time of year (ie. summer, school breaks more family friendly), length of cruise (ie. shorter cruises more party cruises) and Itinerary (ie. Alaska more retired couples).

[pcvtmom]

Definitely the passenger mix sets the tone for the cruise! In my experience, this is influenced, in large part, by the time of year and length of cruise.

[antique sailor]

AHOY SHIPMATES

 

DW and I cruise a lot on Carnival and always do B2Bs on 5 day cruises so have observed a lot of different mixes in passengers.

The passengers do have a lot to do with the general atmosphere aboard BUT the Hotel Manager creates the tone by the way he SUPERVISES the various Department Heads: Guest Services, House keeping, Matred, and the CRUISE DIRECTOR etc.

Carnival training of entire staff and crew emphasizes "FUN" and the above Staff do their best to make it happen.

Some other Cruise lines do not try as hard. I like HAL for long cruises and CARNIVAL for the shorter ones.

ANTIQUE SAILOR

 

SEA YA

[RogueMonk]

I agree that the guests set a lot of the tone. The Cruise Director does also.

 

But so does the weather. We had one cruise where the weather was not good and we missed two ports (weather reasons) and the tone of that cruise certainly was affected.

 

But the biggest thing that sets the tone of the cruise is YOU. Plan to enjoy yourself, don't sweat the little stuff, and let loose--and the cruise will be great!

[cynt]

I set the tone for my cruises. I don't allow others to dictate how I should feel.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[poobears]

Like mentioned the passengers are unpredictable you have no way of knowing if there will be a party crowd or not on your ship prior to booking so that's totally out of your hands. I agree with YOU being the #1 factor in who sets the tone. I've been on cruises that have gotten horrible reviews from others that I thought were awesome cruises. I didn't experience any of the problems they did and I don't drink so it's not like I was plastered the whole cruise and I just didn't notice what was going on.

 

I go into ever cruise expecting to have a good time and not stressing over the little things and that's exactly what I get. A great vacation with little to no stress. Same goes for land vacation. Very rarely do they go off without a hitch but we go with the flow and in the end we have a great time and make life time memories.

[golfb4cruzing]

it depends on the passenger mix. I prefer the shoulder season where the atmosphere is "retired grandma." sometimes, particularly on carnival, that turns into "drunk grandma." i've seen my fair share of grandmas getting plastered and trying not to throw out a hip while dancing by the pool.

 

lol

[cruzinlisa]

It depends on the passenger mix. I prefer the shoulder season where the atmosphere is "retired grandma." Sometimes, particularly on Carnival, that turns into "drunk grandma." I've seen my fair share of grandmas getting plastered and trying not to throw out a hip while dancing by the pool.

 

ROTFL I wish carnival had a LIKE button.

 

Agreed though, passenger mix has a lot to do with it. If you have a lot of large groups, they tend to be loud IMO. And if there are a lot of kids, it is just going to be pretty hectic. Now that my kiddo is in school, I am going to be more limited in the time of year we can cruise. I mostly like late April or early May, due to proximity of my birthday and anniversary and because the weather at home is nicer, reducing travel concerns. DD's school lets out mid May, so I am hoping if we take a cruise right when she gets out of school, we won't hit the super crowded cruises. We shall see how that works out.

 

In addition to the passengers though, I think the cruise director can have some impact on the atmosphere. Its more apparent when they are really good or really bad. Not just middle of the road.

Edited October 14, 2016 by cruzinlisa

[jallison8378]

There's a little of everything on every cruise. What becomes dominant is what YOU pay the most attention to. Look for and appreciate the things that YOU like, and YOU'LL see more of those things.

 

Of course, if everyone did that there would be no Cruise Critic. :D Sooo... the other guests. Yep, it's all up to them. ;)

[SkyMaster]

I set the tone for my cruises. I don't allow others to dictate how I should feel.

 

I agree with this about 90%, but the other 10% is set by the other passengers. As noted, if it's a short cruise, it's far more likely to be a "party barge" and the longer cruises are far more likely to be "snoozin' grandma".

 

"SKY"

[maldenmusic]

The passengers and length of the cruise probably have a lot to do with it.

[Mekamax]

Great unique question! The guests is my answer. Really depends on the mix and if there is groups, kids etc. You can do your best to book in the time of year that is representative to the atmosphere you want but there is no guarantee as it depends on those other guests who book. Some want the party crowd and it just doesn't happen. Or others book for quiet and it is spring break in another part of the country..... One other thing we have found is the guest mix is different from different home ports. You will get a bigger mix I think from Miami or NY. But say Baltimore, Texas, New Orleans or California will have more local people make up the mix. Makes it very interesting to try different ports. :)

[ray98]

The group of guests that assembles that week.

[ChicoCA]

I'm in charge of how I feel and the fun I have, no one else.

[Captain Carnival]

I would say the guy who does the boarding announcements in the port terminal but perhaps I'm a bit biased? :rolleyes::eek::D

[pusywillow]

I am just off a B2B2B cruise Sunday out of Baltimore. Each group of passengers was different. The first leg to Bermuda was calm, the second a little livelier and then the rerouted Hurricane Matthew Cruise which made many people go crazy!

[cb at sea]

Passenger mix is what sets the "feel"..can't be pre-determined, I'm afraid! You could do a back to back on the same ship, and have totally different weeks....experience-wise.

[OCruisers]

Totally the passenger base on each sailing.

We've taken B2B cruises when the feel of the ship was VERY different on each

sailing.

[Towel Critter]

You do, of course. Think about it. :-)

[Je Souhaite]

This may sound like an odd question, but what or who sets the tone or feel of the ship? We went on a cruise last year on the Sunshine and the feel of the ship was "Family Friendly". This year we went on the Glory and the feel of the ship was "Party Party Party". These were completely different experiences, one which I liked, and one which I did not like. What or who sets this mood of the ship and how can we find out what other ships will be like? TIA

 

I always felt it was the talent of the cruise director, who would set it at the welcome aboard show.

 

But I also found if we had a horrid cruise director, the likes of Bret Alans, Mark Hawkins, or Malcolm Burns, it would just go unhinged on auto pilot.

[SkyMaster]

I would say the guy who does the boarding announcements in the port terminal but perhaps I'm a bit biased? :rolleyes::eek::D

 

 

I think you've got it! If I arrive at the port in a sour mood, the guy who does all the boarding announcements, and injects a bit of humor into that job, makes me smile, and puts me in the GREAT MOOD to enjoy the entire cruise. ;) Yep, that's it. No doubt that without the Boarding Announcement Guy at the port, putting me "In The Mood" for FUN, FUN, FUN,,,,I'd probably book only half as many Fun Cruises.

 

"SKY"