WOW! There are a lot of things to complain about with cruises

[ontheweb]

23 Things Cruisers Love to Complain About (cruisecritic.com)

 

It is amazing anyone ever enjoyed a cruise.  🤣

 

And guess what is not mentioned in the article---Covid protocols or lack of Covid protocols. 🤦‍♂️

[Host Hattie]

40 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

And guess what is not mentioned in the article---Covid protocols or lack of Covid protocols. 🤦‍♂️

Probably because it was last updated in January 2020 when Covid didn't even have a name.

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Probably because it was last updated in January 2020 when Covid didn't even have a name.

Thanks, but why was it a link in an e-mail from cruisecritic if it was updated so long ago that it left out what is probably now if not the biggest complaint, very near the top of people's concerns?

[ldubs]

It is certainly apparent from these forums that there are some individuals who seem to thrive on negativity.  

 

I wonder who complains about their cabin being too large? 

 

I wonder if there is a certain premium line that does not have these issues.  😀

 

[cruizergal70]

20 minutes ago, ldubs said:

I wonder who complains about their cabin being too large? 

 

On another forum, when comparing interior vs balcony cabins, a woman noted that the smaller interior cabin was better because she didn't have to make as many decisions as to where to put stuff when she unpacked. I guess space and choices bother some people.

[jsn55]

I'm always interested in what others think about things; that's why I love CC.  When I read complaints about anything travel, I shake my head in wonder.  Don't the gloomy gussies realize that it's not all those things that they list, it's their expectations causing the problem?  Having low expectations, or realistic ones, makes travelling much more enjoyable. 

 

For example, if you're boarding with 2000 people in an afternoon, you're going to stand in lines, at least one line.  It might be hot or cold in the terminal.  There might not be obvious places to sit down and rest.  A water fountain may not be visible.  The person checking you in might be less than friendly and upbeat.  If you're expecting any or all of these things and only one is real, then your boarding experience is a positive one.

 

Our last cruise boarded in Kiel Germany ... we walked in on a sunny afternoon to confront an absolute sea of humanity.  My husband started muttering immediately.  Seems like all the pax were boarding at the same time, I thought we'd be there forever.  I sent him off to find a bottle of water.  The people-watching was fantastic.  I think the whole boarding process lasted about half an hour.  Soon we were happily skipping up the gangplank.  The experience was all about our different expectations. 

[mom says]

5 hours ago, ontheweb said:

23 Things Cruisers Love to Complain About (cruisecritic.com)

 

It is amazing anyone ever enjoyed a cruise.  🤣

 

And guess what is not mentioned in the article---Covid protocols or lack of Covid protocols. 🤦‍♂️

You've been on these boards since 2006 and you're just figuring this out now?

 

As for covid - see post 2

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

It is certainly apparent from these forums that there are some individuals who seem to thrive on negativity.  

 

I wonder who complains about their cabin being too large? 

 

I wonder if there is a certain premium line that does not have these issues.  😀

 

I suspect that premium lines might have more, rather than less, of such issues:   people paying premium prices might reasonably have higher expectations.   But, in any case - many cruisers start the boarding process after many months of looking forward to what might be their only vacation of the year - they might also be tired after a long drive or hassle-filled flight. 
 

Hopefully, after they unpack, unwind, etc. they chill a bit.

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, ldubs said:

I wonder if there is a certain premium line that does not have these issues.  😀

 

Wink, wink. Don't prod the dead horse.

[Z'Loth]

What bothers me is how the cruise lines are against the solo traveler. On my last cruise in 2018, I got a inside cave, but still had to pay for two people. 

[rkacruiser]

Having realistic expectations for the cruise one is about to experience would help prevent most things that cruisers complain.  My opinion, some cruisers, particularly new to cruising, don't do sufficient research into the product that they are buying.  I wonder what percentage of those who do have complaints are DIY types and don't use a travel agent's experience and advice.  

[rkacruiser]

Viewing the Juneau web cam with the MarineTraffic.com view, I see that the Norwegian Sun has been at anchor for some time and tenders are being used.  If I were a guest on that ship and did not understand the assignment of docking space and saw all of the unused docking space, I might be a bit irritated in having to use a tender to get ashore.  

 

[ldubs]

7 hours ago, cruizergal70 said:

On another forum, when comparing interior vs balcony cabins, a woman noted that the smaller interior cabin was better because she didn't have to make as many decisions as to where to put stuff when she unpacked. I guess space and choices bother some people.

 

Every cloud has a silver lining!  

[navybankerteacher]

5 hours ago, Z'Loth said:

What bothers me is how the cruise lines are against the solo traveler. On my last cruise in 2018, I got a inside cave, but still had to pay for two people. 

You were using space that the line was unable to sell to two people - and you were unlikely to do as much onboard spending (which is vital to the line's profitable operation) as two people would have.

 

They have nothing "...against the solo traveler...", they just do not think they should have to give a solo traveler more than they give to one of two people who happen to travel together,

[slidergirl]

6 hours ago, Z'Loth said:

What bothers me is how the cruise lines are against the solo traveler. On my last cruise in 2018, I got a inside cave, but still had to pay for two people. 

You may not know it, but it is the same for hotels, especially in the US.  There are some hotels in Europe which have single occupancy pricing.  

[jsn55]

7 hours ago, Z'Loth said:

What bothers me is how the cruise lines are against the solo traveler. On my last cruise in 2018, I got a inside cave, but still had to pay for two people. 

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the cruise offerings for singles these days.  I travel solo often, so I always notice them.  You can chose a cabin and not be charged double.  Check them out.

[CruisingWalter]

16 hours ago, Z'Loth said:

What bothers me is how the cruise lines are against the solo traveler. On my last cruise in 2018, I got a inside cave, but still had to pay for two people. 

 

Norwegian, Holland America, Virgin and Celebrity all have solo cabins. Seems with the newer ships, they're finally getting the message to include solo cabins as part of their offerings. Royal Caribbean often has specials where the solo traveler does not have to pay the full two-person price for a standard cabin. A friend of ours does that quite often on Royal. She still pays more than a single traveler, but not the full two-person amount. 

[CruisingWalter]

On 5/16/2022 at 7:29 AM, ontheweb said:

23 Things Cruisers Love to Complain About (cruisecritic.com)

 

It is amazing anyone ever enjoyed a cruise.  🤣

 

And guess what is not mentioned in the article---Covid protocols or lack of Covid protocols. 🤦‍♂️

 

Of everything on there, the chair hogs are my number one pet peeve. On my last cruise they were out there at 6:00am setting up towels on 6 or more chairs at a time. The "30 minutes or we'll remove your stuff" is such a joke nobody cares.

 

It would be super easy to enforce and eliminate this irritant of many veteran cruisers. Put barcodes on all the chairs. Chair hogs set up towels, the pool attendant comes in behind them and scans the chair via phone app, 45 minutes later a timer alerts them to check the chair again. Empty chairs? Remove the materials and place them in a bag or cubby at the towel station. Easy peasy. 

 

I would gladly book a cruise on any cruise line that actually came up with some program to actually helped to mitigate the chair hogs. 

[jsn55]

3 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Of everything on there, the chair hogs are my number one pet peeve. On my last cruise they were out there at 6:00am setting up towels on 6 or more chairs at a time. The "30 minutes or we'll remove your stuff" is such a joke nobody cares.

 

It would be super easy to enforce and eliminate this irritant of many veteran cruisers. Put barcodes on all the chairs. Chair hogs set up towels, the pool attendant comes in behind them and scans the chair via phone app, 45 minutes later a timer alerts them to check the chair again. Empty chairs? Remove the materials and place them in a bag or cubby at the towel station. Easy peasy. 

 

I would gladly book a cruise on any cruise line that actually came up with some program to actually helped to mitigate the chair hogs. 

I think enforcement of the lounge chairs on a ship is the same as huge carryons on airplanes.  The person who has to do the enforcing just isn't good at/doesn't want to fight with the customers.  Cruise ships and airline gates need special 'enforcers' and that ain't gonna happen. 

[ontheweb]

39 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

I think enforcement of the lounge chairs on a ship is the same as huge carryons on airplanes.  The person who has to do the enforcing just isn't good at/doesn't want to fight with the customers.  Cruise ships and airline gates need special 'enforcers' and that ain't gonna happen. 

True. Those who could enforce ending chair hogging just do not seem to want any sort of confrontation. And they type who hog those lounges sure do seem like they type ready for confrontation if they are told they are breaking the rules.

[Z'Loth]

6 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Norwegian, Holland America, Virgin and Celebrity all have solo cabins. Seems with the newer ships, they're finally getting the message to include solo cabins as part of their offerings. Royal Caribbean often has specials where the solo traveler does not have to pay the full two-person price for a standard cabin. A friend of ours does that quite often on Royal. She still pays more than a single traveler, but not the full two-person amount. 

 

I prefer a balcony to an inside cave, thank you, but not at the two person price. Having said that, it's a minor issue since all I have to do is get out of my cabin and just go to the main deck and, voila!, problem solved. It should be noted that the Pacific Princess (aka Love Boat) which was in service from 1971 until scrapping in 2013, didn't have balcony cabins. 

 

 

[CruisingWalter]

45 minutes ago, Z'Loth said:

 

I prefer a balcony to an inside cave, thank you, but not at the two person price. Having said that, it's a minor issue since all I have to do is get out of my cabin and just go to the main deck and, voila!, problem solved. It should be noted that the Pacific Princess (aka Love Boat) which was in service from 1971 until scrapping in 2013, didn't have balcony cabins. 

 

 

 

So then you don't need a Celebrity Single Traveler cabin with an infinite balcony? Also the Virgin solo cabins come with a porthole view as well. If you just want to be flippant about the cabins without even looking, there's really no reason for us to suggest them.  https://www.celebritycruises.com/things-to-do-onboard/staterooms/single-stateroom

[Joebucks]

8 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Norwegian, Holland America, Virgin and Celebrity all have solo cabins. Seems with the newer ships, they're finally getting the message to include solo cabins as part of their offerings. Royal Caribbean often has specials where the solo traveler does not have to pay the full two-person price for a standard cabin. A friend of ours does that quite often on Royal. She still pays more than a single traveler, but not the full two-person amount. 

 

At least on Norwegian, "solo cabins" I have looked at have been a joke. Barely a discount, smaller, and limited in choice.

[rkacruiser]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

True. Those who could enforce ending chair hogging just do not seem to want any sort of confrontation. And they type who hog those lounges sure do seem like they type ready for confrontation if they are told they are breaking the rules.

 

We have seen too many examples of "the rules don't apply to me" on too many flights.  

[ldubs]

16 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Of everything on there, the chair hogs are my number one pet peeve. On my last cruise they were out there at 6:00am setting up towels on 6 or more chairs at a time. The "30 minutes or we'll remove your stuff" is such a joke nobody cares.

 

It would be super easy to enforce and eliminate this irritant of many veteran cruisers. Put barcodes on all the chairs. Chair hogs set up towels, the pool attendant comes in behind them and scans the chair via phone app, 45 minutes later a timer alerts them to check the chair again. Empty chairs? Remove the materials and place them in a bag or cubby at the towel station. Easy peasy. 

 

I would gladly book a cruise on any cruise line that actually came up with some program to actually helped to mitigate the chair hogs. 

 

Parking meters!  That would take care of it.   Think of all the extra revenue from expired meter tickets!  😄

 

Seriously while I don't desire a seat near the pool, I can certainly understand how irritating this could be.