10 Cruise Etiquette Tips (From Tripso E-mail)

[laginog]

I get this e-mail frequently but this one caught my eye!!! Sorry if it's been posted already! I just received it! Pretty interesting and somewhat funny!!

 

 

John Frenaye

10 cruise etiquette tips

 

Recently, I had the pleasure of sailing on the world’s largest ship: Royal Caribbean International’s Freedom of the Seas. It was a fantastic week which was exactly what the doctor ordered for some rest and relaxation for my family at the end of a hectic summer. But after witnessing the behavior of some of the passengers, I had to wonder if they saw the cruise as an opportunity to be rude and obnoxious. If Emily Post were not already dead, those louts and bounders would certainly have sent her to her grave!

 

Let us forswear the role of Ugly American and start to mind our manners. These 10 tips were developed after a week on the high seas, but they are equally applicable to a land-based vacation or business trip. Read them and resolve to restore some civility to the art of travel.

 

Don’t expect perfection. With today’s ships carrying three and four thousand people at a time, trust me, the experience is not going to be perfect for everyone. Your toilet may clog. The handle may fall off the sliding door. Your table mates may sometimes be rude (my own children come to mind). Have a good attitude and your cruise will go a lot more smoothly.

 

Get some exercise. Fact: The elevators are going to be crowded around dinner and show times. A bunch of crabby people waiting for the elevators will only stir each other up even more; I saw it happen time and again. If you are physically able, why not walk off that crème brûlée and take the stairs — or maybe do a lap on the Promenade Deck.

 

Shut up. It is not necessary to slam your cabin door each time you enter and exit the cabin, and it is rude to do so at 3 a.m.(some passengers actually sleep — at night! — on a cruise). Close the door slowly and preserve some of the peace. Never been on a cruise? There are probably a hundred cabins within earshot of each slammed door.

 

Practice moderation. OK, it’s your vacation: Have fun and party on. But know your limits. No one likes a sloppy drunk, and the last thing you want to do is spend a night in the medical facility because you planted your ass through the glass coffee table. No one will convince me that excessive drinking is not a huge factor in all the recent “crimes” at sea.

 

Be discreet. Aboard ship, we are all equals. I don’t need to see your Rolex watch, or that 10-carat diamond. No need to flash a wad of cash in the casino either. For one thing, you could be asking for trouble; for another (listen carefully): No one really cares! And another thing, while the ship is your home away from home, it isn’t actually your home, so if you feel the need to wander the hallways, please do so wearing street clothes not your curlers and nightie — or less!

 

Remember that you are a world traveler. You may hear others speaking a different or unfamiliar language. (No, it is not a foreign language; it may be foreign to you, but it is not foreign to millions of perfectly competent speakers). If an announcement needs to be made, it will likely be made in several languages; after all, people who speak a language other than yours have the same right to safety and information as you do. Do not demand that people accommodate you. It is all about compromise.

 

Be a good audience member. If you are tired, don’t sit in the front row. How demeaning is it to a performer who is giving his or her all to look out and see an audience member nodding off mid-performance? Now imagine the reaction if there is also a line of drool dribbling from the corner of your mouth. Not a pretty sight, although the photograph I took is a good conversation piece!

 

Stop whining. If something has gone wrong or you are unhappy, there is no need to drag a few thousand other people into your mess. There is a simple solution: Ask management to correct the problem. Whining just brings everyone down and — who knows? — your expectations may be way out of line. And another thing: There’s not much anyone can do about a cloudy day.

 

Dress for public view. If you wouldn’t walk into Wal-Mart wearing short shorts and a tube top, you probably shouldn’t wear them on vacation, either. Same with a thong. People come in all shapes and sizes, but most of us are not looking to become acquainted with your every bulge and curve.

 

Be generous. Tip. Our waitress on the Freedom of the Seas is paid $50 a month. Yes, you read that correctly! The rest of her income comes from gratuities. To the family in the cabins across from me: I heard you all making plans to order room service for 16 on the last night of the cruise so you could avoid having to tip in the dining room. Shame on you!

 

Fortunately, rude passengers were a minority on this cruise. Freedom of the Seas is a beautiful ship, and Royal Caribbean offers wonderful cruises for travelers of all ages — I’ll have more on that in a few weeks. For now I will step off my soapbox (endless ranting isn’t polite either, even for a good cause).

[MiniMom57]

Bravo! Well said!

[sdear]

Very good post. Thanks for sharing.

 

Sue

[Fran Harp]

I get this e-mail frequently but this one caught my eye!!! Sorry if it's been posted already! I just received it! Pretty interesting and somewhat funny!!

 

This was excellent.....it should be posted in every stateroom:eek:.

 

Fran in Toronto

[Go38car]

Amen! Was hoing you'd say something about the pool chair hogs. What's really sad is that the people that really need to take this info to heart, probably won't even see this.

[jillybabes]

You said it all, right on target...Kudos to you;) ...Later, Jill:cool:

[teacherkim]

Amen! Was hoing you'd say something about the pool chair hogs. What's really sad is that the people that really need to take this info to heart, probably won't even see this.

 

 

I agree and if they do see it; they won't recognize themselves as one of the rude passengers. Denial is a rivier that runs deep!:D

[yarlenna]

The best post in a long long time!

[addicted2cruizin]

Very nice!:)

[Lightsluvr]

If cruisers adhered to these rules, there would be no further need for threads on chair hogs, dining room faux pas, fashion police, etc...

 

Of course that would be really boring, wouldn't it?? :rolleyes:

 

Good post, laginog.

 

LL

[Inshape]

Common sense but often overlooked! Good post!

[sicsinohio]

Of course if everyone dressed and behaved appropriately, it would spoil people watching for those of us that do...:D

[john & Gerrie nj]

I like to wear my rolexs I wear them everyday why shouldn't I wear them

on a cruise? I wear my Patek Philippe do you find those more offensive?

because they cost more than a Rolex?

My wife wears her jewels every day also.

I don't get why expensive jewels and watches offend you?

Now all you keyboard cowboys back off I'm only intrested in

the OP's answer. thank you

 

The worst cruise I've ever been on was wonderful.

john

[tonypct]

Of course if everyone dressed and behaved appropriately, it would spoil people watching for those of us that do...:D

 

:p One of the best parts of my cruises is watching people make fools of themselves through inappropriate, and not necessarily drunken, behavior. Imagine if everybody behaved and was considerate of their fellow passengers? Where's the fun in watching that? :D

[tonypct]

I like to wear my rolexs I wear them everyday why shouldn't I wear them

on a cruise? I wear my Patek Philippe do you find those more offensive?

because they cost more than a Rolex?

My wife wears her jewels every day also.

I don't get why expensive jewels and watches offend you?

Now all you keyboard cowboys back off I'm only intrested in

the OP's answer. thank you

 

The worst cruise I've ever been on was wonderful.

john

 

Ah. Denial is more than just a river in Egypt!

[737NG]

With the entire rolex statment and fancy jewels...its one thing to wear something like that and its another to parade it around. There is nothing wrong with wearing that as long as you wear it for yourself because you like it but if you wear it to show off to others then your flaunting it. You can pick those people out from a mile away. That's how I understood it. This cowboys .02....

[john & Gerrie nj]

Denial of What???

 

I ask the OP a reasonable question. He finds watches and jeweelry offensive is it a phobia of some sort?

I agree with the rest of the post whole heartedly.

but thanks for answering for him.

[tonypct]

Denial of What???

 

I ask the OP a reasonable question. He finds watches and jeweelry offensive is it a phobia of some sort?

I agree with the rest of the post whole heartedly.

but thanks for answering for him.

 

I certainly never claimed to answer for the OP. All of my threads are my opinion, and my opinon only. Whether you agree with them or not.

[kizzmequik]

Couldnt have said it better.

 

John Frenaye

10 cruise etiquette tips

 

Recently, I had the pleasure of sailing on the world’s largest ship: Royal Caribbean International’s Freedom of the Seas. It was a fantastic week which was exactly what the doctor ordered for some rest and relaxation for my family at the end of a hectic summer. But after witnessing the behavior of some of the passengers, I had to wonder if they saw the cruise as an opportunity to be rude and obnoxious. If Emily Post were not already dead, those louts and bounders would certainly have sent her to her grave!

 

Let us forswear the role of Ugly American and start to mind our manners. These 10 tips were developed after a week on the high seas, but they are equally applicable to a land-based vacation or business trip. Read them and resolve to restore some civility to the art of travel.

 

Don’t expect perfection. With today’s ships carrying three and four thousand people at a time, trust me, the experience is not going to be perfect for everyone. Your toilet may clog. The handle may fall off the sliding door. Your table mates may sometimes be rude (my own children come to mind). Have a good attitude and your cruise will go a lot more smoothly.

 

Get some exercise. Fact: The elevators are going to be crowded around dinner and show times. A bunch of crabby people waiting for the elevators will only stir each other up even more; I saw it happen time and again. If you are physically able, why not walk off that crème brûlée and take the stairs — or maybe do a lap on the Promenade Deck.

 

Shut up. It is not necessary to slam your cabin door each time you enter and exit the cabin, and it is rude to do so at 3 a.m.(some passengers actually sleep — at night! — on a cruise). Close the door slowly and preserve some of the peace. Never been on a cruise? There are probably a hundred cabins within earshot of each slammed door.

 

Practice moderation. OK, it’s your vacation: Have fun and party on. But know your limits. No one likes a sloppy drunk, and the last thing you want to do is spend a night in the medical facility because you planted your ass through the glass coffee table. No one will convince me that excessive drinking is not a huge factor in all the recent “crimes” at sea.

 

Be discreet. Aboard ship, we are all equals. I don’t need to see your Rolex watch, or that 10-carat diamond. No need to flash a wad of cash in the casino either. For one thing, you could be asking for trouble; for another (listen carefully): No one really cares! And another thing, while the ship is your home away from home, it isn’t actually your home, so if you feel the need to wander the hallways, please do so wearing street clothes not your curlers and nightie — or less!

 

Remember that you are a world traveler. You may hear others speaking a different or unfamiliar language. (No, it is not a foreign language; it may be foreign to you, but it is not foreign to millions of perfectly competent speakers). If an announcement needs to be made, it will likely be made in several languages; after all, people who speak a language other than yours have the same right to safety and information as you do. Do not demand that people accommodate you. It is all about compromise.

 

Be a good audience member. If you are tired, don’t sit in the front row. How demeaning is it to a performer who is giving his or her all to look out and see an audience member nodding off mid-performance? Now imagine the reaction if there is also a line of drool dribbling from the corner of your mouth. Not a pretty sight, although the photograph I took is a good conversation piece!

 

Stop whining. If something has gone wrong or you are unhappy, there is no need to drag a few thousand other people into your mess. There is a simple solution: Ask management to correct the problem. Whining just brings everyone down and — who knows? — your expectations may be way out of line. And another thing: There’s not much anyone can do about a cloudy day.

 

Dress for public view. If you wouldn’t walk into Wal-Mart wearing short shorts and a tube top, you probably shouldn’t wear them on vacation, either. Same with a thong. People come in all shapes and sizes, but most of us are not looking to become acquainted with your every bulge and curve.

 

Be generous. Tip. Our waitress on the Freedom of the Seas is paid $50 a month. Yes, you read that correctly! The rest of her income comes from gratuities. To the family in the cabins across from me: I heard you all making plans to order room service for 16 on the last night of the cruise so you could avoid having to tip in the dining room. Shame on you!

 

Fortunately, rude passengers were a minority on this cruise. Freedom of the Seas is a beautiful ship, and Royal Caribbean offers wonderful cruises for travelers of all ages — I’ll have more on that in a few weeks. For now I will step off my soapbox (endless ranting isn’t polite either, even for a good cause).

[bobbie0253]

You aren't going to get an answer from the OP....the original post is of something she got in an EMAIL. It's not her view....it's the authors.

[lawsoncd3]

Bravo for the excellent post. As to the part of wearing culers in your hair down the hallway, it happened to me at a hotel... I was going down the hallway and some guy came out of his door to get the complimentary paper wearing his undies only... :eek:

 

D :)

[john & Gerrie nj]

I am a bit of a watch nut and have always met interesting people

because I notice their time pieces and jewelry.

I just didn't get why this is offensive.

I find the we paid X for our cruise and we are in the grand pooba suite

much more affensive.

The next cruise iis gonna be the longest and best.

[tonypct]

I am a bit of a watch nut and have always met interesting people

because I notice their time pieces and jewelry.

I just didn't get why this is offensive.

I find the we paid X for our cruise and we are in the grand pooba suite

much more affensive.

The next cruise iis gonna be the longest and best.

 

I can understand you being a watch nut and wanting to buy and wear different types of watches at different prices. Again, only speaking for myself, I find it interesting, not necessarily offensive (after all, what's there to be offended at?) when men and women on a cruise wear jewelry that is unusually large and eye catching. And at the risk of sounding sexist (no offense intended ladies!) when a woman is wearing the Rock of Gibralter on two of her fingers, and both wrists and around her neck, I can't help but think that this is a person starving for attention. But offended by it? Not at all.

 

Just tell me you don't wear pinkie rings! ;)

[H2OH!]

Thank you for sharing the article! It is a subtle manner reminder for all of us to RELAX and ENJOY our cruise in spite of any imperfections.

 

In terms of the comment about flashy jewelry and watches, I say to each his own. If you where it everyday at home then of course you will where it on your vacation. I personally don't take my "flashier" pieces. I don't want them stolen (sentimental reasons) and have to go through the hassle of making a claim etc. I take my watch and wedding rings and thats about it...I never leave them in the safe.

 

Happy cruising to all...whether in the Pooba suite or not...with or without your high end watches and outrageous baubles!! Live and let live!!!!!!:)

[john & Gerrie nj]

and a diamond bracelet and an emerald and ruby cross for the pool.

Just kidding.

Even my watches are on the plain side not the flashy gold ones,

thats like sox on a pig it just dosn't look right on me.

If someone compliment syou on a piece of jewelry don't you feel good.

I agree a hand full of bling is just plain funny- a too many bracelets

make me laugh. But on Formal night with a great dress the antique pieces

you got from grammy, your mom or wha ever should go out to play.

I can't wait till my next cruise.

john