What is the worst/strangest thing you have seen someone do on a cruise?

[momofmeg]

We witnessed a guy jump overboard and commit suicide on the Enchantment of the Seas last December. We saw everything from our balcony around 8:00 in the morning. The rescue boat recovered him after about a half an hour but it was already too late. Not exactly the kind of thing you want to witness on vacation.

 

How horrible!

[janineandmike]

we were on the dawn a couple of years ago and an elderly gentleman went out of his way to "smuggle" a couple of spoons and forks on board to make a big fuss about how you cant bring liqour on board but you can get through the metal detectors with cutlery. he went so far as to wrap them up and hide them and when secuity didnt say anything he pulled it out and tried to make a big stink, everyone ignored him, which was funny. we had the displeasure of being on the elevator with him after he accomplished his great feat and he went on and on about the issue and how celebrity is so much better than norwegian. we smiled and exited the elevator. its amazing what people will choose to wig out about. when we are on vacation we just sit back relax and enjoy. this guy needed to calm down.

 

on our first cruise, also on the dawn, three years ago, a woman was berating the staff at the reception desk about how slow the ship was going and that she knew there was a malfunction with the thrusters that they were refusing to disclose. she gave them an ear full and it was almost like an interrogation, again we smiled and laughed at how angry she was and how much we were enjoying our trip.

 

the best was witnessed by my parents a couple of years ago and im not sure what ship they were on. first night the table across from them was full and one passenger ate like five plates of food and kept leaving the table in between plates (some of you may get the idea already). by the next night there were only a few people at the table and the same young slender woman did the same thing. by the third night she was all alone at the table enjoying her eight entrees and appetizers and my parents actually asked the wait staff to reposition their table so they didnt have to see her eating anymore. it was a shame and i know it is an eating disorder, but it cleared the table and made the entire dining room and wait staff rather uncomfortable. my mother said she heard that the person was eating eight hamburgers for lunch, and then right back at dinner for eight entrees. hitting the bathroom frequently along the way.

[momofmeg]

we were on the dawn a couple of years ago and an elderly gentleman went out of his way to "smuggle" a couple of spoons and forks on board to make a big fuss about how you cant bring liqour on board but you can get through the metal detectors with cutlery. he went so far as to wrap them up and hide them and when secuity didnt say anything he pulled it out and tried to make a big stink, everyone ignored him, which was funny. we had the displeasure of being on the elevator with him after he accomplished his great feat and he went on and on about the issue and how celebrity is so much better than norwegian. we smiled and exited the elevator. its amazing what people will choose to wig out about. when we are on vacation we just sit back relax and enjoy. this guy needed to calm down.

 

on our first cruise, also on the dawn, three years ago, a woman was berating the staff at the reception desk about how slow the ship was going and that she knew there was a malfunction with the thrusters that they were refusing to disclose. she gave them an ear full and it was almost like an interrogation, again we smiled and laughed at how angry she was and how much we were enjoying our trip.

 

the best was witnessed by my parents a couple of years ago and im not sure what ship they were on. first night the table across from them was full and one passenger ate like five plates of food and kept leaving the table in between plates (some of you may get the idea already). by the next night there were only a few people at the table and the same young slender woman did the same thing. by the third night she was all alone at the table enjoying her eight entrees and appetizers and my parents actually asked the wait staff to reposition their table so they didnt have to see her eating anymore. it was a shame and i know it is an eating disorder, but it cleared the table and made the entire dining room and wait staff rather uncomfortable. my mother said she heard that the person was eating eight hamburgers for lunch, and then right back at dinner for eight entrees. hitting the bathroom frequently along the way.

 

 

It was celebrity that thought my bottle of hair spray was liquor. He opened my bag and was a bit embarrassed and then he apologized-so I guess tha tman would be disapointed that his liquor was be confiscated on Celebrity now also.

[Rockportgirl]

This past September on the Ecstasy, we met up with a group of people, 2 couples and their single (very cute) male friend. We had lunch with them several times and all hung out in the jacuzzi. The couples seemed very much in love and had been together for a while; the single friend was fun and didn't seem like a third wheel at all. They probably all grew up together.

 

One night around 2am, my husband and I were wandering the ship and made our way to the sun deck. It was totally deserted except for one couple- the female half of one of the couples we had been hanging out with and the single friend- in a VERY compromising position. They saw us and the girl screamed and started crying, repositioned her clothes and ran away. The guy was very non-chalant and acted like he thought my husband would understand. The next day the girl found us and begged us not to tell her boyfriend. Needless to say, we avoided them the rest of the cruise.

[Jeanie821]

We witnessed a guy jump overboard and commit suicide on the Enchantment of the Seas last December. We saw everything from our balcony around 8:00 in the morning. The rescue boat recovered him after about a half an hour but it was already too late. Not exactly the kind of thing you want to witness on vacation.

 

I wish I didn't have to say this - what a horrible thing to have to witness - but I think Kewlguy wins.

 

I hope neither he nor any one of us ever has to see this kind of tragedy again.

[Host Kewlguy]

I wish I didn't have to say this - what a horrible thing to have to witness - but I think Kewlguy wins.

 

I hope neither he nor any one of us ever has to see this kind of tragedy again.

 

Yes, it was the most unpleasant thing we've ever experienced in 20+ cruises. We later found out the man who jumped was diagnosed with a terminal illness and had just renewed his wedding vows after fifty years of marriage the previous night. He and his wife were staying in a Royal Suite and had invited numerous friends and family to celebrate with them on the cruise. He even made sure all of the family members bills were paid before he jumped. As you can imagine everyone on board was quite shaken up. Especially to witness such an event in broad daylight. Hopefully I, nor anyone else has to witness such an event on their vacations.

[celtic_beauty]

We witnessed a man pass away from a heartattack. It was on a premiere cruise(SS Oceanic), everyone who was with him didnt help him one bit, they all started to pray :eek: Someone from our party had to finally go get someone. He ended up dying that night.

[LEAP]

On our cruise in Jan my daughter and I were playing slots in the casino. The roulette table was to the left of us and this girl was standing while playing, she had on a mini dress and no underwear, everytime she leaned over the table to place her bet you could see it all, soon the slot area was filled with guys(not playing)just watching. We watched as a couple older ladies walked by and then got the glimpse, the look on their faces was priceless. They debate what to do about this, so the one tells the girl, she just laughs and says oh well and keeps playing. Her boyfriend did not care either, he begins lifting up her skirt. They were extremely drunk!

 

Philip, your posts are hilarious!!

I have been on many cruises and have actually seen left over food plates and glasses in the bathroom stalls and thought are people actually eating while on the pot!

[momofmeg]

On our cruise in Jan my daughter and I were playing slots in the casino. The roulette table was to the left of us and this girl was standing while playing, she had on a mini dress and no underwear, everytime she leaned over the table to place her bet you could see it all, soon the slot area was filled with guys(not playing)just watching. We watched as a couple older ladies walked by and then got the glimpse, the look on their faces was priceless. They debate what to do about this, so the one tells the girl, she just laughs and says oh well and keeps playing. Her boyfriend did not care either, he begins lifting up her skirt. They were extremely drunk!

 

Philip, your posts are hilarious!!

I have been on many cruises and have actually seen left over food plates and glasses in the bathroom stalls and thought are people actually eating while on the pot!

 

 

My thinking is I do not want to ingest my own feces bacteria. How can people do this?

[The Other Tom]

k

 

 

This year we are seeing a huge increase in the number of cruisers who are unable to pay their bills. Previously we saw less than a dozen per cruise, whose credit cards were declined. That number is now closer to 100 on many cruises. These people generally have no cash, no travelers checks, and no other credit cards. They cannot afford to tip the staff. We have to cut off their charging privileges and they can only sign a promisory note to pay us sometime in the future. Good luck. Can you guess who is going to pay their bills in the form of higher cruise fares?

 

quote]

 

I don't quite understand this one. Don't cruise lines ask for your credit card before you board ? Seems to me they would put a "credit hold" on your card for $xxx before you get on the ship. And, I would hope that credit hold would be enough to cover tips for the crew plus an estimated bar bill, etc. Then if your actual bill is greater than the credit hold, the ship would have to ask for more credit or suspend your charging privileges. But at least what you've already charged would be covered.

[Philip217]

The Other Tom,

 

Good question - easy answer.

When most cruisers check in at the terminal, they are asked to register a credit card for payment. The credit card number is captured at that point by the computer system. But a credit hold is not processed at that time.

 

Why not?

1) The terminals don't have the required 30 telephone lines to connect to the credit card terminals.

2) If they installed the necesary telephone lines, processing each credit card could take as long as a minute or two. If you muiltiply that extra minute or two by 1500 - 2000 credit cards, check-in takes several hours longer than it already does.

 

So the cruise lines assume that most people who can afford a cruise can also afford to pay for incidentals onbaord.They leave the credit card authorization procedures to the Purser's staff onboard the ships. This is normally done by the night shift at the Reception Desk. It takes about 2 or 3 nights to process all the credit card holds for a large ship. By the third day of the cruise, lettters are sent to each card holder whose card was refused by his bank, asking for another form of payment. This normally involves a dozen or so passengers, who - until recently - simply brought another credit card to the Reception Desk.

 

But recently, we see a much higher number of cruisers who have no credit, and even worse - no other form of payment.

 

It could be that the cruise lines will be forced to authorize credit cards at the pier. This could result in much longer waits to board a ship.

[The Other Tom]

Philip217,Thanks for clearing that up. Yep, sounds like procedures might be changed to the detriment of the check in process. Then people will start complaining about that.

[Volunton]

or ... and here's a whacky idea! ... make people give a credit card number WHEN they book and make FINAL payment for the cruise.

 

otherwise, I don't get how the cruiseline can get taken advantage of as described.

[paul929207]

We saw a woman wear the same maroon warm up suit to dinner for 10 straight nites. It didn't matter whether it was formal or casual night.

[celtic_beauty]

We saw a woman wear the same maroon warm up suit to dinner for 10 straight nites. It didn't matter whether it was formal or casual night.

 

Poor woman probably lost her luggage so had to wear what she was wearing when boarding :eek: ( not me, you'd find me wearing the latest cruise line apparal( that is if I lost my luggage) :D :D )

[blindrid]

I guess we are the type of people that would never have noticed.

[Philip217]

Volunton,

 

We are already receiving many bitter complaints when we process $60 per day credit holds on credit cards in the middle of the cruise.These credit holds are held against the total credit on the card, reducing the amount that can be charged while shopping ashore.

 

Now you are recommending that we process those credit holds weeks or months before the cruise even starts??

 

Too many of the cruising public soimply cannot afford that.They are living day to day on credit cards.

[dforeigner]

 

 

Too many of the cruising public soimply cannot afford that.They are living day to day on credit cards.

 

Then maybe these individuals should not be cruising. It is obvious they cannot afford if their credit card balances are over $10,000 and make the minimum monthly payment.

[bluesea777]

Volunton,

 

We are already receiving many bitter complaints when we process $60 per day credit holds on credit cards in the middle of the cruise.These credit holds are held against the total credit on the card, reducing the amount that can be charged while shopping ashore.

 

Now you are recommending that we process those credit holds weeks or months before the cruise even starts??

 

Too many of the cruising public soimply cannot afford that.They are living day to day on credit cards.

 

No worse than British Airways putting $3000 credit hold on my credit card years ago after I booked flights with them (they finally charged 3 MONTHS later), thus putting me in embarrasment when my credit cards were declined in restaurants and shops while I was on business trip solo (fortunately I had enough cash)!!

[bluesea777]

Duplicate post

[bluesea777]

triple post - this will not let me DELETE this post - do anyone know to DELETE posts??!!

 

:D :D

[BruceMuzz]

dforeigner,

 

I am completely in agreement with you. They should do credit checks before boarding anyone.

 

But if we deny boarding to those who can't afford to be on a cruise, the ships would be nearly empty.

 

Come to think of it, that's not a bad thing either - except for the fact that they would have to increase the cruise cost by a factor of 10 to cover the lost revenues.

[luckyprincess]

lol Joyful. Funny story.

 

It reminded me of our stay in Puerto Rico precruise.

 

We were staying at a place that was right on the ocean that had a lovely patio area cafe. We could watch the people swimming in the ocean while sipping our coffee. There are many tables full of people doing the same thing.

 

DH offers to get us some food from the buffet so it is me and my best friend sitting there. As soon as DH leaves one of the swimmers comes out of the ocean and walks up to our table and sits down. HE IS TOTALLY NUDE.

 

I think he was trying to go for the shock factor.

 

Didn't work on us though. We seem to attract every weirdo within a 5 mile radius no matter where we are.

 

Guy gets up and leaves when DH comes back with food.

 

DH just laughs, says well I see your weirdo magnet works even across the oceans.

 

DH always keeps an eye on us, cuz he knows this kind of stuff always happens to us. God love him. Thank god we dont react or let these weirdos get to us or poor DH would be in more fights than anyone I know.

 

When the guy sat down I would have asked "Is the ocean cold?" while pointing to his nether regions.....:p

[mark3232]

We took a cruise several years ago and had the late dining time. On the first night my wife and I walked in the dining room it was pretty busy so had to wait before we would be seated.

 

We like most are people watchers. A group of 6 came in, they were dressed in leather and black. One guy was bald and his entire head was covered with tattoos and that was the first thing we saw. The other five also were covered in tattoos and they all had piercing just about everywhere that skin was exposed.

 

Have to admit we were pretty grossed out as we came from the hippy generation. My first thought was if they would be seated or not due to the way they were dressed. The first thing that came out of my wives mouth was "I don’t know what I would do if one of our kids did something like that to their bodies". Most likely people said the same thing about my long hair back when.

 

Well guess what? We were seated with them and I was shocked. My wife is the type of person that never meets a stranger and seldom gets upset about much of anything. This ended up being an educational experience for us. They all were very nice and interesting. Out of the 30 + cruises that we have been on together, we had more fun sitting at the table with these freaks then on any cruise in the past. I can’t remember ever laughing as much as we did with them.

 

We had no idea how people mutilated their bodies until we heard the stories they had to tell. They seemed normal all the sudden. What an education.

 

I guess that the old saying hold true that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. And yes... I always had this feeling that everyone in the dining hall was wondering about us as well.

 

We get Christmas cards to this day from two of the couples.

[freddiebud]

Poor woman probably lost her luggage so had to wear what she was wearing when boarding :eek: ( not me, you'd find me wearing the latest cruise line apparal( that is if I lost my luggage) :D :D )

 

That happened to me on one cruise. The same pair of black sweat type pants with one of 3 shirts - every day. I burned them when I got home. (Ok, not really, figuratively!!)