How can cruise lines control ridiculous expectations?

[UCFKnight85]

I just read the Carnival story about the man being booted for basically trying to incite an uprising on the ship. First off, the captain was RIGHT. Safety is always first and if it takes all night to help someone then so be it. This man lost ONE day in Jamaica, is on vacation, and yet still found the need to ruin everyone elses' cruise by pulling that crap.

 

2nd point- I was in Grand Cayman for the new year when the tenders from different cruise ships got the CRAP beat out of them. I remember this vividly because I was eating lunch in Georgetown, watching these tenders being beat up in those seas and thinking "How are these people getting off?"

 

Later that day I got in a taxi and the driver said the cruise ships passengers are all furious because they have to take a longer taxi ride to the other side of the island, where the wind is not as strong. (Keep in mind- this taxi ride was PAID by the cruise lines, so the passengers paid nothing). I couldn't believe people would complain about a cruise line making it more safe for them to get back on.

 

I then asked why the ships even came in the first place, considering the terrible winds. The driver said that the last time the weather was like that, cruise ship passengers went ballistic on board claiming that they want refunds and compensation, etc.

 

My question- how can cruise lines make it CLEAR that while you're on vacation, safety supercedes any port of call? I think they should honestly publish something that gives every regulation and procedure for operating a cruise ship in a port.

 

For instance, the nutjob on the Carnival ship claimed that the captain should have gone straight to Grand Cayman and let them off earlier there. It's just too bad for him that you can't do that since other ships are in port and there's a limit to how many can be in at once for safety concerns.

 

PS- If a man tried to incite an uprising on an airplane, he'd be in jail right now.

[Tanker4]

"I want it all and I want it now!" Unfortunately too much of that mentality expects to drive the train (or ship) in our society today. The oceans can be a very unforgiving place at times. Fortunately the crews that sail them on a regular basis understand that, especially the Captain's, and I for one appreciate that......:)

[linkerbink]

On our RCCL cruise contract, it explicitly states that the carrier (the ship/line) has the right to deviate from the posted itinerary for any reason, and that it is not liable for any monetary damages/reimbursement for any such deviations. Most people don't read their contracts, so are we really surprised that they are probably the ones to put up a fuss if they don't get what they were expecting?

[emjsea]

I just read the Carnival story about the man being booted for basically trying to incite an uprising on the ship. First off, the captain was RIGHT. Safety is always first and if it takes all night to help someone then so be it. This man lost ONE day in Jamaica, is on vacation, and yet still found the need to ruin everyone elses' cruise by pulling that crap.

 

2nd point- I was in Grand Cayman for the new year when the tenders from different cruise ships got the CRAP beat out of them. I remember this vividly because I was eating lunch in Georgetown, watching these tenders being beat up in those seas and thinking "How are these people getting off?"

 

Later that day I got in a taxi and the driver said the cruise ships passengers are all furious because they have to take a longer taxi ride to the other side of the island, where the wind is not as strong. (Keep in mind- this taxi ride was PAID by the cruise lines, so the passengers paid nothing). I couldn't believe people would complain about a cruise line making it more safe for them to get back on.

 

I then asked why the ships even came in the first place, considering the terrible winds. The driver said that the last time the weather was like that, cruise ship passengers went ballistic on board claiming that they want refunds and compensation, etc.

 

My question- how can cruise lines make it CLEAR that while you're on vacation, safety supercedes any port of call? I think they should honestly publish something that gives every regulation and procedure for operating a cruise ship in a port.

 

For instance, the nutjob on the Carnival ship claimed that the captain should have gone straight to Grand Cayman and let them off earlier there. It's just too bad for him that you can't do that since other ships are in port and there's a limit to how many can be in at once for safety concerns.

 

PS- If a man tried to incite an uprising on an airplane, he'd be in jail right now.

 

Unfortunately I think the cruise lines have lost the battle. They have set up the situation so that the customer is pretty much always considered right even when they are wrong so they customers know they can get away with almost anything. They are afraid to enforce all kinds of written policies from pool deck chair hogs, to theater chair hogs, to children in the wrong hot tubs, the correct dress in the dining room, etc. From the ground up, a lot of passengers have learned that they can do whatever they want without fear of being asked to stop and that the louder they yell, the more they will get. It's unfortunate, but true.

[Tanker4]

Unfortunately I think the cruise lines have lost the battle. They have set up the situation so that the customer is pretty much always considered right even when they are wrong so they customers know they can get away with almost anything. They are afraid to enforce all kinds of written policies from pool deck chair hogs, to theater chair hogs, to children in the wrong hot tubs, the correct dress in the dining room, etc. From the ground up, a lot of passengers have learned that they can do whatever they want without fear of being asked to stop and that the louder they yell, the more they will get. It's unfortunate, but true.

 

You are right. My previous point exactly.:(

[GTO-Girl]

I agree with all of you. I for one would like to see a return to the tightening of the rules before all of these self-centered people change the cruising industry anymore than it already has.

[iheartbda]

Unfortunately I think the cruise lines have lost the battle. They have set up the situation so that the customer is pretty much always considered right even when they are wrong so they customers know they can get away with almost anything. They are afraid to enforce all kinds of written policies from pool deck chair hogs, to theater chair hogs, to children in the wrong hot tubs, the correct dress in the dining room, etc. From the ground up, a lot of passengers have learned that they can do whatever they want without fear of being asked to stop and that the louder they yell, the more they will get. It's unfortunate, but true.

 

This is it in a nutshell.

[tinlizzy]

I hope this thread remains a general discussion and not about one specific cruise.

 

I have noticed more posts recently about ships skipping Grand Cayman for different reasons.

 

People love this port but has it become such a pain in the rear and so expensive to the cruise lines now that they cannot drop anchor that they offer it, but skip the port whenever the chance arises?

 

Has fuel become such an expense (I read that doubling a cruise ship's speed burns 8X as much fuel) that every medical emergency or going around a storm will now result in a missed port because the time delay=increased speed=greater fuel consumption?

 

I'm also reading threads about the motion of the ships being greater than ever. The use of the stabilizers also increases fuel consumption.

 

While I don't think mutiny aboard a ship is appropriate in the example of the Conquest and I used to think that missing a port was no big deal, I'm hesitant to say that compensation won't be warranted if the cruise lines begin to put the bottom line above the vacations they offer.

 

I am a bit cynical because I work for a Fortune 500 company and big businesses tend to worry about their shareholders above all else in bad economies (and worry about mopping up the aftermath of customer dis-satisfaction later).

[silentbob007]

I think quite a large percentage of people are self-centered in normal circumstances ... when "vaction" mode kicks in, that number explodes. I totally agree that lines need to start enforcing rules (or getting rid of them).

 

I'm a teacher, and this is like a classroom ... you can have a ton of rules, but they mean nothing if they are not enforced. Most unhappiness is caused by random enforcement or sudden clamp-down.

[kitty9]

Cruise lines have dug themselves into their own hole. When the first line gave out vouchers/refunds/OBC for something that wasn't in their control, they opened Pandora's box allowing all the self-centered, obnoxious people to expect the world when they don't get what they want. While they probably won't change the way they do business with issues like this for fear of losing customers, I feel they should stop giving things out for nothing just because a few loud mouths start spewing their venom. As long as things are covered in the cruise contract, and as long as cruise lines make these matters perfectly clear to all passengers that they will not be giving freebees, they can make all this stupidity stop, but they choose to continue to cowtow to the insanity.

[Loo Cruiser]

The man on the Carnival cruise who got kicked off...should have been. But you have to realize that people feel this sense of "entitlement". Not generally, but to the nth degree. My last cruise I was absolutely horrified by the actions of the American vacationers. Rude, demanding, ignorant, etc. For the first time in my life, I was embarassed to be an American on the cruise sailing. People were not kind or polite. They cut in lines, they hog chairs, they yelled at other vacationers, and I don't know how many doors slammed in my face, as everyone is for themselves, and heck with the rest. One gentlemen in the morning took a tray, took every muffin available, and left for his room. The rest of us in line..well, you know..they are out of muffins at 7:00 a.m. Some people want to get every penny they paid out of the staff, food, entertainment, even if they have to trample, push their way, or cause a stink to get their way. What a great society we live in. If you don't get your way, complain, complain, complain, sue, sue, sue.. If a child of that man on the Carnival ship was ill and had to be transported off the ship, how would he feel if some other person got a petition up saying they were going to miss some island and were hacked about having to get his kid medical attention? If he had incited people like he was doing back home he would have been asked to leave...If you don't like it, leave and the cruise line will fly you home. But treating the cruiseline staff rudely, and making threats don't bode well with me. But he wanted to be "right". He wanted to make everyone else on that ship know he was "right" ...doing the "right thing". He knows more about sailing than the Captain... Sit home in your backyard and do the right thing..while the rest get to finish the cruise and enjoy their vacation...it is not all about you..Entitlement....think about it. Wonder if his kids had a great vacation? Some people just have to bark to hear their own voice.

 

In the first 15 minutes of my last cruise the guy across the hall was complaining to the steward his luggage took 8 minutes to get to his room instead of being there when he got to his door. Well, you know, I think the world should end because of that...and he lit into that poor steward like no other. I, being on vacation, had no stop watch to time how many minutes it took for my luggage...didn't care...I was on vacation...

So I was walking out my door and heard him yelling and for the luggage being so many minutes late. I thought to myself, am I really hearing this?

 

So, the man, in his 60's from Texas...got it from me. I told him how dare you...?? Are you or are you not on vacation? What is so darn important about whether your luggage got here 2 minutes ago, or 7 minutes ago? Do you have nothing else to do on this incredible ship, but yell at a poor steward? You have just shown me how much of a "gentleman" you really are. I don't believe the guy had ever been spoken to in that manner by a woman. He just stared, and we never crossed paths again. Maybe he is some big CEO in Texas, but he had no right tearing into that employee, and for the ridiculous reason of his luggage. He was just a passenger like me... Entitlement...

 

The people who complained alot on my ship, were people who cruised alot. Yes, they may have experience and knowledge from their previous cruises, but they don't own the ship. They don't own the staff. People use the stewards like their maids back home. Do this, do that, and I, as a fellow passenger, get neglected because some people think they are the only passengers, and the steward is their hired help.

 

I wish people would get over themselves. This entitlement, combined with being rude and condescending has got to stop. There is no being polite or holding open an door. It is all about them, and they are the most important person on the cruise.

 

If they don't like the changes in dining or not being treated like royalty where they may be back home...stay home. I, among others, work hard, and I very seldom get vacations. The last thing I want to do is hear these people gripe about every last thing. I am sure every trip they take they have a complaint, not just cruising. Relax, sit in a chair, read a book. This is not your workplace. The last I checked, you don't own the cruiseline. Entitlement.

[Loo Cruiser]

The man on the Carnival cruise who got kicked off...should have been. But you have to realize that people feel this sense of "entitlement". Not generally, but to the nth degree. My last cruise I was absolutely horrified by the actions of the American vacationers. Rude, demanding, ignorant, etc. For the first time in my life, I was embarassed to be an American on the cruise sailing. People were not kind or polite. They cut in lines, they hog chairs, they yelled at other vacationers, and I don't know how many doors slammed in my face, as everyone is for themselves, and heck with the rest. One gentlemen in the morning took a tray, took every muffin available, and left for his room. The rest of us in line..well, you know..they are out of muffins at 7:00 a.m. Some people want to get every penny they paid out of the staff, food, entertainment, even if they have to trample, push their way, or cause a stink to get their way. What a great society we live in. If you don't get your way, complain, complain, complain, sue, sue, sue.. If a child of that man on the Carnival ship was ill and had to be transported off the ship, how would he feel if some other person got a petition up saying they were going to miss some island and were hacked about having to get his kid medical attention? If he had incited people like he was doing back home he would have been asked to leave...If you don't like it, leave and the cruise line will fly you home. But treating the cruiseline staff rudely, and making threats don't bode well with me. But he wanted to be "right". He wanted to make everyone else on that ship know he was "right" ...doing the "right thing". He knows more about sailing than the Captain... Sit home in your backyard and do the right thing..while the rest get to finish the cruise and enjoy their vacation...it is not all about you..Entitlement....think about it. Wonder if his kids had a great vacation? Some people just have to bark to hear their own voice.

 

In the first 15 minutes of my last cruise the guy across the hall was complaining to the steward his luggage took 8 minutes to get to his room instead of being there when he got to his door. Well, you know, I think the world should end because of that...and he lit into that poor steward like no other. I, being on vacation, had no stop watch to time how many minutes it took for my luggage...didn't care...I was on vacation...

So I was walking out my door and heard him yelling and for the luggage being so many minutes late. I thought to myself, am I really hearing this?

 

So, the man, in his 60's from Texas...got it from me. I told him how dare you...?? Are you or are you not on vacation? What is so darn important about whether your luggage got here 2 minutes ago, or 7 minutes ago? Do you have nothing else to do on this incredible ship, but yell at a poor steward? You have just shown me how much of a "gentleman" you really are. I don't believe the guy had ever been spoken to in that manner by a woman. He just stared, and we never crossed paths again. Maybe he is some big CEO in Texas, but he had no right tearing into that employee, and for the ridiculous reason of his luggage. He was just a passenger like me... Entitlement...

 

The people who complained alot on my ship, were people who cruised alot. Yes, they may have experience and knowledge from their previous cruises, but they don't own the ship. They don't own the staff. People use the stewards like their maids back home. Do this, do that, and I, as a fellow passenger, get neglected because some people think they are the only passengers, and the steward is their hired help.

 

I wish people would get over themselves. This entitlement, combined with being rude and condescending has got to stop. There is no being polite or holding open an door. It is all about them, and they are the most important person on the cruise.

 

If they don't like the changes in dining or not being treated like royalty where they may be back home...stay home. I, among others, work hard, and I very seldom get vacations. The last thing I want to do is hear these people gripe about every last thing. I am sure every trip they take they have a complaint, not just cruising. Relax, sit in a chair, read a book. This is not your workplace. The last I checked, you don't own the cruiseline. Entitlement.

[PennyAgain]

Cruise lines have dug themselves into their own hole. When the first line gave out vouchers/refunds/OBC for something that wasn't in their control, they opened Pandora's box allowing all the self-centered, obnoxious people to expect the world when they don't get what they want. While they probably won't change the way they do business with issues like this for fear of losing customers, I feel they should stop giving things out for nothing just because a few loud mouths start spewing their venom. As long as things are covered in the cruise contract, and as long as cruise lines make these matters perfectly clear to all passengers that they will not be giving freebees, they can make all this stupidity stop, but they choose to continue to cowtow to the insanity.

 

However, I think it a declining economy with people worried about money, it will be hard to go back to the old days on a lot of these things.

 

People are missing 'day of' cruises right now due to the hundreds of flights cancelled by American Airlines. There is a lot of screaming going on today.

[ab0si]

Much the success of the cruise industry is due to marketing their product as "perfect." No hassles, no problems, easy. etc.

 

So, their success, if you buy my argument, is largely due to raising expectations. This approach seems particularly useful given the current state of air travel. I think the unstated, but clear message is: look, guys, if you want to go the Caribbean you can either fly down there, deal with flight cancellations, real currencies (in a few cases <grin>), etc. or have a hassle-free experience by leaving everything to us.

 

So, when things bite, they hurt more because they are unexpected. The caveats about possible rerouting due to unstated causes without compensation is in the fine print-- which the sales department does not want you to read; at least not before you pay for the cruise.

 

My favorite response to cruise deviation problems came several years ago on a LA->Hong Kong trip We ran into serious weather and were 16 or 18 hours late arriving. Several of the passengers talked to the captain, cruise director and probably their congressmen about missed flights, etc. One group simply could not understand why the cruise line didn't just charter a jumbo jet to take people who had missed their flights back to North America. The image of 53 777s with big TAXI lights flashing waiting on the tarmac has stayed with me. :)

 

Paul

[cruiserbryce]

unfortunatly cruise lines cannot manage expectations all the time...I think its best for them to continue dealing with the issues on a case by case basis...I think the reason for them skipping the port that he passenger was mad about was obviously legit...his reaction on the other hand was extreme, he was a threat to safety so the cpt made him leave the ship...

 

I think offering the entire ship compensation for something beyond the cruise lines control is a nice gesture...who the heck was this guy to demand more...

 

I see this everyday in the hotel I work at...sometimes people just carry the perception that if something goes wrong they have hit the jackpot and are owed the world...

[tinlizzy]

Much the success of the cruise industry is due to marketing their product as "perfect." No hassles, no problems, easy. etc.

 

So, their success, if you buy my argument, is largely due to raising expectations. This approach seems particularly useful given the current state of air travel. I think the unstated, but clear message is: look, guys, if you want to go the Caribbean you can either fly down there, deal with flight cancellations, real currencies (in a few cases <grin>), etc. or have a hassle-free experience by leaving everything to us.

 

So, when things bite, they hurt more because they are unexpected. Paul

 

Boy, I think you are really right on with this line of thought. Many people cruise because it is a way to travel and stay within this no hassle/no fears safety zone.

 

To add to that some people feel as though they have saved for quite sometime for this one vacation and this will be their only chance to ever see ~whatever port of call~ and their disappointment and the value of that port would be much greater than mine for instance.

[matj2000]

Having only 2 ports on a 7 day cruise makes for a less than pleasent cruise. I was on the Conquest last summer when Jamaica got cancelled because of a storm. I was pretty pissed off so I can understand how the pax feel. Especially when RCCL Rhapsody,(which follows the same itinarary) picked up Key West instead.

I wouldn't call him a nut, he is being ripped off and is trying to do something about it. I bet they could have made Jamaica but I believe Carnival would rather cancel the port to save money instead.

[blindrid]

Just coming off a cruise, our friends and I were talking about the apparent lack of courtesy and overall rudeness of people. There were obviously people that were polite but overall I'm not sure if taking a cruise is any longer worth it.

 

My expectations are pretty simple when I get on:

1) luggage arrives (not when, just arrives)

2) courteous staff

3) Have fun

 

Other than that, I can pretty much live with anything but there are times that fellow passengers attitudes certainly work on me. I don't think there is an answer as it is probably just the prevalent attitude of people in general anymore:( .

[cb at sea]

Your cruise contract states that the cruiseline is basically responsible for NOTHING!!! Not even a seaworthy ship! Of course, their bread and butter comes from SAFELY transporting their paying passengers, but they have a legal "out" if they don't! Most folks don't even READ the contract! it's an eyeopener!

[blindrid]

Your cruise contract states that the cruiseline is basically responsible for NOTHING!!! Not even a seaworthy ship! Of course, their bread and butter comes from SAFELY transporting their paying passengers, but they have a legal "out" if they don't! Most folks don't even READ the contract! it's an eyeopener!

 

Agree. This pretty much holds true for any common carrier's contracts. If you read your airline contract, you probably wouldn't buy it either......

[UCFKnight85]

2 ports on a 7 day cruise does suck, but if you stop to consider the situation what else could be done? Tell the sick crew member "Tough, you may die but dangit we're giving these passengers 3 ports of call".

 

I do believe cruises bring this on themselves to an extent though. As a marketing major I learned that it's ALWAYS best to promise low and over deliver- set customer expectation at a very manageable level. By marketing these ships as the perfect vacation they set up customer expectations that are near impossible to meet, much less exceed.

 

I would look at missing a port of call this way- if you were FLYING somehwere and got delayed a day, you'd be sitting in some crummy airport hotel with nothing to do. Being delayed a day and missing a port on a ship? - you get to party in the Carribean with pure sunshine, activities, drinks, and entertainment. I'll take the cruise scenario anyday.

[Amlee]

It's very simple.

 

Enforce their own rules! If they would follow what they have written in their own contracts, then they wouldn't be having a problem.

 

I wish more companies would fight out a lawsuit in court, than to pay the person off. :mad:

[srlafleur]

On a somewhat lighter note:

This sense of entitlement on cruise ships is certainly not a new development.

20 years ago, I was on my first cruise - a little 3 day to the Bahamas. My husband and I couldn't have been happier with the food, service, and everything. Basically, there was nothing that would have "harshed our gig".

There was a man at another table at dinner the first night who seemed to have much higher expections on his first cruise. He was told by someone, apparently, that he could have anything he wanted at dinner. He wanted lobster, and he wasn't taking "I'm sorry, it's not on the menu" for an answer. Never mind that there was probably no lobster on the ship! He loudly berated everyone from the busboy through the maitre d', and probably the captain if he got the chance.

I've often wondered exactly how he thought that something that wasn't on the ship could possibly be served to him at dinner. Perhaps he's the same person who asks "does the crew sleep on board?"

[RetireeWannabee]

Cruise lines can't control anyone's expectations. Either you read every word of your cruise docs and understand or you don't.

 

People will do what people will do. Worst part is that there are a lot of sheeple that maybe were ok with the changes for safety but then got stirred up by the one crazy guy and that's how the mob starts.

 

yikes.

[iheartbda]

Having only 2 ports on a 7 day cruise makes for a less than pleasent cruise. I was on the Conquest last summer when Jamaica got cancelled because of a storm. I was pretty pissed off so I can understand how the pax feel. Especially when RCCL Rhapsody,(which follows the same itinarary) picked up Key West instead.

I wouldn't call him a nut, he is being ripped off and is trying to do something about it. I bet they could have made Jamaica but I believe Carnival would rather cancel the port to save money instead.

 

You were p####d off because you missed Jamaica because of a storm?

You bet they could have made it??? So you know more about sailing than the captain?

Just how is he being ripped off? Sounds like you would have been right beside him with his ridiculous demands and you could have been with him when he was "dropped off".