Pet peeve-Cell phone etiquette!

[Canadianhey!]

A table mate on a HAL cruise out of Tampa a couple of years ago talked on her cell phone ALL DURING DINNER! We were evidently close enough to shore so she could get a signal. Needless to say, we switched tables. The second night we were put at a table for 8 where 6 of the people had already bailed after the first night and we spent an awful evening with the couple who were left. After that we justs gave up and got a table for two.

With Anytime Dining, we had tables for 6 on our recent Maasdam cruise and met a different group of really nice people each night.

 

I am always amazed at peoples stories about tablemates. We have always had great tablemates. Now I am starting to get nervous about tablemates. We always request seating for 8, as we find it nice to meet new people. I would guarantee though that it would have been the women changing tables, not me especially if I liked the other people.:cool:

[KennyC]

We have always had great tablemates.

Uh oh- that means the "problem tablemates" are your group! :D :D :D :D

[TexasHorseLady]

i may have come off not so nice , how ever i dont like being accused of being sick , i do use my cell phone in my cabin at port only and on land , i also use email most of the sea days , the point i was trying to get acrross was some people do have hearing impairment and they dont realize they speak louder then some. i am considerit to others as i know i dont want them to hear me talking to anyone ,its non of thier business , i should have cleared it better but sometime it dont happen that way when you post . but i also can not see if a person who pays for a balancy room being put down because they are out there talking on thier phone ,, as i will say im sorry about the way i came off , but i do see alot of people getting upset over things that really shouldnt matter to them. cell phones arent going away, so again the statement of me being rude and using my husband , is not correct i was trying to give examples of sernoros.,,i dont care if some one s on thier cell phone on thier balancy and is talking loud i can always go to a different location , i dont care if people play thier car music too loud its thier ear drums not mine , i can care less if you have sex on the balancy thats youre choice , i can always close my curtains , why let others ruin youre vacation when you can make a choice on not allowing them to ,, unfortuantly i do fine some of the people remarks to newbies rude...

 

 

Hey now, if we were really rude we'd be making comments about spelling and punctuation... :rolleyes:

But your are right about one thing: It's not against any rules to talk loud on a cell phone around other people. It's just plain inconsiderate.

[KennyC]

Compare and contrast, please:

 

This vs. this.

 

(Sorry; couldn't ignore it any longer :))

[rcacace]

A table mate on a HAL cruise out of Tampa a couple of years ago talked on her cell phone ALL DURING DINNER! We were evidently close enough to shore so she could get a signal. Needless to say, we switched tables. The second night we were put at a table for 8 where 6 of the people had already bailed after the first night and we spent an awful evening with the couple who were left. After that we justs gave up and got a table for two.

With Anytime Dining, we had tables for 6 on our recent Maasdam cruise and met a different group of really nice people each night.

 

Hell, I would have gotten up during the meal & left them sitting there alone & went to the anytime dinning room.

[Cruisin' Chick]

A table mate on a HAL cruise out of Tampa a couple of years ago talked on her cell phone ALL DURING DINNER! We were evidently close enough to shore so she could get a signal. Needless to say, we switched tables. The second night we were put at a table for 8 where 6 of the people had already bailed after the first night and we spent an awful evening with the couple who were left. After that we justs gave up and got a table for two.

With Anytime Dining, we had tables for 6 on our recent Maasdam cruise and met a different group of really nice people each night.

 

I understand that Princess isn't allowing cell phone accessiblity (or however it's called) in the dining rooms. I usually wouldn't be ratting on someone in the dining room on a cruiseship, but I think this would be offensive enough to talk to the maitre'd.

[happy cruzer]

My pet peeve too.

 

I love sail away. I love to find a quiet place to sit and enjoy sailing away literally and figuratively. The last 3 cruises a cell phone user also found the quiet spot and yelled loudly into their phone for about 30 minutes. Saying goodbye to anyone who would come to the phone. They repeated where they were, what the weather was like, what the ports would be, what days they would see what, when they would return...... to anyone who would come to the phone. One person even meet someone on the phone for the first time and then proceeded to tell them all about cruising.

 

By the third cruise, I was fed up. I said very loudly several times to my DH that the idiot on the cellphone was really missing a great sailaway and ruining mine. Made eye contact with no result. the blather just continued. It's just another form of being oblivious.

 

I guess just because I find a quiet spot with a deck chair is no gurantee to get to enjoy sail away. I'll just have to keep moving on. A balcony cabin would not even help, they could be next door.

 

Oh wellllll - just another pet peeve to deal with.

[bjkTX]

You can't go to a movie, to the theater, to dinner or to the bathroom without someone with a cell phone being obnoxious - and we won't even talk about drivers any more - why should we expect cruise ships to be different.

 

The last concert we went to people were holding their cell phones up in the air to take pictures or movies - and held them right in front of our faces - when we asked them to stop they just laughed. The last time we went to the theater the young lady next to us had her phone out and was text messaging during the whole performance - a nice bright light in the dark theater. The last time we went to a movie a family of four were all on their phones.

 

They are making a jamming device that will make it impossible for people to use their phones within X amount of feet of the device - I'll get one as soon as the prices come down :-)

[PescadoAmarillo]

It could be but I think the system is set up to be shut down when in port period.

This is correct. In fact, if you're on AT&T Cellular, your calls to/from St. Thomas are included in your rate plan (no additional charge). So if you're on your balcony while the ship is docked, you're all set...you'll probably have service and it is probably not costing you extra. But once the ship starts to sail away from the port, one call might be on AT&T and the next call might be on the ship's network (MCP or something like that). That could result in a surprise when you receive your bill if you didn't realize that.

[Canadianhey!]

Uh oh- that means the "problem tablemates" are your group! :D :D :D :D

 

Never thought about it that way:eek:. Although we have never had people leave our table either, so guess it is the whole table that is a problem:D

[PescadoAmarillo]

. It's just another form of being oblivious.

Maybe not oblivious. Maybe they just truly didn't care if you were bothered. Surely there was another place on the ship from which you could have enjoyed sailaway.

 

I say this not to be snarky, but because I really resent these blanket comments (they talked on the phone during sailaway and were entirely rude to do so), and I resent them probably because of my own experience.

 

I never talk on a balcony (mostly, I don't book them) or an outside deck in an effort to be polite. I'm the one paying $2.49 a minute to talk on the ship's system from my inside cabin. But in November 2004 I was on the back on the Sapphire Princess leaving LA to sail to Sydney and my cell phone rang. I had been hoping to hear from my husband all day, and it was him. He was an Army reservist activated for the Iraq was, and although he was at the end of his two years (the cruise was supposed to be a celebration of his return home), at the last minute he wasn't released to go on it, and insisted I go with a friend, since he would be away for the holidays again that year. He called when he could, which was infrequently and sporadically, and it just happened he was able to get a call to me before I lost service leaving LA.

 

Even though I moved away from people to a (relatively) uncrowded part of the deck, this lady who had been standing next to me when the call came in made a point of coming over when the call was over and telling me how much she didn't appreciate my phone ringing during her sailaway, and how she didn't understand how people couldn't just unplug while on vacation. You know, all the things we read about here. I explained the situation to her in a nutshell. Never apologizing, she simply walked away, back to her husband, with whom she was enjoying the cruise.

 

That one incident is the reason I could never comment to people about their cell phone usage, their internet usage, their dress while on a cruise. It's not my business, they just might be the 1% who have a reason, and I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt.

[TexasHorseLady]

Maybe not oblivious. Maybe they just truly didn't care if you were bothered. Surely there was another place on the ship from which you could have enjoyed sailaway.

 

I say this not to be snarky, but because I really resent these blanket comments (they talked on the phone during sailaway and were entirely rude to do so), and I resent them probably because of my own experience.

 

I never talk on a balcony (mostly, I don't book them) or an outside deck in an effort to be polite. I'm the one paying $2.49 a minute to talk on the ship's system from my inside cabin. But in November 2004 I was on the back on the Sapphire Princess leaving LA to sail to Sydney and my cell phone rang. I had been hoping to hear from my husband all day, and it was him. He was an Army reservist activated for the Iraq was, and although he was at the end of his two years (the cruise was supposed to be a celebration of his return home), at the last minute he wasn't released to go on it, and insisted I go with a friend, since he would be away for the holidays again that year. He called when he could, which was infrequently and sporadically, and it just happened he was able to get a call to me before I lost service leaving LA.

 

Even though I moved away from people to a (relatively) uncrowded part of the deck, this lady who had been standing next to me when the call came in made a point of coming over when the call was over and telling me how much she didn't appreciate my phone ringing during her sailaway, and how she didn't understand how people couldn't just unplug while on vacation. You know, all the things we read about here. I explained the situation to her in a nutshell. Never apologizing, she simply walked away, back to her husband, with whom she was enjoying the cruise.

 

That one incident is the reason I could never comment to people about their cell phone usage, their internet usage, their dress while on a cruise. It's not my business, they just might be the 1% who have a reason, and I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

 

Pescado A, - yellow fish? - you have a good point. There is sometimes a good reason to take a phone call. A husband calling from Iraq, a family emergency, etc. All really important calls that need to be taken immediately.

But the difference is you made an effort to move to a relatively uncrowded area of the ship to have your conversation. You realized that you might disturb others and you tried to prevent it. I applaud you for that. (Evidently, the lady that complained didn't think the area you retreated to was uncrowded enough...since she could still hear you. But you tried, and that gets a gold star in my opinion!) But from some of the responses I have been reading...such as the people who talk really loud on their balconies and think that's perfectly OK because it's THEIR balcony...I don't think everybody has that same level of consideration as you.

There seems to be a pervasive "it's my vacation and I will do whatever I please...and the rest of the passengers need to just deal with it" attitude that I find hard to get past. I think you sound like a really nice person for wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt...but I am afraid whenever I hear responses like those all my 'benefit of the doubt' goes right out the window! :D

[donaldsc]

You can't go to a movie, to the theater, to dinner or to the bathroom without someone with a cell phone being obnoxious - and we won't even talk about drivers any more - why should we expect cruise ships to be different.

 

The last concert we went to people were holding their cell phones up in the air to take pictures or movies - and held them right in front of our faces - when we asked them to stop they just laughed. The last time we went to the theater the young lady next to us had her phone out and was text messaging during the whole performance - a nice bright light in the dark theater. The last time we went to a movie a family of four were all on their phones.

 

They are making a jamming device that will make it impossible for people to use their phones within X amount of feet of the device - I'll get one as soon as the prices come down :-)

 

Check my message on this thread. Illegal but about $250 imported from England.

 

DON

[remydiva]

I think we agree that, except for family emergencies or husbands calling from Iraq, cell phone use on board where others can hear is inconsiderate and sometimes downright RUDE.

 

However, unless people put their comments in writing to Princess nothing will happen to improve it. As I (OP) mentioned, when I made my concerns known to the Passenger Service Dept, I was made to feel that 'wow! we agree and what a brainwave to put in the Patter. No one has thought of THAT before' so I urge anyone on this thread to mention it on their comment cards on their next cruise.

 

Any other ideas to get the message out to remind people that while it is YOUR holiday, it is MY holiday too so keep your calls to your cabin.

[M3Power13]

I agree with all and feel the same about smoking in public areas.

[happy cruzer]

Maybe not oblivious. Maybe they just truly didn't care if you were bothered. Surely there was another place on the ship from which you could have enjoyed sailaway.

 

I say this not to be snarky, but because I really resent these blanket comments (they talked on the phone during sailaway and were entirely rude to do so), and I resent them probably because of my own experience.

 

I think you are missing main points in my post. 1 I found a place to sit during sailaway, sometimes not easy to do. 2 Cellphone user walks up, talking loudly about non important things for 30 minutes. I heard every word and know exactly their side of the conversion.

 

Your right I give them the benefit of the doubt that they are oblivious.

 

There are people who have cellphones for emergencies. Most of us can hear that it is an emergency and deal with it. I typically move to give that person privacy.

 

Big difference. Most people who are mentioning being annoyed have also mentioned that offending conversation was a useless blah blah blah one at the top of someone's lungs.

 

Guess where I am?

Whatcha doin?

 

That's the peeve.

[jalpert]

Maybe, instead of getting angry we should very sternly and respectfully ask the cell phone infringer to take it somewhere else or lower their voice? I know that if I was stuck with someone acting inappropriately on a cell phone, I wouldn't hesitate to ask them nicely to shape up.

 

I HATE people who abuse cell phones, and I refuse to be a victim to the rudeness. I haven't run into too many cell phones on a ship, but I hope and pray daily that they never let them use phones on the airplane.

 

In terms of cell phones general use, during normal conversations with groups of people, I don't usually know what they are talking about because they are not talking to me. If your talking on a cell phone, and I know what you're talking about, you're probably talking too loud because I'm not trying to listen to your call. Talk on the phone, that's fine, but I don't want to hear it, it can go both ways, they can have their conversation, and I don't have to hear it.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Guess where I am?

Whatcha doin?

 

That's the peeve.

 

Gees, I think I might have said both of those things during my call from my husband.

:eek:

[remydiva]

Maybe, instead of getting angry we should very sternly and respectfully ask the cell phone infringer to take it somewhere else or lower their voice? I know that if I was stuck with someone acting inappropriately on a cell phone, I wouldn't hesitate to ask them nicely to shape up..

 

 

I agree 100% with you. But we DID ask them to take their calls indoor and they STILL yakked on and on about alllll the water around the boat. We said 'would you PLEEZZZZZE take your call inside...we don't want to hear it'. That didn't work. When one woman kept saying 'Hello?' into the phone, we would holler back 'HELLO?'. She would say 'HELlo?' and we would say even louder 'HELLOOOOO?' Still didn't twig with her.

 

The woman on the balcony below us using the speakerphone gave us the same stunned look as I stared down at her and said very plainly and very politely 'would you please take your speaker phone cell phone call back inside your cabin...we don't want to hear your call'. Stunned look at me, a shrug, and continued to talk.

 

Hard to reason with someone so unreasonable.

[robin6666]

I know someone who has a book always available. Whenever anyone starts talking on a cell phone....and is annoying....she pulls out her book and starts reading out loud. I have decided that I am going to do that from now on. Even if the person on the cell phone doesn't get this hint.....at least I would get some satisfaction!!!!!!!!

[KennyC]

Whenever anyone starts talking on a cell phone and is annoying she pulls out her book and starts reading out loud

I've seen some people just spontaneously join into the conversation ("Oh really- tell John we said 'Hello!', too! ... Yeah, I think we should sell 450 units to those guys at a discount") when someone who Just Could Not Stop Yelling into his cell wasn't getting the hint. :)

[Putterdude]

I know that I do my very best to use my cell phone as discretely as possible but I am of an age that I really don't want others to hear my calls or know my business. I also wish they would not allow pax to use walkie talkies on board.

[G'ma]

I know someone who has a book always available. Whenever anyone starts talking on a cell phone....and is annoying....she pulls out her book and starts reading out loud. I have decided that I am going to do that from now on. Even if the person on the cell phone doesn't get this hint.....at least I would get some satisfaction!!!!!!!!

 

GREAT idea!!!!

 

I'm an avid reader and always have one on me......I'm gonna do it next time. For real!!! This is perfect....thanks.

[spongerob]

Yes, it's always best to respond to rude behavior with rude behavior. That's what makes driving so much fun, too. :rolleyes:

[jalpert]

I hear you on that one, and that really is a shame. In this case I would like to point out that cell phone jammers aren't nearly as expensive as a previous poster said. He said $300, you can get models with pretty good reviews for close to $80. Now, they are ILLEGAL in the US, but when you are on a ship, you are not in the US :-) Could take 2-3 weeks to get here as they ship right from China or Hong Kong, not sure which, but here are some options:

 

3/5 stars with 112 reviews: $38.38 shipped:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4355

 

3/5 stars with 3 reviews: $30.88 shipped (10ft range):

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13233

 

4/5 stars with 29 reviews: $140.80 shipped (25 meter range):

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7978

 

Again, I'm not advicating anyone do anything illegal, or purchase any of these devices,you are not allowed to use these in the US, just pointing out that there are plenty of models that don't cost near $300....

 

 

I agree 100% with you. But we DID ask them to take their calls indoor and they STILL yakked on and on about alllll the water around the boat. We said 'would you PLEEZZZZZE take your call inside...we don't want to hear it'. That didn't work. When one woman kept saying 'Hello?' into the phone, we would holler back 'HELLO?'. She would say 'HELlo?' and we would say even louder 'HELLOOOOO?' Still didn't twig with her.

 

The woman on the balcony below us using the speakerphone gave us the same stunned look as I stared down at her and said very plainly and very politely 'would you please take your speaker phone cell phone call back inside your cabin...we don't want to hear your call'. Stunned look at me, a shrug, and continued to talk.

 

Hard to reason with someone so unreasonable.