The idea that people find it acceptable to criticize crew for their English/accent is bewildering to me! I hugely admire multilingual people and feel nothing but gratitude when someone speaks to me in my language, which to my shame is the only one I speak fluently. If I struggle with someone’s accent I view that as a me problem that means I need to pay closer attention or perhaps ask them (politely) to repeat themselves. Being rude is not an option.
@@NatNay-cu3uv You are welcome to your opinion, but I find it xenophobic and repellent. How many languages do you speak? If you are speaking with someone whose first language is Tagalog, can you speak Tagalog with them? (I have heard that such an ability is considered “paramount” and if you cannot, you are under-educated and “cheap.”) Cruise ships are largely not registered in the US and have both multi-national clientele and multi-national staff. Your expectation of perfect English from every staff member is absurd and, again, IMO, obnoxious. Also, speaking of English, your comment contains misspellings and lacks proper punctuation. Does that make you under-educated and cheap?
I'm old, so if I don't understand someone who has difficulty with English I tell them that my hearing is poor and ask them if they could repeat slowly. I put the blame on me rather than them.
@@NatNay-cu3uv For most of the world's population, English is not their native tongue, and it's not an easy language to learn. I cannot label them as "undereducated cheap staff".
Absolutely amazing. The frankly xenophobic comment by NatNay remains, and my response-which used NatNay’s own verbiage to criticize his/her statement-has been removed. If people don’t want to be called on their hateful commentary, they shouldn’t post. Remove provocation AND response or leave both intact. Shameful editorial choice.
MANY TIMES I've watched the crew chase children out of an adults only area, really a HUGE reason why I now really focus on cruises with little or no children. There is no way to control it, it is a shame there are so many "unresponsible" parents out there.
I've cruised with my kids, and I actually really appreciate when the crew is firm and clear about where the kids are not allowed to be. Sometimes there is signage but it's really small and easy to miss. I'd rather be told on day one that it's an adults only pool or lounge. It's a big ship, I can find somewhere else for my kids to be but not everyone is breaking a rule because they don't care, it's because no one has bothered to inform them of the rules.
@@cbpd89 OMG, seriously, wow, parenting is very different these days. I have to admit it was my generation that raised the parents of those children today. You just talked me into kid free cruises, period.
I was in an adult only spa on NCL and a man brought his children in, wouldn't leave and the crew asked all of us to leave it to shut down the spa to get him and kids out. The man was so stubborn he ruined it for all of us using the adult spa area correctly.
It seems worse since the pandemic - so many people are more thoughtless and confrontational than they were before. I feel for the cruise crew, this is a no-win situation. A subset of people are going to behave badly no matter what.
The hand washing is a pet peeve of mine. That is why I like Holland America having staff handle everything at the buffet, instead of the passengers touching the utensils.
Um, HAL has plenty of water and soap and towels stations around the buffet as well as hand sanitizers at the entrance to the buffet, and often, (not always) has crew watching and spritizing hands. This year 2024. And they only handle half the buffet. I still had to use the tongs myself to grab bread, cold cuts, herring, crackets, etc. So yeah, HAL reduces the risk but it's not 100% idiot-proof......
These things used to be called "common courtesies", but they aren't as common as they used to be. There are too many people that believe they are "entitled" because they paid big bucks for the cruise. But they didn't buy the crew. Slavery was abolished over 150 years ago.
Thanks for explaining that 'gratuities' are actually part of the fare and are used to pay the basic wages. I'm sure many cruisers don't really understand this. The term gratuities sounds like it's tips and optional. It would be more honest for the cruise lines to increase their fares and not add 'gratuities' at all - but that would need all the cruise lines to agree to do it - which seems unlikely.
Just because Gary says gratuities are part of the fare does not make them so. If they were part of the fare they would be included in the basic cruise price, not tacked on later as an additional charge
I agree gratuities are an important part of the pay structure and in general when cruising we add to the base amount for excellent service. However, I have had one situation where I changed the amount for a gratuity to $0. I was more than justified. This was a member of the wait staff for our meals. It was a Disney cruise so your wait staff was with you the entire cruise. It happened to be the highest level of wait staff. We only saw her twice. The first time was on embarkation. They had booked us with the wrong dinner seating so I had to go to a specific location to get it changed. The woman was rude. It just so happened that she was the head of our waitstaff. She gave me a hard time (over their error) but eventually gave us a new table number. When we went to dinner that night, there was another party seated at the table. One of the other head waitstaff staff had to scramble to find us a new table. She was no where to be found. The second time we saw her was the night before disembarkation when it was time to pass out tips. She did no work for us. Never stopped at her table to ask if things were ok. Never once gave us a run down on the next day. Typically, on Disney, you see the Head Wait Staff at least 3 times each meal. We never saw her at our table except the one time (to get the tip) for an entire 7 night cruise. No work = no tip Having said that, the tips we gave to our other wait staff and cabins steward were very generous.
I wish all cruise lines would just include gratuities in the price. It's not actually optional since staff rely on that money, nobody should be removing gratuities, so just bake it into the charges from the beginning.
On Cunard you have to pay 15 % service charge extra to every drink you buy if you don't book a drinks package. For what reason I should pay another service fee for the staff? It's not my job to pay them properly, it's job of the Company.
I always thought that too. But unfortunately many people, especially Americans will continue to tip above the built in service charges. And I found myself to be guilty! We the increases in prepaid gratuities and 18 to 20% on just about everything I swore not to tip above those amounts but with great service I couldn’t help myself and tipped more.
The cruise fares just need to be raised to bake in the “crew appreciation”. I know the lines want to tempt passengers with the apparently low fares, but it’s not fair to the crew for people to opt out of that charge.
All cruise lines operating in and around Australia are required to include gratuities in the advertised price as we don’t tip over here (except when doing so voluntarily as a reward for exceptional service). If it can be done here it can be done everywhere.
To avoid the lose-lose situations either uniformly enforce “the rules” or abolish them. Inconsistent response from crew/cruise lines is the root of their lose-lose conundrum.
Love your points here on 'hands' - it's got to be my biggest frustration on ships. I'll never understand people who aren't washing their hands going into dining venues, or not washing hands after bathroom breaks etc - argh!
@@juliatarrel1674 Exactly. In Jan 20 in preparation for Covid I trained myself never to touch my face with my hands outside the home. Just about every itch disappear by itself within a minute. Not had a cold since. (Applies to life in general rather than cruising.)
A "gratuity" is something that is freely given in thanks. That's the definition. If it is a mandatory charge, then it is a fee. It does violence to the language to call it something else.
Totally agree, this underhand tactic of dressing up a fee as a gratuity is both greedy and malevolent. The ire will be focused on the passenger instead of the company that is choosing to underpay thier staff.
I applaud this video for calling out what seems to be a pandemic of bad manners, across the Pond and across the board. As an usher for a performing arts center, I can tell you these six things he mentions are very real for all service jobs. Basically, just be polite and kind, and the whole experience will be better.Teach your children this from birth.
The English complaint is really sad. I would never berate someone for trying to speak English when it is not their first language. It’s hard enough for people who it IS their first language 🤣
I have a colleague from Spain who speaks English, French, Spanish, and German. He said that one time someone in the US was complaining about his accent, and he told them "You know what my accent means? I can speak more languages than you."
All crew I encounter speak English perfectly and with correct grammar, and better than ninety-percent of the passengers. A lot of low-class passengers make themselves more important by putting crew and other persons down. Sad fact of modern Western life.
I don't know if this is a widely-used tactic, but when I visited Japan recently, all the buffets and restaurants would stop letting you in half an hour before the closing time, no exceptions. For instance, "breakfast buffet closes at 9am, last admission 8:30am". It was so clear, easy to abide by, and must have really helped the staff avoid the deliberate latecomers. I hope cruise lines can implement something similar for the sake of their staff!
1. Cruise lines should increase security staff and delegate rules enforcement to security. Not fair or realistic to expect hospitality, customer-facing staff to enforce rules. 2. I have always understood the posted end time for a meal to mean last seating. If the expected last seating time is in fact earlier, a last seating time should be posted. If the MDR is announced as open till 9 and 9 pm reservations are accepted, the passenger is not acting unreasonably by arriving a 9 and expecting service as usual.
Also, security is under no, zero, zilch, NONE, NullPointerException obligation to be nice and smily. They can be, but if they have to tell you, then they're not there to lick your ass, as we say in Unamerican places. You see a security guard and ask him the way to a place? Sure. But he's not there to be nice and bubbly. If you act in a way that security needs to speak to you, you've lost smiling privileges.
I was watching one unrelated RUclips Video and this one popped up next while I was fetching my dinner out of the oven. I always find your videos so informative as always. What a life you are living. Traveling the world far and wide. Wish I had the talent and technical skills do pull of such a feat. I live vicariously as I alway say thru all my RUclips Cruise bloggers of about maybe 15 or so. Still trying to find a travel partner to make it more enjoyable and cost effective. I know how it is to not get tipped although as a limo driver there is always 20 percent gratuity included. But many people tip extra and some people really surprise me with very generous extra tips.
You should not have to ‘top-up’ cruise staff’s wages by giving gratuities! The cruise line should pay them the correct amount and not expect passengers to do this. Further, if gratuities are optional, other passengers should not think they have the right to criticise those who remove them. ‘Compulsory’ tips and gratuities are not acceptable and people should only tip when they believe the staff member has gone above and beyond. Otherwise, we are paying their wages which is the domain of the employer, not the customer. Charge the full amount for the cruise and there is no problem in paying the staff the wages they deserve!
A passenger complaining about Sun-lounger Hogs is vastly different from a sleazy passenger having the audacity to complain upon removal of their Hog materials. Crew simply need to point out the rules to the Hoggers and Appease legitimate passenger claims by carrying out the Hog removal process, simples, IMHO
True, but nothing's stopping the entitled hog from complaining that the crew member was rude to them. The automated system which punishes crew members for bad reviews doesn't care if the bad review was in retaliation for telling a rule breaking passenger to stop breaking the rules, all it cares about is customer not happy bad.
They should have a storage Rack in hotspots with each shelf denoting the sunbed id And a Large Sign with the Rules. Which these narcissistic people can be pointed to !
Worked in customer service for eight years. It’s a lose lose game. Constant frustration with stupid people where your only option of dealing with them is “smile and wave”
The gratuities debate is a stupidity owned by the cruise lines themselves.Why some staff, customer facing is partially dependent on this for their income while others, Ships Crew, management and the Captain are not? They make the key decisions if a cruise matches our expectations. Reduce the Cruise fare by another 15-20 dollars a day per person and create a management Gratuity. If the overall cruise then does not match my expectations allow me to reduce or cancel this gratuity payment as management is overall responsible. I am sure that they are likely to go on strike fast, especially if they serve on an older ship with many known issues awaiting the next major upgrade. As these are much more difficult people to replace due to licensing and experience requirements it will impact way more. However it is unfair to make the customer facing staff having uncertainty that often is beyond their control. Also if the ship is not full, they get less while management keeps their salary. The answer is simple. All gratuities MUST be part of the fare or advertised prices like drinks. This is already law in Australia and other places and standard on some lines like Virgin Voyages. I tip for service I like and that is my choice but should not impact staff salary.
@@meanmuttonexactly my point. Was just being ironic in showing the stupidity of gratuities . Maybe add a gratuity for the Cruise Line HQ and management as well, and reduce the fare by another 10 dollars pp per day. If they then remove a port for no good reason they can feel the impact by loosing some salary or bonus.
@@W1ldt1m if it's not 100% voluntary it isn't a tip or gratuity it is a service fee and a way for the line to make you feel responsible for them not paying their staff. Almost like the Mafia looking for protection money, really. Nice staff we have here. It would be a shame if nobody paid them.
for Rules it is simple, Hire people to only enforce rules , Cruise police. I would love to do it just to get on the ship for free. .and enforce rules and have people yell at me lol and then them TOUGHT THAT IS THE RULE lolol, I fell so bad for Cruew
Indeed. Maybe charge US$ 25 per violation and you can hire people to enforce the rules from that. This could be solved within a few month by clearly spelling out the consequence ahead and during the cruise.
I had a land customer service teach me a very clever way to handle mispronunciation. When I was asking about a tour to igauzu falls I told her I couldn’t pronounce it. She replied, let me help you with that! What a lovely way to handle it. One of the problems Americans have is not realizing most foreigners learn British English and many words are pronounced differently in “ English”! So correcting people can be just rude! I forget to print my request because my writing is clearer, but script is barely being taught in schools anymore! These are normally the request at the beginning of the cruise like for ice.
Speaking as a native of the UK, I assure you most people these days learn American English as a second language. It's really weird hearing someone that is clearly from a remote country speaking English as a second or third language with an American accent.
@@owensmith7530 I guess I’m getting old! I remember colleagues who had definitely learn British English, and classmates, mostly India that I guess may have been regional taught British English. Those from the UAE seemed also to have learned British English. If I think about those I meet regularly I always assumed they’d learned English here in the US. My favored colleague learn English at 5 from the American soldiers but doesn’t remember that. He then learned British English but also American and wasn’t sure which idioms were which. We had a lot of fun with language as I enjoy playing with words and he said he’d never met anyone who would do that with a non native speaker. If we disagreed on a definition he drug out the Oxford dictionary, and usually was right! He was from the Netherlands.
The version they learn depends on where they're from; Indians, Singaporeans, Malaysians, and most Europeans seem to get more British style English. Indonesians, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipinos, and probably most Central and South Americans tend to get more American style English. Most hospitality crew are from the latter places, though.
On the rules issues, the crew is being set up for failure by the cruise lines, not just the passengers. When crew has to enforce rules, the cruise lines should be a solid wall behind them and thoroughly support the decisions that the crew had to make. But, they leave the crew hanging. Especially with something like the chair hogs and parental issues, that should be handled by dedicated staff that is NOT on tips or subject to survey dinging. So, yeah, they cruise lines need to step up an take responsibilty for their own rules, and not leave it to the person with the least power in the situation. This is by design. Cruise lines don't want to get in the middle of this stuff and they make their employees take the brunt of it.
Gary, here's an idea to stop "lounge thieves." Give each lounger a color-shifting cover for his lounger. Obviously, the color will not change under his/her lounger. But, once they get up and are gone for say 15 minutes, the entire cover will have changed color. Then the deck fellows know to remove it. I've got other ideas too, but wii save them for future posts.
I agree with the comment copied below. We have been on Voyages rather than cruises and this does not happen. We went on one Danube Cruise and did not give our credit card details as the company was going to take about $30 a day each! I did give in an envelope at the end of the cruise. "The term gratuities sounds like it's tips and optional. It would be more honest for the cruise lines to increase their fares and not add 'gratuities' at all - but that would need all the cruise lines to agree to do it -"
We recently cruised Regent Seven Seas, which is a gratuities included line. We were wondering if tips were still expected. I wish the USA was more like Japan and Europe concerning tipping. Regent charges much more than other lines but I love how passengers aren’t nickeled and dimed for everything, tips included.
People agreed to the rules. Sp if they dont follow them and then get agreesive, there should be some kind of punishment. Other people's experience shouldn't be hampered because the crew doesnt feel rules are worth enforcing
While the prices look good when booking. If you know a $18 per day gratuity is added per passenger, just add to the total price when booking.. the fact that they wait to add the charge daily to your account is very annoying!
There have been a few times I've been seated with someone and they comment negatively on a crew's English. I'll then ask where that crew member is from. After they leave, I'll just say to myself out loud "Wow they speak better English than I speak Italian" (or wherever they are from) and that usually makes them realize what they said about the crew member.
I've never heard anyone criticizing crew for their English. That sounds quite crude to say the least. As for gratuities, I've been told multiple times that on Princess the crew don't get anything from passenger automatic gratuities, so I do remove them on that line and tip individually. As I don't drink and rarely eat in the MDR, I prefer to reward my cabin steward more generously. The one thing that irritates me the most on cruises is people talking during the theatre shows.
If you're going to get grief whether you enforce the rules or not. then simply choose to enforce the rules 100% of the time. If the rules are clearly posted, then the violators have no case. One thing they can do about chair hogs is to put some kind of bright object on the reserved chairs, then make a sweep after the allowed time and remove any and all items from chairs that still aren't occupied.
I once did a transatlantic crossing on Queen Mary in Princess Grill. On my first night, I got sent back to my room to get a jacket. Unfortunately, coming out of the room,which was in the middle of the ship, I turned left instead of right and ended up in the bow! Then, then had to walk what seemed like miles to get back to the restaurant, which was in the stern.
Exactly. Passengers want cheap cruises (still usually more than I can afford!) so lines underpay & understaff. We notice the shortages in service, but probably wouldn’t notice if the staff were treated better: just that we were paying “too much”.
love watching these videos - but each time i see one it typically reinforces my notion of never venturing aboard one (only been on a smaller Nile cruise in late 90s ; not too many folks on board ; but gave me a taste for what i like & dont like )
We follow the rule that if there’s no living body on a sun lounger then possession is 9/10ths etc we simply move the possessions off the lounger and climb on. Nobody has ever attempted to move me once I’ve landed!
The gratuities debate is a constant angst and is an issue created by the cruise companies working with different cultures etc. I noticed on a recent cruise with Viking that all the USA passengers had purchased fares with daily gratitudes to settle out in their final accounts whereas UK passenger had fares that included gratuities. The online communications on the ship were hard for UK passengers to understand (as most passengers were from the USA) until we realised we were exempt from the instructions. What amount did you tip extra on your rather expensive Seabourn Explorer adventure in Western Australia?
Hello my fellow RUclipsr. Firstly I would like to thank you for taking the time, effort and resources it took, in making this very informative film about cruise culture and cruise ships, I have been thinking about a cruise for some time, I have never been on a cruise before, I have been on many ships over the years and I enjoy them, but never on a cruise or even a cruise ship, in my entire life. My Parents loved them and did many cruises over the years on many different ships, and I thought I might like them as well, but what your production has made me realise, is several issues I would have on a cruise ship, and the culture around them. After watching this I realized that cruise ships and being on a cruise is not for me I really won’t go into long explanations it would just fill this page with what I think, feel and understand and what I see wrong about a ship cruise in today’s modern world. But I would say that the days of adventure on the high seas, in luxury and comfort with awesome company, in wonderful exotic and interesting locations on land or at sea, are a thing of the past, and in short, I would probably end up just spend all my time in my cabin. I thank you again for your time and effort and for saving me a lot of money and so much wasted time if I had gone throw with my plans.
The language barrier is a big thing. I used to travel for work and often dealt with people who had English as a second language. I always spoke more slowly and would avoid use of slang terms. This seemed to help. Even when In Northern England and Scottland I found the locale language accents almost imposable as an American.
I really appreciate this video. Thank you. I do have a question. I returned from a cruise down the West Coast of the USA on Holland America lines, and I was reading a fantastic book that I just couldn’t put down. I went to the Lido Buffet for the late night Meal and kept reading my book. Next thing I know it was three in the morning! I closed the place down! I was the only person there! Nobody ever bothered me or asked me to leave and I didn’t see any staff around. Do you think it was OK to do that? I didn’t see anybody hovering or looking as if they were waiting for me to leave. So I’m hoping the Lido deck is different but maybe not?
@8:23; I understand that one, completely. I work in a restaurant, and we hate it when people show up at the last minute. We recently made a new rule where if you are there less than 30 minutes from closing, you will get denied.
It sounds like entitled passengers believing the rules don’t apply to them or who are completely without courtesy cause at least 4 of the 6 things which drive crew crazy and make other passengers want to kill them.
You talked about gratuities and the weirdest thing was that on my last Carnival cruise, I went to the desk because I wanted to increase the gratuities and just told me I couldn't increase it. I was baffled and had to give up even though I wanted to give more because service in the main dining room had been really good.
If you stick to the RULES you shouldn't get crap from anyone, if the passengers see the rules and ignore them then its their problem not that of the crew.
This summer KLM lost our luggage for the duration of the cruise. No main dining room, no Captains Cocktail Party, no pool or gym. We were penalized for something beyond our control.
I had a similar experience but it wasn't the airline's fault. Due to a complicated set of circumstances, my shirts didn't end up in my luggage. I bought some at local stores. Just my luck, they were having sales! I also used some credits to buy a t-shirt at the ship's store so I could go to the fitness center. It was also marked down (it was a repositioning cruise so a lot of clothing was on sale). I ended up getting some good deals on some new clothes. One problem - it can be difficult to figure out sizes.
I was amazed on a recent Oceania cruise to hear a couple remove their gratuities at the service desk. I had to express loudly that I would never do that!😊
As far as chair hogs what no one talks about is the 3 for 2 or the 2X4. 3 for 2 is an empty chair used as a “table” by guests. The 2 X 4 is guests putting their stuff on the chair beside them. Creating a buffer zone. This is worse than chair hogs
I am an immigrant hence have zero issues regarding accent. My only issue is in medical environments where I myself am.misunderstood which can cause harm to family member.Hence,I requested email confirmation to keep things safe for all. I do not understand entitled people as everyone in my book is equal and even if running late for breakfast,I will make a point if just grabbing what is available in order to vacate seat at correct time so as not to inconvenience anyone Whilst I reside in a non tipping culture &Asia in general is non tipping,I do understand on cruise ships it is expected but I once met an American who had no funds as used it all for tips,I told her to not leave herself short
Dress code is tricky for different types of people. I Never Wear Suits. 67 years old and my office wear for 38 years was jeans and a polo shirt. Formal night for me has been very new black jeans and a nice dress shirt. I have a belly and most slacks don't hang on me well. I want to look nice, but I won't pack a full suit and tie. Gary looks so good in his fancy suit, I'd look ridiculous.
I wear jeans, boots and a polo most days, so I have some sympathy. But let me ask you, if I was invited to attend your daughter's wedding, that you had paid for, in my cleanest jeans my polished boots and an ironed polo just how long or short a conversation would you and I be having? A decent suit doesn't have to be expensive, waistcoat , suspenders (braces), a proper bow tie and a cummerbund; stand up straight and we'll be having them call you Mr Bond by the end of the night. My friend, let me assure you ZZTop were right on this matter.
Also, just done be a jerk to anyone. Treat other people like you would like to be treated. The crew work for days on end without a break (imo, that’s criminal). They’re just like you, working hard and trying to keep their families fed. The last thing you would like is someone being a jerk to you when you’re exhausted and under appreciated. Human decency goes a long way!
Watching cruise videos has saved me an incalculable sum of money on cruise tickets. It all sounds like a week in a Petri dish with food I could make better at home.
On my last carnival cruise, my husband and I ate right before closing at the restaurant( we only got the appetizers and desserts). Our intentions was to eat at the buffet, but for some reason carnival closed the buffet early. We had slow service the entire cruise. I think they were under staffed and the temp was over 100. And pretty much everything was closed and it was only a little before 8. So I didn’t have much choice. I didn’t even see anybody working at the pizza place or cafe.
My first cruising experience was where the ratio of staff to passengers was better 20 yrs ago, they are reducing the staff, and then they now don't have the time to do the best service to what was given in my earlier cruise years. Staff always seem to be in hurry mode, which isn't what I like to see while im trying to relax and enjoy my holiday. Regarding the donations of gratuities in Aust, our fares are higher so its already included we Don't usually tip here in Australia I do pay anyway cause its included in my drinks package. My room attendent dosent have to stay long in our room, we keep it reasonably tidy. And usually give them enough money for a phone card or a meal and drink while off the ship. Overall will keeping cruising while the ships come to our harbour of Sydney. Favourite ship line Princess Cruises, 22 cruises 377 days. + 2 more booked.
1) chair hogs are never going to go away 1a) if it's horribly broken, then yes.. ie: shorts and tshirt when it's supposed to be long pants and collar shirt.. Other then that, dont sweat it.. 1b)YES, people dont make their kids behave anymore.. it's horrible 2) Just wash your hands folks.. I dont care if you did it just before you came to the buffet, just wash them again.. You touched SOMETHING on the way.. Just wash it again. 3) I just wish they would include everything in one fare and not do it differently. 4) dont get me started on late people.. I have no patience for them.. Also while I'll never be in a hospitality position lol 5) yea, "let me speak to a supervisor" instead of checking with the person first.. obviously if you have an issue and the person ignores you THEN you move up.. but other than that, you're on a cruise, unless it's horrible does it REALLY need to be complained about? 6) I would NEVER on a cruise give people crap about their language. It may take a while, but i enjoy interacting with folks from around the world and we'll figure it out lol.. I promise, they speak better english than I speak of their language.. They are better than me!!! Now in the states, if I have to press 1 for english, and I dont get a good english speaker, that's a WHOLE other ball game.. ;)
i think it's time all the cruise lines add the tips in the fare, problem solved. This week i book a cruise with MSC and they add the service charge y my fare. no problem for me. what i did don't like was they add the own company travel insurance. without option to choose my own provider.
I often wonder why cruise ships don't just rent the chairs like beach service. If you have to pay by the day or hour, I think you will find fewer chair hogs. Thoughts??
10:00 It is frustrating for passengers to struggle to understand the English of crew members. Many times I’ll try to explain something to my cabin attendant, or other staff, and get no where, so I just give up.
Why can't the waiters in the restaurant start the meal at the official meal time ? Who says that they have to wait for late comers to arrive ? The late comers are wasting the time of everyone else.
Our ship waited in port for ~3 hours past departure... and then the Carnival Sales Agent came slowly strolling up the pier. Apparently, no pier running is necessary when you bring in the money.
In addition to people who don't wash their hands, I'm so grossed out by passengers who serve themselves at the buffet and proceed to lick their fingers and then pick up another utensil.
While I agree that many of these would frustrate me as well if I was a crew member, there are a couple that I don’t see the issue with. First of all, policing the rules of the ship (chair hogs, children in adult areas, etc) is just part of the job. If the rules were enforced more consistently, there would be less passengers willing to make a stink if they were the ones in the wrong. And if I saw the end time of the dining room was 9pm, I would assume that’s how late they will admit someone, not when everyone needs to be done eating.
These are things that piss the passengers off. Act like we are Al on the same boat. Kids do not belong in a bar! I don’t want to sit at a bar with a 5 year old next to me on the bar stool. It is not cute as one mother told me.
I avoid breaking the dress code rules by avoiding cruise lines that have strict dress codes. However it's a weird rule to begin with. Rules around deck chairs affect other passengers. Not disinfecting your hands affects other passengers. Me wearing shorts has zero impact on your life.
It's not just cruise lines with strict formal dress codes. I've seen issues on mainstream lines when the crew has to mandate passengers can't wear a bathing suit and beach sandals in the dining room. Same as a restaurant on land mandating close toed shoes, shirts covering shoulders in the dining room.
I avoid cruise Kim Nescwhich do NOT have a dress code....if you can't be bothered to make yourself presentable stay home and dine in your Tshirt and boxers! ,
I fully support handwashing, but will admit that I often wash in the cabin, and then don't touch much of anything before going to the buffet. But the reality is that these outbreaks are infinitely more likely to be coming from either the food supply or water supply. But since that would make the industry look 'unsafe', passengers are blamed instead.
Nora virus is spread by a single touch. So only touching a few things on your way to the buffet is more than enough to get others sick. Please wash or use sanitizer as you enter the buffet
One VERY easy way for the cruise lines to avoid any difficulty enforcing the dress code: just make the dress codes casual and easy to comply with. Hardly anyone wants to dress up formally on vacation any more.
Clothing optional cruises are easy enough to find on a simple internet search. The rest of us don't mind dressing as full grown adults and not like children.
This is exactly why I don't do cruises. People (Americans mostly - truth) and the 'me-first, I-deserve-it-because-I-paid-for-it entitlement attitude messes it up for everyone. Way too much anger going on these days.
I have only been on 2 cruises since Covid, but I never met anyone that was rude or angry, but I cruise Princess or Celebrity, never Carnival where most of the problems seem to be on.
Better to enforce the rules and piss off 1 family or person, than allowing violation of rules and piss off everyone else. Chair hogs and kids seem to be the most often complained about rule breakers. Followed by line cutters and smokers in cabins. Those rules should be inviolate.
6 Things That Drive Cruise Passengers Crazy: 1. Nickle and diming, upselling. 2. Automatic gratuities - Just pay the crew a living wage and include it in the fare. 3. Not enforcing adult-only areas. 4. Telling me that "formal attire" is required in the MDR and then allowing people in that are dressed like beach bums. 5. Not addressing chair hogs. I don’t care if it makes the crew "uncomfortable" in doing it, IT'S THEIR JOB! 6. Selling specialty dining packages and then not being able to get a reservation at one of them.
i was working the Liverpool Dublin ferry, passengers was loading and i mentioned to a young steward that his accent was a bit broad and if he was just to slow his speech down it would help out. a passenger overheard me assumed i was talking about himself and blew up spent about 2 mins shouting at me before the purser said to him sir please dont he was talking to his crewmate, he looked very embarrassed
About children: when I worked retail, I found a way to deal with misbehaving children. Walk up close, tower over, and say "Where's your mama?" (later modified to "Where's your family?") I never saw a kid who didn't instantly run for its parent. How can anybody complain about sending a kid to safety?
Went on a cruise with Oceania. Cabin was on the lower deck and had two very nice Indonesian men as cabin Stewarts. Noticed when you went up to the higher ($$$$) decks all the maids were young, white, pretty and wearing cute maid uniforms. Was told the high end restaurants were booked every night but I overheard other passengers saying they went to those restaurant "Every night". These examples attest to the blatant racism and classism on these ships. Here is a Smart Tip: Point that out to the Customer Desk and they will do everything to appease you.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Get 10% off your cruise map by using this link: www.TheCruiseMaps.com/tft
The idea that people find it acceptable to criticize crew for their English/accent is bewildering to me! I hugely admire multilingual people and feel nothing but gratitude when someone speaks to me in my language, which to my shame is the only one I speak fluently. If I struggle with someone’s accent I view that as a me problem that means I need to pay closer attention or perhaps ask them (politely) to repeat themselves. Being rude is not an option.
@@NatNay-cu3uvLOL seriously....
@@NatNay-cu3uv You are welcome to your opinion, but I find it xenophobic and repellent. How many languages do you speak? If you are speaking with someone whose first language is Tagalog, can you speak Tagalog with them? (I have heard that such an ability is considered “paramount” and if you cannot, you are under-educated and “cheap.”) Cruise ships are largely not registered in the US and have both multi-national clientele and multi-national staff. Your expectation of perfect English from every staff member is absurd and, again, IMO, obnoxious.
Also, speaking of English, your comment contains misspellings and lacks proper punctuation. Does that make you under-educated and cheap?
I'm old, so if I don't understand someone who has difficulty with English I tell them that my hearing is poor and ask them if they could repeat slowly. I put the blame on me rather than them.
@@NatNay-cu3uv For most of the world's population, English is not their native tongue, and it's not an easy language to learn. I cannot label them as "undereducated cheap staff".
Absolutely amazing. The frankly xenophobic comment by NatNay remains, and my response-which used NatNay’s own verbiage to criticize his/her statement-has been removed. If people don’t want to be called on their hateful commentary, they shouldn’t post. Remove provocation AND response or leave both intact. Shameful editorial choice.
MANY TIMES I've watched the crew chase children out of an adults only area, really a HUGE reason why I now really focus on cruises with little or no children. There is no way to control it, it is a shame there are so many "unresponsible" parents out there.
Unresponsive and irresponsble in one word? I like that portmanteau. It makes sense.
I've cruised with my kids, and I actually really appreciate when the crew is firm and clear about where the kids are not allowed to be. Sometimes there is signage but it's really small and easy to miss.
I'd rather be told on day one that it's an adults only pool or lounge. It's a big ship, I can find somewhere else for my kids to be but not everyone is breaking a rule because they don't care, it's because no one has bothered to inform them of the rules.
@@cbpd89 OMG, seriously, wow, parenting is very different these days. I have to admit it was my generation that raised the parents of those children today. You just talked me into kid free cruises, period.
I was in an adult only spa on NCL and a man brought his children in, wouldn't leave and the crew asked all of us to leave it to shut down the spa to get him and kids out. The man was so stubborn he ruined it for all of us using the adult spa area correctly.
I refuse to go on a cruise that allows children.
It seems worse since the pandemic - so many people are more thoughtless and confrontational than they were before. I feel for the cruise crew, this is a no-win situation. A subset of people are going to behave badly no matter what.
Yes. I agree. Behaviour really seems to have changed post pandemic
Do you think the hokie-pokie might have anything to do with it? 💉
The hand washing is a pet peeve of mine. That is why I like Holland America having staff handle everything at the buffet, instead of the passengers touching the utensils.
Um, HAL has plenty of water and soap and towels stations around the buffet as well as hand sanitizers at the entrance to the buffet, and often, (not always) has crew watching and spritizing hands. This year 2024. And they only handle half the buffet. I still had to use the tongs myself to grab bread, cold cuts, herring, crackets, etc. So yeah, HAL reduces the risk but it's not 100% idiot-proof......
These things used to be called "common courtesies", but they aren't as common as they used to be. There are too many people that believe they are "entitled" because they paid big bucks for the cruise. But they didn't buy the crew. Slavery was abolished over 150 years ago.
Thanks for explaining that 'gratuities' are actually part of the fare and are used to pay the basic wages. I'm sure many cruisers don't really understand this.
The term gratuities sounds like it's tips and optional.
It would be more honest for the cruise lines to increase their fares and not add 'gratuities' at all - but that would need all the cruise lines to agree to do it - which seems unlikely.
Just because Gary says gratuities are part of the fare does not make them so. If they were part of the fare they would be included in the basic cruise price, not tacked on later as an additional charge
Gratuities are just that while I agree I wish they would just add them to the price so no one could remove them and add tips as they please
I agree gratuities are an important part of the pay structure and in general when cruising we add to the base amount for excellent service.
However, I have had one situation where I changed the amount for a gratuity to $0. I was more than justified.
This was a member of the wait staff for our meals. It was a Disney cruise so your wait staff was with you the entire cruise. It happened to be the highest level of wait staff.
We only saw her twice. The first time was on embarkation. They had booked us with the wrong dinner seating so I had to go to a specific location to get it changed. The woman was rude. It just so happened that she was the head of our waitstaff. She gave me a hard time (over their error) but eventually gave us a new table number.
When we went to dinner that night, there was another party seated at the table. One of the other head waitstaff staff had to scramble to find us a new table. She was no where to be found.
The second time we saw her was the night before disembarkation when it was time to pass out tips.
She did no work for us. Never stopped at her table to ask if things were ok. Never once gave us a run down on the next day. Typically, on Disney, you see the Head Wait Staff at least 3 times each meal. We never saw her at our table except the one time (to get the tip) for an entire 7 night cruise.
No work = no tip
Having said that, the tips we gave to our other wait staff and cabins steward were very generous.
I wish all cruise lines would just include gratuities in the price. It's not actually optional since staff rely on that money, nobody should be removing gratuities, so just bake it into the charges from the beginning.
On Cunard you have to pay 15 % service charge extra to every drink you buy if you don't book a drinks package. For what reason I should pay another service fee for the staff? It's not my job to pay them properly, it's job of the Company.
@@jorgschwantje1239On Celebrity it’s 20%. When you purchase a drinks package you pay 20% on the package price.
I always thought that too. But unfortunately many people, especially Americans will continue to tip above the built in service charges. And I found myself to be guilty! We the increases in prepaid gratuities and 18 to 20% on just about everything I swore not to tip above those amounts but with great service I couldn’t help myself and tipped more.
The cruise fares just need to be raised to bake in the “crew appreciation”. I know the lines want to tempt passengers with the apparently low fares, but it’s not fair to the crew for people to opt out of that charge.
All cruise lines operating in and around Australia are required to include gratuities in the advertised price as we don’t tip over here (except when doing so voluntarily as a reward for exceptional service). If it can be done here it can be done everywhere.
To avoid the lose-lose situations either uniformly enforce “the rules” or abolish them. Inconsistent response from crew/cruise lines is the root of their lose-lose conundrum.
Love your points here on 'hands' - it's got to be my biggest frustration on ships. I'll never understand people who aren't washing their hands going into dining venues, or not washing hands after bathroom breaks etc - argh!
they may have washed in the room prior to hitting the buffet. Everyone should wash after using the bathroom of course.
If the pandemic taught us anything, it should have taught us that OUR HANDS ARE FILTHY!
@@juliatarrel1674 except that they made it clear that covid was not spread by hands, rather it was airborne.
@@juliatarrel1674 Exactly. In Jan 20 in preparation for Covid I trained myself never to touch my face with my hands outside the home. Just about every itch disappear by itself within a minute. Not had a cold since. (Applies to life in general rather than cruising.)
It makes me want to wash my hands before dishing up at the buffet and then again before I eat any of the things I dished up.
A "gratuity" is something that is freely given in thanks. That's the definition. If it is a mandatory charge, then it is a fee. It does violence to the language to call it something else.
🎯
Totally agree, this underhand tactic of dressing up a fee as a gratuity is both greedy and malevolent. The ire will be focused on the passenger instead of the company that is choosing to underpay thier staff.
No. Gratuity is whatever CLIA and its marrketing experts says it is, Oxford English Dictionary be d@mned.
I applaud this video for calling out what seems to be a pandemic of bad manners, across the Pond and across the board. As an usher for a performing arts center, I can tell you these six things he mentions are very real for all service jobs. Basically, just be polite and kind, and the whole experience will be better.Teach your children this from birth.
The English complaint is really sad. I would never berate someone for trying to speak English when it is not their first language. It’s hard enough for people who it IS their first language 🤣
I have a colleague from Spain who speaks English, French, Spanish, and German. He said that one time someone in the US was complaining about his accent, and he told them "You know what my accent means? I can speak more languages than you."
@@QuintusAntonious
You speak English because it is the only language you know.
I speak English because it is the only language you know.
All crew I encounter speak English perfectly and with correct grammar, and better than ninety-percent of the passengers. A lot of low-class passengers make themselves more important by putting crew and other persons down. Sad fact of modern Western life.
@@QuintusAntoniousHow did he know the people was from the USA? Just the way he spoke? I don't believe this second hand info.
The gratuities need to be in the fare price problem solved
I don't know if this is a widely-used tactic, but when I visited Japan recently, all the buffets and restaurants would stop letting you in half an hour before the closing time, no exceptions. For instance, "breakfast buffet closes at 9am, last admission 8:30am". It was so clear, easy to abide by, and must have really helped the staff avoid the deliberate latecomers. I hope cruise lines can implement something similar for the sake of their staff!
1. Cruise lines should increase security staff and delegate rules enforcement to security. Not fair or realistic to expect hospitality, customer-facing staff to enforce rules.
2. I have always understood the posted end time for a meal to mean last seating. If the expected last seating time is in fact earlier, a last seating time should be posted. If the MDR is announced as open till 9 and 9 pm reservations are accepted, the passenger is not acting unreasonably by arriving a 9 and expecting service as usual.
Also, security is under no, zero, zilch, NONE, NullPointerException obligation to be nice and smily. They can be, but if they have to tell you, then they're not there to lick your ass, as we say in Unamerican places. You see a security guard and ask him the way to a place? Sure. But he's not there to be nice and bubbly. If you act in a way that security needs to speak to you, you've lost smiling privileges.
Cruise Lines should pay people properly. And charge properly.
Thanks for posting this. It’s great to see things from the staff perspective.
I was watching one unrelated RUclips Video and this one popped up next while I was fetching my dinner out of the oven. I always find your videos so informative as always. What a life you are living. Traveling the world far and wide. Wish I had the talent and technical skills do pull of such a feat. I live vicariously as I alway say thru all my RUclips Cruise bloggers of about maybe 15 or so. Still trying to find a travel partner to make it more enjoyable and cost effective. I know how it is to not get tipped although as a limo driver there is always 20 percent gratuity included. But many people tip extra and some people really surprise me with very generous extra tips.
That cruise map ad.. I was on that Iona cruise!!! That was our exact cruise! So cool!!
You should not have to ‘top-up’ cruise staff’s wages by giving gratuities! The cruise line should pay them the correct amount and not expect passengers to do this.
Further, if gratuities are optional, other passengers should not think they have the right to criticise those who remove them.
‘Compulsory’ tips and gratuities are not acceptable and people should only tip when they believe the staff member has gone above and beyond. Otherwise, we are paying their wages which is the domain of the employer, not the customer.
Charge the full amount for the cruise and there is no problem in paying the staff the wages they deserve!
Agree completely, cruise lines should include mandatory "gratuities" in the cruise fare.
An age-old gripe of mine...!
Gratuities should not make up part of the wage crew are offered.
People who violate rules and get called out need to get banned from cruise lines. I hate when cruise lines cater to the rule-breakers.
3 strikes and your barred or get penalty points shared by various liners.
One word - keelhaul!
Read somewhere once that the alcohol sanitizer does not stop norovorus but hand washing will. I don’t know if this is correct though.
A passenger complaining about Sun-lounger Hogs is vastly different from a sleazy passenger having the audacity to complain upon removal of their Hog materials. Crew simply need to point out the rules to the Hoggers and Appease legitimate passenger claims by carrying out the Hog removal process, simples, IMHO
True, but nothing's stopping the entitled hog from complaining that the crew member was rude to them. The automated system which punishes crew members for bad reviews doesn't care if the bad review was in retaliation for telling a rule breaking passenger to stop breaking the rules, all it cares about is customer not happy bad.
@@FireMageLaynso if you have to have stuff removed so you can sit make sure to compliment them by name in a survey.
@@FireMageLayn, then the automated system needs to be changed!
@@judithstrachan9399 this right here. This will continue so long as the cruise considers retaliatory ratings as important as legitimate.
They should have a storage Rack in hotspots with each shelf denoting the sunbed id And a Large Sign with the Rules. Which these narcissistic people can be pointed to !
There's a very simple solution to it... FOLLOW THE RULES! If you don't like the rules, don't cruise or choose a different cruiseline
Worked in customer service for eight years. It’s a lose lose game. Constant frustration with stupid people where your only option of dealing with them is “smile and wave”
The gratuities debate is a stupidity owned by the cruise lines themselves.Why some staff, customer facing is partially dependent on this for their income while others, Ships Crew, management and the Captain are not? They make the key decisions if a cruise matches our expectations. Reduce the Cruise fare by another 15-20 dollars a day per person and create a management Gratuity. If the overall cruise then does not match my expectations allow me to reduce or cancel this gratuity payment as management is overall responsible. I am sure that they are likely to go on strike fast, especially if they serve on an older ship with many known issues awaiting the next major upgrade. As these are much more difficult people to replace due to licensing and experience requirements it will impact way more. However it is unfair to make the customer facing staff having uncertainty that often is beyond their control. Also if the ship is not full, they get less while management keeps their salary. The answer is simple. All gratuities MUST be part of the fare or advertised prices like drinks. This is already law in Australia and other places and standard on some lines like Virgin Voyages. I tip for service I like and that is my choice but should not impact staff salary.
Honestly, they should just hike the fares by the gratuity amount and advertise it as "all gratuities included".
@@meanmuttonexactly my point. Was just being ironic in showing the stupidity of gratuities . Maybe add a gratuity for the Cruise Line HQ and management as well, and reduce the fare by another 10 dollars pp per day. If they then remove a port for no good reason they can feel the impact by loosing some salary or bonus.
@@meanmuttonnot all gratuities inuded but say gratuities required.
That's the most ridiculous take on tips.
@@W1ldt1m if it's not 100% voluntary it isn't a tip or gratuity it is a service fee and a way for the line to make you feel responsible for them not paying their staff. Almost like the Mafia looking for protection money, really.
Nice staff we have here. It would be a shame if nobody paid them.
Thanks!
Thanks !! Much appreciated
for Rules it is simple, Hire people to only enforce rules , Cruise police. I would love to do it just to get on the ship for free. .and enforce rules and have people yell at me lol and then them TOUGHT THAT IS THE RULE lolol, I fell so bad for Cruew
Indeed. Maybe charge US$ 25 per violation and you can hire people to enforce the rules from that. This could be solved within a few month by clearly spelling out the consequence ahead and during the cruise.
@@robbroere1384this would be awesome.
Yes! I want that job
Following the rules is never a losing situation
I had a land customer service teach me a very clever way to handle mispronunciation. When I was asking about a tour to igauzu falls I told her I couldn’t pronounce it. She replied, let me help you with that! What a lovely way to handle it.
One of the problems Americans have is not realizing most foreigners learn British English and many words are pronounced differently in “ English”! So correcting people can be just rude!
I forget to print my request because my writing is clearer, but script is barely being taught in schools anymore! These are normally the request at the beginning of the cruise like for ice.
I learned how to pronounce Iguazu from The Amazing Race a couple of decades ago. It looked like a nice place. I'm glad you got to enjoy it.
@@Honolulu-Blue Not there yet, but the tour is planned. I may have to find that amazing race video, thanks.
Speaking as a native of the UK, I assure you most people these days learn American English as a second language. It's really weird hearing someone that is clearly from a remote country speaking English as a second or third language with an American accent.
@@owensmith7530 I guess I’m getting old! I remember colleagues who had definitely learn British English, and classmates, mostly India that I guess may have been regional taught British English. Those from the UAE seemed also to have learned British English.
If I think about those I meet regularly I always assumed they’d learned English here in the US.
My favored colleague learn English at 5 from the American soldiers but doesn’t remember that. He then learned British English but also American and wasn’t sure which idioms were which. We had a lot of fun with language as I enjoy playing with words and he said he’d never met anyone who would do that with a non native speaker. If we disagreed on a definition he drug out the Oxford dictionary, and usually was right! He was from the Netherlands.
The version they learn depends on where they're from; Indians, Singaporeans, Malaysians, and most Europeans seem to get more British style English. Indonesians, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipinos, and probably most Central and South Americans tend to get more American style English. Most hospitality crew are from the latter places, though.
On the rules issues, the crew is being set up for failure by the cruise lines, not just the passengers. When crew has to enforce rules, the cruise lines should be a solid wall behind them and thoroughly support the decisions that the crew had to make. But, they leave the crew hanging. Especially with something like the chair hogs and parental issues, that should be handled by dedicated staff that is NOT on tips or subject to survey dinging. So, yeah, they cruise lines need to step up an take responsibilty for their own rules, and not leave it to the person with the least power in the situation.
This is by design. Cruise lines don't want to get in the middle of this stuff and they make their employees take the brunt of it.
Gary, here's an idea to stop "lounge thieves." Give each lounger a color-shifting cover for his lounger. Obviously, the color will not change under his/her lounger. But, once they get up and are gone for say 15 minutes, the entire cover will have changed color. Then the deck fellows know to remove it. I've got other ideas too, but wii save them for future posts.
I agree with the comment copied below. We have been on Voyages rather than cruises and this does not happen. We went on one Danube Cruise and did not give our credit card details as the company was going to take about $30 a day each! I did give in an envelope at the end of the cruise. "The term gratuities sounds like it's tips and optional.
It would be more honest for the cruise lines to increase their fares and not add 'gratuities' at all - but that would need all the cruise lines to agree to do it -"
We recently cruised Regent Seven Seas, which is a gratuities included line. We were wondering if tips were still expected. I wish the USA was more like Japan and Europe concerning tipping. Regent charges much more than other lines but I love how passengers aren’t nickeled and dimed for everything, tips included.
How about the rest of the world...we don't tip in Australia
People agreed to the rules. Sp if they dont follow them and then get agreesive, there should be some kind of punishment. Other people's experience shouldn't be hampered because the crew doesnt feel rules are worth enforcing
Cruise Maps seems like a great idea !
While the prices look good when booking. If you know a $18 per day gratuity is added per passenger, just add to the total price when booking.. the fact that they wait to add the charge daily to your account is very annoying!
There have been a few times I've been seated with someone and they comment negatively on a crew's English. I'll then ask where that crew member is from. After they leave, I'll just say to myself out loud "Wow they speak better English than I speak Italian" (or wherever they are from) and that usually makes them realize what they said about the crew member.
I've never heard anyone criticizing crew for their English. That sounds quite crude to say the least. As for gratuities, I've been told multiple times that on Princess the crew don't get anything from passenger automatic gratuities, so I do remove them on that line and tip individually. As I don't drink and rarely eat in the MDR, I prefer to reward my cabin steward more generously. The one thing that irritates me the most on cruises is people talking during the theatre shows.
Whatever happened to being considerate of others?
If you're going to get grief whether you enforce the rules or not. then simply choose to enforce the rules 100% of the time. If the rules are clearly posted, then the violators have no case. One thing they can do about chair hogs is to put some kind of bright object on the reserved chairs, then make a sweep after the allowed time and remove any and all items from chairs that still aren't occupied.
I once did a transatlantic crossing on Queen Mary in Princess Grill. On my first night, I got sent back to my room to get a jacket. Unfortunately, coming out of the room,which was in the middle of the ship, I turned left instead of right and ended up in the bow! Then, then had to walk what seemed like miles to get back to the restaurant, which was in the stern.
ever tried something from the 2000´s instead of 1890?
Sounds like a problem of cruise lines not enforcing rules that they set and understaffing the ships.
Exactly. Passengers want cheap cruises (still usually more than I can afford!) so lines underpay & understaff. We notice the shortages in service, but probably wouldn’t notice if the staff were treated better: just that we were paying “too much”.
love watching these videos - but each time i see one it typically reinforces my notion of never venturing aboard one (only been on a smaller Nile cruise in late 90s ; not too many folks on board ; but gave me a taste for what i like & dont like )
We follow the rule that if there’s no living body on a sun lounger then possession is 9/10ths etc we simply move the possessions off the lounger and climb on. Nobody has ever attempted to move me once I’ve landed!
The gratuities debate is a constant angst and is an issue created by the cruise companies working with different cultures etc. I noticed on a recent cruise with Viking that all the USA passengers had purchased fares with daily gratitudes to settle out in their final accounts whereas UK passenger had fares that included gratuities. The online communications on the ship were hard for UK passengers to understand (as most passengers were from the USA) until we realised we were exempt from the instructions. What amount did you tip extra on your rather expensive Seabourn Explorer adventure in Western Australia?
Hello my fellow RUclipsr.
Firstly I would like to thank you for taking the time, effort and resources it took, in making this very informative film about cruise culture and cruise ships, I have been thinking about a cruise for some time, I have never been on a cruise before, I have been on many ships over the years and I enjoy them, but never on a cruise or even a cruise ship, in my entire life.
My Parents loved them and did many cruises over the years on many different ships, and I thought I might like them as well, but what your production has made me realise, is several issues I would have on a cruise ship, and the culture around them.
After watching this I realized that cruise ships and being on a cruise is not for me I really won’t go into long explanations it would just fill this page with what I think, feel and understand and what I see wrong about a ship cruise in today’s modern world.
But I would say that the days of adventure on the high seas, in luxury and comfort with awesome company, in wonderful exotic and interesting locations on land or at sea, are a thing of the past, and in short, I would probably end up just spend all my time in my cabin.
I thank you again for your time and effort and for saving me a lot of money and so much wasted time if I had gone throw with my plans.
The language barrier is a big thing. I used to travel for work and often dealt with people who had English as a second language. I always spoke more slowly and would avoid use of slang terms. This seemed to help. Even when In Northern England and Scottland I found the locale language accents almost imposable as an American.
USA and UK. Two countries separated by a common language.
I really appreciate this video. Thank you. I do have a question. I returned from a cruise down the West Coast of the USA on Holland America lines, and I was reading a fantastic book that I just couldn’t put down. I went to the Lido Buffet for the late night Meal and kept reading my book. Next thing I know it was three in the morning! I closed the place down! I was the only person there! Nobody ever bothered me or asked me to leave and I didn’t see any staff around. Do you think it was OK to do that? I didn’t see anybody hovering or looking as if they were waiting for me to leave. So I’m hoping the Lido deck is different but maybe not?
@8:23; I understand that one, completely. I work in a restaurant, and we hate it when people show up at the last minute. We recently made a new rule where if you are there less than 30 minutes from closing, you will get denied.
It sounds like entitled passengers believing the rules don’t apply to them or who are completely without courtesy cause at least 4 of the 6 things which drive crew crazy and make other passengers want to kill them.
You talked about gratuities and the weirdest thing was that on my last Carnival cruise, I went to the desk because I wanted to increase the gratuities and just told me I couldn't increase it. I was baffled and had to give up even though I wanted to give more because service in the main dining room had been really good.
Wow, how strange!
Thank you. Helpful and informative.
If you stick to the RULES you shouldn't get crap from anyone, if the passengers see the rules and ignore them then its their problem not that of the crew.
This summer KLM lost our luggage for the duration of the cruise. No main dining room, no Captains Cocktail Party, no pool or gym. We were penalized for something beyond our control.
I had a similar experience but it wasn't the airline's fault. Due to a complicated set of circumstances, my shirts didn't end up in my luggage. I bought some at local stores. Just my luck, they were having sales! I also used some credits to buy a t-shirt at the ship's store so I could go to the fitness center. It was also marked down (it was a repositioning cruise so a lot of clothing was on sale). I ended up getting some good deals on some new clothes. One problem - it can be difficult to figure out sizes.
I was amazed on a recent Oceania cruise to hear a couple remove their gratuities at the service desk. I had to express loudly that I would never do that!😊
I would conjecture that cheated crew blacklist such passengers on the dark web and new crew are aware of such blacklisted passengers.
As far as chair hogs what no one talks about is the 3 for 2 or the 2X4. 3 for 2 is an empty chair used as a “table” by guests. The 2 X 4 is guests putting their stuff on the chair beside them. Creating a buffer zone. This is worse than chair hogs
Thanks Gary, great video.
Glad you enjoyed it
I am an immigrant hence have zero issues regarding accent. My only issue is in medical environments where I myself am.misunderstood which can cause harm to family member.Hence,I requested email confirmation to keep things safe for all. I do not understand entitled people as everyone in my book is equal and even if running late for breakfast,I will make a point if just grabbing what is available in order to vacate seat at correct time so as not to inconvenience anyone Whilst I reside in a non tipping culture &Asia in general is non tipping,I do understand on cruise ships it is expected but I once met an American who had no funds as used it all for tips,I told her to not leave herself short
Good info, thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Dress code is tricky for different types of people.
I Never Wear Suits. 67 years old and my office wear for 38 years was jeans and a polo shirt.
Formal night for me has been very new black jeans and a nice dress shirt. I have a belly and most slacks don't hang on me well. I want to look nice, but I won't pack a full suit and tie.
Gary looks so good in his fancy suit, I'd look ridiculous.
New black jeans and a dress shirt sounds great for most occasions!
Dress code? I think you have be about 90 to know the word and its meaning without google……
I wear jeans, boots and a polo most days, so I have some sympathy. But let me ask you, if I was invited to attend your daughter's wedding, that you had paid for, in my cleanest jeans my polished boots and an ironed polo just how long or short a conversation would you and I be having?
A decent suit doesn't have to be expensive, waistcoat , suspenders (braces), a proper bow tie and a cummerbund; stand up straight and we'll be having them call you Mr Bond by the end of the night.
My friend, let me assure you ZZTop were right on this matter.
great video. Very helpful.
I leave tips for the staff that i think deserve it and i always remove the main gratuities as it is pretty damn rude to do it this way!
Calling out crew for not speaking English? 😮 How tacky & rude!
Also, just done be a jerk to anyone. Treat other people like you would like to be treated. The crew work for days on end without a break (imo, that’s criminal). They’re just like you, working hard and trying to keep their families fed. The last thing you would like is someone being a jerk to you when you’re exhausted and under appreciated. Human decency goes a long way!
Good Information 👍
Watching cruise videos has saved me an incalculable sum of money on cruise tickets. It all sounds like a week in a Petri dish with food I could make better at home.
On my last carnival cruise, my husband and I ate right before closing at the restaurant( we only got the appetizers and desserts). Our intentions was to eat at the buffet, but for some reason carnival closed the buffet early. We had slow service the entire cruise. I think they were under staffed and the temp was over 100. And pretty much everything was closed and it was only a little before 8. So I didn’t have much choice. I didn’t even see anybody working at the pizza place or cafe.
My first cruising experience was where the ratio of staff to passengers was better 20 yrs ago, they are reducing the staff, and then they now don't have the time to do the best service to what was given in my earlier cruise years.
Staff always seem to be in hurry mode, which isn't what I like to see while im trying to relax and enjoy my holiday.
Regarding the donations of gratuities in Aust, our fares are higher so its already included we Don't usually tip here in Australia I do pay anyway cause its included in my drinks package.
My room attendent dosent have to stay long in our room, we keep it reasonably tidy. And usually give them enough money for a phone card or a meal and drink while off the ship.
Overall will keeping cruising while the ships come to our harbour of Sydney.
Favourite ship line Princess Cruises, 22 cruises 377 days. + 2 more booked.
1) chair hogs are never going to go away
1a) if it's horribly broken, then yes.. ie: shorts and tshirt when it's supposed to be long pants and collar shirt.. Other then that, dont sweat it..
1b)YES, people dont make their kids behave anymore.. it's horrible
2) Just wash your hands folks.. I dont care if you did it just before you came to the buffet, just wash them again.. You touched SOMETHING on the way.. Just wash it again.
3) I just wish they would include everything in one fare and not do it differently.
4) dont get me started on late people.. I have no patience for them.. Also while I'll never be in a hospitality position lol
5) yea, "let me speak to a supervisor" instead of checking with the person first.. obviously if you have an issue and the person ignores you THEN you move up.. but other than that, you're on a cruise, unless it's horrible does it REALLY need to be complained about?
6) I would NEVER on a cruise give people crap about their language. It may take a while, but i enjoy interacting with folks from around the world and we'll figure it out lol.. I promise, they speak better english than I speak of their language.. They are better than me!!! Now in the states, if I have to press 1 for english, and I dont get a good english speaker, that's a WHOLE other ball game.. ;)
i think it's time all the cruise lines add the tips in the fare, problem solved. This week i book a cruise with MSC and they add the service charge y my fare. no problem for me. what i did don't like was they add the own company travel insurance. without option to choose my own provider.
I often wonder why cruise ships don't just rent the chairs like beach service. If you have to pay by the day or hour, I think you will find fewer chair hogs. Thoughts??
We have one of there Cruise Maps in Out Office-3rd Bead Room
and really enjoy it ..
They are great !
I purchased one of the maps as well. Got one made up of the first cruise we took. Very happy with it. Thanks Gary for having this on your channel.
Gary is the MAN !!! Always
watch Him ...FANTASIC ...
10:00 It is frustrating for passengers to struggle to understand the English of crew members. Many times I’ll try to explain something to my cabin attendant, or other staff, and get no where, so I just give up.
Good tips Gary,
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching !
Why can't the waiters in the restaurant start the meal at the official meal time ? Who says that they have to wait for late comers to arrive ? The late comers are wasting the time of everyone else.
Our ship waited in port for ~3 hours past departure... and then the Carnival Sales Agent came slowly strolling up the pier. Apparently, no pier running is necessary when you bring in the money.
In addition to people who don't wash their hands, I'm so grossed out by passengers who serve themselves at the buffet and proceed to lick their fingers and then pick up another utensil.
How about ponant?
While I agree that many of these would frustrate me as well if I was a crew member, there are a couple that I don’t see the issue with. First of all, policing the rules of the ship (chair hogs, children in adult areas, etc) is just part of the job. If the rules were enforced more consistently, there would be less passengers willing to make a stink if they were the ones in the wrong. And if I saw the end time of the dining room was 9pm, I would assume that’s how late they will admit someone, not when everyone needs to be done eating.
Maybe do a video of how to save lounge chair about reserving a chair while at lunch in dining room
These are things that piss the passengers off. Act like we are Al on the same boat. Kids do not belong in a bar! I don’t want to sit at a bar with a 5 year old next to me on the bar stool. It is not cute as one mother told me.
I avoid breaking the dress code rules by avoiding cruise lines that have strict dress codes. However it's a weird rule to begin with. Rules around deck chairs affect other passengers. Not disinfecting your hands affects other passengers. Me wearing shorts has zero impact on your life.
It's not just cruise lines with strict formal dress codes. I've seen issues on mainstream lines when the crew has to mandate passengers can't wear a bathing suit and beach sandals in the dining room. Same as a restaurant on land mandating close toed shoes, shirts covering shoulders in the dining room.
I'm happy that you avoid cruises that have a dress code instead of breaking the rules. That is a mature reaction.👍
I avoid cruise Kim
Nescwhich do NOT have a dress code....if you can't be bothered to make yourself presentable stay home and dine in your Tshirt and boxers!
,
The Cruise lines need to enforce the rules, otherwise, why bother having any.
Idiot's need to stay at home if they don't want to abide by rules. And there seems to be more and more idiots.
Cruise "gratuities" remind me of mob shake downs.
Nice staff we have here. It would be a shame if nobody paid them.
I fully support handwashing, but will admit that I often wash in the cabin, and then don't touch much of anything before going to the buffet. But the reality is that these outbreaks are infinitely more likely to be coming from either the food supply or water supply. But since that would make the industry look 'unsafe', passengers are blamed instead.
Nora virus is spread by a single touch. So only touching a few things on your way to the buffet is more than enough to get others sick. Please wash or use sanitizer as you enter the buffet
One VERY easy way for the cruise lines to avoid any difficulty enforcing the dress code: just make the dress codes casual and easy to comply with. Hardly anyone wants to dress up formally on vacation any more.
I think airline weight restrictions also play a part. Not many people want to use luggage space for formal wear.
Clothing optional cruises are easy enough to find on a simple internet search. The rest of us don't mind dressing as full grown adults and not like children.
This is exactly why I don't do cruises. People (Americans mostly - truth) and the 'me-first, I-deserve-it-because-I-paid-for-it entitlement attitude messes it up for everyone. Way too much anger going on these days.
Not only Americans. I see the same attitude with virtually every nationality.
based on numerous reviews, the international crowds on MSC are often just as rude or ruder than American crowds.
I have only been on 2 cruises since Covid, but I never met anyone that was rude or angry, but I cruise Princess or Celebrity, never Carnival where most of the problems seem to be on.
I guess yo have not been to Europe, or if you have, you have not noticed the lack of decorum prevalent in many of those countries.
Better to enforce the rules and piss off 1 family or person, than allowing violation of rules and piss off everyone else. Chair hogs and kids seem to be the most often complained about rule breakers. Followed by line cutters and smokers in cabins. Those rules should be inviolate.
6 Things That Drive Cruise Passengers Crazy:
1. Nickle and diming, upselling.
2. Automatic gratuities - Just pay the crew a living wage and include it in the fare.
3. Not enforcing adult-only areas.
4. Telling me that "formal attire" is required in the MDR and then allowing people in that are dressed like beach bums.
5. Not addressing chair hogs. I don’t care if it makes the crew "uncomfortable" in doing it, IT'S THEIR JOB!
6. Selling specialty dining packages and then not being able to get a reservation at one of them.
I wouldn't dream of removing gratuities but it has tobe said that cruise lines not including them in the cruise price is fraud, plain and simple.
i was working the Liverpool Dublin ferry, passengers was loading and i mentioned to a young steward that his accent was a bit broad and if he was just to slow his speech down it would help out. a passenger overheard me assumed i was talking about himself and blew up spent about 2 mins shouting at me before the purser said to him sir please dont he was talking to his crewmate, he looked very embarrassed
Well done, Mr Purser!
Just think of the Glaswegan voice activated lift skit. After working in Glasgow I was on the floor in hysterics 😅
HAL used to put it in the fare.
Triple the cruise prices and the majority of these issue will disappear.
It has not been my experience with more money are more polite/less rude. Sometimes in fact they look down on those with less money. Hmm....
About children: when I worked retail, I found a way to deal with misbehaving children. Walk up close, tower over, and say "Where's your mama?" (later modified to "Where's your family?") I never saw a kid who didn't instantly run for its parent. How can anybody complain about sending a kid to safety?
Went on a cruise with Oceania. Cabin was on the lower deck and had two very nice Indonesian men as cabin Stewarts. Noticed when you went up to the higher ($$$$) decks all the maids were young, white, pretty and wearing cute maid uniforms. Was told the high end restaurants were booked every night but I overheard other passengers saying they went to those restaurant "Every night". These examples attest to the blatant racism and classism on these ships. Here is a Smart Tip: Point that out to the Customer Desk and they will do everything to appease you.