6 Things 'Polite' Passengers Do That Drive Cruise Crew Crazy!

I used to think of myself as a considerate cruise passenger, trying to be polite and help make the crews’ jobs simpler, easier, and more pleasant. But I’ve had to reappraise what I was doing after a crew member discreetly told me on this cruise that I am on that some were having the opposite effect, and could get them into trouble with their boss, affect their ability to get a promotion, and even whether their contract would get renewed.

Surprised by this, I asked the cruise director, waiters, shore excursion staff, guest services, guest entertainers and speakers, and of course my stateroom attendant, what well-intentioned things I was doing on a cruise that I should stop, and importantly be doing instead. The answers were eye-opening.

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ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 101 cruises I have done to date.

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[MatthewMayhew]

It always astounds me how people mistake an employee being friendly as them wanting to be your friend. THEY ARE JUST DOING THEIR JOB. Just be polite and let them get on with it

[heathrusty]

One thing I do when I leave feedback about someone going above and beyond in any kind of service is not be too specific. I'm never sure what may be looked down upon by upper management (e.g. a crew member on RCL gave my son a free scoop of ice cream after he had a bad fall and was inconsolable - my son wrote him a hand written thank you note for being nice, and I mentioned his attentiveness in the survey, but we didn't mention the free ice cream).

[Star-Boarder]

I'm polite but never do these things. I guess I have a different definition of being polite. I can't imagine ever asking a crewmember to hang out. That's crossing the line.

[valeriepark]

Every single piece of advice here is applicable THROUGHOUT the service industry, be it at a restaurant, a hotel, an event venue...

[Nabend]

Frankly, most of these highlight to me how horrendously cruise lines treat their staff. The constant surveillance, lack of trust, overworking and threat of punishment. If that was any company on land anywhere in the EU, the law would come down on them like a ton of bricks. That is not how you treat staff and it should not be legal.

[meisteckhart]

Really good advice. On our last cruise, we had a great room attendant who I spoke with a couple times. He mentioned he had a young daughter who missed him and who he tried to call anytime they were in port. I thought about getting her a gift from the ship and leaving it in our room. Then I thought it was probably presumptuous to think he would want that and in any case if he did, he could buy it for her himself. Kid doesn’t want a gift from a random other dad her dad had as a guest. I just left him a good tip.

[CruiseDude]

I follow most of the major cruise channels and thank you for producing something original instead of, "10 things not to do in the buffet line, " "10 things to pack, " and other tiresome topics that keep getting recycled. Your original content shows respect for the people that follow your channel.

[AllTattedUpJay]

While not on a cruise I was told by wait staff in a nice restaurant that stacking plates gets them in trouble because if the customer has time to stack plates, then they were not clearing the table quick enough

[cbpd]

This is where being introverted is a real advantage. You'll never catch me holding a prolonged conversation with a stranger if I can get away from it! But I have a hard time resisting cleaning up around the table after we eat. My kids are so messy, I feel so guilty leaving the crumbs and mess for anyone else to clean up.

[livingdeadgirl]

Wow, a lot of the things that cause problems for cruise staff also cause problems on my job as a nurse. I dread a family that really likes me and wants to talk strictly because it takes time away from my patients. A lot of similar situations. Some of these situations must apply to a lot of working people.

[ceceliamoreno]

I cannot agree with you more in regards to BOUNDARIES. I never lose sight of the fact that I am the guest and they are the employee. I show my appreciation quietly with CASH.

[Sunflowers-Pumpkins]

I never understood the concept of buying a worker or entertainer a drink. As someone who doesn’t drink alcohol, I would never want this. You can’t assume people drink overall or that they don’t just abstain when working, as they should.

[kayh]

Addressing problems in person, rather than online, also applies on dry land. There's been so much mockery of people who ask to speak to the manager--but businesses actually prefer it, because it gives them the chance to immediately make things right, rather than suffer a one-star online review. As someone whose family owns a retail store, please *talk* to us, if you feel something is unsatisfactory. Thank you!!

[katherinedraus]

I always say Thank You to people who serve me - I was raised this way - serve the appetizer, thank you, serve dinner, thany you, etc. It’s force of habit for me.

[Drew]

I can’t imagine how many crew members get sexually harassed or assaulted by guests and are terrified to lose their jobs if they say anything.

[AG-iulv]

When I was waitstaff, it was nice when people didn't absolutely lay waste to the table, but otherwise, if you've got dirty paper napkins and straw wrappers gathered on one plate for easy disposal, that's helpful from a germ perspective as well. Just about anything else guests do can complicate bussing the table, though. Enjoy your meal, and feel free to keep little bits of trash in one dish if you're so inclined.

[CarboneCat]

On our Alaskan Cruise, we were dining at the main Dining room and it was dessert and coffee time. Their regular coffee machine broke down that evening and they served us coffee from the specialty coffee shop. He noticed that we clearly appreciated the upgrade and we got it for the remainder of the trip. We thanked him discreetly as we do believe he did an exception for us and that it’s more trouble for him. We give him rave reviews for him at the survey for this attention.

[petergilbert]

Pretending something is alright to be able to complain about it later just sounds like a cruel setup.

[cthompson]

As the offspring of a domestic servant this hits home. I consider myself equal to those that serve me. As a result I try to make servers and service people easier.

[kittykatwolf]

Your comment about the table service clearing struck a real cord with me. When staying in motels I always wanted to tidy up before we left, so the staff didnt think we were slobs! But my sister who was a room attendant, said please, just leave it! Folding towels & making beds acually makes our job harder, when we go in to strip down a room. Its better left in a heap, easier, and quicker for them to bag & sort. 😊