Stop Doing These 12 'Polite' Things Crew Actually Dislike

Going on a cruise? Avoid these seemingly polite habits that are secretly disliked by the crew. If you're going on a cruise for the first time, you might be surprised at how these polite things cruise passengers do can actually cause a problem.

While most cruise passengers aren't trying to be rude, these typically polite behaviors are best avoided. In this video we talk about when cruise travelers try to "help" the crew, when cruisers don't "complain" & even when cruise passengers tip the crew. Much of this is open to discussion & cruise culture can be different on various cruise lines etc.

Whether you're a first time cruiser or a seasoner cruise veteran, this video is full of fun cruise talk about cruise etiquette. Perfect for anyone going on a Carnival cruise, Royal Caribbean, Princess cruise, Celebrity Cruise, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America, Cunard, Disney & more.

These cruise tips & mistakes to avoid will surely help you to have the best cruise vacation possible.

RESOURCES I RECOMMEND

🛳 THE ULTIMATE CRUISE PLANNER 🛳

______
Please note that this video is not sponsored. The links in this description are affiliate links, meaning that I will make a commission on purchases you make through my links, at no extra cost to you.

As Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

CRUISE ESSENTIALS

Luggage tag holders:

_______
FTC LEGAL DISCLOSURE - Some links found in the description box of my videos are affiliate links, meaning that I will make a commission on purchases you make through my links, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and services that I personally like and trust.
_______

Please note that I am unable to give personal cruise and travel advice. If you leave a comment I try my best to answer.

ABOUT ME
Hi! I'm Ilana! I live in Montreal, Canada with my husband Frank. We can often be found dreaming about and planning future cruises, ideally to hot and sunny destinations! I believe in having fun, being kind and that you are never too old, or too young, to live the life of your dreams!

Please note that I do not sell cruises on Life Well Cruised. This and all other videos are for entertainment purposes only. I share my own opinions, personal experiences and information with other cruise travellers, which I hope can be helpful. Please contact your travel agent or the cruise line directly for advice and any information specific to your booking.

Some B-roll used in this video courtesy of RCCL
____________
Music Credit: Surf Time by Lux-InspiraMusicMusic

[jeffhirsch]

On my first cruise ever, ny wife and I had gotten back from having dinner at the Steakhouse, which at the time, was the only specialty restaurant on the ship. We ran in to our porter, and he asked how dinner was and we told him where we came from and he told us that he was going there for dinner later with his wife for their anniversary. My GF (now wife) and I went back to the Steakhouse and bought 2 glasses of champagne for them to enjoy at their dinner. The next day, our Porter was SOOO happy and grateful. Even though we asked it to be anonymous, he knew it was us. That afternoon when we got back on ship, we had a bottle of white wine in a chiller with 2 glasses and a corkscrew waiting for us.

[SipWatchTravel]

The crew like two things: polite guests AND MONEY 💰

[equalityforall]

May I comment on something you said in a previous video? You mentioned bringing a foldable laundry hamper. Might I suggest you line that hamper with a trash bag? When you put that laundry into your suitcase as you're packing up to leave, you are putting dirty, sweaty (and sometimes smelly) laundry directly in your suitcase. I like to bring 2 trash bags, one for darks and the other for whites. While I don't bring a hamper, I do put those two bags under a bed. I keep the opening to the outside and place my dirty laundry into the bags when I'm done wearing them, as you would with a hamper. When it's time to pack up, I lay them flat on the floor, step on them to make them flat, tie them up and put them into my suitcase. When I get home, my laundry is separated and I just empty each bag into the washing machine. No separating darks and whites, and my suitcase doesn't get contaminated.

[sparklestars]

I’m always thanking the various crew members for all that they do. Not just the wait staff and others you interact with but the person polishing the railings. The restroom attendants. security, maintenance, etc. They deserve to be thanked for their contributions also. It only takes a moment, doesn’t interfere with their job and the smiles are worth my effort.

[whatahappyday]

My husband and I always find out what kind of Specialty coffee our stateroom person likes. We will bring them one maybe 3 times in the morning time on a seven night cruise. They have always appreciated that. We also ask them if they need anything in Port that we could get them. There has been numerous times that we’ve gotten things for some of our stateroom attendants. My favorite thing to do on every cruise we go on….is to find attendants cleaning the restrooms. I hand them a handwritten thank you card with $25 in it. I feel like they are overlooked and want them to know that I appreciate their hard work and them keeping the restrooms clean. I’ve had several seem so shock and say this is for me???? The bonus part is I’ve never seen them open my card. It just does my heart good to put a smile on someone face.

[lauriestrong]

After 30 years of working in restaurants I can say that people clearing and stacking their dishes was the bane of my existence. So difficult to smile as I picked them up. 99% of the time this meant extra work for me. Knives slipping off as I walked, unable to use both hands to collect dishes because the stack required both of my hands either because of instability or weight, more time spent at the dish pass through trying to organize them for the dishwasher, more silverware slipping into the trash as I try to scrape the food off of the plates and, yes, I had to fish it out of the trash. Many more reasons specific to every dining establishment.
Please just let your servers/busters do their job

[BigDaddy-drgf]

I'am a retired firefighter and people would bring us homemade treats from time to time, especially during the holidays. We would then have to throw the food out. We have no idea how this food was prepared and the sanitary conditions of the food prep area. Our Community Education Division. actually put out a public service announcement discouraging the practice of bringing food to our fire stations, unless it was bought from a store and sealed. Some of those treats looked amazing, but we could not take a chance of becoming ill.

[doughooks]

Yeah, don’t buy crew members drinks. Give them a cash tip and let them decide what drink they may want or whatever else they may want to do with the tip. I always have some smaller bills or exchange larger bills for smaller bills at Guest Services. Those tips (however small they may be) will be much more appreciated. They also have crew bars and lounges where they can buy drinks at a much reduced price than what passengers pay anyway.

[rcollins]

About 25 years and 15 cruises ago we were going into St. Thomas. We went to the port lecture and got the list of ships recommended stores. My wife wanted to buy a set of Amethyst ear rings for her mom.

While we were pulling to the pier I saw one of the officers standing at the rail. I went over and said hello. I then asked him if he would not mind telling me, where here does the crew buy jewelry.

He glanced over his shoulder then told me of a shop a street over from the main shopping street. I thanked him.

So, on shore we went over to this small shop. No other tourists were in there. We told him what we are looking for. He went over and pulled out a tray with over 100 Amethysts. He help us select two that match. Then wanted to know silver or gold mountings.

The price he quoted was very low over the main street shops. Told us to come back in an hour. We did, he did a wonderful job on them and my mother in law loved them.

[ashleysanders]

When I was a waitress, “pre-tipping” was annoying bc it’s was like a bribe or like there was a “treat” for doing “good”. It also feels like there is extra expectation

[kstaffen-justlovescruising]

I have I always ask stewards what they want me to do with dishes in the cabin. On all my cruises (over 30) with Princess I have been told to leave them in the cabin. I don't sail on other ships, but my husband uses a scooter, and you cannot go down the halls if there are dishes in the way, so I am glad that they want me to leave them inside. I think the best thing, is to ask, then do as they prefer.

[gordonyates]

Last cruise we tipped our two cabin stewards 25 dollars each at the end of the cruise. They bear the bulk of the work taking care of us! 99 percent of the time they do a great job!!!

[katrinamcintosh]

In Australia, I always tip at end of cruise. Their wages are a pittance of what we earn here and they have to pay for wifi to keep in touch with their families back home. They can be away from loved ones for up to 9 months and come from very poor countries so I appreciate their hard work and very long days.

[happytraveller]

I agree with the tip at the end. The tip is for a job well done. How can you tip someone at the beginning? You don’t even know what they’re going to be like.
Also keep my cabin extremely neat and tidy, which I think is a help .
Any tipping that is done is done discreetly

[mjhns]

I never leave plates in the hallway, I'm worried about people in wheelchairs having to navigate around my dirty dishes.

[lisafieber]

I had an instance where I had a spontaneous bloody nose, and the only thing available was a cloth napkin. Once under control, I flagged down a manager to let them know. They brought me a plastic bag so it could be disposed of in a safe fashion.

[susanlangford]

I was thanking our room attendant after a two week cruise and letting them know how much we appreciate them and they broke in and thanked us because our room was kept tidy and that helped them keep up with their chores. 😂 My mom would have been so proud 🤣

[CruisingIsTherapy]

I learned several languages, of dominant crewmember populations. When I say, I learned languages, I learned conversational phrases, such as thank you, good evening evening, good morning, good afternoon. Crewmembers seem to love this, and it makes them smile when I respond in their own language. They are also happy to share with me their own language, and how to say those things. I have found that I got exceptional service from crewmembers when I showed them that I was very thankful for them and appreciated them, in their own language

[vickywray]

My most recent cruise in May, friends went along that had never cruised. I had found out from another cruise friend that NCL didn’t do towel animals unless asked. First day on the ship I saw a young employee in our hallway (I don’t know what the proper name of his position was, I thought he maybe our cabin steward); I asked about the towel animals and he said it was no problem he would do for both of our cabins and then he told me who my cabin steward was. 7 days on that boat and I had NO contact whatsoever from my cabin steward. At the end of the cruise I gave this young man a nice tip because he did exactly what he said and was always very kind, polite and accommodating, he didn’t want to take it because he wasn’t a cabin steward; I did convince him to take it, it was just to show my appreciation for what he had done all week.

[dennisnichols]

All those years of watching the love boat is out the window. Ok every episode they got entangled with the guests. Lol. My childhood is ruined!! 😂😂