I was a late convert to cruising.
My husband and I had sailed with Disney, Royal Caribbean and Holland America over the years. We enjoyed them well enough, but not enough to make us want to book another cruise anytime soon.
Then we tried Virgin Voyages and, well, that was a game changer. Since 2022, I’ve sailed with Virgin six times, with more already planned. So it’s safe to say cruising has finally won me over.
That doesn’t mean it’s perfect.
After more than a dozen cruises over the years, there are a handful of things that still make me roll my eyes every single sailing.
Lounge Chair Hogs
This problem has been happening on cruises for decades. First thing in the morning, people claim a lounge chair with their towel, book or what have you, go have breakfast, play Bingo, visit the pool, sit on their lounge chair for half an hour, leave it again and do other things…all while people who want to sunbathe can’t find a lounge chair that’s not already claimed.
If you’re not actually using the chair, let someone else enjoy it. It’s really that simple.
Loud Hallway Talkers
Having a cabin on a cruise is like being in an apartment complex, but everyone’s bedroom is connected to the main hallway. Plus, it’s not as if there’s a whole lot of soundproofing. So when other people are talking loudly in the hallways—or decide to have a full-volume conversation with someone halfway down the hallway—those of us in our cabins can hear every word of it.
Balcony Hijinks
Some cruisers seem to think that because their balcony has a partial wall between them and their neighbors, they can do whatever they want.
They can’t.
Or rather, they really shouldn’t.
Some will play music on their balcony. If it’s played quietly, I don’t think anyone is going to care. But some turn their music up to full volume…so everybody else on their balconies can hear it, too.
And the same thing goes for smoking. Besides the fact that balconies are never “designated smoking areas,” the smoke wafts over to the smokers’ neighbors. And the last thing I want to smell on my balcony is someone else’s secondhand smoke.
Remember: Your balcony is private. The sound—and the smoke—aren’t.
Lack Of Elevator Etiquette
This one shouldn’t require an instruction manual: When the elevator door opens, you stand to the side and let people OUT before you go IN. And the people who were waiting there before you get to enter the elevator before you.
And if someone is using a wheelchair or scooter, give them some grace and let them go in first because they take up more space and will have more room to maneuver if there aren’t already 12 other people in the elevator.
Poorly Behaved Children
The kids who run from place to place, weaving between the adults. The ones who press every damn button on the elevator. The ones who hang out in the adults-only hot tubs. Where are their parents? And why aren’t those parents doing something—anything—about their poorly behaved children?
No wonder I like Virgin Voyages—they’re adults-only.
No Self-Awareness In Crowded Spaces
Being on a cruise ship means that you’re one of a few thousand people crammed into a floating city. Hallways are narrow, and when crowds gather, space is cramped.
Unfortunately, people have no awareness of how their movement, or lack thereof, affects others. Stopping in the middle of a hallway to look something up on your phone means causing a bottleneck of people behind you.
If you’re wearing a backpack, be careful when you’re turning around so you don’t hit someone with it. And if six members of your family decide to stop side-by-side in the middle of the promenade to decide where to eat next…maybe scoot over first.
The funny thing is, almost none of these are uniquely “cruise ship” problems.
You see them in airports. Hotels. Theme parks. Shopping malls. Anywhere large groups of people gather.
Maybe that’s why they bother me so much.
None of them require new rules, stricter enforcement or another announcement over the PA system.
They just require people to have a little more awareness that they’re sharing the space with several thousand other human beings.
Cruising is finally an enjoyable way for me to travel. It’d just be even better if everyone remembered they weren’t the only passenger on the ship.
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3 comments
I’ve always wondered about the lounge chair hogs. What would happen if you moved their stuff? Two hours later they show up and ?
Curious if anyone has ever done this?
Yup. All of this. Spot on. Can add even more stuff if you consider some of the cheapo cruise lines like Carnival, Margaritaville, MSC, or Norwegian.
I stayed at a hotel in Sorrento with a friend and when we went to the pool the morning after we arrived, every lounger had a towel/books/SPF/whatever on it. Not a soul in sight. We went to breakfast, came back, still no one on the chairs but there were a load of people sitting on regular chairs or the side of the pool, complaining about the (yes!) Germans who’d taken all the loungers and gone off on an excursion.
So my friend and I went around and picked up everything and piled it all off to one side and everyone hopped on a lounger. Coachload of Germans returned around 2 pm and were furious that ‘their’ chairs were occupied. No one engaged or ratted us out. Did the same thing the next day, only we told the hotel we were doing it and that it really was up to them to deal with it going forward. To their credit, they did.