What are the biggest downsides of cruising?
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- čas přidán 24. 08. 2016
- Hey cruisers, I’m Sheri with cruise tips TV.
One of our subscribers asked us to talk about what we feel the biggest downsides are when it comes to cruising. We’re always talking about why we love cruise travel, but of course there are a few things that, well, take the wind out of our sails. So, knight audit, this episode is for you!
#1- Tendering. Here’s the thing. I don’t like lines, and I don’t like crowds. For that reason, tendering is NOT my favorite part of cruising. Now it’s not really a big deal and we don’t avoid cruises with tender ports. In fact, I LOVE Cabo San Lucas and we cruise there as often as we can. I just prefer ports where we can dock.
#2- Embarkation day buffet crowds. Remember what I said about not liking crowds? Yah, imagine 2000 (or more) people Bee-lining for the food all at once, RIGHT at the start of your vacation. Not my thing. We usually seek out less crowded restaurants onboard if we’re hungry when we get on the ship, OR hit the pools and wait for the mayhem to die down.
#3- Elevator etiquette. Now, I’m sure this is a thing in hotels too, but WHY oh WHY do people try to crowd ON to an elevator before others GET off. Seriously, this drives me bonkers.
#4- Onboard photo galleries that still print photos. Let’s be honest, a very high percentage of those photos get discarded at the end of the cruise. I’d love to see all the cruise lines get on board with the new trend of digital photo galleries. We loved this last year on Norwegian Jewel, and hope to see this trend continue.
#5 Short port stays. It is SUCH a bummer to visit a port you love, only to find out the ship is only there for 6 hours or less, instead of a whole day. Nuff said.
#6 What bugs me the MOST, you ask? What REALLY gets my cruise tips tv knickers in a twist? Ladies and gentlemen, chair hogs. You know the perpetrators- they rise before the sun to firmly secure their pool towels, and novels to an entire row of the BEST seats by the pool, then walk away, for hours. Some cruiselines are GREAT about monitoring this, and others, not so much.
Well, that’s it for today’s little cruise-vacation annoyances. Tell us your pet peeves in the comments below. Thanks for watching and until next time, we’ll see you on the high seas!
I agree with all of these. Rude people in general get under my skin. I try and go out of my way to be nice to the staff and crew.
Oh man, you are so right. We could to a WHOLE video on this topic, but it would be too painful for me.
If anyone ever had their towel moved and came back with someone else in their chair, it was me!!! I move those chair hog towels!!!
Hee hee. Thank you for supporting the cause!
But can you do that without getting in trouble? Or should I call a staff member?.
I’d always used to get embarrassed when cruising when I was younger, my mom would literally re-plan an entire sun deck (move chairs, tables, etc..) around so she could get decent chairs because people would just hog them and walk away. People acted so offended when they came back after a 3 hour nap in the cabin to find their chair had been moved to the back row of chairs. We technically didn’t take their chairs, we just moved them out the way since they weren’t in use 😂😂
One other point about elevator etiquette. People pushing the door close button as soon as the doors open. I was on a Carnival cruise a couple of months ago and while on the elevator, the car stopped at a floor and before the doors even started to open, a lady was pushing the door close button repeatedly. Being the man of protocol that I try to be, I hit the door open and advised the lady that we should give the person on this floor summoning the elevator at least a few second to get on.
I agree with EVERYTHING on your list! Great video 👍
Thank you so much for the nice comment ;-)
I agree with your comments and love your videos. I have personally cruised 11 previous times and am set for another to the Southern Caribbean Feb 2017. Keep up the outstanding work!
Thank you so much. Southern Carib is on my dream list. What islands will you visit?
I'm going on my first cruise tomorrow! Just wanted to say your videos have helped me a lot!
You are!!?? Wishing you a wonderful trip Megan. Bon voyage!
+CruiseTipsTV I'm so excited! Do you guys have any tips? I'm going on NCL Boston to Bermuda
We are planning our first cruise. I love your videos!
Thanks Judi! Let us know if we can help you prep for your first cruise. There's nothing more exciting! yay!
Once I waited a few seconds before entering an elevator on RCL, before walking in. This man then gave his wife a little poke and said, "this is our floor." The woman looked at the floor number, then turned towards me, "You were suppose to wait till we got off!" She was still screaming as the elevator door closed. Lesson, don't just wait for people to exit, but rush in just as the doors are closing in case someone is in la la land.
My pet peeve: miserable, rude, and busy body people.
You're so right about the rude people- I should have included that one on my list, right? Miserable elevator lady is the perfect example.
I just got home from my first cruise and I agree with all of this. One annoyance I might add is people letting their kids run up and down the hall screaming with no adults around to monitor them! An adult cruise may be the next one for me. All in all though I had a fantastic time going to the Bahamas! I'm hooked on cruising now!
I totally agree- We don't cruise during summer months for that very reason
You might not need to book an adult cruise. You could just book a cruise during the school year when most kids are in school. I love kids but I get your point and they are not fun when they are out of control.
My husband and I tool the NCL Mexican Rivera last October. One night we were ok with sharing a table (as you get to meet new people and that's cool with us) The one couple who sat with us didn't even look at us. Not one word. We tried to engage by passing the bread and saying hello. It was the most uncomfortable awkward meal of my life! We skipped dessert cuz we just wanted to leave. It was quite rude.
Anne Guillory
I totally agree...& this is exactly why we don't do it anymore. Although we've met some wonderful people this way in years past, when we had not 1, but 2 rude tables...NO more. This behavior can ruin what should be a wonderful dinner.
I LOVE the tenders! The little boats are great fun and you get to see things from a whole different view. We just wait a while till the crowds dissipate and have no problem.
They CAN be fun, you're so right!
#6...OH YEAH!! I did notice when we were on the Carnival Sunshine in July that they were monitoring the Serenity Deck chairs (We had a spa balcony room right off by the waterfall there!:))And they were enforcing them. They would get a slip after so long on their belongings (I believe it was 20 minutes of no activity) then after 10 or 20 more minutes, they would remove the items and place it behind their stations. I must say that was a wonderful sight to see! I do not like chair hogs at all. I think it is rude and inconciderate. Also to touch base on the digital photos, It is now on the Carnival Vista and I would LOVE to see this also on the other ships. Maybe this would lower the prices on the pictures and would get people to buy more..
it's awesome to hear that Sunshine monitors chair hogs well! That makes me happy. Yes, that's great to hear about Vista doing the digital photo stations. It's the wave of the future...I hope!
About to book on Sunshine. Good to know about the chair policy. Almost got in fight in Vegas with this one girl over a pool chair. She thought that you can claim a chair all day, but security reminded her that once you pick up you towel and leave, the chair becomes public property again.
Hey, I was in the Sunshine too, and I have a tour of it. Anyway, what date was your cruise?
+TGT The Gaming Techs June 30th - July 4th. It was to St. Johns Bay Canada and back
I agree with all of the above!
Thank you!
I agree I too hate short port stays and the people who hog pool chairs
Not going on a cruise. But I love your tips, short and straight to the point; not like some others who ramble on and on and on.....
Thank you!
agree on all counts
Well said, my wife and I thought we were never going to eat on embarkation day. one way in retrospect to beat the crowd is to board early and get the grub asap. but i'll bet you know this. i'm not a fan of high density crowds myself.
That is SO true and I should have mentioned it! If you are there early, it's quite nice!
I agree with all of them!!! I have never tendered though I will twice when I go to Santorini and Mykonos in June.. Seat hoggers are the worse!!! Its like common seriously.
Thank you!!
great list Sherry agree with all especially the lifts lol. And ive decided to try the dining room next cruise on embarkation im sure it will be less hectic. ps ive done 14 princess cruises and have only just learnt that there dining room is open for lunch on embarkation lol
Yes! A marvelous perk that Princess offers, but many other ships don't!
Haha adding on to the short port stay, I'm planning shore excursions. The canoeing to Mendall Glacier gets back 1 hour after the last white water rafting in Juneau. So I can't do both. Short port stays are a bummer!
+Sam ___ Agreed!!!
I'm not too fond of tendering either. I'm very prone to seasickness and have to wear the patch because nothing else works for me. I still get queasy even with the patch when I'm on a tender.
I'm with you- tendering makes me woozy too, especially when the exhaust from the engines drifts in. Yuck!
I honestly hate the crowds on the elevators. it's a pet peeve of mine as well. handicapped people should have first dibs but some folks don't agree with me. it's kinda crazy. I say be patient and try to get were your going a little sooner so you have time to be patient.
Ug, me too. People just need to use common courtesy.
the only complaint I have about cruising is the elevators. never enough of them. I can not do the stairs so it's fun but never stopped me from cruising.
kayearlkay We just back from a short (3 night) cruise. I actually lost weight. Kinda surprised me that I lost 5 lbs, but we almost always used the stairs.
read carnival vista uses the carnival hub app to look the pictures.
You should make a Video on the elevators and stairs
Hey CTTV👋🏽 from Australia🐨,
I took my first ever cruise on the Golden Princess in March. And although it was a short 2-nighter, thanks to your super handy hints about just about everything, I absolutely loved it.
However one of my biggest peev's was the 7am debarkation!! Being my first time, I thought I should stick to the instructions provided on my "Princess Patter" and personal messages. I did ask if there's a way that I could linger a while but basically the crew basically said "sorry", so I left the ship accordingly.
Anyway, when I got to my hotel I realised I left something in my cabin, and knowing that the ship was docked all day, I rushed back and thankfully retrieved it.
I just want to say now that the whole crew were fantastic BUT! As I was talking to one of the crew at the terminal, I was told I could've stayed on until later in the morning.
So for my next cruise, do you have any tips on how I could enjoy a more leisurely debarkation?
Thanks a million!
Paul.
+Paul Virgona hello from "down undah"! Good to have you here. Yes, I'd love to address this in our next vlog. I think you got off the ship with the self debarkation folks - stay tuned!
+Paul Virgona hey there! We will answer this in next Thursday's vlog. I simply ran out of voice and time in this week's episode! Stay tuned from Australia my friend!
My gripe is with drunk passengers. On returning to ship in Nassau I had the experience of riding the elevator with 2 passengers who had too much...were bumping into other riders, one actually threw up in the elevator...gross!!! Must have been a real experience for the poor woman, and her 2 young daughters. Perhaps they could divert these people at the gangway, and keep them in a special compartment till they sobered up.
That sounds awful! I agree entirely.
completely agree about Elevator etiquette. makes me crazy when people do not let riders off
Diane Peacock I don't like it when someone gets on just to cover one floor. Just walk one flight of steps lazybones!.
well I never said anything about taking an elevator 1 floor, I said I don't like people trying to get in an elevator before the occupants get off.
I could be wrong, Diane, but it sounded to me like Toni was just adding another point to the elevator etiquette dialogue, not bashing you or your comment. Cheers!
Princess Cruise Lines are now doing a Photo Package of $199 for the first leg of the cruise and $49.99 for the second leg plus you get a flash drive of all of your photos as well as the printed ones
EXCELLENT tip, I would love to share on our next vlog.
what about cruise line loyalty programs? is better to not worry about hitting platinum say on carnival?
This is a big question! We like to sail on a variety of lines, then pick our fave, and move up in loyalty. For us, we're moving up with Princess and Carnival, and the others, we'll move more slowly through the loyalty programs.
You might add embarkation lines, though the last few we had were not bad.
Good one! The worst!
on my first cruise, i was exiting an elevator onto the most crowded deck and this guy almost smacked me in the face because he was charging onto the elevator before letting people off! great way to kick off the vacation
My pet peeve too!
I have been watching your videos in preparation for our first cruise this June. We are going on a Royal Caribbean cruise out of San Juan Puerto Rico. What advice can you give about taking or not taking our expensive iPhones? Some travel sights are saying that routine travelers have been stopped by TSA and forced to give over their phones and passwords so the TSA can look through their phones. Is this a concern or just for international travelers?
I have never heard of this happening Cynthia! I always travel with my iPhones, and I don't think you should be worried.
Where do you park for a carnival cruise in Orlando and how much does the parking cost for 5 nights and 6 days
Hey! are you referring to Port Canaveral? If so, here's the info for you:
www.portcanaveral.com/Cruise
PS- my son likes your new profile picture!
+CruiseTipsTV than k you so much for replying and thank you for liking my profile picture
My biggest issue on the NCL cruise I went on was not being clear about games with only a few participants. A smaller ship can still have 3,000 passengers; to announce an activity in the flier and only after the sign up tell us only six or eight passengers will be picked for the game is a rude waste of our time and money.
Chair hogs make my head explode as well.
Right! i'm with ya!
Is there an iron in carnival cruise stateroom
No, no irons on any ship in rooms as they are a fire hazard. one of the downsides, but you can always go to a self serve laundry room or send the clothes out to be pressed. We also pack downey wrinkle releaser ;-)
Something that can get a little annoying on a cruise(even though it can't really be controlled) is how windy it gets on the top decks
SO true!
carnival calls by groups so it does not overcrowd
My only complaint about cruising is they end.
This video encapsulates why I hate cruises. Fake people and sound bites.
About to take our 3 year old daughter on her first cruise. We are taking a short (4day) cruise with carnival on the inspiration to see if she likes it, any tips for kids/ toddlers?
+Mic&Mak Yes! She will love it. Is this your first cruise? Our son loved running down the hallways for what felt like hours on end at that age. Here are some tips:
1- don't pack many toys, you won't need them
2-do take your stroller- a small one is best
3- in Catalina they offer car seats when u rent a golf cart- so fun!!! Pack sunscreen, sunglasses and a sun hat for your child.
4- use this opportunity to let your daughter try new foods. Sometimes we even allow our son to order off of the grown-up menu if he gets bored with the kids menu
5- The staff in the dining room is always willing to bring you special things like chopped fruit salads your child's favorite vegetable or just about anything you think of if you give them a little bit of time to figure it out.
6- the mini water slides are awesome on inspiration and we head straight there on embarkation day to get our son in vacation mode. Since it's still summer, try this. The view on the back of the ship is amazing. Your daughter will work up an appetite (or earn a nap) and everyone will be happy.
Later, I suggest you try a slightly larger ship and longer itinerary and try a balcony so you'll feel like you have more space to spread out. Also, these smaller, older ships aren't representative of what larger, newer ships are like. The inspiration is a wonderful ship and we're headed on the imagination in a few weeks here.If you're close to LA, you'll have lots of options on Carnival and Princess for 7 night itineraries if your daughter becomes a cruise lover. With little ones, it's easy to feel more comfortable with a balcony so you can grab some fresh air, etc
Did this help?
+Mic&Mak I forgot to remind you to watch our Inspiration ship tour of you haven't already. It's a bit out of date and does not include the 2.0 upgrade but it will still be helpful in giving you an idea of what to expect of that particular ship.
+CruiseTipsTV thanks for all the awesome tips! My husband and I have been on a few princess cruises before but never with our daughter. We thought a short trip would be best for her first in case she is completely miserable. I'm a little worried about her getting sea sick because she gets car sick. I'm also terrified that she will fall of the ship or something! 😳🙈 typical mom worries right? We leave in two weeks sail date is sept 12. Hopefully the weather will be nice because she LOVES to swim and loves water slides. Thanks so much, love your channel!
I had a feeling you'd been on other cruises. Yes, very much typical mom worries. I remember that feeling, and now I feel MORE secure on ships with my little one than hotels and I love the way our son interacts with the staff. We focus a lot on manners, greeting others, and please and thank you when we sail now. Regarding safety, ships feel more "contained" in every way to me, even on the open decks. Wishing her the best with her motion sickness. Please do let me know how it goes okay?
Thanks I will let you know how it goes!
Another quick question. Husband and I are trying to decide if the Beverage package on carnival will be worth it or not. We plan on only having a couple a beer or glasses of wine a day, and maybe a coffee. Not sure on prceing for these items ( i can't find it on their site) Do you know how i can find prices?
What do you do if you are home sick on your cruise
+pgnation XD if you purchase travel insurance you can likely have those costs covered. Does that help? I'm not sure about your question.
If it's home sickness you're talking about then I would suggest you taking something that reminds you of home. On my first cruise I was kinda anxious at the start from being so far away from home. So I just brought something from home with me on the cruise to comfort me a little. But once I did get settled in I wasn't as anxious as before and started exploring & having fun on the ship! I hoped that this helped you at least a little :) .
I saw a video where people were on a 13 day cruise and covered their door and walls in pictures. If you splurge for wifi, social media made me feel better when I backpacked Japan alone. Being able to talk to people through Facebook and snapchat made me feel so much better. I'd also Skype my parents occasionally.
I've honestly never heard of this issue. Although we are "Home Bodies", we love to travel, vacation & cruise. Then you have some people (like in my family) who have never left the state they live in...by choice. Something I'll never understand. 😊
I totally agree with these
I move those deck chair towels and have a seat, only after I've watched it for 15 min.
Crowded...Main Pools
The need to buy a card for soft drinks. That's just crazy.
I love Tender ports lol
Me too! I'm sad our next cruise doesn't have any
Two words. Carnival. Triumph.
I’ve never been on a cruise and I’m never gonna go on one lol
Line cutters! The people who see the long line, pretend they have a friend waiting for them, and then just go in!
Those who don't dress up for formal night ... ugh! Do you know how hard it was to get my BF to put on a pair of Dockers and a button up only to hear him comment about guy sitting next to him that didn't.
I totally can relate!
Formal nights should be dumped, or made optional. Who needs to schlep dress clothes along on a cruise? The most formal I ever get is good jeans, a nice Western shirt, my good cowboy boots, and one of my Stetsons, Formal nights are one reason so many folks think cruising is for snobs. Who needs them. And no, I'm no kid. Just don't see the point of formal nights, except to show off.
i think the worst is MUSTER DRILLS i have been on 2 or 3 cruises and i think they should make it where if have been on a cruise withen the last year they should not make you participate
I hate to admit but i am one of those people who reserve the pool seats with towels! I do only reserve the number of seats I actually need (which is usually 2 or 3 if someone is joining us) but some boats just don't have enough chairs for everyone by the pool. So i go around 7:10am get the chair and come back at around 9. Guilty as charged #sorrynotsorry