Avoid Doing These 7 Things Or Risk Driving Cruise Crew Crazy

Don’t Be THAT Passenger: Avoid Doing These 7 Things Or Risk Driving Cruise Crew Crazy

Until recently I used to think of myself as a self-aware and understanding cruise passenger, but that changed after I caught up with some crew members I know over dinner on a recent cruise. They told me there are 7 things blissfully unaware passengers keep doing that really wind the crew up. Most passengers don’t realise they are doing it, as crew members have to hide their frustration.

The first includes issues that many cruisers get really annoyed about too, but looking at it from the crew perspective puts a very different light on them.

Driving Cruise Crew Crazy – Rule Breaking

These are things passengers complain about, arguing crew members do not do enough to stop them. But I discovered how stressful they are for crew.

The first are pool deck chair hogs, which put the crew in an impossible situation. On most cruises I’ve been on there are always people reserving loungers by leaving items on them in the prime pool locations before disappearing, sometimes for hours. While most cruise lines have rules saying crew will remove items on loungers left unoccupied after some time, like 30 or 40 minutes, it drives the crew crazy. Often if they remove people’s items, they get aggravation from the passengers whose items they have removed.

And if they don’t remove them, they get it from passengers complaining they aren’t enforcing the rules.

They can’t win either way. Plus having to monitor loungers is an extra job on top of what they’re supposed to be doing out there, whether it’s serving drinks, food or keeping the pool area tidy and clean.

Next is passengers that do not follow the line dress code.

Dress Code

Another lose-lose for the crew which is why cruisers not following the code drives them crazy.

If they deny entry to the restaurant or venue to passengers for not following dress code they can react negatively and create a fuss. And if they turn a blind eye to avoid any confrontation, then the other passengers get upset and complain to them the rules aren’t being followed.

Children’s Behaviour

The third rule area is around the behaviour of kids on board, playing in the lifts or corridors and especially when rules around adult-only venues or facilities are ignored/ Like families and kids using the adult-only pool or hot tubs, or fitness centre which has rules around sixteen-year-olds or under not being allowed to go in unsupervised.

Crew find trying to enforce the rules another lose-lose which drives them crazy.

Often if they start telling kids what to do, the parents get upset with them and give them a hard time. If they don’t tell kids what to do, then the other passengers give them a hard time.

There is though one other rule breaking that really drives the crew crazy.

Driving Cruise Crew Crazy – Hand Washing

And this is when passengers don’t follow the hygiene rules, particularly hand washing after using the bathroom and before dining in the buffet.

Why does this annoy the crew so much?

Frequent hand washing, and use of hand sanitiser gel, is requested to stop the spread of norovirus, the gastro disease that can cause vomiting and illness. It is spread by infected people touching and leaving it on items like food tongs, that others then touch.

If it spreads through the ship and causes an outbreak, it creates an enormous amount of extra work on top of the crew’s existing duties. They are allocated extra cleaning tasks, must start serving food in the buffet, provide more room service, and extra duties on coping with people in isolation in their cabins.

These duties are in addition to their normal job and cut into their already limited free and downtime.

Driving Cruise Crew Crazy – Removing Gratuities

Another thing that drives crew crazy is when passengers remove gratuities, as there is real misunderstanding about what role they play.

Most cruise lines that don’t include them in the fare, auto-add gratuities to passenger on-board accounts. Though if you pay attention, you will see they are usually not called gratuities these days, but things like crew service charge or crew appreciation.

What’s the significance of this and why does removing them drive most crew crazy?

The reality is, whether we like it or not, gratuities are part of our cruise fare, and the way cruise lines pay and set wages for the crew is including the gratuities. They are not on top of the wage the crew are promised when agreeing a contract. They make up the wage they are offered.

If you want crew to get something on top of their set wages, you need to then tip on top of auto-added gratuities.

These charges are not a way of rewarding crew on top of their promised wage, but a way of making our cruise fare look lower.

No-one, not even those crew I know, will tell me directly, and it does seem to differ by cruise line, but crew sometimes do know which passengers have removed auto gratuities

The next issue was one that the crew members I met spoke about a lot, as it is one that many cruisers are unaware of how many issues it creates as crew do have to hide their frustrations when it happens.

Driving Cruise Crew Crazy – Timing

This is passengers being late, arriving at the last minute, or even lingering too long. And it drives crew crazy across a wide range of areas including restaurants, spas, excursions, and even the shops.

Why does it drive them crazy?

It messes up their job and ability to get things done in time. It can even cut into their limited rest and downtime.

Here’s a few of the most common ones.

Muster Drill

First the muster drill. While most embarkation day muster drills are done as e-musters, where cruisers must report to a specific location and check in, the crew member must stay there for many hours and can only leave to get on with their other regular tasks once everyone in that grouping have checked in.

The shore excursions team cannot send out the tours on time if passengers are late or slow checking in, which gets other guests giving them a hard time for having to hang around.

But, probably the biggest of all was in the dining room and restaurants with three issues.

First, people not arriving on time for fixed dining, as they cannot start serving rest of the table if it’s shared. People who are there waiting get frustrated and give the crew a hard time.

Closing Time

Second, passengers arriving at the last minute before the closing time of the restaurant. For example, if the restaurant closes at 9am for breakfast or 9pm for dinner and passengers arrive just before that.

And thirdly, people lingering. So, for example, if cruisers have finished breakfast or dinner and hang around at their table chatting long after the restaurant is closed. The waiters must reset and prepare the restaurant for the next meal and cannot leave until that is done. So, after dinner, they set up tables for breakfast. They must wait around and cannot do their tasks and head off for breaks or sign off for the day.

Driving Cruise Crew Crazy – Complaints

Another interesting thing raised was crew find it frustrating when passengers have issues and don’t raise them with them first, to give them a chance to resolve, but instead raise it with their supervisor or more senior crew.

Why does it drive them crazy?

Firstly, they have a chance to solve it, but secondly if it gets escalated, they’re more likely to get into trouble. And on most lines if crew are seen as getting complained about it can affect their ability to get another contract, and even in some cases have a contract terminated.

So, if you have an issue with your meal, or something in your cabin is not quite right, the crew says always talk to the person who’s dealing with you directly first. If they can’t resolve it, they can and will escalate it and that will be received well by their supervisor or manager.

The next one that I asked the crew I dined with about, as I had heard Lucy Southerton who makes YouTube videos as “Cruising as Crew” talking about.

Driving Cruise Crew Crazy – Calling Out Language

She spoke about how many crew whose English isn’t their first language, get stressed by being called out about their English in public.

So why does it drive them crazy?

Most crew we interact with come from countries where English is not their native language. Not only do they have to learn and work in English, but they must also deal with understanding what cruisers are asking or saying when we have a wide range of passenger accents – which can be challenging.

So, think about it, even when you travel here in the UK where I am, a lot of visitors struggle to understand people with Scottish or Northern English accents. Crew must deal with multiple accents.

So being called out can not only be embarrassing for them but undermines confidence, particularly if they’re early on in their contract.