Some friendly advice if you don’t want to be the person others tell funny cruise stories about when they go back home.

Onboard

• Follow all instructions from the crew, verbal or written. They’re not “recommendations.”
• Don’t forget “please” and “thank you” with attendants, waiters, bartenders, masseuses, desk staff, etc. (i.e., anyone who helps you)
• Try to make your stateroom attendant’s life a little easier and pick up after yourself when possible
  • Get extra shoes/clothes off the floor so they can vacuum
  • Gather plates/cups so they don’t have to hunt for them
  • Yes, you are on vacation, but they work very hard and deserve respect
• Do not put anything in the toiler besides the ship’s toilet paper. Seriously!
  • Ship plumbing is different from land homes
  • If the plumbing gets backed up or broken, the best case is a large number of innocent people won’t have a working toilet for a bit. Worst case… use your imagination.
• By hygenic at restaurants (especially the buffet)
  • Use the hand santizer / hand washing station provided at every food venue.
  • Buffets 101: use the tongs when picking up food, don’t put food back after its been on your plate, and don’t resuse plates or cups.
• There is no shame in using te handrails on the staircases. This is especially true when on the open ocean or at the beginning of the trip before you have your sea legs. Plaster casts do not make good vacation souvenirs.
• Don’t be a lounge chair hog. These are hot commodities on the pool deck. It’s impolite to put a tool & book on the chair and then disappear for hours just because you want a prime spot for 30 minutes later in the afternoon.
• Enjoy yourself in moderation.
  • Don’t take more food than you’ll eat – you can always make another trip through the buffet line
  • Don’t go crazy at the bar. This is a safety risk (there’s lots of stairs and railings on a ship) and nobody likes a hangover.
• Don’t try to avoid paying gratuities.
  • No, they are not the custom of every culture, but if they are the custom of your ship’s culture, think “When in Rome…”
  • The crew works very hard, spending 3-10 months away from their homes and families. If gratuities are the norm on your ship, they are a significant part of the crew’s income.
  • Also, if you want to recognize excellent service, you can give above the standard gratuities.

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Ashore

• Don’t expect foreign countries to be just like home
  • Language, customs, food, music, politics, etc.
  • Travel lets us learn about and appreciate our differences
  • Try not to have preconceptions of what a location will or won’t be like. These often lead to disappointment and make it harder to appreciate what the location IS like.
• Don’t think of foreign countries like Disney World.
  • Locations exist for their own residents, not the tourists (even if tourism is their primary industry)
  • Try to get outside of the port area, which is sometimes built up and staffed by cruise line employees (from other countries) instead of locals. See the ‘real’ location.
• Don’t forget to tip porters, tour guides, drivers, etc. if it is the local custom.
• Keep track of time when you’re off the ship
  • Take a lesson from the military: early is on time and on time is late
  • Being late to return to the bus on an excursion may mean you (and everyone else on the tour) miss out on a planned destination or activity. You may even delay the ship’s departure.
  • If you’re out on your own (i.e. not a ship excursion) and running late:
    • The ship is not obligated to wait for you. If it doesn’t meeting back up with it later will be your responsibility (both logistics and cost)
    • If the ship does wait for you, be appropriately apologetic and hasty making your way onboard (don’t stroll down the pier, RUN)
    • Know that some cruise lines will disembark a passenger who is repeatedly late.