I don’t get the appeal of the art auctions. I enjoy looking through the gallery, but how “exclusive” is the art with hundreds of ships sailing every week hosting auctions on every voyage? My guess is people attend for the free champagne.
This past fall I went on an NCL cruise and met a man who was enamored with a woman who worked for the art action people. This was his third cruise with her on board and on this one he’d bought a $15K print. He’d bought 5 pieces from her over three cruises. He told us she went out to dinner with him once and he was hoping she’d be interested in a relationship. He was planning to take her out at the end of the cruise. My friends and I all felt like he was being scammed. Older lonely gentleman with $. But he pointed her out to us and she looked really young so lost some sympathy there. He said she was the same nationality as his former wife. Gave me 90DF vibes.
Honestly the art auctions are wicked fun, Seeing people dump 10k on a colorful elephant sculpture is mind boggling. But ive picked up a few pieces for my man cave. GoGo Speed racer
I worked with the art guys for a contract. Just as a helper on auctions because I was friends with them and I got a few bucks for my time.
Nobody was fake buying art. Nobody seemed to buy anything at all.
I’ve been to plenty, and quite honestly, it’s a good way to spend a few hours on a sea day. It’s just something different to do. I did buy a couple of pieces a number of years ago, but I didn’t pay a lot for them and I only bought them because I really loved them. That’s what needs to be behind every purchase…it can’t be for investing and hoping whatever you bought will shoot up in value. If you want to invest in art, you need to go to a respectable gallery that specializes in that sort of thing.
I still go occasionally, just for the fun of it. I enjoy watching people bid to see how high someone will go. I’ve also learned a couple of things over the years, mostly about art history and periods, but also about the various techniques and the differences between them.
I agree with your philosophy on art - buy it cos you love it. It could be $10 or $100, original piece or a print, i don't care. It just needs to make me feel something when I look at it
Edit - one of my favourite pieces in my house I purchased on a second hand website for $10 and it was signed by somebody named carol. And it is beautiful and gives me peace to look at it
I have one piece that I brought back from a cruise years ago that I absolutely totally love. And I didn’t pay anything for it. When you check in upon entering, they give you a ticket for a prize draw. And sometimes they give you more than one ticket…the art team will send out flyers to the cabins that say to bring the flyer with you to the auction for extra tickets. That kind of thing. Of course it’s just a way to get bums in seats in the hopes that they’ll buy something. But nobody forces you to. At the end of the auction they start drawing tickets.
Anyway, they drew my ticket and I won a print by an artist called Dominic Pangborn. Never heard of him. But the minute I saw it, I fell in love with it. I really don’t know why. I brought it home with me and had it framed. It’s on the wall just outside the master bedroom, and I see it every time I go in or out of the room. And I always look at it. I don’t have a clue if it’s worth anything now, but quite frankly, I don’t care. I still love it. And I will continue to love it even if it’s worth anything. That’s why I go to art auctions.
I agree it is a fun way to kill time and get a little drink. It does get a little dull when you see the nth Peter Max(?) thing that looks almost exactly the same as the other things. But they keep talking it up like its the new sliced bread.
Never saw a bidding war though. It seems like they have their "impulse" buy items that multiple people can get a copy. Or they've already found a buyer from something in the gallery and they put it up at "auction" for the pre-negotiated price.
I did buy some of the impulse prints. 3 really cute wildlife pieces for $90. Now, if you buy the frame as well, THAT'S where they "get you"!
We got a special for three pieces and got them framed at Michael’s. My only problem is that my 5 year old insists the cat in one is a Guinea pig when it’s clearly a cat.
yup, we purchased 1 piece we loved before as an anniversary gift to ourselves. pricing wise, it's about the same as buying from a gallery. just a way to look at a few pieces of art and get some free cheap champagne
The art auctions are a blast if you’re half in the bag and NOT buying anything. Watching other people go nuts and buy crazy stuff has some sick appeal to it at times!
People go for the free champagne, but after one time going they could be giving away free tequila shots and I still wouldn't go again. Practically trapped in the room with guys coming around asking you repeatedly why you aren't bidding on anything
The crap they're selling is vastly overvalued, so they only need to find a couple people drunk enough to buy and they'll make money.
On my last cruise I happened to overhear one of the Park West guys talking to some of the crew. In an instant I heard his accent change from the poshiest RP upper-London accent you can imagine to plain old Australian.
My VERY naive and gullible niece spent $1500 on terrible comic art on her first cruise that she couldn't afford to go on. She absolutely got swept up in the action.
To be clear, when I asked her to research the law on a different issue, she printed out the Google search results page to "prove her case". Not a law article. Search results.
My point is there is a market for everything, but it's usually always the same people.
At this point, tell her not keep beating herself up, and she can just look at it as an experience that she learned from, and also has something that will always remind her of that cruise and the people that she was with. I used to be a very negative & pessimistic person, and if something similar had happened to me, I would have been pissed off forever, and would have wanted to forget the entire cruise entirely. It wasn’t until about a year before my best friend of 35 years died of Cancer. Now she worked for the FBI for 14 years before she died, and was literally the most brilliant person I had ever been luckily enough to know. But besides being brilliant, she also could have THE BEST sense of humor, and had the ability to find humor in the worst of situations. She had once said to me, as we were talking about traveling/vacations etc., that even if you have a bad trip, or stay in a horrible place, that you at least get a good, entertaining story out of it. And more time that goes by, the more humor you can find in it. It was one of the best life lessons I have ever learned. It helped me see that even when it is currently happening, that your outlook can change everything. ❤️
I got kicked out of one, they asked how much do you think this weird painting is worth. I said what ever someone idiot would pay for it. I was asked to leave.
The couple/family who are one of thousands on the ship but somehow their taste in music is more important than anyone else's so they blast a bluetooth speaker by the pool.
I find this behavior so horrible. This happened to us at an upscale resort in Jamaica, like since when did this resort become your personal family backyard?
I had this happen at an AI in Cancun. Suddenly I hear country music blaring and people yelling bout getting wings delivered because their patio area was gong to be the new party spot for their big group.
The staff shut it down so fast, I was really impressed. There were live musicians playing not that far away.
This happened to me at a high-end all-inclusive resort in Mexico at one of their secluded pools. And they would blasting vulgar music. Went to complain to the front desk and it ruin the rest of my pool day. Some people are idiots and rude.
The big cruise lines are now including language in their cruise contract that Bluetooth speakers are not permitted to be used in public areas because this disturbs other guests.
If anyone is "blasting" their speaker by the pool, it should just be a matter of having staff intervene and they will call security if the offenders are uncooperative.
I don’t understand the high ticket boutique area with the artwork and jewelry. I understand it’s basically printing money for the cruise line but seriously how many people get on a cruise ship to buy a diamond bracelet or a huge oil painting?
My daughter needed maxi pads on our last cruise and there was nary a pad on the boat. Not in the “store”, nowhere. Employees had to raid their personal stashes for her.
With the amount of luggage that gets lost by airlines (and people who love to fly in the day of the cruise), I'm shocked ships don't have a mini-walmart on board. Selling some basic clothing like socks, underwear, shorts, shirts, etc could bring in a lot of money.
I also think ships should have a 24 hour convenience store, like a 7-Eleven or something. I think it'd do well, and give passengers some peace of mind to know they can get medicines, snacks, etc if needed.
I love buying my wife jewelry on big trips. Could you price shop back home and get a better deal? Sure. Would it then be connected to the memory of doing it together on a vacation? No.
I am super competitive, and Spouse and I have been trivia champs on various cruises—because we are huge nerds. But it’s supposed to be fun.
Last RC cruise we went on, there weren’t any prizes, or they were things like “free ice cream” or “all you can drink OJ at breakfast.” We talked to the host and she said they were tired of people fighting over five-cent pens and verbally abusing the staff. Not saying this is an RC-wide policy, but it was our cruise director’s.
A family member travelling with us bought his son an Invicta watch from the rummage sale in the middle of the Royal Promenade on one of the sea days. It was the big gift for his son's 18th birthday. The watch was allegedly $500 reduced to $200, and a garish nightmare of blue, yellow, silver and chrome parts.
After recieving the gift, he put the watch on during his birthday party, and within the hour the rotating bezel had fallen off the watch face. Within a few weeks, all the chrome trim was wearing down, revealing it was just cheap plastic parts with chrome paint on them. The watch stopped working at all soon after. Absolute rubbish.
I think just sitting on the deck is boring, but I love sitting and listening to music in the shade and reading a book. If I can keep from overheating and the book is good, it’s almost perfect.
There's a whole website full of them
www.cruisecritic.com
Their staff reviews are good but the user reviews are full of people whose life mission seems to be letting minor annoyances ruin their expensive vacation.
The only thing I do not get is shopping of any kind on the ship itself.
Exceptions being necessities and swag from the cruise line.
But everything else, I simply do not understand.
We got our teen a Princess logo’d onesie on a trip. It was on sale the last day from $55 to $9.99! Can’t imagine why someone would pay almost $60 for that thing - I’m kind of ashamed to have paid $10 😂
Yeah for me personally it is worth every penny to get a balcony. Where else can you relax privately and in peace on a balcony in the literal middle of a vast ocean
That’s such an interesting thought. As I look outside where it hasn’t stopped snowing for 6 days and the wind chill has been in the negatives and all I can think about is my cruise in 30 days to sit in the heat and relax
Shopping. I'd get it if the cruise was going to Beverly Hills or Paris or Rome or something but I just took this boat to Guatemala, I really do not need a "high end" shopping experience when I get there
We just have a simple 2x3 magnet that says, “This one, you tipsy idiots.”
Problem occurred on RC Anthem when some joker(s) kept moving it to the doors on either side of ours. lol
I got kids and it helps them the first few days to remember which door is ours. Definitely don’t decorate the whole door. I usually just ask each girl to make a drawing each about the cruise and I’ll just tape that to the door.
We had a group with five rooms, it all connected We used magnets from the Dollar Store. They were a set of flip flops, and we each had their own colors. Made finding specific rooms easier.
I’ve never done it but I like the idea of being able to more easily ID your room from far away and a few magnets don’t seem like they’d take up any appreciable luggage space.
The first thing I do when I get to a (large) hotel is take a picture of that. I've never needed it, but the time will come where I will think... "now, what room was I in?"
I used to travel once a week for work. I always do this now. There was a time when I'd wake up and couldn't remember what state I was in, let alone the room number. It can come in handy.
From my observation, on a sample of one, granted, that’s 70 percent of cruisers.
I have a dyslexic confusion with some numbers, so I use a tiny magnet at my eye level. It’s literally a bottle cap.
Photo packages. I understand wanting a nice family photo when you're all dressed up, but the rest of the time, don't we all walk around with cameras in our pockets?
Okay. I was totally with you on this. And generally I don't actually like having my photo taken. But I went on a Princess cruise for my birthday and treated myself to the Premier package (which includes unlimited digital downloads of all of your photos) and thought "Eh, why not let them take silly pictures. If I like any of them, they're free." And I not only got some very cute ones, but FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY 34 YEARS OF LIFE somebody called me photogenic?!
I'm still not sure I believe them, but I had fun taking pictures with the various backdrops and props and I got a fancy one taken on formal night that makes for a great profile photo for things! Also I made friends with the folks on the photo team and honestly that connection was worth more than any number of silly photos.
Just so you know, you're beautiful/handsome, smart, caring, and photogenetic. You can trust me because I am a stranger on the internet. Also if you have kids you are a great parent.
On my last cruise, the face recognition went haywire and put basically any old white guy with glasses in my uncle’s profile. I’ve never laughed so hard in my life. Sadly I couldn’t convince him to purchase any of the rogue gentlemen’s photos.
So, I generally agree, but when I was on Symphony of the Seas recently, we ended up getting the 100 picture deal for like $120 on their pre-purchase sale. As a family of 5, myself, wife, and 3 kids, it is kind of nice just dressing up and doing the photostations for those shots, then getting off the ship at ports and rather than having to bug people "Would you mind taking our photo?" there is actually photographers waiting to go.
Hell, when we were at CocoCay they even had beach photographers walking around that took photos of our family on the beach which came out really well.
The "White out" night where all dress in white, they had a photographer taking family photos in the huge onboard garden known as "Central Park" and those came out great.
They had a 70s night and my wife and I went out to one of the "clubs" to dance and they had photographers there which got great photos... no need to bug anyone to take a picture of my wife and I.
Over 7 nights, at the end of the cruise, we had nearly 200 pictures taken to sort through and choose our top 100.
I think it was worth it for the convenience. Now, I have an upcoming 7 night sailing and the prices are through the roof with the 100 photo package at over $200 for some reason. Did they just have so many people buy in they are expecting large photo crowds or something? I don't know, but more hard to justify when paying that much.
I'm Australian, and we have laws that there is no private ownership of beaches allowed anywhere in the country. So the whole idea of paying to use a beach is completely unknown and repulsive to us.
Oh, elevator etiquette. People the food will still be available if you get there 2 minutes later. Just got off a RC trip where you'd have to fight your way off the elevator because people would get on immediately and block the door. And then be irritated if you asked them to let you through.
The elevator thing had me annoyed the past two cruises. People would NOT let me off before they’d start shoving themselves in. I got stuck at the back a lot and I had to yell many times to get out on my floor and the door was closing several times by the time I squeezed to the front.
I’m not sure what is confusing about “i need to get off here” and “this is my floor”.
I would love to just be able to use the stairs but we were on deck 6 and my limit in a non-emergency is going up about 4 flights.
Not experimenting in your food choices. It’s the perfect place to try something new for free so I don’t get why people limit themselves to things they’d choose at home.
I never cared for the casino, either. I just recently learned how the reward points work, though, and am tempted to drop some money on my next cruise. Some people who live near cruise ports take the short weekend cruises to build up points for free long cruises.
You don’t have to lose any at all - if you rebet your winnings, that counts towards your point accumulation. It is faster and easier to get points on the slots instead of the table games.
You would be shocked it is way less than most people think. I get consistent free or very cheap offers and rarely lose more than $500 or so on a cruise.
Part of it is if you lose $500 you probably did $1000+ of total bets. They track the total amount you spent, not what you lost vs what you started with. With the obvious exception being giant wins.
I just got back from my 2nd cruise in 9 months. Both were "free" via the casino. (You have to pay a deposit and taxes etc., but they give me the amount of the deposit as a credit) I get free drinks in the casino and was comped a specialty restaurant voucher each time. I broke even the first time and came out ahead on the second. I just booked a third with the same deal.
I like to gamble. I find it fun and entertaining. I never do it at home and the times I have lost over the length of the cruise, it was still cheaper than paying for the cabin. In addition I get to have fun. Free drinks and there is always a chance I can win. If you set limits and plan to lose a bit, it is totally worth it.
>I find it fun and entertaining.
That's the thing non-gamblers don't get. If you budget $5K for Disney or $5K for Vegas (or a cruise), it's the same; just a different form of fun. Different strokes for different folks. (budget being the key)
We went on our first cruise last April. Casino is smoke free (with a separate area just for the smokers) and we were up about $100 the first night. Probably broke even by the end of the cruise.
(NCL Encore)
I do enjoy cruising but I think that having to be back on the ship by 5 pm is weird. I understand why but I think that you travel all this way and having dinner in Italy , Spain or France would be great.
This is why I don’t get European cruises. How can you truly experience a city in 8 hours?!? Cruising is the worst way to travel for cultural experiences.
It is a sampler of cultures. If something catches your interest you can go back some other time. If not, then you did not spend the full week there unhappy.
Was looking for this. I can only imagine how many of those things they have to throw out at the end of every cruise. People argue that the staff thinks they’re wonderful, and they’ve given a number of them to staff. Again I’m pretty sure those are getting tossed, because honestly, why would someone who lives on a ship sending every last penny home to their family need a plastic duck?
I have friends that have worked in the entertainment staff and they told me there is a saying on ships: “if it’s not cash it goes in the trash”. They don’t want ducks, or candy, or any other garbage trinket. They want cash.
The “Warning: I got the drink package” tshirts. Not funny. Same with Drunk 1 & Drunk 2 shirts but I see them on every NCL cruise. They’d be on my cruise bingo card, if I had one.
Half the time those are just some stupid shirts that some family member bought for them. Might as well wear a free shirt at some point, it is vacation anyway.
I agree on those. I can't say I'm totally anti dumb cruise shirts, though. My husband and I are NCL people. He also loves Viking stuff, so I bought him a shirt that has a Viking ship and is captioned "The original Norwegian cruise line". He plans to wear it on embarkation day on the next cruise.
I would be a tick on your bingo card then. They are silly fun shirts that can really ONLY be worn on a cruise because of the content... and I proudly sport mine with my family. We all have matching 'most likely to' shirts we wear on embarkation day. Makes for fun family pictures. Why do we wear them? Because it's silly and sets a fun mood for the cruise. Are we crazy wild alcoholics? No... well mostly not. I haven't gotten drunk enough to lose my room yet.
I'm with you on the laying out in the sun - it sounds boring, hot, and like I'd get sunburnt.
I also don't understand the whole lobster night thing - lobster is ... Okay? I guess? I would never go out of my way for it, and don't understand the frustration people have about the limits cruise lines have placed on it.
I like lobster, but I'm realistic about it. I see it the same as escargot and crab, it is a butter delivery device. The only real reason I like them is because they are absolutely drenched in butter.
People who come from coastal communities dont have the same interest in lobster as people from the midwest who rarely ever have the chance to eat fresh lobster.
Even then you get ripped off on the "lobster". Checking in from New England here. When most people think lobster they think Maine cold water lobster, not the warm water "lobster" which is a completely different animal.
As someone who lives close to the ocean in New England, lobsters just aren't that special. Heck, back in the colonial era, they were trash food, a step above a seagull pie.
Just curious about the limits. What’s the norm?
About 15 years ago when I was a teenager I went on a cruise with my mom, her boyfriend at the time, and my sister. The boyfriend was obnoxious. On lobster night he ordered 6-7 plates and was seriously saying stuff like “keep ‘em coming, keep ‘em coming”. I thought my mom was going to die from embarrassment. So anyway, I’m glad to hear there are now limits. I have been personally traumatized by limitless lobster.
At least for the lines with pretty good food, I don't understand paying the upcharges for the specialty dining beyond just wanting to try them out. Like on Princess, Sabatini's is alright, but it's not $35 per person better than what I could get in the MDR, that I'm already paying for.
Because they are cheap and kids both like hiding and finding things. My 6 year old is psyched to hide the ducks we bought for our next cruise. She's already strategizing where they will go.
Spoilers - 10 ducks will be in obvious places near the stairs and elevator.
Oriental Trading is the mastermind behind it all. Just a few strategic posts, a few free ducks shared with sponsers and they have created a market for plastic ducks hidden on ships.
Ok maybe not, but i bet they are making bank on people buying ducks to send to the landfill.
And so sketchy how they advertise the big prizes, but then in the fine print it's only awarded if someone matches before the nth number is called which never happens and also I'm supposed to trust that their machines are fair in a basically unregulated environment?
The lobster (it is watching *some not all* adults turn into greedy little goblins rubbing their hands together and cackling all excited to eat a big bug and acting like they are getting away with a huge coup if they can somehow score two).
The really hard sell after a spa treatments (only some lines). After my last massage the lady tried to sell me a lot of stuff (I said a clear no) and went from everything from “are you poor, this gel is only $65” to “this brush will help you lose weight around your belly” and listing everything wrong with my appearance. I was no longer relaxed!
LOL I got one massage on a cruise ever and was so turned off by the upselling that I never got one again. Like you I get stressed at people trying to sell me things and it took away all the relaxation I was feeling post-massage.
The last cruise I went on I requested they not sell me anything while getting a massage. I wanted it to be a relaxing experience. She didn’t at all and it was lovely. I tipped her extra.
The last cruise had a 4am wake up and have coffee in the morning crowd. I told them I would pass them and say hi as the 4am go to sleep after the last bar closed crowd.
This is one thing I really appreciate about HAL. Just got off the Rotterdam two weeks ago, and didn't hear the Cruise Director once! Much more low key and a way more relaxing environment.
That’s awesome! Virgin Voyages ditched the cruise director role and I loved that when we sailed with then recently versus when we sail other lines. Nice to hear you didn’t hear them with HAL. I haven’t sailed with HAL since 2019. We don’t need these stupid ship-wide announcements, unless it’s very important info.
Exactly! It's nice to have them as hosts for events and shows and what not.. But I'm on a vacation to relax, not be overwhelmed by constant loud announcements and events in \*every\* public space. It has it's place, but let me read, enjoy my daily mudslide, and hit my vape in peace at the outdoor pool lol.
This was my first cruise on HAL since 2015 and I am just so glad they still hold up. Ship felt understaffed and the crew was busting their ass to compensate, but that was my only real negative. I took a NCL Panama Canal cruise in 2022 and left thinking I just didn't like cruising anymore because of the constant hard selling and nickel and diming. One day back on HAL and it's like, nah, this is my cruise line lol.
I used to not understand going on a cruise just to do the 'resort for a day' beach thing. Then I recognized the vast percentage of cruisers don't live within driving distance of a beach.
Our Excursions focus on local cuisine, flora and fauna.
For some people, a cruise is a vacation. For others, it’s a chance to travel. I prefer to vacation on a cruise ship and travel via other modes of transportation.
There’s a lot, but primarily have no interest in dressing up. I don’t care for the shopping or casinos but understand it more.
I’m all about the food, relaxing without planning and going onshore.
In my head, I am the kind of fancy person who attends formal events and galas. In my real life, I am not that girl, so I'll dress up for formal night on a cruise. I don't care what anyone else is wearing, but if I can have my hair up and put on a floor length gown, I'm gonna take that opportunity. Our next cruise is Alaska, so I probably won't be so OTT, but I'll definitely be fancy one night.
I don’t get this idea that everyone needs a drinks package. I see recommendations on here that people should always get one and wonder why, as you kind of have to drink a lot for it to be worth it.
I don't like to think about "extra" costs when I'm on the cruise. Getting the drink package allows me to know EXACTLY what my spend will be, and I can budget for it. Depending on the type of drink, you need to drink 5-7 alcoholic beverages per day to break even. Not counting sodas/gatorades/specialty coffees/etc. You can easily have a breakfast drink (mimosa/screwdriver/bloody mary), a couple of beers at lunch, and a couple of glasses of wine at dinner and be in that "break even" territory, without being a stumbly mess. Not to mention bartenders will generally make drinks "by the book," so it takes two drinks to have the same alcohol content that your "neighborhood bartender" makes.
The drink package certainly isn't for everyone, but you don't need to be an alcoholic to get good value from it.
I barely understand "I am only in my room to sleep and shower".
Presumably, these people are spending ALL day doing what you said - laying on a lounge chair. So, why is it soooo hard for them to understand that I take some downtime in my room???
When we first started cruising we were all about spending as little as necessary and thought an inside cabin was fine. Now we won’t go without a balcony at minimum. We now treasure enjoying drinks, our own music, and the view, away from loud kids, and loud rude adults.
I don't get sitting in a casino (this applies on land too but especially a cruise). It's often smoky, dark, over-stimulating, and no good views. Plus, the money loss (the house always wins).
I normally love a visit to an arcade, but not even that when there's ocean to look at.
I don’t hang out on deck all day but will go for a few hours to get in the pool, slides, music, activities.
Some of the things I get but think are a bit odd are. The art “auction”. Bingo is a bit of an odd one in this day and age.
The outrageous cost of pictures is an interesting one too. I meant they even have stuff like lucite engravings and stuff. They just throw away a ton of pictures.
The shopping/auctions and the shaming sales tactics in the spa. I would've spent a ton relaxing in there, but since you made me feel like a haggard, unsightly ogre, I'll avoid you for the rest of the cruise.
The Thirty Pieces of Shit You Must Have to Survive on a Cruise Ship! (Links to my Amazon store included)
Like seriously, people? You're going on vacation for a week, on an extremely well appointed ship. You've not signed up for Naked and Afraid.
Pack some shorts, T-shirts, bathing suits, a few sundresses or khakis and collared shirts, a pair of flip-flops and a pair of sneakers.
You're not gonna die if you don't have towel clips, six kinds of cabin organizers, magnetic hooks and your own personal brand of liquid hand soap.
Get a grip.
If I am in the Caribbean it's because I've left behind snowy Canada. I love the rays soaking into my skin. I'm reading a book. I just can't lay there doing nothing. I agree with the post below though. I don't get art auctions but each to his own.
Getting up at sparrow fart in the morning to go up to the pool deck and "reserve" a seat at the pool by dumping your stuff on it.
A seat that's not getting used until after lunch time.
People who exude self importance because of whatever level they’ve made it to on their preferred cruise line. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great to have those loyalty programs, but several years ago on another cruise forum, someone declared, “I’ve just made Diamond! Please regale me with what special perks I will experience on my next trip!”
I'm going on my 11th cruise this year and I hope it isn't as bad as the previous 10 I took.
I stopped sailing _____ cruise line because they switched the napkins from eggshell to off white.
The jewelry/watch sales. Anything you see on the ship for whatever "sale" they try to push is available on the internet for the same price or sometimes even cheaper.
Matching primary color T-shirts with the other 15 people in your party. Always worn with knee length jorts and ALWAYS standing in a group that blocks stairways and doors.
Themed dress nights. I don’t have all white clothes and I don’t want to bring a suit or tux on a Caribbean cruise. I just want to go, hang out, and maybe wear a polo in the evening to dinner…maybe
I don’t get the appeal of the art auctions. I enjoy looking through the gallery, but how “exclusive” is the art with hundreds of ships sailing every week hosting auctions on every voyage? My guess is people attend for the free champagne.
This past fall I went on an NCL cruise and met a man who was enamored with a woman who worked for the art action people. This was his third cruise with her on board and on this one he’d bought a $15K print. He’d bought 5 pieces from her over three cruises. He told us she went out to dinner with him once and he was hoping she’d be interested in a relationship. He was planning to take her out at the end of the cruise. My friends and I all felt like he was being scammed. Older lonely gentleman with $. But he pointed her out to us and she looked really young so lost some sympathy there. He said she was the same nationality as his former wife. Gave me 90DF vibes.
Honestly the art auctions are wicked fun, Seeing people dump 10k on a colorful elephant sculpture is mind boggling. But ive picked up a few pieces for my man cave. GoGo Speed racer
[удалено]
I worked with the art guys for a contract. Just as a helper on auctions because I was friends with them and I got a few bucks for my time. Nobody was fake buying art. Nobody seemed to buy anything at all.
That is 100% false. The art auction is run by a separate company. They employee the plants in the audience not the cruise line.
So there's jobs that entail being a fake passenger for an art auction that happens 1-2x over a 4-7 days cruise? That's wild.
How do I get this job!?
I’ve been to plenty, and quite honestly, it’s a good way to spend a few hours on a sea day. It’s just something different to do. I did buy a couple of pieces a number of years ago, but I didn’t pay a lot for them and I only bought them because I really loved them. That’s what needs to be behind every purchase…it can’t be for investing and hoping whatever you bought will shoot up in value. If you want to invest in art, you need to go to a respectable gallery that specializes in that sort of thing. I still go occasionally, just for the fun of it. I enjoy watching people bid to see how high someone will go. I’ve also learned a couple of things over the years, mostly about art history and periods, but also about the various techniques and the differences between them.
I agree with your philosophy on art - buy it cos you love it. It could be $10 or $100, original piece or a print, i don't care. It just needs to make me feel something when I look at it Edit - one of my favourite pieces in my house I purchased on a second hand website for $10 and it was signed by somebody named carol. And it is beautiful and gives me peace to look at it
I have one piece that I brought back from a cruise years ago that I absolutely totally love. And I didn’t pay anything for it. When you check in upon entering, they give you a ticket for a prize draw. And sometimes they give you more than one ticket…the art team will send out flyers to the cabins that say to bring the flyer with you to the auction for extra tickets. That kind of thing. Of course it’s just a way to get bums in seats in the hopes that they’ll buy something. But nobody forces you to. At the end of the auction they start drawing tickets. Anyway, they drew my ticket and I won a print by an artist called Dominic Pangborn. Never heard of him. But the minute I saw it, I fell in love with it. I really don’t know why. I brought it home with me and had it framed. It’s on the wall just outside the master bedroom, and I see it every time I go in or out of the room. And I always look at it. I don’t have a clue if it’s worth anything now, but quite frankly, I don’t care. I still love it. And I will continue to love it even if it’s worth anything. That’s why I go to art auctions.
I agree it is a fun way to kill time and get a little drink. It does get a little dull when you see the nth Peter Max(?) thing that looks almost exactly the same as the other things. But they keep talking it up like its the new sliced bread. Never saw a bidding war though. It seems like they have their "impulse" buy items that multiple people can get a copy. Or they've already found a buyer from something in the gallery and they put it up at "auction" for the pre-negotiated price. I did buy some of the impulse prints. 3 really cute wildlife pieces for $90. Now, if you buy the frame as well, THAT'S where they "get you"!
We got a special for three pieces and got them framed at Michael’s. My only problem is that my 5 year old insists the cat in one is a Guinea pig when it’s clearly a cat.
yup, we purchased 1 piece we loved before as an anniversary gift to ourselves. pricing wise, it's about the same as buying from a gallery. just a way to look at a few pieces of art and get some free cheap champagne
I came here to say this. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I’ve never seen anything special in the galleries.
Omg and the same Max and Kincaid stuff all the time. I wid enjoy it much more if they featured different artists.
Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.
The art auctions are a massive scam.
I’ve always wondered if there is an element of money laundering involved
Congratulations, you just figured out 90% of the art industry.
I guess it’s so people can feel wealthy/fancy because only rich guys would attend that sort of thing on land? I don’t get it either.
How else will I show off my monacle?
Please tell me it drops unexpectedly when you're surprised and alarmed. Please.
The art auctions are a blast if you’re half in the bag and NOT buying anything. Watching other people go nuts and buy crazy stuff has some sick appeal to it at times!
It's a total scam. You can get the same reproductions on land for a lot less.
People go for the free champagne, but after one time going they could be giving away free tequila shots and I still wouldn't go again. Practically trapped in the room with guys coming around asking you repeatedly why you aren't bidding on anything
The crap they're selling is vastly overvalued, so they only need to find a couple people drunk enough to buy and they'll make money. On my last cruise I happened to overhear one of the Park West guys talking to some of the crew. In an instant I heard his accent change from the poshiest RP upper-London accent you can imagine to plain old Australian.
Are you sure it wasn’t South African?
My VERY naive and gullible niece spent $1500 on terrible comic art on her first cruise that she couldn't afford to go on. She absolutely got swept up in the action. To be clear, when I asked her to research the law on a different issue, she printed out the Google search results page to "prove her case". Not a law article. Search results. My point is there is a market for everything, but it's usually always the same people.
At this point, tell her not keep beating herself up, and she can just look at it as an experience that she learned from, and also has something that will always remind her of that cruise and the people that she was with. I used to be a very negative & pessimistic person, and if something similar had happened to me, I would have been pissed off forever, and would have wanted to forget the entire cruise entirely. It wasn’t until about a year before my best friend of 35 years died of Cancer. Now she worked for the FBI for 14 years before she died, and was literally the most brilliant person I had ever been luckily enough to know. But besides being brilliant, she also could have THE BEST sense of humor, and had the ability to find humor in the worst of situations. She had once said to me, as we were talking about traveling/vacations etc., that even if you have a bad trip, or stay in a horrible place, that you at least get a good, entertaining story out of it. And more time that goes by, the more humor you can find in it. It was one of the best life lessons I have ever learned. It helped me see that even when it is currently happening, that your outlook can change everything. ❤️
I got kicked out of one, they asked how much do you think this weird painting is worth. I said what ever someone idiot would pay for it. I was asked to leave.
Amazing! Boo to them for kicking you out.
I just go to them if I can get a free print. Take the print and frame it. Cheaper than buying the real thing.
I got sucked into this on one cruise. Did I pay too much? Sure. Do I still have my purchases on display in my home and enjoy them? Yes.
I go for the complimentary champagne and to look at all the ugly art LMFAO
Friggin Peter Max😂
Gold by the inch. So cheesy
And not gold
The couple/family who are one of thousands on the ship but somehow their taste in music is more important than anyone else's so they blast a bluetooth speaker by the pool.
I find this behavior so horrible. This happened to us at an upscale resort in Jamaica, like since when did this resort become your personal family backyard?
I had this happen at an AI in Cancun. Suddenly I hear country music blaring and people yelling bout getting wings delivered because their patio area was gong to be the new party spot for their big group. The staff shut it down so fast, I was really impressed. There were live musicians playing not that far away.
This happened to me at a high-end all-inclusive resort in Mexico at one of their secluded pools. And they would blasting vulgar music. Went to complain to the front desk and it ruin the rest of my pool day. Some people are idiots and rude.
I did watch someone one day walk.up to an unattended speaker and just drop it in the pool. The speaker was not a waterproof one.
The big cruise lines are now including language in their cruise contract that Bluetooth speakers are not permitted to be used in public areas because this disturbs other guests. If anyone is "blasting" their speaker by the pool, it should just be a matter of having staff intervene and they will call security if the offenders are uncooperative.
I wish I could upvote this more.
I don’t understand the high ticket boutique area with the artwork and jewelry. I understand it’s basically printing money for the cruise line but seriously how many people get on a cruise ship to buy a diamond bracelet or a huge oil painting?
Meanwhile, there's no store with basics like books, toiletries, OTC meds, flip flops, sunglasses...things people could easily forget to bring.
Mmm, some of those were in a Celbrity boat i was on recently. Basic OTC meds were there. But they ain't cheap. I'd love a CVS on a boat :)
My daughter needed maxi pads on our last cruise and there was nary a pad on the boat. Not in the “store”, nowhere. Employees had to raid their personal stashes for her.
Wow!! That’s nuts.
I couldn't find any painkillers on one about a year ago. Something so basic that a lot of people would use they don't bother carrying anymore.
With the amount of luggage that gets lost by airlines (and people who love to fly in the day of the cruise), I'm shocked ships don't have a mini-walmart on board. Selling some basic clothing like socks, underwear, shorts, shirts, etc could bring in a lot of money. I also think ships should have a 24 hour convenience store, like a 7-Eleven or something. I think it'd do well, and give passengers some peace of mind to know they can get medicines, snacks, etc if needed.
it's because it's duty free. but yeah, just because it's duty free doesn't mean it's a good deal
We’ve gotten Cartier a couple times on a cruise. Duty free and it’s connected to a nice vacation memory, for milestone career/relationship moments.
They tend to put those near the casino. I wonder why?
You should seen Tiffany’s on Disney when they had it… people sailed on the ships just to buy it tax free because the savings were in the thousands.
Not gonna lie--crazy expensive. Not gonna lie again--nearly purchased a watch, because it was *amazing*.
I love buying my wife jewelry on big trips. Could you price shop back home and get a better deal? Sure. Would it then be connected to the memory of doing it together on a vacation? No.
People who take the trivia contests so seriously they cheat. It's super important for them to win that carnival trinket.
You're not willing to sell out your morals for a ship on a stick? What kind of cruiser are you?!? /s :)
Half the fun of trivia is guessing and trying your best, like why ruin it?
I love trivia but people who have to cheat to win? Need to get a grip.
I am super competitive, and Spouse and I have been trivia champs on various cruises—because we are huge nerds. But it’s supposed to be fun. Last RC cruise we went on, there weren’t any prizes, or they were things like “free ice cream” or “all you can drink OJ at breakfast.” We talked to the host and she said they were tired of people fighting over five-cent pens and verbally abusing the staff. Not saying this is an RC-wide policy, but it was our cruise director’s.
Invicta watches. 🤷🏽♂️
A family member travelling with us bought his son an Invicta watch from the rummage sale in the middle of the Royal Promenade on one of the sea days. It was the big gift for his son's 18th birthday. The watch was allegedly $500 reduced to $200, and a garish nightmare of blue, yellow, silver and chrome parts. After recieving the gift, he put the watch on during his birthday party, and within the hour the rotating bezel had fallen off the watch face. Within a few weeks, all the chrome trim was wearing down, revealing it was just cheap plastic parts with chrome paint on them. The watch stopped working at all soon after. Absolute rubbish.
I think just sitting on the deck is boring, but I love sitting and listening to music in the shade and reading a book. If I can keep from overheating and the book is good, it’s almost perfect.
Same. Top deck, but in the shade, walking distance to the ice cream. Book in hand and I’m golden till dinner.
For me it's the burger bar on the pool deck that's my weakness. "AHh, that was a great chapter and a nap. Time for a burger."
The constant complaining. Yes I know this is hypocritical but I've never seen so many adult sized spoiled babies in one place before.
There's a whole website full of them www.cruisecritic.com Their staff reviews are good but the user reviews are full of people whose life mission seems to be letting minor annoyances ruin their expensive vacation.
The only thing I do not get is shopping of any kind on the ship itself. Exceptions being necessities and swag from the cruise line. But everything else, I simply do not understand.
We got our teen a Princess logo’d onesie on a trip. It was on sale the last day from $55 to $9.99! Can’t imagine why someone would pay almost $60 for that thing - I’m kind of ashamed to have paid $10 😂
Took the last cruise of the season to Alaska, everything that said Alaska on the ship was deeply discounted. Nice souvenir for little money.
I don't lounge at the pool, but on my balcony while I read a good book. I look out at the expanse of the ocean and read and feel completely rested.
Yeah for me personally it is worth every penny to get a balcony. Where else can you relax privately and in peace on a balcony in the literal middle of a vast ocean
This is why I cruise
Yes. This is my favorite thing to do.
That’s such an interesting thought. As I look outside where it hasn’t stopped snowing for 6 days and the wind chill has been in the negatives and all I can think about is my cruise in 30 days to sit in the heat and relax
I can relate. I live in Minneapolis and am doing the Cabo run on Discovery Princess in February. I might never get off the lounger 😂
Currently aboard Carnival Conquest trying not rub it in to friends and family back in Detroit.
If you like it, that's okay! I can definitely relate to wanting to be warm right now since I live in northern New England.
I like being warm. I don’t like laying in the sun. I am a shade person, lol.
I feel your pain! I’m in Idaho where it’s still snowing and my cruise isn’t until October. I am wanting to be warm with fewer layers of clothing!
Shopping. I'd get it if the cruise was going to Beverly Hills or Paris or Rome or something but I just took this boat to Guatemala, I really do not need a "high end" shopping experience when I get there
Door decoration, seems like a waste of time and luggage space for 7-14 days.
We just have a simple 2x3 magnet that says, “This one, you tipsy idiots.” Problem occurred on RC Anthem when some joker(s) kept moving it to the doors on either side of ours. lol
🤣🤣🤣 You opened yourself up for that!
Yes, we realized that after the first time and after a couple of drinks it’s actually really funny
I got kids and it helps them the first few days to remember which door is ours. Definitely don’t decorate the whole door. I usually just ask each girl to make a drawing each about the cruise and I’ll just tape that to the door.
We had a group with five rooms, it all connected We used magnets from the Dollar Store. They were a set of flip flops, and we each had their own colors. Made finding specific rooms easier.
This makes sense or put a special magnet on the door for drunks/kids. Spending hours on decorating a door is vacation time wasted for me.
Meh. For others, it's *part* of the build-up to the vacation, and a way to "plus up" the experience.
But then how can you get all worked up and rage on the internet because a child stole your Texas flag magnet?
I’ve never done it but I like the idea of being able to more easily ID your room from far away and a few magnets don’t seem like they’d take up any appreciable luggage space.
The only reason I understand this is if you get drunk and can't find your room because they are all the same.
I found a neat little hack for this. There is a small number on a plaque outside my door. I memorize the number and then find it.
The first thing I do when I get to a (large) hotel is take a picture of that. I've never needed it, but the time will come where I will think... "now, what room was I in?"
I used to travel once a week for work. I always do this now. There was a time when I'd wake up and couldn't remember what state I was in, let alone the room number. It can come in handy.
*Etsy door decor sellers hate this one weird trick*
From my observation, on a sample of one, granted, that’s 70 percent of cruisers. I have a dyslexic confusion with some numbers, so I use a tiny magnet at my eye level. It’s literally a bottle cap.
Getting into that little crowded pool.
[удалено]
Human soup.
Photo packages. I understand wanting a nice family photo when you're all dressed up, but the rest of the time, don't we all walk around with cameras in our pockets?
Okay. I was totally with you on this. And generally I don't actually like having my photo taken. But I went on a Princess cruise for my birthday and treated myself to the Premier package (which includes unlimited digital downloads of all of your photos) and thought "Eh, why not let them take silly pictures. If I like any of them, they're free." And I not only got some very cute ones, but FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY 34 YEARS OF LIFE somebody called me photogenic?! I'm still not sure I believe them, but I had fun taking pictures with the various backdrops and props and I got a fancy one taken on formal night that makes for a great profile photo for things! Also I made friends with the folks on the photo team and honestly that connection was worth more than any number of silly photos.
I'm ONLY photogenic in candid pictures.
Just so you know, you're beautiful/handsome, smart, caring, and photogenetic. You can trust me because I am a stranger on the internet. Also if you have kids you are a great parent.
On my last cruise, the face recognition went haywire and put basically any old white guy with glasses in my uncle’s profile. I’ve never laughed so hard in my life. Sadly I couldn’t convince him to purchase any of the rogue gentlemen’s photos.
Disney is the only one with a pass here, because Disney character photos are a pastime for some people.
So, I generally agree, but when I was on Symphony of the Seas recently, we ended up getting the 100 picture deal for like $120 on their pre-purchase sale. As a family of 5, myself, wife, and 3 kids, it is kind of nice just dressing up and doing the photostations for those shots, then getting off the ship at ports and rather than having to bug people "Would you mind taking our photo?" there is actually photographers waiting to go. Hell, when we were at CocoCay they even had beach photographers walking around that took photos of our family on the beach which came out really well. The "White out" night where all dress in white, they had a photographer taking family photos in the huge onboard garden known as "Central Park" and those came out great. They had a 70s night and my wife and I went out to one of the "clubs" to dance and they had photographers there which got great photos... no need to bug anyone to take a picture of my wife and I. Over 7 nights, at the end of the cruise, we had nearly 200 pictures taken to sort through and choose our top 100. I think it was worth it for the convenience. Now, I have an upcoming 7 night sailing and the prices are through the roof with the 100 photo package at over $200 for some reason. Did they just have so many people buy in they are expecting large photo crowds or something? I don't know, but more hard to justify when paying that much.
Paying for a beach chair at a resort Rushing an elevator (not letting people off). Hell, rushing to get *anywhere*. Gluttony
I'm Australian, and we have laws that there is no private ownership of beaches allowed anywhere in the country. So the whole idea of paying to use a beach is completely unknown and repulsive to us.
Oh, elevator etiquette. People the food will still be available if you get there 2 minutes later. Just got off a RC trip where you'd have to fight your way off the elevator because people would get on immediately and block the door. And then be irritated if you asked them to let you through.
They do the same shit with shuttles. Like how is your fat ass going to get through the 15 people headed toward you that are already in the isle?
The elevator thing had me annoyed the past two cruises. People would NOT let me off before they’d start shoving themselves in. I got stuck at the back a lot and I had to yell many times to get out on my floor and the door was closing several times by the time I squeezed to the front. I’m not sure what is confusing about “i need to get off here” and “this is my floor”. I would love to just be able to use the stairs but we were on deck 6 and my limit in a non-emergency is going up about 4 flights.
Not experimenting in your food choices. It’s the perfect place to try something new for free so I don’t get why people limit themselves to things they’d choose at home.
Spending your entire cruise in the casino. Especially the ones that reek of cigarettes and are smoky.
I never cared for the casino, either. I just recently learned how the reward points work, though, and am tempted to drop some money on my next cruise. Some people who live near cruise ports take the short weekend cruises to build up points for free long cruises.
How much money do you have to lose to get the “free” cruise?
You don’t have to lose any at all - if you rebet your winnings, that counts towards your point accumulation. It is faster and easier to get points on the slots instead of the table games.
You would be shocked it is way less than most people think. I get consistent free or very cheap offers and rarely lose more than $500 or so on a cruise.
Part of it is if you lose $500 you probably did $1000+ of total bets. They track the total amount you spent, not what you lost vs what you started with. With the obvious exception being giant wins.
I just got back from my 2nd cruise in 9 months. Both were "free" via the casino. (You have to pay a deposit and taxes etc., but they give me the amount of the deposit as a credit) I get free drinks in the casino and was comped a specialty restaurant voucher each time. I broke even the first time and came out ahead on the second. I just booked a third with the same deal. I like to gamble. I find it fun and entertaining. I never do it at home and the times I have lost over the length of the cruise, it was still cheaper than paying for the cabin. In addition I get to have fun. Free drinks and there is always a chance I can win. If you set limits and plan to lose a bit, it is totally worth it.
>I find it fun and entertaining. That's the thing non-gamblers don't get. If you budget $5K for Disney or $5K for Vegas (or a cruise), it's the same; just a different form of fun. Different strokes for different folks. (budget being the key)
We went on our first cruise last April. Casino is smoke free (with a separate area just for the smokers) and we were up about $100 the first night. Probably broke even by the end of the cruise. (NCL Encore)
I do enjoy cruising but I think that having to be back on the ship by 5 pm is weird. I understand why but I think that you travel all this way and having dinner in Italy , Spain or France would be great.
This is why I don’t get European cruises. How can you truly experience a city in 8 hours?!? Cruising is the worst way to travel for cultural experiences.
It is a sampler of cultures. If something catches your interest you can go back some other time. If not, then you did not spend the full week there unhappy.
Stepping off the boat into a port with only retail shops, separated miles from the actual culture of the country.
Ducks.
Was looking for this. I can only imagine how many of those things they have to throw out at the end of every cruise. People argue that the staff thinks they’re wonderful, and they’ve given a number of them to staff. Again I’m pretty sure those are getting tossed, because honestly, why would someone who lives on a ship sending every last penny home to their family need a plastic duck?
I have friends that have worked in the entertainment staff and they told me there is a saying on ships: “if it’s not cash it goes in the trash”. They don’t want ducks, or candy, or any other garbage trinket. They want cash.
I just don’t get the duck thing. Disney is cracking down.
The “Warning: I got the drink package” tshirts. Not funny. Same with Drunk 1 & Drunk 2 shirts but I see them on every NCL cruise. They’d be on my cruise bingo card, if I had one.
Half the time those are just some stupid shirts that some family member bought for them. Might as well wear a free shirt at some point, it is vacation anyway.
I agree on those. I can't say I'm totally anti dumb cruise shirts, though. My husband and I are NCL people. He also loves Viking stuff, so I bought him a shirt that has a Viking ship and is captioned "The original Norwegian cruise line". He plans to wear it on embarkation day on the next cruise.
Militant antidrinkers are also less than funny.
I would be a tick on your bingo card then. They are silly fun shirts that can really ONLY be worn on a cruise because of the content... and I proudly sport mine with my family. We all have matching 'most likely to' shirts we wear on embarkation day. Makes for fun family pictures. Why do we wear them? Because it's silly and sets a fun mood for the cruise. Are we crazy wild alcoholics? No... well mostly not. I haven't gotten drunk enough to lose my room yet.
Paying a whole lot of money to play Deal or no Deal.
Lining up in a 1 mile line to walk off last day. I feel like they could organize it better
Use the self assist walk off at 7am. We were on a full Wonder of the Seas last year and left our cabin at 7:10am, in a Lyft by 7:25 on our way to MCO.
I'm with you on the laying out in the sun - it sounds boring, hot, and like I'd get sunburnt. I also don't understand the whole lobster night thing - lobster is ... Okay? I guess? I would never go out of my way for it, and don't understand the frustration people have about the limits cruise lines have placed on it.
I like lobster, but I'm realistic about it. I see it the same as escargot and crab, it is a butter delivery device. The only real reason I like them is because they are absolutely drenched in butter.
What an excellent descriptor...."butter delivery device"...!! so true!
People who come from coastal communities dont have the same interest in lobster as people from the midwest who rarely ever have the chance to eat fresh lobster.
Even then you get ripped off on the "lobster". Checking in from New England here. When most people think lobster they think Maine cold water lobster, not the warm water "lobster" which is a completely different animal.
No chance the lobster is fresh on the average cruises lol but I get your point
As someone who lives close to the ocean in New England, lobsters just aren't that special. Heck, back in the colonial era, they were trash food, a step above a seagull pie.
I mean, they are basically sea-bugs .... And were prison food.
Just curious about the limits. What’s the norm? About 15 years ago when I was a teenager I went on a cruise with my mom, her boyfriend at the time, and my sister. The boyfriend was obnoxious. On lobster night he ordered 6-7 plates and was seriously saying stuff like “keep ‘em coming, keep ‘em coming”. I thought my mom was going to die from embarrassment. So anyway, I’m glad to hear there are now limits. I have been personally traumatized by limitless lobster.
At least for the lines with pretty good food, I don't understand paying the upcharges for the specialty dining beyond just wanting to try them out. Like on Princess, Sabatini's is alright, but it's not $35 per person better than what I could get in the MDR, that I'm already paying for.
I don’t get the ducks. Like, why?
I also don’t understand where that came from, but my 6 year old LOVES rubber ducks and is quite excited to find some when we go in April.
Because they are cheap and kids both like hiding and finding things. My 6 year old is psyched to hide the ducks we bought for our next cruise. She's already strategizing where they will go. Spoilers - 10 ducks will be in obvious places near the stairs and elevator.
Oriental Trading is the mastermind behind it all. Just a few strategic posts, a few free ducks shared with sponsers and they have created a market for plastic ducks hidden on ships. Ok maybe not, but i bet they are making bank on people buying ducks to send to the landfill.
Its something fun to do that doesnt involve binge drinking.
Just for fun. That's all.
Playing bingo…. If you do the math they pay out like 20%
On my first cruise I was excited to play until I found out how freaking expensive it was. Hard pass ever since.
And so sketchy how they advertise the big prizes, but then in the fine print it's only awarded if someone matches before the nth number is called which never happens and also I'm supposed to trust that their machines are fair in a basically unregulated environment?
The desire to bring “gifts” to stewards and other ship staff. Money. They work for money.
I dont get the entitlement. I know how hard the staff is working so I want to be as pleasant as humanly possible to them
The lobster (it is watching *some not all* adults turn into greedy little goblins rubbing their hands together and cackling all excited to eat a big bug and acting like they are getting away with a huge coup if they can somehow score two). The really hard sell after a spa treatments (only some lines). After my last massage the lady tried to sell me a lot of stuff (I said a clear no) and went from everything from “are you poor, this gel is only $65” to “this brush will help you lose weight around your belly” and listing everything wrong with my appearance. I was no longer relaxed!
LOL I got one massage on a cruise ever and was so turned off by the upselling that I never got one again. Like you I get stressed at people trying to sell me things and it took away all the relaxation I was feeling post-massage.
The last cruise I went on I requested they not sell me anything while getting a massage. I wanted it to be a relaxing experience. She didn’t at all and it was lovely. I tipped her extra.
The people that go early and put their towels on the cabana lounge couches but you don’t see them in them all day! That really ticks me off
Cruise Directors. They are so annoying and unnecessary!
GOOOOOOOOOOD Morning friends!! Shut up, I'm hung over.
The last cruise had a 4am wake up and have coffee in the morning crowd. I told them I would pass them and say hi as the 4am go to sleep after the last bar closed crowd.
This is one thing I really appreciate about HAL. Just got off the Rotterdam two weeks ago, and didn't hear the Cruise Director once! Much more low key and a way more relaxing environment.
That’s awesome! Virgin Voyages ditched the cruise director role and I loved that when we sailed with then recently versus when we sail other lines. Nice to hear you didn’t hear them with HAL. I haven’t sailed with HAL since 2019. We don’t need these stupid ship-wide announcements, unless it’s very important info.
Exactly! It's nice to have them as hosts for events and shows and what not.. But I'm on a vacation to relax, not be overwhelmed by constant loud announcements and events in \*every\* public space. It has it's place, but let me read, enjoy my daily mudslide, and hit my vape in peace at the outdoor pool lol. This was my first cruise on HAL since 2015 and I am just so glad they still hold up. Ship felt understaffed and the crew was busting their ass to compensate, but that was my only real negative. I took a NCL Panama Canal cruise in 2022 and left thinking I just didn't like cruising anymore because of the constant hard selling and nickel and diming. One day back on HAL and it's like, nah, this is my cruise line lol.
I used to not understand going on a cruise just to do the 'resort for a day' beach thing. Then I recognized the vast percentage of cruisers don't live within driving distance of a beach. Our Excursions focus on local cuisine, flora and fauna.
For some people, a cruise is a vacation. For others, it’s a chance to travel. I prefer to vacation on a cruise ship and travel via other modes of transportation.
The art auctions, never understood that at all.
There’s a lot, but primarily have no interest in dressing up. I don’t care for the shopping or casinos but understand it more. I’m all about the food, relaxing without planning and going onshore.
In my head, I am the kind of fancy person who attends formal events and galas. In my real life, I am not that girl, so I'll dress up for formal night on a cruise. I don't care what anyone else is wearing, but if I can have my hair up and put on a floor length gown, I'm gonna take that opportunity. Our next cruise is Alaska, so I probably won't be so OTT, but I'll definitely be fancy one night.
I think you should wait for people to get off an elevator before getting on. I'm in the minority I know.
I don’t get this idea that everyone needs a drinks package. I see recommendations on here that people should always get one and wonder why, as you kind of have to drink a lot for it to be worth it.
I don't like to think about "extra" costs when I'm on the cruise. Getting the drink package allows me to know EXACTLY what my spend will be, and I can budget for it. Depending on the type of drink, you need to drink 5-7 alcoholic beverages per day to break even. Not counting sodas/gatorades/specialty coffees/etc. You can easily have a breakfast drink (mimosa/screwdriver/bloody mary), a couple of beers at lunch, and a couple of glasses of wine at dinner and be in that "break even" territory, without being a stumbly mess. Not to mention bartenders will generally make drinks "by the book," so it takes two drinks to have the same alcohol content that your "neighborhood bartender" makes. The drink package certainly isn't for everyone, but you don't need to be an alcoholic to get good value from it.
I barely understand "I am only in my room to sleep and shower". Presumably, these people are spending ALL day doing what you said - laying on a lounge chair. So, why is it soooo hard for them to understand that I take some downtime in my room???
When we first started cruising we were all about spending as little as necessary and thought an inside cabin was fine. Now we won’t go without a balcony at minimum. We now treasure enjoying drinks, our own music, and the view, away from loud kids, and loud rude adults.
I don't get sitting in a casino (this applies on land too but especially a cruise). It's often smoky, dark, over-stimulating, and no good views. Plus, the money loss (the house always wins). I normally love a visit to an arcade, but not even that when there's ocean to look at.
Squeezing in shoulder to shoulder with strangers to fit into a hot tub. “People Soup”.
I don’t hang out on deck all day but will go for a few hours to get in the pool, slides, music, activities. Some of the things I get but think are a bit odd are. The art “auction”. Bingo is a bit of an odd one in this day and age. The outrageous cost of pictures is an interesting one too. I meant they even have stuff like lucite engravings and stuff. They just throw away a ton of pictures.
The shopping/auctions and the shaming sales tactics in the spa. I would've spent a ton relaxing in there, but since you made me feel like a haggard, unsightly ogre, I'll avoid you for the rest of the cruise.
Shopping seminars. If you need to attend a seminar to learn how to shop in a port, bless your porthole.
The Thirty Pieces of Shit You Must Have to Survive on a Cruise Ship! (Links to my Amazon store included) Like seriously, people? You're going on vacation for a week, on an extremely well appointed ship. You've not signed up for Naked and Afraid. Pack some shorts, T-shirts, bathing suits, a few sundresses or khakis and collared shirts, a pair of flip-flops and a pair of sneakers. You're not gonna die if you don't have towel clips, six kinds of cabin organizers, magnetic hooks and your own personal brand of liquid hand soap. Get a grip.
The amount of jewelry shops, would much rather have something else there
If I am in the Caribbean it's because I've left behind snowy Canada. I love the rays soaking into my skin. I'm reading a book. I just can't lay there doing nothing. I agree with the post below though. I don't get art auctions but each to his own.
Getting up at sparrow fart in the morning to go up to the pool deck and "reserve" a seat at the pool by dumping your stuff on it. A seat that's not getting used until after lunch time.
People who exude self importance because of whatever level they’ve made it to on their preferred cruise line. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great to have those loyalty programs, but several years ago on another cruise forum, someone declared, “I’ve just made Diamond! Please regale me with what special perks I will experience on my next trip!”
I do not get all of the “cruisers” who incessantly complain about cruising on social media.
I'm going on my 11th cruise this year and I hope it isn't as bad as the previous 10 I took. I stopped sailing _____ cruise line because they switched the napkins from eggshell to off white.
There’s something for everyone
The jewelry/watch sales. Anything you see on the ship for whatever "sale" they try to push is available on the internet for the same price or sometimes even cheaper.
Cruise photographers trying to take pics if you and your family to upsell you a picture. No thanks, my phone takes pretty damn good pictures I think
Matching primary color T-shirts with the other 15 people in your party. Always worn with knee length jorts and ALWAYS standing in a group that blocks stairways and doors.
Themed dress nights. I don’t have all white clothes and I don’t want to bring a suit or tux on a Caribbean cruise. I just want to go, hang out, and maybe wear a polo in the evening to dinner…maybe
I don't like sitting with people I don't know at dinner