START
Don’t want to be hated by the guests and staff? Don’t do these things.
After just one cruise, you can easily spot it. No, it’s not a whale breeching in the open water as seen from your balcony nor is it the most stunning sunset you’ve ever witnessed. It’s a rude passenger. These entitled, clueless, and pushy people can seriously ruin the vibe on your sailing—but only if you let them. More importantly, you don’t want to model this behavior.
From how you treat the staff to the ways in which you are considerate of other passengers, there are clear “nopes” that could get you in trouble with the crew—or even banned from the cruise line for life. You’ll be saddled with a reputation that results in lots of side-eyes from other guests, as you’re essentially ruining their vacation, even if it’s just a blip on the radar of a week-long sailing.
If you relax, act polite, and keep to the cruise credo, you’ll be just fine—and not the rude passenger everyone else is trying to avoid.
1 OF 12
Paying Tips Immediately
Once you get past the most unpleasant part of a cruise—the embarking, which means wading through long lines in the terminal—and are finally on board, and at last in your cabin, that smiling steward who greets you feels like an angel. It can be tempting to hand them a fistful of twenty-dollar bills, but it’s better to wait. Paying tips immediately can be perceived as bribery. Wait until the end of the cruise—not only will this smiling steward earn their tips but you may have a better idea of just how much they deserve.
2 OF 12
Hogging Lounge Chairs
On a sea day, the ship’s most coveted real estate is a trio of empty lounge chairs on the Lido Deck. But here’s the deal: if you’re not sitting in them, give ’em up. It’s rude to keep a towel, book, or water bottle to save these loungers—but not actually be sunbathing in them. Cruise lines are starting to crack down on this, including Carnival Cruises’ 40-minute policy where a crew member will remove the chairs’ items if no one is seated there within that time period, and Royal Caribbean has a similar rule, only it’s been sliced down to 30 minutes. It’s better to head up to the Lido Deck when you know you are going to hang out there.
3 OF 12
Bypassing Hand-Washing Stations at the Buffet
COVID’s lockdown and strict policies may be in the rearview mirror but cruise ships have always been a place where germs are easily transmitted. There’s also a reason why a crew member is parked at the buffet entrance, near the hand-washing stations. They’re watching. Don’t be that person who’s so eager to get to the omelet station that you disobey a cardinal rule. Also, why would you want to risk getting sick while on vacation?
4 OF 12
Dismissing Crew as ‘The Help’
Even though the staff are literally helping you by making your bed and bringing you fruity cocktails, they are also real people who deserve respect. If you look at their name tag, chances are it states their home country. Especially on a cruise, when you might have the same wait staff the entire time, and just one steward, make an effort to get to know them. Don’t boss them around or dismiss them. Asking about their country is a good place to start, even if you haven’t been there, by inquiring about the local culture and food.
5 OF 12
Standing Up in the Tender Boat
As the tender boat travels from the ship (while anchored out at sea) to the shoreline on a port stop, it’s sometimes a bit bumpy and passengers might feel a compulsion to help. Or take a killer shot at the waterfront, which likely necessitates standing up. But standing up goes against the ship’s rules as all passengers must remain seated. In this case, forego an offer to help or take a photo and just stay seated. The crew will thank you.
6 OF 12
Getting Drunk and Disorderly
Don’t be fooled by the fact that a cruise ship is essentially a floating hotel. There’s still a place to lock up disorderly passengers and you do not want to spend your vacation there. While the situations vary, and each cruise line has its own protocol, passengers have been known to be dropped off at a port that is not at the end of the sailing, banned from the cruise line, or quarantined in a makeshift jail. Limit your drinks and contain your anger if you want to complete the cruise.
7 OF 12
Bragging About Your Status Level
There’s a reason people flaunt their status level with a cruise line as they flit around the ship: they are not afraid to use that to get what they want. But worse than that, it comes across as entitled and sends the message that you are better than the thousands of other passengers on the ship. Vacations should function as equalizers and rid us all of the annoying “haves” and “have nots” mentality, right?
8 OF 12
Arriving Late to the Port for Embarkation
If you carefully read the ship’s newsletter and other forms of communication, there’s only one time on the clock you need to know on a port day: when to be back on the ship. Don’t look at the time the ship will depart and assume that’s when you return by. There are two times printed for a reason: the earlier one you need to follow and the later time is more for the captain’s use. Besides, failure to arrive back to the ship on time means you risk being left behind, or worse, causing the ship to leave late. And it won’t be a secret that you’re the reason this happened. Ships call the names of passengers who are not onboard over the loudspeakers.
9 OF 12
Pushing Your Way Into an Already Full Elevator
After a tiring day in port or on a night when you just want to get back to your cabin on a higher deck already, it can be tempting to squeeze into an elevator crammed full of people. Maybe you’ll breathe a sigh of relief as you’re whisked up several decks with ease but the people behind you are suffocating thanks to you. Wait for the next elevator instead. You’re on vacation. What’s an extra five or 10 minutes?
10 OF 12
Getting Too Friendly With the Staff
A general rule in hospitality—whether it’s a cruise ship, restaurant, or hotel—is to maintain boundaries between staff and guests. Now the lines might start to blur when you begin to have conversations with staff and even if it’s not with an intent to have a romantic relationship with them, it’s still crossing a line if you offer to, say, buy them a drink or purchase a gift for them while in port. Outside of cruise directors, who tend to socialize with guests more, there are strict boundaries they must maintain so there’s no confusion about who’s the employee and who’s the guest.
11 OF 12
Talking Politics
Not only is a cruise ship a floating hotel, but it’s also a kaleidoscope of political views, stemming from different regions around the world (particularly with the crew) as well as various U.S. states. Getting into an argument with someone at a bar or on the subway over a comment you find irritating is one thing but, in this case, you might see them again over a week-long sailing. Talk about awkward! Keep the chit-chat surface level. Questions of a fellow passenger or crew member about how many cruises they’ve been on, what they enjoyed in the last port, etc., are fair game and not likely to evoke controversy. Along these lines, do not wear a politically charged T-shirt. It’s just asking for trouble.
12 OF 12
Cutting in Line
Whether it’s the buffet line or the disembarkment queue or the line to order coffee at the café each morning, this is an orderly system that should not be disturbed. Unless you are having an emergency as in your shore excursion is departing ASAP and you’re still in line to get off the ship, or the person in front of you is staring way too long at the scrambled eggs without any clear sign of movement, wait your turn, just like everyone else.