Cruise Etiquette For Young & Old

Whether you are a first time cruiser or frequent cruiser, there are  unspoken cruise rules that you should be aware of during your cruise vacations.  Here are a few.

Title: Cruise Etiquette
Author: Kristen Olsen

A cruise ship is just like a small town or village. And if everyone wants to get the maximum benefit from their cruise holiday, it's important to observe certain rules of social conduct. So here are seven rules of cruise etiquette that will help you and your fellow passengers to make the most of your vacation.

1) Be Quiet: These days, some of the largest cruise ships are
home to as many as three or four thousand people at the same
time. And these people are all living in close proximity to you.
So please, don't slam your cabin door. It's totally unnecessary
and will disturb hundreds of passangers.

2) Be Respectible: When you're on board a cruise ship, make sure
that you're properly dressed at all times. This means dress
smartly when in public areas of the ship and don't walk around
wearing next to nothing.

As a general rule, just imagine that you were back home. If you
wouldn't dress in that manner to go to a restaurant or the
casino or the swimming pool, then don't think that you can get
away with it just because your on a cruise ship. Yes, I know
it's your temporary home, but it's also the temporary home of
two or three thousand others.

Also bear in mind that there will be many different
nationalities and cultures on board who may have dramatically
different views on what is and what is not respectable. So make
sure that you follow the on board dress code at all times.

3) Be Sensible: You're on vacation and you want to have a great
time, but don't go crazy with the amount of food or drink that
you consume. Nobody likes a drunk and nobody wants to see
someone vomiting because they've overeaten. And you'll miss much
of the enjoyment of your cruise if you spend your time feeling
ill or in the ship hospital with an drink related injury.

4) Be Considerate: If you're not happy with a certain aspect of
your cruise, take your complaint to the appropriate member of
staff and leave it there. Don't spoil everyone else's vacation
by going on and on about everything that irritates you.

So, you're expectations haven't been met! That's no excuse to
bore everyone else with endless stories of how your toilet won't
flush and how your toast was cold three mornings ago and how the
weather isn't as good as it should be. Register your complaint
and let everyone else enjoy their holiday.

5) Be Generous: Most of the staff of cruise ships are low paid.
The general idea is that the tips they receive from passengers
will top up their income. So make sure that you're generous with
the tips that you give.

On many cruises, gratuities are automatically added to your on
board account. But that doesn't mean you can't tip the people
who have looked after you during your vacation. So if you get
good service from certain memebers of staff make sure you show
your appreciation

6) Be Discreet: So you've done well for yourself. You've got a
diamond encrusted cufflinks and a wad of money to waste in the
casino. Good for you, but the whole ship doesn't need to know
about it.

Not only does it make you seem like an obnoxious swine, but if
people see that you've got valuable possessions, you'll attract
the wrong type of attention. Oh yes, crime is just the same at
sea as it is on land. Human nature doesn't change just because
you step onto an ocean going hotel.

7) Be Patient: If you want to enjoy life on board most cruise
ships, it's important to be laid back and patient at all times.

For example, at certain times of the day, getting access to the
lifts can be a potential flashpoint. You'd be amazed at the
number of nasty scenes that arise out of people waiting to use
the lifts, especially when they're going to eat or see a show.
So learn to enjoy waiting, or if you're able, why not work off
some of the gourmet food and take the stairs.

You're on vacation, so what's the great rush!

About the author:
Kristen Olsen runs HolidayCruisesGuide.com. So if you want to
know about planning <a
xhref="http://www.holidaycruisesguide.com">cruise vacations</a>
or how to secure <a
xhref="http://www.holidaycruisesguide.com/discount-cruises/">disco
unt cruises</a>, head over to HolidayCruisesGuide.com.

We hope you enjoyed this article and wish you "oceans of fun" and your next cruise!

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