God the arrogance of those parents, even if they were correct! "No big deal, we'll just be keeping thousands of people waiting for us."

The 18 year is old more sensible and responsible than the parents. I wonder what he has to put up with from these parents at home.

The son was prefectly correct; his parents were in the wrong. No amount of begging by the son would have persuaded the captain to delay sailing.

My pet peeve is the inability of cruise passengers to have enough situational awareness to realize that they are in fact NOT the only people on the cruise. If you slam on the brakes while perusing the buffet line to see what that dish is - yes, there is probably someone walking behind you. Step to one side and then look. When you and your sweetie are strolling...slowly strolling hand in hand down the passageway from the restaurant to the bar, you are NOT the only person on the cruise - someone is probably behind you. You might have to walk single file for a sec. It's just all about realizing you are not alone.

The real problem is the cruise ship not keeping the rules enforced

1 am curfew for kids is crazy. I’m trying to sleep and they are running up and down the halls and no one is going to rein them in until 1 am is not great (and holy cow I just realized I sound like the “you kids, get off my grass” guy).

I’ve read about people wandering off while on excursions and keeping the rest of the group from seeing everything. That would infuriate me.

Re balcony smokers, on a Norwegian cruise the person next door was always on the balcony smoking cigars and stinking out my stateroom. A word with guest serverices and security were knocking on his door by the time I returned to the stateroom.

Great channel and content as always. It's a sad state of affairs that GROWN ASS ADULTS have to be told to wash their hands after using the bathroom! Have some pride in yourself!

Another rule that needs to be made, and this will get me flamed. If you are using a motorized chair, that is designed to give you mobility; not the right to pass people, move to the head of a line, break into buffet lines, and expect everyone to move out of your way.

FYI... from CDC... Hand Sanitizer does not work well against Norovirus. You can use hand sanitizers in addition to hand washing, but hand sanitizer is not a substitute for handwashing, which is best.

After 27 cruises, I contracted Norovirus at the end of my last cruise and I wash my hands consistently. We should probably be telling people not only to wash their hands but to also avoid touching their faces.

On our recent MSC transatlantic cruise I stepped out on to our balcony to find the woman in the next cabin smoking away merrily while chatting on her phone. A quick call to customer service and within 3 minutes Security were banging on her door. I never saw the woman or her smoke again.

Rule number one should be , be considerate of others. And everything else will be okay. Most cruisers are. But the jerks always are around.

Other than hand washing, I am not bothered by the others. No balcony, no pool, no formal nights in the MDR. What does bother me the most is talking in the theatre during the show.

It was an 18-year-old girl, not a boy, and it wasn't a matter of her "noticing an all aboard time", she had actually researched cruising dos and don'ts before they left.

This is not a rule, but doorslamming irritate me the most. On Cunard even the balcony door slams. On most cruiselines the balcony door is a sliding door. Wish passengers would close the doors quitly

We recently returned from a Princess land/sea Alaska tour. There was widespread, deep coughing in the lodges, buses, ship elevators, dining areas, and other crowded situations, but we rarely saw a mask. My husband and I caught colds early on, probably from the airplane, and wore masks as long as we still had coughs. We did get funny looks. This isn’t politics; it’s common courtesy to wear a mask if you are recovering from an airborne illness (and stay in your room if you really feel sick, which we did).

You are much more sophisticated than other you tube cruise creators

I have watched your videos and each one has convinced me, never to go anywhere near a cruise. The thought of it has never really appealed but any doubts have gone, far away.

Enjoyed this one Gary! Can we add - when the doors of the elevator open, let people out! It frustrates me SO MUCH when I’m trying to exit an elevator, but everyone’s already pushing past me to go in…!!

I've been on three cruises and EVERY cruise has CLEAR and OBVIOUS notifications that if you are aren't on board at ALL ABOARD time, you will be left and on your own to either catch up or get home on your own. It's in the terms of buying the cabin. Those parents had no excuse. Kudos to the 18 year old!

I'm not a big "dress up" guy - but I don't see the harm in having one night per cruise where the main dining room is "formal only". Those who don't wish to take part can always get dinner at the buffet.

I recently sailed on Virgin and the lack of sinks drove me crazy! Yes there were plenty of hand sanitizer stations but I much prefer old fashioned soap and water. 2:08

If all the chairs are being used, but someone has their items on a couple of chairs for a long time, just throw their things on the floor & move their chairs someplace else. When they come back, they won't know who took their reserved chairs.

Just came off a 2-week transatlantic roundtrip on the Cunard Queen Mary 2 ... my 13th Cunard voyage. WHAT A DISASTER! Got COVID on the 3rd day, but the medical center told me to "go about my business as usual, no mask required," even with a fever of 102 and an intense cough. ZERO infection control by Cunard. Dress code simply did not exist. I saw men wearing speedos and ripped t-shirts in the Carinthia Lounge, gym clothes (including ripped tank tops) in the Golden Lion Pub late at night on "formal" nights," bathrobes and swimwear at lunch in the King's Court, and shorts in the Britannia Dining Room. The crew have totally given up enforcing the dress code. It was the SS Walmart Cruise From Hell. I promptly canceled FIVE future Cunard cruises. No more Cunard! No more cruising! (Lengthy review posted on a popular cruise site under title "Just Say No To Cunard.")

There'd be no way known I go on a cruise liner, living cheek by jowl, with thousands of other bums

Arrogant parents, smart kid

Unfortunately having a 1 am curfew does not affect the abundance of unsupervised kids mobbing the pools, gym, and adult areas.

I appreciate that you discuss the good and the bad. A lot of cruise content creators portray cruises as only being cotton candy and unicorns. While it's usually an enjoyable experience, there are things that happen.

On our recent Princess cruise, we left 30-45 minutes late at all 3 ports of call. Each time it was due to either a drunk passenger and once due to a drunk crew member. I wish more Captains would leave on schedule rather than being more lax. Without the pressure to hurry, pier runner watching is no fun anymore 😂.

Just watching this reinforces my view NEVER to go on a cruise. I'd rather pitch a tent in a shopping centre.

If the cruise line has a dress code, honor it. I cruise on Holland America frequently and never attend the dress night dining because I don't want to dress up. You are not the only person on the ship, be courteous to others; they are on holiday too.

The way you started the video I thought you were going to say that this 18 year old went berserk and cost them heaps. Who would have thought that the 18 year old would be the responsible adult, and his parents were the insufferable, selfish ones?

“You can’t fix stupid.” - Ron White

I’m saving up to go on my first cruise, and I’m specifically choosing either Cunard because of the dress code or Viking because of the age limit.

As a solo traveller, I have been flagged for reserving a chair, when all I’ve done is to go get a towel or something. I have made a sign indicating that I’ll be right back, but it doesn’t always work. Lately I just go to the Sanctuary on Princess as I get a reserved chair and don’t have to worry about it.

I have recently been on three Celebrity cruises where the smell of Marijuana from neighboring balcones drove me from my balcony every day. In each case, I knew the offending cabin number and reported it. The smoking continued. I guess the conclusión is that Celebrity really does not care about safety.

In addition to hand washing, and sanitizer, we always use a glove to handle serving utensils in the buffet...we started this pre covid and it worked well for us.

I can not stand people smoking on the balcony it is so annoying

On the smoking issue, I would like to see some nonsmoking cruises or ships, period. I worked in hotels for a number of years, and the last one where I worked adopted a no smoking policy for the entire property with no loss of revenue. We had thought we might lose some reseverations, but we were full all the time anyway, and remained so after the no smoking policy was put in place. For people who would just die without a cigarette, we figured that we could not prohibit people from smoking INSIDE their cars. But anyway I would like to see nonsmoking and non kids cruises. Of course one line already has non kids cruises, Virgin.

Curfew for kids is good, but 1am seems way too late. i think pm would be more sensible.

Changing air conditioning Filters is a major factor in stopping spread of Germs. Applies to ships, hotels, office buildings etc etc😳

One I have been bothered by which is not mentioned here: if you take the late sitting in the formal (main) dining room, the doors to that dining room will be closed while it is cleaned up between seatings. A line will usually form waiting for the late sitting. But some people will walk right past 50 people who have been waiting in the queue for a while, and go stand right beside the door.

All great advice.. Let's be respectful to other people.

We had Norovirus on our Saga cruise recently. Someone boarded without declaring that they were sick, then bragged about it in the bar !! Consequently our cruise had big restrictions…no library, classes, etc. it was such a shame and lasted nearly for the whole cruise. 😡

Gary, thank you so much for helping to raise Good Cruise Consciousness. May we all surrender our selfish entitlements and learn how to be better neighbors.

My husband, son, and I had an inside stateroom on our one and only Carnival cruise and the entire ship smelled of cigarette smoke. It was a 5 day migraine for me. There was NO enforcement of the no-smoking rules. Sadly, the rules you mention are common sense and common courtesy to others, but many people choose to ignore them.

I recently travelled in Spain where there was an ingenious method for using the buffet. At each place setting, there was a set of bamboo tongs which you brought up to select your food. This prevented us from sharing utensils. There were also many individual little dishes with small amounts of dried fruits, nuts, even cheeses. I don't know if this would work on a cruise ship, or if these are washable or reusable. Nevertheless, it seemed to be more hygienic.

This is admittedly a personal opinion, but if you sign up for a cruise with a dress code, follow it or dine elsewhere that night. I feel that it does affect others when a single person in the middle of the dining room is wearing a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and sandals. (Yes, that is hyperbole,m but it creates the mental image I want.)

I find it totally staggering that anyone would think that a ship would be held up for one tardy couple! Amazing! And expecting their boy to force the captain to delay sailing! Arrogance! I do feel that the shipping companies should monitor buffets, have staff to hand out the food, no public touching of tongs or plates. People should be civilised and wash but because they won’t the company has to take the lead! It is shocking! Thank you for the video.

Just a word of caution about using sanitizing gel instead of physically washing the hands: sanitizing gel does NOT kill norovirus. It can be useful for other pathogens, though.

Good afternoon Gary, nice video. I’ve been on 17 cruises with 4 different lines. You’ll never find me on a carnival, rccl, or Norwegian ship. Too big, too crowded & rowdy young crowd. I’m 63, been cruising since 1993. I’m no fuddy duddy but I’ll not tolerate 5 of those items mentioned. Even if you get a lounger…..the pool is packed! Standing room only. Hint hint rccl your ships are waaay too big! As far as dress code, I get it, however im on vacation & im not packing a suite. Collard shirt & dress slacks are as dressy as I go. I’ll be packing a dinner jacket for my upcoming Silversea cruise, that is it. Parents this day & age are (mostly) lazy & let their kids run wild without consideration of other guests. I will say I was on a princess cruise in SE Asia & the Chinese were ….well…. A challenge. I was trying to relax on my balcony & there was cross talk / shouting in Chinese going on all over….i finally said “stop! Please! “. They did 😊

To cut down the chances of Norovirus, whenever possible, do not use the handrails when going up or down stairs. Outside of the buffet tongs, these railings are usually touched by most people. Lean up against them if needed, and cover your hand. Also on sea days, go to one of the main dining rooms to eat lunch. Lot less crowded and getting served by the staff helps cut down on any type of transmission.

I commend you for raising the issue of sanitation and handwashing. Regarding handwashing and Norovirus, I began exhibiting symptoms consistent with Norovirus on the second day of my Celebrity Alaska cruise in 2011. As a nurse practitioner, I was very aware of the likelihood of this being Norovirus and isolated myself until symptoms disappeared which was about a day and a half. A large group of public health service officers came on board the next day when we docked in Juneau and the results found that there were nearly 300 passengers and crew that had been infected. The source, however, was not a lack of handwashing. It was a passenger using the self-serve soda fountain who took a drink from the side of his cup and already had Norovirus without symptoms. He then pushed the cup against the fillingnarm of the soda fountain contaminating it with his saliva, which then caused the virus to spread like wildfire. Washing is incredibly important and is the simplest way to prevent the spread of many diseases.

It would seem that people who don't think rules apply to them are flocking to cruise ships.

Last month I went on Virgin Voyages not having kids was amazing !! about 15 years ago I went on Carnival and will not go back full of out of control kids and drunk parents now law and order at all , and I agree after covid you would think people would have learned , some people should not be allowed in public

We've sailed on the QM2 six times and although there are typically two formal nights out of seven. However, if you don't want to get dressed up for the formal night, you can always dress casually that night and eat at the King's Court Buffet. One of our trips we decided to do that on the two formal nights. Interestingly, there were some people eating at the buffet who were dressed up on the formal night, but the vast majority were just casually dressed. BTW, the food in the restaurant is more elaborate on formal nights, and free sparkling wine is sometimes provided.

I detest chair hogs. Our last HAL cruise, I'll wager that 25% of the loungers were "reserved" by 8am, but were empty until at least 10am. I have NEVER seen a crew member remove items. They just don't get paid enough to warrant the hassle. We grab loungers, and then we take turns running to the buffet and bring our plates back to the chairs.

There are two time-tested rules we learned in the military: Do not annoy the captain of an aircraft and never miss a ship’s movement. Also, never write a bad check.

After doing so many cruises, it doesn’t matter what rules the ship has in place no employee or manager enforces them. It unfortunate. Example, the person below my balcony was smoking. I informed the Front Desk. The next day this person was smoking on the balcony and actually threw his cigarette butt of the balcony. I actually video taped it.( the smoke was actually coming up into my balcony). I informed the Front Desk. Later in the evening he was smoking again. SO nothing was done. Crew members and management do NOT enforce the rules.

A clear line runs through all of these complaints: the problem is when your (or your kids) behaviour starts to affect others enjoyment of their cruise. Which is why if you show up on formal night in the MDR wearing a mankini and a sombrero, you'll just look like a fool, you won't ruin anyone's cruise.

I’ve caught norovirus while cruising. Sadly, with my already compromised immune system, I wound up in an ICU in Florida upon disembarking. (The good news was that I was first to disembark, but the bad news was that it was in a wheelchair accompanied by paramedics.) In my case, I very well might have caught it from a fellow passenger since there wasn’t a mass outbreak on the ship. The doctor who treated me in the hospital said that those mass outbreaks, with hundreds of people becoming sick, are usually caused by someone with norovirus who is involved in food service in some way. A crew member with norovirus who touches or prepares uncooked foods like fruits or salads can spread it widely, and then those people spread it further. But to get hundreds sick in just a few days requires some sort of widespread initial infection, otherwise you’d just end up with maybe a couple dozen people sick by the end of the cruise. The rule that doesn’t bother me in the slightest is the dress code rule. I honestly could not possibly care less how others dress. It has exactly zero effect on me. People hogging deck chairs or playing loud music affects me, so those are understandably bothersome to many, but I don’t understand getting upset by how someone else is dressed.

My cabin on the Queen Mary2 did not have any disposal facility for sanitary products that’s probably why some people may use the toilet. It’s a basic requirement that should be provided

The thing about smoking is that the rules about smoking don’t actually apply to smokers.

Excellent vlog Gary. Many years ago Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher declared that society no longer existed. She promoted a culture of dog-eat-dog, do what you like, when you like ☹️ My pet hate onboard cruise ships, and when staying in hotels, are sun lounger hogging. Cruise and hotel companies must enforce rules to stop selfish guests doing this. On one NCL cruise a couple reserved their favourite sun-beds before going on excursions so that they would have them available when they got back onboard the ship. I reported them to the crew and their towels were removed 🥳👏👍

Great video, thanks!

I was on the Majestic Princess last month, and all of those unsupervised brats ruined the adult-only areas. Even complaining to Guest Services did nothing.

For me it’s very simple. The rules must be followed at all times by all passengers and the crew. The rules are designed to ensure everyone enjoys themselves and the cruise is safe.

Thanks Gary, always great videos.

Passengers coughing or sneezing without covering your mouth. Sick passengers should check in with the doctor.

A way that cruise goers can help end people reserving seats is to sit in them as much as possible.

Passengers unite. If a chair isn’t used in an hour move it yourself. Rude only understands rude

When you mentioned a curfew I thought, good, but when you said 1am I had to laugh.

My sister and I didn't know there would be a formal night on our cruise. We elected to have room service and a night in. We're going on our second cruise next month. We are bringing an acceptable formal outfit each and look forward to the evening out.

How about the people who are always late during excursions. And we all have to wait.

Just returned from an RC cruise where it was drummed into people again and again the importance of handwashing along with purell stations positioned throughout the ship. Caught norovirus on a P&O ship last year and besides hand sanitiser stations there were no wash stations outside the buffet areas and halfway through the cruise norovirus spread like wildfire. Really put me off booking with P&O again. Such a basic requirement in my opinion was not deemed important enough and myself and several other passengers paid the price.

I have had Norovirus and it isnt fun. I missed one of my shore excursions. The cruiseline refunded me so no problem there. They also brought me whatever I wanted to my stateroom and when I was close to the end of my isolation, my assistant server brought me dinner from the dinning room. I cruise thru Disney so you would expect Norovirus to be a big problem with all the little hands but since that outbreak I have seen major efforts on Disney’s part to fight the virus. You cannot get into any of the dinning rooms without cleaning your hands. There are hand washing stations at every door and people on guard to ensure you use them. There are also people cleaning every part of the ship you might touch at all times. Not just elevator buttons but handrails and walls. The No Smoking Rule is also important. One thing I like about the way Disney handles it is they have a specific Smoking location on the boat. They recently changed it to allow vaping (of legal products) in the smoking area. This was appreciated as my son vapes nicotine products. Is saved us from having to bring a ton of cigarettes. He does not really like the cigarettes and frankly i dont like the smell. On dress codes. Disney does have a “code” for each night but it is not something that is enforced. Which is l like. The Disney boats are much more casual than other lines. Imagine trying to get little ones dressed in semi formal or formal. There are however at least one resturant on each boat that does have a dress code which is enforced. We took the Alaska cruise in September and it was very cold. The boats were built for the Caribbean. We brought some dressier clothing altho not semi formal. We ended up wearing flannel shirts and heavy sweatshirts every day/evening. It was just too cold. On deck we wore the shell of a 3 part winter jacket. Wonderful cruise by the way. Would do it again.😊

I wish cruise lines will charge a fee if any cruiser breaks these rules

I remember being on a cruise ship, when the ship should have left , we were waiting for like 4 passengers who went off to do their own thing in Colombia, and got mixed up between the ship time and local time.

When I went on cruises I always went back of ship two hrs ahead

Cruise employees will usually allow people to do what they want on a cruise, because they are afraid that if people become upset, when they are called out, they will hold back gratuities.

All the behaviours you mention are infuriating, Gary, but worst of all is passengers bullying staff and monstering people who don’t have any recourse.

I’ve been thinking of maybe going on a cruise. (Likely a river cruise). Watching Tips for Travelers, plus some videos specifically on river cruises (some by Emma Cruises) to learn about cruising. I’m amazed when people invest significant money and time in travel and don’t research their trip before going. The ship not waiting and why (unless it’s a shore excursion booked through the cruise company) is very easy to find out about, and I have a feeling it’s mentioned in the cruise information passengers are provided when they book. 1. Read everything 2. Buy travel insurance.

I'm glad you mentioned smoking or vaping in non-smoking areas, including on balconies. Just so ignorant and rude and unsafe of these idiots who do this. The idiot next door to me asked me if it was ok if he smoked on his balcony. When I said no, he pitched a fit. I reported him to guest services and they were great, they came up immediately. I never saw the neighbors again and barely heard a peep from him or his wife. If anyone has issues with other guests, report them to guest services immediately.

Getting from Point A to B on a ferry is as close as I'll ever get to this phenomenon.

If somebody cheats to reserve a lounger and I can’t get one, that’s annoying. If they are playing loud music on their balcony, I can’t enjoy mine. Again, annoying. If someone isn’t following basic hygiene, I could end up suffering from serious distress and have my cruise completely ruined. That in a completely different category. I swear post Covid people are rebelling (against what?) and openly not following basic hygiene rules. And it seriously angers me. Everything else I can brush off. Not this one.

These rules being broken are amongst the reasons I won’t go on a cruise, I just like watching your videos

It would be great if cruise lines could make it so cabin doors don’t make a lot of noise on closing. So many people let their doors slam anytime of day or night.

I've removed personal items from reserved chairs. I've seen reserved lounge chairs unoccupied for hours.

I hated on my cruises when passengers cut in lines……and I noticed that the elderly are by far guilty ones……

Correct about the hand-washing and norovirus. Hand washing is best

Evidently, there are more obnoxious adults and kids than ever before. Five years ago, I wanted to cruise to Alaska from Los Angeles, but I ended up doing something with my family instead. I no longer want to cruise at all because of the problems you've addressed. Also, some services have disappeared, nickel-and-dime practices, and cruise prices are up with no end in sight.

Very well said!

I teach HS. My philosophy is, if there is a rule, it should be enforced. Otherwise, why have a rule? That’s just a suggestion.

we only cruise on ships with less than 750 passengers, adults only, no kids, no teens, dress code at nite-no problems. You get what you pay for. These floating shopping malls with thousands of people are gross.

Re Norovirus transmission: More than 30 million norovirus particles can be spread throughout the air during an episode of vomiting. Highly contagious. You can enter a public restroom shortly after someone has been sick and many surfaces you touch will be contaminated.

Gary, Thank you for drilling this important facts to your watchers. Its so simple - wash you hands and stay healthy.

Amazing how that son had more smarts than his parents!! Also- filling up the elevators- we wait for an emptier one, only problem that the next deck someone invites everyone to pack in!! Water bottles- people refill from the tap in the buffet, where we drink from, where a note says “ fill from a clean cup”

On my Oceania cruise the passengers never handled the food at the buffet. It was only the staff, with gloves on, that filled a plate and handed the plate to the passenger. That's the way to so it and prevent an outbreak. Kudos to Oceania.