Cruising is like 'sharing a huge house,' and there are protocols to follow
On a recent cruise, I woke up to the sound of pop music from a nearby stateroom. It wasn’t loud enough that I could hear every lyric, but the thumping of the beat did make the luxury of lazing in bed for a few extra minutes less pleasant.
I love playing music loudly as much as anyone, but on a cruise passengers’ behavior can have more of an impact on fellow guests than in some other settings.
“When cruising, there are so many things to consider because you're essentially sharing a huge house on water with a bunch of people you've never seen and perhaps will never see again in (your) life,” said Jackie Vernon-Thompson, an etiquette expert and CEO of From the Inside-Out School of Etiquette. “However, your attitude should not be, ‘Oh, I’ll never see them again so I can do whatever I want. There are protocols to follow.”
What is cruise etiquette?
Thompson, who has been taking cruises for 20+ years and sailed with lines including Royal Caribbean International and Holland America Line, defines etiquette as “conducting yourself in a way that doesn't offend others.”
On a cruise, that can start as early as the boarding process. Some cruise lines assign guests times for embarkation and passengers shouldn’t arrive too early or late, said Linda Speer, a travel adviser affiliated with Virtuoso-member agency Brownell Travel.
“If you're assigned a boarding time, be respectful of it because otherwise, you're just going to clog everything up,” she said. The same goes for getting off the ship.
Punctuality is also important if a shore excursion is booked so other passengers and crew members aren’t stuck waiting for you. “Be on time so that it won't inconvenience others,” said Thompson.
Speer noted that the meeting time for an excursion will be earlier than the listed start time. “Be sure and read your shore excursion ticket carefully,” she said. Travelers who go exploring on their own should also take note of when they need to be back. Setting your watch or phone to the clock on the ship can help.
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Brandon O. Smith, who runs the YouTube channel The Weekend Cruiser, noted that ship elevators are typically located next to the stairs, and not designed to accommodate throngs of people getting out of a show, for instance. “When it comes to (the) elevator, that's where you're really going to want to think a little bit about your actions,” said the 40-year-old, who lives in Miami.
If you are the last one to show up, he said, you should probably be among the last to get on the elevator. He encouraged travelers who are able to take the stairs to do so to free up elevator space for those who may have mobility limitations.
Guests waiting to get on the elevator should let others off before walking in and stand aside during the ride so fellow passengers can get off if they have not reached their floor, according to Thompson.
Here are some other etiquette tips for cruises:
◾Bring headphones: “Don't subject the passengers in close proximity to your music or your FaceTime conversations or your speakerphone dialogue,” said Thompson.
◾Be mindful of your neighbors: Even passengers with a balcony cabin should remember that those outdoor spaces are not as private as they may seem.
“You may have visual privacy … but you do not have audio privacy,” said Smith. “If you are five or six rooms away from me, I’m going to hear every bit of your conversation.” If you’re having a personal discussion you don’t want others to hear, that might not be the place to do it.
◾Dress for the occasion: Cruise lines have guidelines for attire, with some more strict than others. Speer suggested passengers keep tabs on both formal and informal dress codes, and choose clothing appropriately.
(Click here for Paste BN’s guide to cruise line dress codes.)
◾Consider gratuities: Mainstream cruise lines typically apply gratuities automatically to passengers’ accounts during a sailing. And while guests may be able to adjust those before disembarking, Thompson urged them to tip no less than the recommended amount.
Speer added that “it’s always a good idea” to also give a small tip when ordering room service. “That’s somebody that had to go to a lot of trouble and walk a long distance to put your tray together and bring it to you,” she said.
Should you correct someone else’s behavior?
If another passenger is not following those best practices or is disrupting other guests’ vacations, that doesn’t mean you should correct them. In those cases, Thompson said, “it all depends on the relationship.”
If you don’t know the person well or at all, speaking to them directly may not yield the desired result (and could potentially escalate). “I highly recommend that you go to a crew member and advise them of the situation and allow them to take care of it because they have the authority,” Thompson said.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for Paste BN based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.