Why is everyone so unhappy with their cruise?

I was wondering why so may people were so unhappy about their cruises. I go on a cruise to relax. I don't have to clean my cabin. I don't have to shop for dinner, I don't have to do the dishes and I don't need to cook. I can do what I want on the ship and have no one to answer to . I don't look for everything that might be wrong, such as cracked bathroom shower tiles or someone not painting the outside of the ship. My house is not without problems either. So why do so many people expect perfection? It truly is beyond me. This is my vacation, get away time. Why should I expect perfection? I don't have it at home

mepamgo

I think there are some people who expect perfection, but it doesn't exist. There are also a lot of people who just like to complain. We tend to give them a wide berth.

Like you, we go away to enjoy ourselves and not look for things to moan about.

I always enjoy my cruises. I always look for the positives and find ways round the negatives. It is my holiday and is over too soon without dwelling on the imperfections.

I was wondering why so may people were so unhappy about their cruises. I go on a cruise to relax. I don't have to clean my cabin. I don't have to shop for dinner, I don't have to do the dishes and I don't need to cook. I can do what I want on the ship and have no one to answer to . I don't look for everything that might be wrong, such as cracked bathroom shower tiles or someone not painting the outside of the ship. My house is not without problems either. So why do so many people expect perfection? It truly is beyond me. This is my vacation, get away time. Why should I expect perfection? I don't have it at home

They always say if you don't like something you will moan and complain to 10 people, if you like something you only say something to 1 person.

We love cruising..

Whenever we get to the port and see our ship sat there..I always get excited..I never actually believe I am going on a cruise until I see the ship.

Some things are not perfect, but guess what things are not perfect at home.

Do I expect them to be perfect, no, or the crew would all be robots..

Give me a cruise any day (yes please give me a cruise) to staying at home.

We have been looking forward to our next cruise, Britannia in Feb, for months now. We work damm hard the rest of the year so just simple things like a sitting outside on deck sipping a cup of coffee with friends early in the morning watching the sunrise are very special. I cannot think of a single thing to complain about.

I do so agree with you mepamgo!

My home isnt perfect either, and I struggle to understand why so many passengers moan so much. Of course , I cook gourmet meals every night at home :D:D, so i am just so pleased to have someone else take the decisions about what cook for me, and clear up after me for a change.

I am sure my cabin is cleaner than my bedroom at home.....how many people really vacuum their bedroom every day.....

We are new to cruising (just completed our second) so some of our disappointment may be down to lack of familiarity with the style,customs and protocols.

We enjoyed the cruise but are still disappointed that 2 of 6 ports were cancelled (with no substitutions) and there were at least 3 cancellations of on-board entertainment - I named the routine the 'Daily Cancellation Message' = 'This is what we won't be doing today ...'.

The crew were excellent and we met some lovely people in the course of enjoying our Winter Sun. But the cruise we received and the one we booked were two very different things - and a lot of the difference felt attributable to corporate cynicism on the part of the cruise line.

But the search for perfection continues ... I am not worried about a cracked bathroom mirror since our French hovel is now in week 4 without a functioning inside toilet - middle of the night trips involve a trip downstairs and out to the (unheated) extension and in Winter, that is quite bracing!

So, if our 12th March cruise give us a working toilet & shower and completes the itinerary, Mrs Marchie and I will be very happy cruisers! At about US$75 per night each, the price is superb - we would spend more each day on holiday basic accommodation so the food, entertainment and travel costs are effectively free of charge.

I should probably do some work today on our hovel - because if the 'sans WC' state of play continues much longer, Mrs Marchie will not allow me to live until our next cruise ...

Decided to delete post

We always enjoy our cruises too - we just love being onboard and approaching the ship and even thinking about it.....

It does concern and sadden me too that there seem to be so many needless moaners around - but having said that, we haven't met many of them at all on our cruises, thank goodness.

Hope you live long enough to enjoy your next cruise in March, marchie1053 :)

I was wondering why so may people were so unhappy about their cruises. I go on a cruise to relax. I don't have to clean my cabin. I don't have to shop for dinner, I don't have to do the dishes and I don't need to cook. I can do what I want on the ship and have no one to answer to . I don't look for everything that might be wrong, such as cracked bathroom shower tiles or someone not painting the outside of the ship. My house is not without problems either. So why do so many people expect perfection? It truly is beyond me. This is my vacation, get away time. Why should I expect perfection? I don't have it at home

Just to be fair to the "moaners"

1. People aren't moaning because they expect perfection. They're moaning because there is a gulf between what they expected and what they got.

2. People don't have to pay thousands of pounds to stay at home.

Otherwise I Agree.

I guess some people just have expectations that are unrealistic.

Complaining when things are not right is important otherwise P&O wouldn't know when we are unhappy with the product. I honestly don't see the point in moaning to others about it though.

Perhaps it's cheaper than going to a therapist :D

Regards

Mike

Agree totally. Finding a rusty rail or a bit of dust under the bed would not be something I would complain about. Some people apparently go round their cabin looking for problems. We missed 2 ports due to weather on our first leg of a worldie on Fred. It happens. It's out of the control of the cruiseline.

I love the idea of just being on board, I relax the minute I'm on my way to the ship.

Oh yes, there is a definite difference between ' needless moaners' and people who have a justifiable concern or complaint.

The sort I mean are those you kind of see coming - who seem to be looking out for something not to be happy with, before it even happens.

We have always:

enjoyed every cruise we've done

met some lovely people

visited places I would never have imagined I'd be lucky enough to see

and wax lyric about the merits of cruising

We have never;

approached a cruise with anything other than excitement

had a negative mind set

looked for problems

or have felt the need to complain

and like everyone else, hate to be in the company of 'moaners' and once met give them a wide berth!

But, we should be wary of dismissing people who may have a valid point to make which comes across as a negative. We once went on one cruise when the food standard had taken a nose-dive as compared with many previous cruises with the same cruise line. We were very disappointed in the food - there was a significant difference. It didn't spoil our holiday, we didn't moan to others and took a lot of positives from the trip - in fact everything else was great! But we did make the point to the cruise line and haven't sailed with them since as whilst I'm not looking for cordon bleu I do expect some reasonable choice and decent quality food. (We also commented very positively about the aspects which we thought were good.)

I think it's important to separate the niggly, nit-picking and unreasonable 'complaints' from a valid, reasoned and explained point of view - especially if that is based on comparisons of previous experiences. And in that I accept that cost cutting is occurring across cruise but have no issues with that in the context of what we get for our money.

It's sometimes hard to convey in print what is a valid comparison which is negative and therefore a criticism and it not to be construed as a moan. It's very unfair to label someone as a moaner when they are simply trying to give a balanced and honest review to help inform others.

So I think we need to be sure we're discussing real moaners and not bundle everyone who might have something negative to say into that category. They might have a very good point and the cruise lines need to know. I'm sure, or at least hope, that some feedback from consumer questionnaires and from the likes of these forums do filter back and bring about change for the better.

As with most opinions, it's how it's expressed and done which makes all the difference. I think we can read into a review those negative issues which are raised as part of a balanced review and those which seem less reasonable. A real issue for complaint should be taken up on board with the appropriate member of staff - and certainly not imposed on other travellers who are there to enjoy themselves and probably have no issues at all!

I was wondering why so may people were so unhappy about their cruises. I go on a cruise to relax. I don't have to clean my cabin. I don't have to shop for dinner, I don't have to do the dishes and I don't need to cook. I can do what I want on the ship and have no one to answer to . I don't look for everything that might be wrong, such as cracked bathroom shower tiles or someone not painting the outside of the ship. My house is not without problems either. So why do so many people expect perfection? It truly is beyond me. This is my vacation, get away time. Why should I expect perfection? I don't have it at home

"Complaining behavior is the characteristic trait of a person, marked by a negative psychological state of perpetual dissatisfaction and annoyance with events and people around them, engulfing every aspect of their life. Consequently, such a behavior engenders a pessimistic outlook, undermining inter-personal relationships, hindering the growth and productivity of people around, with the hostile cloud of negativity and despair"

We've come down to the conclusion that there are two types of moaners.

1) Those people who are generally unhappy. The kind of people who get narky in every day life over little things will be equally moany on holiday. The Victor Meldrews of the world.

2) Seasoned cruisers who see cruising as a time where they should be treated like royalty and should only get the best of everything because they are paying for the best of everything, and do not like how causal cruising has become. The Hyacinth Buckets of the world.

For me it's 2 weeks without work, 2 weeks without thinking what's for dinner, 2 weeks where the only decision I have to make is when to eat/drink/go somewhere. Pure bliss.

Sitting with my OH on the balcony, glass of wine in hand, watching the sun go down is my 'happy place', anything we think is a bit naff, or a meal that wasn't that good etc is just part of the fun. On our last cruise they served green beans with everything. We didn't moan we just chuckled every time another portion turned up. Guess it all just depends on your outlook on life :)

I think there's also different perspectives at play vis-a-vis the cruise line and the passenger/guest. Thus, if the cruise line cancels a port of call, well, that's just routine and the T&Cs of the contract cover it. BUT, as the passenger/guest, if you booked the cruise because of that destination, and especially because it was to meet up with family or friends, you would be bitterly disappointed and perhaps feel that your cruise had been ruined; it's an emotional connection and emotions can magnify the scale of a problem.

Have never had a bad cruise,

have never had a cruise I have not enjoyed,

have never had a perfect cruise but I am still trying starting on Friday on Adonia.

"Complaining behavior is the characteristic trait of a person, marked by a negative psychological state of perpetual dissatisfaction and annoyance with events and people around them, engulfing every aspect of their life. Consequently, such a behavior engenders a pessimistic outlook, undermining inter-personal relationships, hindering the growth and productivity of people around, with the hostile cloud of negativity and despair"

Which is why P&O sell replacement mouthfulls of wasps from under the counter in Emporeum - allegedly ;););)

Or did i just make it up :D

Oh yes, there is a definite difference between ' needless moaners' and people who have a justifiable concern or complaint.

 

The sort I mean are those you kind of see coming - who seem to be looking out for something not to be happy with, before it even happens.

Indeed. You can usually tell from the writing, everything is bad, terrible, negative, I hated everything about this cruise etc etc etc. I think some of them might be shills for other cruise liners, having read reviews of cruises I've actually been on, but some are pathological moaners.

Also there is a degree of unreality regarding modern cruising. It isn't the exclusive holiday it used to be ; a week in a cruise liner often isn't much more than a week in a hotel.

There are many reasons. Cruisers who have been cruising for some years can't help noticing the deteriorating standards among all the cruise lines. I regret this as well but then I look at some of the crazy give away fares and realise the reasons.

So called "moaners" are easy targets, but if someone posts about dirty cabins or poor food, that's just their opinion and it's likely that another would not even notice them, though I've seen folk cheerfully walloping down food (P&O Cunard and others) that I have sent back to the galley as uneatable.

Maybe we should remember where we are. Cfuise CRITIC.

David

Just back after two weeks on Azura in the Caribbean, my observation (note not complaint) entertainment needs refreshing.

Only complaint, that I could not stay longer, roll on January 2017 unless I can persuade boss to dip into her purse and get us another before then.(Dream On).

We too have just come back off Azura. In the end cruising is exactly the same as any other holiday in that some folk's expectations will not be met and others will have a great time. Thankfully, people are all different and therefore so will be their opinions. Perhaps I am naive but I believe that most people go on holiday to enjoy themselves and therefore most of those who moan or complain are genuinely upset rather than complusive miseries. in my experience "cruisers" do have high expectations.

The 2 things I don't get however is:

1) why a small minority (in my experience) feel the need to share their disappointments with anyone who will listen whilst onboard. I met such a lady on this recent cruise who was even sitting on the end of other people's loungers to vent .... I pretended to be asleep when I saw her approaching.

2) those who feel so upset that they tell everyone (usually on social media) that unless soemthing changes they won't be going again with the implication being that P&O will change a policy wehn threatened in this way (they won't so long as P&O fill their ships).

In the end if you have a complaint I think it's best addressed in private and then depending on the outcome you decide whether to go again or not. Sadly the internet full of moans about cruises and other holidays which unnecessarily worries future customers.