Just off Zuiderdam 12/30/04 - 1/8/05 "Ship of Fools"

[Kelfly]

DrFeelGood:

Please post a detailed review of your cruise and the cabin! We just booked 5187 for early December 2005 and I can't wait to hear all about it. Thanks in advance!

[SANDY BEACH]

HeatherInFlorida, Please share what you feel are the best months for cruising for total relaxation. I'm sure we should stay away from holidays, spring breaks and summer vacations. However, the last cruise I was on in July was not bad at all. Everyone seemed rather well behaved. Our next cruise is in Feb. Shouldn't be too many kids but then the kids are not always the problem as read in these last few posts. Not quite sure how to avoid the senior maniacs. I think possibly we should not travel during a full moon even though it is quite romantic. Glad I will have a balcony, just in case I need it.

[elmorejj]

I guess this must be the reason I spend more and more time in my cabin or on the veranda reading these days!!....jean :cool:

[Pudgesmom]

While I agree poor manners are never acceptable, the cruise line adds to the stress of travelers by overcrowding, overbooking and overpromising. Have you ever been served coffee by a white-gloved waiter on the deck? That's the brochure picture.

 

How about waiting almost 2 hours to board a tender for the "private" island? This was my experience. How about standing with a group of 22 people in front of the last clamshell on the beach of said private island, all of whom had prebooked (and prepaid) for a clamshell? Also happened, and not at holiday time.

 

I guess we're getting what we pay for, I just wish it were more peaceful. I too, spent much of my last cruise - enjoyably - reading on my own balcony.

 

Beth

[HeatherInFlorida]

Jim, I wholeheartedly agree, support and stand with you in what you say. And you were most delicate:) .

 

Sandy Beach, we have found mid October up until Thanksgiving week to be an ideal time to cruise. The risk of hurricanes has diminished quite a bit by then (August/September being the absolute worst months for that). Personally, we prefer not to cruise with a ton of kids not because we don't like kids, but because in massive numbers, no matter how well behaved they may or may not be, they do kind of take over. So we cruise when they're in school. There are still children, but fewer, and therefore generally well behaved and no problem. In fact, I get a kick out of those I run into. This last cruise there was a kid going up and down on the elevator and when I got on I told him he should say "Floors, please" as people get on and they might tip him. The next time I got on the elevator, there he was and said "Floor please!" I cracked up!

 

We always used to cruise in summer months because back then it was cheaper (children rarely cruised because there was nothing for them to do;) ).

 

As for us elders, how can you avoid us? I don't know, but I have read several times that a lot of the real old folks (much older than I am) take advantage of last minute bookings during the holiday season. And from what I've experienced myself and read here, I'd say that's true. There are always going to be seniors, but I think the real problems lie in huge groups.

[kruzkeen]

 

7) The elderly man giving himself a sponge-bath while standing stark naked at the sink in the men's room by the Lido restaurant. (I kid you not! He told me I'd have to find another sink to wash my hands as he was "sponging".... ewwwwww!!!!)

If I ever encountered a stark naked man in one of the men's rooms, I would contact security on one of the house phones. If in the Lido I would inform the first uniformed person I saw and he did not move quickly I would go to the front desk and be quite vocal.

 

It is difficult to know how to cope with bad manners. I do think that the ship has to deal with naked people in public places.

[DoctorFeelgood]

you are nicer than I am, I would have reminded sponge bath Bob (or Betty in my case) that there is a bathroom in his cabin for a reason ;)

 

Seriously is sounds like the week after the holidays is not a popular time for cruising so it attracts those who book at the last minute for a good deal with misconceptions on what to expect from the experience.

 

I was too shocked to come up with anything. I turned around and left as fast as I could.

[DoctorFeelgood]

Drfeelgood, Would you happen to live in Long Island and have a daughter named Heidi? I knew somebody from work with this nickname, its not a very popular one, just curious. :)

 

Lynda,

 

Nope. No Long Island, no Heidi. Sorry!

[Cruiseoften]

Funny, but I also say "Your Welcome" when I open a door to walk through and some idiot pushes past me and doesn't say "Thank You".

 

I'm practising sticking my foot out as the boor goes by! :rolleyes: "Oh, did you fall!"

[ekerr19]

IMO, it is not "the old people", but the young families who are so indulgent with their kids that are the problem...

 

When I complained to the guy next door on our Zui cruise about his son's swearing he explained to me how he was a very "high profile" developer in the FLL area who happened to own his own home that "he had designed" and that anyone from Colorado (such as we) were true "hicks" (like we don't own our homes here... ) blah, blah, blah - and how we could never be as good as he was. YUCK!

 

Well, he was a jerk. I would not want to be him - nor ever aspire to be - this guy was about 35 yrs old acting like a 10-yr. old! ... so let's not blame things on the "older - retired" folks. :)

[Vic The Parrot]

This kinda sounds like my cruise........

 

 

Vile, unfriendly pax ... obnoxious teenagers .... drunken trash

We were on the same ship, but in parallel universes.

[Renorita]

IMO, it is not "the old people", but the young families who are so indulgent with their kids that are the problem...

 

When I complained to the guy next door on our Zui cruise about his son's swearing he explained to me how he was a very "high profile" developer in the FLL area who happened to own his own home that "he had designed" and that anyone from Colorado (such as we) were true "hicks" (like we don't own our homes here... ) blah, blah, blah - and how we could never be as good as he was. YUCK!

 

Well, he was a jerk. I would not want to be him - nor ever aspire to be - this guy was about 35 yrs old acting like a 10-yr. old! ... so let's not blame things on the "older - retired" folks. :)

 

I think the bottom line is that no matter what the age, whether it is the "older - retired folks", or the Younger families, middle age (whatever that is) or the kids, there are some in every group that are rude, obnoxious, arrogant, demeaning, and even some that are just plain idiots. Also in those same groups, there are very nice, polite, fun, interesting people that you enjoy meeting on a cruise. It seems if someone has a bad experience with "old people" then its THAT group that are the troublemakers. And so on through the rest of the groups I mentioned. No one is going to like everyone and not everyone is going to fit into our individual ideas of what a good cruise passinger is like.

 

Now if everyone was like my DH and myself, there would be no need for any complaints in this area! :D

[TYMAN]

This thread is not about opinions it is about facts. The fact is, a group of "seasoned citizens" made this cruise a vacation that was not as enjoyable as it should have been. I don't believe he mentioned unruly kids. Let's give the kids a break this time.

[HeatherInFlorida]

This thread is not about opinions it is about facts. The fact is, a group of "seasoned citizens" made this cruise a vacation that was not as enjoyable as it should have been. I don't believe he mentioned unruly kids. Let's give the kids a break this time.

 

Excuse me, Tyman, but the thread gave way to the fact that there are unruly and rude people of all ages. Often these subjects take on a life of their own. In this instance the OP was talking about OLD (I take exception to the word "seasoned" ... wait'll you're here ... call us "old" and be done with it) and others merely made mention of the fact that sometimes the issue is with kids and SOMETIMES (believe it or not) with "middle aged" (40 to 60).

 

I honestly can't understand why you would take issue with that.

 

Renorita, very well said!!! And I join you in your last line:D . We are, of course, the exception and not the rule;) !

[TYMAN]

Heather, you're excused. It sure didn't take long for you to grab the bait. Oh, by the way, I'm "seasoned" also. I just like to stick to the subject at hand not end up the way all these "unruly" guest threads go. Nothing new here...

[DoctorFeelgood]

The reason that I mentioned old folks is that they made up the vast majority of the passengers. There were probably fewer than 10 school-age kids, and a handful of highschoolers and preschoolers.

 

As a group the "old folks" were far older on average than any other cruise I have been on. Also, they seemed much more frail than any other cruise I have been on... based on the number of scooters, walkers, wheelchairs, and canes. Furthermore, a small number of them appeared somewheat mildly demented (although I didn't do any clinical, objective evaluation of this). This was easily the most elderly group of passengers that I have sailed with.

 

There was one ca. 10 year old boy who was a bit of a nuisance at times. For example, he was playing with the ketchup dispenser and using it to fill up the little condiment bowls. He was scolded by one of the staff and ran to his parents yelling "papa! papa!".

 

None of the younger or older kids made any problems that I was aware of, but this does not mean it didn't happen. And, as I said before, two of my observations in the original post concerned passengers in their 30's to 40's (that would be the bizzarre complainer and the rock stealer).

 

I guess that based on the percentage of misbehavers in each age group, no particular age came out as being the worst.

 

Incidentally, a crewmember who shall remain nameless stated that the best way to avoid this type of situation is to avoid sailing out of Fort Lauderdale. When I asked why that would be, they stated that the families with a lot of children and the frail elderly avoid air travel, so it is better to book a cruise that requires some kind of air travel, such as out of Puerto Rico.

 

But please don't turn my OP into an age thing. It's not really to do with age, it is just a plea for common sense, mutual respect, and everyday manners.

[Himself]

The guy taking the sponge bath---too much. Showing his shortcomings.

[Georgetown Mike]

Rude passengers are not unique to HAL. We were on the Star Princess in mid December and suffered similar experiences. But - still a great cruise. We were on the Zuiderdam last June and enjoyed it immensly. Question: What is the definition of "fully stocked no host minibars" in HAL suites?

[HeatherInFlorida]

..............

Incidentally, a crewmember who shall remain nameless stated that the best way to avoid this type of situation is to avoid sailing out of Fort Lauderdale. When I asked why that would be, they stated that the families with a lot of children and the frail elderly avoid air travel, so it is better to book a cruise that requires some kind of air travel, such as out of Puerto Rico...................

 

You don't know how funny this is:D Check out some of the threads about cruises sailing out of Puerto Rico recently! I can't tell you how many people are saying they'll never sail out of PR again.

Which proves the point ... you can't isolate these problems to any age group, demographic and certainly not an embarkation point. A crewmember suggesting you shouldn't sail out of Ft. Lauderdale is ludicrous! Does he/she think all the people getting on are from Florida? Just review these threads to see all the folks flying into FLL to board the ships. It's just plain silly.

Dr Feelgood, I don't think anyone was fighting here. We were just saying that you cannot eliminate any group of people as a problem. Your group was more elderly, another's might be kids, another's might be some drunken bunch from who knows where. There's no rule to follow. In the end, it's really just the luck of the draw.

[TYMAN]

I agree with you Doc....my only point was that since this thread was about the folks you met on a cruise, let's kinda have fun with that. I'm sure there's lots of other threads that involve kids/teens/middle age/elder population headaches.

[peaches from georgia]

Question: What is the definition of "fully stocked no host minibars" in HAL suites?

The minibars have a wide selection of mini-bottles of various liquors, cans of mixers, fruit juices and beer, bottles of water, and various snacks. The wine stewards check everyday what has been used and consumed and you are charged. There is no 'host' who is providing you with these items free of charge. :rolleyes:

[Quo Vadis?]

Incidentally, a crewmember who shall remain nameless stated that the best way to avoid this type of situation is to avoid sailing out of Fort Lauderdale. When I asked why that would be, they stated that the families with a lot of children and the frail elderly avoid air travel, so it is better to book a cruise that requires some kind of air travel, such as out of Puerto Rico.

 

Puerto Rico is the NOGO port for us. We were on a B2B Horizon sailing Baltimore-Puerto Rico-Ft Lauderdale. What a difference.. It's the only time (leg 2) we were on a cruise with LOUD passengers and LOUDER children. We have cruised out of FLL over 20 times and never a problem... (1) trips are now at least 10 days. (2) we have sailed Thanksgiving without any problems but never during spring break or during the winter/summer holidays.

[dakrewser]

IMO, it is not "the old people", but the young families who are so indulgent with their kids that are the problem...

 

When I complained to the guy next door on our Zui cruise about his son's swearing he explained to me how he was a very "high profile" developer in the FLL

 

 

It's them Floridians, of all ages! :rolleyes:

 

-dave

[bookworm0911]

It has nothing to do with age, hometown, cabin location, or any of that. It's the "it's my cruise and I'll do what I 'dam well please" crowd. There is no respect for fellow pax or for the cruiseline and its traditions. :mad:

[Lisa616]

Oh please. A bunch of disgruntled malcontents want to disrupt everyone else's enjoyment and, not only do I have to put up with them but I must try to find their bright side?

 

It isn't their bright side I'm going to look for, but the side where the sun don't shine so I can direct my boot to it.

 

I think that might of just been the best response I've read on this board!