Just home from the "No Manners" group cruise....

[nabau]

My expereince has always been the pushy attitude from the older crowd, generally from Florida.

That's very true but leaving from NY almost guarantees that they'll be a higher percentage on people from NY & you'll notice the difference big time with their pushy attitude. You can spot the typical type on the ship from their behavior in a second.

[cruisemom42]

While the New York location may have something to do with it, I think the more important variable is the number of passengers.

 

Someone in an earlier post lamented the correlation between cruising becoming financially possible for more people and the decline of manners on board. This may be part of the problem as well, but just as all southerners are not bigots, all middle class people are not unmannered boors.

 

However, the behavior of all people, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, economic status, etc., deteriorates as greater numbers of people compete for scarce resources. It almost doesn't matter if the actual ratio of passengers to lounge chairs is the same on a 5,000 passenger ship as a 400 passenger one, because the perception of scarcity will be greater on the larger ship.

 

Which is all a long winded way of saying sail on the smaller ships if you want to minimize your chances of running into this behavior.

 

I don't disagree with this, and I'll add that I think it's the same effect as living in a small town vs. a big city. In a small town you are "recognized" by many; in a big city you are anonymous and more likely to act outside the rules.

 

However, I will just say that I took the same cruise on the same ship (Caribbean Princess) at the same time of year (one year apart). The only difference was the port of embarkation -- Fort Lauderdale vs Brooklyn. The difference in the feeling onboard was night and day. People pushing into elevators and not letting others off. People yelling at other people for any little thing. My son noticed a big difference in the teen group as well -- a lot of "drinkers" in the teen group from NY. And of course, the aforementioned fistfight. :eek:

 

I know it's just my own experience. But it was very unexpected after the previous year on the same ship and very different from all my other Princess experiences. :o

[cruzeluver]

My expereince has always been the pushy attitude from the older crowd, generally from Florida.

 

Which is ironic as its the older crowd that is the first to lament about the lack of manners in today's generation, yet they will very often run you over to get to the food or an elevator, and complain long and loud about any perceived inconveniences or slights they may claim to suffer.

[luddite]

My expereince has always been the pushy attitude from the older crowd, generally from Florida.

 

:) Ah yes. Think for a minute.....where is the older crowd in Florida actually from?

 

:eek:

[nabau]

Perfectly said!

Which is ironic as its the older crowd that is the first to lament about the lack of manners in today's generation, yet they will very often run you over to get to the food or an elevator, and complain long and loud about any perceived inconveniences or slights they may claim to suffer.

[denlishen]

I sailed out of the Manhattan cruise terminal and had one of the best cruises ever. I'm from the midwest but found the people in New York during our stay to be very friendly and helpful. We got confused on a subway transfer and had New Yorkers right and left helping us back to our hotel (we stuck out like a sore thumb as tourists lol - maybe they felt sorry for us) I felt supremely safe also in the city, much different than I had expected.

 

Either way, every group in going to have it's good and bad no matter where you are from. My husband and I joke however that the only place you never see rude people in Canada :) We've been there several times (east and west coast) and are always amazed at how kind the people are and how clean they keep their cities, they really seem to take pride in what they have. We swear we're going to move there someday.

[DeaverTex]

It would seem that if you took all of the rude and obnoxious people in the world and marooned them on icebergs, we'd all feel better about global warming.

 

Any time you get large crowds of people together in a small space, you WILL have a percentage who think that they're more important than everyone else. The larger the crowd, the more of those people are there just by the law of averages. And since, by their very nature, these aggravating boors will tend to be gravitate toward the location(s) with the greatest potential for conflict, well... of COURSE they're always in a group.

[wg6530]

I sailed out of the Manhattan cruise terminal and had one of the best cruises ever. I'm from the midwest but found the people in New York during our stay to be very friendly and helpful. We got confused on a subway transfer and had New Yorkers right and left helping us back to our hotel (we stuck out like a sore thumb as tourists lol - maybe they felt sorry for us) I felt supremely safe also in the city, much different than I had expected.

 

Either way, every group in going to have it's good and bad no matter where you are from. My husband and I joke however that the only place you never see rude people in Canada :) We've been there several times (east and west coast) and are always amazed at how kind the people are and how clean they keep their cities, they really seem to take pride in what they have. We swear we're going to move there someday.

I am also from the Midwest, and fortunately had experiences more simiar to your's than to the OP's. NCL from Manhatten for 7 days to Bahamas went well, and I met some very nice, interesting people from the tristate area. Two of our westbound transatlantic cruises ended in NY; the locals on board were pleasant and helpful with tourist or transit questions. Our back to back out of Bayonne last fall (5 day Bermuda and 9 day Canada) also went well.

 

The pace may have been a bit quicker on my NY cruises, and I note that my sense of personal space differs. Still, the number of really rude people did not seem significantly higher than on my Florida or European departures. Boorish, sharp, or rude words will run like water off my back regardless of the native language or accent of the speaker, but the physical stuff described by the OP would really bug me.

 

I think chair hogging begets more chair hogging, as even generally decent people may hesitate to give up a chair if the odds of finding another later seems low. I blame the cruise lines for not making and enforcing anti-hogging rules.

[dontpanik]

I will admit the elderly here in FL are...well, persnickity would be kind. I have often dreamed of throwing elbows in the grocery store when those entitled people start physically pushing my DH out of the way and running into me with their 40mph-in-the-deli scooters.

It's not limited to the elderly though you see more of that here in FL than anywhere else, but all people who think they are somehow endowed with certain inalienable ENTITLEMENTS because they somehow feel the rules do not apply to them.

I like to just sit back and breathe. When I go to the pool, I just put my beach tote on the floor next to the wall...no need to take up a chair and they'll usually bring me a drink right there in the hot tub :D. I will use the elevators sparingly because people jump at them like the last lifeboat off the Titanic, the stairs are better and usually have some very pretty artwork to glance at on the way. Rude people are EVERYWHERE now and don't even recognize they are boors. It's gotten to the point that I bring ear-plugs just in case the people in the rooms around me don't understand people actually use their rooms to sleep in. And frankly, If I see a crowd headed in one direction, I'm headed the other way.

[CPT Trips]

My expereince has always been the pushy attitude from the older crowd, generally from Florida.

 

You do realize that all those pushy old people "from Florida" are transplanted Yankees, (or Mets, or if really old - Giants and Dodgers) right? ;)

[hawaiibound2006]

My husband and I joke however that the only place you never see rude people in Canada :) We've been there several times (east and west coast) and are always amazed at how kind the people are and how clean they keep their cities, they really seem to take pride in what they have. We swear we're going to move there someday.

 

Thanks for the Canadian compliment! I guess we've been lucky and haven't encountered much rudeness on our cruises. I've been to New York and thought everyone was nice and felt safe there too.

[wwcruisers]

Well, after 10 years and 15+ cruises, we have encountered various inconsiderate jerks from every geographic region, age group, and socio-economic class imaginable. :mad:

That being said, I can't remember ever taking a single cruise without meeting some nice, witty, intelligent, interesting people. We still keep in touch with (and even cruise with) some of these folks that we've met, over the years. :cool:

Bottom line: if you let the obnoxious people ruin your cruise, then they've won! ;)

[Cruzaholic41]

I am left wondering how to avoid this "group" of people again. It was a 9 day from Brooklyn.

 

This answers your question right here. You can expect a large number of locals from wherever a cruise embarks. NY/NJ is very widely known as having some of the rudest people in the country. Everyone here knows that, whether or not they admit it.

[NJRonbo]

l'll admit it, and I live here.

[nabau]

Absolutely but Florida is a huge state with possibly a quarter percent of transplanted yankees, those are the ones who DO apologize if they crashed into your ankles with their scooter, the others blame you.

You do realize that all those pushy old people "from Florida" are transplanted Yankees, (or Mets, or if really old - Giants and Dodgers) right? ;)

[imsulin]

Someone already stated this, so I will go with it as well...

 

The big problem was the area. Brooklyn. And I am not just picking on people from that borough, but from the cities that surround it.

 

I have been on many cruises, and those with an influx of New Yorkers (mostly repositioning cruises) have the highest rate of rudeness.

 

I am going to get slammed for saying this, but I have to from personal experience. It's part of the culture. Definately.

 

Being from New Jersey, it's true that it's more "dog eats dog" kind of world up here. There is a certain attitude and way of life that I can see would shock other people.

 

...but let me emphasize, not all people from this area are like this. However, watch a show like JERSEY SHORE and you can understand the stereotype.

 

Bottom line, there is rudeness all over the world. Perhaps I am picking on my own neck of the woods because I see it all the time compared to other places I have visited.

 

Back in 1970, 23-year old very naiive me moved from a "calm" Western state to NJ to be with my fiancee, who I'd met in college,and who was working there (we were married in 1971). My first job there (Bound Brook) was at a real estate agency. Lots of very LOUD profanity-filled voices (both agents and clients) every day, and often in Italian. I'd never seen anything like this before, and chalked it up to culture shock! There was once a fist-fight in this gleaming brass and glass office! Police came, and I quit on the spot. During that time, I slowly realized that LOUD (and often rude) was pretty much the norm in NJ and surrounding areas. UNTIL I lived in a lovely neighborhood with great neighbors in Warren Twsp! All was "normal"! Yes - I know that Real Housewives of NJ portrays the "bad" side! (Where do they find these people?) Anyway, moved back West in 1972.

 

Since then, I've encountered increasingly rude behavior no matter where I've lived or traveled. Personally, I see a lot of it as "cultural" excuses, and rudeness is increasing. On the other hand, there are plenty of decent and polite people everywhere, as well, from all "cultures"!

 

A few years ago, I was waiting in a loooong line at the Post Office to mail a heavy package a couple of weeks before Christmas. A lady at the front of the line, whose three very unruly kids were running around all over the place was loudly arguing with a postal Clerk about something. The woman in line behind her tried to move past her to the next Postal Clerk, who had beckoned to her, and was slapped in the face by this lady for "bumping" into her, which didn't happen. She screamed, "F*** you, ma'am"! while slapping her. Of course, the police were called, we all had to give witness statements, and three hours later, I mailed my package. (Yes, it went to trial...conviction). At least this poor woman was called "Ma'am"! Sad, but true story.

[nybumpkin]

My first job there (Bound Brook) was at a real estate agency. Lots of very LOUD profanity-filled voices (both agents and clients) every day.

LOL - My aunt, a nun, was assigned to a parish in Bound Brook as a teacher and hated it. Apparently most of the nuns in the order regarded it in the same spirit as being exiled to Siberia.:eek:

[pythia]

And be glad cruiselines don't allow firearms :D

 

ATLANTA -- A Douglasville man said he was shot after trying to give another man a lesson on manners. Police are still looking for the shooter.

 

Jay Rodgers and his family were on their way home from a Tim McGraw concert last month when they stopped at an Atlanta Shell station so his niece could use the bathroom. He said he felt insulted after a man he encountered ignored a polite gesture.

 

“I opened up the door for a gentleman. He walked in, and I quietly said, ‘Why don’t you say thank you for holding the door open?’” Rodgers told Channel 2’s Eric Philips.

 

When the man didn’t respond, Rodgers said he followed him outside and asked him to say "thank you" again, but the man kept quiet.

 

“He went to his car, put whatever he purchased inside it, and he pulled out a gun and shot me from about 15 to 16 feet away from me,” Rodgers said. "I passed out in my wife's arms."

 

Rodgers lifted his shirt to show Philips the large bandage that now covers his stomach. He said the bullet went through his intestine, nearly hitting his spine. He was hospitalized for nine days.

 

“I'm lucky to even be walking,” Rodgers said.

 

He said his family has had a hard time while his injury keeps him from working for three months. He said his children are also scarred by the shooting. On Thursday, Rodgers made a plea on the Channel 2 Action News Nightbeat for the shooter to come forward.

 

“I’m mad, but if you’re watching this, do the right thing and turn yourself in,” he said.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Just goes to show, sometimes you just need to let things be. If you don't think that someone had acknowledged a nice thing you did, and doesn't thank you, you can't push it. Some people may lack the ability to show gratitude. Or maybe they had just given you a nod of thanks and you didn't see it. If that was the case, they may get offended that you are trying to be a school teacher about it.

 

What's funny is that my daughter, especially when she was much younger, would keep saying "thank you," until she gets a "you're welcome" in return.

[Krazy Kruizers]

all too often we have seen more people with rude manners on our recent cruises

 

we are just learning to ignore them

[westview1]

Next time choose a cruise that leaves from Fl instead of NY. It really cuts down on the number of New Yorkers & diminishes the problems considerably.

 

Unless they're snowbirds... ;)

[westview1]

Hey! It's no fair bashing us New Yorkers.

Op, it was just your luck to run into a couple of rude people on your cruise and that's unfortunate.

NY has a lot of people and it gets crowded often. People learn to be a little aggressive, but that's why there's a song that says if you can make here you can make it anywhere. Not all of us are rude. In fact, most of us are not. Please do not catergorize us.

 

We saw plenty of rudeness on our cruise out of San Juan. There were a few Quinceneras going on with fairly large groups of Hispanics. We couldn't even say anything because they didn't speak any english. Sail with 2 or 3 thousand others and you're bound to find more then a couple of idiots. Best advise is to try and ignore them.

 

Personally, I love to show them the same kind of rudeness, but the DW is afraid I'll get hurt by someone. She just gets me another shot of Tequila and forget about it.:D

 

Where is my Like button? Thank-you for defending your fellow NY'ers. I was born and raised on LI and I guess I'm used to the attitude here. But I like to think that I am one of the polite, friendly ones. :)

[Marian Paroo]

Which is ironic as its the older crowd that is the first to lament about the lack of manners in today's generation, yet they will very often run you over to get to the food or an elevator, and complain long and loud about any perceived inconveniences or slights they may claim to suffer.

 

I find it interesting that the OP included a comment about a troublesome gent and his scooter driving wife, yet everyone seemed to criticise the younger generations.

 

My bet is that couple weren't babyboomers or anything afterwards....

 

You want entitlement? I've met a lot of older people who's actions and attitudes scream entitlement all over. And than again I have met older people whose actions do not.

 

Rude is rude. regardless of location or age.

[moniquet]

Rudeness on cruise ships has been increasing the last few years. I don't know why this is but it cuts across all classes and nationalities.

[1 HappyCruiser]

Unless they're snowbirds... ;)

 

True, you can't avoid them all but at least you can keep them to a minimum like traveling when schools in session.