Bad manners and wasting food on a cruise ship, what do you think?

[Verfai]

Why do you think they no longer have TRAYS at the Windjammer??

 

The "Free" food light goes on and people just lose their minds!! :D :D

 

OMG...They used to have plates!? Thankfully they got rid of that :D

[MOSusan]

Peter - I agree with you on both points. Sometimes I think people don't understand they can go back and get another plate. They pile it so high I think it might fall off the plate.

 

And as far as the children - too many parents trying to be friends instead of parents. I'm a flight attendant. I wish I had a quarter for every time a parent says " You make him put on his seat belt because he won't listen to me". I think - God bless you, if you've lost control at age 3. Just wait till they are 16. Most children are well behaved, we are talking about the few that aren't.

 

I'm a mean momma too. :D Usually all it takes is the look..... you know what look I'm talking about.

 

E-Beth

 

As a flight attendant you will appreciate this, before my children flew for the first time, I told them that people hated having children on the plane. They hated having their chairs kicked, loud children, etc. They understood and didn't want the other people on the plane mad at them. Now, they weren't toddlers, they were 7 & 9, so they got what I was saying -- Be Good!

[peteukmcr]

Peter - I agree with you on both points. Sometimes I think people don't understand they can go back and get another plate. They pile it so high I think it might fall off the plate.

 

And as far as the children - too many parents trying to be friends instead of parents. I'm a flight attendant. I wish I had a quarter for every time a parent says " You make him put on his seat belt because he won't listen to me". I think - God bless you, if you've lost control at age 3. Just wait till they are 16. Most children are well behaved, we are talking about the few that aren't.

 

I'm a mean momma too. :D Usually all it takes is the look..... you know what look I'm talking about.

 

E-Beth

Hi E-Beth, how are you my dear pirate friend? Oh don't get me started on manners in other locations, like an airport and aircraft. I honestly don't know how you do it. From the behaviour I see on aircraft (and I fly a lot) I don't understand why there isn't air rage but from the flight attendants!:D On a serious note, I applaud what you do and how you cope. Having worked in the service industry, I know how badly behaved the public can be.

[peteukmcr]

I am a Mean Mom too! And by "mean" I mean that I expect a certain standard of behavior. I always told my kids that "liking me is a bonus". Now they are adults (youngest is 18) and guess what? It must not have been so bad because now the actually choose to vacation with us :)

I like it.

 

How about "Demanding Dads"? Doesn't rhyme, but the alliteration works. ;)

 

As the Mean Mom (married to a Demanding Dad) of an 18-year-old who now coaches a swim team comprised of 4-14 year-olds, I have to admit getting much satisfaction (and a smile) out of hearing her say, "Those kids are impossible! Their parents don't provide any discipline and let them do anything, what are they thinking?" Of course, it was very recently that she was saying that we were the "meanest parents" and that she was the "only one" of all of her friends that wasn't allowed to do something. I'm glad we stood our ground!

And I like 'Demanding Dads' too!

 

Peter I toatally agree with, now DH & I have only been on soon to be our 5th cruise so our experiences with poor maners is quite limited so far, however we as young children, were taught by our parents, the meaning of good manners, & respect for other people. A spanking now & then didn't hurt us and we knew immediately our parents meant what they said, unfortuantely, many young people today, use anger as the first response to a situation. Fortunately, the majority of people are polite and respectful toward others.

Gay, I echo your thoughts entirely.

[Mark_K]

Since I retired from US Foodservice, I was amazed at what food costs do to bottom lines of restaurants, resorts, and cruise lines.

 

If you don't think it adds up....check the dumpsters.

Well, for RCI, it can't add up to more than $12/person per day (unless they're fudging their annual report). And that would only be if 100% of it was wasted.

[peteukmcr]

I think it was a good topic to bring up and I, for one, didn't see the other thread where apparently the subject was brought up. It was interesting...thanks.

 

Fortunately I don't see too many kids on cruises. :) And maybe that's because I don't spend much time in the windjammer.

 

Gina

You're most welcome, just think a lot of people think it, but don't want to mention it, but that's not me:D

 

Peter, Good thread and I agree with you. I am not a fan of the "Foodjammer" as I refer to it. The people who pile their plates overflowing with food literally make me nauseous. I rarely eat there for that reason. I have oftern commented to my husband that people act like it's their last meal on earth. I guess this explains why the obesity rate is so high in our country. :)

 

The only out of hand behavior we have seen from children was when we cruised during the summer on our first 7-night cruise and didn't know any better. Our children are now grown so we cruise while the ships aren't being overrun with kids.

 

I work part-time as a server in a restaurant. I find the overwhelming theme with parents who come into the restaurant I work at is "anything to not upset the children". This includes emptying the sugar packets all over the table and dumping the salt and pepper out to play with, then leaving the mess for us to clean up. Parents let their children run all over the restaurant while we dodge them carrying trays and I love when they let them stand on the seats, jump up and down and bother the other customers.

 

Raising children is not easy but if you don't set boundaries when they are little and teach them how to behave in public, no one will want to be around them.

 

I also don't think it's "cute" when children sit at the bar and order a Shirley Temple. There are to many family places and I don't think children should be sitting at a bar. On our cruise last year on Liberty three nights in a row my husband and I went to the Champagne Bar for a before dinner drink and couldn't sit at the bar because there was a family with children sitting at the bar. I said something to the bartender about it and he said he told the parents that the children shouldn't be sitting at the bar and they refused to move.

I like your alternative name 'Foodjammer'!

 

I've also worked in a restaurant and I agree, it is amazing what parents will allow children to do. I applaud you for doing the job you do, I rarely waited on tables due to people's manners, I was better serving behind a bar where I held the power. Bad manners = no service, abusive = no service, rude and insulting = removed from the premises! Well mannered and polite = excellent service and a drink!

[mamapan]

I must say thank you to all of you who have spent the time providing your thoughts.

 

This thread was not meant to be inflammatory to anyone, nor to imply that all parents are bad parents, nor that everyone on holiday displays bad manners, but just to highlight that a few 'bad apples' can affect many more people.

 

I salute all you 'Mean Moms' (I like that title I'll have to use it here in the UK if I may) and I presume there are the Dads equivalent (can't think of something to rhyme with Dad!).

 

Also less waste, or more consideration of others, could improve things for many more people than on a cruise ship. JMHO.

 

 

No offense taken at all! You are right - the few misbehaving kids are the ones that spoil the reputation for the good kids. You don't see the good kids because they aren't drawing attention to themselves like the ones being naughty!

 

How about "Dastardly Dads?" :D

[mjldvlks]

Waste is waste and should be avoided. On the other hand, a Little bit of creative engineering to make food fit on the plate doesn't bother me. I have probably over-filled my plate a little at times trying to avoid extra trips or perhaps getting something for my DW at the same time. Without trays, juggling multiple plates is a problem.

 

I agree with the discipline issue. When my kids were little I was always appalled at the behavior of everyone else's children compared to mine [tongue planted somewhat in cheek]. It used to shock me to see parents at restaurants that would get so absorbed in their own meal or dinner conversation that it appeared as if they did not know their children were present. But I try to be understanding as well. I really like kids and within reason I like to be where they are around. That doesn't mean I am ready to book Disney however.

[peteukmcr]

We have a lot of self appointed moderators here. You can start this in multiple places and it won't hurt my feelings.

 

Back to the subject, there is no single answer, and I've made it part of people watching. I maybe a thoughtless rude obnoxious person 51 weeks a year, but I go on a cruise to relax so most people don't bother me. I'm also a successful weight loss surgery patient so cruises are so much less about food that they use to be, so I don't waste much.

 

Some rudeness is just thoughtlessness. I actually enjoy making an effort to be courteous on a cruise while others seem to be taking a vacation from courtesy.

 

I try to cruise when there will be the least amount of kids cruising. Yes, I know your the one responsible parent and your kids are the almost perfect ones. (Not directed at the OP) But I've watched kids and when they make new friends they dare each other do to things and as long as security doesn't bring the kids back to them the parents are letting them have their freedom. Thats why I love the solariums.

Don't worry about directing anything related to parenting to me, no offence taken, I haven't got kids. I work on this principle, it's like I've heard many grandparents say, the best thing is with kids, you can give them away and back to their parents without feeling guilty!:D

[babyher]

Ya know I can't say DW or I were a 'Mean Mom" or a " Demanding Dad" , but yes we had our expectations of our kids and we made sure they met them.

 

But it was never an iron fist kind of thing.

 

I have two kids from my first mariage and DW has two from hers (all over 18 now ) but they were all pretty young when we first got together.

 

My kids mother and my wifes ex are to put it nicely , the most useless human beings on the face of the earth.

 

So DW and I always felt compelled to make up for that side of the gene pool by making them step up to the plate a little more with.

 

As you go along you learn to pick your battles . There are the things that they HAVE to do or better not do that are case closed and non negotiable .

 

 

Then theres the stuff that you don't make yourself crazy about and just shake your head and know that one day you will laugh about this. *LOL*

 

They are 26,24,19, and 18 and God bless them , they are all doing good . Never an arrest, a suspension or expulsion from school. No REAL trouble.

 

I don't know, sometimes it all falls into place

[Finbar127]

I refuse to waste my time worrying about how other children are behaving or how much food other people may or may not eat. Regardless of all the pontificating that goes on around here there will always be misbehaving children with indifferent parents and people who put too much food on their plates. With both of those populations a lot smaller than is being portrayed here.

 

If I see other children acting badly and my children are around to see it I simply remind my children what will happen to them if they ever behave that way. Then I go about my business.

 

As for the food issue, I don't spend my time looking around at other people and wondering if they will be able to eat all the food on their plates. If the habits of the people dining in the Windjammer are that offensive to you perhaps you should stay in your cabin and order room service.

[mommabean]

I refuse to waste my time worrying about how other children are behaving or how much food other people may or may not eat. Regardless of all the pontificating that goes on around here there will always be misbehaving children with indifferent parents and people who put too much food on their plates. With both of those populations a lot smaller than is being portrayed here.

 

If I see other children acting badly and my children are around to see it I simply remind my children what will happen to them if they ever behave that way. Then I go about my business.

 

As for the food issue, I don't spend my time looking around at other people and wondering if they will be able to eat all the food on their plates. If the habits of the people dining in the Windjammer are that offensive to you perhaps you should stay in your cabin and order room service.

 

They ARE! Stay in my cabin? I think not. I eat in the dining room or other venues where we are served by someone who doesn't lick their fingers (hopefully ;) ) during the line of duty.

 

Gina

[bonsai3s]

Having discussed with someone who has recently sailed on Liberty of the Seas as we did in May, I thought I’d check out other people’s views on a couple of incidents I have noticed on all cruises.

 

1) is the amount of food that is being thrown away;

And

2) the behaviour and bad manners of some children (and adults).

 

On so many occasions I have seen children ordering food and then just playing with it and letting it go to waste. Sometimes, and this is even worse, the parents are present and they are doing exactly the same thing.

 

One example was in Sorrento’s; three kids came along, aged somewhere between 9 and 12, with no parents in sight. All three of them ordered 2 slices of pizza and some extra side orders, plus drinks. Once seated they used the side orders as food to throw at each other, took a few sips of their drinks, and two of them ate one bite of the pizza, then just left!

Everybody there just looked at each other in utter disbelief, there was a full table of food just lying there, and the floor was dirty. The staff even asked if people thought they would come back.

 

Another example, in Olive or Twist there was a family with small children (aged around 5 or 6), and it would appear a nanny was present. The oldest boy in the family had a disagreement with the parents. The nanny made a remark to the boy and he just started hitting her with his hands and kicking her with his feet! Nobody said anything until he started shouting and the entire bar was looking at them, and then and only then did the father take action.

 

Now this is one thing I detest and I am seeing more of this every single day, whether on a cruise ship or not and it all relates to the manners shown by adults and the behaviour of children. It would appear to me that in a lot of cases (not all cases, before you flame me) that parental control is somewhat non-existent especially when they are on holiday. It would appear that because the parents are on holiday they think they don't have to do anything as it would spoil their fun (both the parents and child).

 

Sorry, my opinion and this is only my opinion is that you are raising the children, and so it is your responsibility to care for them and control them, not someone else. Even if you are paying someone to look after them and you are on holiday, so are we. Nobody should be subject to abuse from a child. And others around them should not be subjected to their appalling bad manners.

 

If I had behaved like this in private, never mind in public, I would have been severely punished, but I was taught that this behaviour was unacceptable.

 

As for food waste, I cannot abide it, but to be fair, the children will have learnt from their parents. On a cruise the food is 'free' so it would appear that people see no harm in wasting it. I see it all the time in the Windjammer and it offends me, and it is the adult population who are the main culprits and so their children learn from them.

 

I cannot understand why people have to load a plate with so much food that they will not eat, only to have it thrown away. Is it greed? Do they not realise that if there was less food waste for the cruise line to deal with, then cruise prices may be lower or food quality improved?

 

This is down to the 'fast food' culture and the ‘Me, Me, Me’ syndrome IMHO.

 

And yes, if I could I would holiday on an adult only cruise ship, but there aren’t many about, but why should I change just because of the few children who misbehave?

 

For land based holidays, a resort that is adults only is always at the top of my list, but then again the behaviour of some adults is shameful.

 

OK off to put the fire proof coat on. :D

 

 

We agree! On every cruise we've been on, we continually observe people overloading their plate (sometimes 2 plates) full of food that we all know they won't be able to finish. It is such a waste.

 

I finally couldn't take it anymore on our recent cruise on the Allure and told another passenger (in a nice way) that they are "allowed to go back for seconds". He responded: "Mind your own business, I paid for this". :(

[CruisinRoxy]

IMHO, I think the tremendous waste of food in today's society would be obliterated by a good dose of the ravages of the Great Depression. Anybody out there affected by the memories of life back in those days? Not that I would wish that on Americans, or anybody today, (so don't flame me) but my family's eating habits are a very direct reflection of my Dad's experience in the 1930's. I am second generation removed from the Great Depression and have a vivid memory of all he has told me and how it affected him and then us as kids. As a child, he had to be satisfied with a piece of bread for breakfast. Then for lunch a "lard and mustard sandwich" (anybody remember lard? - I don't think it's even sold anymore good grief). Then there was "depression soup", a watered down broth made from a soup bone, with some potatoes, maybe a vegetable if you were lucky. Sometimes if he was lucky, my dad got a plum or a peach in the morning, and would eat part of it and put the rest in his pocket for later in the day, even if it was only the pit to suck on. Yeah, those were hard times, and they impacted immensely how I grew up, and yes now I taught my kids "waste not want not". My dad literally cannot throw out any type of food now and he is in his early 80's. Throw out stale bread? No - make bread crumbs or croutons. Throw out a soft tomato? No - make soup. Ice cream that gets those pesky crystals? Nope - melt it down and make a milkshake. Yeah - that kind of stuff is hard to get over, so I never did, I am the same way. So - no throwing out food in our house, or anywhere else that we are. Today, the problem is - it's there, everyone thinks they are entitled to it (like another poster said), so you take as much as you think you want. You can't wrap it up for leftovers on a ship. You simply throw it away. I know, I've seen it too. I'll get off my soap box now:o

[Finbar127]

They ARE! Stay in my cabin? I think not. I eat in the dining room or other venues where we are served by someone who doesn't lick their fingers (hopefully ;) ) during the line of duty.

 

Gina

 

You never know what happens in the kitchen :eek:

[wwcruisers]

I finally couldn't take it anymore on our recent cruise on the Allure and told another passenger (in a nice way) that they are "allowed to go back for seconds". He responded: "Mind your own business, I paid for this". :(

 

Wow -- I think you are lucky that you didn't end up wearing the contents of that passenger's overloaded plate! :eek:

No matter what I thought about a stranger's eating habits, I can't ever imagine commenting on them in public. :o

 

And, you never know why this person was piling the food on -- maybe it wasn't all for him. On our recent Liberty cruise, I was pretty tired when we finally got to the WJ on embarkation day. I just sat down with a glass of iced tea, and told DH that I really wasn't hungry. Well, he knew better than that! :rolleyes: He returned promptly with a plate loaded down with all my favorites -- and an extra set of silverware, so we could 'graze' together. :cool:

I guess I should be grateful that he didn't run into the "food police" on his way back to the table! ;)

[mommabean]

You never know what happens in the kitchen :eek:

 

Which is why I said 'hopefully' - I've been told by people in the industry there is a very good reason to not be nasty with your server. :eek:

 

Gina

[babyher]

Which is why I said 'hopefully' - I've been told by people in the industry there is a very good reason to not be nasty with your server. :eek:

 

Gina

 

Ahhhhhhhhh take it from this former bartender, restaurant worker. They are absolutely right :)

[Bigtex1622]

Unfortunately our cabin has a door bell,

every night kids would ring the bell and run.

The third night I sprang out of bed, ran to the door,

and noticed which cabin they went in to.

When I knocked on the door the father answered.

I said your kids keep ringing my door bell.

he said " No speak English " and started to shut the door.

I put my foot to stop him, and he said " Hey Move your foot "

I said, damn that was good English, tell you kids to stop.

He said Kids will be kids, no harm done.

So at 4 in the morning went and knocked on his door and stood back so he could not see me.

Then I knocked again and again till he opened the door,

I said " No harm done "

Kids never rang my door bell again.

 

 

:rolleyes:

[mommabean]

Ahhhhhhhhh take it from this former bartender, restaurant worker. They are absolutely right :)

 

And why I'm always VERY nice even if they aren't. :D

 

Gina

[Cshgrand]

As parent of a soon to be 3 yr old, we actively encourage him to explore new foods and tastes when we cruise as it is a great way to expand his palette so invariably there is some wastage. But in my eyes, better this than raise a child who goes into mdr and asks for pizza or grilled cheese sandwich for dinner!

 

Where behaviour is concerned I empathise. Our son keeps regular bedtime on holiday, even though this means we are in our cabin by 9. Tiredness also plays a big part in some of the unruliness that goes on with little ones. Perhaps we should ask what rc are doing offering adventure ocean so late into the night.

[numpty70]

Unfortunately our cabin has a door bell,

every night kids would ring the bell and run.

The third night I sprang out of bed, ran to the door,

and noticed which cabin they went in to.

When I knocked on the door the father answered.

I said your kids keep ringing my door bell.

he said " No speak English " and started to shut the door.

I put my foot to stop him, and he said " Hey Move your foot "

I said, damn that was good English, tell you kids to stop.

He said Kids will be kids, no harm done.

So at 4 in the morning went and knocked on his door and stood back so he could not see me.

Then I knocked again and again till he opened the door,

I said " No harm done "

Kids never rang my door bell again

 

 

 

:rolleyes:

 

Ha Ha , Love it :D

[pcur]

The ships use to grind up the food and send it out the bottom and the fish and stuff would eat it, but due to environmental laws, i dont know if they still do that or not.

 

Yes, they still do this. It doesn't excuse people from wasting so much, though, IMO.

 

About the kids and the food fight: that's one thing I will NOT sit by and watch. I'm up looking for a manager at the first fling of food. If I can't find a manager, then I tell the kids I'm looking for one and they better stop before I find him/her. No tolerance for this AT ALL!!!

[Oak Hill Cruisers]

I will always remember this sign in the mess halls when I was in the Marines.

 

Take all you want - eat all you take.

[Rala]

If you see something that looks good that you would like to try or have your child try, just take a SMALL amount like maybe a couple of forkfuls. Then if you or little Joey or Chloe like it, go back and get some more. If you don't care for it then the waste is minimal. :):)