Ultimate Cruise Snob Stories

[ScotsTravelady]

My best was over Xmas..... large loud man and his quiet wife in their 50s were seated with us. We are very unassuming, easy going and go on a cruise to just chill out.

On hearing us talk, he made comment that we were Scottish (we have soft accents) and stated to ridicule our accents and ask how did we afford this cruise since all Scots were poor!! I did make comment were were all British, but that went of deaf ears.

 

He asked what we did; I laughing said I sorted out houses and DH said he had a great job - it was to deliver malt whisky....and before he could finish the sentence they guy butted in and started on about how he was rich salesman for a whisky distiller and how 'cushy' a job he had fiddling expenses, had a big house etc and if we stayed around him all week we would see how the other half live.

 

We just listened to him all week and the stories got wilder each night, but, at heart, was a nice man albeit a bit a of story teller, and we felt sorry for his poor wife who hardly got to open her mouth. Near the end of the cruise he produces a photo on his phone of his home - the new extended room looked a bit odd and not very robust and he went on to say he designed it and got some friends to help build as he was an expert.

 

Anyway, I was really concerned about the 'cowboy building job' and on last night we were just to part company and I wrote down my business number and said if he had problems with his new extension to give me a call (I'm an architect). He started spluttering.....that is until my very quiet husband spoke "as I was saying last week, my job is to deliver malt whisky. Let me finally introduce myself, xxxxxxxx, your managing director" and he handed him his card.

 

Now, my you could say my DH was cruel to do this, but the utter shock on the guy's face was priceless.

[SeaTheWorldBySea]

I wear a lanyard so that everyone can see my "black" card. Does that make me an Ultimate Cruise Snob?

:eek:.................Please don't take this seriously! Just reading the thread about lanyards and when considering this one about snobs I thought maybe some do use a lanyard to display their Princes status.................That's not MY reason - it's just convenient and gives me a way to use my cheap jewelry.

[guxu]

We were on low deck once. I was surprised how convenient the location was. Main dining room is one story up, off the ship (for shore excursion) is one story down. I mentioned that to others. Never thought it might offend some higher deck suite passengers.

[partybarbie]

I wear a lanyard so that everyone can see my "black" card. Does that make me an Ultimate Cruise Snob?

:eek:.................Please don't take this seriously! Just reading the thread about lanyards and when considering this one about snobs I thought maybe some do use a lanyard to display their Princes status.................That's not MY reason - it's just convenient and gives me a way to use my cheap jewelry.

 

I was just thinking the same thing. I am also wondering how I am going to buy drinks without showing my "black card".:eek:

 

The funniest thing is that on my last cruise there were over 500 elite members on the ship. To make the "most traveled luncheon" one had to have over 400 days. We went to a wine tasting that I don't believe anyone paid to go to. We were all elites!

 

What gives DH and I the biggest laugh is that we cruise on Princess because it is cheap! Anyone that was really "rich" would be on a private yacht, us included. We cruise on Princess because we are poor and proud of it.:D

[2BeOnaBoat]

My only experience with true snobbery came on my last cruise.

 

A gentleman had lunch with us and the usual questions came up; who, what, where and how often. He had been on 50+ cruises and had tons of sea days with various cruise lines. He wasn't in the least bit a snob and wasn't bragging we just kept dragging it out of him by asking so many questions. What was his favorite; ship, cruise line, port etc.

 

Then the waiter asked if someone else could join us so we said sure. This mean old lady sat down and had more days, more cruise and hated everything. Anything the guy said - which again was a response to a question from us - she could out do.

 

I felt bad for the poor guy. 50+ cruises and this had to have been his worse lunch!

 

 

As far as the 11 year old, I would have asked to see his card then grabbed and tossed it. Or ask him if he'd like to exit the hot tub wearing less than when he got in.

[luvs2travl]

We had returned from a wonderful day in Acapulco watching the amazing Cliff Divers from our tour boat that offered not only a spectacular view of the diving, but a wonderful luncheon buffet as well. Ater the diving performance was completed, two of these awesome young divers actually swam out and boarded the boat to collect their tips.

 

They were kind enough to inform all of us that they were trained from the age of about 6 or 7 to perform these life-threatening dives, and that it was considered an honor to be selected. Also -all tips collected by all the divers are pooled and equally divided between them at the end of each month. There was more - but I don't want to digress too much. Suffice to say - we were highly impressed with these young men.

 

That evening at dinner, we were recounting the experience with our table mates, while a man seated at the next table was doing the same. However - his unbelievable comments were: "I wonder just how retarded (yes - he used that word!) you have to be to dive off a cliff and try to kill yourself for the sake of a few bucks? Probably more retarded (that word again!) than the folks that make you do it!" (Huge laughter from him - shock on the faces of his tablemates.

 

It's one of the very few times my husband had to literally hold me down in my chair. We have a mentally challenged family member and all I could think of was getting my hands on that ignorant &*%hole!!

 

From what we could tell, he was ignored for the rest of the meal. No one at his table seemed to have much interest in anything else he had to say.

[Eagle Eye]

When you experience a snob, just laugh it off at their expense and don't let their actions ruin/disturb your cruise.

[PunkiC]

I understand what Magic Kingdom is. I was asking her if she meant Disneyland because Walt Disney died before Magic Kingdom was completed. However, he sometimes refers to Disneyland in old videos as a "Magic Kingdom" - hence the name of the Central Florida theme park.

 

Yes, back in the day, when Orlando was just a sleepy little town in Flordia, The Magic Kingdom meant Disneyland in Anaheim. If I recall correctly, they often referred to "The Magic Kingdom" on the Mickey Mouse Club. I would always race through my paper route in Illinois so I would get home in time to watch the adventures of Annette, Spin and Marty. I never dreamed at the time that I would eventually go to California and actually work there. Although we don't often go anymore, I still find it pretty magical. :)

[ChevyCruiser]

It's interesting that the question about one's occupation or former occupation can be a negative for some. My own DH has commented to me a number of times on cruises that he loves to hear how other people make a living. He has wide interests, so he finds their work fascinating. No one so far has been offended that he asks.

 

 

I don't mind sharing certain details in a conversation with a regular person, but not a snob. Since they can't pre-qualify you by your neighborhood or the car you drive, cruise snobs want to know your loyalty program status, where you are from, and what you do as a qualifier to determine if you are worthy of further conversation. Tell them this is your first cruise, you're a plumber, and you live in Yazoo City and see how they react. You can bet that it'll be different than if you say you are elite, you're the CEO of an offshore manufacturing company, and you live in Beverly Hills.

 

If you're a regular Joe and sidle up to the bar for a beer, we'll have a conversation. But if you're a cruise snob all wrapped up in the thin veil of a loyalty program status that means zip on land, we'll have a different and very short conversation.

 

I don't have much time for braggarts, blowhards, cruise snobs, and people who abuse the hired help.

[PunkiC]

I've used that one too! :D I never give my real name, occupation or place of residence. When I cruise it's all lies all the time! My favorite lies are about what I paid for airfare, the cabin or the fabulous upgrade I got!

 

Different strokes for different folks.

 

One of the reasons we love cruising is because we always make so many wonderful friends. We have quite a few "cruise friends" with whom we stay in constant contact and cruise with on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, I just became Facebook friends yesterday with a truly charming woman whom we met on our last cruise and I am delighted to have her in my life.

 

I do, however, have a fun fake occupation story. I had an old friend who was a diamond salesman who travelled undercover as a condom salesman. He had business cards and a top layer in his briefcase outfitted with a grand array of condom styles. The bottom layer of the briefcase hid the diamonds. He has long since passed and I don't know how that would work given today's airport security, but it worked really well back in the day.

[LittleMissMagic]

Yes, back in the day, when Orlando was just a sleepy little town in Flordia, The Magic Kingdom meant Disneyland in Anaheim. If I recall correctly, they often referred to "The Magic Kingdom" on the Mickey Mouse Club. I would always race through my paper route in Illinois so I would get home in time to watch the adventures of Annette, Spin and Marty. I never dreamed at the time that I would eventually go to California and actually work there. Although we don't often go anymore, I still find it pretty magical. :)

 

That's so awesome that you worked at Disneyland while Walt Disney was alive. Walt had such high expectations for customer service and really set the standard for hospitality in the mass tourism industry.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Does he drive one of those "truck trains" (I think that's what they're called) with 2 or 3 trailers? I was a secretary and my husband worked for our city parks department so those snobby people probably wouldn't have talked to us either.

 

You mean a "Road Train", with 3 or 4 or 5 trailers behind the prime mover? Yes, he has driven those over the years but those road trains are only allowed "out west" or away from the main cities. He does drive B Doubles (two trailers) in the cities though. Now he is nearing retirement he is winding down and only drives just the Prime Mover with 43' trailer and travels from Brisbane to Sydney twice a week.

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

I wear a lanyard so that everyone can see my "black" card. Does that make me an Ultimate Cruise Snob?

 

:eek:.................Please don't take this seriously! Just reading the thread about lanyards and when considering this one about snobs I thought maybe some do use a lanyard to display their Princes status.................That's not MY reason - it's just convenient and gives me a way to use my cheap jewelry.

 

Yeah, me too..... it is just so convenient to wear a lanyard.

 

Has anyone ever seen ladies walking around the cruiseship carrying a handbag?

 

I prefer to leave everything in the safe/cabin and wear a lanyard.

[madjohn]

I never thought it was so important. I have walked around the ships and people have been trying to impress me and I did not even know it. The only thing I am looking forward to as a elite (and I have a long way to go) is the free laundry. I hate taking the time to go do it but if I go for more then 7 days I always have to.

[sackman]

I wear a lanyard so that everyone can see my "black" card. Does that make me an Ultimate Cruise Snob?

 

:eek:.................Please don't take this seriously! Just reading the thread about lanyards and when considering this one about snobs I thought maybe some do use a lanyard to display their Princes status.................That's not MY reason - it's just convenient and gives me a way to use my cheap jewelry.

 

Agreed. The lanyard is simply a way to avoid pockets. I couldn't care less what color my card is.

[TracieABD]

My only experience with true snobbery came on my last cruise.

 

A gentleman had lunch with us and the usual questions came up; who, what, where and how often. He had been on 50+ cruises and had tons of sea days with various cruise lines. He wasn't in the least bit a snob and wasn't bragging we just kept dragging it out of him by asking so many questions. What was his favorite; ship, cruise line, port etc.

 

Then the waiter asked if someone else could join us so we said sure. This mean old lady sat down and had more days, more cruise and hated everything. Anything the guy said - which again was a response to a question from us - she could out do.

 

in.

 

We call these people "toppers". :rolleyes::cool:

[Nomsayin]

The trouble with the 'witness protection program' line is that if you were really on it you wouldn't say so.....

 

Exactly;)

[PunkiC]

That's so awesome that you worked at Disneyland while Walt Disney was alive. Walt had such high expectations for customer service and really set the standard for hospitality in the mass tourism industry.

 

It was very hard work and they were very demanding--i.e. we could only wear one color of lipstick and had to be totally on the ball from the moment we opened the door in the morning until we locked it at night. There was never a moment's rest. Moreover, while they never came right out and said so, they only seemed to hire pretty girls with long hair, slim figures, and good teeth. Of course SoCal was so heavily populated with colleges that that type casting for summer employees was pretty easy to accomplish. I remember how shocked I was when we first went to Disney World in Orlando to find that the cast members were so much older and so much more diverse. Of course things changed everywhere over the years and that is a good thing. I now have retired friends who work at Disney World in the winter.

 

You know, as I reflect upon this thread, I honestly don't think I have ever met anybody on a cruise who was a snob. I have met some people who were very naive about cruising, rude, unkind, pushy, unhappy, sad and folks who had a lot of serious misconceptions about the way things work on a ship, but never what I would call a snob.

 

I once thought I had met a snob. This woman was just too elegant and beautiful, and was a divine dancer. To make things even worse, she was slim as a boy and ate like a lumberjack and that is just not fair. :p When I got over my initial bout of jealousy and got to know her, she turned out to be a true delight and is now one of my favorite cruise friends. I wonder if she will read this. :o If she does, she will recognize herself I am sure.

 

For me, at least, what I sometimes view as a fault in another is just a reflection of my own attitude. When I decide to like everybody, they suddenly become so much more likable. ;)

[ChevyCruiser]

A thought just occurred to me. Isn't listing your loyalty program status and listing ALL of your previous cruises as an extension to your postings here a bit of snobbery also?:confused:

[PunkiC]

A thought just occurred to me. Isn't listing your loyalty program status and listing ALL of your previous cruises as an extension to your postings here a bit of snobbery also?:confused:

 

LOL, I list mine to remind me of where I have been and where I am going. :)

 

I also always ask for stamps in my passport for the same reason. It's a record.

This is very useful information when we can't remember when we went where, which is most of the time. :p

[SeaTheWorldBySea]

Has anyone ever seen ladies walking around the cruiseship carrying a handbag?

I prefer to leave everything in the safe/cabin and wear a lanyard.

 

Every time I see a lady who is carrying a handbag around the ship I wonder what in the world she feels she has to have on her person, other than her cruise card, maybe a coffee card and sometimes a book or kindle. Small bags might carry those things - it's the ones with the big handbag that I can't figure out. I am afraid I would set down a handbag somewhere and then go off and leave it. I use a lanyard and often carry a book with my coffee card as a bookmark. If I'm not out and about to read, I return the book/kindle to the cabin and go with free hands.

 

Nothing wrong with the exercise one can get walking back and forth to the cabin.

[SeaTheWorldBySea]

LOL, I list mine to remind me of where I have been and where I am going. :)

 

I also always ask for stamps in my passport for the same reason. It's a record.

This is very useful information when we can't remember when we went where, which is most of the time. :p

 

LOL! Like peas in a pod - I list ours for the same reasons! My rememberer is broke but my forgetter works really well - so I come to cruisecritic to look at my signature for that information when I want or need it.

[guxu]

A friend of mine started cruising in her 30s. But with 2 or 3 (or 4) cruises every year, the number adds up quickly. (Now she is in mid-40s). She likes to talk how many cruises she has had. But I am not sure if she is bragging or she simply enjoys the cruise so much that she just wants to share her happiness. Several years ago, we were on a Princess ship. We met a nice old lady. And as usual, the friend brought up the topic. After telling everybody how many time she has cruised, the friend asked how many time the lady has cruised. The old lady smiled and said she did not remember. Friend was surprised and asked how could you not remember. The lady said: Honey, do you remember how many times you have travelled in airplane?

[LittleMissMagic]

The biggest bunch of one-uppers I've ever encountered was on my Carnival Dream cruise roll call. That was back when we could have Facebook groups, so I had them add me to it... and the lengths that people would go to try and prove their wealth/status/knowledge was ridiculous. This one guy would always talk about stock and business as if we cared (obviously never read Rich Dad Poor Dad, or he'd know that the more impressive investments aren't those available to the general public :D), go on and on about how he was whatever their elite is... Platinum, maybe (10 cruises or more back then), he'd talk about how he doesn't need a porter because his big strong 10 and 12 year old boys would carry their bags, proceeded to tell everyone that they only really needed one pair of shoes - Croc flip-flops. He'd give people "advice" about hotels to stay at, excursions to take, etc., but whatever it was, he always turned it into some sort of bragfest. My sister and I would watch this facebook page just because it amused us so to see whatever it was that he was bragging about next.

 

Once we went on the cruise, he was apparently too big of a coward to show his face at the Meet & Mingle and would avoid people who recognized him and tried to talk to him on the ship because after the cruise, so many people confronted him on what a jerk he was to not have the nerve to show up to the meet up after he was the most active on the whole Facebook page.

 

I just thought it was ironic because he (and the other people who would try and compete with him... and "lose") was bragging about cruising so much on Carnival... a mass-market cruiseline (like Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian, Disney, and even Holland America) and what many people consider to be the cheapest of them all (or perhaps just a really good value - it's in the eye of the beholder!). Like a few others have mentioned, if he was really as wealthy as he was trying to make us believe, he wouldn't be cruising with us "peasants," and he certainly wouldn't be telling everyone about it.

[Mom33]

 

You know, as I reflect upon this thread, I honestly don't think I have ever met anybody on a cruise who was a snob. I have met some people who were very naive about cruising, rude, unkind, pushy, unhappy, sad and folks who had a lot of serious misconceptions about the way things work on a ship, but never what I would call a snob.

 

I once thought I had met a snob. This woman was just too elegant and beautiful, and was a divine dancer. To make things even worse, she was slim as a boy and ate like a lumberjack and that is just not fair. :p When I got over my initial bout of jealousy and got to know her, she turned out to be a true delight and is now one of my favorite cruise friends. I wonder if she will read this. :o If she does, she will recognize herself I am sure.

 

For me, at least, what I sometimes view as a fault in another is just a reflection of my own attitude. When I decide to like everybody, they suddenly become so much more likable. ;)

 

Excellent comments! As I read this thread, these same thoughts went through my mind. Thank you for voicing them so eloquently.:)