Crew does nothing to stop bad behavior

[BosoxI]

I would have probably sat down in the open chair and told him that I'm sure we will have an enjoyable dinner together. Being a woman, I doubt he would have done anything other than get up.

Funny. That thought occurred to me too. With the comment "What looks good?"

 

Several years ago on a Princess ship two people stood in the walkway in front of a group of us, completely blocking the view of the stage. I politely asked them to leave and the woman was particularly nasty. I asked a staff member to have them removed and, of course, nothing happened. Eventually, the man knelt which solved his problem. My wife and I left and I was really hot. To this day I wish I had called security. I don't know why I didn't

[Jade13]

I would have probably sat down in the open chair and told him that I'm sure we will have an enjoyable dinner together. Being a woman, I doubt he would have done anything other than get up.

 

 

 

That would have been funny if the women sat down and refused to move.

 

 

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[sanger727]

Absolutely right! I've had my share of cruise scum & I don't back off from them. This is what they don't expect. When you hold your ground, you'd be surprised at how fast they back down! If the staff had moved us like that & we were later to be seated next to them on a different occasion, I'd simply say, We don't want to be seated next to filth, thank you!

 

 

 

I don’t see how name calling of a complete stranger is any less rude that what he did.

 

 

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[Duanerice1]

I'm surprised by some of the answers. These tough folks, "I'd put him in his place, etc.". Really? At dinner on a ship? Who cares. It's not that important. There's a time and place for everything. Sometimes the adult thing is to just look the other way - you don't always have to tell people when they are behaving badly.

 

Remember, when he wakes up, he's still himself. He can't get away from being a jerk. We have a choice.......

[Bo1953]

I would have probably sat down in the open chair and told him that I'm sure we will have an enjoyable dinner together. Being a woman, I doubt he would have done anything other than get up.

 

Yes, I think my party would have wanted to leave, yet I would have insisted that we all sit together at that table...

 

Ask the Maitre d' to pull up another chair or two (2) to accommodate all of us... LOL

 

bon voyage

[Bo1953]

The problem is two fold.

 

Senior management don’t back the crew and a bad review can destroy their career.

 

They rely on tips for much of their income.

 

What do you think happens to their reviews and tips from that bloke, if they stand up to people like that?

 

I Am sure if the crew member only had one (1) poor review out of hundreds, it would be a major factor, management would know something was askew in that case...

 

bon voyage

[NLH Arizona]

 

There were at least 2 other occasions where a passenger was acting badly in front of crew and nothing was said. Are they being told to not get involved and let the passengers settle their own conflicts?

Curious, what happened during the 2 other occasions?

[jelayne]

I'm surprised by some of the answers. These tough folks, "I'd put him in his place, etc.". Really? At dinner on a ship? Who cares. It's not that important. There's a time and place for everything. Sometimes the adult thing is to just look the other way - you don't always have to tell people when they are behaving badly.

 

Remember, when he wakes up, he's still himself. He can't get away from being a jerk. We have a choice.......

 

 

Agree, anyone witnessing that guys behavior will realize he’s a jerk. No need to make a scene or risk things getting out of hand and someone getting hurt.

[rvmike]

Had a similar experience on a river cruise. Was heading to dinner and an elderly gent and myself came to a bottle neck in the restaurent. I motioned for him to go first since he had a cane. He called me some names do I went first, a few feet latter he shoved his cane in my back and called me more choice names . Just grabbed his cane and over the side it went. The Russian crew saw everything and said I did the fight thing.

[davekathy]

Agree, anyone witnessing that guys behavior will realize he’s a jerk. No need to make a scene or risk things getting out of hand and someone getting hurt.

Agree. Not worth the confrontation. If the OP was really PO about what happened they could have elevated their complaint to the HD. This goes for dealing with pool chair hogs too. The guy mentioned is this thread is likely to be a pool chair hog also.

[dkjretired]

I Am sure if the crew member only had one (1) poor review out of hundreds, it would be a major factor, management would know something was askew in that case...

 

bon voyage

 

There may be another reason and I only bring this up because I saw it happen. On one cruise there was a whole group of people, kids and adults who continually acted as if they owned the ship, did anything they wanted and the crew did nothing. Speaking to a crew member I knew from a couple of other cruises found out that this was one family, they were in one of the highest suites and were major, major stockholders so I guess in a way they owned the ship.

 

Also saw a crime committed in Atlantic City in one of the casinos by a very high roller and nothing was done. Man was fortunate that I was retired then because if I was working I would have made an arrest on the spot.

 

Point is some people expect and get special treatment.

Edited August 30, 2018 by dkjretired

[riclop]

Not surprised.

[Ladyinflight]

Why do people think a person's personality would change just because they are on a cruise. Most people I have met on cruises are friendly and amicable but, others can be nasty, rude, pushy, greedy, dirty, controlling, and totally me first, FU. The last cruise we were on (Celebrity) two guy almost came to blows because one was not walking up the theater stairs fast enough for him, and these were old people:(:(:(:(:(

[Orator]

To those who preach a physical response: Remember the referee usually misses the first foul, but usually sees the retaliation. The retaliation usually gets the flag, or the card, or the visit with the Staff Captain and HD.

[shofer]

We were on Princess and as usual the theater isn't big enough for the number of people who want to attend and always the announcement not to save seats. DH and his cousin went into the theater early while the ladies visited the restroom.

 

Coming down the aisle, there was an elderly man in front of me who decided that he had to have those particular two seats. DH refused to move and declared that I was right behind him. Did not matter, this guy complained loudly that "there was no saving seats". DH pointed out that the entire next row was empty! This guy was indignant and was going to report DH.

 

Needless to say, he took two of the twenty empty seats in front of us. Consequently, whenever he saw DH, he would comment "I'm staying away from that guy".

[The_Big_M]

I'm just surprised that the OP started out by saying " as usual encountered passengers acting badly."

 

While it's definitely not unknown, I can't say that I see badly behaving passengers usually. If things were that bad that bad behaviour was expected everywhere onboard, I'm not sure I'd go on another cruise.

[Luvcrusn]

I think crew members try to create what I like to call a "land of yes" aboard ship and aim to please passengers, keep everyone happy and avoid conflicts. They rely on good reviews and tips to keep their jobs and supplement their income. In the OP's example, since there were (by his own admission) other tables open in the room that were equally desirable, OP just accepted another table and avoided what could have been an ugly incident. The crew member avoided a fight.

 

I have seen badly behaving passengers aboard ship, but rarely. In one incident a passenger in front of me was ordering a stir fry at the OVC and wanted the chef preparing the food to put the raw chicken and shrimp in the pan at the same time as the cooked fried rice. The chef said he'd add the rice once the chicken and shrimp were cooked and at a time that the rice would be heated and the flavors melded. The rude passenger continued to berate the chef, yelling that he wasn't listening and was stupid. The chef properly prepared the dish and smiling, handed it to the man, who then turned to me and asked "do you believe how stupid he is?" I calmly replied that yes, perhaps the chef should have done it his way and so he could get the food poisoning he requested! The man glared and stomped off. I then complimented the chef on his handling of the situation with a pleasant smile. I also found the manager of the OVC for that shift and complimented the chef for his handling of the rude man.

[Mythbuster]

I'm just surprised that the OP started out by saying " as usual encountered passengers acting badly."

 

While it's definitely not unknown, I can't say that I see badly behaving passengers usually. If things were that bad that bad behaviour was expected everywhere onboard, I'm not sure I'd go on another cruise.

 

I never said that I expected bad behavior "EVERYWHERE" onboard. But it is impossible to go anywhere including a cruise with 2-4 thousand passengers over 7 days and not see some bad behaviors. These cruise critic threads are full of testimonies. I find the vast majority of passengers to be polite, well behaved and a joy to be around.

 

 

My point is that the crew, specifically the maitre'd could have handled the situation in a polite and tactful manner. He could have ask us if it was ok to move to another table and then told the rude man that people are seated in the order they arrive at the restaurant and no tables can be reserved in advance. Instead he stood there waiting for us handle the situation ourselves. Many have bravely suggested that they would have gotten physical with the man sitting at the table, but I do not believe that standing up to a bully is worth being kicked off our long awaited vacation and losing our $7,000 fare. Particularly when there are other equal or better tables. By the way if he did not interact with the bully because he was afraid of not getting a tip, it backfired because I definitely did not tip the maitre'd as I usually do.

[Toofarfromthesea]

I am comforted by the study that found that 97.3% of internet 'tough guys' would never actually do the things they talk about online.

[GUT2407]

I think crew members try to create what I like to call a "land of yes" aboard ship and aim to please passengers, keep everyone happy and avoid conflicts. They rely on good reviews and tips to keep their jobs and supplement their income. In the OP's example, since there were (by his own admission) other tables open in the room that were equally desirable, OP just accepted another table and avoided what could have been an ugly incident. The crew member avoided a fight.

 

I have seen badly behaving passengers aboard ship, but rarely. In one incident a passenger in front of me was ordering a stir fry at the OVC and wanted the chef preparing the food to put the raw chicken and shrimp in the pan at the same time as the cooked fried rice. The chef said he'd add the rice once the chicken and shrimp were cooked and at a time that the rice would be heated and the flavors melded. The rude passenger continued to berate the chef, yelling that he wasn't listening and was stupid. The chef properly prepared the dish and smiling, handed it to the man, who then turned to me and asked "do you believe how stupid he is?" I calmly replied that yes, perhaps the chef should have done it his way and so he could get the food poisoning he requested! The man glared and stomped off. I then complimented the chef on his handling of the situation with a pleasant smile. I also found the manager of the OVC for that shift and complimented the chef for his handling of the rude man.

 

You raise a good point, whenever I see staff dealing well with rude customers I let supervisors know. In writing if possible, sonany complaint has a better chance of being seen for what it is.

[wwcruisers]

 

My point is that the crew, specifically the maitre'd could have handled the situation in a polite and tactful manner. He could have ask us if it was ok to move to another table and then told the rude man that people are seated in the order they arrive at the restaurant and no tables can be reserved in advance. Instead he stood there waiting for us handle the situation ourselves. Many have bravely suggested that they would have gotten physical with the man sitting at the table, but I do not believe that standing up to a bully is worth being kicked off our long awaited vacation and losing our $7,000 fare. Particularly when there are other equal or better tables. By the way if he did not interact with the bully because he was afraid of not getting a tip, it backfired because I definitely did not tip the maitre'd as I usually do.

 

OP -- totally agree with how you handled that situation, in the moment. But, If I'm not mistaken, generally those in Luminae are suite guests. Did you mention this incident to the Michael's Club Concierge? Maybe with a request to speak with the Hotel Director? I've always found that, whenever possible, it's best to deal with on-board issues -- onboard. :confused:

[chemmo]

Situation annoying but not worth an argument!

 

Just a reminder that many adults can have unseen mental health issues....whilst that particular table may not look any different to most of us to a guest with a disorder that ‘needs’ routines it may be important. Not being able to reserve a particular table could be stressful for the guest.

 

I write this post not to support rude and selfish people but to remind that some challenges are unseen....

[newcruiser1956]

I'm surprised by some of the answers. These tough folks, "I'd put him in his place, etc.". Really? At dinner on a ship? Who cares. It's not that important. There's a time and place for everything. Sometimes the adult thing is to just look the other way - you don't always have to tell people when they are behaving badly.

 

Remember, when he wakes up, he's still himself. He can't get away from being a jerk. We have a choice.......

 

I agree, will it make a difference to you 20 years from now? Does it change your paycheck or anything else? If not, walk way, it is not worth it. Pick your battles, That was not important enough.

[nomad098]

We were also on this cruise and it was probably the worst cruise we have been on for rude and badly behaved individuals. None of it too serious but enough to be noticeable.

 

Examples would be:

 

The elderly lady who demanded that I should save seats for "her and her people" her exact words and I would have to move when she got back. The lady promptly dumped her bag next to me on the bench seat in the OVC where I was sat eating my food with my family on embarkation day. She came back 2 minutes later complaining that she could not find her people and wanting to know why we had not moved she then grabbed her bag and stormed off.

 

My wife came in from the FV balcony cabin deck 7 we had to tell me kids were throwing pizza from one of the FV balcony cabins on deck 9 I came out and saw two kids throwing bits of pizza and shouted at them. I phoned guest services explained what had happened as there was pizza on our balcony and several others as well as quite a lot on the penthouse balcony below. Guest services sent some one up to our room who then went up to deck 9. 10 minutes later I received a phone call telling me they had spoken to occupants of the room and and the kids had " accidentally dropped pizza" I told her this was a lie as I had seen the kids throwing pizza. Guest services said they would get back to me but never did.

 

Full moon party night by the pool, kids were dive bombing into the pool splashing the people sat on the port side of the ship by the pool. The kids parents where sat starboard side of the pool. The ED came over to stand and glower at them but they ignored him after all their parents did not care what they were doing. After about 3 minutes he called some one on his radio 2 security arrived and all the kids moved into one of the hot tubs. Not one word was said to the kids or the parents or by the parents to the kids, we were watching this unfold from the mast bar.

 

 

These were probably the 3 most notable events but there were lots of other incidents of poor and rude behavior.

 

None of the incidents by themselves where that bad but cumulatively enough that we will have to consider whether we sail out of Bayonne on Celebrity in the future.

[bigbeergut]

....

My wife came in from the FV balcony cabin deck 7 we had to tell me kids were throwing pizza from one of the FV balcony cabins on deck 9 I came out and saw two kids throwing bits of pizza and shouted at them. I phoned guest services explained what had happened as there was pizza on our balcony and several others as well as quite a lot on the penthouse balcony below. Guest services sent some one up to our room who then went up to deck 9. 10 minutes later I received a phone call telling me they had spoken to occupants of the room and and the kids had " accidentally dropped pizza" I told her this was a lie as I had seen the kids throwing pizza. Guest services said they would get back to me but never did. ....

 

 

This is another situation where cameras are your best friend. Just pull out your cellphone and start recording so that you have some evidence for guest services. However it probably won't be necessary. As soon as you start recording, most people will change their behavior and often leave. Isn't that usually the best result? Most of these people really understand that they are acting like jerks.