Unruly Passenger Behavior??

[evandbob]

Airlines are experiencing the highest incidence of antagonistic passenger behavior ever, from ignoring flight attendants instructions, fighting, spitting, and attempting to open secure doors.  I'm constantly reading about passengers being restrained or arrested, and flights being diverted or terminated.

 

My questions are:

1)  Does anyone think this type of behavior will carry over to cruise ships as sailings resume? 

 

2) Will cruise crews enforce or ignore unruly behavior by passengers when it occurs?

[Mary229]

Cruise ships do have jails and lockdowns.  I have seen them cart off an unruly customer once.  At the next port they are unceremoniously handed over to the local authorities.   Airlines don't have that option

Edited July 11, 2021 by Mary229

[ontheweb]

Much of the unruly behavior seems to over mandatory mask wearing. If some on cruise ships are mandated to wear masks, I could see it carrying over. I don't know if the crew we usually deal with get much training in dealing with unruly passengers. I'm sure though that there are security people with that training that we normally do not interact with.

[cruisemom42]

As someone who (normally) flies fairly regularly, I am getting a bit concerned about the unruly skies. I think it is less likely that there will be such "explosive" behavior on ships because the circumstances are so different -- you can usually distance yourself from someone on a ship, whereas you cannot on a plane. 

 

Not really sure why tempers seem to be so frayed right now. Hopefully as the world starts to return to normality, such behavior will moderate.

[iancal]

I have been at a loss to understand the mask wearing business. We do not view it as a big deal.

 

But...we know before we even book a flight that masks are mandatory.   No different than other conditions such as carry on or baggage fees.

 

Our choice is simple.  Wear a mask, drive, or stay home.

 

Is the mask requirement a surprise or are there people who have been living under a rock for the past 18 months?  Certainly not about freedom because we have the freedom to choose-air or no air.

Edited July 11, 2021 by iancal

[dogs4fun]

34 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Cruise ships do have jails and lockdowns.

I didn't know that the ships are equipped with jails.

[navybankerteacher]

3 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

I didn't know that the ships are equipped with jails.

They are called brigs.

[Flatbush Flyer]

45 minutes ago, evandbob said:

Airlines are experiencing the highest incidence of antagonistic passenger behavior ever, from ignoring flight attendants instructions, fighting, spitting, and attempting to open secure doors.  I'm constantly reading about passengers being restrained or arrested, and flights being diverted or terminated.

 

My questions are:

1)  Does anyone think this type of behavior will carry over to cruise ships as sailings resume? 

 

2) Will cruise crews enforce or ignore unruly behavior by passengers when it occurs?

Sadly, I’m betting that, on ships with thousands of passengers and a history of not unusual occasional episodes of nasty drunks and other belligerent butt heads, the mask situation will just offer another opportunity for them to act out and end up in the brig.

What may be a bit different in the “Covid restriction” environment, is the politically divisive nature of a mask mandate (particularly if it comes as a mid-Cruise decision for the “safety and security of passengers and crew”). So, we might even see some trouble on routinely decorous smaller ships that cater to a more “seasoned adult” population.

If I remember correctly, at least some of the security personnel on Oceania ships are former members of the Indian Army Military Police (“red berets”). They are very low key. But I expect their tolerance for BS is zero.

[shipgeeks]

We have witnessed passengers being locked in their cabins, with guard posted, several times.

And ships do have brigs, and security staff.

[akcruz]

37 minutes ago, iancal said:

I have been at a loss to understand the mask wearing business. We do not view it as a big deal.

 

But...we know before we even book a flight that masks are mandatory.   No different than other conditions such as carry on or baggage fees.

 

Our choice is simple.  Wear a mask, drive, or stay home.

 

Is the mask requirement a surprise or are there people who have been living under a rock for the past 18 months?  Certainly not about freedom because we have the freedom to choose-air or no air.

 

Unfortunately people believe it is their right to fly however they want, and yes it will carry over to cruising, in some ways it has, chair hogs, etc.

 

Found this, sad to say I believe it represents the world we now live in.

Edited July 11, 2021 by akcruz

[Blondilu]

19 minutes ago, iancal said:

Is the mask requirement a surprise or are there people who have been living under a rock for the past 18 months?  Certainly not about freedom because we have the freedom to choose-air or no air.

Not a surprise.  But, I can see where some people are starting to feel pushed into a corner.  As it is, flying is probably the least comfortable way to get anywhere.  It's downright claustrophobic, seats are uncomfortable and I have actually had a complete stranger fall asleep with his head on my shoulder.  I've also been so uncomfortable that I couldn't sit still leading me to believe my seat mate was a saint for not saying anything.  Add the fear of flying (and I know a lot of people like this), the general stress of travelling, nowhere to go and a mask that makes you feel like you can't breathe.  That's a lot of anxiety to hold in.

 

Still, unless you're two years old there's no excuse for behaving badly.  Hopefully on a ship, anyone feeling themselves start to lose it will have the sense to just take a walk and get some fresh air.

[Reina del Mar]

37 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

I didn't know that the ships are equipped with jails.

 

34 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

They are called brigs.

When I first started cruising, many moons ago they were called ISOLATION HOSPITALS

[Aquahound]

So, maritime crime is my field of expertise.  The most common allegations made during cruises are assault/battery, sexual assault, domestic violence, and theft.  And unlike an earlier post suggesting it's limited to cruises with "thousands of passengers," no cruise line is immune.  I've seen it all, and on every line. 

 

Cruises are running again but in this very short rebirth, I have not seen an uptick in crime.  The summer is young though.  

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Aquahound said:

So, maritime crime is my field of expertise.  The most common allegations made during cruises are assault/battery, sexual assault, domestic violence, and theft.  And unlike an earlier post suggesting it's limited to cruises with "thousands of passengers," no cruise line is immune.  I've seen it all, and on every line. 

 

Cruises are running again but in this very short rebirth, I have not seen an uptick in crime.  The summer is young though.  

Crime on ships is not a part of normalcy we wish to see return. And that applies to every category of allegation you listed.

 

Short of when they cannot hide a murder committed, the cruise lines do a pretty good job of hiding on board crime.

[SteveH2508]

2 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

<snip>

If I remember correctly, at least some of the security personnel on Oceania ships are former members of the Indian Army Military Police (“red berets”). They are very low key. But I expect their tolerance for BS is zero.

I do remember when we boarded our first NCL cruise, I noticed that most of the security staff had crossed khukris as their collar badges. Having ex-Gurkhas looking after us made me feel a whole lot better (Thank God they are on our side (says this British Army veteran!))

[Ashland]

3 hours ago, dogs4fun said:

I didn't know that the ships are equipped with jails.

They have a morgue also.

[dogs4fun]

1 minute ago, Ashland said:

They have a morgue also.

I was aware of the morgue as a friend's uncle passed on a cruise. 😳 I've taken quite a few cruises and I honestly had no clue that there was a jail/brig aboard the ship - just never crossed my mind. I wonder if they also have them on river cruise ships - I would think not.

[lenquixote66]

3 hours ago, evandbob said:

Airlines are experiencing the highest incidence of antagonistic passenger behavior ever, from ignoring flight attendants instructions, fighting, spitting, and attempting to open secure doors.  I'm constantly reading about passengers being restrained or arrested, and flights being diverted or terminated.

 

My questions are:

1)  Does anyone think this type of behavior will carry over to cruise ships as sailings resume? 

 

2) Will cruise crews enforce or ignore unruly behavior by passengers when it occurs?

I have posted this previously on another thread but it bears repeating.

My wife and I were disembarking .The line was very long and a guy in front of me did not want to wait.He punched an elderly woman in the face knocking her to the crowd.Everyone including the guys wife were started.Before we could react about 30 uniformed armed guys came out the guy was tackled.

[navybankerteacher]

Sadly, there has been a broad general deterioration in public behavior over recent years - exacerbated lately by COVID-related stress.  Incidents of road rage, in-flight misconduct, and aggressive conduct everywhere are certain to extend to cruise ships to some extent.

[sanger727]

3 hours ago, Blondilu said:

Not a surprise.  But, I can see where some people are starting to feel pushed into a corner.  As it is, flying is probably the least comfortable way to get anywhere.  It's downright claustrophobic, seats are uncomfortable and I have actually had a complete stranger fall asleep with his head on my shoulder.  I've also been so uncomfortable that I couldn't sit still leading me to believe my seat mate was a saint for not saying anything.  Add the fear of flying (and I know a lot of people like this), the general stress of travelling, nowhere to go and a mask that makes you feel like you can't breathe.  That's a lot of anxiety to hold in.

 

Still, unless you're two years old there's no excuse for behaving badly.  Hopefully on a ship, anyone feeling themselves start to lose it will have the sense to just take a walk and get some fresh air.

this. Airplanes and travel are anxiety producing in a lot of ways for a lot of people. I love traveling but still get pretty irritated and close to losing my cool on a long flight/travel day. Add in masks, people who want to assert their ‘right’, people not liking being told what to do, and cramped quarters; not surprised by these issues.
 

being ‘on the trip’, aka, while on the cruise is an entirely different dynamic. Room to stretch out, walk around, eat, drink, go to your room. I don’t think the issues will carry over anywhere to the same degree. Though drunk people can and will be obnoxious.

[neverbeenhere]

While the brig is useful on a cruise ship, it is small. Back when some here on Cruise Critic started cruising the plank was the preferred  method for dealing with the unruly. 

[chengkp75]

3 hours ago, SteveH2508 said:

I do remember when we boarded our first NCL cruise, I noticed that most of the security staff had crossed khukris as their collar badges. Having ex-Gurkhas looking after us made me feel a whole lot better (Thank God they are on our side (says this British Army veteran!))

When we started with US crew on the Norwegian Sky in preparation for reflagging to the Pride of Aloha, the Gurkhas took care of a couple of problems for us.  One crew, unfortunately US crew, showed up at the ship drunk, and was promptly fired.  He managed to find the Captain in the Officer's Mess, and proceeded to impute the Captain's legitimacy of birth.  The Gurkhas showed up, bounced him a couple of times before throwing him down the gangway, followed by his luggage on top of him.  Then a 70 pound female Gurkha was confronted in the shipyard by a drunk sub-contractor.  She dropped him to his knees with a pressure hold between his thumb and index finger, and had him crawl on his knees all the way to his cabin.

 

Unruly guests are not a post-covid phenomenom, it has been around for a while, but may be an uptick due to covid restrictions.

[evandbob]

3 hours ago, neverbeenhere said:

While the brig is useful on a cruise ship, it is small. Back when some here on Cruise Critic started cruising the plank was the preferred  method for dealing with the unruly. 

On an early solo cruise, one of the men did not come to the MDR table for a few nights.  He later explained his absence and his facial bruising as a result of being thrown into the brig for fighting over a spilled beer in an elevator.  Amazing!

 

Now I'm thinking that there may be altercations over mask requirements, just like on planes.

Edited July 12, 2021 by evandbob

[zekekelso]

Keep in mind there are approximately one billion* flights a day around the world. The small number of flights that get disrupted make the news. The 99.9% that go smoothly do not. 
 

* note - I said approximately 

[zekekelso]

Side note - I think cruise lines are missing a great revenue opportunity. I bet there are at least a few people on each cruise that would be willing to pay to spend a night in the brig.