Change in "dining culture" on cruise ships!

[cruiseny4life]

21 minutes ago, Mike981 said:

 

Sadly you are correct. Having watched grand parents, parents and the children over the past 30 years because of my wife's in-home daycare, I can affirm that we are moving in a negative direction. Generation after generation is getting worse. I saw someone post here on CC years ago not wanting to travel where there are feral children around and I thought it was harsh, but it sure seems to be going that way. 

I so love these posts. You do realize that if Cruise Critic had been around 40 years ago, you would have seen the same exact post...if Cruise Critic had been around 100 years ago, you would have seen the same exact post.

 

Why is it certain members of every single generation believe that the generations after them are just awful people? Doesn't that previous generation realize they raised the parents of the current heck in a handbasket generation?

 

To box me in, I'm a Millennial and my husband is a Millennial. You know what neither of us do? B!%& and moan about the kids on the stairs of a cruise ship that are Gen Z. Why? Because back in the day the Greatest Generation was B!%& and moaning about Gen X. It's just human to do this I guess...but lordy it gets quite tiring after awhile. 

 

G-d willing, I've got several more decades to watch people like you whine about the up and coming generations. 

 

Remember Elvis and his hips! 

[cruisemom42]

19 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I so love these posts. You do realize that if Cruise Critic had been around 40 years ago, you would have seen the same exact post...if Cruise Critic had been around 100 years ago, you would have seen the same exact post.

 

Why is it certain members of every single generation believe that the generations after them are just awful people? Doesn't that previous generation realize they raised the parents of the current heck in a handbasket generation?

 

 

I 100% agree with this.  It's been going on as long as we have written history to document it. Probably longer. (Those cave men and women were probably bemoaning the passing of the "good old days" too.)  

 

Someone recently posted this quote from Socrates, the Greek philosopher -- it perfectly illustrates your point:

 

“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”
 

[rkacruiser]

21 hours ago, hueyjudy said:

We shared a table once with two mothers and 5 kids, thought it would be a disaster.  It was wonderful.  The kids were great company and the mothers interesting conversationalists. 

 

A similar situation for me occurred on Star Princess.  I was seated at my desired sized/shape table for 6 with a family of 5:  two parents and three children of various ages, two of them mid-older teens and one an early teen.  I wondered how that was going to be.  Turned out it was wonderful!  The children were perfect ladies and gentleman and were able to carry on conversations with adults well.  The kids would get done with their dinners before we three adults did, leave for their evening activities, and Mom and Dad and I could continue to talk and linger over dessert and coffee.  

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Mike981 said:

 

Sadly you are correct. Having watched grand parents, parents and the children over the past 30 years because of my wife's in-home daycare, I can affirm that we are moving in a negative direction. Generation after generation is getting worse. I saw someone post here on CC years ago not wanting to travel where there are feral children around and I thought it was harsh, but it sure seems to be going that way. 

 

Boy, parents today have a mighty tough time of it. Either we are ignoring our children completely, leading to a generation of feral children (and feral adults in the making)...OR we are accused of being "helicopter parents" constantly hovering around our kids and fending off all the challenges and disappointments that should be theirs to face in order to grow up as well-adjusted individuals.

 

If only it was as easy for us to get it perfect like all past generations have done. 🙄

Edited July 14, 2022 by cruisemom42

[rkacruiser]

Parents need to be "parents" and not their child's "friend".  

[wcook]

52 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Those cave men and women were probably bemoaning the passing of the "good old days

These crazy kids today with their “fire.” Sheesh. 

[Host Anne]

Let's keep this thread on track and keep discussing ships and the changes over the years, not parenting.  😁

[Markanddonna]

We enjoy sitting with others at a six top. Any more people than that means that the conversation is segmented.

 

We have met really interesting people at the MDR, but our children don't enjoy the shared table experience. They want their family time which is understandable and the biggest difference between today's cruises and those 40 years ago when children on cruises were uncommon.

 

Only once have I been with people who were not acceptable. It was on a 23 day cruise and I WASN'T going to put up with them for three weeks. The mostly silent older man was eclipsed by his never smiling negative wife, one couple didn't show, and the other two were French Canadians who pretended to not know any English. We explained the situation to the maître de, and he switched our table to a very gregarious, enjoyable one. 

 

BTW, one of my favorite people we met on the ship was an eleven year old girl who was the very best traveler you could hope for. We went on many excursions together and she was always polite and well behaved. That's YOU, Tina!

 

 

 

[ldubs]

On 7/13/2022 at 10:45 AM, cruizergal70 said:

People have a right and a choice in how they choose to eat dinner. I don't go on cruises to meet new people. Therefore,  I don't choose to be anyone's table mate. It's that simple.

 

This doesn't make me antisocial,  boorish, uncouth, or lacking social skills. 

 

While it could mean not wanting company, "antisocial" usually has a much more negative intent I think. "Unsocial" might be a better term for those who simply prefer to be left alone.  

[Toofarfromthesea]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

I so love these posts. You do realize that if Cruise Critic had been around 40 years ago, you would have seen the same exact post...if Cruise Critic had been around 100 years ago, you would have seen the same exact post.

 

Why is it certain members of every single generation believe that the generations after them are just awful people? Doesn't that previous generation realize they raised the parents of the current heck in a handbasket generation?

 

To box me in, I'm a Millennial and my husband is a Millennial. You know what neither of us do? B!%& and moan about the kids on the stairs of a cruise ship that are Gen Z. Why? Because back in the day the Greatest Generation was B!%& and moaning about Gen X. It's just human to do this I guess...but lordy it gets quite tiring after awhile. 

 

G-d willing, I've got several more decades to watch people like you whine about the up and coming generations. 

 

Remember Elvis and his hips! 

 

For me the whole generation thing is foolish.  Whenever someone is born, the defining characteristic is the person, not the generation.  I have 2 "millennial" daughters, and they both have the outlook, values, and goals of someone in the "greatest" generation or the boomers.  And I now live in a somewhat upscale 55+ community and I meet people in the 60-80+ range who would fit right in with the "millennial" stereotypes.

[DirtyDawg]

1 hour ago, Host Anne said:

Let's keep this thread on track and keep discussing ships and the changes over the years, not parenting.  😁

I once tried my hand at herding cats too.  😁 

[cruiseny4life]

54 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

While it could mean not wanting company, "antisocial" usually has a much more negative intent I think. "Unsocial" might be a better term for those who simply prefer to be left alone.  

 

I suppose unsocial would work as i don't actively tell people to go away, but when I'm on a cruise (or eating anywhere) I sure don't want someone I don't know coming to me to talk. I once lived in a small community - when I'd go out for lunch I would try to install my phone in my face so others knew not to interrupt me....they did anyway. Why must we settle for idle chatter? If there is ever a cruise where one must never speak, I'd be the first to sign up!

16 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

I once tried my hand at herding cats too.  😁 

I tried herding kindergarteners. Let's just say, it never worked!

[SargassoPirate]

2 hours ago, Host Anne said:

Let's keep this thread on track and keep discussing ships and the changes over the years, not parenting.  😁

But Anne, parenting and the lack thereof has changed over the years. Surely the fact that there are more feral children on cruises nowadays has changed cruising.  We avoid cruising at holiday times or when school is out for seasonal breaks.

 

Add feral children to an alcohol fueled floating country fair with rides and go karts, but no promenade, and one may as well stay home.

 

Face it, cruising ain't what it used to be, but we can also adapt to lines that cater more to the traditional cruiser. We have yet to encounter feral children on Cunard and Viking is adults only.

 

 

[pris993]

I had another thought about changes in the dining on ships.  Once I was on a Princess ship, on the first night on board, the MC at the evening entertainment was going over what passengers might expect in the way of entertainment over the cruise and emphasized, how passengers can plan their meals around entertainment because of all the flexible alternatives on board.  I think the cruise lines have encouraged passengers to pick and choose what they wish to do as much as anyone.   I know it was around this time we stopped going to the MDR at all.  We always do Room Service for breakfast; some days we do the buffet for lunch/dinner; sometimes we do Room Service for lunch/dinner especially if we are on a TA cruise; if in a port of call we like, we may pick up carry out in port and bring back and enjoy a meal on our balcony.  Since we don't go to the MDR at all, we are free to change what we do every day.  We enjoy the specialty dining some nights when we want to do something special.  We never missed the MDR because there are so many options.  

[rkacruiser]

15 minutes ago, pris993 said:

We never missed the MDR because there are so many options.  

 

Your choice to be sure.  But, historically, the MDR experience is what helped to make ocean liner and cruise ship travel significantly different from other types of vacations.  

 

I have read Tourist Class menus from RMS Queen Mary that offer items that, I think, many of her guests would never have tried or even seen on any land based restaurant's menu.  

[pris993]

1 minute ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Your choice to be sure.  But, historically, the MDR experience is what helped to make ocean liner and cruise ship travel significantly different from other types of vacations.  

 

I have read Tourist Class menus from RMS Queen Mary that offer items that, I think, many of her guests would never have tried or even seen on any land based restaurant's menu.  

Could be.   I have cruised on Cunard, both QV and QM2, did eat in the MDR on both, we have been cruising since l980s, did not see anything that unique on the menu.  Guess I would need to in an up class stateroom and dining room.  

[Host Anne]

Of course cruising has changed over the years.  There are many reasons for that.  Our first cruise was on Monarch of the Seas which, at 73,000 gross tons, was huge back then.  While there were a lot of kids on board then, it can't compare to the amount of children cruising today on mega-ships.  But, there are all kinds of ships and cruising experiences available today.  If you want a quieter cruise without water slides and zip lines, you can find that.  If you still want to to vacation with family and hang together for meals, you can do that.  If you prefer an adults only cruise, that's available, too.  The bottom line is that there is no right or wrong cruising nor is it right or wrong whether you prefer to dine at a large table or one for two.  

 

We've cruised on sailboats to mega-ships (I much prefer the smaller vessels) and I'm grateful for the all experiences cruising has afforded us.  Plus we've seen a lot of the world.  I consider us lucky.

 

And yes, I have herded a great deal of cats over the years!  Good thing I like cats!

[wcook]

54 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

historically, the MDR experience is what helped to make ocean liner and cruise ship travel significantly different from other types of vacations.  

I feel like the MDR experience is stuck in a time bubble. Yep, there’s stuff that we don’t get in our everyday lives. Escargot. Beef Wellington. Baked Alaska! Singing waiters. The parade of chefs. Napkin twirling. Everybody should experience that. Once. 
 

I get the cruise ship dilemma. People expect this stuff. Take it away and they will *****. But little by little that experience is going away and even more cruisers want a more modern experience. And that includes not dining with strangers. 

[cruizergal70]

1 hour ago, SargassoPirate said:

But Anne, parenting and the lack thereof has changed over the years. Surely the fact that there are more feral children on cruises nowadays has changed cruising.  We avoid cruising at holiday times or when school is out for seasonal breaks.

 

Add feral children to an alcohol fueled floating country fair with rides and go karts, but no promenade, and one may as well stay home.

 

Face it, cruising ain't what it used to be, but we can also adapt to lines that cater more to the traditional cruiser. We have yet to encounter feral children on Cunard and Viking is adults only.

 

 

Then you've found your answer. No need to continue these parental critiques.

[cruizergal70]

17 minutes ago, wcook said:

I feel like the MDR experience is stuck in a time bubble. Yep, there’s stuff that we don’t get in our everyday lives. Escargot. Beef Wellington. Baked Alaska! Singing waiters. The parade of chefs. Napkin twirling. Everybody should experience that. Once. 

All of those foods can be found in the majority of cities across the US. They are not special and are not relegated to cruises. 

Edited July 15, 2022 by cruizergal70

[Cruise till you drop]

There is a line from a Rush song called Limelight that I think captures this for me

 

“I can’t pretend this stranger is a long awaited friend”.

 

I really don’t mind meeting new people at a meal but does it has to be the same people

every night.  Why can’t they set up a system much like breakfast where you get seated with different people randomly.

 

We’ve met a lot of people over the years but have never made lifelong friends that we stay in touch with after the cruise. And we probably never will.

[Spif Barwunkel]

By chronological definition, I am a post-war baby. Certainly, with each future generation, more influences and influencers have helped to shape the lives of each generation’s men and women. Modern technology is perhaps the most impactful, as its capability tends to draw people into a less intimate, personal relationship. Face-to-face in its purest form is no longer necessary. So, certainly when you are on a cruise ship, all the interpersonal communication one needs is right there in that small electronic device. Therefore, the desire to remain closed-off while being closed-in – so to speak – is preferable to the alternative. Of course, take electronics out of the equation, and there still exists atrophied social skills which over the course of time have rarely been used, when not necessary.

 

For the most part, while dining at larger tables, we have experienced the best of what every generation has to offer. From post-war, through Gen Z where my youngest grandkids reside, we have enjoyed our encounters while seeing many of the same characteristics, traditions and behaviors in each. Generations cannot be stereotyped because they overlap, and yet they are still deserving of their own identity and social norm. Try to specifically define any generation, and you will probably see yourself or someone like you in the mirror.

 

Eat, drink, and be merry, however it best floats your boat.

    

[DirtyDawg]

10 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

I tried herding kindergarteners. Let's just say, it never worked!

WOW! Kindergarteners. Just WOW! You deserve a medal for trying that. 

 

Or a straightjacket. 😇

 

[SargassoPirate]

10 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

WOW! Kindergarteners. Just WOW! You deserve a medal for trying that. 

 

Or a straightjacket. 😇

 

 

And that's one reason we try to avoid cruising certain times of the year or choose a more adult oriented cruise line. She Who Must Be Obeyed retired from 30 years of elementary teaching.  She can attest to the deterioration of children's behavior and parents lack of boundaries for the little nose miners.

[cruisemom42]

11 hours ago, Cruise till you drop said:

I really don’t mind meeting new people at a meal but does it has to be the same people

every night.  Why can’t they set up a system much like breakfast where you get seated with different people randomly.

 

But there IS a system like this. I said it in my post earlier. 

 

You can choose to do your cruise line's equivalent of Anytime Dining (e.g., not a fixed time) and you can let the person seating know that you are willing to sit at a table with others. You will then have an opportunity to meet people and have a conversation without the "commitment" of a fixed table for XX days.

 

I believe this works on just about all mass market lines with the exception of NCL where sharing of tables is just not the done thing, for whatever reason....  Certainly I've done it on Princess, Celebrity, and HAL.

 

 

Edited July 15, 2022 by cruisemom42