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Originally posted by OceanVoyager:
How about... ...those greedy soul's who pile up their plate, only to leave most of it to waste...

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if i paid money for my vacation, i think i would want to get any amount of food i wanted. if i dont eat it, i don't eat it!

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Originally posted by OceanVoyager:
How about ignorant people who push in a queue, and those greedy soul's who pile up their plate, only to leave most of it to waste...

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Originally posted by SalamisFiloxenia (Tom...):

You can eat the rest if you want.

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Very Funny!!

I agree with LaLa if I pay for a cruise I should be able to fill my plate up. Hey you dont have to eat everything. I think cruise lines know people wont eat everything.

[ 09-27-2009: Message edited by: Cam J ]

You can always go back for seconds later, instead of piling food on your plate like you've never eaten before. I have never gained weight on a cruise. Ever. I guess the cruise lines don't care what you do on a cruise as long as you don't kill anybody or start a mutiny in the process.

[ 09-27-2009: Message edited by: dmwnc1 ]

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Originally posted by dmwnc1:
The 'I paid for this cruise I can do whatever, and act out however I damn well please' attitude is one thing I detest, but I guess that's just the typical way of thinking for a lot of self centered and rude cruisers. I understand you paid for this cruise, but so didnt the other 2599 people on this boat. Civility and manners seem to go out the door for some folks. You can always go back for seconds later, instead of piling food on your plate like you've never eaten before. I have never gained weight on a cruise. Ever. I guess the cruise lines don't care what you do on a cruise as long as you don't kill anybody or start a mutiny in the process.

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Others:

Parents who abdicate all control over their horrid sprogs.

Old people snoring in the best seats all day long.

The huge throng outside the dining room 10 minutes before the room opens - they can't be THAT hungry.

Kids at bars.

Motorised wheelchairs hitting you in the back of your legs with no apology

Gameshows or poolgames

Loud music by pools especially if the MUZAC has not been turned off.

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Motorised wheelchairs hitting you in the back of your legs with no apology

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Originally posted by mike sa:
Without doubt I have to say the mountain of food story which is then left especially on th ebasis that I paid for it so I'll take it is one thing that gets on my goat, also those who don't switch off their lights, leave the air con on but leave the balcony door open etc. It is just irresponsible.

Others:

Parents who abdicate all control over their horrid sprogs.

Old people snoring in the best seats all day long.

The huge throng outside the dining room 10 minutes before the room opens - they can't be THAT hungry.

Kids at bars.

Gameshows or poolgames

Loud music by pools especially if the MUZAC has not been turned off.

Otherwise a day at sea etc................

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Mike, you and I are cut from the same cloth.

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Originally posted by mike sa:

Motorised wheelchairs hitting you in the back of your legs with no apology

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Actually I keep threatening the wife that I am going to rent one of these then play death race 2000 with the rude people

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Originally posted by LaLa:

Yes i paid for my vacation, but just because I pile food on my plate does not make me rude and self centered. I have respect for others and I don't act out of line or crazy. I'm pretty a laid back person. I don't think there's anything rude about that. What's it matter to you anyways if i have food on my plate and don't eat it?? Are you really concerned about what I do and do not eat? and I have heard the "there are others starving, eat everything on your plate" saying. It is very unfortunate that there are people in this world that do not have food to eat.

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I really hate people piling up their plate with food and leaving most of it for waste.
I do think your attitude 'I paid for it' is very selfish as I have seen very often that when I want something from the buffet, there is nothing left, but all there is left is wasted on those overpiled plates.

My experience is also that people doing that, are oversized Americans.

They only think: 'Me, me, me and all other can fall apart'

Why piling up your plate and not eating all ? ?
Just take what you think you need and if you want more, than go for a second time.
In this way, other people also have the possibility to take something they like !
They also paid for the cruise ! !

I dislike the people who on port days are queuing in the corridors to get of the ship blocking the passageways from fellow passengers completely. And are angry if you are trying to passed them. In the mean time the bridge asking not to wait in the corridors.

People who are rude to crew. Why shouting why being rude to them or make racist remarks.

But most of al I hate art sales and the ongoing invitations to attend.

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Do cramped cabins, annoying dinner compamions, enough food to feed Noah's Ark and enforced fun activities make you want to walk the plank?

There I was, out to sea on a steamy Caribbean night surrounded by shrieking pirates. To my right and left they caroused, reeking of rum, stumbling through the torch fight, slap­ping at each other with plastic swords. Yeah. Plastic swords. It was Pirate Night on our cruise ship, a classic ex­ample of enforced hilarity at sea. And all I could ask myself was, 'How did I end up here?"
I'll tell you how. When I booked the cruise I thought, in order of impor­tance: azure Caribbean water ... gentle sea breezes ... fine French cuisine. My checklist did not include "eye patch." Don't get me wrong. I love seeing the world from a ship. To stay in a nice floating hotel, enjoy fine dining, and wake up each morning in a new, inter­esting place-what's not to love? Well, Pirate Night, for one thing­or any of those unwelcome onboard festivities that seem as relentless as pit bulls in party hats. Or hopelessly friendly yet weirdly aggressive-fellow passengers. Or the uneaten food left on your table each night could feed a small African nation.

Such shortcomings have created a whole breed of what cruise haters, but what they really hate is what they've heard about crusing or their own isolated bad experience.

Objection No. I
'Cruises are like a bad office party that lasts a whole week."
Sid chewed with his mouth open. That's basically all I remember about the guy, but it's a formidable memory nevertheless, because I looked into that gaping, masticating maw for pre­cisely 21 meals, seated by dining room fiat across from him at a particular table for the entire vovage.

Finding yourself mismatched at din­ner is one thing. Being dragged away from your John Grisham novel for Rumbas around the pool or complaints because your morning jog on the promenade deck wakes everyone up.

To sad on a ship with people who are like vou, the number one rule is to choose the right ship.
One way to judge passengers is by the style of the cruise line itself. 'I qualify first-time cruisers by the kind of hotel they like," says Bonnie Habet of Fuller Travel in San Antonio, Texas. 'Let's say they're used to the luxury of Four Seasons. I recommend Radisson, Silversea, or Seaboum. If they like an upper-class Hilton or a Marriott, I'd recommend Royal Caribbean or Celebrity. And if they like to stay in a chain hotel like La Quinta, then I'd put them on Costa, Royal Olympic, or Norwegian Cruise Line.'

As for the world's largest cruise line, Carnival, "We're really no different in passenger demographics than Las Vegas," says senior vice president Vic­ki Freed. (So, it might not be a good fit if you plan to spend your trip curled up on the Lido deck with a copy of Anna Karenina.) Carnival does have a.................

Objection No. 2
I want to eat well, but not like Orson Welles

There are ways to save yourself on a cruise. First if there is a midnight buffet, sleep through it. Check out the back opage of the menu where there's almost always a healthy eating section. In the old days cruise ships seemed to stock enough food to feed Noah's Ark, and the portions wasted could feed a Third World County...........

Objection No. 3

"Do this. Report there. It is as regimented as summer camp."

If peace and quiet is what you want. The bigger the ship, the more confusing blur of activities. On a smaller ship belnding in with the surroundings becomes the main activity. Port destinations too have an overwhelming sense of phoniness to them. The tacky shops pushed up against the pier, for example hawk doodads that may or may not be locally produced. But lots of people consider cruise ships sail up shopping carts...........

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http://www.ocregister.com/travel/cruise-ship-plagues-1841755-seasickness-norovirus
The seven plagues of cruising
Steering clear of maladies that put ship trips in troubled waters.
BY SPUD HILTON
San Francisco Chronicle

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Never go on a cruise with statisticians. They know that, statistically speaking, there are as many things that can go wrong with a voyage as can go right. You might spill mango chutney on your tux shirt at the captain's party. You might get an uneven tan. You might wake up bobbing alone in the Caribbean Sea, trying to convince yourself those circling fins belong to dolphins.
But the truth is that most problems on cruise ships are relatively minor annoyances, especially if your general disposition is positive and, um, flexible. There is, however, the occasional horror story about Homeric tribulations, truly epic bouts of sea sickness, cabins worthy of a Stephen King novel, demonic zombie tablemates selling Amway products. They are the plagues, rare but real, that can make you wish you'd spent the time and money at the Grand Canyon. Or even New Jersey.

So in the spirit of being more prepared than paranoid, here are our tips about how to cope with, or better yet, avoid altogether, seven trip tragedies that, on a personal level, can turn the Love Boat into the Lusitania faster than you can say, "Honey, have you seen the bags?"

SEASICKNESS

Unless you were the love child of a North Atlantic cod fisherman and a mermaid, you've probably been queasy on choppy seas, if not on the ship, probably during the 40-minute ride in a stifling, musty tender boat.

Avoiding: Beating mal de mer begins long before you see the sea. Pick the right itinerary, the Caribbean is usually calm, Drake's Passage is a chunder-fest, and pick the right cabin.

"The closer you are to the lowest level in the midship, the calmer it will be," said Anne Campbell, co-founder of CruiseCritic.com and CruiseMates.com. "The irony of cruising is the higher you are, the more expensive it is, but also the more you'll feel the motion."

If you have a history of getting queasy during the credits to Gilligan's Island, see a doctor and ask about a scopolamine patch. Not that bad? Go for over-the-counter Bonine or Dramamine, and start taking the medicine well before you board. Both contain antihistamines (unless you buy the nondrowsy formula), so if those knock you out, consider ginger, tea, capsules, candy or crystallized, which works well for some people without the zombifying effects of the drugs. Even Altoids has come up with a ginger variety, although you might have to eat half a tin to get enough of the stuff.

Hate ginger? Hyland's (see below) makes a homeopathic remedy, a little white pill that dissolves under your tongue. Wrist bands work for many, but read the directions twice; pressure points can be elusive.

Coping: Go outside and look at the horizon. Get fresh air. Call room service and ask for apples and crackers to settle the stomach, according to Campbell, and don't lie down. Sadly, cocktails will only make it worse.

Visit: Reed's Ginger Brew, www.reedsgingerbrew.com/candy.html; Hyland's, www.hylands.com; Sea-Band, www.sea-band.com/seaband.htm.

THE CABIN FROM HELL

So your cabin is next to the Night-Shift Anvil-Dropping Office. The toilet works fine, but in reverse. The sheets look like they were used to bandage a fatal head wound. The cast of "Riverdance" practices in the room above. To some people, the cabin isn't an important factor, but you gotta sleep somewhere.

Avoiding: "Guaranteed category" cabins are cheaper for a reason: They are the rooms that everyone who had a choice didn't want. If quiet is important, pick a specific room. Travel agents and Internet booking sites have floor plans for ships, so look first at what's on your floor (elevators, laundry room, bomb disposal), then look at the floors above and below for gallies, nightclubs, engine rooms and theaters. Also, never take a maiden voyage unless you crave the smell of wet paint, carpet fumes and 1,200 malfunctioning toilets.

Coping: Complain to the front desk early and often, but be as polite as you are firm. (Don't be that guy who thinks his ticket entitles him to treat everyone like the "hired help.") The staff should move you to a suitable room or promise to deal with the noise source. If they don't, repeat Step 1. Rooms like that shouldn't exist, and cruise lines know it; they rely on you being too timid to complain.

If it's noisy neighbors, let them know (again, be cool), and if it continues, let the staff know.

NOROVIRUS

Lately it's been known as the scourge of the high seas, even though you're 10 times more likely to catch it on land. Getting it on land, however, doesn't typically mean trying to enjoy a $200-a-day vacation within crawling range of a suction-flush toilet.

Avoiding: Norovirus covers a gang of nasty viruses with common symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, exhaustion and, sometimes, fever. There is no vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control says: Wash hands often, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer as necessary and, for the love of God, stop shaking hands. Really. Try bowing instead.

For peace of mind, you could research which ships have sanitation issues ( www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp), but so far that hasn't been a good predictor of future outbreaks. Also, be aware of where and what you eat while in port, you could end up as Patient Zero for the next big outbreak.

Coping: Don't bother with antibiotics: They're useless. The bug only lasts a couple of days, so the best move is to drink lots of water and ride out the storm. Short of giving you an IV for severe dehydration or pronouncing you dead, the ship's doctor isn't going to be much help, either, so save your money. Opinions differ on whether relieving the symptoms with Imodium just prolongs the malady.

Also: If you're sick and the staff knows it, you will be quarantined. In some cases, passengers have been confined to cabins the entire week, despite feeling better (and, presumably, being noncontagious) after a couple of days, and they did not qualify for refunds.

LOST LUGGAGE

You and your ship are chugging around the West Indies, but your Samsonites are chugging around carousel No. 4 at Charles de Gaulle International? Unless it's a Windjammer Barefoot ship or a nudist cruise, wearing the same outfit all week, isn't really an option. What now?

Avoiding: There are a boatload of reasons to fly to your departure city a day before the ship leaves, and lost luggage is near the top of the list. Allowing an extra day for your wayward bags to catch up, and eliminating any chance of wearing hiking shorts on formal night, is well worth the added expense. Also, make sure all luggage is labeled and tagged (inside and out) and includes a copy of your itinerary, especially if you don't have a nonstop flight.

Last line of defense: Pack extra underwear in your carry-on.

Coping: When you book flights through the cruise line, missing bags become their problem. And if it's the cruise line's problem, make sure the staff is doing everything possible to fix it; keep track of the names of the people helping you. (You might want to tip them later.)

Push for a modest onboard credit to buy a few clothes and sundries in the ship's shops. You might not get it, but it can't hurt to ask. If there's a tux/gown rental shop onboard, it probably leases by the week. Might as well get your money's worth out of it.

BAD WEATHER

Mother Nature can be a harsh travel agent. She can turn a cruise in the sunniest time of year into seven days of torrential downpour. Or fog. Or oppressive humidity. Or flying monkeys.

Avoiding: No guarantees, but research improves the odds. Start at www.weatherbase.com and look up temperatures and rainy-day stats for each port, especially the departure city. Go to Weather.com for trip-planning features and a thorough section on hurricane season. (If you can't pass up the bargains that time of year, build in a few extra days at the end of the trip in case the ship can't return for a while.)

Coping: The captain can play hide-and-seek with storms, but again, no guarantees. Bring games, an iPod, reading material and an open mind about the agony and ecstasy of bingo. For warmer climates, bring a lightweight, rainproof windbreaker, mostly to protect your gear while in ports.

TERRIBLE TABLEMATES

The sweaty guy in the magenta leisure suit wants to spend each dinner telling you about his "close personal relationship" with (Jesus/Allah/Buddha/Krishna/Tony Robbins). 'Nuff said.

Avoiding: If you really don't want to chance it, book the trip early (six to nine months) and request a table for two. If you're not deeply nostalgic about traditional dining, consider booking a ship with alternative restaurants.

Lastly, visit one of the online cruise community boards ( CruiseCritic.com or CruiseMates.com) and find someone on the same cruise. Exchange e-mail as a test for compatability before the trip.

Coping: If the first night was difficult to endure, find the maitre d' after dinner and ask to be moved (it's more common than you think). Don't wait until the next night. If you feel you have to make an excuse, be vague: You ran into old friends and they invited you to their table.

Also: There's a chance you're the dreaded Tablemate from Hell. Go easy on the religion and politics for a few nights, until you know everyone's comfort level. Also, check the conversation occasionally to make sure you're not the only one talking.

OVERINDULGENCE

It's rare to hear the word "moderation" on a cruise ship, but when it comes to food, alcohol and the sun, it's probably best to remember the cliche about too much of a good thing.

Avoiding: Be smart. Live it up and have a swell time, but remember that: a) drunk people fall off ships, b) hangovers can put a real crimp in sightseeing and c) with today's technology, you're never more than a few clicks from having an exposed part of your anatomy show up on the Internet.

Save the serious tanning for the last few days of the trip. You won't spend the voyage in agony, and your color will still show when you return to work. Better yet, use a self-tanning product before the trip to make baking by the pool unnecessary.

Lastly, it's a cruise ship, not a Soviet-era bread line. Are those four extra sausages really necessary, or are you just trying to squeeze your money's worth out of the trip? Are you going to feel like snorkeling if you're stuffed like a Christmas goose?

Coping: Pack a first-aid kit with Pepto Bismol, Alka-Seltzer, an aloe vera gel with a local anesthetic, and a laminated card that says, "If found unconscious, leave me somewhere I can't accidentally stagger over a railing and fall into the sea." This, among other things, will save your family from a plague of its own: the embarrassment of appearing on the Nancy Grace show.

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Originally posted by Frosty 4:
Not to offend anyone,but by observation I had seen an oriental pile food 6 inches high on his plate.
Frosty 4

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Originally posted by mike sa:
Actually its not just the motorised chairs hitting you in the legs, worse are the ones that hit you in the legs and while you are jumping round in agony have the bloody cheek to blow their horns at you as you still in the way !

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Originally posted by Linerrich:

Frosty, if you don't want to offend anyone, please don't use the word "oriental" to describe a person; it describes a rug. The politically correct term would be "Asian." Not trying to be pedantic, I just haven't heard that term to describe a person in many years.

Rich

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Some gay Korean friends of mine call themselves 'Gaysians'. First time they told me that (about 15-years ago), I rolled over laughing.

[ 09-28-2009: Message edited by: lasuvidaboy ]

But what's worse is when the crew ignores this disgusting site and the glasses sit there for days. Three or four days into my cruise to Bermuda on the Grandeur of the Seas I finally had to have a purser come out and take care of a slew of butt-filled glasses that had been left on deck...from the previous cruise.

Terrible.

Oh, and all art auctioneers should die a slow painful death.

-Russ

[ 09-28-2009: Message edited by: linerguy ]

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Originally posted by Willem:

My experience is also that people doing that, are oversized Americans.

They only think: 'Me, me, me and all other can fall apart'

Why piling up your plate and not eating all ? ?
Just take what you think you need and if you want more, than go for a second time.
In this way, other people also have the possibility to take something they like !
They also paid for the cruise ! !

YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE ON BOARD ! ! !

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Calm down! The matter of the fact is if I pay my hard earned money on a cruise I should be able to eat all I want wether I eat it or not. Bottom line. I dont think cruise lines really expect people to eat all of the food onboard. They buy enough food for everyone to eat and not to eat. Your statement about overweight people is very offensive! Its not even true. Many people have wieght problems and its not their fault. Maybe because of stress, sickness etc. Thats very insinsitive for you to say! All overwieght people are not fat greedy ( excuse me) Bast#$@ds!
[ 09-28-2009: Message edited by: Cam J ]

[ 09-28-2009: Message edited by: Cam J ]