‘Tis the Season – Your Demands and Comments Can Degrade Everyone’s Holiday Cruise

As I read things on the web I am seeing that annual overtone of some folks that seek to dampen the joys of holiday cruises and other vacations by complaining about a single incident that happened weeks or months ago as if that single incident is going to be repeated regularly…And then they complain about children and/or crowds.

Let me float this by those “lovely” folks:  Do you ever consider that being a Grinch isn’t helpful and, in fact, not only makes the other guests uncomfortable and beats down not only the attitude of those serving you, but makes their ability to service you and others as they wish impossible.

Example: You are upset because your stewardess didn’t give you all three types of designer soaps or there was a service issue in the main restaurant.  You complain to the head of housekeeping, the maitre d’, the head of Guest Services and then the Hotel Manager.  You want it right and, gosh darn, you are entitled to it!

No matter what anyone does it just isn’t good enough.  And everyone is doing everything possible to please you.  They, in fact, are not doing other things for other guests because they are so focused on quieting the storm around you.  To you the issue isn’t that everyone is falling over you to make things right, it is that it wasn’t right in the first place (the impossibility of perfection aside)…so, in fact, to you it will never be right.

But the issue (not to you, but to everyone else) isn’t that your issue can, to your mind, never be made right.  The issue is that your issue has caused a negative impact on so many around you.  Not only the other guests that have issues that could otherwise be quickly and easily addressed (if the needed staff weren’t constantly dealing with yours), but that the staff is disheartened because no matter how hard they try you won’t be satisfied.  (You may recall a certain person from another cruise website the cruised on Seabourn earlier this year that fits this profile!  You can also find a number of people that fit this profile on Cruise Critic.  Coincidence?  I think not.)

But there is more to your degradation of everyone else’s cruise experience:  Now that you have negatively impacted other guests and the staff on your cruise, you then publish your one-sided complaints on various websites and/or forums…and then you interject them onto any person about to take a cruise that asks a question that just might hint at being an opening for you to repeat your singular issue and perspective.

And then there is the issue of children and crowds.  Two quick points on this:

First, the sun rises every single day.  No one complains (except some teenagers who sleep until 2PM) because it is what happens no matter what.  During holiday cruises and other vacations, like the sun rising, children – who are off from school – will be there.  So don’t be like a sleeping teenager and complain about an obvious thing that is going to happen no matter how much you complain.  The same holds true for crowds.

Second, some people actually (a) have children; (b) are children; and/or (c) like or are not bothered by children.  And some of them actually enjoy the vibrance and energy of crowds (rather than the carpets being rolled up at 10PM or the pool being an object merely to be observed). So don’t get into complaining about things that are the joys of others…especially when you aren’t going to be part of their experience/cruise/vacation.  It not only isn’t helpful, it can be offensive.

So before you interject your opinions and “warnings” this holiday travel season, remember it is not all about you, but THEM and what THEY want.

Just sayin’!