announcements for silliness such as bingo, art auction, etc. If it is urgent, or a change from printed info then announce it, otherwise be quiet!

Already insufficient times at port were shaved in some cases by 1/3.

Though the itinerary you pay for might say Bangkok, no transfers are available. Or are an additional $75.

A computer lab with unbearably slow computers. (Watch to see which ones the employees use, they are the only ones that work.)

Passing the buck.

Shore tours 40-50% over priced.

Room service surprise. It might resemble your order, but its never right.

The availability of something to drink after breakfast.

The HEAPS of attitude I got when I asked what Japan’s immigration department protections would be for the fingerprints Japan insists on. (There are no protections, Libertarians are not welcome in Japan. Or on HAL.)

If I live till 80 perhaps I will cruise again. Luckily by then, HAL will be long out of business.

I think if anyone would have seen me climbing the gazillion steps to the first zip line platform in the humid rain forest a few months ago, they might have wondered if I was going to make it (I sort of wondered myself!). As my husband says — use it or lose it — so, for me, until I absolutely cannot do a flight of steps, even slowly, I choose to work through pain or panting and remain grateful that I can. Yah, I wish I could still run those steps with ease, also.

I agree with all the above! I hate it when we get to a port and debarkation is slowed down by the photographers and their goofy costumed helpers.

I hate all the “Extra” advertisements that come each night with the ships newsletters as well as the “where to shop seminars” and disembarkment seminars.

What also drives me nuts is the early closing of the hot tubs for cleaning.

The closing of bars early and only the disco remaining open.

The closing of the buffet on some lines so that only pizza is available for a late night snack.

The TV’s in the room that only carry Denver’s newscast or spanish programming.

The few things there are to do on the ship after midnight.

The only other “kuki” thing is the chair situation by the pools. While I am up and out early, and don’t abuse the chair situation, watching what goes on is unreal, and I feel that passengers don’t need to be the chair police,.. the pool staff, needs to wake up and deal with the chair hogs…

Last summer on our Alaskan cruise with RCI they suddenly rush up to the pool deck with displays of winter jackets and sweaters as we are doing the glacier run. Once past those roadblocks I had to maneuver around the “inch of gold” stations that almost blocked entry to the Windjammer. It is so tedious and reminiscent of walking down the midway at a carnival.

It is stunning to me that the cruise lines haven’t realized how much money they are wasting on all the advertising junk they dump on the passenger’s beds every night. Surely most of it goes directly into the trash can – I know ours does, without reading it.

I really wish they’d simply raise the fares and stop the annoyances, and start acting like cruise lines instead of shake down artists.

And you can bet money on it – if there was a good revenue stream and they could do it legally, they’d be offering viagra in a heartbeat.

1. Photographers: The embarkation photo in particular. On my last cruise on Carnival Pride I tried to go around the embarkation picture but they had it situated in such a way that there was no way to avoid it. I stopped made a funny face and walked on.

2. Atrium special sales: Setting up tables of “gold by the inch” or t-shirts for the hoardes to buy. They stop the flow of traffic and make people wade through t-shirt grabbers who think they are getting the deal of the century. I worry that someone may rip my shirt off my back thinking they are getting the deal before I do.

3. Shore Excursion scare tactics and misinformation. Shore excursion personnel and quotes in the daily newsletter about how “unsafe” it is to not take their shore excursion. Gee: If it was really that unsafe why are you stopping there. On two occasions on NCL and HAL the shore excursion people told the passengers they could not leave the ship unless they used their excursions. This was Russia and China. This was completely wrong, even though I had my own visa. Getting my passport from HAL was like asking the Captain to let me take his kid with me.

There may be few more but these are the ones that come off the top of my head.

I do have to say that I love cruising and it is the best vacation option out there.

Take care,
Mike