Worst Rookie Mistakes

[Paul Motter]

We have all hears stories about the crazy things people do on cruise ships - things by people who should know better..

1. The couple who fell off the Princess cruise ship while making whoopee on the balcony. (they left the ship, unidentified).

2. This one kills me - the people who had read that if you book a cruise-line sponsored shore excursion the ship won't leave without you. While this is technically true, you have to be ready when the excursion is ready to take you back to the ship - on time.

These idiots thought they could take off in the Atlantis hotel and come back an hour late because the ship wouldn't leave without them because "we had heard that if you book a ship-sponsored tour the ship won't leave without you." - so the tour operator was ready to leave and these folks didn't show up. The tour guide waited until the last possible minute and then took the rest of the people back to the ship. The missing couple found themselves stuck in Nassau and the ship was gone.

So, they called the press and tried to make a stink out of it.

Got any other good "rookie mistake" incidents out there? Even if they involve yourselves?

[johnthed0g]

Been said, but I often hear of(usually young) people who think the only food included is in the buffet/self serve & the MDR is extra.

[kandajones]

My sister, bless her innocence, came with us on a cruise as our guest and therefore the subject of money and in particular what was included hadn't come up in conversation.

We boarded quite early & after checking out the room headed off to the self service for something to eat. We let her go first and followed on, as she approached the end of the food she started rummaging around in her handbag, I asked what was up, to which she replied "I'm just looking for my purse where do we pay for the food?".

It hadn't even crossed our minds to say it was included, and we only didn't fall over laughing becasue it was such a sweet & treasured moment.

Mind you she get's ribbed about it by the whole family now

Alan & Katrina

[johnthed0g]

K&A that is what I call a "nice story" What I am looking forward to is the confusion on P&O as to what "black tie" means.....someone is BOUND to say it....

[Fern]

Our first cruise was a "gift" from DH's company. About half way through, one of the other people raved about the Room Service menu. We didn't have a Room Service menu in our cabin! We had to call the "Purser's Desk" and ask for a RS menu! We never even saw our Room Steward.

I also took ALL the wrong clothes! I nearly had heat stroke because I felt I had to "cover up" my body. I'd like to tell anyone who's worried about this that you can cruise at any size and no one will pay attention!

As for our first cruise, there were several things that could have made us "hesitant" to cruise again, but the good outweighed the "bad", and here we are many cruise's later!

[Paul Motter]

I took my bro, sis & mom on their first cruise as a present from me. At the meals they were like "where do we pay for this?" and I said "you don't, it's included" and so they asked "well, don't we have to sign something?" (like you do for an 'English' breakfast at many hotels). NO..

For the first three days they wouldn't order anything they couldn't finish. Then of course they asked me "does the crew get the leftovers?" (no, they don't - unless they are untouched, of course).

By the end of the cruise they "got it" and would order whatever they wanted. But it took awhile to sink in.

BLACK TIE? Yes, I think I have heard a few wives say" we'll we had to go shopping because Niles has plenty of ties, but none of them were black. He had pinstripe & pasiley. but it's hard to find a plain black necktie..."

[johnthed0g]

On the ''black tie'' thing they changed it from ''Formal''....now I think that the description "Formal" would make someone LOOK to see what it meant but "black tie" will lead some into confusion.
On the "rookie faux pas"....best one I heard (I have told this before) was on P&O, the glittering star of formal nights is "the black & white ball"....now this does lead to a question as to whether this actually formal & if people look & ask they find out....BUT some think it is just a theme night like ''60's'' or "tropical" & dress in B&W, but not formally....but someone told me they once found a disgruntled couple sitting in a bar having been refused entry to the MDR because they were inappropriately dressed....as Freisian Cows!!!

[kandajones]

Originally Posted by johnthed0g

a disgruntled couple sitting in a bar having been refused entry to the MDR because they were inappropriately dressed....as Freisian Cows!!!

Wow John, you thought they could have gone to one of the udder restaurants

Alan

[Queen of Oakville]

I've run into more than a few people who get shocked when their statement arrives, they just hand over their sea pass card, not realizing that all those fancy drinks have a price tag. I remember one guy we met sitting at a black jab table on Grandeur of the Seas. He was cruising with his buddies and buying rounds like there was no tomorrow .... We spoke to him on the last night of the cruise and he had run up a huge bill.

On our first cruise (I was underage at the time!) ... I got on board the lido deck, and a waiter handed me a Bahama Mama ... thinking it was free, I took one, I took a huge sip and said mmmmmm, and then he asked for my card. Lesson learned.

[johnthed0g]

We have all been caught by the "sailaway drink thing" we still have the glasses from a trip on =x= Connie....enshrined they are!

[johnthed0g]

Originally Posted by kandajones

Wow John, you thought they could have gone to one of the udder restaurants

Alan

Very good!!!

[Paul Motter]

I dined with a younger girl who used her cell-phone almost non-stop on a Holland America cruise. I asked her if she had any idea how much that costs and she did say "I guess about two dollars" which is close - even though it can be more like four.

There is the story of the guy who decided to watch a streaming football game on his iPhone - and when he got home his iPhone bill from AT&T was something like $18,000+. In the end, I think he had the charges taken off, but he had to promise never to do it again.

[Queen of Oakville]

My rookie mistake right now (perhaps this belongs in cruise gripes!) .... is getting a great deal on a Direct Air flight into Lakeland Airport. The ONLY car rental available ... is Hertz. On the return, I need to pick up my car in Port Canaveral on SE 4 and return it to lakeland airport on Sept 5. I can't process my car rental on the Hertz website because their office is closed on SE 5 (Labour day). I called and spoke to a twit at Hertz, who was insistent that there was no drop box at the Hertz at this airport and that if I wanted to return my car on the 5th, I had to drive to Kissimee and then take a cab back to LAL.

Fortunately, I called the Hertz location directly and there is a drop box. *phew*. But, add the 2-way car rental, the extra 2 nights hotel (because Direct air, only flies in/out of LAL on Mondays .... and my *Deal* through Direct Air is not so much of a deal anymore.

I will stick to MCO from now on.

Lesson learned.

[TravlGrl]

My rookie mistakes are all the typical things people do on a first cruise, but never again:

1. Purchased almost every picture (embarkation, every port call, formal nights, impromptu) AND bought the cruise video.
2. Purchased the "drink of the day" almost every day just so I'd have a set of 6 matching cruise glasses. Couldn't just have ONE.
3. Went to the pool at about 11am and was shocked there were no lounge chairs left.
4. Thought that when I emailed the cruiseline in advance to tell them I'm a vegetarian, I'd actually have a separate menu of just veggie choices.
5. Booked every excursion with the cruise line even though I knew it was more expensive, not trusting that other tour operators would get me back to the ship in time.

I'm sure there's more. Wow, have we learned a lot since then!

[johnthed0g]

Well...we still buy pics as long as we like them, we find the cocktail of the day(P&O) is a reasonable deal (no gimmick glass), the only other one is the ships -trips I rather like them & can't be bothered to organise my own.

[Paul Motter]

Trlvgirl -

I wouldn't call those rookie mistakes, that is just not knowing any better. Now you are just a wise cruiser.

But it is an interestig point that you made - that you have learned a lot just like most of us. Also - you have lost the "newness" of it all - which is both good and bad, right?

[TravlGrl]

Yeah, there's something about that thrill we all experience the first time we cruise. The "newness" of that is gone, but what we've found are new "new" things to experience, if that makes any sense.

For example, we're really not into going to seminars or classes, or listening/watching anyone speak, however, there's a speaker on an upcoming cruise who's going to be talking about the history of Blackbeard along with the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. I plan to attend both of those. On our last cruise we went to the rum tasting event. That stuff was so "unlike" us 10 cruises ago, so perhaps it's just an evolution in how we experience our travels now to keep it interesting and experience the "new" over and over again.

[Trip]

I have always said..you take to your next cruise, what you learned from your last. One day we will all be such smart cookies!

[Trackypup]

I find the mistake a lot of rookies make is with their air. They don't think to fly in the day before.

I don't think we made any major mistakes in our early years of cruising. Posting on cruise boards helped that a lot. Our first cruise was the one and only that we've booked an Inside Cabin as we didn't know any better.

[Kuki]

There was the case about 3 or so years ago where in Nassau a couple missed the sailing of the ship, while having left their young son in "camp".

It was on RCI (if I recall the Navigator) and because the son was left in the kid's program the ship waited several hours trying to locate the boy's parents. They finally sailed without them.

It was the last port of call on the cruise, and the next day was a sea day before returning to Miami.

The parents finally did show at the pier. They had to fly to Miami, and meet the ship when she was ready for disembarkation.

They were charged for private babysitting services for the full time from sailing to disembarkation. It was too bad they couldn't be fined for stupidity.

[Paul Motter]

I often wonder at the fact that I have probably been to thousands of ports of call and have never missed the ship.

And I only came close twice - both times when I working on ships (never when traveling as a passenger).

[TravlGrl]

Originally Posted by Trackypup

I find the mistake a lot of rookies make is with their air. They don't think to fly in the day before.

I don't think we made any major mistakes in our early years of cruising. Posting on cruise boards helped that a lot. Our first cruise was the one and only that we've booked an Inside Cabin as we didn't know any better.

Really??? I've probably stayed in Insides and Balconies an equal amount of time, and I must say that the complete darkness of an Inside cabin is a big plus. I wouldn't count this as a rookie mistake. I think it's a smart decision!

[Paul Motter]

Traveling alone I wouldn't mind an inside - but as a couple they get pretty crowded and uninviting.

[johnthed0g]

There is a thread elsewhere about cabin choice...it is just that, a choice, we always said we would rather not cruise at all than have an inside....but did wonder if we would be swayed by a cheap price...recently we could have gone on a 17 night Med cruise for £899...a real bargain, we NEARLY took it, but thought NOPE we ain't spending almost three weeks in a cupboard!! As for the saying that "we only sleep/change in the cabin" I find the worse the cabin the less time people spend in them!!

[Trackypup]

Originally Posted by TravlGrl

Really??? I've probably stayed in Insides and Balconies an equal amount of time, and I must say that the complete darkness of an Inside cabin is a big plus. I wouldn't count this as a rookie mistake. I think it's a smart decision!

Some people like them, we never ever sailed in anything below a balcony since our first cruise. For us, it was a mistake because we really didn't see the allure of cruising until we tried it again, in a balcony.

[Snoozeman]

Great thread.....I can't really remember back that that far, but I'm sure I made some rookie mistakes. I recall I under-estimated the misc. expenses by a long way on my first cruise. I was only in my 20's though--not experienced.

[HawkeyeFLA]

Lets see ... I had my memory card wallet in my back pocket trying to go through the metal detector ... didn't realize that was what kept setting it off ... because of that and basically me going around all my pockets in my cargo shorts, I ended up having to turn over a couple of .350l bottles of rum. Does that count as a rookie mistake? :-p

[Paul Motter]

I just want to say that while I appreciate the personal rookie mistakes - I am also looking for the worst rookie mistakes - Dig deep in those memory banks.

I got an email from a guy once who took his first cruise and said he would never take another one - it turned out he took himself and two kids aged 19 (too young to drink - too old for the teen program) on a Caribbean cruise on HAL (no other young people onboard). They were bored stiff.

They took a bad tour like "Cozumel by 4x4" and didn't like it (too hot and flat), so they stayed on the ship in Grand Cayman (didn't want to spend more money on tours) and then they decided to go out on their own - in Jamaica, where of course they were hassled to within an inch of their lives.

He wrote to me and said "It was the worst vacation I ever had" so I wrote back and said "can I ask if you did any research at all before you left on ship choice, and what to do in what ports?" -- "We'll, no, not really."

[anniegb]

My rookie mistake was to sail Azamara on my 1st ocean cruise. I was spoiled rotten. No other cruiseline will match it. In fact unless I cruise Azamara, I don't know if I'll cruise again.

Annie

[ecarrell1]

I have been on several cruise vacations and considered myself informed. My wife and I sailed last year on Valor and met a first time couple at the Mdr. I had read several blogs about buying insurance on motor rentals, and better to avoid them completely. I was explaining the articles to the 3 other couples we were dining with and explaining a couple of the horror stories I had read about. As I was talking I noticed the first time cruise couple had the OMG look and stopped talking. They stopped dining with us in the Mdr.
Several days later when I spoke to them when we disembarked on an excursion the wife told me that I had "freaked her out" and they were afraid to rent or use even a water trike. I felt I had given too much information and may have caused them stress, to where they could not enjoy the cruise as they could have. I felt that what I did was a rookie mistake and will never offer unsolicited information that I think could cause anyone stress on their first cruise vacation.