Matt Hochberg might be the non-Royal-Caribbean employee most associated with the cruise line — aside from Super Mario, the man who has essentially lived on the company’s ships for years.
As the owner, founder and editor of Royal Caribbean Blog, he has been chronicling every aspect of the cruise line since 2010. That means he started covering the cruise line just after the Oasis Class of ships launched in 2009, which arguably stands as the beginning of the modern cruising period.
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Hochberg cruises many times a year and has become friendly with many crew members on various ships. He’s well-known to passengers and cruise-line workers alike, and he’s a conduit for both to get their messages out.
Royal Caribbean Blog and the cruise line are unaffiliated, but it’s fair to say that company executives read what he writes, as do passengers, crew and members of the media.
I’ve met Matt many times and consider him a friend as well as a valuable voice on cruising. He recently shared an article on 5 things crew members hate when cruise passengers do, and I wanted to amplify his points.
Hochberg is fully correct with his list, and every person who sails on not just Royal Caribbean but every cruise line should avoid committing these five sins against the crew.
Going to cabins before they open
Bringing your own toilet paper and wet wipes
Complaining about the weather to Guest Services
Asking crew members to break rules for you
Not speaking up if there’s a problem
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Royal Caribbean crew members want to serve you
Crew members, it should be noted, have very limited ability to stop passengers from doing these things. They can discreetly call security when a passenger tries to access their room before rooms have been opened, but by the time security arrives, the damage is already done.
Some cruise lines enable certain passengers to drop off their bags in their rooms before the rooms open. Celebrity Cruises, a Royal Caribbean Group brand, lets all passengers do that.
Royal Caribbean does not, however, because it’s trying to get the rooms ready as fast as possible. Having passengers in the hallways slows the cleaning process and can delay opening the rooms.
In addition, crew members have to stop and talk with passengers, even ones in places they’re not supposed to be. That further slows the process.
Most of Hochberg’s five items are about following the rules. In most cases, if you don’t, you’re being annoying or creating an uncomfortable situation. If you violate rule 2, however, you can literally cause plumbing to break for hundreds of cabins.
Yes, cruise toilet paper is thin and scratchy but it’s designed specifically to fit cruise-ship plumbing systems, and if you use your own you court disaster.
You are not the star of your cruise
When you opt to take your vacation on a cruise ship, you’re deciding to live in a society. That means making some individual sacrifices for the length of that cruise.
Cruise ships have certain rules to protect everyone on board. Crew members want to serve you. Please share any actual problems with them as quickly as possible — but don’t ask for special treatment.
The captain, for example, wants you to have the best weather possible, but they’re not Thor, Storm or any other superhero who can control the weather. The captain will make every effort to get you to your ports while avoiding bad weather, but sometimes rain, wind and even rough seas can’t be avoided.
Complaining about that to Guest Services wastes everyone’s time, since nobody on board, in the corporate suite or at any level controls the weather.
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Crew members want you to have the best time possible, but asking them to break the rules for you puts their jobs at risk. You kid may be especially mature, but if he’s not tall enough to ride the water slide, a crew member would be putting them at risk of injury by breaking that rule.
Some rules may seem dumb or even unfair, but the crew members don’t set them and asking them to break the rules puts them in a terrible spot.
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