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8 Unwritten Cruise Ship Rules You Must NEVER break!
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Jan 28, 2025
I look at some unwritten, and unspoken, rules that cruise passengers need to know as they are what makes a cruise run smoothly and make it more enjoyable GET EXCLUSIVE PERKS LIKE MEMBER-ONLY BONUS VIDEOS BY BECOMING A CHANNEL MEMBER: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join Links mentioned in the videos: BUY MY CRUISE-THEMED T-SHIRTS ———————————————— * Check out my T-Shirt range at https://tipsfortravellers.myspreadshop.com , http://bit.ly/TFTStore or https://tips-for-travellers.creator-spring.com SUPPORT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS ————————————————————— * Become a Channel Member and get perks: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/Join * Become a Patron on Patreon and get perks: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers * Make a donation: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=V9STJGYSEMGLJ * Buy my book “Cruise Traveler’s Handbook: USA Amazon https://amzn.to/2YVFmG4 and https://amzn.to/3tzIxBn UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3oXbzYc and https://amzn.to/3qawqIQ
View Video Transcript
0:00
there used to be nine not eight
0:02
Unwritten Cruise rules things every
0:05
Cruise understood were fundamental to
0:07
making a cruise work and ensuring that
0:10
everybody had a great time they weren't
0:12
written down in the terms and conditions
0:13
until one of them unfortunately recently
0:17
was nine suddenly became eight and
0:20
that's because cruises didn't stick to
0:23
that one really important Unwritten rule
0:24
it so became this formal written one but
0:27
importantly Along Came penalties like
0:29
disembarkation 500 fines and being
0:33
banned from the cruise line for life
0:36
welcome aboard I'm Gary bembridge and I
0:38
want to make sure others don't go that
0:40
same way by ensuring that you know about
0:42
the remaining eight Unwritten Cruise
0:45
rules first of all what was that
0:46
Unwritten rule you may be asking it's a
0:48
simple one be considerate children
0:50
should be supervised you should keep
0:52
noise in the hallways to a minimum
0:54
follow cues and treat crew and other
0:57
passengers with respect simple stuff
0:59
it's sad that so many Carnival Cruise
1:01
passages didn't follow this so it became
1:04
mandatory well after that sobering note
1:07
I'd like to start with something a
1:09
little bit more frivolous but serious at
1:11
the same time now any Cruiser knows that
1:14
the guest laundry is a competitive
1:17
sporting Arena it's not for the
1:20
faint-hearted but it's the best way by
1:22
the way to hear the latest gossip going
1:23
around the ship now the written rules
1:26
basically give you the opening and the
1:29
closing times of that guest laundry so
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you don't disturb others in cabins
1:33
around them but what they don't say is
1:36
how the Whole Thing Really Works firstly
1:39
you do not hog the machines you do one
1:42
set of laundry per day and you need to
1:44
be back before the cycle is finished you
1:47
need to immediately remove it and put it
1:49
into the dryer if you're waiting in line
1:51
and someone's washing is finished you
1:53
can take it out and put in the dryer but
1:55
you do this at your own Peril not
1:59
everyone is thrilled by someone touching
2:00
their washing break these rules by the
2:02
way and it can get pretty hostile a more
2:05
serious bunch of these Unwritten rules
2:07
is around time keeping and there's three
2:10
critical things to remember first being
2:12
prompt when it comes to excursions both
2:14
for the meeting time and getting getting
2:17
back from any free time that you have on
2:19
an Excursion excursions always run based
2:22
on the last or the slowest person so if
2:24
you're late before the Excursion leaves
2:26
that time is cut from the overall trip
2:28
if you late coming back from free time
2:30
that again reduces the amount of time
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you may have scheduled to have been
2:35
somewhere else on that that particular
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tour
2:37
it happened to me really frustrating on
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a recent trip when I was on Excursion to
2:42
Florence and Pisa it's a very long way
2:44
from laverna the port and people really
2:46
slowed getting back at each of the
2:48
places we were given free time for and
2:50
it reduced the amount of time that we
2:53
got to explore Florence by a whole hour
2:56
do not be late the other thing that is
3:00
important with time keeping is if you're
3:02
on fixed dining and you're sharing a
3:05
table with others don't be late because
3:07
they are sitting waiting for you the
3:10
waiters generally won't serve the rest
3:13
of the table until everyone's seated so
3:16
you disrupt it again for everybody the
3:18
same rule applies to anything else that
3:21
you may have booked that you decide you
3:22
don't want to do an Excursion a
3:25
demonstration a talk anything like that
3:27
just let people know the next lot of
3:31
Unwritten rules focus on the buffet
3:34
there are some rules that the cruise
3:35
lines have for example washing your
3:38
hands sanitizing always using a new
3:40
plate when you go to get more food one
3:43
of the most fundamental of the unwritten
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rules is about how you queue there's no
3:49
formal system at the buffet and a busy
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times it can be pretty much a
3:53
free-for-all
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but there always ends up being an
3:56
informal flow developing so the unspoken
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rule is you don't cut in and come from
4:00
the other side you just join those
4:02
spontaneous lines and wait your turn
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another Unwritten rule by the way is you
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don't pile up your plate remember you
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can go back as many times as you want
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staking a claim to tables is also a big
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one and not letting people join you is
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another one the idea is you get your
4:18
food and then you find a table and sit
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down and you let people join you if they
4:23
wish talking about dining there's also
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Unwritten rules around the main dining
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room one is that you can order as much
4:30
as you want now some lines are starting
4:32
to push back a little on that and bring
4:34
in a written rule although at the moment
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I've mostly seen it in the specialty
4:38
restaurants for example in political
4:39
Grill recently on holiday America if I
4:42
wanted multiple starters or something
4:44
like that they would charge extra for
4:46
those but in the main dining room you
4:48
can order multiple starters you can
4:51
order two main courses if you want now
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that's not publicized but it's an
4:55
Unwritten Rule and you'll find it's
4:57
possible for most of the times and on
5:00
most lines also another Unwritten rule
5:02
by the way is you can actually do a
5:04
takeaway so if you're a bit full and
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there's a dessert that you absolutely
5:07
want you can ask to take that away and
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have it later there's also a whole other
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thing that goes on around the pool deck
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now there is on many Cruise Lines a
5:18
written rule and it varies so on a
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recent cruise I was on it was actually
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buried down in the daily program and it
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just basically said please be respectful
5:26
and don't hug the chairs but on other
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Cruise Lines I've been on there's been
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signs all around the pool area and the
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pool deck basically saying you can only
5:34
leave your chair for a maximum of 30
5:37
minutes now what you find although this
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is a rule a written rule everybody knows
5:42
that crew members mostly don't enforce
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it I guess because it's too risky for
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them in terms of people getting upset so
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this also become this kind of Unwritten
5:50
rule that if you're going to leave your
5:52
things unattended you will not do it for
5:54
more than 30 minutes because it's the
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right thing to do now on the flip side
5:58
if you find a chair that has been
6:00
reserved but it's been left for hours on
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end and you're pretty sure the people
6:04
aren't coming back anytime soon you are
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as part of this kind of set of Unwritten
6:08
rules able to pack that stuff up and
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give it to the crew another important
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rule is around the crew and any good
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Cruiser understands that you do not
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treat crew badly the crew are there for
6:20
six to nine months at a time working
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seven days a week not necessarily for
6:24
amazing pay so the unwritten rule is
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that the more respect you give the more
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you will get back and if that doesn't
6:30
work for you there's an important
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Unwritten rule a thing to bear in mind
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understand that you should never be
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awful to someone who is alone with your
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toothbrush or prepares and brings your
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food and drink so think about that one
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anyway for example I was recently on
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Queen Elizabeth my cabin Steward was
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looking after 15 cabins and he had a lot
6:54
of work to do but by making sure that I
6:56
called him by his name I got to know him
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I found out about him his situation his
7:00
likes and even his family and he started
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to give me so much more he would do my
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Kevin the minute I left in the morning
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or the minute I went for dinner he gave
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me Priority it was really obvious he
7:11
made suggestions he gave me tips he was
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incredibly helpful I knew that I got so
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much more from him by just investing a
7:18
little bit of time and getting to know
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him
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there was also another rule which is
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very controversial but it's basically an
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Unwritten rule that whether you like it
7:27
or not you should really follow whatever
7:30
the Tipping rule is the crew rely
7:32
heavily on the gratuity process so just
7:35
follow the set rule one of the most
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important Unwritten rules for me anyway
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is that you should always fill out the
7:43
post Cruise survey and always call it
7:46
the best people that you've come across
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by name and why
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and that you should also solve any
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problem before you get as far as the
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post crew survey solve it when you're
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still on board the crew rely heavily on
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those surveys they need to get good
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scores to get rewarded get incentives
8:03
promotions and so on so for example I
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know some people who work as guest
8:07
entertainers and they're not unfair of
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but they worry about those ratings
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because it will determine whether they
8:13
get asked back or not so it's two or so
8:15
full-time crew crew get promotions they
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will employ of the month a week and so
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much more it's a really big deal make
8:22
sure you fill out that questionnaire and
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you call it everybody who did a great
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job by name it's very important now
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one of the most critical Unwritten rules
8:33
of cruising is this next one bear in
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mind that cruising is like a game of
8:38
poker every single Cruiser you ever talk
8:41
to will always have a better Cruise
8:44
story have had a better deal or a better
8:46
upgrade than you ever have you can never
8:49
win the argument so the unwritten rule
8:51
is just don't try and fight it just
8:54
celebrate their apparent success knowing
8:57
that in reality you've outdone them
8:59
anyway what Unwritten rules have I left
9:02
out if you've got any I'd love to hear
9:04
them but in the meantime while you think
9:05
about it why not watch this video where
9:07
I talk about seven things that smart
9:10
Cruisers do to make their Cruise amazing
9:12
starting with one thing that I learned
9:14
that really transformed how I choose my
9:17
cabin see you over there
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