When the staff doesn’t enforce the rules, what to do?

This follows up on a couple thoughts in the thread: Queen Mary 2 - My Review

I keep thinking about JeanneS’s experience with the table (and wine thieves), then being further mistreated when the maitre d’ by moving her to the worst table in the house ---

Then reading Heaven2’s experience where the rowdy table spoiled everyone’s dinner for an entire 7 day cruise ---

Surely, there is a way to address these kinds of problems -- at least, address an obviously continuing problem (as in Heaven2’s situation).

Since the maitre d’ didn’t do his job, I think I would have insisted that the Hotel Manager be summoned IMMEDIATELY to the area to correct the situation. If the Hotel Manager didn’t solve the problem on arrival (or worse, didn’t appear at all), I think would have insisted on speaking to the Captain, regardless where he might have been located at the time.

And, I would have followed it up with emails from the ship or letters to home office management personnel, with copies to the onboard individuals, of course.

My thinking is this: why let a lazy supervisor and a group of scumbags turn everyone else’s trip into the Cruise From Hell?

Anyone have any suggestions on what steps to take in a situation like Heaven’s?

well I would have pulled up a chair and joined them! Just for the shock value! and if that didn't work I would have demanded a good table either in that dining room or one of the others on board. If that still didn't work I would have pitched a tent made out of tablecoths from the dining room infront of the pursers office until I got my way! LoL! Seriously I would have gotten really mad and wrote a letter to any and everyone. Not to mention I would talk really loud at the pursers office and go when it was really busy, and if they told me to lower my voice I would tell them I would but I have a hearing problem thus not realizing how loud I am! Then it would be off to the pub for another beer!

There are lots of theories about what we would do in a similar situation. Pulling up a chair sounds good, but you would need to take one from another table, and they might quite like to have you join them so they could insult you some more. The best solution probably would be to try to contact higher personel and hope they would take some action. Problem is all this takes time and meanwhile you are standing around and not getting fed.

Of course you could try a punch up and really make their day.

David.

The French have a lovely term - l'espirit d'escalier' - or what you should have said at the time, but only do think of as you are on your way down the stairs....I suspect most of us would react in a similar way to Jeanne S - too shocked to do too much, however much bravado we think we might show, from the comfort and safety of sitting in front of a computer screen. As for the boors at the table, Mark Twain had some advice: 'It is a mistake that there is no bath that will cure people's manners, but drowning would help....

Peter

I agree that the situation experienced by JeanneS falls into the category described by guernseyguy. It was a surprise and one would probably be shocked into cooperation and all the "I should have..." thoughts would have come after the fact.

Heaven2's situation is different. It went on for a full week.

I completely agree with HallMonitor. On the 2nd (or certainly the 3rd evening), loud and emphatic protests would have been in order. And carried as high as necessary to resolve the situation.

The cruiseline has a legal duty to provide an environment of "quiet enjoyment". If there's a screaming meemie in the next cabin or the people next door bounce a soccer ball against the common wall all the time, the cruise line is obligated to do whatever is necessary to assure you peace and quiet.

The cruiseline, of course, would say they have no such obligation -- "look at your cruise contract". Specifically, they contract to provide you with lodging and food. Period.

But, practically speaking, I don't think they'd want to publicly take the position that once onboard, "batten down the hatches because we're not responsible for what anybody does ..."

Another avenue of protest would be to notify the honchos at the cruiseline that you will challenge the credit card payment on the basis you did not get the relaxing cruise they advertised.

To do so would involve mountains of paperwork but after all, there's a principle.

I have been reading the comments and enjoying them. All of them have valuable advice.

I admit that I was responsible for my husband not escalating the matter any further. He recently had heart surgery and I was concerned of the additonal upset involved in escalation.

To be frank, I am not sure that higher management would have been responsive. I just tried to get us to a quieter venue before and after dinner.

Isn't it unfortunate that we have to "battle tigers" even on a vacation ? We are dinosaurs in some ways for we came from the days when the situation would either not have happened or even lower management would have solved the problem. In some ways my husband and I don't seem to " get it" that unruly, rude people will not be controlled. I was raised that causing a "scene " was to be avoided at all costs. It is hard even now to over come a lifetime of " ignore them and it will stop " being ingrained by my parents.

We don't have the money now that we are retired to go to a luxury cruiseline. We thought that cruising on Celebrity, Holland, etc. would be some protection. But if we could do the luxury lines, would it be vastly different ? Or to some extent has bad behavior become a way of life for some groups ? Do cruiselines teach the crew enough "customer service" to give them the tools to deal with these problems ? Does upper management back up lower management decisions that are made on the front line ?

I don't have the answers to these questions but I wanted to throw them out there for discussion. I read the boards for many of the cruiselines ( as you all do ) and keep seeing this type of problem. So it is not going away, if anything it is happening more often. As we don't plan to stop cruising, I would imagine we need to become more sophisticated about dealing with the problem.

I appreciate all of your suggestions and will keep them in mind for our next Dec. Holland cruise.

I was brought up in the same way as you, but the days when 'ignore them and they will stop' have now changed to 'move away immediately or you will get involved in something nasty'. We did have one interesting experience in the Princess Grill two years ago. The ship was full for the holiday cruise and the Grill was full. However, there was a large table for about 8 empty for the first few nights. Then a family complete with 3 or 4 children came in and were seated there and the noise level noticeably increased from the previous nights quiet ambience. Towards the end of their meal, one of the children vomited their meal spectacularly over the table and some of the other family members. It had to be seen to be believed that this little one could have covered such a wide area with vomit. Well of course everyone else in the Grill room stopped to look. Waiters rushed over and the family actually looked embarrassed and very soon they all left, never to be seen in the Princess Grill for the rest of the cruise!

LOL, there you go....vomit in the middle of the offender's table LOL (just kidding)

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>one of the children vomited their meal spectacularly over the table... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Now there's a solution to JeannieS's unpleasantness.

"You're going to stay at my table...well...here goes."

or you could always pull the tablecloth quickly from underneath!

When the person who SHOULD be in charge of solving a problem but doesn't come through, we've found one solution that has helped us - on THE SAME DAY of the problem, write a letter, copy it (Purser's Office will copy for you) and deliver it yourself to the office of the Hotel Manager. We've always received a response via phone or note from the Hotel Manager, and we've always sent a follow up letter to him offering thanks for resolving the issue. There have been times we've ignored a problem "hoping it would go away on its own" and we've stewed over it. Now, we try to give "Top Gun" an opportunity to solve (or apoligize) quickly, rather than have him or her hear about it a big problem way after the fact, via corporate office.

That advice is not only civilized but effective.

On only one occasion, I had to follow the same strategy due to an incompitent server. The next meal, both the maitre d' hovered around with the assistant maitre d'[and they stayed close the whole 26 day cruise]. The table received complimentary bottles of wine and an invitation to the First Officer's table.

I posted this incident once before and was hollered at that all I wanted was something free. Nothing was asked for except for the situation be resolved.

And it was...without any personal confrontation.

40 cruises: mainly Cunard, Carnival, HAL, NCL, RCI, Starclipper, Seabourn. ~511 days total, ~325 on HAL

Vomiting in Andrew's Princess Grill - I would have loved to see the distasteful look on his face!

Heaven (thanks for your kinds words to my posting and sharing your story). I too was raised that way. I am assertive when I do not receive proper service on the ship (and try to do it in a polite way), but for these incidents in the restaurant and the Planetarium, we were just shocked. Usually I can respond quite witty at times but I was a loss this time. I did go to the only person around at the time, the assistane Maitre d'Hotel who pleaded with me to just take another table (apparantely others had done the same thing, taking tables not assigned to them).