Cruise Curmudgeons of the World Unite

[iankh]

Maybe they have changed it on the Dream. I too asked point blank "Is the coffee brewed or from concentrate" and every one swore it was a brewed coffee. It did taste different.

If that's the case then it's very good news! I suppose I'll see in November when I sail on the Dream. Bravo to DCL if they've made this change!

 

[GrumpyGoat]

I'll reserve judgement on the coffee until I actually taste it. The Navy should have prepared me to drink anything, but ever since I bought my Keurig brewer, I've become somewhat of a coffee snob...

 

[jdb in AZ]

My curmudgeon moment would be at the character breakfast when the waiters try to get us to wear napkin hats. Major dork fest! Last time a waiter asked DH if he wanted one he said, "not only NO, but He--- NO! Ranks right up there with the Holland America cruise people trying to get us to wear dutch bonnets at one of their dinners. I refused to do that as well.

And I've never met a cruise director who wasn't in love with a microphone. Enough with the PA announcements already!

DMIL wanted our extended family to meet the captain. I guess she wanted to show off how many of her posterity were on board. I told her the captain was just a glorified chauffeur and she never suggested meeting him again.

 

[GrumpyGoat]

My curmudgeon moment would be at the character breakfast when the waiters try to get us to wear napkin hats. Major dork fest! Last time a waiter asked DH if he wanted one he said, "not only NO, but He--- NO! Ranks right up there with the Holland America cruise people trying to get us to wear dutch bonnets at one of their dinners. I refused to do that as well.

And I've never met a cruise director who wasn't in love with a microphone. Enough with the PA announcements already!

DMIL wanted our extended family to meet the captain. I guess she wanted to show off how many of her posterity were on board. I told her the captain was just a glorified chauffeur and she never suggested meeting him again.

Stupid hats seem to be a Disney staple... I see them every time I go to Disneyland. I'll bet most get thrown into a closet and are never worn again for any reason, although my wife, who works at the San Diego Zoo, says she sees Disney hats there from time to time.

No way I'm going to wear a napkin hat at breakfast...

 

[sambycat]

i'm having a moment this evening and just needed to say: DEAR FELLOW CRUISE PEOPLE - YOU WILL NOT DIE OF STARVATION ON A DCL CRUISE. NOR WILL YOUR CHILDREN STARVE!!!! even if they don't have the only cereal johnny eats or all you can drink are coca cola products!!!!!! how do you live??!?

ok, sorry. i'm done now.

please don't ban me.

 

[TDC Nala]

I'm not concerned with the coffee as I don't drink it. I drink Coke and not Pepsi so I am happy with that. But the rice krispy flip flops, enough already.

 

[girl_barrie]

I am a parent. My child has manners, waits his turn, speaks clearly - in complete sentences and washes his hands after using the restroom as well as before he eats. He is pleasant and we really enjoy his company. That is why we book FAMILY vacations.
My peeve is the parents who ignore their child(ren) who are starved for attention and latch on to my child - and US!!! We do no wish to be in charge of your child! We want to enjoy our own child. We want to play with him and have fun with him. We don't want to babysit anyone else's kid(s) while they read, drink, chat, or otherwise ignore the kid(s). ESPECIALLY when the kid(s) are sorely in need of social instruction and interaction so much that they dominate any exchange in which they take part.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN KIDS, PEOPLE!!!!
Thank you.

 

[Camonkeygirl]

Stupid hats seem to be a Disney staple... I see them every time I go to Disneyland. I'll bet most get thrown into a closet and are never worn again for any reason, although my wife, who works at the San Diego Zoo, says she sees Disney hats there from time to time.

No way I'm going to wear a napkin hat at breakfast...

Like you would willingly go to the Character Breakfast (and you do have Goofy Pirate Ears...)

 

[GrumpyGoat]

Like you would willingly go to the Character Breakfast (and you do have Goofy Pirate Ears...)

"DON"T LET DOG EARS IN YOUR BOAT!" (Inside joke...)

 

[AJA55]

sorry iankh the WORST tour we had was with the Chicago Architectural Foundation! ! ! One of the only times I wrote a letter.

 

[yargrnhoj]

I am a parent. My child has manners, waits his turn, speaks clearly - in complete sentences and washes his hands after using the restroom as well as before he eats. He is pleasant and we really enjoy his company. That is why we book FAMILY vacations.
My peeve is the parents who ignore their child(ren) who are starved for attention and latch on to my child - and US!!! We do no wish to be in charge of your child! We want to enjoy our own child. We want to play with him and have fun with him. We don't want to babysit anyone else's kid(s) while they read, drink, chat, or otherwise ignore the kid(s). ESPECIALLY when the kid(s) are sorely in need of social instruction and interaction so much that they dominate any exchange in which they take part.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN KIDS, PEOPLE!!!!
Thank you.

Word. We had this happen to us at the local fireworks last night. Our family was there with my daughter's best friend's family. Both her dad and I coached a local youth soccer team this past year. One of the other girls on the team saw us and then came over and spent the whole night with us. I kept asking her if her dad knew where she was. We had brought ice cream and glow sticks for our daughters and she kept eyeing them. We didn't want to be rude, but we hadn't brought any extras.

 

[iankh]

sorry iankh the WORST tour we had was with the Chicago Architectural Foundation! ! ! One of the only times I wrote a letter.

It all just goes to show how much things can be different from one time to another and one person to another.

I imagine it must have been pretty darn awful.

 

[iankh]

I am a parent. My child has manners, waits his turn, speaks clearly - in complete sentences and washes his hands after using the restroom as well as before he eats. He is pleasant and we really enjoy his company. That is why we book FAMILY vacations.
My peeve is the parents who ignore their child(ren) who are starved for attention and latch on to my child - and US!!! We do no wish to be in charge of your child! We want to enjoy our own child. We want to play with him and have fun with him. We don't want to babysit anyone else's kid(s) while they read, drink, chat, or otherwise ignore the kid(s). ESPECIALLY when the kid(s) are sorely in need of social instruction and interaction so much that they dominate any exchange in which they take part.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN KIDS, PEOPLE!!!!
Thank you.

Interesting to hear a parent chime in.

We don't have kids and people wonder why we go on a DCL cruise.

Oddly enough of all my curmudgeonly things kids as a rule don't bother me. I don't have much to do with them, because I am usually in adult areas and opt for late seating. I even sometimes get a real kick at seeing how the little ones react with the characters.

As a rule of thumb they are pretty much invisible to me, EXCEPT when parents are oblivious to what their kids are doing and they invade my bubble.

Usually this is in the movie theatre or a show and involves un-policed seat kicking or a tantrum in one or other of my ears, or banging on my stateroom door at night, or running up and down the corridors (at night) screaming.

I have to admit that for the most part, at least with some of it, parents usually intervene and stop the kicking, take tantrum child off to calm down, etc.

But there are those times when I think the parents have gone into their happy place and aren't paying as much attention as they should.




.

 

[Dizzyworld]

Usually this is in the movie theatre or a show and involves un-policed seat kicking or a tantrum in one or other of my ears, or banging on my stateroom door at night, or running up and down the corridors (at night) screaming.

I have to admit that for the most part, at least with some of it, parents usually intervene and stop the kicking, take tantrum child off to calm down, etc.

But there are those times when I think the parents have gone into their happy place and aren't paying as much attention as they should.

I have kids and this drives me nuts too. We have had mixed results of parents stopping the behavior.Also, I've always felt sorry for the servers when kids are running through the dining room playing tag, and the parents just chatted away.

Don't get me started when there is so many other things to list.

 

[cypressmom]

I have kids and this drives me nuts too. We have had mixed results of parents stopping the behavior.Also, I've always felt sorry for the servers when kids are running through the dining room playing tag, and the parents just chatted away.

Don't get me started when there is so many other things to list.

Playing tag? Serious? That is beyond wrong.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

I have kids and this drives me nuts too. We have had mixed results of parents stopping the behavior.Also, I've always felt sorry for the servers when kids are running through the dining room playing tag, and the parents just chatted away.

Don't get me started when there is so many other things to list.

Up until now, I've just read this thread and chuckled, but this one totally hit one of my peeves. For the love of Pete (who is that guy anyway, and why do so many people want his love?) people, please teach your kids to stay in their chairs during a meal!!!! Really, do I get up and play "duck-duck-goose" with you at your table? If it's not OK for me, then why is it OK for little Timmy? My kiddos have been going to restaurants from the time they were infants in carriers and have been taught that we sit in our chairs, and don't get up, not even at home, until we're done. If your kid is running through the aisles, don't be surprised or offended when I push my chair back to leave just as they're running by and they trip and fall.

It's also really unsafe for the servers, with big trays they need to keep their minds on what they're carrying, not on watching out for screaming howler monkeys that parents should be policing!!!!!

OK, rant over...

 

[siburdue]

At the last pirate party insanity descended om me and I queued for cake. It took forever to wind my way to the table, and they were out of forks. I asked the cast member for a fork and she made a hand gesture to me that I should eat the cake with my hands. I wanted to make a finger gesture back at her but opted to just snarl politely.

I finally found a fork and went up to deck 10, where promptly a strong gust of wind came and blew my piece of cake off my plate and over the railing. It would have been poetic justice had the wind-launched cake hit the fork gesturing cast member in the face. I would have then considered the evening a great success.

I laughed so hard reading this that tears were rolling down my cheeks Thanks for the great laugh! I can see myself writing something like this after our cruise, as sometimes it all just gets to me, even though I just love Disney

 

[siburdue]

OK, OK, I know that many adults consider themselves Disney fanatics. I'm sure they are lovely people, but I just don't get the adults (OK, women) that walk around the ship all day carrying a Disney stuffed toy, mostly Mickey. They have them at the pool, at shows, on excursions, at dinner, everywhere. I know some even go to Build-A-Bear to buy their Mickey appropriate clothes for any occasion--tuxedos, swimwear, raincoats, etc.

It kinda freaks me out...

Rant over (for now)...

My girlfriend just gave me a BuildABear with Mickey heads all over it from Disneyland. I wasn't going to bring it with me, but now maybe I think I should

 

[iankh]

I laughed so hard reading this that tears were rolling down my cheeks Thanks for the great laugh! I can see myself writing something like this after our cruise, as sometimes it all just gets to me, even though I just love Disney

This was on the Mexican Riviera cruise just a few months ago.

What made matters worse was that we had decided that we were going to try and change our opinion of the Pirate Party and thought that it was probably our attitudes at fault.

We have never done the buffet because we usually have late seating and are so too full to eat.

With this in mind we opted for dinner at Beach Blanket Babylon, which proved to be a really fantastic experience. We loved it! HOT food, fast and very attentive service and the server did not try to be our pal.

The Pirate Party even without the food was a bore (except for the fireworks) and my cake blowing away was just a sign from heaven that I should abandon my potentially Pollyanna ways.

 

[Cerberus9]

Up until now, I've just read this thread and chuckled, but this one totally hit one of my peeves. For the love of Pete (who is that guy anyway, and why do so many people want his love?) people, please teach your kids to stay in their chairs during a meal!!!! Really, do I get up and play "duck-duck-goose" with you at your table? If it's not OK for me, then why is it OK for little Timmy? My kiddos have been going to restaurants from the time they were infants in carriers and have been taught that we sit in our chairs, and don't get up, not even at home, until we're done. If your kid is running through the aisles, don't be surprised or offended when I push my chair back to leave just as they're running by and they trip and fall.

It's also really unsafe for the servers, with big trays they need to keep their minds on what they're carrying, not on watching out for screaming howler monkeys that parents should be policing!!!!!

OK, rant over...

This is what happens when people start wearing jeans to dinner.