I don’t know about you, but when I go on a cruise, I want to rest and relax!
In most cases, especially when there are a lot of kids on board, you may not be getting the peace and quiet you’ve been waiting for on your cruise vacation.Make no mistake, I’m not Mr. Wilson who lived next door to Dennis the Menace, but if I’m paying for a restful cruise, I don’t want to hear the following annoying cruise ship sounds. Do You?1. The noise of slamming doorsYou know it, I know it and the American people know it! Nothing is more annoying than the loud sounds of balcony doors, bathroom doors, cabin, dresser and closet doors and the mack daddy of them all, the sound of that plastic toilet seat slamming shut!I fail to understand why people slam doors.It’s one thing if your ship is sailing in 40 foot seas with 80 mph gale force winds outside your balcony, but when a balcony door loudly slams shut in port, I have to ask myself what the heck.Sure, the cruise lines could invest more money into equipment that will close the door safely and whisper quiet, but passengers should be more sensitive to their neighbors by closing all doors quietly!
2. The noise of the people in the cabin next to youHow many times have your heard the couple next door yelling and screaming at each other? Remember the time when you heard kids jumping on the beds and talking loudly in that cabin next door while Mom and Dad were no where to be found? How about the time when you heard the honeymoon couple in the next cabin celebrating their wedding vows all hours of the day and night?Keep in mind that the walls of your cabin are paper thin, so chance are if you hear them, then they can hear you!If you are annoyed by loud sounds from the next cabin, politely knock on their door and ask them to hold the noise down. If they don’t comply, call security!
3. Unaccompanied brats running down those long halls!Parents. Try this at home. Ask little Timmy to take out the trash or clean his room. Will he jump up and do it immediately. I’m waiting! Right. He’s glued to his video game on his LeapPad. But the same little Timmy from Pensacola, Florida has no problem running up and down those LONG halls several times a day.On one recent cruise, I let the brat run up and down the hall the first two days just to get his energy out. On the third day I saw him laughing and running down the hall with his dad slowing walking down the hall behind him with a big smile on his face.“Hey buddy, from one dad to another, can you ask your son not to run down the hall?” I politely stated.“Who the hell are YOU to spoil my son’s vacation!!!!” was the calm, polite response I got from the father.Now back in MY day, that father would have been embarrassed and he would have demanded his son apologize to me!Welcome to 2016.
4. The noise of the ocean hitting upside the shipHello Kmart shoppers, I’ve got a news flash! You are on a ship at sea!Listen, I’ve been there. My wife and I have had a cabin down on deck 3 with a port hole window and we heard the sound of the ocean outside our window.While it’s romantic at first, that sound can get annoying real quick, especially at 2 a.m.If you don’t want to hear the sound of the ocean outside, then spring for a balcony cabin up on deck 8.Problem solved.
5. The noise from a club, casino or main show loungeThis is precisely why you book with a travel agent and not some online site where you don’t talk to a human being.A professional travel agent knows the cabins that will be near these loud venues!Keep in mind that on many ships, the parties go long into the night, so if you’re hoping to hit the hay at 9 p.m, good luck unless you have ear plugs!You will be wide awake hearing 80’s music, rock and roll or some Blake Shelton country tunes at midnight or later!Have you heard any of these annoying sounds on your cruise? What tips do you have to enjoy a restful cruise vacation?
