More Columnists

• Michael Peltier: Tobacco fund a tempting budget fix
• Thomas Sowell: Demonizing CEOs’ salaries: It’s Ivan and Boris, all over again
• Phil Lewis: Press-ing issues, Naples forum

Tell us about it

• What would you add to this story? Tell us what we missed.
• Do you have photos from this event? Documents we need to see? Share with us.
• Upload photos & videos
• More ways to get your stuff online and in the paper.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

Share and Enjoy [?]

Many Banner readers are retired. A great many take advantage of the nearby attractive cruise offers to the Caribbean and beyond. That “beyond” for my wife and I included our first Mediterranean cruise adventure recently. This column, however, will not focus on the itinerary and its activities (i.e., flight to Rome, on to Florence, ports in France, Spain, Portugal and a seven day-at-sea return to Miami). Instead, my subject will be an unexpected irritant of the trip —— the incessantly repeated complaining by so many of the cruising guests, mostly seniors as we are.

Our ship was huge — nearly 3,000 passengers, 1,500 crew, the length of over three football fields, every comfort and activity one could possibly imagine. Our perspective was one of continuing awe for how smoothly and efficiently the cabin, dining, entertainment and recreational offerings meshed. Never, in our experience, crowding, waiting in lines, interruptions of privacy or poor service. Occasional minor needs were promptly provided. Information about daily activities, tours, etc., for a wide variety of tastes was comprehensive and accurate — typical of our many cruise experiences.

However, from the start of the cruise to the end we were uncomfortable with the gaggle of whining and complaining guests we regularly encountered.

OK, everyone, after all, paid a good deal for the cruise. Each has a right to complain if their expectations for whatever are not being met. It is reasonable to expect that dissatisfactions will be communicated to those responsible and attended to — but must the complaint be repeated to every other passenger that they meet? Duh! I do not exaggerate when I state that vocal, repetitive, embellished complaints permeated the elevators, decks, pools, dining tables, et al of the ship. I began to roll my eyes to my wife as I overheard another griper. Frankly, as sympathetic as I tried to be with persons who were genuinely disappointed with whatever, throughout the cruise, however, I could not identify any but minor irritations as the source of these whining, discontent guests.

My complaint is that they chose to air their fickle, selfish opinions so openly to the frequent distress of others within ear-shot.

What is the popular saw about “not sweating the small stuff?” If I overhead one of the following once, I was forced to overhear it a dozen times. “The buffet coffee was cold.” “The pool bands were too loud.” “Guests are pushy and rude in the buffet lines.” “The sound track to the top deck feature film had the volume too high.” “The steward has a bad attitude about our requests.” “Smoking ought to be banned in ALL the bars.” “The tour guide to the winery did not speak English well.” “The stage shows were not as entertaining as our last cruise.” “I’ll never cruise this X line again. I will go back to only Line XX where I’ve cruised nine times. Let me tell you how much better XX is....” “Half the staff doesn’t speak English — ridiculous!” “My lobster last night was so tough that...”. On ad nauseum!

So here I am writing a column complaining about complainers. I’ve joined them! One chronic complainer who was, unfortunately, in our small tour group brought up her “awful, awful, awful” side tour to Venice the first week. (“It was three hours on the bus, only two in Venice, and then three hours back to the ship. Wait til my travel agent hears about this!”) OK, so speak to the agent about it, but spare us! I overheard her every time she met someone new during the cruise repeat the complaint. And, I exaggerate not, we sat behind her on the bus trip home from Miami and she was relating the sad tale to apparently the last person in the tour group who had not heard it.

If complaining guests were the exception, rather than the rule, I would have resisted writing this column. Not so, I’m sorry to say. Next cruise my wife and I book will include earplugs in our carry-ons.