Going on a cruise & wondering about cruise ship dining? While there are few hard strict rules to dining on a cruise, here are some cruise dining etiquette rules & best practices to be aware of!
Beyond cruise line dress codes, there are cruise etiquette do’s & don’ts that all cruisers will want to know. Don’t make these common cruise mistakes when it comes to the main dining room, specialty restaurants & buffet on a cruise. Cruise ship crew & fellow cruise passengers will appreciate the effort.
This video is great for first time cruisers or anyone looking for cruise tips & information. Good for cruise travelers on Carnival cruise line, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises & more! These useful cruise travel tips will help as you plan our cruise vacation.
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Hi! I’m Ilana! I live in Montreal, Canada with my husband Frank. We can often be found dreaming about and planning future cruises, ideally to hot and sunny destinations! I believe in having fun, being kind and that you are never too old, or too young, to live the life of your dreams!
Please note that I do not sell cruises on Life Well Cruised. This and all other videos are for entertainment purposes only. I share my own opinions, personal experiences and information with other cruise travellers, which I hope can be helpful. Please contact your travel agent or the cruise line directly for advice and any information specific to your booking.
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29 Comments
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My pet peeve is going to the main dining room and having unruly children next to me. There are family friendly options for families who can not control their children. I actually got up and left one of our formal dining evenings when a table of screaming kids was next to us. I did (and I think others did too) brought this to the attention of the main waiter. It just eludes me how people just donāt think of how rude this is!
First cruise coming up. Wondered if we are supposed to tip every meal. Also, since gratuities have been charged to me as part of the fare. Thanks
Never get on a cruise ship, period. That's how you avoid dining, or any other types of problems.
Why avoid going on a cruise? Well, imagine being at Walmart, and the weird types of people you encounter. Now then, imagine being out at sea, trapped with thousands of people like that, and there's NOWHERE to go, unless you stay in your cabin the entire cruise
Such a wonderful video with some useful information. Thank you. Greetings from Brazil.
I like to take a photo of the names of my waiter and assistant waiter. Iām not very good with names otherwise.
Thatās the American style to say your are finished with your meal. Other countries put them side by side straight up and down.
Perfume/cologne is an allergy trigger for many people. Cruises are full of activities where people are close together. Please don't wear perfume to dinner or the theater where you will be close to others. We had someone near us in the theater on our last cruise that had us choking because the perfume was unpleasant and too strong.
What is this unfinished wine you speak of?
ā¤ā¤ā¤ On my last cruise I witnessed such rude behavior towards a crew member on deck serving drinks. The rude person was sitting across from myself and when the server left, I let her have it. She acted like she was going to start a fight but when I stood up to walk away she seen I was an Amazon and quickly changed her tune. The next day we ran into her in a elevator and I said ā hows it goingā acting like nothing ever happened and she looked down at the floor and said Hi.. she couldnāt get off quick enough.. Me and my Bestie lightly chuckled. We never ran into her or her husband again. I guess I am sensitive towards people making fun of someones accentās because My Mother is from France and I can remember uneducated folks trying to make fun of her but she always set them straight and fast š¤£
Re: Wait staff recommendations. Well, yes and no. I have been to many nice restaurants in the US and Europe. And the fact is that a LOT of them will ask wait staff to push a certain dish for a lot of reasons other than "le duck l'orange, it is superbe tonight monsieur!" Sometimes that is right, sometimes it is bullshit… and they just need to move some over purchased and under ordered duck. And surprisingly that happens about equally here in the US and in Europe. So much for "sophisticated" European dining, eh?
I am just going to have a good time, eat like a pig, exhaust my drink package, and be myself, which is usually very nice.
Can you order more than one entree in a specialty restaurant?
Sometimes, I can only eat appetizers. Sometimes I don't like any mains so I'll just order a couple of appetizers.
It's pretty difficult to follow dining etiquette when the dining room staff breaks out dancing La Macarena or when there's a group of 30 year old drunk bros celebrating finally ending their virginity.
I love when people get all butt hurt over a hat at the table. Stay in your own lane and mind your business. It's not your table. Enjoy your cruise without being worried about what's going on with someone else that is not hurting you.
Big fan of manners. Great tips right here. Thank you. ā¤šš
8:23 Linguistically in English knife and fork is an irreversible binomial. I think the reason for this is because there is a hidden double entendre when reversed. A lot of people will not hear it but by the same token at work we would volunteer to get drinks and say everyone for coffee?
Good way to remember which drink and bread plate is yourās is to make a circle with your thumb and index finger. Left is a B and right is a D. B for bread, D for drink! Easy!! Another etiquette tip is to not FaceTime on your phone during dinner. Iām on MSC seascape for a back to back right now and two different nights a person was on their phone at the table next to us their entire dinner! We didnāt need to head their conversation! Love cruising!
If you are more than 15 minutes late – I hope your reservation will be canceled – whether on a cruise or elsewhere.
To me – the major issue when having to share a table with others is their personal eating manners. People who grew up under Bolshevist education systems are usually knowledgeable about art and culture but not social- and table manners. Karl Marx declared those a fallacy of the bourgeoisie. Reaching with their bare hands into the bread basket and returning part, picking nuts or olives out of the common container at the bar are typical,. Some have the notion of hygiene at the table. They make sure that their fingers are clean by licking them carefully. The same applies to grabbing a bone out of their plate – finger-licking good., Those take the cake for me and my appetite is gone for good,
I was always taught that if you're sharing a table with others, wait until everyone is served before you begin eating. Most waitstaffs are very conscious of getting all (or the majority) of the food to the table at the same time.
My brother and I always travel together. Yes, you must tip everyone who is looking after you. We never had these problems; exceptions were made once. we were leaving the ship, and my brother realized when looking for his wallet the envelope for the cabin attendee was still in his wallet. We promptly stop just before getting out, we spoke to an officer and gave him the envelope telling him the name of our attendee, and we indeed received a photo of him with many thank you from him.
The cowboy hat wearing In restaurants is AWFUL! Where is the ranch? Where are the cattle? In other wordsā¦.where is the hair?
The dress code is not enforced on Carnival. I did not say anything and the family was very well man-nerd.
Hi, are drinks included when dinning in restaurants
Love your channel! I always learn something š My husband and I have MAJOR pet peeve on this topic. We just returned from a 10 day cruise in europe and we were horrified to see so many people coughing, sneezing, and even loudly blowing their noses in the dining areas. It is completely disgusting. There are ways to be discreet while coughing and sneezing when it cannot be avoided (weāve all been there) but if youāve got to blow your nose – sorry, but just get up and leave! And after all weāve been through with the pandemic. We actually had to get up and move because a guy was going on and on with the blowing. And then many go handle the serving utensils at the buffet after this behavior. Wow. Just wow. š±
Not sure how effective the little purse sized hand sanitizers are, but at least it makes me feel betterā¦ā¦
When ever I sailed, I never left a tip. Perhaps that was just not the custom on board an aircraft carrier.
As someone with significant dietary restrictions, I can confirm that Main dining staff are very willing to work with you & to mix and match if needed. Really interested in the steak but you can't have the side it's paired with? Just ask to switch to a different side! š
I want to go back to a dress code in the formal dining rooms. If you want to wear teeshirts and shirts go to the buffet! Iām so tired of fat guys in shorts sitting with legs spread apart with their junk out! Yes that happened on my last Alaska cruise.