Lesser-Known Cruise Etiquette Guidelines You Should Be Aware Of

Shoving off while standing on the deck for your first cruise (perhaps with a winter cruiseliner departure) is a wonderful feeling. As the ship begins to haul away from shore, you’ll feel the wind in your hair as the relaxing atmosphere takes hold. Over the coming days, you’ll explore the high seas and likely even dock at one or more fabulous destinations. Caribbean cruises are a particular favorite for many Americans, especially for those trying to escape colder temperatures during the winter months. However, cruises that traverse the Alaskan shoreline or even ferry adventurous passengers down to Antarctica (not to mention the likes of Royal Caribbean’s year-long world cruise) are high on the minds of seafaring travelers.

No matter where you’re traveling on a stunningly laid-out cruise ship, there’s a lot to remember about the experience. Cruises are unlike any other vacation you’ll enjoy. For one thing, they’re self-contained environments that float on surfs. This means that whatever departs from shore on the ship remains with the vessel, and anything you leave behind won’t be available until you return. Packing intelligently for the trip is, therefore, a crucial step to take when cruising. But there are plenty of etiquette rules that cruise ship adventurers will want to get straight before departing. From maintaining quiet voices in cabin halls to respecting lines, these are some of the most important (and often overlooked) etiquette rules that all cruisers will want to adhere to for the best experience possible.

On a cruise, one of the first things you’ll notice about your stateroom is that its walls are quite thin. Boat construction is a fundamentally different process from a hotel or any land-based structure. Boats demand weight-saving construction methods, which typically means they are built with far less insulating material and dense walling structures. The result is a hallway full of staterooms, which can become an echo chamber if you aren’t careful with your movement and voice.

As you walk down the hall, no matter what time of day, you’ll want to act courteously to others around you. Cruise ships are a place of great entertainment, and this calendar of events extends most of the way through a 24-hour day. Those with children in tow might get up early to take advantage of the pool and go to bed shortly after dinner. Others will want to sleep in after a night of enjoyment in the bar or casino areas. 

It’s impossible to know who might be behind any given door in your hallway, so you can’t be certain that your voice pitch isn’t disturbing someone trying to sleep. Additionally, yelling in the hallways or running around in these areas can disturb those trying to enjoy a peaceful vacation. A good way to be courteous is to avoid rambunctious behavior and use your indoor voice at all times.

Cruise ships are often luxurious affairs. Staff aboard most ships will look to create a relaxing and entertainment-filled experience that hits at least one high note for every guest. But cruise ships are not like hotels or resorts in one very significant way. Once the ship sails from the shore, the floating environment is completely closed off to outside supply options and other amenities you might take for granted on land. There are plenty of retail opportunities on board a cruise ship, but the very nature of this aquatic adventure closes off some avenues of problem-solving.

With limited resources comes the reality that sometimes crew members will be inundated with requests and needs from guests. Constraints and the potential for setbacks are just part of the experience. This vacation format also introduces the potential for unexpected and sometimes even strange inconveniences. Keeping this in mind will allow you to roll with the punches and enjoy the highlights of your trip rather than focusing on the odd times when something just doesn’t line up the way you expected or hoped.

Cruise bookers who select staterooms that feature a balcony — like a veranda cabin (here’s everything to know) – will often want to take full advantage of this amenity. Just don’t bring your fishing pole along, or you might be banned from cruise ships for life! Balconies that look over the ocean or sea allow you to take in the breathtaking expanse surrounding you and your fellow guests. Sitting on a balcony as your ship comes into port is also a wonderfully enriching experience that amplifies the entire trip and gives you a personalized view.

Enjoying balcony space attached to your stateroom isn’t just a nice perk, however. This amenity is also a privilege that you need to respect. For one thing, balconies introduce a safety wrinkle that can’t be overlooked. If you have young children or plan to indulge at the bar, you’ll always want to keep safety in mind because falling off a balcony can spell disaster for you and your loved ones. But you’ll also need to be responsible with your possessions when it comes to this open-air facility.

Unfortunately, just about anything you might leave out here is susceptible to the wind or even a visit from birds that traverse the area. There is a high probability that anything you leave on the balcony will be swept over the edge and end up in the water below. It’s, therefore, your responsibility to clean up this area so that you don’t contribute to aquatic pollution along your cruise route. 

Cruise ships frequently feature a full schedule of events throughout the day. You may spend part of the morning at the pool and then head away to catch a show or get involved in organized games at the other end of the deck. No matter how you decide to enjoy the relaxing environment of the cruise ship, you should avoid reserving a chair at the pool. Hotel guests are often accustomed to setting their towels or bags down on a group of chairs and then heading away to breakfast. Reserving chairs at hotels isn’t usually a major problem. 

This is because pool decks at hotels are often quite large, and there isn’t a wide range of alternative activities to participate in at the hotel. This means if you’re reserving a chair at the pool, you’ll almost certainly return to the spot within a reasonable amount of time. The same can’t be said for cruise ships. With so many activities going on at any given time, guests may be pulled away from the pool for the entirety of the day. Moreover, pool deck space is severely limited on a cruise ship compared to resort pools on land.

Fortunately, because of these realities, there’s actually far less of a need to reserve a chair. With people coming and going all day, space around the pool will constantly become available. However, if the ship you’re on allows you to reserve space at the pool, don’t abuse this power. Set your effects down and return to claim your spot as quickly as possible so you aren’t interfering with other people’s itinerary.

Another piece of cruise etiquette that’s aimed at respecting the needs and wants of others involves the elevators. Elevators on a cruise ship may be somewhat limited in capacity. There may be fewer elevators in operation than at a typical resort hotel, and they might even run at slower speeds than you’re used to. Elevators on cruise ships are typically located near high-traffic areas. These include fixtures of the ship’s infrastructure, like ballrooms, entertainment halls, and restaurants.

As a result, elevators are often inundated with a flood of guests when a show ends or around the end of the dinner rush. At all times on a cruise ship, it’s important to respect the line. Whether you’re at the bar or buffet or standing around waiting for the elevator, there’s a certain amount of courtesy that you’ll need to extend to your fellow guests. Because lines can quickly build up at this fixture, and some guests will have mobility issues that limit their capacity to use the stairs, sticking to the social norm of waiting for your turn is crucially important.

Dress codes may seem like a bizarre rule when you’re on vacation. Much of the cruise ship experience involves little clothing. You might spend your entire day drinking at the pool bar wearing a bathing suit while catching the Sun’s rays, for instance. Because of this laid-back atmosphere, it might seem a little strange to be told you have to dress up for dinner. But dress codes are a part of the fun, not a stuffy set of rules that interfere with it.

Dress codes, especially for dinner at certain restaurants on a cruise, help set the mood. If you’re dining in the ship’s steakhouse, for example, adhering to the dress code helps to enhance the ambiance of this kind of meal. There’s just something a little off-putting about slumming it while eating fancy food. On many cruise ships, you could just eat at the buffet, which doesn’t demand a (strict) dress code. Keeping clothing guidelines in mind and adhering to them is a great way to curate your cruise experience and create fond memories. Moreover, you may even be turned away from a restaurant if you don’t follow its dress code, something that’s sure to sour the trip rather than add to it.

As with airport lounges and many other public or semi-public spaces, you’ll want to use your headphones on a cruise ship. Watching movies or television shows on your phone or tablet is often a part of the entertainment people seek when sunbathing or otherwise relaxing. You might also consider calling friends or family to update them on your trip. If you’re engaged in a video call or listening to media on your device, using your headphones will enhance the listening experience. Firstly, sound is much better with headphones rather than the phone’s speakers in a noisy setting. This makes headphones a practical matter beyond any other etiquette considerations.

But good manners are also part of the equation. Make no mistake: The person sitting in the lounge chair next to you does not want to hear your conversation or be involved in the YouTube video you’re watching on your iPad. Using your headphones allows the people around you to enjoy the same public space you’re all sharing. It also helps preserve the atmosphere for everyone and is a kind and courteous thing to do. You wouldn’t want to be interrupted by someone else’s conversation, so you need to return this favor when engaging in potentially loud activity.

As mentioned previously, alcohol and balconies are a combination that can result in tragedy. But alcohol on a cruise ship isn’t just dangerous when paired with heights or the water. Cruise ships are constantly moving, and it’s entirely possible to feel the effects of particularly heavy waves while standing on the deck. If you are intoxicated when heavy surf begins to kick up, you might even find yourself losing your balance. There’s also the threat of seasickness that can be made worse when paired with alcohol: Rough seas are best handled with plenty of hydration, and alcohol counteracts these efforts.

Staying safe with regard to your alcohol consumption is always an important thing to prioritize. But it becomes even more critical when doing it on a cruise ship. Cruises are like a micro-community. When you board the ship, you and every other guest you’ll interact with are all hoping to enjoy a unique escape from normal life. Getting out on the high seas offers something totally different, and overdoing it with alcohol in this environment can ruin the vacation for others and dramatically take away from your experience, too. There’s no reason to abstain from drinking unless you want to, but keeping your limits in mind and staying safe with your alcohol consumption aboard any maritime vessel — even a mammoth cruise ship — is immensely important for a wealth of reasons.

Whether it’s the initial boarding at your home port or a return to the ship after docking in an island harbor, sticking to the schedule is essential. Generally speaking, the cruise ship won’t wait for you. There are likely tens of thousands of other passengers aboard a typical cruise ship, and pausing departure because one person or group hasn’t returned on time can create all kinds of domino effect problems for others. Also, ships docked at ports pay to use these services, so a delay can be extremely costly to the company.

The only real exception to this rule is if you are delayed in returning to the vessel during an excursion organized by the cruise operator. If this is the case, then your delay is actually the ship’s fault, so to speak. However, most tardiness in returning to the ship is entirely avoidable and rests firmly on the shoulders of late cruisers. It’s just plain inconsiderate to arrive at the craft late. If the cruise does wait for you, you’ll be deferring the plans and entertainment of countless other people.

It may seem silly to include, but the reality is that plenty of cruise ship passengers tune out the announcements and instructions of the ship’s captain and crew. At the beginning of any cruise, a lengthy announcement will be made to inform passengers of the ship’s safety protocols. This includes instructions on what to do if a fire breaks out on board or if the ship starts taking on water and begins to sink, among other extreme and moderate hazards. Crew members will also provide updates on all kinds of happenings on the ship, including details on docking and departure times in destination ports.

Travelers who have never been on a cruise ship may be somewhat pre-programmed to ignore these announcements. Anytime you fly on an airplane, you’re subjected to roughly the same flight safety announcement sequence. It doesn’t matter what airline you fly with, the cities your itinerary connects, or the type of plane you’re sitting on. These instructions are nearly a carbon copy of one another, so passengers typically tune them out. But the same can’t be said for a cruise ship. All ships are unique, and safety procedures will vary greatly. Also, docking schedules are critical pieces of information that can’t be ignored. Talking over an announcement can leave you without crucial knowledge and might interfere with others trying to listen nearby.