The 8 Cruise Complaints the Cruise Lines Still Need to Fix in 2024

In January, we polled cruisers asking what they wanted cruise lines to change in 2024. But that was just the start of the conversation. Since then, we have gotten even more feedback from cruisers on social media, YouTube, and our blog. So, we are back with eight more cruise complaints cruisers want the cruise lines to fix in 2024.

Did we miss anything? Let us know if there is anything else you would add to this list.  

The 8 Cruise Complaints the Cruise Lines Still Need to Fix in 2024

Allowing Children in Adult Only Areas

Besides the few adult-only cruise lines, like Virgin Voyages or Viking, many cruise lines try to appeal to travelers of all demographics.

However, even the family-friendly cruise lines often have adults-only areas reserved for those 18+. But, as many cruisers pointed out, some cruise lines do not do a good job at enforcing these rules. One huge cruise compliant is seeing kids and teens in adult-only areas, and the crew doing nothing about it.

Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises have solariums supposedly reserved for older cruisers. However, we have definitely seen those not old enough to operate a vehicle lounging around this space. Even without the kids, these spaces are often in high traffic areas. So, families and littles ones continually pass by all day.

Some cruise lines are better than others though. The adults-only area on Disney Wish is all the way aft on the ship. Thus, it is a little more out of the way and difficult for kids to access without being stopped by crew.

Further, the Serenity on Carnival Cruise Line’s Excel class of ships is all the way forward. During our Carnival Jubilee cruise, we never saw any kids in this space.

Similarly, many cruisers complain about children in the whirlpools. Some claim that on many cruise ships whirlpools are overrun with kids and teens. Often, these younger kids are being loud or misbehaving, and the parents are nowhere to be seen.

So, cruisers want the cruise lines to enforce their rules and ensure adult-only spaces remain just that.

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Crew Pressuring Guests for Good Evaluations

Most cruise lines send out surveys to guests at the end of the voyage. The cruise lines take this feedback seriously and use it to help improve the onboard experience.

Many cruise lines also use the survey responses to reward and promote crew members. As a result, on some cruise lines, the crew aggressively reminded cruisers to complete the surveys and to give them a 10 rating. This is another big cruise complaint.

For instance, on the last night of a recent cruise, we heard from three individuals in the main dining room about the survey and the need for us to rate each of them as a “9 or 10”.

On some other previous trips, crew members referenced the survey several times during the week. Like other cruisers, we agree that this practice needs to stop. We admit that it is a huge turn-off for crew to constantly remind travelers to give them a 10 point rating.

We know that a low score could hurt a crew member, and we wouldn’t want to do that purposely; so many times now we skip completing the survey all together. This defeats the purpose of asking for feedback in the first place.

Not Monitoring Drunk and Obnoxious People

In our previous post, one thing cruisers wanted changed were entitled cruisers. We all know the cruisers who cut lines, rush elevators, or act like they are better than the rest of us onboard. While many agreed that this behavior needs to stop on cruises, several comments zeroed in on another type of unruly behavior.

Several posters rightfully aimed at the cruise lines for not enforcing their policies on over-serving cruisers. We have all been on trips where fellow cruisers have had one too many to drink.

We are not talking about the guy or gal laughing and joking because they are a bit tipsy. We’re talking about the obnoxious, loud, and disrespectful cruisers who can barely stand up.

On a recent sailing, we had a very intoxicated person next to us at the Dueling Pianos bar. He could barely stand up, was rude to the bartenders, and it was awkward for all of us next to him.  

With cruise lines actively promoting drink packages, several viewers have suggested that this behavior is rising. Others tried to pinpoint some cruise lines in particular.

While everyone is on vacation and looking to have a good time, the cruise lines have clear policies on alcohol consumption. Thus, many want more cruise lines to enforce these rules.

There are a host of potential safety issues and concerns with having too much to drink. Drunk people, plus the Caribbean heat, is a recipe for disaster. Not to mention, other serious medical issues or injuries could arise as a result.

Changing Cruise Loyalty Programs

All cruise lines have loyalty programs. The promise of cruising exclusively with one cruise line is appealing. Cruise more with a particular cruise line and earn additional perks. Cruisers in the loyalty program then receive additional special treatment and benefits as they work their way up the tiers. This could include anything from discounts, to exclusive parties, to free drinks, and more.

I mean, Royal Caribbean even gives certain cruisers a pin to designate their status level so everyone onboard knows who they are.

However, there were several cruise complaints about how cruise lines are running these loyalty programs.

As some cruisers pointed out, the cruise lines have been changing these perks, making these loyalty programs less valuable. Others indicated that the loyalty programs are useless unless you’ve sailed with a line for years or go on many cruises a year only on that line.

Still, others pointed out that sometimes there are so many fellow passengers of a certain status on a particular sailing that cruise lines have to deny cruisers certain perks. For instance, last year, Carnival Cruise Line had so many cruisers at the higher tiers of its VIFP program on two sailings that perks were removed.

Royal Caribbean has made similar accommodations on some sailings. The line’s Diamond Lounge is typically open to those who are Diamond and above in the Crown and Anchor Society. Now, on many sailings, there are too many cruisers at that level. So, the lounge is only open to those at the highest tiers. In fact, on Icon of the Seas, it is now the Crown Lounge.

Of course, cruise lines apologize when these instances arise. But, as many point out, this issue will only grow as more cruisers achieve the higher tiers of loyalty status.

However, some cruise lines are listening and adapting. Royal Caribbean did make some improvements to adjust for this influx. For instance, cruisers receive drink vouchers on their SeaPass cards now that are good at any bar instead of just in the Crown Lounge.

In 2022, Norwegian Cruise Line updated its loyalty program, adding tiers and making it easier to get to Platinum status, which provides some of the most desirable perks. The cruise line also added additional tiers, so there wasn’t such a large gap between Platinum and its highest tier, Ambassador.

Lack of Signage and Clear Markers for Directions

Larger cruise ships mean more venues and amenities. Thus, it can make navigating ships more complex. We get it that cruise lines are designing ships to be more stylish and sophisticated. So, having giant signs with arrows and block lettering doesn’t really go with the new look.

But, one of the common cruise complaints we hear is the lack of signage on larger ships. We tend to agree with this as we have roamed these ships looking for bathrooms or entrances to specific venues on many occasions.

Virgin Voyages is notorious for having small signs and directories on floors. Not only are there no signs at times, restrooms are often tucked away around corners and in odd locations.

Icon of the Seas has the same issues. While there are bright signs indicating restrooms, they also have a faint red arrow pointing back, to the side, or up. So, finding facilities near the theater or the main dining room is actually not as intuitive as a quick glance for a sign.

Additionally, others cruisers noted that sometimes it is difficult to find directories or they are difficult to read. To complicate matters, some newer ships have unique designs that are atypical of other cruise ships in its fleet.

On a positive note, many cruise lines offer apps that include deck plans, and some even have features that include step-by-step directions. So, there is at least some attempt to help passengers get around while maintaining the stylish aesthetic.  

Last-Minute Itinerary Changes

Buried deep within the legalese of the cruise contract is the potential for the cruise line to change itinerary based on several factors.

While many accept this as an inevitable part of going on a cruise, the cruise lines have been making some drastic last-minute changes recently.  

Many cruisers pointed out that recently, cruise lines have made last-minute itinerary changes without adequately notifying the passengers. Norwegian Cruise Line recently completely changed an itinerary that was supposed to go to Antarctica on embarkation day!

This past fall, MSC Cruises diverted a cruise that was supposed to go to the Bahamas to a Canada-New England cruise. This change was made less than 24 hours before the departure.

As recently as last month, Princess Cruises had to cancel the first couple of cruises on Sun Princess with very little advanced notice. Some cruisers were already in Europe ahead of these sailings.

These are just a few examples of several cruise lines making last-minute drastic changes. For many, these alterations are inexcusable and almost a form of false advertising. To sell one experience and provide a completely different experience with little compensation is unacceptable for many cruisers.

Of course, we get that sometimes these changes are necessary, when due to unforeseen issues, weather, etc. Swapping one port for another is common and a bit easier to accept, but we do feel for passengers when these drastic changes are made. In these cases, the cruise lines need to provide some form of reimbursement.  

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Micromanaging Cruisers

Some cruise lines have embraced technology more than others. Virgin Voyages and Princess Cruises have wearable technology that enables keyless entry into staterooms. It also makes ordering food and beverages a breeze…and paperless.

Then, other cruise lines still print paper receipts and make you sign for every purchase. Even when the drinks are included in the package or when using a voucher. Yet, these same cruise lines make finding paper copies of the daily magazine difficult.

Further, several cruise lines indicate they are making changes to be more environmentally-friendly. But, they still have flyers for art auctions and jewelry sales in your stateroom every night.

Similarly, several cruisers indicated they are tired of some cruise lines being like a nanny state regarding the onboard experiences. They are sick of swiping their room key card to get towels or having their stateroom attendant unplug electronics or shut off the air conditioning in their stateroom.

The cruise line claims these changes enhance the cruise experience or are for environmental purposes, but many travelers just find them annoying and intrusive.

Then, there are the announcements, with cruise lines at both extremes. We’ve heard many cruise complaints about the excessive ship-wide announcements and cabin disruptions.

Whether it is updates from the captain or the cruise director detailing the upcoming belly-flop contest, many cruisers wish the cruise lines would stop with these PA messages throughout the day. Even we noted how frequently Carnival Cruise Line made announcements during our recent sailing.

On the flip side, some cruise lines have almost completely done away with these notifications, like Virgin Voyages. So, this leaves some confusion about when the ship is cleared to go ashore as well as other important announcements. We actually almost missed a shore excursion on Virgin because of a time change. There was no announcement or no paper notification in the stateroom, apparently only a push notification in the app that we never received.

If cruise lines are going to make passengers dependent on their apps, then they need to work!

Other Cruisers Complaining About Cruising

Unsurprisingly, another cruise complaint was about cruisers complaining. The consensus is that everyone just needs to relax.

One of the things that several posters want to see stop is other cruisers complaining about cruising. Some were even as bold to say they were sick of cruisers whining that cruising wasn’t as good as it used to be in the past.  

Of course, this made us laugh. But it also gave us some great perspective. At some level, we can see those individuals’ points as much has changed over the years.

Also, as many pointed out, some of these complaints apply to all forms of travel so it’s unfair to single out cruising. Prices for travel are up across the board. Almost everywhere, individuals are charged more but receive less, and the tipping culture is out of control. These critics do have a point. But, while complaining might feel cathartic, it might not be the most productive.

Plus, cruising is still a great value, and cruise lines are offering new, innovative ships and experiences. There are more cruise destinations than ever, and travelers have so many options regarding itineraries and types of cruises.

Change is inevitable. Yes, there have been some cutbacks, but in the 15+ years we have been cruising, we feel the experience has improved overall.

Comments

Did we miss any other cruise complaints? What would you like the cruise lines to fix in 2024? Drop us an anchor below with suggestions that would improve your cruise experience.