A typical cruise ship can reportedly accommodate around 3,000 passengers — and if you’re sailing for a couple of weeks, chances are at least one person onboard will get on your nerves.
Cruise holidays come with plenty of official guidelines. For instance, Norwegian Cruise Line has recently said it will be enforcing its dress code more strictly.
In certain onboard restaurants, guests are now not allowed to wear tank tops, hoodies, robes, ripped jeans, or headwear such as caps and hats.
But beyond the posted policies, there are also plenty of unspoken expectations that can make life smoother — and help you avoid irritating the people around you.
That’s exactly what one first-time cruiser wanted to understand before setting sail, so they headed to Reddit to ask about “common rude things people do on the ship” and what to avoid.
They wrote: “Are there common annoyances or rude things people do, to watch for and adapt to while onboard cruise ships? What I mean by this are things guests do that are typically rude to other folks.”
One of the most popular responses, with 94 upvotes, focused on dining manners — particularly at the buffet.
“Take food with their hands from the buffet,” one commenter said, listing it as a major pet peeve.
Another person agreed, adding: “Yes, this is gross. People will completely bypass the tongs just to grab a hamburger bun.”
A third recalled seeing the same kind of behavior and said: “I saw a guy take bacon with his hands and I said something but he didn’t care. Neither did the RC employee standing there.” Another Reddit user described that as ‘dis-gus-ting’.
“And alternate licking their fingers and picking up the serving utensils. Disgusting,” someone else added.
Beyond buffet hygiene, passengers also vented about a different recurring problem: elevator etiquette.
One person wrote: “People can be awful with the elevators, I always recommend just taking the stairs if you are physically able. Plus you work off a few of those buffet calories.”
Another shared a frustrating experience: “I’ve had people shut the elevator door in my face because they couldn’t be bothered to wait a few more seconds,”
And echoing the advice to avoid the lift when possible, someone else commented: “Take the stairs whenever you are able! That’s what my wife and I do. It help to avoid elevator chaos and reduces buffet guilt. You will thank yourself.”