Dear Cruise Ship Crew Members: We’re Sorry

For many of us, the cruise ship crew members of the ships we sail become familiar faces. There’s the bartender who always treats us right and the waiter who brings us that extra order of escargot because he knows how much we love it.

We stay connected via social media, bring them little gifts to brighten their days, and seek them out on disembarkation day to say farewell and slip them a little extra cash for taking such good care of us.

And then there are… well, the others.

The ones who stand in long lines to have the daily gratuity charge removed from their bill (Oh, sure, they claim they tip privately, but most simply grouse that it’s not their responsibility to pay the ship’s staff).

The ones who don’t say “thank you” or worse, who are just downright rude. Those for whom your best will never be enough and whose worst makes many cringe.

The people who drop their trash in the hallway and tell themselves, “They have people whose job it is to pick it up.”

The ones who bark at bartenders and ignore waiters, and those who won’t take “No” for an answer even when it is, in fact, the answer.

On behalf of those people, let us say… “We’re sorry.”

If they happen to read this, those people will bristle. They will be offended that we dare to apologize on their behalf (But to be fair, they tend to be offended by everything).

However, the rest of us — hopefully, the vast majority of us — want you to know just how much we appreciate everything you do.

The life of a ship’s crewmember is not an easy one. They are often away from their home and loved ones for months.

They work long hours under sometimes stressful conditions, yet they do their best to provide top-notch service to us — the temporary visitors to their home-away-from-home.

So, those of us who love cruising and take members of the crew to our hearts say “thank you.

Because in ways big and small, you help turn our vacations into memories we will never forget. And for that, we will always be grateful.