Two secret code words that cruise ship employees routinely use

Jason · December 30, 2018

Cruise passengers’ ears may pick up for the wrong reasons if they hear the crew utter one particular word near them, as it’s said to be a code word that definitely doesn’t scream good news.

Touring the world in a cruise can be one of the greatest experiences you can have. And, the pleasure for globe-trotting on a luxurious cruise ship doesn’t tend to come cheap. But, as with the majority of restaurants, it can be customary to add a tip for cruise workers to enjoy, if they have delivered exceptional service. And, while this sum of money isn’t necessarily expected, it seems that repeatedly ignoring this custom could be something that’s noticed by the team taking care of you.

In fact, according to www.cruise.co.uk, crew members have revealed that this is sometimes so much of an issue that they will address it in front of you.

However, that’s not to say that they would openly declare their dismay at the lack of a gratuity.

Rather, it has been claimed that some cruise workers may actually have a code word in order to alert other members of the team as to what's happened. So, if you fail to tip, or leave a rather low gratuity, what could you expect to hear? According to the website, some disgruntled cruise workers may utter the word “banana”.

It's important to remember that it’s totally up to you as to whether you leave any additional money for the cruise crew to enjoy. However, this custom is something many cruise-goers may like to do - in order to show their appreciation for the efforts that the team may have gone to.

But, this code word isn’t the only one to watch out for while on a cruise ship ...

A highly common code is “PVI” - and what it stands for is something passengers are very likely to want to avoid. That’s because it means “public vomiting incident”. Travel expert Brandon Presser told Bloomberg he had heard this being said a number of times during one week of travelling on a cruise.

And, considering that sea sickness is something many people may struggle with, it won’t come as a surprise.

While it’s a very different story these days on modern cruise ships, almost 200 years ago, in 1842, guests onboard the ship had to wash their own plate and cutlery. British author Charles Dickens revealed the activity - which would likely come as a surprise to some modern-day cruise-goers.

By Jess Sheldon, Express.co.uk
Re-posted on CruiseCrazies.com - Cruise News, Articles, Forums, Packing List, Ship Tracker, and more
For more cruise news and articles go to https://www.cruisecrazies.com

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AndiD · January 1, 2019

So my question is....how do they know you are a "banana" until the very end of the cruise? Or do most people tip throughout?

Jan115 · January 2, 2019

Yeah, Andi - this article doesn’t make much sense. Are they talking about those that don’t leave an extra something for crew members over and above the auto tipping? Or do the room stewards eyeball the final bills outside each passenger’s cabin the morning of departure and compare notes to see who removed auto tipping the day before? I would think they are busy enough getting the turn around complete to give it much thought.

Edited January 2, 2019 by Jan115

jacketwatch · January 3, 2019

It’s been my understanding that crew know upon embarkation passengers who have kept on the auto tip.

Anyone else know about this?

zebra · January 3, 2019

Huh??? I am just as confused .......

fuzfoz · January 8, 2019

Yeah. The staff wants you to leave additional tips over and above the 18% you've already been charged. Ain't happening!

jacketwatch · January 8, 2019

If the service haas been good as it almost always is we tip the cabin attendant and our wait staff a little more on top of the auto gratuity. As for the service charge for drinks we usually never add to that. IME the staff has never push for more on all our 16 cruises.

JohnG · January 29, 2019

Since the article was written by a Brit about people on ships sailing from Britain or a U.K owned line, (like P&O), they do things differently there. Typically no required gratuity and some people tip in a specialty restaurant. It is notable that tipping is not customary in many cultures other than North Americans. In Indonesia, if you try to tip a taxi driver, they may even insist you take it back.

Jan115 · January 30, 2019

Good point, John, about the UK news. Now it all makes sense.?

zebra · January 30, 2019

On 1/29/2019 at 10:41 AM, JohnG said:

Since the article was written by a Brit about people on ships sailing from Britain or a U.K owned line, (like P&O), they do things differently there. Typically no required gratuity and some people tip in a specialty restaurant. It is notable that tipping is not customary in many cultures other than North Americans. In Indonesia, if you try to tip a taxi driver, they may even insist you take it back.

John you are so right with regard to tipping. Aussies DO NOT tip. We asked our server in Sydney if he didnt mind telling us how much a server typically earns per hour and he told us AUS$27 per hour and that was a couple of years ago. They get a decent wage and don't need to rely on tips. South Africa pays a little less per hour but tipping is at your discretion and never above 10%, also when you are seated for dinner it is expected that you will be at your table for at least 2 hours id not more to enjoy the dining experience..... it's seems like it's only North America that has the "quick in and out" mentality at restaurants, with low hourly rates for servers, therefore servers expect high tips and turn over tables as fast as possible to make a livable income. With all our world travel we always make sure that we are tipping according to the culture that we are visiting.