Two secret code words that cruise ship employees routinely use

motherboarder · January 30, 2019

On ‎12‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 9:27 PM, Jason said:

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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I guess I'm confused and annoyed re: post content.. How do the crew members that serve us personally (i.e. cabin steward(s), etc.) know if we did or did not pay gratuities?? If one doesn't prepay gratuities are typically added the last evening of the cruise. I prepay my gratuities months before the actual cruise then pack thank you cards and cash so I can thank them one-on-one for making my cruise so much more fun. I exclusively cruise CCL and I for one have NEVER heard them use code when speaking.. this post is very disconcerting :( color me sad.

Jan115 · January 31, 2019

20 hours ago, motherboarder said:

I guess I'm confused and annoyed re: post content.. How do the crew members that serve us personally (i.e. cabin steward(s), etc.) know if we did or did not pay gratuities?? If one doesn't prepay gratuities are typically added the last evening of the cruise. I prepay my gratuities months before the actual cruise then pack thank you cards and cash so I can thank them one-on-one for making my cruise so much more fun. I exclusively cruise CCL and I for one have NEVER heard them use code when speaking.. this post is very disconcerting ? color me sad.

Don’t feel disconcerted. As John pointed out in another post above, the article comes from the UK, and the writer of the article is talking about UK (and maybe Europe and Aussie cruising, too). The article doesn’t specify destination or cruise line, but some cruise lines abroad don’t impose the auto gratuity (P&O, for example), and tipping is optional. So apparently the code words are for those who do not volunteer a tip, and maybe these secret words are only used on a couple of specific cruise lines.

motherboarder · February 1, 2019

On ‎1‎/‎31‎/‎2019 at 1:56 PM, Jan115 said:

Don’t feel disconcerted. As John pointed out in another post above, the article comes from the UK, and the writer of the article is talking about UK (and maybe Europe and Aussie cruising, too). The article doesn’t specify destination or cruise line, but some cruise lines abroad don’t impose the auto gratuity (P&O, for example), and tipping is optional. So apparently the code words are for those who do not volunteer a tip, and maybe these secret words are only used on a couple of specific cruise lines.

hmmm. thanks.