Lido Loop Podcast
Lido Loop is a podcast dedicated to the joy of cruising, theme parks and travel. Hosted by Jack and Jesse, these two blend travel insight, industry news and personal stories to inspire your next adventure.
Lido Loop Podcast
The Lido Loop: Things You Should Not on a Cruise, & Top 10 Cruise Etiquette Mistakes
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This week on the Lido Loop Podcast, Jack and Jesse will talk the latest news from the cruise and theme park industries before diving into one of our biggest discussion topics yet.
In cruise news, the guys break down Carnival’s new rewards program and how it's impacting the company’s financial performance. They will talk about Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas is set to begin its inaugural voyage on June 29th, and Carnival introduces a limited-edition bourbon for cruise fans and give their best guesses as what will it taste like.
On the theme park side of things, Tormenta Rampaging Run's opening has been delayed once again, and they break down the reports after a 13-year-old fell from Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and separate the facts from the rumors. Also, Disney World is offering discounted admission to both Animal Kingdom and EPCOT during select dates in August-October. They will tell you if this is a good deal or not.
To end the show, the guys count down their top 10 worst cruise etiquette mistakes— from chair hogs and elevator behavior to food blunders and other habits that can ruin the vacation experience for everyone.
Whether you’re planning your next cruise, visiting the parks, or just want to stay up to date on the latest travel industry news, we’ve got you covered.
Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and follow the Lido Loop Podcast so you never miss an episode.
Welcome to this week's episode of the Leto Loop, where we talk about all things cruising, theme parks, and any other travel-related news. I'm your host, Jack McCaw. With me as always, my good friend Jesse Barboza, who, by the way, is not liking this Texas heat, huh, Jesse?
SPEAKER_01Oh, so yeah, I've definitely been alive for 33 years now, and uh you still never really get used to it.
SPEAKER_00No, like you said, yeah, we've lived here majority, if not all, of our lives. Summer comes, it's in the hundred degrees, it's only the end of June. We still have two more months of this sweltering heat. I bet you are very excited to get out of this heat and go on your next cruise.
SPEAKER_01Yep, yep. I'm definitely we're from recording this podcast, we're exactly 83 days until uh Jubilee cruise.
SPEAKER_00Hey, that means only 83 more sleeps until you're back on a cruise. But speaking of cruises, what's the latest and greatest in the cruise world?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so we're gonna go over how Carnival's doing financially after their new rewards program. Uh also uh The Legend of the Seas inaugural cruise will be on the day this podcast comes out, which is 629. Also, uh Carnival released a limited edition bourbon.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I can't wait to hear about that bourbon. But in the other side of things, on the theme park side, Tormenta at Six Lags Over Texas has been delayed after it announced an opening date. It was supposed to open this weekend, it's no longer opening. A 13-year-old falls down from Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Disneyland, and Disney is now offering discounts for August through October for both Animal Kingdom and Epcot. That and Jessica and I break down some of our least favorite things about going on a cruise. So we have a top 10 listing of bad cruise etiquette, that much more on this week's episode of The Lido Loop. So kicking off the show, like we always like to do, we want to talk about the latest and greatest in the cruise world. And Jesse, how is Carnival doing financially after their new rewards program?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so as as many of y'all may know, so Carnival's now switching over from the VIFP program to pretty much a paid program, which is uh the NUV rewards program. It's pretty much based on how much money you spend is what status you are. Uh, which honestly a lot of airlines do this now and other stuff used to do this, but this is a first like first cruise company that's actually doing this. Um but as of so far, since Carnival appears to be doing very well financially, and there's actually no indication that Carnival Rewards program has hurt their bookings or the revenues. But this is the some of the stuff that I see looking at it. Right now, Carnival are having a bunch of two, you know, where your points are worth two or three times as much so that you get your status in September. Because if you match uh if you get your diamond status by September, your diamond for life. You don't have to worry about um getting like that diamond doesn't go away essentially. Yeah, exactly. So but uh what they're saying is that Carnival has announced that it has reached its long-term 2026 financial goals 18 months earlier than expected.
SPEAKER_00That is a long time. I mean, anytime you ha achieve your goals that early is definitely a good sign. And I know that you you and I kind of had a little bit of pushback when they were unveiling this new rewards program, but it does seem to be working, and it's a model that makes sense. You pay more, you get more. And I I mean it's basic, it's basic business, but it seems like Carnival is really doing much better with this model than they were in the previous model. Would you say so?
SPEAKER_01Uh I yes, I guess you could say that. Especially what I I feel like what's going to end up happening is casinos are gonna get more packed now, too, because any money you spend in the casino will affect your status as well. So if you cycle a thousand dollars through the slot machine, that is a thousand dollars that is goes towards the pay-to-play program.
SPEAKER_00I mean, honestly, that's probably how that they got this much money is because now that they're counting that casino money towards the rewards. I mean, you're gonna spend money in the casino anyway, and now the people are have that much more incentive to spend money at the casino because they're gonna get better rewards from Carnival as well. Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01But like I said, I now no longer follow a particular cruise line. I'm just gonna, whatever cruise I feel like going on for the either looking at the price or the destination, that's what my first goal is. I'm not gonna follow the status at all.
SPEAKER_00Any except for in NCL because you don't want to spend, you know, $50 to go see a show, right?
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah, I definitely won't pay $50 to see any show. Once I'm on a cruise ship, I'm I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty cheap. So once I'm once I get on the ship, I'm not spending money on anything.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and we'll we'll talk about that a little bit later in the show when we talk about you know things we dislike about cruising. Uh, but in other cruise news, how about the Legend of the Seas inaugural cruise? And I, you know, at the time of this recording, it's going to be, you know, set setting sail, Jesse. What's the latest on that one?
SPEAKER_01Yes, so the day this podcast actually comes out, it will be the first inaugural cruise for Legend of the Seas. Where this is a little different than the other icon class ships, because when this one comes out, it will have its first inaugural summer in Europe. Uh, this summer it will sell a seven-night Western Mediterranean cruise departing from Barcelona and Rome. Uh, I know there's a bunch of influencers. Most of the time, there are a bunch of influencers that goes on these cruises and they you know do reviews of all the latest and you know greatest things that happen on these cruise ships. Um but after the Europe season, Legend will be repositioned to Fort Lauderdale in this coming November, uh, where it will begin six, seven, and eight Caribbean cruises. Some will visit you know perfect day Mexico, uh or not, I'm sorry, not perfect day, Mexico, perfect day at Coco K. Perfect Day, Mexico isn't might not even be a thing.
SPEAKER_00No, yeah, we just talked about you know perfect day Mexico a lot, and um as of right now, nothing's happening there, so it's dead. But you know, who knows? Maybe it might come up from the ashes. But where else is it visiting, Jesse?
SPEAKER_01Uh just mainly like Western and uh Southern Caribbean itineraries. Um, so it's I know this ship is almost identical to the other ships, uh, the Star of the Seas and the original icon. Um so far, like you can actually see the exact you have the exact same experience you as the other ones. Uh they still will have the Cat Cat 6 and the largest water park at sea. They got the the Crown Edge uh Skywalk and Ropes Course, the Aqua Done Entertainment Venue, uh SurfSide neighborhood design for young families, uh seven pools and more than 40 dining and drinking venues. Isn't that crazy? 40 dining and drinking venues.
SPEAKER_00I was gonna say that that could hold a whole lot of people, and I'm pretty sure that's gonna be a really fun ship that to be on.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah, absolutely. Uh they're also gonna have ice skating, uh surfing simulators, and massive entertainment spaces. So next year, actually, we do plan on getting on icon of the seas. Um, and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this. I know this is a different ship, but it's almost like a copycat, the exact same ship.
SPEAKER_00I wonder where they're gonna put the ice skating ring because there's no way they can put it on their what their you know Royal Caribbean's version of the Leto deck is. It's probably a mini one in the lobby, you would think.
SPEAKER_01No, it's actually bigger than you think. They do a lot of like you know how like Disney on ice they do shows like that, they do shows similar to that, but Royal Caribbean on ice. Oh, okay, yeah.
SPEAKER_00On the ocean and on ice, just in the theater. Makes sense. I mean, yeah, this definitely sounds like a very interesting ship. I have always also wanted to go on a Royal Caribbean ship, and you know, got a friend that always goes on the icon icon class ships out of Cape Canaveral or you know, uh elsewhere in Florida. So it's nice that we are getting those icon class ships coming in next year. You know, who's to say? I'm probably going there with you, but uh, you know, just another feather and Royal Caribbean's cap to top off another great cruise ship. But, you know, on a more of a low light, Jesse, let's talk about Carnival's limited edition bourbon. Now, just off the top of your head, what do you think it tastes like? Yeah, it definitely probably tastes like fights on the Lido deck. Oh my goodness. We'll we'll get to that later in this episode. But yeah, if y'all missed it, there was a pretty big fight that happened at a Carnival cruise port. Uh, yeah, I think fights would be a very appropriate carnival, you know, flavor. That in the saltwater pool, leftover pizza left behind in the stairwell, and of course, losing your money in the casino. I mean, is that not the carnival experience for you right there?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so uh Carnival Cruise Line, they have partnered with Starboard. Uh it's like their onboard retailer operation and Diaggio to release an exclusive single barrel bullet bourbon in celebration of America's 250th anniversary and this year, of course, in 2026. Uh, it's a limited edition bottle that you can only buy onboard Select Carnival Ships. Um, so kind of what's special about it, it's a single barrel selection, meaning every bottle actually comes from a carefully chosen barrel rather than just like all being poured in and then like you know individually put in bottles. Uh the barrel was personally selected by Carnival President Christy Duffy and Starboard CEO Lisa Bauer earlier this year. According to Carnival, it's features bright fruit and flora aromas, subtle spice, and smooth finish. Uh you can actually rank now, you can get it uh exclusively on 14 carnival ships this summer, which is uh Celebration, Jubilee, Horizon, uh uh Valencia, uh Frenzy, Dream, Magic, Legend, Pride, Miracle, Freedom, Sunrise, and Sunshine. Uh apparently the price is gonna be $59.99, which is I guess normal what you would get on on on a ship.
SPEAKER_00So two questions come to mind. One, do you is this one of those that you can purchase in the store but you can only pick up after the ship is you know docked and you're off board? Do you would you say that, Jesse?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's correct. You would still, you know, purchase it like you normally if you bought like buy a bottle of Jack Daniels or Crown or whatever, and you would get the last day of the cruise um and just pick it up then.
SPEAKER_00Okay, that makes sense. And the second, would you be purchasing this? I know you're a collector of you know cruise merchandise and having a bottle of carnival bourbon would definitely be nice to go in your liquor cabinet, wouldn't you say?
SPEAKER_01Well, I I definitely think it's better than like getting like a t-shirt or magnet. I mean, I would definitely rather buy an exclusive bottle of bourbon, you know. And I no reason to drink it or anything.
SPEAKER_00But you have yeah, yeah, yeah. No, you never, but you know, it'd be nice to have, you know, just including just like a showcase piece, you know, for your collection. And you never you might try and you might actually like it. It the ingredients you said does sound like it could be a pretty smooth-tasting bourbon. And will you be trying this on the Jubilee when you go?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean, if they sample it, yeah. But I don't think see, it didn't say, but I doubt it they're actually gonna have it like serving it at the bars, which would be good if they do. I think they should, at least for tasting purposes, but since it's like a certain selection, I'm sure there's a limited number of bottles that they're probably not gonna want to sample in.
SPEAKER_00I don't know. Do you think people will come in and out and just try to sample the the whiskey samples to keep coming back? I mean, you with bur Hey, you don't have to buy a drink package if you do that. I was gonna say that could be a cruise tack just to sample the carnival exclusive bourbon. Uh so a little bit of housekeeping news before we get to theme park news is that going forward, we are going to transition from exclusively theme park news to more of a theme park and travel news. Now we understand that there are certain day times of the week where theme park news isn't as prevalent, but we still want to give you like the big news. I understand from you know just a podcast listener's perspective, we've been kind of keeping it local with Texas. And you know, Texas has been making news with the additions of Werewolf Gorge, not Werewolf George, of course Tormenta and the Universal Kids, and then you know the Iron Shark incidents that happen. But you know, we also want to talk a little bit more about Universal and Disney because we understand that most of you, when you're going on vacation, you're going to those places, not necessarily Texas Park. So, you know, appreciate the listening, but we just want to let you know going forward what we're gonna you know talk about as far as this segment goes. But you know, this week's episode will be mostly theme park and Jesse Tormentas Down again. And it's you know comes just on the heels of the Six Flags over Texas announcing an opening date of uh June 26th. You you know, it's June 28th and the ride's not open. Why is that? Well, apparently during testing, uh the ride wasn't operating at what they consider as a hundred percent capacity. So at this point in time, Six Flags has announced that they are going to delay the opening until further notice. Now, Jesse, me personally, I read that as something happened during testing that they're not saying. Do you kind of agree with that statement? Absolutely. I guarantee a dummy died. Yeah, the dummy fell right out. Well, I mean, I think it's better this way if you know they want to make sure the ride is safe for everybody and is operating at 100% than if they opened it early to rush just so they could sell more merchandise and get the influencers in. You know, I mean it's kind of a good thing for us because I wasn't gonna be able to go to that opening. Now I might be able to once it does actually open. So you know, we'll keep you updated on all the Tormenta news. You know, that is one of our closer parks, so we're still going to be able to keep you up with that. So have they uh like officially given a date when it's gonna open yet? Not yet. So my gut says because if it was that close to opening in June, they might open it towards the end of July, maybe month or if not early August. It would behoove uh six flags over Texas to open it during the summertime because that's when peak crowds are. Exactly. That's where most people are gonna be there. I mean, yeah, because I mean we you've been to Dallas and Arlington in the wintertime, it gets colder and you know not as many rides are up to capacity by that point in time. I mean, they'll still be open, but with much more limited crowd.
SPEAKER_01So uh another crazy story. So a 13-year-old falls down from Tiana's Buy You Adventure.
SPEAKER_00Yes. So for those that haven't heard the story, this happened at Disneyland, and so I want to preface this by saying I'm glad the kid is okay. But what the heck was he doing jumping out of the moving log? And Jesse, you were telling me something off air that I wasn't actually able to read. That apparently this kid was scared of the drop, so he got off of the ride and just what was he gonna do? Walk down? I guess I don't know.
SPEAKER_01I saw like, wait, and then as soon as the the was a log or yeah, we'll call it a log. We'll call it a log. Came down, he fell down right after it, and it it looked honestly it looked like someone that would could die off of this.
SPEAKER_00So the reason I think he's even okay is because how he fell, it looked like he fell with the water instead of just falling straight down. And you know, it is an angle drop, so he probably fell down so more like a slide.
SPEAKER_01It was a water slide, but except he was like tumbling, it looked like he rolled forward. I guarantee you he was more scared on that ball than he would have been just going down it.
SPEAKER_00There are worse drops out there, guys. I mean, yeah, I understand not everyone is a big theme park fan, and they don't hit like the drops and loops like we do, but really it's it's Tiana's.
SPEAKER_01So I actually got two questions on this. Have they reopened this?
SPEAKER_00Yes, the ride was actually only closed for about an hour once they found out that there was nothing actually wrong with the ride, and it was actually just someone got out of it. The ride opened up the same day and it functioned like normal.
SPEAKER_01Do you think going forward they will have additional safety measures in it, like an additional seat belt? Like, is there currently a seatbelt right now, or what's holding the passengers back?
SPEAKER_00So the Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Disneyland, they don't have any sort of seat belts. You get in the log and you just ride. So theoretically, yes, it's very easy to just get out of the log and get out. Unlike at Disney World at Magic Kingdom, where there's a lap bar. So, and that's because that the logs are differently positioned. In Magic Kingdom, you sit two riders per row and you've fit a total of eight people, whereas at Disneyland, I think you can fit five or six people in a singular log, and you're just sitting, you know, front to back. So when you go down, you know, there's nowhere to go for you but forward. So in that instance, I think that the minimum that will happen is seat belts. I was doing some research that they don't have in that particular kind of log, they don't have like restraints because of a safety issue because if the log overturns.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that does that that does make sense, but they should definitely have some type of safety mechanism for sure. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Right, because like we said earlier, I mean, that kid got out out of he probably didn't have to try hard at all to get out, and there's plenty of walkways in the Tiana's Bayou adventure that you know he could I think he was just looking for an exit, but Hey, he did found the exit. Yeah, I've one of them. Um the other thing that was talked about was that they could have a cast member at like at the top of the ride. I know you you know this is kind of a me and you thing, but you know how at the Bugs Bunny log foam ride at Fiesta, Texas, there's someone there that waves at you before you go down the big drop.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, you're right. Maybe they should have a cast member.
SPEAKER_00I was gonna say, like, you know, just have them dressed up in the you know uh uh costume appropriate to fit the theme, but Disney will do its best to ensure the guest safety that this doesn't happen again, uh, or maybe just even a quicker response time for someone gets out, just immediately shut down the ride, which in my previous Disney trip that happened to us where we actually were evacuated off. Probably not because someone jumped off the ride, but something else happened. So yeah, it was definitely a crazy story, and like I said, I'm glad the kid's okay, but I mean I that kid's gotta be banned from Disney, right?
SPEAKER_01He he definitely should be. Uh so in other Disney news, apparently Disney is offering discounts in August for both Animal Kingdom and Epcot. And why isn't Magic Kingdom included in this?
SPEAKER_00Uh, because people will go to Magic Kingdom regardless of how much money it is. So Disney sometimes does offer these summer discounts. Like right now, they're offering the cool kids summer, where kids are actually able to get into the parks for significant discounts starting at about $50 a day, depending on how many days you go. But what about the adults you say? Well, they're gonna have to pay full price to get into Magic Kingdom in Hollywood Studios, but let's say you've already done Magic Kingdom a bunch of times in Hollywood Studios already, and you want to go to Epcot or Animal Kingdom, Disney is now offering a two-day, two-park ticket, and this is officially on Walt Disney World's website, by the way, you can't get this anywhere else, for only $199 plus tax. Now, Jesse, it costs me about $350 to do one park per day back in February. Uh, this deal is a much better deal. I understand it's not Magic Kingdom and not Hollywood Studios, so you're essentially going to the quote lesser parks. But as someone who's never been to Epcot and someone who hasn't been to Animal Kingdom since before COVID, I would definitely be interested in this. And so how long is this deal supposed to go through? It's supposed to go from August 3rd through September 30th. It must be used within four days of the selected date. So essentially, anytime you buy a Disney ticket, you're given a four-day window. So you can always go the day you purchased it and up to three days after. And of course, it's one park per day, so you would have to go to only Epcot and only Animal Kingdom on certain days. Uh, I was actually looking at this in August, and of course, you know, that's the hottest month of the year in Florida. Uh, does that a little decentvize you a little bit? Like, I yeah, that's a two hundred two hundred dollars for two days at Disney is essentially a steal, but going in August is not exactly the best time to go. Would you agree?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I definitely 100% agree. Unless there's got multiple cooling stations or a bunch of shade, it's definitely gotta be miserable.
SPEAKER_00Uh well, Epcot does have Club Coke, which you know, you've been to Vegas, you've been to that Coke world. It's essentially the same thing. So, you know, you can get your Beverly and your Korean barbecue sauce Cokes there. So that's one way to stay cool. And the one good thing I will say about Epcot, though, and looking at you, Universal, uh, they have a whole lot more indoor things to do and a lot of dark rides as well. So there are plenty of ways to keep cool during the summertime there. Uh, Animal Kingdom is a little bit different. They have it's more so a zoo with but they still have very good rides and shows. You know, you have you know, Pandora, the world of avatars, probably one of not the most beautiful lands in all of the Disney World complex. You know, Expedition Everest at one point was the best roller coaster. I would still say it's rock and roller coaster. Starring the Muppets now. Oh my stop bringing them up. It's like it's over. No more Muppets. But there is a little bit less to do at Animal Kingdom than there is at the other parks, but I would still say it's I would recommend trying it at least once. And you know, I would still say that this is uh all things considered a very good deal, considering Disney will rob you blind if you just go on a regular deal. And just to kind of put it a little bit into perspective, if you did this trip without paying for this discount, you would spend $350 to go to just Epcot and just Animal Kingdom. Whereas if you do it with this deal, it's only $199 a person. And that'll do it for the theme park news, but now there's a top 10 list that Jesse and I have compiled about cruise etiquette. Now, Jesse, when you think of bad cruise etiquette, what is one of the things that you think of?
SPEAKER_01The first thing is I we talked about recently is chair hogging at the pool. There's so many people who will wake up at six o'clock in the morning or whatever time, and they put their towels down, then just go throughout their day, never come back until whenever they feel like coming back, which could be four, five. Shoot, they may never come back. They may come back just to pick up their towels, but all they do is just hog the sh chair where no one else can sit there who actually want to enjoy the pool. I think that's probably the most like the biggest issue that drives me crazy, especially because you can't get a chair by the pool or anything like that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, those are always the first ones taken or a pool or any chair in front of like the big TV that they have out there, especially if there's a movie going on or they're playing a game or something. It's in anything that's over by the top of the Lido deck, it's I I just don't understand why those get taken. Well, I understand why they get taken. I understand why people just want to leave their stuff there, and like you said, that would probably be one of my biggest pet peeves as well, especially if you're going with a group of people and you want to sit all next to each other. There could be a towel on a random chair, and there's two here, towel separating it, two there. You have to almost go to the back of the ship, and even then those are taken as well. So we talked about it in a previous uh topic where Norwegian cruise line is putting stickers on there as kind of a quote warning, and that's something I kind of wish that crew more cruises would do just to decentise people from doing that. Wouldn't you agree? Oh, yeah, definitely.
SPEAKER_01I definitely need to come. There is a little trick I have come up with that you can beat this bad uh cruise etiquette. Is all you do is this. If you see like a lounger or whatever, and that you want and that has been sitting there for you know 20, 30 minutes and no one's even looked at it, all you do is you move their s get all their stuff and just set it down on a different lounger altogether. And if they say anything, say, oh, you know, the the workers, they moved your stuff because it was sitting here for too long. And then you just got out scot-free.
SPEAKER_00I mean, that is one way to do it. I you could just put it on the floor and say tough luck. I mean, I that's the but that's the more aggressive way to do it, but I like your way. It's a little bit nicer, a little bit more and who's to say they won't even notice that, oh, I thought it was on this particular chair, but it must have put it on that chair. Yeah, you never know. How about you know, speaking of hogging casinos, when you hog a machine and you're not there, you know, you spin the chair around, you put it underneath the machine, and then you walk away and come back to it. Now, that's just more so casino etiquette. It does happen on cruises as well, but that's something that drives me crazy, especially if I want to play, you know, a Dragon Link game or Buffalo game. There's only so many of them. I mean, these people can't be hogging this machine the whole time. If you walk away, I think you should give up your seat. Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01There's different forms of, I guess, chair hogging. There's some people who just sit in where just because they're watching their friend play or whatever, but they're sitting in a very popular slot machine and they're just watching the other person, and you're like, it feels kind of awkward. You're like, hey, I'm trying to play here, you know. And then there's another one, like you're saying, they put the chair up. It that is like the the sign of hey, I'm going to restroom, I'm gonna be right back. But I've seen it like that for like over 30 minutes. Like, I don't know if they died in the restroom. But no, they're praying to God in there.
SPEAKER_00They had too much shrimp in the c at the buffet. They're probably going to the ATM to get more money. That's exactly. Oh, you're explaining Maddie. But I yeah, I I think that that should be enforced. I mean, already these casino workers do enough and they're trying to, you know, maintain these people's happiness. And when they see a chair, I mean it's not like there's someone with there with a timer. Same thing with like chairs on the Lido deck and any sort of like cruise deck. There's not people actively monitoring to see how long they're being used, so it's kind of hard for them to do something about it. But you know, if you're you know reserving a chair, reserving of a uh slot machine in the casino, just be just have some courtesy. That's all that we ask. And also don't fight, because that brings up to point number three of you know, you and I have never personally seen this on a cruise ship. I mean, if you go to social media, look up cruise fights, they're everywhere.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, actually, like I remember the day we got last year on Jubilee, uh there was a huge cruise fight from a ship getting off that multiple people were arrested and all that. And um when we actually talk about fighting, we don't talk about any particular cruise line carnival, but um, yeah, it does seem like it does happen the most on Carnival ships.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean we don't know why that is, but you know, Carnival, it does seem like you know, negative press does follow them. So with Carnival, I mean we can talk about the most recent thing that happened over at the you know port of Miami where 16 people got banned, and you know, we don't know what caused this altercation, but it was a it was just a big fight that broke out during the immigration and customs debarkation area. Uh and you never know. People are on vacation, they're stressed, someone maybe forgot their passport, who knows? But I is it ever really necessary to go to take it that far, you know?
SPEAKER_01It it's definitely not. And this actually happened uh after the end, because then since they're immigration and customs, that's like after. So that definitely happened. They finished the cruise then they on disembarkation day.
SPEAKER_00So were they that upset that their cruise ended? Usually you just cry, you're not over there trying to fight people.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, exactly. I just like sit there and cry, rolling a ball in the corner and wish that I had just another five days.
SPEAKER_00I know you you try to go back into your hibernation cabinet and think about your next cruise, which you know, I'm so see that you're building outside right now. Uh yeah, guys, don't fight on cruise ships. Like it's vacation, everyone's there just to have fun. Uh, another thing that, you know, by the way, I should preface this by saying this isn't in any particular order. We're just listing 10 things that you know you shouldn't do on a cruise to have proper cruise etiquette. Uh, another one is letting kids run down the halls and being loud. I mean, kids are on cruises, you know, sometimes they're uncontrollable, but I mean we've seen them like late at night, they're just running amok.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I definitely I saw actually saw a video of kids running down the hallway and then just knocking on everyone's door, like in the middle of the night. And you know, there people go to sleep early. They, you know, and that that's gotta be annoying to you know hear kids just running down the hallway. I like kids and all that, but I don't like them running down the hallways and being allowed and not respecting other people.
SPEAKER_00And also, kids they're not always not aware of their surroundings. Uh, there was one kid who was, you know, on his phone watching a video, he almost ran into a woman with a hot cup of coffee. And uh for I mean I have thank God that you know he didn't, but you know, luckily, you know, the woman was okay, didn't get any coffee spilled on her. It just also parents aren't exactly paying attention to their kids at all times of the cruises, and that's where they have the daycare for, so they can go let their energy out and then come back to to dinner and then go to sleep at night. But cruising is could also be the wild wild west because where are these kids gonna go? Like they can leave their room and they can run around. But I mean, I know Carnival, aren't they initiating more of a a curfew for younger kids now?
SPEAKER_01Well, yeah, they've always had a curfew. I think it's anything past 11 o'clock, I want to say, or maybe midnight. You you have to be you can still be out, but you have to be with the your guardian. So which I definitely agree with that 100%. I know kids may not like that, but you shouldn't. I mean, not like everyone says, nothing ever good happens past midnight, right?
SPEAKER_00I know the only thing open that late for kids to do is you know eat a pizza pirate. It's not open anymore either. All they got is a midnight buffet now. Oh man. We we used to be uh carnival used to be a proper cruise line. Now they got you know chair hoggers, they got casino holders fighting and not even 24-hour pizza anymore. Uh speaking of food, how about wasting food? And I get it. You you build your plate up to gigantic proportions because you're on a cruise and you want to eat everything, but how many times have you seen someone do that and then leave behind like an entire buffet plate full of food for the poor worker to have to clean up?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, that is that is kind of ridiculous because like I mean, yes, everything's included, but come on, like be respectful for others, you know. If it keeps happening, if everyone did that, they would just start increasing the price of the cruise to cover the cost of the food, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, what was a cruise ship line that we were talking about where they were going to start adding a cleaning fee? Yeah, that's actually Costa, which is actually a carnival uh company that's under their umbrella.
SPEAKER_01So, hey, if people keep doing it, they may implement that actually on the carnival ship. So, hey, don't waste food.
SPEAKER_00To be honest, I would could 100% see that. I mean, and then another thing that we could talk about is instead of you know wasting food, how about leaving plates in the stairways in the elevators? Like they leave plates everywhere, it's ridiculous. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01Like, I'm I'm just wanting to know like at their house if they do the same. Like, do they just do they like, oh, I'm done with this? Oh, elevator or the stairs sounds like a good place. There's so many times I do that. I mean, I'm I'm I wouldn't doubt it if people are drunk and they're like, hey, there's some free pizza right here, and then let's pick it up from the nothing's better than elevator pizza.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, exactly. We had we talked about sofa pizza over in the hangover, but you know, elevator pizza that hits. No, it's it's incredibly gross. And I would say at minimum, if you're gonna leave your plate dirty place, fine, leave it on the table. Though at least the you know, the people who do the bus work, they could pick it up there. Some people bring it to their rooms, okay. Let your room steward, you know, take care of it, even though you probably shouldn't, but it's that's something better to do than just leave it in the hallway.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, I don't even like leaving the hallway. Yeah, yeah. Some people leave in the hallway. I don't like leaving in the hallway because I've seen so many times where it's just left there for hours and hours. Yeah, I guess they should clean up it, but honestly, I think the best thing is just kind of leave it in your stateroom until they'll they clean it up.
SPEAKER_00So, how about you know, kind of talking about people doing their jobs on cruise ships being rude to workers? So to me, I think that's that is probably the most disrespectful thing to do because not only do these people they're trained to accommodate to your every single need, but also, you know, and they'll go above and beyond for you as well. But why? Like these people have a hard enough as it is, and you're just you feel so entitled because you paid for this cruise ship that you're gonna be mean to these workers, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it's like these people work really hard. They work literally seven days a week. They work, I think they said the average is 70 hours a week. So could you imagine having to work that long and they they still are the nice some of the nicest people on a cruise ship? And I like I said, I don't see why people be rude to them at all.
SPEAKER_00Just from you and I's perspective, and you know, like I said, I've only been on Carnival and you've been on Carnival and MSc, but I I've never had someone be mean to me as a worker.
SPEAKER_01No, absolutely. I mean never ever. Uh so I was like, I don't understand why people should be rude to them.
SPEAKER_00I would say I'm seeing people get mad when their drink wasn't there in time when a busy bar. I mean, that's understandable from the worker that they couldn't get it in time. Uh in you know, or you know, when someone didn't want to get off the basketball court, they had to call security, but it's these things that these people are they're not trying to be mean to you. They're not trying to let's be honest, they don't really make tons of money doing this either. So they're heavily reliant on tips and they're heavily reliant, you know, on c positive guest satisfaction. So just being rude to them, you're just being a self-entitled brat, and you know, you definitely shouldn't do that. And you know, I kind of brought up tips, so I want to bring this up as well. How about taking tips off?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I know you saw this firsthand when we got off the Burries.
SPEAKER_00Am I right? Yes, you pointed out there was a line of people at Guest Relations, and you said that they are all here to take their tips off. Like, there's no way, but sure enough. I mean, one, I didn't even know you could do that. So I'm sure that they found out they can do this online, complain they had a quote, bad experience, and what is Carnival supposed to do? Just tell them I don't believe you, and then face that sort of negative altercation.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, because I mean technically they can't force you to pay tips because uh because it's gratuities, you know, like if you had a bad experience, you shouldn't have to pay with, which I guarantee you, 99% of the people that are taking tips off, they did not have a bad experience. It's I've never had a bad experience on crews when it comes to the workers. They all work really hard and they all deserve every penny that they get. I know some of them will say, Oh, I just tipped, you know, uh the people that I interact with, but man, you're really screwing other people that you didn't interact with, like the housekeepers that like that wash your bedding or the people that cook your food. You may have gave money to the wait staff, but there was so much in the background of people like helping you that you didn't even realize it.
SPEAKER_00We've talked about that in a previous episode where you know it's expected you tip the waiters, it's expected you tip the bartenders, it's expected you tip your housekeepers. Like I would say that's the bare minimum people that you should tip because that's what you see on a day-in-day-out basis. And when you take your tips away from your gratuities and you don't tip them, then yeah, you're just I understand it's a tough economy, but these people are trying to make them their money too. So and that kind of leads me to the next point of just being self-entitled. Like, I don't understand is it an American thing? Is it a I don't know, I'm on vacation, I paid for this. Why are people so dang entitled, Jesse, when it comes to going on a cruise ship, going on vacation?
SPEAKER_01I feel like that they feel like almost like in a weird way, they feel like a king because they're getting completely or king of queen because they're getting fully served, and then so if one thing happens or they feel like something's not going exactly how they plan it for what they paid for, they freak out and then they act like it's everyone else's fault. It's not like they'll they it's really their fault, they just need to relax.
SPEAKER_00I just feel like when people go on vacation, they don't act the same way as they do like in a in a different setting. So you go to the store, you're expected, you know, the people to be nice to you that are checking you out at the grocery store, or you go to a restaurant, the server would be nice to you. You know, they mess up, you talk to the manager, so and so on. But on a cruise, I just feel like maybe because you paid so much money, depending on who how much you paid, you're expecting an a certain level of service, and if you're not getting that, you're gonna be upset. So that's maybe I guess where I feel that that entitlement comes from. But at the end of the day, these people, like we said earlier in the show, they're just here to serve you, and they will bend over backwards for you. So it's not like these people are not trying to do good things to you for you, but so there's just no need to feel that sort of entitlement, wouldn't you agree?
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah, absolutely. Just just relax, enjoy your vacation. It's not gonna go perfect, just go with the flow.
SPEAKER_00So, one more thing that you and I kind of want to bring up was when you're at port. Now, you and I kind of see port days differently. So I know you're not exactly a big port fan, so when you get off the ship, you know, hey, I saw it, and I want to go back on and go, you know, get my free drinks and even eat my free food.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, basically, that's how I am. But uh not a lot of people don't manage their time when at port for a couple reasons. First off, everyone's seen the peer runners, right? Oh my goodness. Running down, you know. If you've been on multiple ships before, you you can see right when it gets time for them to you know leave, you see everyone goes to that side of the ship and they're watching, and as soon as someone walks by, they may not be a peer runner, they start everyone starts clapping and cheering you on to because you're considered a peer runner at that point.
SPEAKER_00I mean, that's a free show that Carnival doesn't even have to you know pay anyone to operate. That's just you know, drunk people doing stupid things or people just lost track of time. I'm sure Norwegian would find a way to charge. Yeah, yeah, you you have to like get like chair seats next to the balconies. Yeah. I mean, it that's one way to nickel and dime someone. Uh yeah, I think being a peer runner, like it's set in stone what time the ship leaves. You are told to be back at a certain time. Now, if there's issues with the excursion you're happening, like you ran into traffic or whatever, you know, they will you will be notified by and they will notify Carnival about this, and you know, only only if it was like an actual Carnival like excursion, like you purchase it through Carnival, it is the only way that they're gonna wait for you.
SPEAKER_01If they don't wait for you, they actually have to. I did find this out that they will actually pay for you to get to your next port to get back on the ship. So if there's any travel related to that. Um but another thing is like like you saying, I like to stay on the ship, but there's so much to do at ports, and like you know, don't drink so much that you have trouble getting back to the ship. Like we've seen those videos of people like kind of staggering on the the pier. Or I see like they're in the wheelchair, like they're being literally wheelchair, like someone wheelchairs them down, and they just get them on the ship. I'm sure they go they walk them to the bedroom, they they sleep for the rest of the day, I'm sure.
SPEAKER_00Hey, those all-inclusive drinks of Mr. Sancho's, you know, they they hit pretty hard. But somehow, you know, we made it to dinner. But yeah, utilizing your time when you're at port is probably one of the best ways you can, you know, not only maximize your time down there, but also be kind and courteous to others so that way you're not having to run back to the ship. But that'll do it for this week's episode of the Leto Loop. As always, you can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, wherever you get your podcasts, Facebook, YouTube too. And we I do have the Facebook page. We are the Leto Loop. I'm Jack. That's Jesse, and we will see you on the Lido Day. Or watch those peer runners barely make it back to the chip in time.