One might think that the rules of a cruise ship are pretty straightforward. However, as the internet continually reminds us, some people find a way to miss even the simplest instructions.
For example, many cruise lines do not allow people to bring alcohol on board. Still, people try—and occasionally get banned from the ship as a result.
Now, a user is calling out cruise passengers who miss the most basic instruction: be back on the boat at the right time. However, that’s not the only problem she’s observed with cruise passengers.
What’s Wrong With These Cruise Passengers?
In a video with over 1 million views, TikTok user Kelly Brooke (@kellybrooke.m) says she’s currently traveling on a cruise. According to her, it’s like being with a massive group of “adult toddlers.”
In Brooke’s telling, these supposed adults can’t do anything right.
“If you want to know something about cruises, it kind of works like a plane,” she starts. “They tell you, ‘Hey, you have to be back at the boat by this time, and if you’re not back by this time, we’re leaving.’”
This became an issue on a recent stop in Rome. While the port was 45 minutes away from the city, Brooke noted that public transit was easy to navigate and that the port town itself was interesting. This, she says, should have made it easy for everyone to get back to the ship on time, which Brooke says was 7:15pm.
“Multiple people were not back on the boat by 7:15,” she recalls.
These Cruise Passengers Get Worse
Later, the cruise docked in Livorno. This is about an hour and a half away from Florence.
On the shuttle to the city, Brooke says she overheard a group of passengers behind her who had missed the boarding time the previous day. According to Brooke, the group made it seem like their tardiness was “everyone else’s problem except theirs.”
“I listen to this agitating little voice the entire shuttle ride go, ‘You know, we missed our first train, and we decide to walk around more, and then we missed our second train, and they wouldn’t even hold the door for one minute. Isn’t that absurd?’” Brooke says. “And then they go on to complain because the third train, which they somehow miraculously got on, decided to hold the doors for two minutes for a local Italian family with children and strollers. They thought it was ‘unfair.’”
“Your lack of poor planning and failure to research the transportation system before going somewhere like Rome or Italy is not anyone else’s fault except yours,” Brooke states. “All you have to do is book the ticket, figure out how far the train station is from you, get to the train station a couple of minutes before your train, and make sure you’re on the right train. Call me crazy, but I didn’t really think that was rocket science.”
Eventually, Brooke snapped and told the group that they needed to be back on the shuttle by a certain time today—and actually prepare to arrive by that time. Brooke says that, following her statement, “the shuttle went dead silent.”
The Last Straw
When Brooke finally got back to the boat by the end of the day, she had her passport ready. The reason, she says, is that the ship had been making multiple announcements over the previous three days telling people that they would need their passports to board the ship.
Despite this, some still arrived passport-less and clueless.
“This couple beside me goes, ‘They never told us to have our passports,’” Brooke states. “And I look at them with utter disbelief and I say, ‘You didn’t hear any single one of the 15 announcements made over the past three days? Not a single one of them? In addition to that, you also didn’t do any research about where you were traveling to?’”
In the caption, she writes, “Have fun at the embassy babe!!”
Are These Problems Common?
Americans traveling abroad face a fair number of problems, especially when they’re traveling via cruise ship.
The United States Department of State notes that travelers to places like Italy can experience a wide range of issues—many of which specifically affect tourists.
For example, while anyone can fall victim to pickpocketing, pickpockets tend to hang out in areas with a large number of tourists. This not only includes major tourist hotspots, but can also be the areas where cruise ships typically dock. One expert quoted by the Bristol Post says that Livorno, a town cited by Brooke, is especially dangerous for pickpocketing and theft.
Furthermore, while Brooke says that the public transit system is easy to figure out—and, in most cases, she’s right—many Americans are unfamiliar with public transit, given the sorry state of the U.S.’ public transit network. Given this, they can easily make mistakes that could result in them being late to their destination, such as mixing up train lines or boarding a train in the wrong direction.
Commenters Are Frustrated
In the comments section, users shared in Brooke’s anger about the situation. Others simply noted how common these issues were in the hospitality industry.
“As a hotel receptionist we like to say: ‘its beautiful to work in hotellerie/tourism, because somehow we get to experience EVERYONES first day on earth,’” a user joked.
“My dad’s 2 favorite phrases: ‘What did you think was going to happen?’ and ‘A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine,’” another offered.
“They make it SO easy to not miss the boat too,” a third observed. “If you want to go explore, you can do it with the cruise excursions and they will wait for those if they’re late bc they’re booked with the cruise. Like why risk it ????”
@kellybrooke.m have fun at the embassy babe!! #storytime #travel #dumb #growup #insane
♬ W.A.Mozart, Symphony in _G minor, No.40, Allegro – AllMusicGallery
BroBible reached out to Brooke via email and Instagram direct message and comment.