Cruising in Quiet

If you've ever been on a cruise vacation you know that despite all your travel planning, expenses, and careful considerations, and on top of everything that the cruise line itself does for you, the people in the cabin next door can make or break your vacation.

If you end up with people in the next cabin who are inconsiderate and don't understand the level of noise that they're making, particularly during late hours, then you can be thrown off in terms of your ability to get to sleep, get up early, and proceed with the day's activities.

As such, you might want to make a roster of phrases that you can put on to a note and slip under the door, or attach to the door, of those passengers who don't seem to have a clue. Here's a list to get you started:

* Please acknowledge that others might be sleeping at this hour

* Please recognize that when others have “do not disturb” signs posted, it means that.

* It is appropriate and fitting that after 10 p.m. you lower your voices and you keep your TV volume at a low level. Passengers on this ship retire and arise at different hours, and each want to have an excellent vacation. Excessive noise from one cabin and impinges on the rights as well as satisfaction of many others.

* Your TV is on much too loudly, especially for this time of night. Please consider that other people are now asleep, that walls between cabins are paper thin, and that many people prefer to have bright and early mornings to exercise, take photos, or start early tours.

* Your proclivity for staying up late is your choice, but it should not impact other people's proclivity for getting up early. Thank you

* Please be considerate of other passengers. People are sleeping in cabins to your left and right, and above and below you. Please do not talk excessively loud after 10 p.m. or play your television loudly.

And if you run into particularly rambunctious cabin neighbors:

* Excessive noise makers: please be respectful of fellow passengers at this late hour

* Inconsiderate, noisy passengers, who act like they're the only ones on this deck:
please begin quiet time now

* We would like everyone to be able to enjoy their time on board, and when some passengers are not cognizant of how their behavior and noise level impact others, many people become upset.