Would a cruise line ban you permanently for complaining? You better believe it

You might have heard about avid cruiser Jenny Phenix. She’s the 68-year-old Floridian who joined a three-year, round-the-world maritime adventure but got booted from the ship before it even set sail.

Her offense? She publicly complained about her frustration with the cruise line and its failure to deliver on its promises.

People were shocked at the cruise line’s harsh response to its passenger’s complaints. After all, isn’t the customer always right?

I wasn’t surprised, though. As a travel ombudsman and consumer advocate, I’ve been tracking this phenomenon. Phenix is only one in a long line of former passengers who’ve landed on a cruise line’s blacklist for excessive, aggressive or public complaints. She’s just been the most outspoken about her experience.

My case files contain pleas for help from a not insignificant number of bewildered cruise line passengers who had never even considered that their chronic complaining could end with them on the Do Not Sail list — until they found themselves there.

In my experience, cruise lines across the industry are more than willing to boot a problematic customer forever. This culling of chronic complainers includes even longtime and elite cruise passengers.

Let me tell you the tale of one such cruiser as an illustration of how not to bring issues to the attention of a cruise line. I’ll also give you some tips for better ways to register complaints so you don’t risk getting the boot from your favorite cruise line — permanently.

‘Just trying to help Royal Caribbean Cruise Line to improve’

Royal Caribbean cruiser Angy K. contacted me in a panic one evening, a few weeks before her family’s scheduled cruise to the Bahamas aboard Utopia of the Seas. (Although she prefers we not use her last name, Angy does want you to hear her story so you don’t land in the same boat she did.)

“Michelle! I was informed I’ve been placed on an indefinite no sail ban list two weeks before sailing. Our most recent sailing was back in April 2024 when [Royal Caribbean] supposedly made this decision to ban me [but never told me]. … I was placed on the ban list because of my complaints. Since when is it wrong to give feedback?”

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Angy’s family’s cruise was still active, and her husband and kids were welcome to board the Royal Caribbean ship. However, she had been removed from the booking and was “devastated” to learn she would not be allowed to sail.

Although Angy didn’t know it, her incessant complaints had led to her being placed on the blacklist nearly a year before. As in other cases I’ve reviewed, Royal Caribbean sent no formal letter to alert her of her no-sail status. Unless you are formally blacklisted while on a ship, you likely will not find out you’re on the Do Not Sail list until you book another cruise.

Angy said she loves Royal Caribbean, which made her predicament particularly unusual. Her goal with her detailed complaints (which she called feedback) was to make Royal Caribbean a better cruise line. She never asked for compensation, such as future cruise credit. Discovering she was banned left her embarrassed and confused — and she hoped I could help.

How did this cruise ship passenger get banned from her favorite cruise line?

From our conversations, Angy struck me as a nice person who genuinely thought she was providing valuable information to Royal Caribbean.

In April 2024, Angy and her family sailed on Symphony of the Seas in an AquaTheater two-bedroom suite with a large balcony, one of the ship’s most expensive Star Class accommodations. This was the group’s third cruise in high-end suites on Royal Caribbean in as many years, and it was also Angy’s third cruise with the line that didn’t meet her expectations.

I cringed when I read through the lengthy complaint she sent to the Royal Caribbean corporate offices and the posts she made on social media.

From water spots on a spoon and a cup to chicken wings not fried to perfection, Angy’s complaints hit it all. She even added screenshots of complaints of other passengers on the cruise made in private Facebook groups. Reading through all of this as a third party, I found nearly all of her criticisms to be petty.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Despite the meeting, we were again disappointed with the communication between our genie [personal butler] and food and beverage team. The same issues arose where burnt chicken wings were sent to the room again. Once again I encountered a dirty glass for my beer along with a dirty teaspoon for my daughter at hibachi dinner.”

She included pictures to support her reviews of the many minor mishaps on her family’s last cruise.

She even complained about managers trying to apologize.

“Again I was bothered by three managers during our dinner apologizing even though I explained to our genie this was constructive feedback for future star class guests. There is no need for futile apologies where issues never seem to get resolved.”

Apparently, nothing could make Angy happy during this cruise.

But her nitpicking seemed at odds with her description of herself as a giant Royal Caribbean fan. In my ongoing discussions with Angy, I discovered that she saw herself as a de facto “mystery shopper” who hoped to provide all the critical information to Royal Caribbean so the company could improve its operations.

Unfortunately, the cruise line didn’t receive her complaints well, so they banned her from sailing on their ships again.

Learn the right way to complain

Customers should not be afraid to make valid complaints to any company they patronize. Cruise lines want to know when they fall short of a passenger’s expectations. However, there are correct ways to address a concern, and then there are really wrong ways to bring a problem to a business.

You don’t want to risk getting banished from a cruise line you love. Whether you are seeking compensation for a truly subpar cruise experience or are trying to help your favorite line improve, here’s what you need to know about the right — and wrong — ways to complain to your cruise line.

Ensure your complaint is valid

The quickest way to enter the Do Not Sail danger zone is by making excessive demands about things you shouldn’t be complaining about in the first place.

For example, one of the most frequent complaints I see cruise ship passengers make is about itinerary changes. Yet every cruise contract clearly states that passengers are paying for a trip on a cruise ship — not to a specific destination — and that the line has the right to alter the itinerary as needed.

Before filing a complaint, ask yourself this important question: Is the cruise line responsible for this?

If you become seasick because of choppy weather and spend two days in bed, that isn’t the cruise line’s fault — though I’ve received complaints like this from passengers who expect compensation.

If you miss a nonrefundable third-party excursion because the ship must change course, the fault is your own for not reading the fine print of your tour contract.

Did you get denied boarding because you didn’t have the correct identification to board the ship? Don’t bother complaining to the cruise line because it’s your responsibility to bring the correct travel documents on your sailing.

When in doubt about your complaint, review your cruise contract. It might be long, but it contains important information about what you can expect from your cruise line.

Notify the cruise line about issues while you’re still on board

Over the years, I’ve spoken to many travelers who made the mistake of keeping notes of all their grievances in real time but waited to lodge their complaints until they were home.

It’s unfair to spring a list of grievances on the corporate offices once nothing can be done to address the problem.

Always report your complaints while you’re on board the ship, so someone can fix the problem. If your spoon has water spots, ask for a different one. If your bed is uncomfortable, ask for a mattress topper or a different pillow.

If the issue is too minor to bring up with a staff member in the moment, you shouldn’t be mentioning it to company executives or posting to social media after your vacation. Making a big deal about small problems after your trip is a great way to land you on a cruise line’s blacklist.

Express your complaints factually and politely

How you deliver your complaint makes a giant difference in how it is received and the ultimate outcome.

A Norwegian Cruise Line customer, Alex W., recently found this out. He came home from a long day at work to a message from the cruise line that one port of call on his upcoming cruise was canceled.

Irritated, he immediately dialed NCL customer service and told the agent what he thought about the cruise’s itinerary change, employing some “colorful” language. When the agent asked him to stop cursing, he grew angrier, and one of them eventually hung up; Alex wasn’t sure which.

The next day, a representative from Norwegian’s executive office called Alex to scold him and to deliver some bad news. Alex, a longtime and loyal NCL customer, was now banished from the cruise line forever.

Although Alex wrote a mea culpa and asked for reconsideration, NCL did not bend. His upcoming cruise was canceled, and he was forced to find a new favorite cruise line.

The lesson: An effective complaint focuses on a valid concern and is delivered politely without negative emotions. Not only did the person receiving your complaint not cause the problem, but you want to make that person sympathetic to your cause so they want to help you.

How do you do that? Keep your complaint concise, cordial and clear. Use this three-word mantra as a guide to composing an effective complaint:

Concise: Keep your complaint short and focused. Leave out extraneous details that have nothing to do with the problem. The person you’re bringing your complaint to is dealing with many other passengers; they don’t have time to listen to a long, rambling rant.

Cordial: Chronic complainers often appear entitled and difficult to please. Sometimes, they talk down to cruise line staff and even belittle employees sent to help them. Any time you’re making a complaint, keep your interactions friendly and cordial. You have a better chance of resolving the issue if you treat cruise staff with the respect they deserve.

Clear: Stick to the facts. Don’t exaggerate. Make sure that you have a valid complaint and that your description of the issue is clear and easy to understand. Additionally, be clear about the resolution you’re looking for (an apology, money back, future cruise credit, a new cabin, etc.). The compensation you request must be reasonable. For example, don’t ask for a replacement cruise or $5,000 in “damages” because your favorite onboard show got canceled or your steak was overcooked.

Pro-tip: Cruise lines are more willing to offer a small future cruise credit than cash compensation in response to a complaint. Keep that in mind when naming your hoped-for resolution.

Complain to the correct people

Problem-solving should always start with the person best able to provide a resolution in the moment. If you’re in a restaurant and see water spots on your glass, ask the waitstaff to bring you another glass. Problem solved.

Don’t take a photo to upload to social media that evening or write a letter to the cruise line CEO after your trip. A minor issue like this should not escalate beyond the dining room.

If you make petty complaints online or to company executives rather than handling them in the moment, you risk getting added to the Do Not Sail list.

If you can’t solve the problem at the time you notice it, your next step is to alert the guest relations or customer service department on board your cruise ship. If needed, they can bring in the cruise director or hotel manager on board to assist.

For example, if your cabin has a problem — like a malfunctioning toilet or broken air conditioning — you should stop by the guest services desk and ask them to send a crew member to repair it.

If your problem is significant and hasn’t been positively addressed during the cruise, there is a way to properly escalate your complaint post-trip.

Passengers frequently make the mistake of sending a complaint to the cruise line’s CEO, who doesn’t handle customer service. Remember, if you send a complaint to the top of the executive chain, you’ll have nowhere else to go after that.

Instead, bring your complaint to the executive customer service team. These are people trained to address passenger complaints and who have the ability to fix your problem. Always remember to keep your message concise, cordial and clear and conclude with a suggested resolution.

If you’re having trouble finding a customer-facing executive, my organization, Consumer Rescue, maintains an extensive and free database of executives who we know have a history of helping travelers and other consumers. Fill out the online form with the name of your cruise line, and we’ll give you the name and current contact information of the appropriate executive to handle your complaint.

A word about social media: If you truly feel you’ve been wronged, the cruise line owes you compensation, and company executives are ignoring your polite letters, posting on social media can sometimes attract a cruise line’s attention.

However, you must take the correct approach. Do not find a Facebook group dedicated to complaining about a cruise line and air your grievances there. These sites are minimally moderated, full of fake complaints meant to generate outrage and engagement; they are sometimes monitored by cruise line staff who can ban frequent posters from ever setting sail on one of their ships again.

Instead, if you hope for your social media post to be productive, post a polite note on the official pages of your cruise line (check for a verified status). Keep your message concise, cordial and clear if you intend to make your complaint public and wish for a positive outcome.