It is not "rude' to complain about bad food, and all the other incompetence these people endured. When it becomes "dangerous" to complain about really bad service, we are in trouble. I hope these people sue and sue.
One wonders, though, if that was in the back of their minds the whole time.
You go, Galveston! Seems like most here hold a presumption of guilt for the couple, and some romantic, naive, juvenile opinion about the "captain" and his ship and his supreme command. Hey, folks, this ain't a minesweeper in perilous duty! It's a floating vacation that people pay for. This will come back to haunt the cruise line, in terms of both bad PR and a judgement payout.
There is no real way to tell from this story if the couple were really as obnoxious as the report says, or if a frustrated captain (ten unshceduled hours down for repairs!) overreacted, and now the corporation has to back him for enforcing "policy" because of the liability downside. As for me, the biggest clue in the story is that the man recently returned from serving in Iraq. That suggests, to me, that he is a disciplined fellow who respects and adheres the hierarchy...so therefore, his reaction may have been reasonable.