I Guess Cruises Aren't My Thing

[disneysteve]

I can only go off of things I know I dont like. I dont like being around crowds or waiting in lines. When I travel I dont like having a schedule anymore..."be back on the ship at this time," "dinner is served at this hour" etc etc.

When I travel I like to spend as little amount of time getting to my destination as possible.

What else can you do on a ship...I dont like malls, casinos, water parks.

Id rather visit places that took millions/billions of years to form. Im not into the bright lights and loud noises from these floating entertainment things.

All fair points.

Again, I don't think cruising is for everyone. I just think despite it's popularity, the cruise industry still has an image problem. It has a reputation based on what it was 10 or 20 years ago even though it has changed dramatically. Plus, most people still hear "cruise" and think of a mega-ship with 5,000 passengers and hundreds of screaming children. They don't picture something like a river cruise that holds 200 people or a Viking ocean cruise that holds under 1,000 and is only for passengers 16 and over. You won't find a casino or bright lights and loud noises anywhere. There are cruises focused on fine dining. Cruises that offer all sorts of educational opportunities. And much more.

[disneysteve]

Perhaps when I'm much older and want my vacations to be simple without the need for me to plan or desire to wander doing things I find interesting, I'd re evaluate tours and cruises.

That's funny because one of the things that I love about cruising is that it affords us the opportunity to wander and do things that appeal to us in a variety of places that we might not otherwise get to. In most ports, we don't do an organized shore excursion. I prefer to research the ports in advance and explore when we get there. The only time we usually do a tour is when we're visiting a location where it really isn't so safe to just go off on your own.

[~bs]

That's funny because one of the things that I love about cruising is that it affords us the opportunity to wander and do things that appeal to us in a variety of places that we might not otherwise get to. In most ports, we don't do an organized shore excursion. I prefer to research the ports in advance and explore when we get there. The only time we usually do a tour is when we're visiting a location where it really isn't so safe to just go off on your own.

They normally offload you on shore and tell you be back by a certain time. I guess the difference for me is

trip by plane = travel for 8 hours, explore for 8 days
trip by cruise = travel for 8 days, explore a port town for 8 hours

maybe an exaggeration, but that's the gist of how I feel about that particular issue. Not to mention the port towns that they stop at tends to be tourist traps and possibly not a good representation of what that place/culture is really like. I guess that's kinda repeating what fishingdude mentioned.

between tours and cruises, I think I might prefer the tour, although I don't particularly care for either. At least with the tour, you might get to see and eat at a variety of places. Normally after the set itinerary(assuming you aren't too tired), you have some free time as well.

[kork13]

Its a cheap way to travel. If you dont have the pocket then cruises are the way to go.

Its also good for people who arent good at booking trips. They either get stressed or are unsure where to stay, what to do, where to eat, etc. Its an all in one package.

These are two of the big reasons that I love cruises.

There's probably an underlying anxiety disorder in there somewhere, but I really struggle with planning vacations. I really appreciate that cruises provide a simple, easy way to include multiple locations in a single vacation, especially to places where I've never been. I see it as a really good "trial run" for vacation spots, because if we really enjoy it, we can go back later for a more in-depth vacation, or if we're unimpressed, we're gone within a day or two & we can put it behind us without concern, and look forward to the next stop. It's a very relaxing way to travel, because I don't have to worry about packing up repeatedly, catching a series of flights, or blowing entire days in airports & cramped airliners. Show up at the boat, then entertain yourself for the next week while they drive you around to see different places.

They can also be very, very cheap. You can often cruise for less than $75/day without even trying... Even cheaper if you snag last-minute deals, etc. That gets you travel, food, lodging, and limited entertainment for the duration of your vacation, for less money than you'd spend on merely staying in any average hotel. Cruises are a very cost-efficient way to travel & see a variety of locations, especially if you're within driving distance from the port & don't need to buy airfare.

I don't know why people restrict themselves so much with the shore excursions. You can do literally anything when you pull in ashore. We've only rarely used the cruise line's sponsored trips. More often, we find opportunities online & do those instead. We explore the towns, take advantage of what is fun or interesting to do/see, and basically make our own plans for what adventures we'll have. Yes, you have to make it back to the ship. Often that only means a single day in port, but again, plan your own adventures, and you can still see/do at least 2-3 things in that period, enough to at least get a sampling of the area. Again, cruises make for great "trial runs" of the places you visit.

I've been on 3 cruises so far, and loved each one. We have another in the works for Jan/Feb, and our plan is to do an "anniversary cruise" of this sort every year or two. As with many things in life, they are what you make of them. Are the bathrooms tiny? Yes. So are the cabins (typically). But I don't see that as a major problem, because I plan to spend most of my time NOT in my room. Whether on shore, at the pool, in the gym, playing board/card games, watching shows or other presentations (I've been pleasantly surprised by the academic nature of some presentations I've seen on cruises), enjoying the restaurants, watching movies, or whatever else. Very little of my time is spent in my cabin/bathroom.

[disneysteve]

trip by plane = travel for 8 hours, explore for 8 days
trip by cruise = travel for 8 days, explore a port town for 8 hours

maybe an exaggeration, but that's the gist of how I feel about that particular issue.

This is the main reason I hear that people dislike cruising, and I can understand that. When we travel, we also like to explore. My wife and I are going to Kentucky in a few weeks for 7 days, 5 of which will be spent in and around Louisville. We have a whole list of things we want to see and do. If you dropped me in Louisville and said, "You've got 8 hours - go!" I'd probably be disappointed. But my expectations on a cruise are totally different than my expectations on a land vacation and I love both ways of doing it.

If the idea of visiting a different place every day doesn't appeal to you but you would still like to experience a cruise, or perhaps the rest of your family really wants to do one, I would repeat the advice I gave above and recommend Bermuda. If you sail from NYC, it's 2 days on the ship, then 3 days docked in Bermuda where you can come and go freely 24 hours a day, then 1 day on the ship to get home. You can basically just use the ship as your hotel and nothing more if you'd like. We spent the vast majority of our time on the island exploring every corner of it.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Has anyone done the Hawaii 7 nighter? I live in Los Angeles now but wished I had done the Hawaii cruise when I had lived there for my first 37 years. It starts in Honolulu, Hawaii, then goes to Maui, Molokai, the big Island (possibly Kona & Hilo), maybe Lanai, Kauai, and back to Honolulu. It would have been so convenient. No need to book airfare or hotel. I think the 7 nights run about $999 base price and goes up from there.

[disneysteve]

Has anyone done the Hawaii 7 nighter? I live in Los Angeles now but wished I had done the Hawaii cruise when I had lived there for my first 37 years. It starts in Honolulu, Hawaii, then goes to Maui, Molokai, the big Island (possibly Kona & Hilo), maybe Lanai, Kauai, and back to Honolulu. It would have been so convenient. No need to book airfare or hotel. I think the 7 nights run about $999 base price and goes up from there.

We have not but we'd love to. This is a great example of when a cruise is a unique choice. You can island hop by plane but it's far more complicated. It is so much easier to just have a floating hotel that moves you from island to island while you sleep.

[Thrif-t]

Steve I think I want to do a Bermuda Cruise now, you've convinced me!

And for all the reasons Renegade posted, that's why I like to cruise. My family looks to me to plan vacations and when something doesn't work out right with a location/outing/whatever, I get all the blame. Cruising takes all the pressure off me.

I think I've said this before but we lucked out on getting on a pretty cheap Disney cruise for our family of 5 in 2 connecting inside rooms when the economy tanked in 08. The rooms on Disney ships are spacious and no problems in the bathrooms. You get a full size tub/shower combo like you'd have in your main bath of your house. The shows were awesome and so was the food. Now that the kids are all older I don't think we'd do Disney again plus yikes have you seen their prices $$$$$!!!

In fact all cruises seem to be expensive for us now. But if the economy turns again and we are all right job wise, that is when I'll be looking to do those kinds of vacations again with the kids.

[disneysteve]

In fact all cruises seem to be expensive for us now.

I don't think cruising is quite the bargain it used to be, or at least not if you're going in the main seasons and want to be on the newer ships. The other issue is that cruising has gotten tremendously more popular. The cheapest rates are as soon as booking opens. As time passes and the ships fill, the rates climb. So if you do want to book a cruise, the earlier the better. Of course, that might mean booking 18 months in advance and not everyone is able to do that. Our last cruise was in December 2016 and we booked it in April or May 2015. But we did get a great deal.

[Fishindude77]

My biggest negative issues were the crowds, waiting in lines and being herded around like cattle. To say our cruise gave you a good picture of Alaska would be like saying Branson is a good representation of Missouri. I won't do another anytime real soon.

[~bs]

This is the main reason I hear that people dislike cruising, and I can understand that. When we travel, we also like to explore. My wife and I are going to Kentucky in a few weeks for 7 days, 5 of which will be spent in and around Louisville. We have a whole list of things we want to see and do. If you dropped me in Louisville and said, "You've got 8 hours - go!" I'd probably be disappointed. But my expectations on a cruise are totally different than my expectations on a land vacation and I love both ways of doing it.

If the idea of visiting a different place every day doesn't appeal to you but you would still like to experience a cruise, or perhaps the rest of your family really wants to do one, I would repeat the advice I gave above and recommend Bermuda. If you sail from NYC, it's 2 days on the ship, then 3 days docked in Bermuda where you can come and go freely 24 hours a day, then 1 day on the ship to get home. You can basically just use the ship as your hotel and nothing more if you'd like. We spent the vast majority of our time on the island exploring every corner of it.

I think a cruise that stops in a brand new place daily makes more sense to me than one that takes days to beeline to Alaska or to wherever, drops you off at a few ports (kind of homogenous experience), does a driveby of the glaciers, then make its way back to the lower 48. Maybe something like an European cruise that can experience a lot of different cultures and countries constantly since they're all packed into that Mediterranean area, and you could literally wake up every day with the ship docked in a new country. That type of cruise is a "sampler", if you will... A traditional airplane trip is more of a "main course" of a few select locations at the most.

Edit: or that Hawaiian cruise you guys mentioned. Room rates in Hawaii are obscene right now since all hotels are constantly at capacity, being able to use the ship as a hotel is a plus. Not to mention not having to book flights to different islands. I only saw that post after. Of course, for me personally a Hawaiian cruise might not make much sense

[disneysteve]

My biggest negative issues were the crowds, waiting in lines and being herded around like cattle.

I haven't done an Alaska cruise but what were you waiting in line for and when did you feel like you were being herded?

The only lines I can think of were waiting to get into a show or waiting for the main dining room to open, but you could avoid those lines by showing up 5-10 minutes after the doors opened. For the dining room, I have no idea why people lined up as you had an assigned table. It makes more sense for the theaters because it's general seating so if you come a bit later, you might not get as good a seat, but we really didn't care. There weren't any bad seats. So even though we were on one of the 3 largest ships in the world, it never felt crowded and we never waited in any significant lines.

[hamchan]

I've never gone on a cruise, but I'd like to some day. It seems like it would be a thing that would appeal to me. Not sure if it would be easy to find things to eat or not though, since I stopped eating meat, eggs, and dairy a year and a half ago. I'll have to research that more.

My mom and dad have their 50 year anniversary in 2026, and I was thinking me and my sister might try to take them on a cruise to Hawaii. We went once when we were kids. I think they would enjoy it.

[disneysteve]

Not sure if it would be easy to find things to eat or not though, since I stopped eating meat, eggs, and dairy a year and a half ago. I'll have to research that more.

I'm not sure how good cruises are with food allergies and things like celiac issues but if it's just a matter of you not eating certain things by choice (or for health reasons), I think a cruise is an excellent option. On the newer/larger ships, there are endless food choices and dining venues. I thought the buffet on Oasis was very impressive. It had dishes from various cultures to appeal to an international crowd and the food was fresh, hot, and good. The menus in the dining rooms were sufficiently varied and always included meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetarian options at every meal. I don't think you'd have any trouble at all eating well.

[Fishindude77]

I haven't done an Alaska cruise but what were you waiting in line for and when did you feel like you were being herded?

You arranged day trips / excursions on the ship for when you arrived in next port. Had to stand around waiting for everyone else to get there, walk somewhere to board big bus, cram in bus to go to your destination, then more lines to board and whale watch tour, jet boat trip or whatever. Most excursions also had big galley style lunches with more lines, crowding and waiting.

Anytime you got to a port to visit and look around, the streets were jam packed with tourists, restaurants and stores full to the gills, etc. because all of these little 2,500 people port towns just had (3) boats of 2,000 passengers dumped in their laps. Guessing it's that way all season?

The ship itself also seemed pretty claustrophobic, constantly jammed around people with exception of your tiny suite. Crowded dining halls, everyone jamming the sides to see whales, crowded elevators, lines to get on & off ship, etc.