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Cruising|Pad Patter 9.1.2017

bestcee

bestcee

In love with places I've never been to
Joined
Dec 18, 2013
Messages
19,337
Have you been on a cruise? Want to go on a cruise? Or like 4 in 5 Americans do you think a cruise is not a good idea?

I like cruising. I love the water, and I like getting to visit places without having to pack and unpack all the time. It's a nice way to get a taste of a place and see if I want to return. I'm super intrigued by the river cruises in the Mediterranean which are not like the big cruises here.

I'm starting to get excited for ours! And I'll gladly take any tips you might have. Unless, of course, it's don't go! Cuz it's too late for that! Munchkin is getting excited, and I love the fact that we won't have to pack and unpack with him all week! Built in kids club (babysitting!) is a nice touch too.

So? Are you a cruiser? Intrigued by it? Horrified by it?
 
I've never been but I find it very interesting. I've tried to convince others to go on a cruise vacation with me, but I haven't succeeded yet.
 
I have never been on a cruise but am interested in going. My big problem is my husband who does not like not being able to see land. He has issues with being on water so I am not sure how he would like it.

I thought I had him convinced to do a cruise and then at the last minute (right before buying) he said he did not think he would enjoy it.
 
I have never been on one. I'm not sure if I would like it or not, but I'd like to go just to see. I think there are things I would really like and things I wouldn't like at all. Both my older children have been on one. DS loved it and DD wasn't a fan. Most people in this area go on Caribbean cruises and I think one of the big things is where you leave from. DS left from Florida, so he spent less time just at sea and had more exploring time in ports. DD left from South Carolina, so she had more time just at sea and less time in the ports. I think that's why she didn't enjoy it as much.
 
I've taken several cruises with my mum and loved all of them except one. I love not having to drag my bags around with me and yet still see different places on the trip. I've been to a few places I'd love to go back to and a couple where I've said, I really don't need to see anymore! One of the other things I love is the amazing food!!! I'm just glad my mum introduced me to cruising as I'd never get to go if I had to wait for hubby! He likes more action oriented vacations!
 
I have only been on one cruise, a 15-day cruise/land tour to Alaska in 2011. It was, by far, the very best vacation ever! It was our first and only cruise. We sailed the inside passage from Vancouver, BC to Seward, AK, which was really like sailing on a lake. We were only on the open Pacific Ocean for a short time and neither of us got seasick.

We splurged for a verandah suite on our ship, Holland America's Zaandam, a nice small ship compared to some of them that we saw along the way. Our room was spacious, even having a full-size bathroom and king-size bed.

I would cruise again, but hubby doesn't think he'd want to cruise on an open ocean, so that leaves most cruises out. I would like my next cruise to be St. Lawrence River cruise. It will take place in the fall, starting at either NYC or Boston and ending at Quebec or Montreal. Definitely on my bucket list.
 
I've never been on a cruise and it's not high on my wish list for future vacations because there are other trips I've been wanting to make and I've barely had money to travel for several years now. I don't think it would stop me, but also I'd be a little nervous being on open ocean. I was too obsessed with the story of the Titanic, years before it became a blockbuster movie. ;)

In general, I would be excited about any kind of travel. I understand some of the benefits of cruises. Like you said, being able to visit many places while having a home base would be very convenient! I was also intrigued when I read a story a year or two ago about a retired woman who lives on cruise ships instead of renting or buying a home. I think the article said she found it financially comparable, maybe even favorable, and there are a lot of amenities on cruise ships. So it's in the back of my mind as a possibility I might consider someday.

Have a fabulous trip Courtney!
 
I went on one as a teenager. Growing up, every few years we'd have a big family vacation instead of some of the small weekend or more local trips we took every year. One year, it was an Alaskan cruise, which was amazing! Some of my (limited experience) tips:
*Explore the ship the first day so you know where things are, but also to see what other amenities are there too. Find some places that you can get great photos, have a quiet moment alone (it can be hard to find a spot when there's so many people)
*Talk to people - they come from all over the world and most have interesting stories! I remember our waiter being from Italy (and being hilarious!), our table mates were from Canada (another family with a child our age), and a bunch more places I just can't remember right now in the teen club.
*Plan for seasickness, even if no one has motion sickness. My brother has never been motion sick except for a day on this cruise. It might have been a combination of the motion, maybe the open ocean, and the amazing food he was always eating, but it wasn't fun for him that day.

Have fun! I've only been on this one cruise, but we still talk about that vacation and I'd love to go on another cruise someday! :)
 
I have been on two cruises and loved them both. The first one was along the Nile in Egypt and the second was in France along the Seine, leaving from Paris and sailing up towards Normandy. The food on the Nile cruise was a bit iffy but the French Cruise had the best food ever; I would go back in a minute. Both cruises had very well thought out and educational stops along the way. I would like to go on an Alaska cruise and I hear they are lovely. I have no excuses, I live in Seattle and it's about 3 miles to catch the boat. My advice is to take advantage of any of the extra side trips that you can. They are well worth the money. Enjoy your cruise .
 
We've cruised many times and have two more scheduled. It's my hubby's favorite way to travel. We've done Trans Atlantic twice and it was weird to only see water for a few days, but I like to read and I loaded my kindle before the trip and found many quiet spots on the ship to just look out and read. It was wonderful! I loved my Alaska cruise, loved the Panama Canal cruise, really I just like the relaxation. If you don't want to relax, there is always something to do! I would love to go back to some of the ports.
 
janedee said:
He likes more action oriented vacations!
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We are doing Alaska (take 2 for DH and I, take 1 for munchkin and MIL). There are a ton of action oriented excursions you can do! Dog sleds, helicopters, and kayaking. Maybe you'll be able to convince him at some point.

djp332 said:
I would like my next cruise to be St. Lawrence River cruise. It will take place in the fall, starting at either NYC or Boston and ending at Quebec or Montreal.
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Yes. I really want to do this one! We were planning on it, but moved. So now we have to add airfare to the East coast to the price. I'm hoping 2019.

kimingvtx said:
We've done Trans Atlantic twice and it was weird to only see water for a few days,
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I think that sounds so fun! I want to do a Hawaii out of San Francisco cruise - a few days with only water sounds awesome!

Iowan said:
I would like to go on an Alaska cruise and I hear they are lovely.
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DO IT! And since you live so close, you could probably pick up a last minute deal! DH and I have done this one before, different cruise line, and 1 different port. But it was beautiful, so we are happy to do it again.
 
ITA with the advice on exploring the ship to find all the amenities. There is often a library and games room which has activites scheduled, plus fitness centres/classes and we always try to sign up for port excursions or do them ourselves. Anytime dining is the way to go too, as you meet so many more people. We prefer the smaller ships if possible, even though the entertainment isn't quite as good. Cruising can be very reasonable if you can get a sale - under $100 a day which includes 3 gourmet meals!
Our favorite cruise went from Dubai to Venice and was on a ship with only 700 people. It was amazing! We've done one river cruise which was very good and went from Budapest to Prague up the Danube.
 
I am not a cruise person as I do not like to be stuck on a floating vessel where I cannot leave. Plus I cannot be out in the sun due to being a melanoma survivor. Most cruises go to sunny and beachy places. There is one cruise I would like to go on and only this one... an Alaskan cruise... other than that I think I could do a riverboat cruise through Germany via Viking Tours...

I prefer the land locked coach tours like we have in 2015 and just this past July...we used CIE Tours and it was fabulous. We added 2 days in front so we could see Cynthia and go to WB- HP Studio tours plus additional sight seeing around London. We had lots of free time too and that I liked. It was wonderful.

Years ago we took a ferry overnight from Brussels to York (12 hours) and I could not sleep as I was nervous the whole time. A 3 hour ferry is ok as long as there is calm seas. Even with a stabilizer I tend to get sea sick so not real keen on being on a cruise ship or 4 or more days!
 
michelepixels said:
I've never been on a cruise and it's not high on my wish list for future vacations because there are other trips I've been wanting to make and I've barely had money to travel for several years now. I don't think it would stop me, but also I'd be a little nervous being on open ocean. I was too obsessed with the story of the Titanic, years before it became a blockbuster movie. ;)

In general, I would be excited about any kind of travel. I understand some of the benefits of cruises. Like you said, being able to visit many places while having a home base would be very convenient! I was also intrigued when I read a story a year or two ago about a retired woman who lives on cruise ships instead of renting or buying a home. I think the article said she found it financially comparable, maybe even favorable, and there are a lot of amenities on cruise ships. So it's in the back of my mind as a possibility I might consider someday.

Have a fabulous trip Courtney!
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I read about that lady too!! :) Definitely worth it as you have all you can eat, there is a dr on board.. you can use the internet and use the laundry on board.. you have housekeeping... what more could you ask for and you are always meeting new people.. that woman has the right idea!! :)
 
I've been on several cruises and visited a lot of ships, since I used to sell them. So kind of a cruise specialist and fanatic. It's been a few years, but I think I still know quite some stuff about a lot of ships and cruise companies. So if anyone needs any advice, just ask. No experience with river cruises though, not really my crowd. The SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING is to choose the company that matches your interests and style. Otherwise you'll never go again, trust me.
 
Since my mom retired 5 years ago, my parents have started going on loooooooong cruises once a year (guess who is in charge of their house for the 2-3 weeks that they are gone?!). So far, they have been to Alaska, Hawaii, Australia & New Zealand (they did fly there and then cruised from there to Hawaii), Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, and Iceland. They (my dad) don't like being hot or going to the beach so they've never done the typical Caribbean cruises everyone else does.

I'd love to go on one sometime! I'm not sure I'd enjoy being 'captive' on the ship and having to make sure my trips on land timed with when the ship was docking and undocking but I'd like to go on one once to say I did, KWIM?
 
My parents love cruises! They've done ones that traveled to Mexican locales and to some Caribbean islands. My mom likes to stay busy and try new things, and a cruise allows for that since you go to different places and you get the fun stuff on the ship when you're at sea. My dad just wants to be somewhere warm, with a drink in his hand lol, so he's cool with a cruise. I've never heard someone complain about their cruise except to say how small the rooms are lol!

Sorry I'm only talking about others' experiences, but I've never been on a cruise. DH doesn't do well with someone else in charge of his plans (he barely tolerates flying, poor boy, rofl), so a cruise--something he doesn't *have* to do for traveling somewhere--just isn't going to happen. Oh well. Maybe I'll go on a cruise by myself sometime.

ENJOY the cruise! Can't wait to see the layouts! :)
 
I went on one cruise 8 years ago for our 10 year wedding anniversary. We loved it and said we would go again...but haven't yet & honestly not sure if we will again.

We weren't sure how we would feel about it, because we love the freedom to explore while traveling. There's not a whole lot of freedom to explore while on a ship, BUT that made it more relaxing. We didn't have to think about what we were going to do or what we were going to eat. It was probably the most relaxing trip we've ever taken...that could have been due to the fact that we did not have any of our kids with us. LOL!
 
No, and I doubt I will. I am like Liz, I like exploring too much. The small rooms and time confined on the ship would drive me bonkers! And I know this is weird with all the Disney and theme park fans - please don't hate me - but I am not a fan of man made "plastic" type vacations. I don't love all the theme parks ... I prefer a natural beach vacation or mountain retreat any day. And if I am exploring a city ... it's museums, architecture, historical sites ... I need even more time to escape into the wildlife, nature parks, and outdoorsy parts of the city for balance.
 
I've only been on one cruise and based on that experience, I'm not real keen to do it again. First of all... I hate feeling "trapped"... second, I don't do well with seasickness. Our boat rocked so much, the pool was like a wave pool at a water park sloshing from side to side (kids thought it was great). One night at dinner, we all went down one by one but no one would admit it... like my dad said he was going out for air, but didn't come back. Then I used the excuse that I should go look for dad and went back to our cabin after a half hearted search for him. Then my mom left with the kids saying they wanted to see me. Left Jeff alone at the table... last man standing! It was a cruise of the Hawaiian Islands and I really wish I enjoyed it more since it was a great way to see all of the islands!

I might give it another go on a larger boat.... and I've always thought an Alaskan cruise would be really cool.
 
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