Is 14 days (back to back) too Long????

[JimVrhovac]

Ruth and just returned rom a back to back 14 day cruise on the Veendam (Dec 04-18). It is our first back to back and it will propably be our last....

We had a great time both weeks but the second one was not as enjoyable. We ate 3 times in the Rotterdam Diningroom the second weeks and seemed to spend a lot more time in our cabin the second week.

For us it seems the 10 - 12 day cruises are the ideal. It seemed old real fast the idea of getting dressed up every time you leave the cabin. We are from the old school where you look presentable when you go out and I seemed to miss the slumming around the house in old pants and a ratty T-Shirt when I felt like it.

What are your feelings????????????????????????

Jim & Ruth

[Aussie Gal]

Jim,

As we have such a long way to travel before we can board our cruise ship, nothing shorter than 14 days is feasible to us. Our next cruise is a 17 day one and the one after will be 21 days. I hate the idea of packing everything and not having at least a month away, which we always have with days tacked on before and after our cruises.

I love my time on the ship, either reading on our verandah, going to the Port lectures, or just sitting by the pool. To me that is the great thing about a cruise, there is so much or so little to do and once you have boarded and unpacked you are set for the next 14 or so days. To me it is a perfect holiday.

Jennie

[localady]

Jim-

I agree with you that sometimes into the second or 3rd week of a cruise we lose the desire to dress for dinner every night. What we do is to then enjoy "slumming it" at the Lido for dinner and watching movies/catching up on our books rather than dress for dinner. This last time on the Rotterdam we missed the 2nd informal dinner and opted for a meal at the Lido and a nice long soak in the hot tub with our friends on the Lido deck. It was a lovely way to spend the evening;):D

I suspect this will happen a night or 2 on our Prinsendam Baltic trip. After a long day of walking, sometimes the Lido and a hot tub is all this gal can muster!:cool:

[JimVrhovac]

Appreciate your comments.

Aussie Gal
Can appreciate the long distance traveled to the ports does make it more convenient to take longer cruises. Have talked with a lot of people that prefer it that way.

LocalLady
Kept my sanity the last week by playing computer games. Took my laptop along for pictures and entertainment and it worked.


I tend to work 60 hr weeks at home and have never learned to deal with retirement or a lot of free time (twice retired). Last week we spent two days in the room wqtching movies and resting and doing absolutely nothing.

One benefit of being on a cruise is that I am out of cell telehonerange and they cannot contact me.

Jim

[jhannah]

I agree, Mr. V. While I certainly understand Jennie's point (having to travel so cotton-pickin' far just to get on a ship) I'm thinking 14 days is enough. The most we've done so far is 13. We weren't ready to run screaming off the ship, or anything like that; but some motivation is indeed lost around the middle of that second week. We have a 14-dayer booked as one of our cruises for 2005, and I'm sure that will be wonderful ... but long enough. Since I still work, a two-week cruise really involves the better part of 3 weeks away from work. That's quite a long time for me.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Weeeeeelllll, we'll just have to see how I feel. We did a 10 day in the Mediterranean and would have loved if it were longer. Now we're booked for the 2 week Panama Canal transit in October 2005. My feeling is something like Localady's in that I think we'll approach the time differently ... probably sometimes do casual dining, spend more time at leisure instead of running crazy, not go to every single show, sleep in .......

We're really looking forward to it because I feel that a 7 day is just too short. I don't even get used to being on the ship until the 2nd day or so, I get my cruise cold usually by the 5th day and then it's time to start packing. It's really only 6 days anyway.

And if you want to do anything other than the same old Caribbean, you need to take longer cruises. If we like 2 weeks, we're headed to the Amazon next time!

[localady]

Heather- I would highly recommend a total South American cruise also! It is a continent of so many spectacular and relatively untouched travel sites!:) (Well maybe except Rio de Janiero, lots of touching happens there;) !)

Jim- I think it might be a bit different if your 2nd week is different ports or if your itinerary is port intensive. I hope you and Ruth are still on for the Veendam in 11/05!:cool:

[JimVrhovac]

We are still going on the Nov 26 Veendam 14 day cruise.

Had a nice nap and have had more time to reflect. Think a lot of the problems have to do with what is going on around here in Orlando and my work.

Have a couple really sick patients that I was worried about and called them on the way home from the port.

Our house was torn up by the hurricnes this summer and we are in a rental house and that is creating a lot of stress in our lives. Have learned to deal with stress but it is still takes its tole.

Don't get me wrong, we did enjoy the cruises and had a good time just don't know what our expectations were for the second week.

One good think is that we did not go to St Thomas and Ruth did not spend a fortune in jewlery this time. She did get a nice black jade necklace and earrings though. I got my usual 25 lbs of Guatamalan coffee, and 25 lbs of Jamaican Blue Mountain. Enought to last for a while.

Had a great time with my slippers.

One good thing about a 14 day is that you get to know the crew better and your interaction the second weeks is more casual We have sailed with the senior staff several times and that helped. At the Mariners reception the captain said "I have a pair of slippers like that".

Nick, the Hotel Manager is a newly wed so when we were in Tampa Saturday I went to Wall Mark and got him and is bride Fluffy Rabbit Slippers (Lt blue and white). Kind of appro[riate we thought. Ha Ha...

Jim

[RuffinReady]

Long cruises are like marriage, the first 20 years may seem like a long time, but after awhile everything seems to fall into place.

Seriously, we have been on two 32 day cruises, a 26 day one, and loved every minute of it. You may get a little "antsy" in the beginning, but after awhile you get into the grove and it becomes a new way of life. Then before you know it, you are packing. The next thing you know you are planning your next trip, and maybe even signing up on-board with the helpful cruise people. For us it is hardly worth while to pack and fight the flying thing for less than 14 days. We can't wait until next May 9th to board the Prinsendam for a 26 day transatlantic back-to-back to Athens. That finishes Alaska, South America and Western Europe. Whoopee! - on to the Pacific and Asia next!

I'm 75 years-young and am not going to let any grass grow under my feet.

They don't call me RuffinReady for nothing. :D

Bermuda Star (long, long time ago!)
S.S. France (Transatlantic -1965)
S.S Atlantic (Transatlantic, Mediterranean - American Export Lines - 1966)
Europa (Caribbean - 1969 - North German Lloyd)
Statendam (Caribbean - 1975)

Sunward (Bahamas - c. 1980)
Song of America (Caribbean - 1988)
Crown Princess (Alaska - 1999)
Royal Princess (Double to South America - 2001)

Crown Princess (Baltic - 2002)

Royal Princess (Triple;Transatlantic,France,Belgium,Holland;Gt.Br itain-2002)
Galaxy (Caribbean - 2003)

[Toad]

What are you kidding me! If I could afford it I would do the World Cruise.... or just a very long cruise to anywhere with a huge stack of books! Anyone wish to contribute to my world cruise fund?

[mango14217]

I've been on 18 day 21 day yes i prefer the longer cruises the longer the better

[RuffinReady]

Jim & Ruth,

My earlier post notwithstanding. Actually, in looking at your posting again I noticed that you are cruising the Caribbean almost exclusively. You need a little variety. We have been to the Caribbean 3 or 4 times and it has become a real bore. Now, we have also been to the Baltic, including St. Petersburg which is an eyeopener!, around South America from east to west (had Penguins underfoot), transatlantic to France (visited the D-Day beaches), Belgium, Holland and Gt. Britain (Guiness in Ireland is great!). That is in addition to a land tour of Italy(Venice and the Sistine Chapel). Next May we are going transatlantic again to the Mediterranean including Greece and Turkey.
Take my advice, see the world while it is still there!

Ruffin

[dakrewser]

Funny, we feel the 7-day'ers are too short! 10 day is a nice number, but a 14 day is ideal. Now a B2B with the same ports might be a problem, but there's always something else to do - even if it's just grab a book and snooze on the verandah....

[Krazy Kruizers]

Hi Jim

Welcome home.

We won't even consider a cruise less than 14 days. Considering that we have to fly to every port and now with no direct flights on decent airlines, going through all that hassel for 7 days just isn't worth it for us.

The longer the better.

[grannynurse]

Fourteen days repeating the same ports would not be interesting for us. 34 days last summer was long, and cranky people got crankier. Our group saved our sanity (what sanity, you say?) Right! We had a really great s*** disturber group and had a ball. We also had lots of new ports and rustic scenery.

I'm with the above poster who suggested trying other itineraries beside the caribbean.

We'll be in Port canaveral sunday evening 12/26, checking into the Radisson at the Port, sailing Tuesday for 11 days on the Zaandam. Are you available for dinner monday night 12/27? Would sure love to meet the both of you, finally.
Sorry for the lateness, i had forgotten that you live in the orlando area.
Let me know Jim....
GN

[SHayesShip]

I personally do not like a back to back in which the 2nd week repeats the first week's itinerary. With that said, give me a longer cruise of any length and I will be ecstatic.
However, with me not being retired and my workload it is hard for me to take more then a 10 day cruise at this time.
Many years ago before I had responsibilities I did an extended voyage. I took 99 days of a 102 day voyage and you adapt to a ship as it becomes your home and you get into a routine in which your daily life onboard starts to mirror your shoreside life. (With the exception of those great days at sea and the wonderful anticipation of visiting new ports).
I hope to take a second world cruise some day while still young enough to really enjoy it.

Steve Hayes

[JimVrhovac]

Thank everyone for your replies.

GrannyNurse:
Drop me an email today so we can exchange cell phone numbers and try to work something out. Would love to meet for dinner is schedules do not conflict.

RuffinReady:
I agree with you on going out of the Caribbean area but there is one problem. Ruth is semi wheelchair bound and that is a nightmare in the modern airports. I have a real bad problem with flying. When we went to Alaska a couple years ago I took 50mg Valium to get there and 60mg Valium to get back and it did not touch me. I do not normally take Valium either.

The two weeks on the Veendam were different ports. We generally feel that the ship is the destination, not the ports. When we get off the ships it is for a specific reason, not to browse the shops. Ruth is a shopaholic and I try to keep her away from the shops. She will use her wheelchair as a shopping cart if I let her....

Future:
We are considering the Sea of Cortez or a repositioning cruise if we can get direct flights back to Orlando. The flying end is the problem....

HOUSE UPDATE:
Went by our house today and they have the new drywall up and it is tapped in and progress is being made. It is such a slow process as so many houses were damaged in the Orlando area.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Did the Sea of Cortez a couple of years ago - loved it.

Hope you can work out direct flights.

Glad to hear the house is slowing coming along.

Ruth hasn't decided to start shopping for new furniture yet??!!

[Druke I]

Gross generalization:

My wife prefers cruises of two weeks duration.

I prefer cruises of three or so weeks duration.

We both agree that perhaps our best cruise, on the former Sky Princess, San Francisco to Sydney, was 27 nights and very enjoyable.

I would love to take either Aurora or Oriana (P&O) on one of its world cruises, but the other half thinks it too long, s we are circumnavigating the globe in two or three week segments over a period of years.

[JimVrhovac]

Krazy Kruisers,

YES she has started shopping for furniture. So far 1 bedroom set, and lot of misc furniture. We have picked out most of the furniture but waiting for initial check before we purchase as the billwill be 20K or so.

This selection of furniture, paint colors, carpeting, etc has got to be the worst part of the whole thing. It has consumed a lot of time and it is all on us. We will get reimbursed for travel but not the time spent..

Will be glad when it is all over and we are back in the house..

Jim

[RuffinReady]

Jim & Ruth,

I understand your problem to some extent. My wife has Ovarian Cancer, which is in remission, and that doesn't affect her mobility too much although she has little stamina. She hates to fly also and had always said that she would never do it. I wanted to start traveling out of the country after four 30 round trips from the east coast to the west coast by car over a four year period. I picked Alaska to start and she wanted me to drive to Fairbanks, which I explained to her would not work as the cruise/tour ended in Vancouver. So I drove to Seattle and we flew to Fairbanks. She doesn't use Valium, but she does use Xanax. She took 9 of them for the flight and was so knocked out that she could hardly focus on my face in the next seat. She just smiled. She didn't even mind when the pilot banked the aircraft to circle Mt. McKinley. In any case she has flown several times over the last 5 years or so, as it was necessary for our trips. The last trip she only took 1 or 2 Xanax! I try to start in the states if possible, which is one reason for the transatlantics. We did use a wheel chair in Santiago which was in 2001 the year after her surgery and chemo.

In any case, you might want to look into Xanax as it is probably better than Valium for the purpose. OTOH, you might want to continue what you are doing. There a cruises out of Florida to South America. That was one of our favorites. There are some which are round trips and others that leave from Florida and require one flight to return. I am sure that you know all of this, just trying to be helpful.

I wish you luck on the repair of your home. We have a friend who lives on the beach in Pensacola and was pretty well wiped out. He is having a problem with his insurance.

Good cruising and GOD Bless.

Ruffin Ready

Bermuda Star (long time ago!)
S.S. France (Transatlantic -1965)
S.S Atlantic (Transatlantic, Mediterranean - American Export Lines - 1966)
Europa (Caribbean - 1969 - North German Lloyd)
Statendam (Caribbean - 1975)

Sunward (Bahamas - c. 1980)
Song of America (Caribbean - 1988)
Crown Princess (Alaska - 1999)
Royal Princess (B2B to South America - 2001)

Crown Princess (Baltic - 2002)

Royal Princess (B2B2B;Transatlantic,France,Belgium,Holland;Gt.Bri tain-2002)
Galaxy (Caribbean - 2003)
Prinsendam - May 2005 - B2B - Transatlantic to Athens

[Vicar]

I am so envious of you folks who can travel for such long periods, I would love to take a trip of 21 or more days and hope to one day soon.

Right now I have a 17 year old daughter who will begin college next September, and my fiancee has a 6 yr old son, so we are kind of limited to our vacation time.

We are usually limited to 7 or maybe 10 day cruises or vacations. (which we are not complaining about :))

But be the good Lord willing, one of these days we will be able to do a really nice extended trip.