Ah, that first cruise

[dvdfreakmc]

What's one thing about that first cruise that made it so great that you wanted to come back again and again . . .

For me it was that first sail away when the streamers went back towards the dock, just like on Love Boat every week. It was a party!

[u4ea]

I'd say it was the first night in my berth with the movement of the ship, and the sea like a washing machine in the porthole. That is the first thing that comes to mind.
Thanks, I'll need to think about that today, as I have a very stressfull day ahead.:cool:
Mark...

[Krazy Kruizers]

Definitely standing at the rail, throwing streamers, drinking a FREE glass of champagne and waving to the people on the dock!!!

[jhannah]

For me it was the elegance of the ship combined with the attentive service and week of total relaxation. Getting off was hard! ;)

[Susie51]

Standing at the rail, walking around the deck, the ocean all around me, and the gentle rocking of the ship at night.

[kakalina]

The motion of the ocean. The personal pampering. It is an entire way of life, a wonderful way we fell in love with.

[Cruising-along]

For me it was the amazing crew. I couldn't believe how they remembered our names, personal preferences, etc. so quickly! They really made us feel special, I'll always remember how it felt.

[seaisme]

for us it was a spectacular sunset as we sailed out of port. we were hooked forever.

[Harry1954]

for us it was the beauty of the cabin, the friendliness of the crew as we boarded, and the sail off from FFL which seemed exciting to us - that was 12 cruises ago ... so it's stuck on replay
harry

[osiebosie]

Well, honestly, for us, at least initially, it was the price. We were a family of four wanting to go to Disney World. We wanted to do it right and stay in the park, not ten miles away. After checking the prices, we, on a whim, checked the price of doing a seven-day cruise for four, all in one cabin. Well, the cruise won, hands down!

So on our first cruise, four of us stayed in an inside cabin. Two adults, two kids. But, boy, oh boy, did we have a blast! And the food! The line was Carnival, and I couldn't even tell you where we went, but I am sure Cozumel was included. We saw the crystal caribbean waters for the first time ever, and I was hooked.

We have since cruised many, many times. My daughter and her dh are hooked also.

So, for me, it was the crystal blue ocean, the motion of the ocean, and the food! And the price!

Shay

[GmaPajama]

Sadly, our first cruise gave us no reason to try it again. After a couple of years the memories faded a bit and we thought we'd risk it just one more time. Fortunately, we stumbled upon Holland America - and now we just can't get enough cruising. There must be a "perfect fit" cruise line for most folks - and we're sure glad we found ours.

So ... What was it about that second cruise? The serenity of the sea, the dedication of the crew, the ambiance of the ship, and the experience of being totally pampered.

[terrydtx]

My DW had been for years trying to get me on a cruise (she had been on a transatlantic cruise as a teen on the original Queen Mary). I resisted with the usual anti cruising excuses like; the motion of the ship, being confined to a “small” area etc, etc. Our first cruise was in the Caribbean and the sea was like glass the whole cruise so didn’t get any motion that I thought I would hate. The ship was huge and I never felt confined with nothing to do. The thing I liked best was going to new island almost every day and not having to change hotels and pack and unpack. The crew was far friendlier than any hotel and the food was great. :D Almost every vacation since has been a cruise.

You cant beat the price for the value you get cruising, next year’s 10 day Mediterranean cruise on the Century will cost us together about $420 per day for a veranda cabin and you can’t hardly get a 3 star hotel in Europe for that much per day and then add meals that can cost another $200 per day!

[Orcrone]

We arrived around 1 PM for a 5 PM sailaway. I figured we'd spend the first four hous unpacking, walking around the ship, learning where everything is and preparing for sailaway. Was I wrong.

As soon as we hit the ship the band was playing, people were out on the deck eating lunch, stewards were walking around with the daily drink ($1.75 for Pina Coladas:) ). In other words I thought there would be a lull after boarding. Instead we were surprise with a party that started as soon as we hit the ship.