People who don't like cruising

[Daisyloo]

We have friends that we have travelled with several times to resorts in the Caribbean. We have always had fun and we seem to enjoy the same places, food etc. We discovered cruising a few years ago and fell in love with it. We have asked them many times to come with us and give cruising a try. They always refuse, saying they don't think they would like it, even though they admit our pictures look great of the places we've been and the food pics look delish. And we can't blame the fear of water - they own their own small sailboat and have no issue with sea sickness. They just refuse to cruise.

[ticktoneer]

Originally Posted by Daisyloo

We have friends that we have travelled with several times to resorts in the Caribbean. We have always had fun and we seem to enjoy the same places, food etc. We discovered cruising a few years ago and fell in love with it. We have asked them many times to come with us and give cruising a try. They always refuse, saying they don't think they would like it, even though they admit our pictures look great of the places we've been and the food pics look delish. And we can't blame the fear of water - they own their own small sailboat and have no issue with sea sickness. They just refuse to cruise.

Ha ha ha - that's a weird one :-)

[Happy ks]

Of my two sisters, one loves to cruise and we've been on numerous cruises together and loved it. The other has never cruised and states she would hate it and refused to go the one time we invited her to join us. It's easy to not bother to ask her now, or even tell her we're going. Other things she states that she hates she will expound for hours on her hatred, so it's easy to not include her on many occasions.

My husband has a client who was curious about cruising, he and his wife have a motor home and always do land trips. He was finally invited to go on a (paid for) business cruise, a 3 night cruise to Baja on Carnival. My husband told him not to judge cruising based on that experience (we've been, yuck) if that had been our first cruise is would have been our last. Sure enough, he came back and had nothing nice to say about it and never wants to cruise again.

I also cringe when people want to try to convince family/friends to cruise when they are not interested. I also cringe when people tell others to try a short cruise first, usually on the oldest ships and the worst itineraries.

[Mary Ellen]

Originally Posted by sailinglisa

I cringe when I read threads on these boards asking for ways to convince family/spouses/friends that don't want to cruise to give it a try. Why can't we respect that these people may just intuitively know that cruising is not the type of vacation for them? Why try and persuade them? How about if they turned the tables on you? Wouldn't you get a little ticked off when someone keeps on pestering you to try something you just know you would not like?

Exactly! Vacations aren't 'one size fits all'.

[Daisyloo]

Originally Posted by Mary Ellen

Exactly! Vacations aren't 'one size fits all'.

Yes that is so true. The thought of going camping for a vacation would make me cry! YUK. But some people love it. To each their own.

I love cruising because I am looked after: no cooking, no cleaning, no worries, all I have to do is enjoy. That's my idea of a vacation.

[Zach1213]

Originally Posted by Daisyloo

Yes that is so true. The thought of going camping for a vacation would make me cry! YUK. But some people love it. To each their own.

I love cruising because I am looked after: no cooking, no cleaning, no worries, all I have to do is enjoy. That's my idea of a vacation.

I think that if all your non-cruise vacations involve you cooking and cleaning, you're doing vacation wrong

[YubaSutter]

I have a brother who hates to cruise. He went on one with me and complained that the food was mediocre, the drinks were expensive, the clubs were full of old people, the pools were small, and he felt claustrophobic onboard. He and his wife would rather spend a week at a luxury resort in Las Vegas.

[Stelladoro]

Our friends love relaxing on a beach at an All Inclusive Resort. They tried a one week Carribean cruise and quite enjoyed it. However, they missed the beach. So, cruising may not be for them.
We couldn't care less about spending hours at a beach. We want to travel and enjoy different sights, cultures. Now that we're retired, we book longer trips, and usually combine land travel with cruises. Best of both worlds!

[marco]

And then there are some folks that only will take a particular itinerary. Friends of ours have taken many Caribbean cruises which they always enjoyed, and then took one European cruise and said they would never, ever take that kind of a cruise again because port time was so limited there wasn't' enough time to see "hardly anything" and the cost of tours and excursions was almost as much as the cost of the cruise.

[printingchick]

Originally Posted by YubaSutter

I have a brother who hates to cruise. He went on one with me and complained that the food was mediocre, the drinks were expensive, the clubs were full of old people, the pools were small, and he felt claustrophobic onboard. He and his wife would rather spend a week at a luxury resort in Las Vegas.

Because walking on the strip isn't remotely claustrophobic!

[Warm Breezes]

Originally Posted by Zach1213

I think that if all your non-cruise vacations involve you cooking and cleaning, you're doing vacation wrong

I agree....DH went and saw a time share demo in Vegas once. The salesman tried using the big kitchen as a selling point to me. DH just laughed at him and told him that he just used the wrong the tactic in trying to sell the place on me. When I am on vacation, there is no way I am cooking and cleaning.

[SnowshoeCat]

Originally Posted by sailinglisa

Some people like to travel and immerse themselves in the local culture (ie: backpacking through a region and staying in hostels, eating in local restaurants, completely soaking up the culture.) To them, spending just a few hours in each port would be useless to them. Some people like picking a single destination and spending their time discovering the area while enjoying a hotel or resort. Some people are afraid of water. Some people get terrible motion sickness. Some people get bored by the rather structured life on board a ship, especially on sea days.

Originally Posted by Zach1213

To be honest, I am still not quite sold on cruising. I truly enjoy being part of this forum and learning more about cruising, but from a personal standpoint...I need another cruise or two to decide if it's for me or not. There are aspects I enjoy, and there are aspects that I do not enjoy. The same goes for "traditional" land-based vacations. The question for me is - which one do I enjoy more. Currently, it's land-based vacations. That may change some day, but right now I am not completely sold on cruising.

The biggest thing for me is that I travel constantly for work, and love being part of the local culture...seeing things few tourists see, getting myself in to somewhat "sticky" situations where the true side of a country, good or bad, comes out, etc. You generally can't do that on a cruise - you pull up to a beach in Jamaica but it could be any beach in the world for that matter.

That isn't to say I dislike it. It just may not be completely for me as it is for most people on CC. That being said, like I said, I truly enjoy being part of this forum and learning more about it, which does keep the chances high that I will continue to at least give cruising a chance.

These posts describe me pretty well. I've only been on a few cruises and while there are some things I really like, there are other factors that make me hesitate to book another.

I've spent a little too much time on this site the last few days researching a potential trip. I know I'll love the destination (Norway - I've wanted to go there for ages) but I don't know if a cruise is the way for me to see it. I always feel like an invading force of aliens, arriving by ship, touring around, then running back to the mother ship to head off on our next conquest. When I want to really see a place, I prefer to stay in a hotel and stay at least overnight.

But cruising can provide good value, which is why I'm so undecided. Sometimes reading this board can get me enthusiastic, and sometimes I'm reminded of the reasons I don't want to cruise.

[calliopecruiser]

Originally Posted by SnowshoeCat

I always feel like an invading force of aliens, arriving by ship, touring around, then running back to the mother ship to head off on our next conquest. When I want to really see a place, I prefer to stay in a hotel and stay at least overnight.

LOL! I can relate -- but I really liked the cruising part of my past cruises, so for my upcoming cruise I chose a transatlantic cruise with 8 sea days, then spending several days in Lisbon after I disembark. If I like the sea days as much as I'm hoping I will, I've got my eye on a transpacific cruise, followed by a week in New Zealand. Get the best of cruising (which IMO is sea days and transportation) then mix it with a road trip or extended stay to a chance to better experience some place new.

[TheBeeSea]

We are trying a cruise for the first time next year and have spoken with friends and have obtained several views:

Cruises are not for every one -fair enough.

Cruises are shallow -if you want to explore the places visited on a cruise you get the out and out tourist view on your one day

Its pretentious - only for those who want to pose (eg dressing for dinner)

Boring - want to get off after a day or so.

Expensive -maybe?

Really want to try it.

Luxury

So it seems to me that its just part of the ''big picture'' -if it suits and does what you want its good

[Warm Breezes]

Originally Posted by TheBeeSea

We are trying a cruise for the first time next year and have spoken with friends and have obtained several views:

Cruises are not for every one -fair enough. Very True

Cruises are shallow -if you want to explore the places visited on a cruise you get the out and out tourist view on your one day But if you like a specific port you can visit that port on multiple cruises and see something different everytime and if you don't like that port you can choose itineraries without it or better yet stay on the ship and enjoy it while every else leaves it to you.

Its pretentious - only for those who want to pose (eg dressing for dinner) Dressing for dinner is becoming a thing of the past...especially on main stream lines like CCL and NCL. You can do it if you want to but it is no longer required.

Boring - want to get off after a day or so. I have never wanted to get off after a day....there was always something to do, but our main reason for going is to relax.

Expensive -maybe? When planning a vacation I will look at cruises and land vacations we want to do...most of the time the cruise comes out cheaper or equal in price to the land vacation. DD doesn't tell anyone at school when we go on a cruise anymore. She's heard to many people say you must be rich because we have gone on so many and she doesn't like to give out that impression. We are upper middle class family who make vacations a priority. Cruising is really an economical choice for us.

Really want to try it. Encourage everyone to. It is not for everyone, but you don't know unless you try it.

Luxury Only if you are sailing lines like Cunard. Mostly its just fun with a little pampering.

So it seems to me that its just part of the ''big picture'' -if it suits and does what you want its good

Absolutely .

[printingchick]

Originally Posted by TheBeeSea

We are trying a cruise for the first time next year and have spoken with friends and have obtained several views:

Cruises are not for every one -fair enough. Agree.

Cruises are shallow -if you want to explore the places visited on a cruise you get the out and out tourist view on your one day. I see that as a GOOD thing. What if I booked a land-based vacation to Aruba? People LOVE Aruba. Everyone knows someone who has a time-share there. It was one of my least favorite islands. I'm glad I was only there for one day.

Its pretentious - only for those who want to pose (eg dressing for dinner) Hmmm...I don't see it that way at all. Of course, people who DO see it that way could patronize a cruise line that doesn't have formal nights. For me, I rarely eat out and even MORE rarely at dress-up type restaurants. I view formal nights as a real TREAT! I can see not wanting to get dressed up, but "pretentious"? I don't see that.

Boring - want to get off after a day or so. If a passenger feels that way, they've chosen the wrong cruise line. Different cruise lines cater to different tastes and therefore have different on-board activities designed to appeal to that target audience. Try a different cruise line.

Expensive -maybe? People tend to compare the cruise cost per day to a hotel cost per day. That's not apples to apples. They forget about FOOD. They forget about entertainment costs. They forget about parking. I can cruise in an ocean view cabin for about $120/per person, per day. A hotel in a big city will run over $200/night before you add in the cost of food and entertainment costs.

Really want to try it.

Luxury

So it seems to me that its just part of the ''big picture'' -if it suits and does what you want its good

I read a statistic that 80% of first time cruisers cruise again. Apparently, cruising appeals to a LOT of people.

[Dayenu]

Originally Posted by ticktoneer

I appreciate on here we all like cruising.

Has anyone got any friends, relatives, neighbours etc. who have a short or longer cruise, hated it and will never cruise again ??

Yes, I know one couple that will never cruise. Their English is limited, the were by themselves, bored to death. Didn't realize they should read the daily schedules.

[PennyAgain]

My husband is fine once on the ship with the bags unpacked, but everything leading up to a cruise makes him unhappy.

He hates flying to catch a cruise.

If I could just snap my fingers and have him magically appear on the ship of my choice, he would be all for it.

Makes trip planning very difficult while I enjoy doing the planning when it is all my choice.

[Barrheadlass]

I have friends who say they will never cruise "because we'll never take a vacation that is focused on eating." I told them no one forces you to eat!

[chipmaster]

I have some very good friends that we vacation once a year for the past few years.. like many of same activities, eats etc.

They cruised once, not with us, hated it, will NEVER do it again. Maybe they need high end versus main stream. The value aspects and being closed of with no selection of anything wasn't their cup of tea.

Originally Posted by ticktoneer

I appreciate on here we all like cruising.

Has anyone got any friends, relatives, neighbours etc. who have a short or longer cruise, hated it and will never cruise again ??