What Would It Take?

What would it take for you to quit cruising? It would take a lot more to offend me and drive me away than it would many of the others on these boards.

Raising the prepaid gratuities less than a dollar a day? Nope, that would not make me leave.

Having to walk up to a bar to get my drinks instead of having the roving waiter come by? Nope.

Not getting more than two lobsters on formal night? Nope. That would not do it either.

Not getting a towel animal in my room? Not enough to make me quit cruising. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy seeing them but wouldn't quit cruising if they went away.

I just went on a 7 day cruise and did not really have any problem getting served, despite the fact that some folks are super unhappy about staff cutbacks and having to wait more than a few seconds to get their next drink. Someone was almost always coming by and it never took more than 10 minutes for them to return. I have definitely waited longer than that before "cutbacks."

Truthfully, having more than two lobsters is bordering on being a little selfish. I know they aren't big, but there are more people than just me that think maybe there should be enough to go around for everyone to have one- instead of someone getting five. Yes, they are included. No you don't get to hoard the lobsters.

What might make me quit cruising? Staff being outright hateful. I have encountered some less friendly folks at some of the bars or shops. I try to understand that they deal with all kinds of folks. If they are really unpleasant, I will probably go elsewhere. No one has been bad enough EVER for me to complain about on my post-cruise survey.

Really bad food- like rotten. Food poisoning would definitely make me reconsider a particular line or maybe just a particular ship.

Continuously missing ports of call. I hear from some that this is a chronic problem.

Having people complain so much about petty stuff that it becomes unpleasant to cruise.

There are an awful lot of deal breakers for an awful lot of people on these boards. Some of them are very whiny self-indulgent complaints. Some people grip about things that seem like those of someone very entitled. Some folks seem like they have never worked a day in their lives. If you are that lucky, good for you.

It seems like some people really would like to go back to "class cruising" with the super loyal and super entitled on the upper decks and the "steerage" down below with a locked area so they could not come up.

I try to grant the staff as much grace as they grant me. I am but one person of the many they have to please. I know they have a lot to do. These folks work HARD, and are expected to have a smile on their face and a can do attitude, when many of us would have told someone where to shove it long before these crew members smiles even start to vanish.

I am pretty low maintenance when it comes to cruising. I realize I may have to wait a moment for things. Truthfully, that's fine with me. I work on a time sensitive job every day. The fact that I have to wait 5 minutes for a fluffy frozen drink is NOT a big deal at all. My cabin is always clean and livable. You may not be able to eat off the floors, but who really wants to? My dining companions are usually fun. I like meeting new people. I like learning about new things. I know when to back off though.

It is a vacation folks. We cannot all cruise for months at the time each year. Some of us save our vacation days to cruise for 3, 4,5,6 or 7 days and that time away is a luxury. It would be great if we could be encouraging.

I am so thankful I had cruised before I ever discovered Cruise Critic. I think I may never have stepped foot on a ship if I had come here first. I would have thought cruising was the worst thing ever.

As long as I can continue to find a ship offering what I want out of that particular vacation, at a time I am able to travel and at a price I am willing to pay, I will continue to cruise. Simple as that.

Not being allowed to take my electric curling iron! :D

LuLu

All great points, Jen. We, too, are very patient, especially on vacation, and very appreciative of the hard work the ship's crew have to do every day and for pretty low wages. We have never had a ship, meal, crew, or experience that even came close to making me feel like I should find another form of relaxing and getting away!

If air travel gets too much worse than presently, I will think long and hard about many hour fights. It is so miserable getting to some ports now, that could put an end to my cruising from other than my home port of Boston.

I realize this is fully out of the control of cruise companies except to offer lots of embarkation ports.

Not being allowed to take my electric curling iron! :D

 

LuLu

Well, you could always go to the salon. I know, that is pretty expensive. LOL :eek:

I don't question other people's "deal breakers", if they're true and not just spouting hyperbole. Everyone has different things that are important to them, for a variety of reasons, and I'd never suggest that it shouldn't be important to them, or that they sound "entitled". (I might say that to a friend or family member whom I know better, but not to strangers on the internet).

For instance, I think that if I couldn't cruise with less than a 50-60 percent single supplement (regardless of what it's called), I wouldn't cruise. That's important to me, but other people just consider if the final cost is within their budget regardless. To each his/her own.

I would also probably stop cruising if there were no transoceanic cruises with lots of sea days. And if there weren't any ships carrying fewer than 1500 passengers or so.

I would like to slightly alter the OP's question because for us, it is not about "quit"ting cruising but rather re balancing our travel priorities. In most years we travel about 6-7 months with cruising representing 70 - 110 days. DW and I love to travel which includes cruising, independent land trips (we often drive in Europe, Australia, NZ, etc), All-Inclusive resorts, etc. We choose whichever travel mode best fits our current travel goals and makes the most sense from a cost/benefit basis.

So what makes us cut-back on cruising? When we find something better. And sometimes we use cruising as part of large trip such as last year when we cruised from Seattle to Auckland and then spent a few weeks driving on South Island.

We have never gotten into a travel rut where we only cruise, or cruise one line, or go one place. DW and I have a spirit of adventure that drives us to keep going to new places and trying new things.

Hank

I have had to give up cruising for now, but it has nothing to do with the experiences I have had cruising. I found myself doing something that never in my wildest imagination would I have considered: I built a very large house. I love it. My sister has moved South to live with me. It has not been a sacrifice. We have a living space we have fantasized about but never thought would happen. Have we given up cruising forever? No, but it is doubtful we will fly to Europe or Asia to cruise again. We may have to limit ourselves to short cruises from ports we can drive to, but at least, we would be 'on the boat'. EM

What would it take for you to quit cruising? .

Simple answer? Cruising

After 12 cruises on various cruise lines, just tired of it for now.

Doing an AI this year in Jamaica

If there wasn't a balcony available, I wouldn't cruise.

Interesting responses. I appreciate the feedback. With the exception of the one person who called me untruthful, I enjoyed reading what was posted.

That said, everything I gave as an example of a deal breaker is something I have read on one board or another over the past week as a reason why someone was either looking at another cruise line or looking at eliminating cruising as a vacation option.

My last cruise was in September 2011 aboard NCL Star for the Pacific Northwest. The weather was terrible (rain, wind & rough seas). And there is absolutely nothing you can do about the weather. We decided we would forego cruising for while (both of us being scared out of our wits).

Fast forward 4 years and our health has deteriorated, so I fear traveling at all has become a thing of the past. Not just cruising! I now do just 2 or 3 day jaunts to nearby cities for a quick get-a-way.

I still enjoy reading CC and do input info or comments, but will probably never actually cruise again. I find as health issues arise, traveling is less important than it used to be.

Sorry if this response is long winded.

After our first cruise we were eager to take a second. As you can see from the short list below, it took us a while to get the second one in. It was very enjoyable but not as nice as we remembered the first being but we chalked it up to only remembering the good things. On our last cruise just a year later it was noticeably "worse" than the second. We still enjoyed ourselves but really felt the level of service, the attitude of the crew and the overall quality of the cruise had declined significantly.

Because of that, we have put cruising on the back burner. We have not "given up" on it, and still try to stay abreast of the changes and trends in things. I will add that some of those things are also making it less likely that we take another cruise in the near future. Seems the things that are important to us are becoming less and less important to the owners of the ships. That is fine...we can enjoy life and vacations without getting back on a ship.

One of the most frequently mentioned "advantages" of cruising I see touted is only unpacking once and seeing several locations. We are not that concerned with that. While I would not want to live the rest of my life out of a suitcase, the enjoyment of our time away from home is not adversely impacted by having to do so for a few days. We also enjoy seeing this great country and experiencing the "community" of rural, small town America. This allows us to plan land vacations where we fly to a starting point, rent a car and spend a week seeing the country and ticking things off our "USA Bucket List".

Alaska is in the future...but it may be a land tour, we will decide that when the time comes.

My last cruise was in September 2011 aboard NCL Star for the Pacific Northwest. The weather was terrible (rain, wind & rough seas). And there is absolutely nothing you can do about the weather. We decided we would forego cruising for while (both of us being scared out of our wits).

 

Fast forward 4 years and our health has deteriorated, so I fear traveling at all has become a thing of the past. Not just cruising! I now do just 2 or 3 day jaunts to nearby cities for a quick get-a-way.

 

I still enjoy reading CC and do input info or comments, but will probably never actually cruise again. I find as health issues arise, traveling is less important than it used to be.

I am so sorry to hear of your health issues. I can only imagine how you felt on a first cruise with super rough seas. That is disheartening. I do know what you mean about the health issues being less important than travel for many reasons- expenses, access to appropriate healthcare, access to familiar faces with your healthcare. There is a lot to be said for peace of mind.

Sorry if this response is long winded.

 

After our first cruise we were eager to take a second. As you can see from the short list below, it took us a while to get the second one in. It was very enjoyable but not as nice as we remembered the first being but we chalked it up to only remembering the good things. On our last cruise just a year later it was noticeably "worse" than the second. We still enjoyed ourselves but really felt the level of service, the attitude of the crew and the overall quality of the cruise had declined significantly.

 

Because of that, we have put cruising on the back burner. We have not "given up" on it, and still try to stay abreast of the changes and trends in things. I will add that some of those things are also making it less likely that we take another cruise in the near future. Seems the things that are important to us are becoming less and less important to the owners of the ships. That is fine...we can enjoy life and vacations without getting back on a ship.

 

One of the most frequently mentioned "advantages" of cruising I see touted is only unpacking once and seeing several locations. We are not that concerned with that. While I would not want to live the rest of my life out of a suitcase, the enjoyment of our time away from home is not adversely impacted by having to do so for a few days. We also enjoy seeing this great country and experiencing the "community" of rural, small town America. This allows us to plan land vacations where we fly to a starting point, rent a car and spend a week seeing the country and ticking things off our "USA Bucket List".

 

Alaska is in the future...but it may be a land tour, we will decide that when the time comes.

TC, having that USA Bucket List sounds very interesting. Care to share any of the things on your USA Bucket List? I would like to start a USA Bucket List and start exploring some places in our own fine country myself.

I don't question other people's "deal breakers", if they're true and not just spouting hyperbole. Everyone has different things that are important to them, for a variety of reasons, and I'd never suggest that it shouldn't be important to them, or that they sound "entitled". (I might say that to a friend or family member whom I know better, but not to strangers on the internet).

 

For instance, I think that if I couldn't cruise with less than a 50-60 percent single supplement (regardless of what it's called), I wouldn't cruise. That's important to me, but other people just consider if the final cost is within their budget regardless. To each his/her own.

 

I would also probably stop cruising if there were no transoceanic cruises with lots of sea days. And if there weren't any ships carrying fewer than 1500 passengers or so.

Calliope, that's why there are different things for different folks. I didn't say that none of those things were important. I did say they were not important to ME. Nonetheless, I have experienced increasingly rude fellow cruisers. I have not experienced a change in attitude or service from crew, for the most part. I have experienced an increasingly demanding attitude of entitlement (yes, I said it to again to perfect strangers) from other passengers. Everything from people cutting in line at shops and excursions and proclaiming their loyalty status, to people cutting in line at buffets and taking 7 rolls and 15 pieces of bacon. Maybe they are getting food for their whole family or whole table. I don't know. I suppose it is a possibility, and an understandable one given the lack of seating at times. Nonetheless, when you have been standing in line waiting patiently for whatever you are doing and someone steps in front of you and says "I am sure you won't mind if I go ahead of you," I want to say "Oh right, I have been standing here just for the sheer amusement of it. Of course you should go ahead of me. I clearly have nothing else to do."

Cruise is one of many vacation options that we have. Cruise compete for our vacation budget like all other available vacation options. We mostly do independent land tours and then add on cruises to them. We also do driving tours, all inclusives, and longer term rentals.

Excessively high pricing and/or poorly maintained ships would turn us off cruising. Both do this today to a certain extent. There are some itineraries that we will not take until our target price hits. There are some older ships, various cruise lines, that we pass on either because they are well past their sell by date, poorly maintained, or their engineering systems (HVAC, plumbing, etc.) are simply failing/loosing efficiency due to age.

It comes down to how we measure value based on our personal preferences.

TC, having that USA Bucket List sounds very interesting. Care to share any of the things on your USA Bucket List? I would like to start a USA Bucket List and start exploring some places in our own fine country myself.

I am a "history nut" and my wife loves theatre and "retail therapy" so our list may be a little strange (and in no particular order of the things still on the list);

Mount Rushmore

Niagara Falls

NYC

Yellowstone

Amish Country

Fall Foliage Tour

San Fran area (redwoods, Alcatraz, etc...I have been, she has not)

Civil War Tour...we will "build our own"

Revolutionary America...probably build our own over a couple of trips

Alaska

Hawaii...volcanos (already did the tourist things on Oahu)

Finish the Presidential Libraries...this is actually a never ending item

Being from Texas we really enjoy steak...but all fine foods in general...so we have taken to going to top steak restaurant when we are in a large city. In some places it is hard to beat what we have locally. If there is a restaurant that has two or more Michelin stars we will go there even if steak is not on the menu.

We have "ticked off" several of the libraries and most of the things in Texas and surrounding states. That is why we find it easy to put cruising on the back burner...the things still on our USA list require more time than just a long weekend to really enjoy or justify.

Calliope, that's why there are different things for different folks. I didn't say that none of those things were important.

Well, yeah, you did. In attitude like "There are an awful lot of deal breakers for an awful lot of people on these boards. Some of them are very whiny self-indulgent complaints". That's definitely saying you think the things they're complaining about aren't important, even though you didn't specifically say those words.

As long as I can continue to find a ship offering what I want out of that particular vacation, at a time I am able to travel and at a price I am willing to pay, I will continue to cruise. Simple as that.

Until we become too financially challenged to even consider ANY vacation time, we WILL continue to cruise. Cruising is our favorite getaway for the following reasons:

1.Standing at the railing watching the sea.

2.Unpacking once.

3.Enjoying the view of the sea from the main dining room.

4.We have NEVER had poor or unfriendly service on board any ship. Ever.

5.The smell of the salty air while enjoying a glass of wine on our balcony.

6.It's always romantic.

7.Watching the wake from our breakfast table over coffee, relaxing.

My point is, where else can you contemplate the beauty of the ocean while being waited upon hand and foot, with not a care in the world while folks work really hard making your cruise experience the best it can be? Most of the hard working crew will NEVER be able to afford the luxury of cruising, and yet they smile broadly as they set a perfectly berry topped delicacy in front of us, say Good Morning, and spend an extra two minutes to fold yet another towel animal or stop what they are doing to look you in the eye and say, "Have a wonderful time ashore."

We who cruise are blessed.

Cathy

Until we become too financially challenged to even consider ANY vacation time, we WILL continue to cruise. Cruising is our favorite getaway for the following reasons:

 

1.Standing at the railing watching the sea.

2.Unpacking once.

3.Enjoying the view of the sea from the main dining room.

4.We have NEVER had poor or unfriendly service on board any ship. Ever.

5.The smell of the salty air while enjoying a glass of wine on our balcony.

6.It's always romantic.

7.Watching the wake from our breakfast table over coffee, relaxing.

My point is, where else can you contemplate the beauty of the ocean while being waited upon hand and foot, with not a care in the world while folks work really hard making your cruise experience the best it can be? Most of the hard working crew will NEVER be able to afford the luxury of cruising, and yet they smile broadly as they set a perfectly berry topped delicacy in front of us, say Good Morning, and spend an extra two minutes to fold yet another towel animal or stop what they are doing to look you in the eye and say, "Have a wonderful time ashore."

 

We who cruise are blessed.

 

Cathy

Your experiences must be very different than ours. Our cruises have been nice vacations...but not even close to being so much better than all the other options that we look to a cruise as our 1st, 2nd and 3rd option when planning the next getaway.

Well, yeah, you did. In attitude like "There are an awful lot of deal breakers for an awful lot of people on these boards. Some of them are very whiny self-indulgent complaints". That's definitely saying you think the things they're complaining about aren't important, even though you didn't specifically say those words.

You are absolutely right. I did not specifically say those words.

Truthfully, I do think some of the complaints are whiny. I do think some of the complaints are entitlement issues and self-indulgence. However, if those issues are important to those folks, then those are their hot-button issues. They are not mine.

Clearly, you have made up your mind to be hurt and insulted by my post. I would invite you to run along and find someone who will tell you how fabulous you are.

My point is, where else can you contemplate the beauty of the ocean while being waited upon hand and foot, with not a care in the world while folks work really hard making your cruise experience the best it can be? Most of the hard working crew will NEVER be able to afford the luxury of cruising, and yet they smile broadly as they set a perfectly berry topped delicacy in front of us, say Good Morning, and spend an extra two minutes to fold yet another towel animal or stop what they are doing to look you in the eye and say, "Have a wonderful time ashore."

 

We who cruise are blessed.

 

You hit the nail on the head. That was precisely my point.

Your experiences must be very different than ours. Our cruises have been nice vacations...but not even close to being so much better than all the other options that we look to a cruise as our 1st, 2nd and 3rd option when planning the next getaway.

I like both land and ocean vacations. They both offer things that we enjoy. For example sitting out on my balcony gazing at the ocean gives me that same sense of inner peace as riding in a car going through canyons in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. Both offer a glimpse of the beauty God created in this world and fill me with that same awesome wonder. We try to mix our vacations up so we can see as much of our great country as we can and then get a peek outside of it on our cruises. Our bucket list for land vacations we have yet to see include driving the complete Route 66, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Washington DC, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, just to name a few. Our bucket list for cruise vacations we have yet to do include Hawaii, Alaska, Australia, Bermuda, Panama Canal, Europe, again just to name a few. There is too much to see to limit ourselves to just land or ocean vacations, but I can't imagine giving up either of them for just the other.