Convincing wife to try cruise (to Ireland?)

My wife and I retired a year ago, and I've got itchy feet. We've never been on a cruise, and I'd like to try one, if I could just talk my wife into it. No luck so far. I'm thinking Ireland might tempt her, since she thinks of herself as being Irish by heritage. I'm just looking around here for ideas.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

If you look around on this site, you should find a few threads with names like "Why I love Cruising". They will give you a good list of pluses for cruises and you can pick out some that may be more attractive to you wife.

For us, first and foremost is that we can see the world while only packing and unpacking once. We have been to many of the beautiful places in the world on cruise ships.

As to Ireland we have sailed there a couple of times, visiting Dublin twice and Cork once. Being part Irish, we love visiting there and always play the song Irelands Call by Celtic Thunder as we sail into Dublin.

You also get great food and service on a cruise. The entertainment is generally included.

Hopes this is a start.

Thanks, Paul, those are very useful suggestions. I'm keeping an eye out for Dublin and Cork excusions.

What are the hesitations she mentions to you?

Perhaps if you address the specific concerns she has, it might persuade her?

Good luck.

PGLGreg,

While I'm no expert at convincing my wife to do anything she doesn't want to do -- we've only been together 35 years -- I have an idea you might want to try...

Don't try to talk her into a cruise. Be careful not to nag. Instead, be REALLY nice to her. Do something special for her. Heck, do SEVERAL nice things for me, really special stuff. Bring her flowers, too, with a little note telling her how much you love her and how gorgeous she is. Get her feeling so appreciative of you that she wants to do something for you. That's when you way, "Well, honey, if you REALLY want to do something for me, you know, I' would really like to try a cruise. They are such good vacation values...."

Good luck! :D

:D..... Do you fellows really think a smart wife doesn't see 'through' those antics? :rolleyes: Doesn't mean they might not work. ;)

Let us know if you convince her...

Let us know if you convince her...

I'll let you know, and thank you all for the suggestions.

After several years in the Navy, and (needless to say) lots of time cruising, I had no great interest in going on a cruise. I had taken a short cruise for business, and it did nothing to change my outlook. In fact, I often said I wasn't going to do it. DW simply said she really wanted to take a cruise, and I agreed to go, but not with any enthusiasm whatsoever.

That was then. We had a great time on that first cruise, have taken two since, missed last year due to some family issues, but have two more already booked, and have plans for our third as soon as the schedules for 2013 come out.

I would just go with saying you would really like to take a cruise, and you found one that includes Ireland, which she might like. Then see what happens. If you have a good time, there will be more cruises in your future. As has been said, the service, the ability to unpack once and then relax every evening, etc., etc., etc., makes for a nice time that's hard to beat.

I had always thought going on a cruise would mean everything was fairly controlled. I'm the type of person who prefers to travel without reservations and just float, if given the time. If that might be some of the hesitation your wife is feeling, let her know that is no longer true on most cruises. If you want, you can even eat whenever you wish and at multiple places on the ship. The same holds true for when you get to port. You are free to do whatever you desire. The freedom also plays in not having to worry about checking in and out to different rooms at different locations each day. You stay put, the scenery around you changes :D

I'd go along with the advice to ask her what her concerns are, though.

I had always thought going on a cruise would mean everything was fairly controlled. I'm the type of person who prefers to travel without reservations and just float, if given the time. If that might be some of the hesitation your wife is feeling, let her know that is no longer true on most cruises. If you want, you can even eat whenever you wish and at multiple places on the ship. The same holds true for when you get to port. You are free to do whatever you desire. The freedom also plays in not having to worry about checking in and out to different rooms at different locations each day. You stay put, the scenery around you changes :D

 

I'd go along with the advice to ask her what her concerns are, though.

Also you have the freedom to dress up if you want, or not. Nightly entertainment is provided without having to search a city and figure out what to do. For many years we did Europe by land, now we relax and don't have to haul our luggage from hotel to hotel.:)

Also you have the freedom to dress up if you want, or not.

You do? I've been wandering around this site trying to figure out what cruises are like, and I see a potential issue here. There is no way in the world that my wife is going to wear a cocktail dress, nor I a dark suit, on a vacation. It wouldn't be a real vacation, if someone is telling us how we may dress. I don't even have a suit, anymore. Unfortunately, I see many references to dress codes.

Dress code varies by cruise line. Some still have fairly strict formal nights. Some have none. But even on those with strict formal nights, there are alternatives that do not require fancy dress.

You do? I've been wandering around this site trying to figure out what cruises are like, and I see a potential issue here. There is no way in the world that my wife is going to wear a cocktail dress, nor I a dark suit, on a vacation. It wouldn't be a real vacation, if someone is telling us how we may dress. I don't even have a suit, anymore. Unfortunately, I see many references to dress codes.

On most cruises you have the option to dress up .... or not.

You could spend your entire cruise in a bathing suit and t-shirt if you so desire.

My advice would be to think about itineraries that would be difficult to do by yourself on land, or by a nice organized bus tour. I think Ireland is one that I'd prefer to do by land. Just my two cents. One thing I love about cruising is the amount of ground you can cover in a week or two. I can be in different countries, resulting in completely different experiences day to day.

I would start by researching a few destinations, and order some brochures from lines that do these itineraries. Have them start sending brochures to your home, and leave them out for your wife to read. Pretty soon a cruise will be her idea. :-)

I think Ireland is one that I'd prefer to do by land.

Yes, a cruise to Ireland would not be my first choice (which currently would be a Nile cruise). But anywhere I can talk her into going will be fine with me. The easiest to arrange, but not maximally interesting for us, would be an inter-island cruise from Honolulu.

You might look at Oceania as a cruise line. No formal nights. No need for anything fancy. Just a standard -- country club casual -- dress every evening in every venue. It is very relaxed. Cruises around the UK exist, but are limited in number.

Oceania ... a standard -- country club casual --

Thanks for the suggestion. I really didn't know what that meant, but I found a discussion interpreting "country club casual" for Oceania cruises here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1507522.

My wife hasn't worn anything but open sandals for, oh, at least 15 years, and I haven't worn any pants but shorts for about 6 years (at a guess). I gather from the discussion I referred to that neither counts as "country club casual". That just won't do, for us. I'm getting a little discouraged with how formal in dress many of these cruises seem to be.

You are correct that most cruise lines do not allow shorts in the main dining rooms for dinner. However, shorts are fine for the buffet, but the food is not as good there.

My advice would be to think about itineraries that would be difficult to do by yourself on land, or by a nice organized bus tour. I think Ireland is one that I'd prefer to do by land.

I would second this comment - you're really only going to see Dublin or Cork, and you won't have much time in either (plus they're quite busy cities, and traffic can be very heavy, so you won't get to see much).

Whichever one you choose, I'd suggest that it's not longer than a week for your first one - it's far less daunting.

Have you thought of combining a cruise with a few days in Ireland, pre-cruise? Aer Lingus has unbelievable prices on airfare from NY to Ireland. It's a quick 2-hour flight from Ireland to Rome and there are several cruises (we are taking a 7-night) that leave from Rome.

As folks who have been reluctant to cruise--married 40 years--next year we are taking a cruise to Alaska. It was the only way we could find of simply seeing the inside passage and Glacier Bay. I like the idea of only unpacking once too. The more I read and chat with folks on CC the better I feel about life onboard. The ship is really a floating hotel with all kinds of guests and amenities.

Have you thought of combining a cruise with a few days in Ireland, pre-cruise? Aer Lingus has unbelievable prices on airfare from NY to Ireland. It's a quick 2-hour flight from Ireland to Rome and there are several cruises (we are taking a 7-night) that leave from Rome.

Great idea!!! We took a 7 day land trip of Ireland, then took a ferry to England. The same concept applies-do a land trip of Ireland then while you have come all that way, do a cruise!

Our website has stories and pictures of our Ireland trip, as well as combination cruise and land tours.

Our website is: http://www.stevekathytravels.com