Has anyone gone on a cruise to grieve?

Funny question I know considering its a "Fun Ship" but I wonder if one can find enough solitude to just sit on a top deck early or late in the day. Retreat to your cabin, do not disturb. Pray and just get away. I have been on several cruises but never actually thought about it while on board. :(

Yes. My husband took me on a cruise shortly after my mother passed away. We requested a table for two, spent a lot of time on the balcony, kept to ourselves and just had a nice, relaxing time. It was good therapy...especially because my mom loved cruising and our last family vacation had been a cruise with her.

I think most all ships have a Chapel........(or am I wrong)

My thoughts and prayers are with you,

That sounds like a very peaceful and comforting way to grieve. Far from the people who would wish to "help" but don't understand that it's okay to sit alone and cry sometimes.

I'm so sorry for your loss, but I feel like you are very much in control of your grief and have found the perfect way to get through it.

For both of my parents deaths, I fled to Disney World. It worked for me, I took slow easy trips and was away from people who wanted to help me "get over it" and "forget it". My kids were able to have good times after long dark illnesses of their grandparents, and I was able to remember the good times before illness took over.

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I think it would surely work for me. I could sit on the balcony for hours and watch the sea roll by and watch the wake and spray off the ship. That's why I cruise. I love the sea. It's mesmerizing, calming and comforting to me. Praying for peace and comfort for you.

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I haven't, but we were on a cruise to Hawaii and this woman who had lost here husband jumped overboard a year to the day he died. She was grieving, crying, and drinking. She was on board with a man, but she just couldn't handle the grief. Sad day for everyone.

My mom was the caregiver for both my grandparents. My grandfather passed first then my grandmother. We took my mom on a cruise a month after my grandmother passed. It was a good way to relieve the stress that comes with being a caregiver for so long and grieve.

Kind of.....my 1st husband committed suicide in 2003. On the one year mark of his death I took my kids (10 & 12) on a cruise to get away, to help distract them. It was a very nice trip and we had a great time. Much better than if we had stayed home and thought about his death.

Funny question I know considering its a "Fun Ship" but I wonder if one can find enough solitude to just sit on a top deck early or late in the day. Retreat to your cabin, do not disturb. Pray and just get away. I have been on several cruises but never actually thought about it while on board. :(

Its great to hear how other people deal with death. While some find that cruising is soothing and revitalizing others may find that comfort in theme parks where staying busy is therapeutic. It just goes to show people grieve differently and nothing is "wrong" with how you choose to grieve. I would definitely find my peace and comfort from a cruise and when needed action time can find it there also. When I pass, I told my husband to cremate me and throw me in the ocean off the back of a cruise ship. That's how much I love the water and cruising. He said, no way he would do that...lol

My mother-in-law, who loved to cruise, lost her battle to cancer in 2009. We were happy that we all cruised together 4 months before she passed.

My husband, son and I went on a cruise a few months after she died to grieve and to rest from the stresses of caregiving. My husband is an only child, and his father passed when he was a child. He and I were all she had.

My mom passed away suddenly in March (went from perfectly fine to gone in 24 hours...very quick illness, not an accident of some kind), and I'm cruising in October. I will be with my significant other, just him and me, and I imagine there will be lots of time to be quiet and remember my mom. I always wanted to take her on a cruise, too. I never got the chance.

I think this thread is a blessing..Aug 2 marks the 2 year mark of loosing my mom to a fast thing too..about a month of craziness...that ended up being a virus on her heart...

Dad and she both got pacemakers at same time and he is doing well...but it is hard to accept how a cowboy handles it..very hard...but we have done better in spite of things..on our relationship...the whole family shifts.

This year is one that I can finally start to see some patterns in how everyone is going to take it and do some more grieving and acceptance..also finally enough of the broken heart of what we, mom and I, did not get done i am aware through prayer and dreams and being protected somehow it is still getting done...love never dies. So his month is the last month of that "2 years it takes"..the 2 year mark is Aug 2. Nothing is as profound as loosing the closest to us..i am going to be taking a trip to grieve and be happy about having some of pain qone in next 6 months and one around my state on a whim real soon. It was so great to finally meet some women that were my mom's friends where they wintered...this April after all this time i decided to meet dad there..twas good for us but real surprise was the friends of mom. No words..just real life and getting it..these people were close..and they just "do it" together on a whim..yet leave each other alone when needed too. so they took me to lunch right after i got there..LOL..to be sure to get it in and not forget!!! One sweet sweet woman softly told me one day it would all be fine..that is what i want to share here..it is so much better..not fine yet..but so much better and the way this woman said it..a gift. You may meet the soul with the right words..i think travel is fine for grieving..as quiet or a active as you want to be. Last year i went to see a concert and i got all the way to NYC to do it and did not do as much sight seeing as i could..Saw a play, walked, and did the big concert and slept so much in my safe, clean but old fortune of a priced hotel..and i do not care..i let go of a level there too..everyone probably thought i was shacking up..i had 48 hour periods the food was delivered, I ate from concession and coke alot too LOL..it was what i needed..the first level of exhaustion handled. I slept hours and hours.

God bless you and yours...have a tender nice cruise if you want...sarah

I lost my only child in July of last year (will be one year on 7/26). She was 25. She had booked a cruise for me, her, and her step-dad before she died. We decided to take the cruise last December since that is what she had planned for us. it was the best thing to help with the grief. Even without a balcony, you can sit on an open deck and stare at the sea or even sit on the Promenade and watch people while you think of the person who died. My daughter loved cruising and I know she would have wanted us to enjoy that cruise.

Our family had a cruise booked about 40 of us going. The Monday prior to our leaving my Grandpa died. His funeral was on Friday. We all boarded the ship on Saturday. It was a nice way for the family to be together and not have to worry about cooking or anything else.

When my sister-in-law passed away a few years ago, one month later we took my brother-in-law and his two young children on a cruise to celebrate her life.

Condolences and prayers to all..enjoying the thread..nobody ever talks about it..Sarah

I did that couple months after my dad passed away. It was not planned. We booked the cruise before he was diagnosed with cancer. I thought I could escape the reality and temporarily forget the sadness in that week. But my first thought when we stepped on the ship was my dad. I think we still had a good time. But I do not remember what we did or where we went on that cruise.

I went on a cruise a few months after my husband died . I thought it would do me good but it was awful seeing all those happy couples made my loss worse .

I lost my Dad to Alzheimer's several years ago. This past March DH and I cruised and from out of nowhere in the Red Frog Pub I started crying. It hit me, the song that was playing (Tears in Heaven) that it was my Dad's birthday. Grief knows no time boundaries and it hits anytime. Prayers to all those going through this grief that they find peace.

We just lost our 19 year old son Kevin on May 22nd, in a car accident. There was never any doubt that we would still be going on our Liberty cruise. He loved to cruise, and was looking forward to being able to gamble in the casino, and share a drink with us on the islands. We know he will be there with us in spirit!! In fact, we booked a 5 day cruise on the Fascination for just prior to the Liberty cruise, to give us more time at sea. Yes, there will be some tears, but mostly of joy, as we have so many wonderful memories of cruising with him. Sitting at home and wallowing in pity was never, and never will be, an option. Kevin wouldn't stand for that!!!

I have not done it, but I think its a perfectly acceptable way to grieve. You can be alone with your thoughts if you want. Or you can talk to perfect strangers who do not know you if you want to vent/share or whatever. You can look at the beauty of nature and appreciate it. Or you can keep busy, if that is what you want to do. You can do what you want or need to do, without feeling responsible for being thoughtful or entertaining/comforting others. It sounds very peaceful.

Since you are asking this, I am making an assumption that you may be going through a loss. If that is the case, I hope you find the comfort you are looking for.

Wonderful thread. I'm getting choked up as I type this. We had a very sad event in my family last year, its still hard to even think about it. We have all been trying to deal with it in different ways. My mom and I took a short cruise in May and found it to be very relaxing and soothing, so much so, we have another one booked in August. Now, the first anniversary is coming up in October. Normally, the rest of the family is not interested in cruising, but I think we've convinced them to at least think about it. And if we go, we'll pick a cruise that is over that day. It will be a very tough day for everyone, but hopefully being away and all being together will help. And also in a relatively anonymous environment where no one knows you and you don't have to deal with running into people while shopping, etc. or worse, run into someone you haven't seen in a while and they didn't know. I don't think I can deal with any more shocked faces for a while.

The one thing I will tell you - there's no right way or wrong way to deal with it. Just go with your gut and you'll know what's right for you. And remember that grief is not dealt with in a sequential manner - its not that the first day hurts most, second day a little less, etc. You'll have lots of ups and downs, some good days and some really bad ones. I hope you find peace and happiness.

This thread has been good for me. We leave on the Breeze on July 19th. My whole extended family is going, but my dad passed away unexpectedly last month. We are all still going. July 19th was also my dad's birthday. We plan to have a burial at sea with a biodegradable shell urn. He loved cruising and was in the Navy. I know he would find it fitting. It will be a difficult cruise but hope to find peace.

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This is a topic that isn’t brought up often but is an important one. Cruising was something my wife and I enjoyed doing. We liked to cruise alone and also with our children. We had a cruise booked when my wife was diagnosed with cancer. As she became sicker, we had to cancel the cruise and she passed away a few weeks after our scheduled cruise. I wasn’t sure how I felt about going on another cruise after that, but the following summer I decided to go on one with the kids and it was a great decision.

Although the memories do come rushing back, they are good memories. There are times when it can be difficult. There are definitely ups and downs. But there is something so peaceful about watching the ocean. It really has a way of making you realize that we are just a small part of a much bigger world and we are all connected. And it brings you closer to nature, which in turn makes me feel that I’m closer to my late wife. Not everyone will feel the same way. Grieving is a personal thing and we each do it differently. There is no right or wrong way. I am thankful that I didn’t allow it to be the end of something I enjoy immensely. It’s different now but in a way is even more necessary than before.

I’ve been on another cruise since then and will be on another one next week. I will be thinking of my late wife often and all the great memories we had and will be making new memories along the way. For me it’s a great way to reflect on the past in tranquil and relaxing surroundings. I hope you find peace and happiness as well.

I'm lost in my tears reading such openness and compassion. May God send His angels to bring comfort to all.