Why do you choose to cruise?

We cruise because it’s the best vacation value for our money.

We love being at sea.

No cooking, no cleaning.

Once the fare, tips and drink package is purchased, it’s pretty much a “don’t have to worry about cash” vacation.

The crew is friendly and fun to talk to.

We actually enjoy the food. It’s fun to try new things.

The only bad part IMO is disembarking and customs. Nothing fun about that part at all [emoji38]

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I agree with the above reasons. The first thing I do in the cabin, is put my phone in the safe. I go to relax, see other places, even if I've been there before, have pretty good food, very good entertainment for the most part. If I were to do all these things from a hotel room, it would cost a fortune. Now for between $2 and $3,000.00, I can have my cake and eat it too.

I don't cruise for the food (but only dine at specialty restaurants for dinner), I go on land based vacations for 5 star restaurants.

I don't cruise for the entertainment and activities, I could care less, although once every few cruises you find me at the ice show because its the best lol

I don't find a problem in "chair hogs" in fact I never could understand that because I always find chairs everywhere and I don't want to be smack up to the pool where people be walking past me constantly.

I also don't cruise for the ports, for a handful of hours and for the nasty ports the cruise generally goes to (with exclusion southern Caribbean ports) I stay onboard or sometimes will get off knowing of a decent restaurant to go for lunch to. If I want to see a different place I take a land based vacation.

Now why I cruise

1- Cruising is relaxing, just being out at sea is heaven

2- My other half loves the casino while I love to make friends and both have what we like

3- I enjoy making friends with the staff/bartenders/etc.

4- We cruise to relax, and my other half work doesn't know ships have internet ha!

5- Cruises are CHEAP....our land based vacation to Aruba every July for 2 weeks totals $13k plus!!:eek: But we love Aruba and we will always go back every year. Cruise prices allow us to take additional vacations.

6- Love the drink package, pay one price its all included

7-We generally come back with no expenses on our bill other than the extra tips we enjoy giving out to workers that deserve extra

8- I love everything is done for me, no cooking, cleaning, etc.

Last year we were on the Harmony and the Oasis, we are going back in two weeks on the Oasis and again in October and this next cruise be my 76 cruise or is it 77. :confused:

We cruise because it's cheap and offers lots of different activities for our family. I love the options of doing nothing at all (sleeping in a chair by the pool) or doing something fun like IFly.

First is the love being on a ship, 2nd not having to decide where to eat, what to do, ect. We just chill out for 7-10 days

My favorite thing is unpacking/packing once and staying in the same room every night, yet waking up in new places, plus having some true don't have to do anything vacation days. Being at sea is nice too (except when it gets bumpy...). I don't think the value can be met by any vacation on land, especially if you would factor in traveling to more than one location. Sure there are things I would change, but its by far our favorite way to vacation. We seem to compare every other vacation to a cruise. I wish there were more cruises (especially RCI) from the West coast though....we live in Seattle, and Alaska cruises are expensive, pacific coastals are only once a year, and those are the main options from up here.

Me I’ve had some bad experiences at times, but the good outweigh them by far.

Get on

Unpack

Wake in a waterfront location every day

Do as much or as little as I want

Everything (essential) paid in advance

Plus Mrs G isn’t allowed fly.

No cooking, cleaning , driving,grocery shopping, , making bed. Just relax and be thankful.

Meeting new people. Staff doing their best to keep us satisfied for a few days. :)

I often describe cruises as a resort that changes beautiful locations while I sleep (or drink, or read, or party). I love the service (and yes, I feel like I get good service the great majority of the time), the ambiance of the ships themselves, and the no stress time I get to spend with the people I choose to share my vacation with. Also I'm addicted to the flowrider, so at the moment anyway - "no flow, no go".

We love to cruise because: we get to be together doing what we love to do. Going out to eat every night, seeing some entertainment Then dancing the night away. During the day we been fortunate enough to have visited a lot of the world. Even sea days we get to marvel at the sea. At night marveling at God's wonder.

Why do I cruise?

 

I cruise because it's easy. I cruise because it's relaxing. I cruise because I like the "Escape" I feel every time we pull out of port. I cruise because I know I can drink without worrying about having to get anywhere, be it driving or even navigating an unfamiliar city by foot, public transit or uber. I cruise because I know I can always find plenty of decent food either included or at a reasonable price.

 

I DON'T cruise to discover new cultures or experiences. If I want to immerse myself in the islands, it takes more than eight hours. All Caribbean ports of call are pretty much the same- crappy jewelry stores run by the very cruise line you are traveling, an entirely predictable Carlos & Charlies/ Margaritaville/ Senor Frogs, souvenir shops full of trinkets and booze I can buy at home, and obligatory excursions to overcrowded beaches or mediocre snorkeling.

 

Same can be said for European ports. If I want to experience these ports of call, I sure as heck don't want to end it with a ho hum meal on board as we sail away from a destination with world class cuisine.

 

I DON'T cruise to experience high end dining. Be it the MDR, or specialty restaurants, the best food on board is a mediocre version of something I can get on land (although the price is hard to beat).

 

I DON'T cruise to experience world class entertainment. Yeah, I like the live music in the lounges, but if I want to see a watered down version of a Broadway musical that's already toured my city three times, I- I don't.

 

So don't get me wrong, I love cruising. But it is what it is, and I'm okay with that. I know my "bartender" actually knows nothing about spirits and how they go together. I know the hospitality staff has had no formal education in hospitality, but simply has been apprenticed and can only do a very limited number of things. I know the cruise director is primarily obligated to make people who somehow can't do it on their own feel entertained and amused- because when they feel that way, they spend more money.

 

In short, I know that this is in no way ambitious travel. It's the leisure equivalent of junk food or reading a trashy novel. There is very little redeeming quality, but I enjoy it for what it is.

I've been cruising since 1998 and always loved it. Over 30 cruises so far. Then I read this. Now I'm depressed. I didn't know I was having such a bad time! :eek:

All too often people only post of their bad experiences. :(

I think this is the main reason you see so many negative comments. In general, people who are happy will tell a friend or two that they enjoyed the experience while those who are not want to tell the world.

And bad experiences do happen. There was a cruise ship that sank people died and the captain went to jail. Norovirus will strike some ships. Bad weather happens. Sometimes just everything goes wrong on a particular cruise.

I have only been on one cruise, a Princess cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale. It was really cold in the northeast and we got a good deal on airfare to Florida and a good price on a 5 day inside cabin to the Caribbean.

So I now have 3 other cruises booked through August 2019. All different cruise lines, Royal Caribbean in January 2019 to Cuba.

The good, and why I have other cruises booked:

1. We didn't get seasick. Some others on the cruise did however we didn't and therefore we are willing to go again.

2. Altogether the price for a 5 day vacation in the sun was very reasonable compared to other options.

3. It was relaxing to only go to effectively one hotel but see 2 different islands.

4. Although it was an inside cabin and a little small it was comfortable and we were only there to sleep anyway. My July 2018 cruise is a balcony so I will see if it is worth the extra money to be able to sit out on a balcony and have a drink there or breakfast.

5. The food was OK, not great, but Ok and the service in the main dinning room was excellent. Like an excellent restaurant on land. We like to go out to dinner and get good service so it was like being at a hotel and eating in a nice restaurant every night.

6. We got to see two islands, Grand Turk and Dominican Republic. By the way one of the things I didn't like is you only get a taste of the location. I personally would prefer cruises that are in port for a longer period. The cruise to Cuba stays overnight in Havana and the cruise in August 2019 will stay several days in Bermuda.

7. The trips we have booked for the summer of 2018 and 2019 depart within an hours drive of where we live. No airports or airlines. YEAH!!!

8. The entertainment was OK, again not great but OK. So overall with the food, the room, and entertainment it was like going to an inclusive resort.

The bad as I mentioned was that cruise lines in general do not have the best food unless you go to a luxury line or spend extra money in a specialty restaurant. Also, except for some cruises they don't really spend a lot of time in any given port.

Bottom line for us is that we liked cruising enough to go again however, not enough to limit all our vacations to cruising.

My suggestion to those who have never cruised is to pick a cruise line that caters to your specific demographic (different cruise lines cater to specific type of cruiser), not go during spring break, and book a short cruise. If you like it then you'll go again. If you don't then not much lost.

It's just another type of vacation. We do them all and definitely do not exclusively cruise. They are all unique and enjoyable in their own way. Cruising gives you the most for your money and has unique experiences and entertainment that can't be matched. But there is downsides as well and things a land based resort does much better. I find a resort much more relaxing than a cruise ship, and a cruise ship more entertaining and active than a resort.

I've been cruising since 1998 and always loved it. Over 30 cruises so far. Then I read this. Now I'm depressed. I didn't know I was having such a bad time! :eek:

Obviously you didn't understand my post. I cruise two to three times a year every year and enjoy myself thoroughly. I just keep it in perspective.

For me, I love the sea. I also like the option of visiting new place for a day before I commit to a longer stay. Please keep in mind that opinions are subjective. Some people will never be happy, some people are upset that companies have to change to remain competitive in business, some people have unrealistic expectations. Don't let someone else determine if you enjoyed your vacation or not. Enjoy.

I agree with those regarding negative reviews. Most people tend to only take the time to review if their experience is extremely positive or extremely negative, with the stronger motivation if the experience is negative.

Why do I cruise? Cruises provide me the opportunity to visit multiple locations during the same week. I hope to vacation longer at my favorite locations, but so far have not been able to afford to do so. So I guess that's reason #2. VALUE. I also like the social aspects of cruising. I've made some great friends on cruises. And service. The staff on the ship take GREAT care of me. And then there are the shows...and the food....and the activities. :D

I think I would get bored at a land based resort, or with spending an entire week at a single location. There's just too many places to go. I want to go to Europe, I want to go to Australia, I want to go to Alaska... For now, at this point in my busy life, I'm okay with just hitting the highlights and moving on. Maybe when I'm older and retired I can take the time to explore each location in greater depth.

We don't 'cruise' - we like to be at sea, (but wouldn't set foot on one of the behemoths), and ships are a great way to go to somewhere or to get back from somewhere. The thought of going around in circles in the Caribbean curdles our blood.

We don't like to play 'dress up', we don't focus on food 24/7, and the idea of being 'pampered' we find to be invasive and irritating.

But we do like smaller vessels.

We cruise for several reasons:

It's a great value.

Fewer decisions

Less work

I can put my phone in the safe and have a great reason why I didn't answer calls on vacation.

No Facebook or Twitter - see above - After our last cruise, I don't even go on those platforms anymore. Cruise Critic and other forums is what I am back to - what we used before Facebook.

Great service (For those who complain about the service, "Where is it better? I have had much worse service in hotels and restaurants.)

Great food - see above - and I live just outside Charleston, SC, one of the high end restaurant areas of the country that is consistently rated #! in the world for tourism. If people think the food is that much better in high end restaurants than on the ship, more power to them. I don't. I have had excellent and poor meals in both. We eat most dinners in the MDR and love it.

Unpacking once for several locations

It's simple and easy.

Pay one price

We learn something on every cruise about how to make it even better.

We don't 'cruise' - we like to be at sea, (but wouldn't set foot on one of the behemoths), and ships are a great way to go to somewhere or to get back from somewhere. The thought of going around in circles in the Caribbean curdles our blood.

 

We don't like to play 'dress up', we don't focus on food 24/7, and the idea of being 'pampered' we find to be invasive and irritating.

 

But we do like smaller vessels.

I cruise for several different reasons. If I want to have a fun winter get away, I cruise because it's easy and a no brainer - very little planning involved. Once I'm onboard, I do like the big ships with all of the entertainment options.

If I want to go someplace interesting, then the ship is far less important than the itinerary and generally there is much more thought and planning involved. It's still a much easier trip to plan than a land based vacation.

I do agree with you, playing "dress up" no longer appeals to me, I don't obsess about food, and really need very little pampering - yes, it can become invasive and irritating to me also. If I want to be pampered, I'll go to the spa.

Being with my husband and son.. we have so much fun together (even at home)

The laughter, the excitement of 2 grown man when I "surprise" them with something special ...

Love dressing up and going to eat in the main dining room or buffet (being a dementia and hospice nurse... I live in scrubs)

but most important ... who wouldn't want to cruise?? those who complain should walk a mile in one of my many clients shoes and they will no longer complain (might though)

Because there is no other vacation that has the same balance of choice, value, entertainment, and convenience.

I cruise because it is predictable.

I work hard all year and I like not to think when I am on board...other than what should I eat next.

I am originally from San Juan Puerto Rico, and my very first job when I was in High School was with RCCL! As a 16yr old, shuttling guests from all over the world back and forth from the airport to the ship, was fascinating... One of the benefits to work for the cruise line was that we got discounted travel for us and our immediate family. We used to go in a cruise almost every two months!!! My favorite family memories were on cruises... As an adult, mother of 3, I still find cruises to be a fantastic value (even when I have to pay full price!) and I am grateful my husband shares my passion for cruising... We have traveled ALL Caribbean islands, Mexico, Bahamas and part of South America. We are going to New England/Canada in the Summer and Cuba in the Fall... I am currently researching the Alaska / North Pacific Area for 2019 and Europe in 2020.

With my family of 5, it is a combination of destination and the actual vessel. If the itinerary is somewhere that we have been before, we focus on the ship. But if is a new destination, then we don't care about the ship so much. We always have a great time and we feel that it gives everyone (including myself) the chance to really relax and being pampered... You can always go and rent a beautiful home in the beach for a week for less money, but WHO is going to make the beds, or COOK the meals or Pick up around??? In a cruise I don't have to think about any of that... all is provided, in a beautiful setting, with gorgeous scenery and fantastic service.

So many great reasons to cruise have been mentioned already. I would only add that the only time I sleep like a baby is when I'm on a ship.