Not To Excited To Cruise.

[james j feller]

I sure i will hear about this but it seems i am not to excited about cruising any more.

 

Don't get me wrong i enjoy cruising but i just can't seem to get that excited like everyone else on this board.

 

We are taking a cruise in APRIL this year and also going on one this OCT. to EUROPE maybe i am burned out.

 

What to do---what to do?

 

JIM

[FlorenceItaly]

perhaps it's time for a land vacation?? I have heard people express getting burned out on cruising, but have yet to experience it personally.

 

Marie

[MandyGirl]

Jim -

We do one of each (land and cruise) each year and have enjoyed the variety. Not because of cruise burnout but because of various other reasons (sometimes little mini-land vacations as well). Planning the land vacations has been fun - and the internet has so much info at our fingertips. (I always make a spreadsheet of each vacation to organize the info) Plus with my school teaching schedule and upcoming grad school schedule, we are slightly limited in the timeframes we can vacation. We even did Scotland/London last summer for a week with only one backpack each - no formal clothes, no changing of outfits several times a day, etc - and really enjoyed it. But then we turned around five months later to cruise the Caribbean with HAL again during my Thanksgiving break. Two good but totally different vacations.

One tradition we have is to catch a concert every year of hubby's favorite group. We look at the schedule, find a city we haven't been to, and incorporate a vacation around that primarily staying in B&Bs. Have done that with Vegas, Hershey (lots more to see/do than just the chocolate), Boston area (finally got to hear the Pops in person), Niagara Falls, and this summer will be Wisconsin. Just something new and we always come back saying "that was neat". Even if the overall vacation isn't as neat, we have a terrific concert that we enjoyed.

Life is too short not to try something new every once in a while. (Just my personal opinion)

[DFD1]

You may have heard the old saying....."Constant luxury is no luxury at all." Maybe you have just passed the point in your cruising experience where the excitement stops and the expected begins.

 

I hope that's not the case for you and I really hope I don't ever get to that point. We've been cruising off and on since 1964 or 65 and we still look forward the each one.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I'm with you Jim. Maybe not burned out but tired of visiting the same ports all the time. Coming up on my 13th cruise this summer and not the least bit excited about it. Since we are a group of 6 I go with the flow of where the majority wants to go.

I'll be making a big push during our upcoming cruise for an all inclusive in Riviera Maya for our next vacation.

 

Bill

[yes2sail]

"I sure i will hear about this but it seems I am not too excited about cruising any more"

Hi Jim, my thoughts exactly. When we got off our recent cruise, I turned to DH and said "I AM CRUISED OUT". I NEVER want to see another Caribbean Isalnd from a ship. I'll fly and veg out for my vacation but this in and out of a port has me bummed out.

 

One exception, a European cruise 20 months ago. We got to ports we probably would never fly to and enjoyed the entire trip. This was followed by 2 Caribbean cruises and they are what made me say ... I'm off cruises for a while.

 

Cruising can get you to places for a look/see but when you go back to ports over and over, it's not worth it, IMHO. Perhaps if we were still working, we'd see cruises as a form of relaxation, but even considering this past cruise as a very inexpensive way to get warm in the winter months, it left me cold and definitly not excited going OR coming.

 

Perhaps the Europe one will be better if you haven't been to the ports before. Like some of the others, we do land vacations too and ... I'm enjoying them way more than the cruises!

[bluehorizonlover123]

I have been on 10 cruises and know what you mean but I still prefer to cruise. My kids always have fun on a cruise and there is always things for them to do. I wish there were less people all over the place all the time and that just doesnt happen on a cruise. I don't care about the ports too much. Half the time we just stay on the ship or walk around on land for awhile. I love the anticipation for the cruise. I love the cruise itself. When I get off I say no more cruises for awhile and then a month goes by and I am planning another one. They are so easy to plan.....

[Emmie]

Hello, Jim!

 

My DH and I will be on our first cruise ever in October, and we are going to the Med for the first time. We have not taken a lot of "major" trips together since we got married almost 10 years ago, and so this is very exciting for us.

 

Since we cannot take big trips a lot, we do lots of little ones all the time. One thing we love to do is go camping. (I know, about as far removed from a cruise as you can get, right?) We live near Boston, and we go camping a few times every summer. It is lovely to get away, someplace where the cell phones won't ring and we don't have to clean out the catbox...but it can get dull after a while. We know our favorite spots, and what to bring for food, and it all gets kind of predictable.

 

One thing that has helped to renew the experience for us has been to bring friends along with us who don't camp, or who don't usually go where we go. Sometimes it is a disaster, like when we take folks who get impatient about cooking over the campfire, or who want to know why the park rangers don't "do something to lock up the raccoons!" But usually it makes us see things from a fresh perspective. Someone raves about steak cooked over the coals, someone else wants to go on a hike we were always "too tired" to attempt on our own, a child sits wide-eyed and tells us all about seeing their first deer (or raccoon!) There are always adventures as well: we forgot the marshmallows, who wants to hike with me to the bathroom in the pitch dark, what made that twig snap?!??!??

 

Perhaps seeing new ports will help renew your love of cruising. But, perhaps, you can share with us, and others on your ship, your secrets and knowledge and silly stories, and live some of your pleasures through helping folks with your experiences. It can be a lot of fun to watch someone else light up as they enjoy something you discovered for yourself ages ago.

 

If that doesn't work, let me know if you would like to know about some of our favorite camping spots. A few weekends with the raccoons and you may be just DYING for a verandah suite again! :D

 

Take care,

Emmie

[stanford's girl]

I haven't gotten burned out on cruising yet. But for me the ship is the destination, not where it sails to.;)

[dougnewmanatsea]

For those tired of the Caribbean... (And I know I am, but in the middle of winter it's still nice to be on a ship and someplace warm... Even if I'm almost to the point of not getting off the ship for the whole week...) Why not try someplace else?

 

Cruising is definitely not just a Caribbean activity. Most of the world is covered in water, and where there is water, there are cruise ships.

 

Personally, as a ship nut, I'll never tire of cruising, and would take just about any cruise ship anywhere without a second thought, but destination-wise, going to the same places over and over again can eventually become rather wearing.

 

Cruising in Europe is fantastic - we did a cruise in the Med on GRAND PRINCESS in 2000 (best trip of my life so far, though definitely not my favorite ship) and will be going to the Baltic on ROTTERDAM this year. I hope your European cruise this October re-invigorates your love of cruising. Unlike the Caribbean, it's almost impossible to get tired of Europe - and a cruise is a great way to get around there.

[grannynurse]

I could barely summon up any enthusiasm for our New Year's Caribbean trip.

I know that I won't go back. I guess 3 summers on the Rotterdam including 2 transatlantics spoiled me.

North Cape and Norway were spectacular; actually the whole 34 days was a dream come true.

GN

[TrentS]

Some people get burned out because they take the same ship, same line, and/or same basic itinerary all the time... You HAVE to mix it up a little, try ALL of the different lines and different types of ships, and don't just sail in one area, take exotic itineraries all around the world.

[dakrewser]

I'm with you Jim. Maybe not burned out but tired of visiting the same ports all the time. Coming up on my 13th cruise this summer and not the least bit excited about it. Since we are a group of 6 I go with the flow of where the majority wants to go.

I'll be making a big push during our upcoming cruise for an all inclusive in Riviera Maya for our next vacation.

 

Bill

 

There are other places besides the Cribbean....

[TedC]

HAL (and perhaps others) go to all seven continents so the probability that you can sail to someplace new, someplace you've never been, is high.

 

I agree that cruising in the Caribbean year after year can get tiresome. But then again, when the weather outside is frightful, even the overly familiar Caribbean can be delightful.

[wander]

Having been fortunate to travel a great deal, land and cruise trips, I can say that while I still LOVE to travel, an upcoming trip usually does not have the thrill that they used to. I enjoy them every bit as much, but it is like many long time marriages where the relationship may be as deep (or deeper), but things are more of a settled relationship than the thrill of the first xxx years.

 

That said, I would tire of repeated cruises (or land trips) to the same areas or places. On cruise ships we have visited over 60 countries and all seven continents. We have been to many, many places that we would never have gone on land trips. Besides being waited on and cared for on ships, the variety of ports is what interests me (of, I love sea days as well).

 

Try new places to cruise IF you have the time. Longer cruises do not fit into everyone's schedule.

[Randyk47]

We love cruising and it's certainly our favorite vacation format. Having said that our next vacation most probably won't be a cruise. There are just so many places we want to see and cruise ships don't go to all of them or don't stay long enough to get everything out of a location that we want. Cruising will always be one of our first choices but there are others. While we're still both working we only have one major vacation a year.....this year a cruise....next year who knows.

[tankerjo2]

Have to join the crowd as we are pretty much "cruised out" and other than a Princess cruise in the not to distant future we will be taking a break, perhaps a long one.

 

We really feel like we have experienced a well balance with trips to Alaska, Mexico, Panama Canal, New Zealand, the Mississippi River and soon off to Europe. Last HAL trip was a real turn off and it may be a hard sell to get us to return. Been years since we have been on Princess so it should be interesting.

 

I think I would trade it all for another 2 weeks sailing to Alaska on the old SS Universe (went to the breakers) what a trip, what an old tub.

[tlmlb]

Now that the destinations are more important to you, check out cruises for diversity of itinerary rather than st. this and st. that islands in the caribbean. Sun and fun is my favorite, but rather than a seven day cruise check out a single place that you can see more in depth. Its more interesting, relaxing and a much better value.

 

For example, from L.A. including airfare and transfers you can go to the Riviera Maya and stay at a highly rated beautiful all inclusive such as the Palladium for about $1149 for a person (you can go even cheaper at the very nice Copacabana for around $949 per person). The price includes great service with all food (with show cooking specialty restaurants), all liquor, beer and wine, soft drinks, nightly entertainment, daily activities, a kids club is included and available, multiple pools, huge room with marble floors and a huge marble bathroom, great beach with snorkeling. No tipping is expected, but if you bring a bunch of $5's and $1's ($100 for the week per couple) you get even greater service like being served lunch on the beach in your lounge chair.

 

You can rent a car, you can purchase cheaper excursions, you have more freedom to explore an area. Area is teeming with places of interest such as Tulum or Chichen Itza. Shopping is good, Playa del Carmen has a certain sophistication as an international destination. Cancun is up the road. For those who say but "I am not sailing on the ocean", take the ferry to Cozumel for the day or book a sail trip to Isla Mujeres.

 

So its a no-brainer - land vacation is a better room, a better pool, a better beach, all liquor, all food with specialty restaurants, no sail and sign for auto tips, plenty of pool or beach loungers, entertainment and included activities - from aerobics to snorkeling to sailing, games and sports. Fewer lines, no embarking and disembarking where you waste time each and every day. Simply less stress and less money!!

[ekerr19]

Thankfully, I don't have this problem. I also love the islands, especially in the winter time. Anytime we get to leave the cold and snow - I look forward to it.

[oliviaonthe beach]

Give me the southern and eastern Caribbean isles any day of the year! We seem to be alternating between cruise and land and are loving it. We did an all-inclusive in the Riviera Maya and although the accomodations were luxurious, I won't go back due to food issues. I just don't think the water is safe in Mexico. It doesn't really help to just not drink it when all the drinks are mixed with it and the food is cooked with it. Everyone in our party got very sick at least one 24 hour period. I know this can happen anywhere but it just seems VERY common in Mexico. There are so many other places to go such as Anguilla, Bermuda, Antigua, St. John...but different strokes for different folks!

[kryos]

I sure i will hear about this but it seems i am not to excited about cruising any more.

Too much of any good thing could get boring after a while. While I have not yet encountered what you are going through, that is merely because I only have a handful of cruises and the experience is still exciting to me.

 

The only thing I can suggest, besides trying some land-based vacations, is to mix-up your cruise vacations. Do you always do the Carribean? Do you always take 7-day "holiday" type cruises? Why not try a different experience, and Europe may very well provide that for you. Maybe try an "expedition" type cruise to an exotic or adventuresome destination, such as the Anartica or Galapaglos (sp?). Or, maybe a longer, voyage-type cruise ... something in the range of 30-days that visits unusual or exotic places. Perhaps a small-ship experience might renew your cruise addiction ... something like Cruise West. Or, maybe an alternative type cruise experience, like Windjammer Barefoot Cruises.

 

At least these are the things I plan to try over the years. I love cruising and hope never to tire of the experience. It's great for a solo traveler and each cruise I've thus far taken has proven better than the one before.

 

Blue skies and hope this helps!

 

--rita

[dougnewmanatsea]

I agree that cruising in the Caribbean year after year can get tiresome. But then again, when the weather outside is frightful, even the overly familiar Caribbean can be delightful.

Exactly. At the moment, the weather outside is not frightful, but I have a bad cold, and being in the Caribbean would be delightful.

 

But at this point, for me, there are now only two reasons to go to the Caribbean:

1. It's warm (only applies in winter).

2. I like ships.

 

If I weren't a ship nut and lived someplace warm, I would have no problem never going to the Caribbean again. In most of the tried-and-true Caribbean ports, there's not much to tempt me off the ship any more.

[jhannah]

While I'm far from burned out on cruising, I can understand this happening with repeated Caribbean cruises. One island and beach looks pretty much like the next island and its beaches. Not all that much diversity. Eurpope, OTOH, is full of diverse ports of call. And do as suggested by others and try throwing in a land-based trip for variety. Maybe a tour through one of the major operators. Good luck.