Why do people cruise to the same place over and over again?

[thatsonofa]

Probably for the same reason that we went to Myrtle Beach every year for the first 22 years of my life for vacation each summer, the reason I've been to Vegas 5 times in the last decade. There is so much to do that you can't do it all in one or even 5 trips. My next cruise involves 3 ports, of which 2 are new stops for me. Im doing excursions on both and will not get to see much of GT and Ocho Rios by the time we are done, so I'm already planning the next opportunity to go back to those to so that I can experience more of those ports. The third stop is Nassau, which will be my 2nd trip, so I will get to check out different parts of the island besides Atlantis this time around.

[m*u*g*]

Ship First

Port 2nd

 

Why?

 

Example: Oasis Western

17.8% of time, ship is in port

82.2% of time, ship is at sea

[Waterloomarc]

This is also true. I try to take a new ship more than I try to see new ports.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Chief Cruiser]

For many reasons:

 

Personal Choice/Preference

It takes longer than 6-8 hours to experience an island/country

Same reasons some people go to the same place year after year - the beach, mountains, camping, hiking trips, etc.

People are creatures of habit

For some people, like me, the ship is the destination. I don't care where we go, as long as I am on the ship away from land and telephones and stupid people driving cars, and deadlines, and the pressures of million dollar decisions, etc........and I could go on and on...........

Some folks just don't have a free spirit and want to explore the world.

You name it.....it's their reason.

 

Happy Sails :)

[Warm Breezes]

I just don't get it...I see on people's signatures tons of cruises and a lot of time the same itineraries, why? We've done the Bahamas, Alaska, Western Caribbean, Baltic, Mediterranean and coming up we have an Eastern Caribbean but I wouldn't want to do any of them twice. Just wondering?

 

We try to get at least one new port with every cruise. We were able to do that with all 9 of our past cruises and our 2 future cruises with the exception of our Epic cruise which we chose for the ship, not the ports. Even when we get a port more than once, we plan to do something different from what we did the previous times so it is a new experience for us or, like we did in Nassua on our Epic cruise, we just stayed on the ship and enjoyed it with a lot less people on it....that was why we chose that cruise anyway.

[Cruisin' Cool CAT]

We cruise because we love being on the water on a big ol floating city ;). ..the ports are just an added benefit...I also agree about so much to do at the stops with so little time to possibly see it all in so few hours :)

 

Come on Sept!!!!! :cool:

[CruisinCrow]

I love going to different places but...

 

1) My husband loves the Caribbean and isn't interested in Europe and Canada.

 

2) Caribbean cruises are cheap for us since we live in Florida and don't have to fly to the ports. Maybe one day we'll do Alaska but it would cost us a whole lot more money and time.

 

3) We go where the ships go and they go to the same places over and over. We like the short cruises and there aren't a lot of options.

 

4) I don't mind going to the same island as long as I do something different while I'm there. We've been to Cozumel and Nassau probably 10 times each but have never done the same thing twice.

[cv322]

The ship is my destination. I just love being at sea... and while I enjoy the ports we go to (repeatedly!), it really doesn't matter to me where we are.

[Warm Breezes]

For me it's the same reason I have been to Florida multiple times. I haven't seen all there is to see yet. As my kids grow, the experiences we are able to do are different. The first time we cruised they were 7 and 9, we were more limited in excursions and time we could really spend out doing things. They had more fears, needed more hand holding. This next cruise, they are adventure seekers. They can't wait to see and do it all.

 

The cruise we are planning for 2015 will likely go back to the Western Caribbean. Yes we have been to Honduras, Belize, Grand Cayman and Cozumel but the family that we are traveling with has not been to any of those places and we would love to go back. And we love spending time on the ships.

 

DH and I do the same thing in Las Vegas. We stopped there our first time on our honeymoon 25 years ago and I don't even know how many times we have gone back (at least 10 I believe). We are not big gamblers but we find it a convenient base to do a lot of sight seeing. Everytime we have gone we have seen and experienced something new and beautiful (Death Valley, Sedona, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Glen Canyon, etc, etc), plus it's been fun watching the city grow over the years.

 

We got hooked on cruising 12 years ago and that has become our preferred vacation with the kids. We find when we hit a repeat island we are doing the same thing, finding new and exciting things to do on that island different than what we did before. For example in St. Thomas we have done the semi-submarine, the screaming jet boat, and the island tour with Papa Bear. Each a unique and fun experience for the whole family. I can't wait for cruises 10 and 11 coming up. 2 repeat ships, 3 repeat ports, 4 new ports...plus a new embarkation port for us. There's always something new to do plus there are just some things that we would just love to repeat.

[Zach1213]

My wife and I are definitely the type of people who want to see new places, so doing the same cruises (or land vacations) isn't something we would ever do. Just too many wonderful, amazing places out there to see rather than stopping in the same place multiple times over. I understand the ship being the focus of the vacation, but for us it's the ports that are important, and we wouldn't want to see the same ones again. That being said, I don't give a funk or a wagnall if other people do - to each their own with provolone.

Edited June 14, 2013 by Zach1213

[Keith1010]

We do like seeing new places but also revisiting old places since we often can see new sites that we did not have the time to see before.

 

Keith

[smtcan]

Count us among those who like to experience different places on cruises. We have been to Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, Galapagos, Greek Islands, Eastern and Western Mediterranean and Asia as well as a Caribbean cruise. The only cruises we have repeated are Transatlantics and those we combine with land based holidays in Europe, so they are a pleasant way to get home. The Caribbean is not of great interest to us, since it involves air fare, but if we could get right onto a ship we might feel differently and plan to return there.

[beachbum53]

I would prefer to go to the same places over and over again. I am not one that would like to cruise to Alaska, just not my cup of tea. Plus I love the Caribbean, so I'm happy with cruising to those destinations over and over again. If I'm on a ship where there are palm trees, sand, water, and sun I'm happy!:)

 

This pretty much sums it up for me too. And, as others have said, there are some places that I've enjoyed so much that I look forward to a return visit. I would love to do a Mediterranean cruise, and have seen some really great prices for Med. cruises, but it's nearly impossible to find affordable air fare that would coincide with when we would want to go on a Mediterranean cruise. I sometimes envy those that have more money and time than we do to be able to go on so many cruises all over the world. I absolutely hate cold weather, snow and ice, so anytime we can go to the Caribbean and have warm sunshine, palm trees, the beach and the ocean to swim in, I'm happy. Of course, the ship is important too (as is the cost), but we typically choose our cruise based on itinerary.

[paul929207]

To me the ports visited on a cruise are like previews of possible land vacations. You can't possibly see enough in your short time there to really see much of anything other than highlights. Of course there are exceptions, but they are very few. The cruise is more the destination than the ports.

 

It's no different than land vacationing in the same place over and over again.

For us a cruise is not a preview for a land vacation. If we want more time in a port, we will cruise there again. Unfortunately, we are running out of places to visit for the first time.

[Sipsey]

Because people like "the ride".

 

IMHO...if I really wanted to visit someplace...I'd take a land vacation. Being on a cruise gives you only limited time in a port and doesn't even guarantee getting into the port.

 

Although I do prefer "different ports".....the specific ports themselves are secondary.

 

That is so true. Couldn't have put it better myself.

 

Last cruise we were supposed to dock at Grand Cayman but they said it was too rough. It was disappointing, but it didn't affect our enjoyment of the cruise.

 

Also, I can go on several Caribbean cruises for the price it would take me to go to Alaska.

[Hlitner]

We think the answer to the OP is relatively simple. One could ask a similar question which is "why do people go to the same place at the shore year after year." We think that there are a large group of folks who simply love familiarity. DW and I have cruised on 14 different cruise lines (well over 60 different ships) and love to vary our ships, lines, itineraries, etc. But others do not like anything new and lack the "spirit of adventure" that drives some folks (moi) to want to keep going to new places and try new things.

 

Hank

[momofmeg]

I just don't get it...I see on people's signatures tons of cruises and a lot of time the same itineraries, why? We've done the Bahamas, Alaska, Western Caribbean, Baltic, Mediterranean and coming up we have an Eastern Caribbean but I wouldn't want to do any of them twice. Just wondering?

 

There is the convenince of not flying if you simply enjoy the cruising experience. My husband likes to scuba dive so we often book a cruise just so he can do that. However, we are a bit burned out on the Caribbean right now, we have been there so many times, and are not in any hurry to book another Caribbean cruise anytime soon (unless it is the southern Caribbean or a cruise that goes to San Juan. It has been over 10 years since we went to San Juan)

 

I guess too because of my health issues, cruising works well for us. I can stay on ship if I am not well or exhausted, so often we have picked a Caribbean over a land trip.

 

We have done all the ports you mention except the Baltic and that is on the radar. We have also been to Bermuda and did a transatlantic which had ports in both northern Europe and Canada. Our next cruise is a California coastal, which I find exciting, as I live in Georgia. Unlike you, I do want to go back to the Med, Alaska, Bermuda, and also do another transatlantic, as I enjoyed them so much. I also want to cruise to Quebec and Prince Edward island. I just hope my health and our income holds out for us, but if not I can't say I have not done a lot of fun trips.

[momofmeg]

We think the answer to the OP is relatively simple. One could ask a similar question which is "why do people go to the same place at the shore year after year." We think that there are a large group of folks who simply love familiarity. DW and I have cruised on 14 different cruise lines (well over 60 different ships) and love to vary our ships, lines, itineraries, etc. But others do not like anything new and lack the "spirit of adventure" that drives some folks (moi) to want to keep going to new places and try new things.

 

Hank

 

Lol! We love Myrtle Beach and go ther almost every year!

[momofmeg]

DH and I do the same thing in Las Vegas. We stopped there our first time on our honeymoon 25 years ago and I don't even know how many times we have gone back (at least 10 I believe). We are not big gamblers but we find it a convenient base to do a lot of sight seeing. Everytime we have gone we have seen and experienced something new and beautiful (Death Valley, Sedona, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Glen Canyon, etc, etc), plus it's been fun watching the city grow over the years.

 

We got hooked on cruising 12 years ago and that has become our preferred vacation with the kids. We find when we hit a repeat island we are doing the same thing, finding new and exciting things to do on that island different than what we did before. For example in St. Thomas we have done the semi-submarine, the screaming jet boat, and the island tour with Papa Bear. Each a unique and fun experience for the whole family. I can't wait for cruises 10 and 11 coming up. 2 repeat ships, 3 repeat ports, 4 new ports...plus a new embarkation port for us. There's always something new to do plus there are just some things that we would just love to repeat.

 

I have lost count of the trips to Helen, Dahlonga,Talahulah Falls, Ga, Charlote, Franklin, Dillsborn, NC, and Chattanogga, Tennessee. These are all within a 3 hour drive of our home so we can easily take a long weekend at these places and we still enjoy going to all of them. Charlesotn SC and Savannah, GA are 5 hour drives away, but we have been to both quite a bit over the years and I always enjoy going to them.

 

My hubby and daughter have flown to Vegas twice when they were able to get good deals for there. They liked Star Trek and the gongola ride-lol! I am not a science fiction fan and I preferred waitng until I could ride a real gongola in Venice, so I stayed home those trips!

[navybankerteacher]

Because people like "the ride".

 

IMHO...if I really wanted to visit someplace...I'd take a land vacation. Being on a cruise gives you only limited time in a port and doesn't even guarantee getting into the port.

 

Although I do prefer "different ports".....the specific ports themselves are secondary.

 

Right. OP's question used the word "cruise" in asking about going to the same places - not "travel". For many of us, it is being on a ship at sea as much as, if not more than, the ports. I might still cruise to St. Thomas, St. Croix, or Belize again if timing and price were right - and I probably wouldn't even go ashore -- after enough repeats, the ship outweighs all but the most interesting ports.

[momofmeg]

I would prefer to go to the same places over and over again. I am not one that would like to cruise to Alaska, just not my cup of tea. Plus I love the Caribbean, so I'm happy with cruising to those destinations over and over again. If I'm on a ship where there are palm trees, sand, water, and sun I'm happy!:)

 

You know, we went because hubby's parents wanted to go there, and as we had cruised the Caribean several times, they wanted us to go withthem. We were not too excited, until we got there. If you love nature, there is nothing to compare to that nearly unspoilt by polution coastline.

[quovadimis]

Thanks again to everybody- this has been really interesting for me. I had no idea some people only sailed for the cruise part of it, not the destination. We choose a ship for its itinerary and obviously that is not how everybody does it. HAPPY CRUISING for wherever and whatever reason.

[paul929207]

Thanks again to everybody- this has been really interesting for me. I had no idea some people only sailed for the cruise part of it, not the destination. We choose a ship for its itinerary and obviously that is not how everybody does it. HAPPY CRUISING for wherever and whatever reason.

Like everything in life each of us has their own reason for cruising.

[cruiseapril]

We return to ports we like to get to know the area better. We also try to include a new port each time for variety.

[coley2011]

For us right now, cruising is our "big family trip" with lots of family members going. My first 3 cruises to Bermuda all had varying amounts of family, so each was a different experience. Some of our cruise plans depend on what amount of time people can get off from work, and what price we're all willing to pay. We'd all love to do a variant of the Med cruise we went on, but it's just in the cards right now. And after 3 port-intensive cruises, we all chose Bermuda again because to us, it's relaxing. After 10 years, it will probably be a different experience for all of us. Plus, it's nice having a departure port very close to home, so we don't have to worry about adding air fare :)