Been There Done That

[jack300s]

First let me say I'm not slamming NCL.

 

I've been on five cruises all with NCL. Just finished a cruise out of NYC. The cruise was fine, but I get that feeling that I've been there and done that in regards to cruising.

 

Not the excitement anymore...the cruise experience seems the same on every cruise.

 

The last two cruises Hawaii and Canada/New England we spend a lot of time in Honolulu and NYC after the cruise and had a lot more fun than on the cruise.

 

Anyone else get that feeling..

[Barb Nahoumi]

Perhaps you might want to try a Mediterranian or European cruise. Land trips might also

be something to consider.

 

Change things up a bit.

[jdvmd]

Variety is the spice of life!

[biker@sea]

Sounds like you are changing from a tourist into a traveler .;):)

[Laszlo]

I'm with you. Our 4th cruise is in November. Maybe will do one next year to Alaska if my son wants to go. Need to get back with more driving vacations

[deladypilot]

We like to mix things up. Since we started cruising we have alternated cruise one year and land based trip the next. There are many things you can not see from a cruise ship or one of the ports of call. So this is the best of both worlds.

[TSUmom]

I felt that way but the opposite. We got tired of driving from place to place and staying at hotels. It was always so hectic, especially when our kids were with us. Then we discovered cruising. As others said, it is nice to change things up a bit if you have lost the excitement for an upcoming vacation:)

[nycruise]

It's great to shake things up. Try other lines, they're all different and it's nice to be able to compare those differences. Also, as others have said, break it up with land based vacations, on your own or on tours.

 

The great thing about cruising is the variety of destinations you can visit on one vacation without changing hotels and driving hundreds of miles. No way we would have gone to places like Dubrovnik, Mallorca, Sicily, Monaco, Panama Canal, Caracas, Livorno, Mazatlan, etc.

 

Sometimes you just need a couple of year break to better appreciate the advantages of cruising. If that doesn't turn out to be the case than maybe you're just not a cruiser.

[daffodiliaz]

I hear ya. On our most recent (also our 5th) NCL cruise my DM remarked that maybe we need to put more time between cruises, try another line, or take a land vacation. Even the menus on NCL haven't changed in the past few years. Time for a refresh.

[luddite]

Not yet.

[Tyskie]

I agree, I LOVE cruising but I also like to see other things as well.

One year we went to the Finger Lakes Region of New York, traveling the wine and cheese trail. Another time we went to Alexandria Bay and the St. Lawrence Seaway..............Ballooning! :D Such fun! We also like renting a house at the shore for a week. There are endless possibilities!!! Go for it!!!

[weltek]

Agree, and changing lines wouldn't really fix that for us. Our attitude has changed over the last few years. For us, cruises are now our "relaxation vacations" and land-based trips are our "adventure vacations." We mix it up accordingly and enjoy them both. If it weren't for the newer ships offering new entertainment and structural experiences, we would probably be trying a different cruise line next year to mix up the experience. While I wish the MDR menus changed each calendar year, it's not a make or break difference for me personally.

[Beaver1975]

First let me say I'm not slamming NCL.

 

I've been on five cruises all with NCL. Just finished a cruise out of NYC. The cruise was fine, but I get that feeling that I've been there and done that in regards to cruising.

 

Not the excitement anymore...the cruise experience seems the same on every cruise.

 

The last two cruises Hawaii and Canada/New England we spend a lot of time in Honolulu and NYC after the cruise and had a lot more fun than on the cruise.

 

Anyone else get that feeling..

 

Number 36 is coming up in a few weeks and the shine hasn't worn off yet.;)

[tammy531]

I am not there yet...a cruise is a luxury for us. Camping (not tent..a 34 foot travel trailer so not roughing it!) is our usual vacation and we have been doing a cruise every 2-3 years. Keeps us from getting bored!

 

sent from my Samsung galaxy s3

[Arubamoose]

But only so far.....!

 

We've been mixing up our cruise vacations when we can. We try to spend some time before and after on land.

 

Last European cruise we sailed out of Rome and into Amsterdam. Spent a week before in Rome and a few days afterwards in Amsterdam. The next European cruise coming up we will do Rome again and end up with a few days in Venice. LOVE those 'repo' cruises. They satisfy the need to be a traveler rather than a tourist.

 

We've also been known to do some time in Florida ahead of a cruise.

 

We've been lucky to have the time to do longer vacations. But we do mix it up. Our upcoming vacation is our timeshare in Aruba.

[gooch47]

cruises are still our vacation of choice. obviously

 

But we did book a Sandals all-inclusive in March.

 

When we cruise Mexico or the Caribbean these days we either do a beach visit or stay on the boat. So we consider the all-inclusive we booked kind of like a cruise on dry land. We'll have to see if we enjoy it.

 

We are also considering a bus tour of the western USA. I've been to twice as many countries than states, especially states west of the Mississippi.

 

But cruises, so far, are our first love.

[Warm Breezes]

First let me say I'm not slamming NCL.

 

I've been on five cruises all with NCL. Just finished a cruise out of NYC. The cruise was fine, but I get that feeling that I've been there and done that in regards to cruising.

 

Not the excitement anymore...the cruise experience seems the same on every cruise.

 

The last two cruises Hawaii and Canada/New England we spend a lot of time in Honolulu and NYC after the cruise and had a lot more fun than on the cruise.

 

Anyone else get that feeling..

 

We got that feeling when we did 3 CCL cruises in row, so the next cruise we specifically did not include CCL ships in our options. Not that we didn't like CCL, but because we wanted something different. We also get that feeling when we take 2 cruises in a year. We tend to take a year off of cruising when that happens and do a land vacation or two....but the cruising bug always bites again. I think we will be cruising as long as our health allows it. Since we are only 47 now, I'm planning on a lot of years yet. I am sure we will be trying out as many different lines and destinations as we can to keep it from being the same thing every cruise. Once we retire and have more flexibility, that will be much easier to do.

[kcwingwalker]

I like to take a cruise about every 18 to 24 months. Once I did 2 in a 7 month period (different itinerary, different cruise lines) loved one cruise (NCL) and was miserable on the other (Carnival).

 

Last cruise was in 2012 and next will be 2014. I like having a breather between cruises and enjoy the anticipation of an upcoming cruise.

 

There's lots of great land vacations, so mixing things up is the way to go for me.

[Sequim88]

the cruise experience seems the same on every cruise.

 

Try a transatlantic repo for something different. There are activities onboard that are only really possible with a string of sea days. Very relaxing and the price per day is usually half of routine r/t itineraries. When we complete our 3rd TA next May of our five cruises only once will we have returned to the port we left from (San Juan). In other words destination crusing. With stops at Bermuda, Canary Is. or the Azores it can be a great way to see ports rarely stopped at. Flights before or after can be found for a reasonable amount so the total cost of cruise and air can be less than flying to a US port and back.

 

We're now searching for a transpacific itinerary or possibly a one-way from Vancouver to Hawaii for 2017 (40th anniversary). Maybe in conjunction with the great eclipse of the moon Aug. 21 that year.

[SissasMomE]

First let me say I'm not slamming NCL.

 

I've been on five cruises all with NCL. Just finished a cruise out of NYC. The cruise was fine, but I get that feeling that I've been there and done that in regards to cruising.

 

Not the excitement anymore...the cruise experience seems the same on every cruise.

 

The last two cruises Hawaii and Canada/New England we spend a lot of time in Honolulu and NYC after the cruise and had a lot more fun than on the cruise.

 

Anyone else get that feeling..

 

Yep! We cruised often as a family over the years because it was the most economical. Also, when kids are young, it's the best of both worlds. Mom and Dad get their time, and kids get the kids club and a ton of friends and fun. We are just about to the point of being over it. We have 2 booked for next year, and then we may be taking a break for awhile. Well, I know for sure we will have 1 more - cruising from CA to Hawaii .... not sure about any others right now.

[tiffygirl]

heck if i can live in the same city for 42 years, live in the same house for 20 plus years, work on on the same job every single day 20 plus years..., drive down the same Interstate in the same car for the last 10 years..., look at the the same man day afta day for 16 years (well until:eek::rolleyes:)....... the thought of me being 'over' a cruise on the big blue sea, in the caribbean, alaska, mexico, hawaill ect... once or 2x a year....??Naaah im NOT their yet!! Im just getting started... LOL :D Im jussayin'

[QuiGonJohn]

Sailed on Premier Cruise Line in 1994 and on Carnival in 1999. My cruise next Sept, on the Sun, from Anchorage to Vancouver will be my first cruise in over 15 years. Aside from some day cruises like Discovery out of Ft Lauderdale.

 

Work and a lot of independent travel to Australia, San Francisco, Grand Canyon, Boston, as well as visiting family vacations, have been my mainstay over this past decade plus.

 

One reason is that I like to spend a lot of time really getting to see a place when I travel. Even Australia I had 3 days in Sydney (and multiple days in the other locations we visited), much more time than on a typical cruise port. SF we spent 6 days and Boston we spent 5 days. On a cruise, I could not have gone to a game at Fenway and stayed until just before midnight, at the end of the 14th inning of what became a 15 inning game, like I did on 7/31, (BTW the Sox beat the Mariners that night :D). Or stay out walking around town, hitting pubs, or doing late night ghost tours or other things I really like to do when traveling.

 

However, for seeing the ice, glaciers, etc. in Alaska, I felt a cruise was better suited for this kind of sightseeing.

[terrymtex01]

First let me say I'm not slamming NCL.

 

I've been on five cruises all with NCL. Just finished a cruise out of NYC. The cruise was fine, but I get that feeling that I've been there and done that in regards to cruising.

 

Not the excitement anymore...the cruise experience seems the same on every cruise.

 

The last two cruises Hawaii and Canada/New England we spend a lot of time in Honolulu and NYC after the cruise and had a lot more fun than on the cruise.

 

Anyone else get that feeling..

 

 

If that is the case, I would say cruising just isn't for you.

[pacmktg]

My wife and I love to cruise but we break up the routine. We own a time share in Playa Del Carmen which we visit for 2 weeks every other year. In the opposite years we spend a week in Nashville for the CMA MUsic Fest.

 

We always take 2 vacations a year. The other is a cruise, a family visit, a week long motorcycle ride, or a land based adventure.

 

Variety is the spice of life. I plan on staying with the best wife a man could have, so I must get my variety another way.

[CruzLover80]

If that is the case, I would say cruising just isn't for you.

 

I don't necessarily think that's true for the OP. They may be just a little burned out from the same. Switching cruise lines, land based vacations or allowing more time between cruises typically will deal with that.

 

Next year we have a cruise on the Epic booked but we are also doing a road trip to DC. Variety is definitely the spice of life. By the time I get on the Epic next year, I would've done 3 Carnival cruises in a row. We wanted to change it up a little.