Help needed in convincing wife not to cancel WC

[dirtgirl]

Friends of mine are booked on the Prinsendam 68 night cruise around South America. The wife is really balking about being on a ship that length of time. They have a balcony cabin, but she is also worried about getting fed up with her husband, getting sick, etc. They also only have traditional dining - no Anytime. The husband really wants to go. They are at odds with each other!:rolleyes:

 

Do you experts have any comforting words of advice for this couple? How did you deal with her above-mentioned fears?

[zoncom]

Wife may be right. What is their age group? I read Prinsdam has oldest cruiser clientele of any HAL ship. Have either of them done a long cruise on any HAL ship?Was on one HAL; found it to be a floating nursing home.Princess doing a long SA cruise in Jan. 15, on Ruby.

[dirtgirl]

Wife may be right. What is their age group? I read Prinsdam has oldest cruiser clientele of any HAL ship. Have either of them done a long cruise on any HAL ship?Was on one HAL; found it to be a floating nursing home.Princess doing a long SA cruise in Jan. 15, on Ruby.

 

 

They are in their 60's, and have done one cruise in their entire life - a 7 night Alaska! Then they dove right in with this one.

[PeteBull64]

I have to agree with zoncon,

 

Ruby leaves miami on the jan 31st around SA.

 

Ruby solves it all, more activities, anytime dining, cheaper ....

 

My 2 cents

 

Pete

[dirtgirl]

Thank you - I looked at it and will tell them about it. I know he wanted to do the Panama Canal, Machu Picchu, and go up the Amazon, but they don't do any of those with the Ruby. It will have to be a compromise situation, I think! ;)

[Waynetor]

Going from a single 7 day to 68 days is a big jump

 

When they got off the 7 day did they feel like that was nice or did they feel like they were just getting settled in and its time to get off.

 

Have they done any other type of vacation over 30 days. If so how did that work out.

 

A long cruise will have multiple sea days in a row - They need to be aware of what typical activities there are to do and be happy. Some people love sea days and others find them extremely boring.

 

As far as getting sick normal precautions will take care of many possible issues. If eating off the ship stay away from street vendors. If ship movement was any issues on the 7 day, then take along medicine for motion sickness. Most of the S/A cruise will not be too bad but it can be rough around the southern tip.

 

Another issues is the type of excursion they like to do. Reading ahead about the ports and what the highlights are will be helpful. Make sure they join the roll call especially if they like small group private tours.

 

Planning thier own excursions can be cheaper and you get to see what you want while the ships excursions save planning/research time.

 

Most people that do long cruise work their way up (partly due to working days vs retirement). Some people find the longer the merrier while others find after a couple weeks they are happy to go back to their regular routine. On a long cruise you need to be prepared to be away from friend/family/pets/ sports/organizations etc. for that period. There is internet but not much else to connect to home.

 

I did meet a women on a 30 trans Pacific cruise that was doing her first ever cruise and she was loving it - it was on her husbands bucket list but passed away before he got the chance so she did it in his memory

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Maybe they should do a 21 day first ..

[zoncom]

Dirt girl, sell them on Infinity, does 14Ners starting Dec 4. Do as many or few as they want. Priced right too.

[CaveDiving]

We will be on the very same Prinsendam 68 day trip around South America next January. It will be the latest of a number of extended cruises we have enjoyed.

 

The wife’s concerns can be viewed in a simple form. I have found that couples who enjoy each other’s company and are content to be alone together, will usually enjoy extended cruising. But if there is friction, then living in a single room for over two months may prove difficult.

 

On any long cruise, it is not reasonable to expect the cruise line to fill every waking moment with fun filled activities. There will be lots to do but there will also be time to spend just enjoying being with your spouse or being alone.

 

If the thought of this much togetherness is causing significant concern, then perhaps your friends ought to reconsider the cruise. But if the excitement of meeting new and different people, seeing new vistas and new having unusual adventures is eating away at you then the other concerns seem to fade into the background.

 

Extended cruising can easily become a rather pleasant, easy going life style.

 

Scott & Karen

[koonard]

Well ..... she could get fed up with her husband on land and also get sick ! so whats to lose ? Go .... we only live once.

[glojo]

We will be on the very same Prinsendam 68 day trip around South America next January. It will be the latest of a number of extended cruises we have enjoyed.

 

The wife’s concerns can be viewed in a simple form. I have found that couples who enjoy each other’s company and are content to be alone together, will usually enjoy extended cruising. But if there is friction, then living in a single room for over two months may prove difficult.

 

On any long cruise, it is not reasonable to expect the cruise line to fill every waking moment with fun filled activities. There will be lots to do but there will also be time to spend just enjoying being with your spouse or being alone.

 

If the thought of this much togetherness is causing significant concern, then perhaps your friends ought to reconsider the cruise. But if the excitement of meeting new and different people, seeing new vistas and new having unusual adventures is eating away at you then the other concerns seem to fade into the background.

 

Extended cruising can easily become a rather pleasant, easy going life style.

That is just about the most perfect answer to a question that I have rewad for many a day :)

 

My wife and I took our first cruise last year.. It lasted for 118 days

 

If someone had come up to us and said here are two tickets to do that same trip again and you sail tomorrow. We would have snapped them up before you could say 'Ahh'

 

Horses for courses.

 

The only folks that can answer this question is the couple themselves and if there is ANY doubt then they really need to think long and hard about going :)

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thank you - I looked at it and will tell them about it. I know he wanted to do the Panama Canal, Machu Picchu, and go up the Amazon, but they don't do any of those with the Ruby. It will have to be a compromise situation, I think! ;)

Holland does on the Grand South America and we are 59/60

[Floridiana]

Compromise: A pre-cruise trip to Machu Pichu, can be done without the high price charged by the cruise line. Board the ship in Lima, go through the Panama Canal and up to Florida. We cruised with HAL and no, it is not an old people's line, but long cruises attract retirees.

[take us away]

Had a somewhat similar problem with my DH. I cruised a lot before we were married - he never had. Our 1st cruise was 10 days and by day 4 he was pacing and wanted to sweep the engine room, swab the deck or whatever. He survived. Next cruise was 28 days to the Amazon and got him to do a bunch of the port research, etc, we bought Kindles and loaded them up, he started walking the deck and attending the lectures - and all of a sudden, he 'figured out' cruising. We did a lot together but also did our own thing now and again for shows, movies, tours, ship activities, etc. Then we retired and cruised for 9 months to see the world and cross off as much as we could from our bucket lists and he did not want to go home. Did a 21-day this past fall and he complained about how short it was! We have created a monster!

 

On a 78-day Asian cruise, met a lady in the laundry room who's husband was confined to a wheel chair. They had just retired and this was their 1st cruise - ever! Asked why and she said that it just didn't seem worth it to pack for only a few days. They were having a blast exploring the world.

 

We have met some amazing people on longer cruises, many have remained friends, and a several we continue to sail with again and again. We have met 16 year-olds who are home schooled, 90 year-olds that we could not keep up with, mostly retired people it is true but wonderful people. A friend once said that when on vacation, you meet travelers and tourists. It is definitely travelers on the longer cruises.

 

My advice - get her into researching ports and taking an active role in cruise planning. BTW - Antarctica is one of the most magnificent things I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing and grand cruises are very special!

Edited May 19, 2015 by take us away

[glojo]

Here I am again answering a similar question with guess a similar answer.

 

My thoughts regarding this type of holiday is down to the individuals and how we get along with our other half.

 

If we cannot stand being confined together in a small space or cabin, then does it matter how long the cruise will be?

 

If you enjoy each others company, enjoy travelling, enjoy wanting to see the World, enjoy seeing other cultures, enjoy mixing with folks from other countries..

 

Then what a blast

 

What a holiday.

 

My wife is my very, very best of friends and whilst we have been married for 46 years, I still enjoy every second I spend with her and being on a cruise ship keeps you close together ;):):)

Edited May 19, 2015 by glojo

[Lakesregion]

In as much as you take yourself with you no matter where you go, one day or 100 days is how you make it. 68 days is barely enough time to get the bags unpacked. I prefer the 100 day plus voyages. At any rate, there is always plenty to do or nothing if that is what you prefer. The traditional dining is always my choice as you meet scads of interesting people. Now if you are singular in nature and prefer just the two of you and really as per the OP there may be some friction, then maybe not any type of together vacation. If he wants to go, send him and he will have a blast. Let his significant other stay home.