Love cruising, hate flying...

[ElvisandTracey]

Here's a questions for all of you-

 

I live in Los Angeles, and cruising is really easy from here, as long as you want to go to Meixico!!

 

Except for a few random cruises to Hawaii or Canada, I have 3-5 hour flights to just about any cruise I go on-I am not a good flyer...I do it, but hate it, and things like the JetBlue issue this week make it worse...

 

Any ideas out there-I love Voyager class ships, so I am always looking at 5 hour flights to either Orlando, Miami or Ft. Laud.

 

I have considered Amtrak, but takes like 3-4 days, and not cheap-

 

Bus-no way!!!

 

ANyone knowof other options that I don't know about?? Besides therapy, of course-

[Retired not Expired]

1. Win the lotery.

 

2. Buy a home in Florida.

 

3. Take a repo cruise LA to Miami in the fall.

 

4. Live in Florida home in winter while taking cruises.

 

5. Take spring repo cruise back to LA.

[katydyd]

Medication...medication....medication!! LOL! I am a HORRIBLE flyer, I used to burst into tears anytime we hit ANY turbulence. However, I love to travel! My doctor prescribed Atavan for me for when I fly. It's a mild tranquilizer, that I take the morning before we leave....and I don't have any problems getting on a plane anymore. My DH has been very grateful that I talked to my doctor about it. Other than driving, taking the train, or taking the bus (ack!), there aren't a whole lot of options. You could take a cruise through the Panama Canal....that might be fun!!

[ElvisandTracey]

1. Win the lotery.

 

2. Buy a home in Florida.

 

3. Take a repo cruise LA to Miami in the fall.

 

4. Live in Florida home in winter while taking cruises.

 

5. Take spring repo cruise back to LA.

 

 

1. Still trying....

 

2. Can hardly afford my home in LA.

 

3. Not a bad idea-which ship, and what date??-If you are being serious,I could do that, then do a second week to the Caribbean-of couse, #1 would make this a lot easlier as well...and I still need to get home!!

 

4. See #2.

 

5. See #1.

 

always with the jokes, I like that about you...

 

But I am SERIOUS-it's not fair that those of us on this coast are stuck with the Vision or the Monarch, and that's it-the Vision is nice, the Monarch I am done with after 2 cruises in 2004 and their sewage crisis of late-

 

I have a time share in Mexico,so its not a big deal for me to go there, cruise or otherwise.

 

How can I get to Florida without flying?? Someone could make a fortune if they could solve this question-look at John Madden-weekly games all over the country, and he refuses to fly-a man after my own heart-I guess if I had his paycheck, my problem would be solved with a luxury trailer and driver to boot-

 

Alas, I still am forced to fly, unless there's a LA-FL bullet train I don't know about!!!

[alw1977]

Seriously, your best option is to try medication. You have anxiety, and probably panic attacks, when flying. Happens to me too. But, let's be realistic here. It's hard to live a life where you want to be active and travel if this irrational (and it IS irrational) fear of flying takes hold. Do some research - the most dangerous part of flying is the drive to the airport. I've never known anyone who had died in a plane crash, but I know a half-dozen or so people who've died in car wrecks, and I'm only 28. You can't get to FL easily without flying. Period. So here's what to do (and I speak from experience as a white knuckle flyer):

 

1. Go to your doctor and explain your panic attacks when flying. They will likely give you Xanax, the most wonderful drug ever created. You need to take it before your flight a few times to gauge the correct dosage. For example, I am a 130-lb woman who takes a dosage usually designed for a 200+lb man. But, that's what it takes to calm me down, and I feel normal again a few hours after arriving at my destination.

 

2. Read more about flying and fear. There is an EXCELLENT series of articles on abcnews.com called "Things that go bump in the flight" - it really explains a lot about what those noises and bumps are and exactly how much a plane can withstand. Think about this: excepting 9/11 - where the planes weren't brought down by mechanical failure, weather, etc - how many commercial airline accidents have there been in the US in the past 5 years? I can only think of 2 or 3, and millions (or billions) of people fly every year. Flying is the third safest mode of transportation - behind escalators and elevators - not lying. I've read a lot on this subject, as I too have a fear of flying. I still "white knuckle" every now and again, but I know that flying is necessary in order to do the things I want to do in life. The fear is just not a limitation I'm willing to accept. Here's a link to that abcnews article and another great one- I suggest reading both, it helped me a lot. Good luck:

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7549546/

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/FlyingHigh/story?id=700460&page=1

[groovy gran]

hi

My dh and i hate to fly as well but love to cruise more.

Coming from the uk we always have long flights.

Our next cruise goes from san juan so we have a 7 hour flight to new york

and then a 4 hour flight to san juan.If only we could cruise the caribean and only

have a 5 hour flight we would be in heaven.

Happy cruising.:D

[ElvisandTracey]

alw1977-I know, but I hate feeling drugged-I am the girl that had a C-section and NEVER took the percocet they prescribed for me-I stuck to plain old Motrin because I'm a control freak and don't like meds-but being a control freak is also why I hate to fly...

 

I still do it-just got back from Maui on Sunday-horrible flight, due to bad weather-the flight attendants JUMPED into passenger seats an hour into the flight because it was so bumpy they couldn't make it up front to their jump seats-hate it.

 

But I also travel with my 2 kids, so that gives me another reason to not want to take meds-so I'm screwed-

 

If I could find a one-day speed train coast to coast, I'd be in heaven-I LOVE trains-though I'm sure that statistically, trains are way more dangerous than planes-I don't care, trains stay on the ground, where humans are meant to be, not up in the air like birds!!!

 

SO, I will keep flying, and keep hating it-

[alw1977]

Well, then I guess I don't understand your question. Planes, trains, automobiles - that's pretty much it until they develop some new type of time travel. Just so you know, it's silly to suffer (b/c that's what you are doing) by not taking some sort of meds to calm your nerves. The stress alone probably makes you want to collapse when you get to your destination. Even if you took a mild dose, it would be better than what you currently go through. My sister also has children and still takes a mild dose of anxiety meds when she flies - mainly b/c she doesn't want to pass this fear on to her children (meaning, if they see her freak out, they'll think flying is terrbile too). Best of luck to you - I still say meds are the best - changed my life.

[Retired not Expired]

My fears is heights. I still go up on the roof when neccessary but it ain't fun. I know I could make it if I lose an arm because I do all the work I must do up there with one hand. The other is holding on for dear life.

 

My only problem with flying is the tight quarters the airlines gives you for seats now. I have a bad disc in my back making it painful to sit more than about two hours. Not many places you can stand for a few minutes every couple of hours on a full plane. So what have we done. Booked a tour to Beijing and Hong Kong, China in five weeks. That's a 13 1/2 hour flight over and about 12 coming back. I may stay awake for two days before leaving and hope I sleep through it.

[sonnykub]

Oh my...that's something close to home for me. The last time I went to visit relatives in the UK, I had to practically shoot DH with a tranquilizer dart or something! Luckily, he was feeling no pain with a few Xanax and vodka chasers. :-)

 

Some thing that have really helped out is our love of cruising - and the fact that there are many lovely repositioning cruises out there that we can coordinate with a reasonable train ride.

 

If you are looking for some reposition cruises from LA (or even San Diego) do a search for some of the Panama Canal cruises on the RCCL website. There are many that "reposition" from LA/San Diego to Fort Lauderdale/Miami. Unfortunately, some do take 12-14 nights...so I wouldn't say you could combine this with a 7 night cruise (unless you want a 21+ day holiday), but many of the stops are to nice caribbean/central american locales. Besides, isn't the Panama Canal something everyone should see at least once in their lifetime? I think so!

 

From my experience, it's easier for us to take local cruises (from Florida - before living in FL, we took the train from TX to cruise or went out of Galveston), but we do the occasional long journey since it gets repetitious doing the same ports over and over. We're doing the JOS reposition on November 1st from Boston to Fort Lauderdale, so it's a quick (well, considering Amtrak) day+ journey from Orlando to Boston, and then home again!

 

Cutting the train time in half by considering a 1-way cruise might be an option for you as well. One thing to consider is that it'd be a 1-way plane ride as well...which might be easier to deal with than a round-trip flight.

 

Cheers!

 

-Steve

[cincicruisers]

I agree with the xanax. I hate to get on the plane but love to cruise. I always travel with my BF and he gives me one about 10-15 minutes before the flight. Still makes me nervous as heck,,, but I get on the flight, relaxed during the flight and then I get to get on the ship and all is well!

[PhoenixCruiser]

The Navigator is moving to California in 2007.

 

###

[timber.cruiser]

I won't, don't, and will not fly! So, I plan, dream, save and DH gets time off work.. Spring 2006: Rent car one-way from Louisville to Ft Lauderdale, then 14-day trans-Atlantic to England, a 12-Baltics cruise from England, then QM2 England to NYC, rent car one-way to Louisville.

 

Spring 2007: Rent car to Ft Lauderdale, then B2B from Ft Lauderdale thru Canal to San Diego, roundtrip Hawaii, then rent car from CA to KY.

 

I won't fly, but I can travel around the world by ship, just takes planning and a bit of driving, but well worth it.

 

We've also taken Amtrak and DH won't go overnight without a sleeper. I just consider it part of the vacation budget and adventure.

 

Good Luck!

[hstrybuf]

I've never really liked flying, but I've learned to deal with it. The time it takes is what bothers me, especially if we have to catch a connecting flight. Why don't they just invent the transporter! ;)

[PVDCruiser]

Here's a questions for all of you-

 

I live in Los Angeles, and cruising is really easy from here, as long as you want to go to Meixico!!

 

Except for a few random cruises to Hawaii or Canada, I have 3-5 hour flights to just about any cruise I go on-I am not a good flyer...I do it, but hate it, and things like the JetBlue issue this week make it worse...

 

Any ideas out there-I love Voyager class ships, so I am always looking at 5 hour flights to either Orlando, Miami or Ft. Laud.

 

I have considered Amtrak, but takes like 3-4 days, and not cheap-

 

Bus-no way!!!

 

ANyone knowof other options that I don't know about?? Besides therapy, of course-

 

I completely understand your fear! Even though I'm an aviation nerd, sometimes I still get nervous before takeoff on some flights. Honestly, I'm surprised that more people aren't scared about flying, because folks, let's face it, you're hurling through the sky at 500mph in an aluminum tube. :D

 

Regarding the JetBlue incident, try to think positively. This event showed the intense training that pilots go through and show you that you're in good hands.

[comfortcove]

You simply have to get over it. I think it is a loss of control issue, and the more the news is bad, and it sure has been for about four years, flyers are fearful. Remind yourself of the positive statistics, take deep beaths, have a beer or take benadryl. It will relieve any cabin pressure and cool you out, Good Luck, If you want to travel sometimes you must fly!

[barbyma]

alw1977-I know, but I hate feeling drugged-I am the girl that had a C-section and NEVER took the percocet they prescribed for me-I stuck to plain old Motrin because I'm a control freak and don't like meds-but being a control freak is also why I hate to fly...

 

I had 2 C-sections and actually found the Motrin/Tylenol combo worked better than Morphine. But, that's off-track.

 

But I also travel with my 2 kids, so that gives me another reason to not want to take meds-so I'm screwed-

 

If I remember your previous posts correctly, you are not alone, right? So, I submit that you let DH take care of the kids. Believe me, he'd rather do that than deal with your stress on top of it.

 

Xanax truly is a wonder. It won't make you feel out of control. It will relax you and allow you to sleep on the plane. I'm not afraid of flying, but I've actually taken Xanax in the past just to help me rest (I was too excited about my Egypt trip to sleep beforehand!).

 

Barb

[NeepierRoad]

I, too, am a fearful flier. More so though from the time I buy the ticket up to boarding the plane. Then I just dread the next three hours (usually travel up and down the east coast). I just finished reading the article from msnbc and now I have a whole new set of worries! I can handle me being nervous (suffer in silence) but I count on everyone else I fly with to be stronger than me. Now I have to worry about those who don't suffer in silence too!!! I'll save the article from abcnews for later reading.

 

Man oh man, I'm flying on Friday to New Jersey and I think I will personally poll all my flight companions and find those who don't fly well and stay the heck away from them!!!

 

So far, I agree with all that's been written regarding the fear of flying being totally irrational if only someone would convince my mind of these things as well!

 

Take care!

Carol

[coolshop]

I have a horrible fear of flying. I will give you my best advice - and this has worked wonders for me.

 

Go to http://www.fearofflying.com/

 

This is a service provided by a retired pilot who is also a therapist. I have

 

-- done a 1 hour phone session with him which I found very helpful. He talks with you for an hour, and gives you 'exercises' (mental) to do before your flight which help very much

 

-- buy his 10 DVD set and watch it. It is FANTASTIC. After watching it and going through some of the exercises I am much more relaxed with flying.

 

I have no affiliation with them. I am just telling you what worked for me. Best of luck!

[CatsnVegas]

I have a horrible fear of flying. I will give you my best advice - and this has worked wonders for me.

 

Go to http://www.fearofflying.com/

 

This is a service provided by a retired pilot who is also a therapist. I have

 

-- done a 1 hour phone session with him which I found very helpful. He talks with you for an hour, and gives you 'exercises' (mental) to do before your flight which help very much

 

-- buy his 10 DVD set and watch it. It is FANTASTIC. After watching it and going through some of the exercises I am much more relaxed with flying.

 

I have no affiliation with them. I am just telling you what worked for me. Best of luck!

 

 

I was going to suggest this very site as a way to help. I too am terrified of flying (actually it's the crashing part that scares me) but we're booked on a cruise out of Vancouver next year (my dream of a lifetime vacation) and the only way to get there is flying. I've done the course and I think it helped alot. I'm going to have my husband with me so I think it's going to be easier than the last time I flew (major panic attack) and it's only a 2 hour 45 minute flight so I'm planning on getting through it...I keep looking at it this way, the flight gets me to my cruise and that's all I want!

 

Good luck in whatever way you decide to handle it and remember, YOUR DEFINITELY NOT ALONE! ;)

 

[reeran]

Tou could book a repo cruise and just hang around Florida for return repo cruise!:D :D :D

[mrg0433]

I love cruising out of California since our young grandsons live there. We did the Hawaii cruise this year. We want to do the cruise to Alcapulco next time or even the cruise through the Panama Canal. Last year we considered the repositioning cruise from Seattle to Alaska and down the coast of California. You could always do that cruise and take the coastal train from LA to Seattle before the cruise. I noticed this year that there was an Alaska cruise leaving from San Francisco too over the summer months.

 

We ended up doing the Mexican Riviera from LA a couple years ago and enjoyed it--as well as the Catalina Island--Mexico cruise. Things could be worse if you lived in the middle of the country and hated to fly--but that wouldn't stop me either because I would drive if I had to. We are driving from Massachusetts to Florida in February and will be taking a cruise while we are vacationing there.

 

Next month we are cruising out of Boston on the Jewel of the Seas to the Caribbean- Bermuda and can't wait. Last December we took NCL's Dawn from NY to the Southern Caribbean and absolutely loved freestyle dining and the ship. One day from NY and we were in the tropical gulf stream waters. The Fall in New England is wonderful, and adding a caribbean cruise makes it even better.

 

Mary

Plymouth, MA

[jaxon41]

Add me to the group who doesn't like to fly. I had almost given up, and started to take trains on a couple of trips, but then my doc prescribed Xanax. My heart used to beat like a mad drum the entire flight until Xanax. I take my Xanax and then one drink, and you can't keep me awake (I'll only sleep by adding the drink). I had never ever been able to sleep on a plane prior to this regime -- but be sure you talk to your doc, as mixing alcohol with it is not advised. It's not that heavy turbulance will not frighten you, but you will be able to tolerate it. I don't know if Xanax has an amnesiac effect, but I don't remember the flights afterward. I generally get 2 to 3 hours of sleep, and have no hang over. On long flights, I have taken a 24 hr release, and those can give me a mild headache, but the regular tabs 1 mg (? could be mcg) vs 2 mg 24 hr released, doesn't give me one.

[nerak]

My daughter (20) hates flying...we were leaving Vancouver in June on a small prop jet and she was TERRIFIED. She was shaking so much I thought the plane would not make it up from HER turbulance. Anyway, the flight attendant saw her fear, gave me a knowing look, then came by and asked if she could name all 11 body parts that contain only 3 letters. It occupied her whole trip and involved everyone around us. We were all so thankful for that attendant. ;) Maybe something that simple as keeping your mind very occupied would help??? For me, I would rather fly than drive across town so I can't be much help other than this. Good luck.

[Happy ks]

My boss will have to travel from So. Cal. to Washington DC later this month. She said the Jet Blue has the best flight times available, but she was a bit worried over this weeks news. I told her Jet Blue will probably be the safest airline to take for a while, since they will be under the scope for a while and need to repair image.

 

To those who prefer to drive, I've always felt (have even read) that air travel is far safer than driving. Not wanting to look up statistics, there are many, many more accidents and fatalities with cars than planes. I'm not one who loves to fly, but it is preferrable to putting up with all the lousy drivers out there. I just stick my head into the current trash magazine and let the pilot handle the ride.

 

That and getting there in 5 hours, not 3-5 days. I would agonize more over sitting in a car all day than 5 hours in a plane.

 

The repo cruises sound like an alternative, but then you would have to wait for the cruise season to end where you go to get a repo back home again.