Why Keep Cruising?

[Karysa]

Some people really like the perks that they have with a line that they have cruised often. That's not a big reason for us. If the itinerary and date line up for us on a cruiseline that lacks what we are looking for which is generally great food, we just pay for the dining package and make sure that our port days are filled with great excursions.

[marco]

Sometimes too, someone will post something as a comment or observation but others perceive it as a complaint.

[calliopecruiser]

Better the familiar mediocre, than the risk of unknown greatness? I've heard some phrase like that. Always thought it was the key to success of the roadhouse chains...

LOL....I thought it was "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know"

[Beachdude]

Sometimes too, someone will post something as a comment or observation but others perceive it as a complaint.

 

I must admit that I don't get folks who are offended by criticism on this board, the name of this forum is Cruise Critic after all. Many members here take criticism of the ship or cruise line personally as if they are the owners . What they should do is learn to pass the discussions they know will upset them.

 

As for this discussion, we switch cruise lines to get those special things other cruises don't offer so our cruise experience will be more special. But that is becoming more challenging because as the lines cut back on services because the major cruise lines experiences are becoming more and more a like.

 

Burt

[Hlitner]

Great thread. Lets see if I can paraphrase some of what we hear on cruises. Cruiser to me - "I am getting bored with cruising and will probably do something else in the future." Me - "how many cruise lines have you cruised?" Cruiser- "Only this line....because I am loyal." Me: [smiles and nods}.

 

We have been cruising since around 1975 and still cruise 70 - 100+ days a year. During that long period of time we have cruised on 14 cruise lines (plus 2 River cruise lines) and over 65 different vessels (we have lost the actual count). Some lines that used to be among our favorites (like NCL and RCI) no longer get our business because those lines are not what we want at this point in time. Bottom line is that when we have major issues with a particular cruise line...we simply take our business elsewhere. If an itinerary gets boring, we go elsewhere (have cruised to around 6 continents).

 

To us, the "loyalty" word is overused, abused, and a crock! "Loyal" to what? A cruise line? Airline? etc. They should be loyal to their customers...not the other way round. Our loyalty is only as good as our latest experience. If a line continues to meet our wants and needs at our price....then we will be loyal enough to give them more business. But if they change (like RCI and NCL) in ways we do not like....we say farewell and move on to other companies.

 

As to complaining here on CC, lets keep in mind the board is called Cruise "Critic." We do our share of complaining with the hope that the cruise line's will take heed and perhaps make positive corrections (and this does happen). HAL recently (and finally) banned smoking on passenger balconies....partially because of thousands of complaints here on CC (and in their after cruise evaluations). We certainly added our share of complaints about their smoking policy and our prayers were answered. About thirty years ago RCCI (now RCI) employees used to harass passengers for "outstanding" evaluations. This always happened at the end of the cruise and it became quite annoying. A group of CC posters complained about the practice here on CC. Somebody at RCCL Headquarters (Miami) printed out all the complaints, called in all the Dining Room Managers for a mass meeting, and told them to stop the practice! It stopped :). We know this because on particular Dining Room Manager was a personal friend...and he actually saw one of my posts while in Miami (go figure). My point is that telling it like it is....can have a beneficial impact.

 

Hank

[calliopecruiser]

Great thread. Lets see if I can paraphrase some of what we hear on cruises. Cruiser to me - "I am getting bored with cruising and will probably do something else in the future." Me - "how many cruise lines have you cruised?" Cruiser- "Only this line....because I am loyal." Me: [smiles and nods}.

 

You make it sound like one can't be bored with cruising if they've not sampled a bunch of different lines, but I think that's a crock. Well, unless a change in decor is enough to keep you from getting bored, LOL. Cruising is a particular type of travel that will never be all things to all people, regardless of which lines you are on or not. Switching from Carnival to Celebrity to Oceania to HAL won't change the fact that you are at sea, that you are around the same people daily, that the food choices are limited by the kitchen and storage, and that you are in the same small hotel room. Some people don't care about those things -- in fact, some people like them -- but some people want something different. Maybe sleeping in the same room each night doesn't appeal any more (that "unpack once" idea); maybe they want to cook their own meals; maybe they want to spend more than 8 hours in a city; maybe they.......there are lots of possible reasons.

[Hlitner]

You make it sound like one can't be bored with cruising if they've not sampled a bunch of different lines, but I think that's a crock. Well, unless a change in decor is enough to keep you from getting bored, LOL. Cruising is a particular type of travel that will never be all things to all people, regardless of which lines you are on or not. Switching from Carnival to Celebrity to Oceania to HAL won't change the fact that you are at sea, that you are around the same people daily, that the food choices are limited by the kitchen and storage, and that you are in the same small hotel room. Some people don't care about those things -- in fact, some people like them -- but some people want something different. Maybe sleeping in the same room each night doesn't appeal any more (that "unpack once" idea); maybe they want to cook their own meals; maybe they want to spend more than 8 hours in a city; maybe they.......there are lots of possible reasons.

 

I agree with all you say, which is why we also do many extended land trips (usually with a rental car) around the world. But my post was specifically referring to folks that generally like cruising,, but then find themselves bored. In the context that you cite, we can agree :).

 

Hank

[iancal]

We are doing less cruising and more independent travel. Partly because the US dollar is expensive for us and partly because the cruise experience either does not take us where we want to go or does not spend enough time in the places that it does so.

 

We have a South America cruise coming up. Fourteen days, with another six/seven weeks of independent travel wrapped around it. The cruise will serve as a bit of a break. Same in Europe if we take a cruise. We are tired of Caribbean cruises and now that we escape the winter SE Asia has more attraction to us. But the cruise itineraries in that area are not to our liking.

[navybankerteacher]

You are not the poster I'm speaking of. :) I actually spent an hour or so today looking through O's website and comparing O, Azamara and Crystal. I'd really love to sail Crystal, but I honestly don't think I have the wardrobe for it. My clothes are so pedestrian.

 

I assume you mean "non-equestrian" rather than the more literal "street walker" reminiscent of Julia Roberts' working outfit in "Pretty Woman".

[OCruisers]

Good Post!

I also wonder. :confused:

A couple told us while waiting to board the ship that it would be their third cruise on this same ship and hoped it would be better than their past two because they were horrid.

Why on earth would they take a cruise on a ship they hated? :confused:

LuLu

[Big_G]

Even stranger, there are some people who start threads here on CC that took ONE cruise on a line over 10 YEARS ago, hated it, but continues to beat that cruise line up on these boards over TEN years later. Strange behavior indeed. 😁

 

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