Why Do You Cruise?

[Aquahound]

9 hours ago, scottca075 said:

a) to unplug - when I am on a land based vacation I am never free from my office and devices

 

I totally agree!  That's one thing I love about cruising.  However, it's very disappointing that we're starting to see more and more people glued to their devices on ships due to today's connectivity options.  Not that I care that they're device addicted, but the irritation of someone's bright screen in front of you in the dark theater is something that never used to be an issue.  

[Lindaru]

1 hour ago, Aquahound said:

 

I totally agree!  That's one thing I love about cruising.  However, it's very disappointing that we're starting to see more and more people glued to their devices on ships due to today's connectivity options.  Not that I care that they're device addicted, but the irritation of someone's bright screen in front of you in the dark theater is something that never used to be an issue.  

 

We turn our flip-phone off until we are in ports and keep my tablet off until we are back in our room.  No carrying devices around the ship for us.  We are there to experience the atmosphere, the food, the shopping, the shows we wish to attend, and that is best done without a device to distract us.

 

[Ombud]

8 hours ago, clo said:

How so?  Not being argumentative but your comment is a little light on details 🙂

Flights the same. But I spend an average $200+ per night in hotels if I'm lucky (usually more) & 3 meals a day & entertainment VS $200 a day on a stateroom / meals & entertainment are included. Anyway that's what I spend for my city based annual trip.

[BarbinMich]

We've been married 50+ yrs and we did many land-based vacations in the US and Canada both before and after we had kids.  All those trips were driving or fly-drive to more distant places (although we've driven to Alberta CN several times because DH has relatives out that way).  We took our first cruise (in the Caribbean) in 1994 and were hooked even though that first ship was a small Celebrity-affiliated line's ship that used to sail between the UK and S Africa.  We then did cruises on  X ships to Alaska and the Caribbean.  Our first truly intl cruise (Rome to Copenhagen) was on the old Regal Princess in 2003 and that has been our "go-to" line ever since with a few exceptions.  We cruise because it's relatively no hassle (altho I always loved planning our land trips), offers entertainment we don't see at home, has slot machines <g>, gives us a way to get to Europe or thru the Panama Canal with only one intl flight, etc.  We are never bored on sea days of which we've had many!

[calliopecruiser]

13 hours ago, clo said:

We 'did' Turkey on an escorted land tour.  It was incredible.  A total bucket list trip.  You couldn't do it on a cruise.

Not fully, but I think it would be the most enjoyable way to do it solo - I'd only be with a tour group for part of my vacation.

[clo]

12 hours ago, Ombud said:

Flights the same. But I spend an average $200+ per night in hotels if I'm lucky (usually more) & 3 meals a day & entertainment VS $200 a day on a stateroom / meals & entertainment are included. Anyway that's what I spend for my city based annual trip.

Ah, gotcha.  I spend far less in, say SF or NYC, so that where I got off track.

[ger_77]

Initially I liked cruising because DH is a type A personality and was involved in so many things - cruising meant he couldn't be reached by phone, so he could relax and enjoy the time away.  Now that we're both retired, we love to see different parts of the world and sample places where we'd like to return.  Case in point:  Barcelona - we stopped there on one cruise and have been back 3 times.  We like to start our cruises in Barcelona by going about a week (or even longer) ahead of time so we can explore, and enjoy all that is Barcelona and areas around.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

[lenquixote66]

On 9/20/2019 at 12:50 PM, WoodstockGirl said:

Have lately been "analyzing" the whole cruising dynamic with family members.  DH and I often tell people we have "two categories of cruises": 1. Caribbean and 2. Everywhere Else. A Caribbean cruise is simply to get away during the winter, to relax, be pampered, be warm, be entertained, let someone else cook (and serve and clean up), etc.  Whereas the "Everywhere Else" cruises are to actually get off the ship in various locations, tour around and sight see.  Two different motivations and purposes.  Another family member says he prefers making his own itinerary and plans when touring other lands, and not have to conform to the itinerary of the cruise, so he isn't attracted to cruising for that reason. I started wondering about many of you here - especially those who've cruised dozens (hundreds!) of times, all over the world, sometimes repeating the same cruises.  What is it that keeps you coming back to cruising over and over again as your preferred style of travel? 

I cruise because it is the only kind of vacation I can do due to disabilities.

Were you at Woodstock in ‘69 ?

[AmazedByCruising]

I just saw this Celebrity ad campaign.

 

 

Pool, drinks, food, dancing, shows, beautiful decor. All nice, but is X starting to sell a very nice hotel?

 

I cruise because it's a ship, with real waves and really being far from land, and while being rocked to sleep ending up in a another country.  Real Officers, a real Captain, the muster drill is not futile. Meeting new people because we're at the same table, or meeting them during excursions.

 

A hotel is where I sleep. A hotel says walk that way and then it's on your left, for better shows, better food, better entertainment. The hotel couldn't compete with those. Nobody would pay for a ticket to see a magician doing meager tricks for 45 minutes on land, or a "taste of" a real musical.

 

I really wonder why, in this case, X, is trying to sell their product with things people can find in Las Vegas cheaper,  better, easier, while their unique selling point is that being on a ship is so much cooler than being in a hotel.

[xlxo]

• Savings... at less than $100/day with inside and oceanviews... it's a bargain when food, gas, parking, and hotels are factored in.  I use reposition cruises to get up and down the West Coast.  Living near two major cruise terminals greatly helps to avoid flight and hotel costs.  One cruise night is cheaper than a staycation in a major city hotel.
• friendship... I meet so many great people when sharing a meal in the main dining room.  It's the highlight in my day.

[herbanrenewal]

I love both cruising and land travel. Cruising definitely helps explore many different places - areas of the world that I never expected to visit during my lifetime. Land travel lets me stay in B&Bs, getting to know the people and the life in those areas. I never would have believed i’d Feel so comfortable and enjoy so much a bus tour of Turkey - wonderful people, beautiful country. Ant there’s nothing like staying a week in a rural area of Ireland, spending evenings sharing Craic at the pub and dancing to local music. but cruising has the advantage of my sleeping while someone else does the driving to the next location. And seeing the highlights of so many places. From Russia to Galapagos to China to New Zealand. Growing up a kid from Philly who thought going to theJersey shore was the highlight of travel, to having visited every continent except Antarctica I’ve experienced so much, and most would have been missed if not for cruising.

[Stmar]

Cruising is the opposite of our everyday life. Very little water where we live, our boat is a canoe. Traveling with friends on a ship is enjoyable, sitting on the balcony drinking wine watching the ships pass by, having dinner together and gambling. Seeing multiple areas without changing rooms and unpacking only once.

[Warm Breezes]

We enjoy both cruising and land vacations and try to combine the 2 as much as time and budget allows.  Having said that I find the reasons we cruise changes as we get older.  We started cruising in 2001 when our kids where 4 and 7.  Our first cruise was a 3  night Disney Wonder/4 night Disney World.  We went with friends who had kids the same age and were veteran cruisers.  This short cruise got us hooked on cruising.  It was only later, when I started planning our own cruises, that I discovered how economical cruising could be.  Our first two cruises, both on Disney, were planned by our friends, who save their pennies and blow their dollars, so our trips with them were not cheap by any means.  But we had some great family vacations with good friends and I had no regrets.   

 

As the kids grew older we sailed on Carnival and NCL with them and had some great family vacations.  Our kids loved cruising.  These cruises were filled with a ton of family time that we didn't get at home with all of our busy work, school, and sports schedules. 

 

As the kids grew into adults DH and I started taking some "us" cruises without the kids.  Those have become total relaxation vacations for us.  Sleeping on a ship relaxes me more than anything.  It is no longer a priority for us to get off at every port and try to do all the activities or see all the shows.  We relax more on a cruise than on any other type of vacation.  We have also taken a few family cruises with our adult kids.  With my son now living 16 hours away and DD in college, this gives us all a chance to have that family time again that we enjoyed when they were younger.  We are more active on these cruises and see more things at the ports as a family.

 

I will be retiring in a little over a year.  I expect our "us" cruises to become longer, more frequent, and more spontaneous...as well as our land trips.  I still see family trips in our future as well.  I don't see those changing in nature in the near future...maybe once the kids decide to have significant others and kids but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

 

 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

1 hour ago, Warm Breezes said:

I will be retiring in a little over a year.  I expect our "us" cruises to become longer, more frequent, and more spontaneous...as well as our land trips.  I still see family trips in our future as well.  I don't see those changing in nature in the near future...maybe once the kids decide to have significant others and kids but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

 

I am not retired yet, but cruising with grandkids has been the best part. Introducing them to cruising, to different cultures and getting family time on board you can't get on a land based vacation is great.

[DarrenM]

On 9/21/2019 at 6:22 AM, Lindaru said:

 

We turn our flip-phone off until we are in ports and keep my tablet off until we are back in our room.  No carrying devices around the ship for us.  We are there to experience the atmosphere, the food, the shopping, the shows we wish to attend, and that is best done without a device to distract us.

 

Surely your flip phone will have stopped working about 10 years ago.😁

[Warm Breezes]

3 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

I am not retired yet, but cruising with grandkids has been the best part. Introducing them to cruising, to different cultures and getting family time on board you can't get on a land based vacation is great.

I would love to cruise with Grandkids someday...I would love to do a Disney cruise again with them like I did my own kids.  That was part of the magic.  Unfortunately neither of my kids now 22 and 25 have even been in a relationship yet that would lead to Grandkids someday.  DS is concentrating on his career and DD is concentrating on finishing her degree and continuing her dancing career while she still can.  Since DH and I didn't have kids until we were 27, I am in no hurry to push them into anything even though I am sure I would love having them.  This is the time for them to concentrate on themselves.  Significant others and kids can come later....Lord willing I will be around to enjoy them.

Edited September 23, 2019 by Warm Breezes

[Lindaru]

7 hours ago, DarrenM said:

Surely your flip phone will have stopped working about 10 years ago.😁

 

Actually it is still doing just fine and is even insured for damage!  $56 average per month compared to the $100+ for a smart-phone is why we have not switched.

 

[clo]

22 minutes ago, Lindaru said:

 

Actually it is still doing just fine and is even insured for damage!  $56 average per month compared to the $100+ for a smart-phone is why we have not switched.

 

I know a couple who offered their young teens flip-phones.  Good for them IMneverHO.  My smartphone was so old that when it's battery died I found out they no longer make batteries for it.  I loved that (Samsung) phone.

[lenquixote66]

I have a flip phone.I have 3 friends who do not have cell phones,computers,or answering machines and they do not miss them.

[calliopecruiser]

9 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I have 3 friends who do not have cell phones,computers,or answering machines and they do not miss them.

They are fortunate to live and work in circumstances that don't require them.......more and more situations either require them, or strongly incentivize them.   I think cell phones and computers are wonderful tools (not so much answering machines). 

[lenquixote66]

8 hours ago, calliopecruiser said:

They are fortunate to live and work in circumstances that don't require them.......more and more situations either require them, or strongly incentivize them.   I think cell phones and computers are wonderful tools (not so much answering machines). 

I miss the days before cell phones and computers.Life was much simpler.

[calliopecruiser]

2 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I miss the days before cell phones and computers.Life was much simpler.

Like always, things look better in memory than in reality.  Cell phones and computers are tools that you can use to enhance your life or to worsen your life......how you use them is up to you.  Life wasn't simpler, it was just as complicated and difficult, but in different ways. 

[shipgeeks]

To get back to the original question, we cruise because being at sea is the most wonderful thing I can imagine.  Standing on an open deck, or looking through the cabin window and seeing the magnificent ocean and sky......bliss.

[lenquixote66]

4 hours ago, calliopecruiser said:

Like always, things look better in memory than in reality.  Cell phones and computers are tools that you can use to enhance your life or to worsen your life......how you use them is up to you.  Life wasn't simpler, it was just as complicated and difficult, but in different ways. 

For me it was simpler.I was born when FDR was POTUS .I lived many ,many years before people used cell phones and never had a problem.

Cruising during those early days was wonderful as well.

[calliopecruiser]

44 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

For me it was simpler.

Sure, and life was simpler for me when I was 4 years old and everything I needed was taken care of -- but I don't think that means that life was simpler for those around me, or that the neighbourhood, city, country, or world was simpler then.