Did Your First Cruise Ruin All Others?

[jocap]

Our first cruise (14 nights fly/cruise from the UK via FL to the Caribbean on Sea Princess) is still memorable; I can still name every island, and could walk you round the ship, but it opened our eyes to what was available in cruising. We were given a Carnival Co. brochure, and saw that more well known lines to us in the UK, such as P&O and Cunard, were advertised in it, which wouldn't need the long flights. 

Six months later we were sailing around the Greek islands, and were able to enjoy the cruise without comparisons to that first one.

We still have fond memories of that first ship, and like to see where she is sailing.

[getting older slowly]

Did Your First Cruise Ruin All Others?

 

Well another way of answering this.... Is   

our first cruise was wonderful... and it set the bench mark.....

 

So it was only to be A Cruise... that was it.....  So we went the whole hog

 

A very nice suite and didn't really hold back on anything....

and amazingly  didn't blow the budget ( which was set high )

 

Now 100 nights later...the Minimum requirement is a nice suite....

 

Yes I have made a rod for my own back......   But we have a great time on our cruises..

 

So the moral of the story is don't start at the top.....lol

 

Don  

[FredT]

On 1/2/2021 at 12:27 AM, getting older slowly said:

Did Your First Cruise Ruin All Others?

LOL...  Our first cruise was our honeymoon.  We were held at gunpoint by Cuban soldiers in Grenada on day 3,  (A month before the invasion) and the ships crew went on strike in Barbados on day 4 (This ending our 10 day cruise for good.....)      I have always been amazed that I ever got DW back on a ship, (but I did) and we are eagerly waiting for our next (cruising) adventure in October.) 

[Pudgesmom]

Almost ruined. We hated our first cruise. We took our two school age children in Carnival for a week out of Miami in the mid-90s. Unknown to us, it was a holiday week in the Northeast. The ship was crammed with children everywhere. The weather was bad and so the indoor venues were packed. We did not care for the food or the lines. 
 

didnt cruise for a loooong time after that. About ten years later we took the now high school age Kids on a 12 day Windstar cruise through the Panama Canal. We loved every minute on the 150 passenger ship.  Now we have 6 sailings with them under our belt. 
 

It showed me that we chose wrong for us the first time, once we found what we liked, we WERE ruined!

Edited January 6, 2021 by Pudgesmom

[Northumberland]

Our first cruise some 21 years ago was to celebrate our 25th anniversary. We choose a 7 night Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan Puerto Rico. We booked a balcony on a brand new ship and visited 5 ports in the 7 day cruise. At the time, we didn't know if we would ever cruise again, but we have taken 8 cruises since and now that we're retired, we have a 28 night cruise coming up in early 2022.  2 others were recently cancelled to to Covid.

We would love to have cruised more, but given where we live and the cost to travel to ports and exchange rates, it just wasn't economically feasible. 

[antmaril]

Just the opposite for me.  My first cruise was on the NCL Starward in 1982.  My late husband and I had an inside cabin that was the size of a walk-in closet.  I was a fan of “The Love Boat”, so you can imagine my disappointment.  Ha!  I got incredibly seasick moments after the ship left the dock.  A woman overheard me complaining that I felt sick and she offered me a patch, which I accepted.  I felt better by the middle of the night.  My husband went to dinner alone the first night.  We didn’t cruise again until 1991.
 

But, in spite of that, I love cruising.  I lost my husband 12 years ago, so it is a nice way to travel with friends for me.  I was supposed to board the Enchanted Princess yesterday.  Ugh.  
 

I look forward to cruising again someday.  
 

 

[geologyrx]

My first cruise was on MSC in their Yacht Club suite.  I am spoiled forever....

[rkacruiser]

On 12/31/2020 at 5:45 PM, sjmbruce said:

What was your first cruise? 

 

July, 1970 aboard S. S. Rotterdam V from New York.  An 11 day Caribbean Cruise to Bermuda, San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Barts, St. Lucia.  Maybe St. Maarten as well.  Did it spoil me for future cruises?  No.  It whetted my appetite for more!  That cruise--that ship and crew--is the standard for which I compare all of my others.  

[pris993]

 I can still remembering leaving St Thomas our last port on our first 7 day cruise and great I felt. 

 

That was back in l983, on Song of Aemrica, RCCL.  That did not stop us from booking 60+ cruises on 9 different lines, visting ports in Carribean, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Mediterranean, Baltic, Middle East, plus TAs... it just gets better. 

 

Happy cruising.

 

 

[clo]

54 minutes ago, pris993 said:

 I can still remembering leaving St Thomas our last port on our first 7 day cruise and great I felt. 

 

That was back in l983, on Song of Aemrica, RCCL.  That did not stop us from booking 60+ cruises on 9 different lines, visting ports in Carribean, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Mediterranean, Baltic, Middle East, plus TAs... it just gets better. 

 

Happy cruising.

 

 

Are there words missing here? You wrote that you felt great but then"that didn't stop you from booking a whole lot more. ???

[pris993]

9 hours ago, clo said:

Are there words missing here? You wrote that you felt great but then"that didn't stop you from booking a whole lot more. ???

OP was asking if first cruise so great, will that spoil you for other cruises.  I said, I still remember my first cruise (so it was great) but went on to book 60+ cruises... don't see any missing words here.

[clo]

1 minute ago, pris993 said:

OP was asking if first cruise so great, will that spoil you for other cruises.  I said, I still remember my first cruise (so it was great) but went on to book 60+ cruises... don't see any missing words here.

Sorry. I lost track 🙂

[ontheweb]

6 hours ago, clo said:

Sorry. I lost track 🙂

Amazing Grace. Your were lost, but now are found.😊👍

[clo]

5 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Amazing Grace. Your were lost, but now are found.😊👍

xoxo,c

[Zach1213]

My first cruise made subsequent cruises better, actually. 

 

I went in with expectations set too high. I expected to love it way more than I did, especially the food, after participating on this page ahead of time...so while it was enjoyable, it was relatively disappointing. What it did do was set more appropriate expectations so that future cruises would be more enjoyable and not a let down. 

[BoozinCroozin]

I'm hoping not. Our first cruise was to be on HOTS, then OOTS, and now it is Mardi Gras (if it survives). After our last canceled cruise, we booked a smaller ship. At least this way we will know if we really "need" a mega ship. 

[sydbarrett]

My first ship was Celebrity Century and it was spectacular, however it was Caribbean in January and I had horrible seasickness the entire time. My second ship was Norwegian Epic..not as nice but it was brand new and the room was wonderful. The itinerary was Mediterranean and the entire trip ruined me for all others 🙂 Amalfi/Positano/Sorrento blew my mind.

[cruisemom42]

I think I was too young on my first cruise (7 years old) for it to "ruin" me for other cruises. I actually remember being a bit afraid as the "Poseidon Adventure" had recently come out. But I forgot about that after the first night onboard and enjoyed it. Cruising became just another mode of travel, but one I enjoyed a lot as a kid and young teen. Our first cruise was on the Emerald Seas, but most of the subsequent ones for the next 10 years were on Sitmar line (Fairwind and Fairsea), with a wonderful Italian crew who spoiled my sister and I.

 

I can see how things could go the other way, though, as my ex-DH's first cruise was our honeymoon (on NCL), and it was a lousy experience. Fortunately I knew that it was "atypical" -- but it still took 10 years to convince him to try cruising again. That next cruise was on Celebrity, NY to Bermuda, and he loved it (as did I). That was when Michel Roux had just revamped their dining experience...  

 

 

 

 

[ScottC4746]

On 12/31/2020 at 2:42 PM, sjmbruce said:

So maybe not ruined, but did anyone else get completely spoiled by their first cruise? Now don’t get me wrong, my husband and I have been on some amazing cruises since that initial voyage. We’ve sailed to Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico and all over the Caribbean. Embarking in Puerto Rico was a fantastic experience. But that first one…

 

I think most people start out on a short cruise to the Bahamas or a slightly longer cruise to a few Caribbean islands. We started our addiction on a ten-day Panama Canal voyage aboard the Island Princess.  We flew into Miami and spent the night so we would have time to take an airboat ride through the everglades. We also visited Everglades National Park.

 

On 12/31/2020 at 2:42 PM, sjmbruce said:

So maybe not ruined, but did anyone else get completely spoiled by their first cruise? Now don’t get me wrong, my husband and I have been on some amazing cruises since that initial voyage. We’ve sailed to Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico and all over the Caribbean. Embarking in Puerto Rico was a fantastic experience. But that first one…

 

I think most people start out on a short cruise to the Bahamas or a slightly longer cruise to a few Caribbean islands. We started our addiction on a ten-day Panama Canal voyage aboard the Island Princess.  We flew into Miami and spent the night so we would have time to take an airboat ride through the everglades. We also visited Everglades National Park.

 

[ScottC4746]

I bumped into this thread and had to chime in.  My first cruise was 1986ish on Premier Cruises Big Red Boat.  Thank God it was only 3 nights.  About eight years later my next cruise was RCCL and thankfully realized Premier was not an exemplification of the cruise lines.  I was RCCL loyal and then we tried HAL a few years ago and we are hooked.

[rkacruiser]

9 hours ago, ScottC4746 said:

Premier Cruises Big Red Boat. 

 

If you had sailed on her as the S. S. Oceanic of Home Lines, your opinion would have been much different, I am sure.

 

9 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Sitmar Fairwind

 

Many good memories and a favorite of mine.  Italian cuisine and service:  😁

[cl.klink]

"Ruin" is a bit strong, but easily the best cruise feeling we ever had and likely will ever have was the first one.  There was so much that we loved, and could not have anticipated.  It helped that we splurged on a two week cruise through the Panama Canal, and were upgrade to a suite with a separate bedroom and a butler.  But even without those niceties, the first cruise had a specialness that we keep chasing ever since, but have never quite recaptured.

 

- Joel

[PasadenaDave]

1992 Norwegian in the Caribbean.  I was a bit disappointed.  The food was just ok and there was no place to go sit and read with good lighting.  We went to port talks and when we asked specific questions the response was, “we have a tour that goes there.”

 

I was only 30 and at that time a very active traveler.  We did take the city bus to a beach on Barbados to go snorkeling and while there a boat from the ship arrived with drunk people.  We probably spent $20 for lunch, bus ride and a six pack of beer.  That night at dinner a couple at our table who had been on that tour asked us how to do things on their own.  We shared our Foders guide with them and on St Maaerten joined in on a rental car with them to explore wild beaches on the French side.

 

The cruises we have taken in 2016, 2017, and 2019 were much better

[kimlovesfl]

Spoiled? No. Hooked us and made us cruise addicts? Absolutely.

 

7 years ago yesterday we embarked on our first cruise, a 5 night to Key West and Cozumel on the Celebrity Constellation. It had been almost 7 years since we had taken a vacation, not even so much as a night in a hotel, because we were hit hard financially by the recession and it took a while to recover. We have always loved to travel. My friends and coworkers kept talking about how wonderful cruises are. I had often gotten cruise brochures, and dreamed of going on one, but for one reason or another we never did (I would be bored, the water would scare me, too expensive). I decided that we could afford a vacation, and decided that vacation would be a cruise. I spent some time researching online, reading cruise critic, trying to find the right cruise line for us. My husband is a chef, and Celebrity is known for their food, so I chose Celebrity. When I found a price that fit our budget, I made the reservation. I remember sitting outside one of our employee grills (I work for a large theme park), calling Celebrity, booking a room and making the deposit. A day or two later, while at breakfast, I told my husband I had booked us a cruise. I booked in May for a late January departure.

 

The day for our cruise finally arrived. We made the 3 hour drive from Orlando to Ft Lauderdale, parked the car where I had made a reservation, and took the shuttle to the port. There she was, big and beautiful and so, so exciting. The even larger Royal Princess was docked right next to her. I vowed I would sail on her one day, and 2 years later, we did.

 

We went through the check in, and as we embarked, we were greeted with champagne and mimosas. Right away I thought "this is the way to travel." The ship was beautiful! As soon as our room was ready, we headed there. It was larger than I thought it would be and lovely. We were in an oceanview room on deck 2, and I was surprised at how close to the water we were. Lunch was delicious, muster wasn't too bad. The sailaway party, on the pool deck with the band playing Latin music and folks in neighboring apartments waving flags, blowing air horns, and saying goodbye to us completely hooked us. I was so happy I had to hold back tears. We both knew then that this was a vacation we would want to repeat many times.

 

Everything about that cruise was perfect. The seas were like sailing on glass. The weather was perfect. The ports were fun (we had been to Key West before). We LOVED Captain Tasos. Entertainment and activities were great, and the food was superb. Far too soon it came to an end.

 

Exactly a year later (6 years ago today), we took our 2nd cruise on the Caribbean Princess, a great last minute deal and our first time in a balcony. We only cruise balcony cabins now. We have been on a total of 8 cruises. We have been to the Caribbean 6 times, and went to Alaska and the Mediterranean. We love cruising. We talk about cruises all the time. We follow cruise lines on social media. We want cruise videos. We can't wait to cruise again. To this day, seeing your ship in port at embarkation is so exciting. Sail away is one of my favorite parts of a cruise. We cannot WAIT to be back on a ship, whenever that may be.

 

So yes, we were spoiled on our 1st cruise. And each and every cruise after has spoiled us. We have not had a bad cruise yet.

[Sailin Gal]

Our first cruise experience was not good.  Let's just say it was the perfect storm of large family group drama, one of us recovering from an illness, and one having panic attacks with all the crowds.  The one great thing that came from that cruise, though, was our snorkel experience at the reef in Grand Cayman.  I fell in love with floating over a reef just watching all the colorful coral, fish, and other sea life.  It took 6 years for us to get on another cruise, but in the meantime we had taken our first bareboat sailing charter in the BVI, and that was where I found the magic, making our own itinerary on the fly and snorkeling and sailing as long as we wanted every day.  We've done a handful of cruises since and really have enjoyed them.  We just booked Alaska for 2022 on Princess and are really excited about that, but I know I will always be more anxious to get back on a sailboat in the Caribbean, just the two of us.