What is your favorite thing about a cruise vacation?

[carohs]

38 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

It would take a lot more than five days for that to get old for me. 😎

Uh huh. I keep wishing I could afford beach front property. But until then cruising is a viable alternative. 

[Candy Apple 12]

Being rocked to sleep 😴

[Travelling2Some]

Exploring multiple new places, coming back at the end of the day to a nice dinner (sans check) and entertainment without driving around or having to get dressed up.  Cocktails and a good book on sea days.  The wonderful service by the crew.  Taking the last stroll around the deck before turning in and being rocked to sleep.

 

Wish list:  More overnights in ports. 

[Travelling2Some]

On 5/18/2023 at 9:46 PM, carohs said:

Uh huh. I keep wishing I could afford beach front property. But until then cruising is a viable alternative. 

My parents owned beach front property.  Flooded repeatedly with serious damage.  My brother owned beach front property.  Entire house swept right off it's foundations by a hurricane.  I remember a little song from Sunday School about not building your house on the sandy shore, lol.  Feel better now? 

[carohs]

6 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

My parents owned beach front property.  Flooded repeatedly with serious damage.  My brother owned beach front property.  Entire house swept right off it's foundations by a hurricane.  I remember a little song from Sunday School about not building your house on the sandy shore, lol.  Feel better now? 

A little. But I don't think you get the same amount of hurricanes on the west coast. Also the home values on the west coast are higher than the properties in hurricane areas, probably exactly for that same reason (I didn't look anything up so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). 

 

At least on a ship I don't have to do my own maintenance right? I hear beachfront homes come with their own special set of needs.

[Travelling2Some]

True that we have serious hurricanes and nor'easters here.  The Atlantic is not to be trifled with. One of our kids now lives in California and I am amazed that all those piers in beach towns are still standing.    Many people here still seem to have short memories so waterfront property values are not suffering but I do think they are a bit higher on the west coast.  Housing values are very dependent on the neighborhood here and flood insurance is a serious expense for good reason.  Notice how the original settlers didn't rush down to the beach and build houses?  Nope, at a time when they could choose any land (and lacked insurance) they built their houses on a slight rise with good drainage.

 

And, yes, the paint wears thin and the shutters blow off regularly on beach houses.  Of course, we've also got a serious winter going on here as opposed to  Southern California.

Edited May 20, 2023 by Travelling2Some

[smillerholmes]

The first time I realized I truly was done with my suitcase until the trip was over...WOW!

 

UNPACK ONCE - it's what made me fall in love with cruising.

 

What keeps me in love...

- sleeping like a baby as the ship gently rocks (I am typically an insomniac)

- SEA DAYS! 

- I never get bored because there's so much to do in no particular order (drinking, eating, reading, listening to music, shows, casino, hosted games, ports, shopping, meeting new people)

 

 

 

[Monica887]

It's EASY. Day to day life is filled with planning and decision making. I can completely shut that off on a cruise. I LOVE other types of travel too, but it's go, go, go and planning and making the most of my time there. Now that I'm a seasoned cruiser I know what I like and don't like. I plan a few things in advance and then I just show up. I mostly know what to expect and can just enjoy. 

[TrumpyNor]

Wakening up to a new place pretty much every day (hence I never book a cruise with lots of sea days - that is just not for me). No need to pack/unpack my luggage before heading to the next port on the itinerary. 

[ontheweb]

22 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

Exploring multiple new places, coming back at the end of the day to a nice dinner (sans check) and entertainment without driving around or having to get dressed up.  Cocktails and a good book on sea days.  The wonderful service by the crew.  Taking the last stroll around the deck before turning in and being rocked to sleep.

 

Wish list:  More overnights in ports. 

When we were in Athens it would have been so nice to have an overnight. We were there on a Monday, and the new Acropolis Museum which we would have very much liked to see was closed.

[Travelling2Some]

1 minute ago, ontheweb said:

When we were in Athens it would have been so nice to have an overnight. We were there on a Monday, and the new Acropolis Museum which we would have very much liked to see was closed.

I sympathize with that.  We were lucky and did see it.  Wish the Brits would return the Elgin marbles though.  The lack of enough port time to see a place properly is the main drawback of cruising as opposed to land vacations for me.  Being yanked out of Santorini before sunset particularly stinks.  I don't know the logistics but I know dockage costs serious money. Still, I think such itineraries would be a big hit.

[cruiseny4life]

I had another thought. I think my most favorite aspect of being at sea are the bookends to the day: sunrise and sunset. Thankfully, I'm generally awake to experience both. Here are a few of my favorites from my time sailing the deep blue sea:

 

Sunrise aboard Norwegian Getaway

 

Sunset on Getaway

 

And, another sunset on Getaway

 

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

I had another thought. I think my most favorite aspect of being at sea are the bookends to the day: sunrise and sunset. Thankfully, I'm generally awake to experience both. Here are a few of my favorites from my time sailing the deep blue sea:

 

Sunrise aboard Norwegian Getaway

 

Sunset on Getaway

 

And, another sunset on Getaway

 

Beautiful pictures. I'd bet no one would complain if you posted even more of them. 😊