How Did it Come to Happen?

[sail7seas]

What was the circumstance under which you chose/decided to take your first cruise?

 

How long into/after that cruise, did you book your next one?

[jhannah]

Good question, Sail. IIRC we received a promotional mailing that got me to thinking. Our kids were out of school and married, so we thought this would be a great time to begin doing some travel together. We had heard about cruises, and had really loved watching "The Love Boat" on TV for many years. Since the mailing we received was from Princess with an invitation to the Love Boat experience, it seemed to be the right thing to do. It was a 7-day to Alaska that fit into our vacation schedules, and we'd never been to Alaska.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. It made us long for more. We booked another cruise about a year later. Since then, we have never waited a year to book another cruise. We caught the bug big time!

[crystal808]

In the Summer of '04, I found a website offering a cruise for Mac users. Thinking my employer (my father!) could deduct a big chunk of the cruise, with his permission I signed up for a Nov. '04 Oosterdam Caribbean cruise. What a revelation that was!

 

Unfortunately, my father passed away a few months after I returned. I decided (after taking over the family business) that I would allow myself a year to do some traveling, as he had done so much of, over the years. Within a few months I had booked 2 more of the Mac cruises for '05, and a few more....:eek:

 

I'm halfway through my year of "cruising" and "must" (:D) show restraint for 2007! I'm trying....!!!

 

Paul

who didn't realize how difficult "restraint" could be! ;)

[Joanne G.]

My first cruise was a gift from my son - a combination Christmas and thank you for putting him through college. It was a total surprise. I had never seriously thought about a cruise, and I had certainly never mentioned anything about a cruise to him. He just wanted to do something special once he was finally financially independent.

 

I am single, but he paid for 2 people so that I could invite someone along. I suddenly had many close friends at work, but it was an easy choice - I asked my sister. (My son is prone to motion sickness, and wasn't interested in going along himself.) I sort of had to talk my sister into it. She envisioned a boat load of senior citizens eating all day. We both wondered if we would be bored or feel trapped. I was not thrilled about eating dinner every night with strangers. We were both a bit apprehensive, but since it was a gift, off we went to our adventure on the (now dearly departed) SS Norway.

 

By the first day, a sea day, we were hooked. It was a week of unexpected delights. Exploring the ship, finding all the nooks and crannies - and there were a lot of them on the Norway - watching the formal night fashion parade of people lining up to meet the captain, the joy of being out to sea, even the corny parade of dancing waiters was a treat the first time. And those strangers at dinner were wonderful people that we said goodbye to with hugs at the end of the week.

 

Before that cruise was over, we had decided we would do it again. And on the same ship, same itinerary, because we enjoyed it so much! On disembarkation day, we poked around other cabins in other categories, found one we liked, and we booked it for the next year shortly after returning home.

 

That was in 1997, and we are still hooked. Soon her husband wondered what we were getting so excited about, and he joined us on our cruises. Traditional, freestyle, big ship, smaller ship, new ship, older ship - just put us on a ship and we are happy.

[Oceanwench]

It was 1992, I was living in Ohio and was recently divorced.

Spring break was approaching and I wanted to take my daughters on a vacation. I had never been the vacation "planner" in our household, but all of a sudden I was!

 

I decided I wanted to do something different, but the girls wanted to go to Disney World. So we compromised, and I booked the Big Red Boat for a 4-day cruise. Then we spent three days at WDW.

 

We had a great time on our first cruise -- stopped in Nassau and on a private island. But I got seasick the first night out!

We still remember our waiter, Robert, who was from Paris. The girls practiced their French on him every evening and were delighted with his attention.

[NoNoNanette]

We've always vacationed extensively, but had never cruised. Never actually had the desire for some reason.

 

After 9/11, we became leary of flying, so booked an 11 night cruise out of our nearby port in NOLA. We were HOOKED immediately. Made great friends on Cruise Critic prior to boarding, and have cruised with some of those original folks since then.

 

Dunno what took us so long, but we love cruising- couldn't live without a balcony, though.

[Tricia724]

It was in 1970 when my school alumni association sponsored a group cruise to Bermuda on the Greek Lines ship Olympia. It seemed like an adventure to me, so I showed the flyer around to my friends, and finally one of them bit. We flew to NY and boarded the ship, little realizing that we were embarking on a new passion. From the moment the ship sailed and we stood on deck sailing past the Statue of Liberty with a 50 cent bon voyage drink in our hands (yeah, really) we were both hooked. I still remember some of the people we met on that trip.

 

We took a half dozen cruises together until 1984 when family responsibility settled in. After a 15 year break, I'm back to cruising again with a new traveling companion....and even though there have been tremendous changes in the cruise industry, it's still as big a kick to step on board each time.

[kakalina]

We had never dreamed we would take a cruise one day. DH had always wanted to go to Hawaii. DH also is a plane crash survivor and will not fly, so we had decided to live with the fact we wouldn't get to Hawaii. One fine day we received a windfall from Uncle Sugar and just about that same time we received a brochure from HAL. Suddely, we were booked on a cruise!

 

We boarded the wonderful and lovely Statendam in April of 2002 and became so seriously addicted that we booked our second cruise while still on our first. We cruised to Mexico six months after our first cruise and we haven't stopped since.

 

I love the formality and elegance of all the "pretty people", DH loves finding at least three napping spots on each deck. It is a perfect vacation because we can each do the things we enjoy the way we like.

 

Quick, I feel the need to book again. . . help me

[dot73]

Immigrated to Canada at 9 on a rinky-dinky Polish ship. Mid-October, North Atlantic, everyone sick as a dog in their cabin, me and 2-year old brother in tow having the run of the ship. I was so disappointed when we reached the end of our journey. Never had much money growing up, worked two jobs to put myself through university, got married. Husband never wanted to cruise as he was convinced he would not enjoy it. Fifteen years later, ditched husband (for other reasons, not just for not wanting to cruise). Year later diagnosed with cancer. Four months into chemo, depressed, oncologist posed the question "If you were healthy, what is the first thing you would do?" - a cruise to Alaska, of course. He gets out calendar, counts six weeks after end of chemo, says go to travel agent and book a cruise any time after this date. I go straight to travel agent, get brochure, book cruise, and the rest is history. Six cruises in seven years. Second cruise was four months after Alaska cruise. Currently booked on 30-day Hawaii/Tahiti cruise in January - a 50th birthday present to myself. I never thought I would live to reach 50 and I will be celebrating it the whole year. It will take me a couple of years of pay the cruise off, but what the hell, as long as you have your health, you can always earn the money. My dream would be to win the lottery and spend the rest of my life cruising the world. If that doesn't happen, I will keep working, saving money, and cruising as much as I can. When I retire, I may move to Vancouver to get a job with HAL at the pier. Do these folks in the red jackets get a cruise discount?:D Cruising is the only civilized way to travel these days, once you get to the port, of course.:D

[Mollynme]

I had never seriously considered cruising. My family had always travelled a lot (I grew up overseas) but we flew or drove everywhere. Ships were just for utilitarian transport. Then last spring, my favorite aunt and uncle told me about some of the fun cruises they had taken and talked me into booking a cabin next to theirs on the Volendam for its Panama Canal cruise in October. I calculated the single supplement and promptly convinced my Mom to come along as my roommate.

Being the obsessive type, I spent all my spare time researching cruising, the Volendam and each of our ports. (That's how I found CC.) I got so hooked, even before actually cruising, that I convinced my brother and his family into coming along with me on a spring break cruise in March.

So, after 2 whole cruises (both on HAL), I am now ready for my first solo cruise.

I would go twice a year if I could get off from work but the best I can manage (for now) is 1 for the fall of '07. Oh well - at least it gives me 16 months to convince another family member to come along and relieve me of the single supplement! :p

[Randyk47]

The ex and I were fairly regular visitors to Vegas back in the late 80' and early 90's. About that time Carnival started really advertising the "fun ship" cruise stuff, or at least that's when I finally noticed it, and I got interested in giving it a try as an alternative to Vegas vacations, especially since we were living in Northern Virginia and Vegas was a bit of a hike to get to. Ex was not too excited about the idea as her only experience had been a fishing boat out of San Francisco and got so sick she often said she'd have shot herself if they'd had a gun. She finally relented and we went on a 4-day cruise on the Fantasy. Loved it and booked HAL the next year based on our TA's interview of us post-Carnival. Unfortunately a fantastic cruise couldn't solve our other problems and the Ryndam cruise was our last. Four years later I took my new bride on HAL for our honeymoon and she was hooked immediately. It is, without doubt, our favorite vacation mode and while we consider land-based vacations from time to time we keep coming back to cruising.

[JmzandJojo]

What an interesting post. I have enjoyed reading all the replies. I can respond to part, well not true, both parts I think.

My DH and I are booked on our first cruise May 28th on the Westerdam to Alaska. As it nears the giddiness is almost unbearable.

My DH had talked about an Alaskan Cruise most of his life, fascinated with the state and all it has to offer. About two years ago during a conversation his Mother jokingly stated, “Well when I die I am going to make sure you get that cruise.” To both of our great sadness we lost his Mom, very suddenly, a year ago January. Her legacy was far more about love than money, but we decided that some of his meager inheritance would be spent to honor her memory. We booked our cruise a year later, this past January. It was a blessing that allowed us to soften our grief with laughter about how excited she would be for us. She was an amazing woman.

For the part of the question regarding booking a second cruise…… Well even though we haven’t even sailed on our first, I am already investigating a cruise for Thanksgiving. We don’t have children, and only spend one holiday each year at my own parent’s home out of town. I think it is the idea of having everything right there, the posh pampering, and the idea of the sea and new vistas that lure me most.

I am still in the investigation mode for this next booking. What a boon it is to have the CC Boards, and all the advice for novices like myself.

[RustaRoo]

In 19193, a high school teacher in Calgary, who also worked part-time as a TA, arranged for a group of us (about 14 I think) to do a Caribbean cruise. I was travelling with a friend from Vancouver and anothr couple from Calgary. We loved it! I waited five years until my next cruise to celebrate the big 5-0. Have been hooked and a regular cruiser since!

[cruisequeen10]

My cruising all started as a result of the "Love Boat" TV show. When they did the Alaska run, I actually researched into it to see if in fact there were actual cruises there. So in November 1980, my aunt and I booked the Mexico cruise on the original Pacific Princess. When I came home, that is all I could talk about. I convinced my mother, sister and aunt to go to Alaska the following year. Then the next year my mother, sister and I went on the Panama Canal cruise and so on and so on. To date I have cruised 18 times.

[RevNeal]

It was the mid-spring of 1994 I had just finished my oral defense of my doctoral dissertation. Most of my stuff was repacked and I was going to be heading back to Dallas, with 2 months free before my next pastoral appointment. Mom and Dad were taking a cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam the subsequent week and they asked me why I didn't just join them on it, since I had the free time. So, we call Holland America and, surprise, there were several empty cabins left on the cruise. So ... I booked one and went. And, I was hooked.

 

Within 6 weeks of getting back I had booked my next cruise, and having cruises booked quickly following a cruise has been a fairly consistent practice of mine since then. Recently I've begun having multiple cruises booked. :D

[K&RCurt]

For several years my sister had been trying to talk us into trying a cruise. We were not sure if it was for us based on her descriptions...(she and her family cruise on Carnival and RCI). It seemed so expensive to "risk" if we got on and then hated it.

 

At my employers 25th anniversary party/picnic they had a drawing for prizes which had been donated from the companies long term vendors. The grand prize was a one week Caribbean cruise for two. Much to my surprize, my name was called as the winner! Our corporate travel coordinator put me in touch with our TA, We went to see the TA and she talked with us for about 45 min. and suggested that either HAL or Celebrity would be best for us. We picked the HAL cruise based on avaiable dates and itinerary.

 

We were hooked after about 6 hours on the ship.

 

We booked another cruise within 3 weeks of the 1st ending.

[NoNoNanette]

My DH had talked about an Alaskan Cruise most of his life, fascinated with the state and all it has to offer. About two years ago during a conversation his Mother jokingly stated, “Well when I die I am going to make sure you get that cruise.” To both of our great sadness we lost his Mom, very suddenly, a year ago January. Her legacy was far more about love than money, but we decided that some of his meager inheritance would be spent to honor her memory. We booked our cruise a year later, this past January. It was a blessing that allowed us to soften our grief with laughter about how excited she would be for us. She was an amazing woman.

 

What a touching, warm story! That was a lovely way to celebrate the dear woman's life. She was enjoying your trip with you, honey. What a nice post. :)

[HeatherInFlorida]

My very first cruise reeled me in forever. I was only 17 years old and my grandmother took me on a cruise as my high school graduation present. We went on the Queen of Bermuda out of New York. I was absolutely awestruck. I had a "shipboard romance" with a NJ schoolteacher and sang in the cocktail lounge. It was a dream come true.

 

But I didn't get to cruise again for many, many years. Our first cruise following that one was on the Cunard Countess in 1982. DH became hooked, too, and we've cruised almost every year since then.

 

Wonderful stories all!!! Sail, how about telling us yours :)!

[Logoladytcs]

My story is a bittersweet one -

 

When all three of my children were gone and in college my husband surprised me by booking a cruise thru the Panama Canal - we were so excited and began to plan. I had breast cancer previous to that so we really had something to celebrate as I was in remission.Unfortunately, before we could go, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, so of course we cancelled so he could receive treatment. He had surgery and was only given about 4 months to live - he was a real fighter and managed to hang on for five years and got to see all the girls graduate from college.

 

After he passed away I had to go to work - a big surprise but the best thing that ever happened to me. That was almost 18 years ago, and after some false starts, I found an industry I love and with a partner opened my own company. We now have 3 offices and 10 employees (on a good day).

 

And I finally got to go thru the Panama Canal - on the Volendam this past month. A friend of mine from high school went with me.A dream trip if there ever was one - and one I know that my husband would have been thrilled that I finally got around to taking!!!

 

Barbara

 

BTW - after reading thru this is sounds rather unbelievable - but it's for real!!

[lougee1043]

our first cruise was a one niter on a repo cruise from vanc to ft laud--we baorded in vanc and got off the next day in seattle ---it was a wedding gift from a business acquaintance

[BJane]

My first cruise was in 1979 on NCL's old Starward. I had always wanted to see the Caribbean. I was single (in between marriages) at the time and when three girlfriends asked if I wanted to go on a cruise with them, I went. I went reluctantly, thinking that although I would see a place that I'd always wanted to see I would be bored to death while on the ship. WRONG!! We have a wonderful time and I was hooked. When I remarried it was on condition that the honeymoon would be a cruise. He ended up liking them as much as I do and we've been cruising together now since 1982.

[SDHALFAN]

It seemed nigh impossible that I would ever get my husband on a cruise ship since he was a career naval officer. However, in 1986 Vancouver hosted the Expo and I really wanted to go. The Navy travel office was putting together a trip, the only problem was that it was to be combined with a cruise to Alaska aboard the Rotterdam. Anyway, I broached the subject and to my amazement my husband agreed to go.

 

We had a wonderful time at both the Expo and on the cruise. However, it was 5 years before we took another cruise - this time The Mexican Riviera aboard the Noordam. That's when we got hooked and took at least one cruise a year after that. I've been spending my husband's life insurance money keeping up the tradition.;)

 

Valerie:)

[obriendan]

We retired from Texas A&M on August 29th, 1997: The exact date is etched in our memory because on the day we both retired, I had bypass surgery, and it was our 38th wedding anniversary! Our first trip was to San Francisco, the wine country, Northern California, and Yosemite in November. We wanted to see Alaska, so we took a cruise-tour in May, 1998. It wasn’t much of a cruise, only four days on the Nieuw Amsterdam from Vancouver to Skagway. This was followed by a 10 day land tour from Skagway to Whitehorse to Dawson City to Tok to Fairbanks, and finally to Anchorage by way of Dinali. This short cruise must have wet our appetite because we booked a Panama Canal cruise on the Ryndam for October, 2000. On this 17 day cruise from San Diego to FLL, we were upgraded from a C to a verandah and a verandah cabin has been a virtual requirement of DW since then (and I like them to of course!). We’ve since taken seven more cruises mostly on HAL and have two more booked!

[Grumpy1]

We have some real heart tuggers here. It is interesting to see what got people started.

 

My experience is rather mundane, I guess. I travelled a lot on business and vacations were usually last minute things because the breaks between work committments were pretty hard to predict. In early 1992, we finally saw an opportunity to plan a vacation about six weeks ahead of time, my DW wanted to go to Hawaii for two weeks, but wanted to see all of the islands. Off to the TA she went to see about airlines, hotel, island hopping flights, etc. The TA, bless her heart, suggested flying to Hawaii, getting on the American Hawaii Constitution for a week... 5 ports on 4 islands... then spend the second week on land, 3 days on Oahu and 4 days on Maui. It was a fantastic vacation and we decided that there were lots of advantages to cruising. Although we thoroughly enjoyed the time together on land exploring the islands, we had such a good time being spoiled, meeting new friends, no packing and unpacking every couple of days... The hook was set... the cruiselines have been reeling me in ever since... but the keep throwing me back ashore.

 

It was six years after the first cruise before we had another opportunity to cruise. Rhapsody of the Seas to Alaska from Vancouver. This time we had a verandah... uhoh... hooked again.

[Grumpy1]

OK, Sail, you asked the question... but you haven't shared your story. :)