Why do you cruise?

[mad4rda]

Hi

 

Every year, I promise myself at least a week away from reality. I go in, have a chat with my TA and book a trip. I travel alone, no cell phone, Blackberry... just me, a book (or 2), IPOD and a camera. I'm a huge fan of North America (I'm from the UK) and generally end up heading across the 'pond'.

 

After a trip to Canada in the Winter of 2006 and marvelling at the beauty of the mountains in the Rockies, I had it in my mind to visit Alaska. My TA suggested a cruise and I pretty much booked it on the spot.

 

So... having booked to go on Mercury on 9/14, I decided to read up on cruises (I have never cruised in my life and admit to having never considered it). I stumbled across Cruise Critic and now I'm a regular visitor to read the Boards and learn everything that I can.

 

What makes me curious, is just what is it about cruising that you guys love so much? Some people on these boards have been on so many cruises that it's quite amazing!

 

I'd just love to know why people cruise and what makes them go back time after time.

[chrismch]

For us, one day on a cruise ship is like 3 on land. Once we're on the ship we don't have to worry about a thing. No planning on how to get to our next destination. No need to make dinner reservations or show reservations.

 

It's like a refined camp- out for adults. They have all the activities planned and we can just pick and choose. We don't even have to worry about having the right amount of money as everything is handled with the seapass card.

[XatSea]

 

I'd just love to know why people cruise and what makes them go back time after time.

 

We cruise a lot and if it was up to my husband the question would be "Why do you want to go home again?"

[GeminiA]

It's the most relaxing way to vacation, you have all your meals taken care of, & you don't have to pack & unpack repeatedly in hotels as you move from destinations to destinations, you do it just once.

You enjoy your vacation more since you don't get worn out getting from one place to another compared to travelling on land or by air, you are relaxing & having a good time on the ship instead.

Weight gain is inevitable though :D , when we used to travel on land, we often lost weight after the vacation.

[SANDY BEACH]

We just returned from a Hilton Head beach vacation and while on that vacation I realized why I love cruising. I am one that loves to get to a destination and not have to enter a car again for my stay. Crusing allows me to do this. Unpack the bags and the cruiseship takes me to wonderful islands, prepares my food and provides loads of things to do if I wish. I usually choose to just relax, read, wander around the ports and maybe a couple of excursions. For the price we just paid for a condo and food, we definitely could have gone on a week cruise. I agree with others that it is the most relaxing vacation you could take but if you want to be very active, there are many excursions you can book. The ocean has always been very magical to me and cruising is still my number one vacation of choice. Hope yours is great!!!!

[Kapricorn]

I cruise because I don't like being cooped up in airplanes, trains, buses or cars. It's nice to relax, walk around or participate in activities on ships while going from place to place. In addition, it's always great to take breaks from everyday household chores ... no cooking, vacuuming, making beds, etc. :)

 

The Martini Bar bartenders makes much better martinis than I do at home! :D

 

Donald.

[Tatka]

We used to do All-Inclusive, but noticed that we become bored rather quickly.

 

Land trips are usually more expensive than cruises, as even with all hotels booked on www.priceline.com food and entertainment adds up quickly, plus you have to think about everything. Our teen is enjoying cruises because usually he meets many new friends and there are special activities/teen disco, something you won't find on the land (for young teens 15-16).

 

Cruise is the perfect way to relax, see different places and have nice entertainment at night. Plus cruises are very romantic.

[CaribbeanBound]

No particular order:

1. Great opportunity to visit a large number of ports.

2. Interaction with other passengers.

3. Visit new ports. Explore places previously unknown to me.

4. Unpack once.

5. Dining experience.

6. Good value.

 

Side effects:

1. sea sick

2. potential weight gain

3. yearning to cruise again

4. too much time spent researching the ports

[bobbyleduck]

I used to cruise because it was a fun way to visit different places, but now I cruise because I enjoy the relaxation, the food, the entertainment, the variety of ports we visit, the opportunity to do a vacation with family that everyone gets to enjoy, but most of all the opportunity to meet new friends I've made while chatting on these message boards.

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob

[mad4rda]

Hi

 

I have just read your replies and everything you have all pointed out, has made me feel much better for booking a cruise.

 

Roll on September!

[sealover155]

In addition to reasons already mentioned:

No worry about costs of food, taxis, etc.

No worry about security - you're not walking around with cash, only your seapass.

We enjoy the physical type shore excusions: in Alaska, the hikes, bike rides, dog sledding.

In Alaska, the naturalists onboard and other enrichment activities.

The beautiful fitness centers on Celebrity.

Lastly, the mesmorizing effects of the ocean and Mother Nature. She's quite a gal and really did her best in Alaska.

 

Enjoy!

[SusieV]

We cruise for the opportunity to get dressed up, to enjoy some great food (especially the specialty restaurants!), to visit lots of different places, and to feel spoiled :)

[howard6933]

All of the posters have made a great deal of sense about the delights of cruising. Before I retired a few years ago, my friends at my place of employment would ask me why we always take so many cruises. My answer to all of them in brief was: :it's like taking my wife out to dinner and a show every night". In my opinion, that says it all!!! ;)

[cruisingdelt]

 

I'd just love to know why people cruise and what makes them go back time after time.

 

It is completely relaxing. No decisions to make except what to eat. No pagers, cell phones or blackberry. It is 7 or more days of totally clearing out the head by looking at the water, even when it is grey. It is also great to reconnect with your family.

[ILoveScotland]

We cruised Windjammer Barefoot Cruises in the 90s for the laid back, close to the sea experience.

 

We took our first traditional ship cruise in November 2005 while DH was recovering from back surgery thinking rightly so as it turned out that he could handle a cruise. And we got hooked.

 

Now I cruise for the pure relaxation of being on the sea with the wind in my hair. But as others have said it's a great way to stay in a multi star hotel with more amenities and food than you can name and have a chance to visit interesting ports along the way.

 

And, mad4rda, you can be alone or with others as you choose. You can read a book, listen to music on your Ipod or simply snooze in the sun. You can sit in a bar or go to a casino. It's all there for the enjoyment.

 

DH is now more or less wheelchair bound, and cruising is ideal. We've rented a scooter for our October cruise, and he can be independent and enjoy himself as much as anyone else on board.

[llbiopoet]

A vacation is supposed to = relaxation. I can't think of anything more relaxing than not having to rent cars, book hotels, confirm everything, ....so for me it is the comfort of knowing it is taken care of, and that I can truly RELAX.

[Oakview]

Being a widow and having gone on many driving vacations with my husband including a month long trip to from N.O. to California visiting the west coast and a leisurely drive to Vegas, Grand Canyon, etc. ; cruising makes single women feel secure. It is so much easier to have everything one needs on-board the ship. My daughter, another mother -daughter duo, and a young widower and his two teen sons cruised the first Christmas we all lost our loved ones. It was a great escape from the tradition Christmas we celebrated. Then my DD and I cruised from N .O. because it was so easy to get a ride to our local port. In March we got braver and flew to Hawaii and cruised around the islands for a week. Next year five of us gals are doing a 14 day Alaska cruise on the Millie.

 

Cruising was constantly on my mind as I evacuated to Dallas due to Hurrican Katrina, usually a 9 hour drive that took 19 hours and bumper to bumper driving for 16 of those hours. That trip validated how wonderful it is to cruise.

 

The short answer is cruising is an escape from the usual everyday life and once aboard, it's so simple. The luxury of having a mobile hotel, no living out of a suitcase and having an ample choice of dining venues makes a vacatioin so easy and enjoyable.

[Kathie44]

mad4rda--I agree with all of the above. DH and I started cruising in Jan., '02 and the rest is history. We booked our 8th cruise for next. Jan. on the last cruise this past Jan.--both Mercury!

We started out big with the Explorer, but also love the smaller ships. Of course, everything is relative. One couple we met on our last cruise were exclaiming about how HUGE the Mercury was. They had not cruised before and didn't know anything about other ships. They were really amazed when I told them that the Merc is a lot smaller than other ships we've sailed. We have never repeated an itinerary, although some of the same ports have been on different cruises. We want to see as much of the world as we can and this is the way to go.

You will love the Merc and Alaska. We did a 12-night Alaska cruise/tour on Summit in '03 and the Mexican Riviera on Merc last Jan. Loved both ships and itineraries.

1/02 Explorer E. Carib.

1/03 Explorer W. Carib.

8/03 Summit Alaska cruise/tour

2/04 Adventure S. Carib.

2/05 Galaxy Panama Canal

6/06 Jewel Brit. Isles/Nor. Fjords + 3 nights in London

1/07 Mercury Mexican Riviera

1/08 Mercury Aust/NZ

[DrKoob]

Like you, we always took land-based vacations up until 2004. We had done two short cruises and enjoyed one and hated the other. Then along came our current president and drove the value of the dollar into the proverbial basement. We needed a vacation where we knew once we had paid for it, the price wouldn't change. So we did a 14 day Panama Canal crossing on Infinity.

 

We loved it! Here's why:

1. The price is the price. Anything extra we buy is our decision. If we don't want it we can still eat three (or six or eight), have a nice bed to sleep in and the best service ever.

2. We go to bed every night in our luxury (though small) hotel room and wake up the next morning and the entire hotel has moved to a new place for us to get off and tour.

3. When you are on a ship you are (if you don't get too inebriated and take minimal precautions) totally safe.

4. You fit in anywhere. You can drop in to any cocktail lounge, any dance club, any spa and you instantly belong.

5. If you choose the cruise line that matches your personality you will be surrounded by people who you can instantly make friends with. I admit that this means you have less chance to meet indigenous people but in all our land travels we have never met anyone who we would still correspond with years later. Onboard a cruise ship we have met a lot of fine folks who have become life-long friends. We still correspond with many of them (thanks to Cruise Critic) and travel with a few whenever we can.

 

I should add what we miss by cruising:

1. Finding great restaurants. We still have lunch in as many ports as possible (especially in Europe) but it's not the same as eating dinners (we are total foodies) in Rome or Venice.

2. The food in general, though good is not as adventurous as we normally like. We realize that the cruise lines have to cater to a huge number of tastes and they (at least X) do a superb job of it but we miss spicy and ethnic food when we are onboard.

3. Experiencing local culture for more than a day. We loved Santorini and Istanbul but were only there for one or two nights. So to overcome that problem we are now trying to will combine cruising with land based trips. For instance, we are sailing on Century into the Western Med this October. We have scheduled 5 days pre-cruise in Barcelona and are looking forward to that as much as the cruise. In fact, if you still can, I would recommend a few days pre or post cruise here in the Northwest before you get on Mercury.

 

After you get back I would be very interested in seeing a thread about what you liked or didn't like about cruising.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Love the ocean. Love the servants! Very relaxing. We did the Mercury cruise to Alaska last September. Had fabulous weather. You will love the Mercury and Alaska, you won't want it to get dark because you might miss some gorgeous scenery. Be sure to attend all the lectures Brent Nixon (the naturalist) gives, he's fascinating. He went on our whale watch in Juneau with Captain Larry of Orca Enterprises. Coached us on when to press the shutter to get the best pix. Have a wonderful time!

[Texed]

I'd just love to know why people cruise and what makes them go back time after time.

 

For the waffles! :cool:

[kehlx2]

Hi

 

Every year, I promise myself at least a week away from reality. I go in, have a chat with my TA and book a trip. I travel alone, no cell phone, Blackberry... just me, a book (or 2), IPOD and a camera. I'm a huge fan of North America (I'm from the UK) and generally end up heading across the 'pond'.

 

After a trip to Canada in the Winter of 2006 and marvelling at the beauty of the mountains in the Rockies, I had it in my mind to visit Alaska. My TA suggested a cruise and I pretty much booked it on the spot.

 

So... having booked to go on Mercury on 9/14, I decided to read up on cruises (I have never cruised in my life and admit to having never considered it). I stumbled across Cruise Critic and now I'm a regular visitor to read the Boards and learn everything that I can.

 

What makes me curious, is just what is it about cruising that you guys love so much? Some people on these boards have been on so many cruises that it's quite amazing!

 

I'd just love to know why people cruise and what makes them go back time after time.

 

I like seeing different places & NOT having to repack for each place..but I also do love to stay at a hotel & just veg out & lazy around--seems so much more to force yourself to do on a cruise--but now would like to start repeating places so I can see what I have missed & veg on the ship for those I don't need to see. Have A great CRUISE Your ship leaves the same day as ours..I loved the Mercury--will be on her again in Jan.:D

[snowmc]

Leaving on our second cruise to Alaska in 4 days. Why are we doing it again? Beautiful, easy, great way to connect with our kids without the pressure of having to feed 4 teenagers - guess that last one about sums it up--plus they love it! ;)

[kehlx2]

For the waffles! :cool:

 

Oh.... FOR SURE!!!!

[bobbyleduck]

Oh.... FOR SURE!!!!

 

 

There is nothing better than eggs benedict in the dining room, followed by a breakfast dessert of WAFFLES!

 

WWWAMW!

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob