Would you go on a cruise?

ElCastor said:
You hit the proverbial nail on the head.
Did the Alaska thing out of San Francisco, and have no desire to do it again.
* Entertainment -- Blah.
* Constantly surrounded by endless rows of 2nd rate food, snacks, etc. I suppose this was designed to alleviate the boredom of being at sea -- didn't work. Probably gained a pound. And then there were the slot machines! Really? Slot machines??
* Ports of call -- Yikes! The definition of a tourist trap. Surrounded by the obligatory jewelry stores and souvenir shops. Better sign up for a tour, otherwise most port calls were less than exciting, and even the tours tended to be too structured.
* And last but not least, trapped with an annoying relative for days on end. Aieeee!!!
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All the reasons we wouldn't take another cruise. To late for us to fly to Norway then rent a car to take a road trip thru Europe. Had to cross a Harley motorcycle around Australia off our bucket list. :(
 

At one time I might have consider it but there are other places I would rather go before I get too old to travel and don't I want to go on long plane rides to get to them. Maybe something in my own provine like the 1,000 Island cruise in Kingston and I would need to wait a couple of years.
 
I have nothing against them, but this is more my style.
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I have been on a few cruises but it was back in the old days when ships were smaller and people got to know each other and we had lots of fun when not docked for land trips. These monstrous things they have now turn me off completely.
One I did really enjoy and won't forget was a trip it through the Panama Canal.
great experience....
 
RadishRose said:
aside from being petri dishes,these behemoths are great polluters, a waste of fossil fuels and can be destructive to ports of call.

iu

Venice
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Having sailed as a Merchant Marine, I've already spent a lot of time on the drink and there were those times that I got absolutely sick of the sea...

but Radish is right, floating petri dishes, fossil-fuel guzzlers, etc... etc...
 
hollydolly said:
Absolutely not... stuck in one building essentially with thousands of people, all sharing the same small pools, and sports area.. and all the expensive tipping.. and then when you get to port.. a mass exodus of people trying to get off the ship at the same time, with just a few hours to see everything ashore.. ..in reality only time to see not much further than the post area..

My daughter has been on a couple of cruises she loves it... but her idea of a holiday is to sunbathe, and relax reading a good book.. have a nice dinner in a restaurant.. and she's happy...

Not me I'm absolutely all for doing my own thing.. deciding where I want to go and not be led by any itinerary... ..and my own pool...


I would rather never take a holiday again than end up on this floating nightmare...

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also what you don't see in the picture is often the loud thumping music that's played from early morning till night
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You won't see that picture in the brochure.
 
I love cruises. The last one i went on, the Spousal Equivalent got violently ill (non-contageous, thank goodness) and I was in a terror that they were going to put him off at the next port to go into a hospital.

The wonderful doctor assured me that they could take care of him in the infirmary and would not transfer him to a hospital til we hit our next US port (Key West). Luckily, he was on the mend by then and was able to stay on.

The care he received was excellent and everyone was so kind. The cost was unbelievably low.

I was on a Disney Cruise several years ago in the height of flu season with what seemed to be several thousand coughing, runny-nosed children, all bound and determined to come in contact with me. Sure 'nuff, I started getting sick and sicker as soon as I got back and missed days of work.
 
Mizmo said:
I have been on a few cruises but it was back in the old days when ships were smaller and people got to know each other and we had lots of fun when not docked for land trips. These monstrous things they have now turn me off completely.
One I did really enjoy and won't forget was a trip it through the Panama Canal.
great experience....
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Same as you.
Loved the Panama Canal trip, even though there were mechanical issues that were the fault of line. The compensation was -30% on your next trip if you signed up for another trip right now. Thatā€™s the usual for any return customer.
 
Interesting replies! And timoc, tempting as your invitation is, I'd still say no. šŸ˜

I think the health hazards are too great, with or without Covid. Also, as Holly mentioned, you usually spend a minimal amount of time at the ports, just enough to run into the shops and buy souveniers (big surprise, right?) and then it's time to return to the ship. To really visit a country, it's better to take a land tour, like the Dacey's Cornish tour I took in Cornwall, or a Perrillo tour all over Italy, covering the whole country.

But in my very limited experience, the tours do vary. The first one we went on, to Alaska, was great. It was a Holland America ship, very luxurious. And we did spend quite a bit of time on land excursions, especially in Sitka, where we spent nearly a whole day.

The second one, a Celebrity tour, was the Mediterranean one I told you about. Very disappointing. A few minutes in each place, and back to the ship. Plus a lot of people were sick.

The third was a Royal Caribbean one, somewhat lower in amenities, mediocre food, etc., but it did leave out of Baltimore, which was a plus. I didn't have to fly anywhere first. It went up along the New England coast and as far as Nova Scotia, stopping at various Canadian sites along the way. I found it very interesting, and especially loved our stop in Boston, long enough to spend a few hours on our own walking around the downtown part of the city. That was the first trip I went on after my husband died, and was kind of an experiment to see if I could enjoy a vacation on my own. (To my surprise, I did.)

But now? Never. Too many germs out there.
 
I've been on a few, mostly for family obligations. Not really my kind of thing, though not horrible, spent most of my time doing laps around the deck to make up for all the food. I've heard from friends that have gone, that the European river cruises are very nice, small boats, lots of stops, and free time. May try it down the road, if things get better. Mike
 
Geezer Garage said:
I've been on a few, mostly for family obligations. Not really my kind of thing, though not horrible, spent most of my time doing laps around the deck to make up for all the food. I've heard from friends that have gone, that the European river cruises are very nice, small boats, lots of stops, and free time. May try it down the road, if things get better. Mike
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I looked into the river cruises here in the US .... [from an ad in Smithsonian magazine] WOW !!! are they ever expensive. Sounded like it might actually be a nice time ......... but damn. If I recall correctly the 'cheap' one started @ around $6,000 .

Maybe I deserve it & should spend it on myself ? ......... But I haven't yet .
 
hollydolly said:
Absolutely not... stuck in one building essentially with thousands of people, all sharing the same small pools, and sports area.. and all the expensive tipping.. and then when you get to port.. a mass exodus of people trying to get off the ship at the same time, with just a few hours to see everything ashore.. ..in reality only time to see not much further than the post area..

My daughter has been on a couple of cruises she loves it... but her idea of a holiday is to sunbathe, and relax reading a good book.. have a nice dinner in a restaurant.. and she's happy...

Not me I'm absolutely all for doing my own thing.. deciding where I want to go and not be led by any itinerary... ..and my own pool...


I would rather never take a holiday again than end up on this floating nightmare...

norwegian-escape-norwegian-ncl-29998.jpg


also what you don't see in the picture is often the loud thumping music that's played from early morning till night
Click to expand...
Ha, crowed just like a troop ship in the early 1960's...packed in ships holes, bunks four high, chow-really, really bad, the BO-Wow!
Nope, I don't care to be reminded of the 'good times,' the army provided for troops.

Us, see if I got it right, you pay money to experience how sardines are packed?

Is There Enough Water for allllll those people to shower?
 
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I've never been on a cruise, although friends have gone. I always wanted to go, just so I could experience it, but never did. The closest I came to it was traveling on a day trip in Florida for my birthday. But now, the desire has waned and after the pandemic, I am honestly not interested.
 
hollydolly said:
Absolutely not... stuck in one building essentially with thousands of people, all sharing the same small pools, and sports area.. and all the expensive tipping.. and then when you get to port.. a mass exodus of people trying to get off the ship at the same time, with just a few hours to see everything ashore.. ..in reality only time to see not much further than the post area..

My daughter has been on a couple of cruises she loves it... but her idea of a holiday is to sunbathe, and relax reading a good book.. have a nice dinner in a restaurant.. and she's happy...

Not me I'm absolutely all for doing my own thing.. deciding where I want to go and not be led by any itinerary... ..and my own pool...


I would rather never take a holiday again than end up on this floating nightmare...

norwegian-escape-norwegian-ncl-29998.jpg


also what you don't see in the picture is often the loud thumping music that's played from early morning till night
Click to expand...
This would be my worst nightmare. I cannot believe just how many people are taking cruises in this day and age with covid so prevalent. Give me sounds and sights of birds singing, trees talking and fields that go on forever.
 
hollydolly said:
but aren't Viking cruises river cruises?.. correct me if I'm wrong... compared to these gigantic floating ocean going hotels
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Yes, some are river cruises, but with Europe shutting down again, thatā€™s not much of an option now. We took an ocean cruise before and this time our ocean cruise will be in the Caribbean to the Panama Canal. A Carnival ship might have 4 to 5 THOUSAND passengers. Viking Ocean has less than 1,000 passengers. We almost never shared an elevator or stood in a long line or felt crowded in any way on our first cruise with Viking. The price tag reflects that, of course, but we saved for years for it. I never thought hubs would enjoy cruising, but we really have. Lots to be said for unpacking once while being able to see different places/countries every day.

As for tipping, you can pay a suggested fee upfront (or not) and thatā€™s it. If there is a particular person or persons who go above and beyond, itā€™s discretionary. I get that cruising is not for everyone. As for me, I love to be pampered.
 

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