Is it time for me to cruise again?
My spouse and I have cruised the grand total of one time. It was in 1988 and was an Alaskan cruise.
We drove down from our home in the Southern Tier of New York to family in Yonkers (a city on the Northern border of New York City), stayed the night, and then took a flight to Seattle and a bus (provided by the cruise company, Princess) to our ship in Vancouver, British Columbia.
We made so many mistakes it was laughable, in a way. Of course, there was no Internet and we didn't know anyone who had cruised.
I think we were the youngest people (in our middle 30's) on the ship. We were fortunate that an older couple, Canadians, took us under their wing and taught us some of the basics. (And yes, we used a travel agent).
I still enjoyed a lot of the trip (and have many fond memories) but there was enough I did not enjoy - especially discovering I was prone to seasickness with a capital S, and spent one night hanging over the rail, disposing of the meal I had had at the Captain's table. I hadn't even brought motion sickness medicine. The first time I used the pills, I took the recommended dose and fell asleep over dinner. I slept through the entire night.
Formal nights - ugh.
Too much rich food overall. I gained something like 15 pounds.
I've never cruised since that one 1988 cruise. So let's do a massive fast forward.
A couple of years ago, my manager at work started to cruise again after a many year pause. She loves it, even with the COVID restrictions on her first couple of cruises. She took two cruises last year and has already booked her first cruise for this year.
So now, my son has joined the fun.
My son went on his first cruise in December (Carnival). He booked his second cruise before even going on the first one. Talk about faith in something.
So, what's holding me back?.
There is so much to love, according to my manager. One time unpacking. Little to plan. Plenty of time to relax, or not relax, as you want. Good food. And, at least right now, it can be cheaper to cruise than to take a week's vacation on land, according to her. She's already given me some pointers.
What I really like is that I don't have to fly (long story, that) to get to the nearest cruise ports, although my cruising options would be limited. I'm willing to live with needing to embark from the New York City area or even Baltimore and end the cruise in the same place I started.
But I really, really want to research, especially as money would be a consideration. More importantly, my spouse isn't totally onboard (no pun intended) with this cruising idea.
I suspect many of my readers have cruised. So, could I ask any of you who have cruised, a favor?
If you have written on the topic, or know a good website or two, I'd appreciate you sharing that with me. I know that's hard, with you not knowing exactly what I'm looking for but any cruising experience shared with me will help out. I also need to relearn cruising. It's changed a lot since 1988.
This should be interesting.
I've never been on a cruise, myself, but I knew a guy that went on them all the time. He told me that some cruise lines have it where you can buy tickets on a cruise relatively cheap if there are spaces on them within either 24 or 48 hours of departure. He and his wife would do that frequently. I think he subscribed to an email that let him know. Sadly, I think he passed away, so I can't get the address...
ReplyDeleteJohn, thanks. I'll keep this in mind. It's interesting that people either seem to love or dislike cruising. There must be websites that facilitate this kind of last minute thing (which we can be open to) but I have a feeling it's not for beginners.
Delete...cruising isn't my things, I don't enjoy crowds.
ReplyDeleteI don't either. The ship we sailed on in 1988 was a smaller ship. I don't think I'm ready for a ship holding 3,000 or more people - even my son admitted it got a bit annoying at mealtime.
DeleteTook a Caribbean cruise in 1999. Hurricane Lenny hit and we could not get to any of the planned stops. Saw a lot of the southern shore of Cuba. I get seasick but have had luck with wrist bands.
ReplyDeleteOn a cruise from Greece to Yugoslavia the sea was so bad they closed the kitchen.
Maybe a river cruise?
One of my husband's cousins has taken several European river cruises and loves them. (She is also a very experienced traveler overall). River cruises we found (not much research yet) in the US. all involve flying-you don't end up where you started. They also seem to be more expensive - I get it; the ships are smaller. But it's certainly something to consider.
DeleteI’ve been on multiple cruises. We took a cruise in 1987. That sort of doesn’t count, cruising was way different back then. We took Caribbean cruises in 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2022. Clearly we enjoy them. Advantages include shipboard activities, the ability to travel to multiple locations without having to pack and unpack multiple times, etc. Disadvantages — you’re limited on time spent in each port so you don’t get a chance to see everything, bad weather means you might miss ports, etc.
ReplyDeleteShips now are much more stable than they were in the. 80’s so you’re less likely to get seasick, and acupressure wristbands can help.
You’re going to want to investigate several cruise lines, as each caters to a different audience, offers different amenities, etc. For example, we cruised on Royal Caribbean and on Celebrity — sister companies — but our experiences were very different. The Celebrity cruise was a smaller ship and catered to an older crowd. Disney, as you might guess, caters mostly to families with small children. Carnival still has an image of being “party ships” and can get rowdy on short cruises.
If you’re sailing out of NYC or Baltimore you’ll have a significant number of sea days, so look for onboard activities that cater to your interests.
Thank you for the pointers. The sea days is part of my husband's concern - he is a restless individual, even in his 70's. Maybe a cruise with cooking lessons? It's a thought. Wouldn't interest me but I'm a lot more sedentary
DeleteI hesitate to send you there, but cruise critic has lots of good information. The message boards can get a little …intense… but there is a wealth of information available
DeleteTook a quick look at Cruise Critic. Owned by Trip Advisor since around 2007. Interesting. Yes, thank you.
DeleteSadly, I get seasick on ships and boats. My last little cruise was in 2015, along the river that crosses Moscow. It lasted for some two hours , and was ok, but monotonous. because of the guide's explanations.
ReplyDeleteSo we both know how not-fun seasickness is. I do think a river cruise might be better for me, the more I think of it.
DeleteNo, never took a cruise. Never wanted to. I always thought, going by the ads and what people say about their cruises, I can do those things at nice hotels and still be free to sight see, not be "trapped" on a ship! I've been to locations cruise ships go to, but I didn't have to stop enjoying the sights to get back on board by a specific time. Nah, never even considered a cruise.
ReplyDeleteMy spouse would feel much the same way as you-plus, as we age, I certainly identify with not wanting to feel rushed as we try to explore the sights. On the other hand, if it was a place that wasn't that interesting, the short shore stay would be a plus.
DeleteI've never been on a cruise, but my dad has gone to Alaska and through the Panama Canal. He has another cruise planned soonish. (I can't say for sure when. He told me, but I have forgotten.) So, I don't really have any help for you. Sorry. (And they've flown. There was one out of Florida that they took.)
ReplyDeleteI know not wanting (in a big way) to fly is limiting my options. I wouldn't be surprised if my son ends up taking a Panama Canal cruise one day. He loves to see machinery at work.
DeleteI'm laughing with you, not at you. Seasick with a capital "S"? Check. Motion sickness pills that put you to sleep? Check. I've never cruised and likely never will. I guess that makes me a landlubber!
ReplyDeleteIf I do it, I'll just have to hope the ships now are a lot more stable than they were in 1988!
DeleteI took one cruise - my first and my last. The constant press of people drove me crazy and I think that everyone else on the whole damn ship was a right wing whack job, who would have been a rabid Trump supporter today. I took to eating at the buffet, avoiding the dining room like the plague. It was crassness on display. In a word, I hated it and couldn’t wait for it to end.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like an absolute nightmare, especially given that there is no escape.
DeleteMy hub got me started cruising and i have written extensively on it. Here's all of them from my search engine on my site: https://www.carolcassara.com/?s=cruise&submit=%EF%80%82
ReplyDeleteThis is going to help, Carol. I do remember the Viking review and the medical evac you witnessed. Thank you.
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