Why Do You Cruise?

Reading so many threads about chair hogs, smoking, bad food, and a host of other complaints, can lead one to believe that going on a cruise about is the worst vacation possible.

But of course the complaints are outweighed by all of the great aspects of a cruise. I think it would be nice to have a thread outlining the positives of cruising. After all, most of us are on these boards because we love it. Personally I love the feeling of being surrounded by the ocean. I love the entertainment and variety of things to do. I enjoy visiting different islands in a short time period. I can go on and on.

I’d love to see what others consider to be their favorite aspects of cruising.

Why do you cruise and what are the things you like most about cruising?

1. The luxury of visiting many different ports and only unpacking once!

2. The serenity of the sea days.

3. Someone else is cooking, doing dishes, cleaning my room, making my bed, etc.!

4. Meeting new people from all over the world with a common interest....cruising!

Just a few off the top of my head...

I love being away from work and all of the things that go along with it. (phones, texts, emails, meetings, delays)

I love that you get to disconnect from the "real" world for just a bit.

It is nice to be able to have a few drinks and not have to worry who is going to drive home!

Love the rocking of the ship!

Enjoy all of the really nice people we meet along the way, on the ship, and at the ports we visit.

Like linkerblink said, it is an easy way to see lots of places I have never been. It saves me a lot of time and energy not having to pack and unpack and chase trains and planes all of the time. For the most part we have been lucky with the food, it has been pretty good.

In 2016 we did a cruise from Sydney to Auckland but wanted to see more of Australia than the ship was going to show us I booked an extra week pre-cruise and we traveled around from Melbourne to Cairnes to Sydney, after starting in Las Vegas....Too many early monrings and late nights, too many airports. Yes, we did get to see a lot but by the time we got to Sydney for 3 nights before boarding the ship I was exhausted and very thankful that our first day on board was a sea day. Lesson learned. Those long land tours are for the younger folks.

I love being with lots of people enjoying good food and interesting shows and visiting various ports.

Then at night the motion of the ocean gently rocks me to sleep.

Why do you cruise and what are the things you like most about cruising?

Because we are fortunate enough to be able to and we enjoy the total experience, which is diametrically opposed to every day at home.

We holiday extensively - cruising, RV'ing and visiting our timeshare properties.

When cruising, especially longer cruises, both of you get to relax - no cooking, cleaning, driving, etc. You can be as busy as you desire with port calls, daily activities, or just sit by the pool and relax with a good book, or even people watch. After a cruise you can return home really refreshed.

The cruise industry has many Lines and they all offer a variety of cruises, so you should be able to find a ship with like minded people. For us, our preference is smaller ships and longer cruises, but those that prefer mega ships that resemble amusement park have options as well.

When cruising you get to visit many countries and ports, but you only get an opportunity for a quick overview. For us, this helps to identify places we would like to pay a return visit and more importantly, those we prefer not to see again.

Entertainment - for us the greatest benefit is not having to travel into the city for entertainment and on a cruise you have different entertainment daily.

1. I love waking up in a new place
   
2. I love not having to make any decisions other than where I am going to eat and what delicious drink I’m going to try.
   
3. I love being able to get away from the constant demands of my job - being out at sea makes it much easier to unplug!
   
4. I love visiting so many various places that I probably would never visit except on a cruise
   

The real reason is because there is so much to it that it makes it hard to put into words, but I'll try. The complainers are overall miserable people IMO.

Convenience: Everything is there on the boat. Food, drink, entertainment. You don't have to drive around to get to any of it, unless you are at a port. Someone will clean your room every day.

Entertainment/Variety: Certain lines have options everywhere. There really is stuff for everyone to do. You get to visit a bunch of different ports to see and do a bunch of different things

Staff: Some of the friendliest/hardest working people I've ever seen. I'm not a big "service person," but these people work their butts off to make your vacation special.

Price: Tough to beat. There aren't many options out there that will give you lodging, food, and entertainment for well under $100 pp per day.

Environment: It's (overall) very laid back. Everyone having a good time. There's something about laying there watching a movie while the sea is around you. There's something about waking up and going to the top of the boat and looking out at the port you just arrived at.

I find AIs to be overrated. Food and drink are important to me, but they aren't the entire vacation. I can't just sit at a resort for a week or so. I'd rather put my money towards more options/stuff to do.

We just love being at sea on a ship. There's something magical about it.

Going into, and sailing away from a port is quite wonderful, too.

Going eastbound to begin a trip, or heading westbound at the end of one. Beats flying - by a country mile.

We like "making the world go away" for a while. :)

I love being in comfort (great food, good service, relaxing and comfortable atmosphere) while in the middle of the ocean, without land in sight! I don't cruise to get somewhere or to see other places, I cruise to be at sea.....That's where I can most fully relax and be feel the most laid-back and calm. I generally choose cruises with the most sea days and fewest ports possible.......but I'm going on a Panama Canal cruise this summer (it was priced so reasonably, I couldn't resist). I will be interested to see if I still find it as relaxing (even if I stay on the ship at ports).

1. I love waking up in a new place
   
2. I love not having to make any decisions other than where I am going to eat and what delicious drink I’m going to try.
   
3. I love being able to get away from the constant demands of my job - being out at sea makes it much easier to unplug!
   
4. I love visiting so many various places that I probably would never visit except on a cruise
   

This is about perfect! My husband has a very stressful job and a cruise makes him relax.

We’ve met some wonderful people as well.

We love taking vacations and try to take at least 3 a year. 2 during the summer and 1 toward December. One of the ones we do during the summer (to kick things off) is always a cruise. Years ago we went to Myrtle Beach when it used to be a nice place to go but now it's a concrete toxic dump. A cruise ship is much nicer and we see/do more. Not to mention it cost the same amount to go on a cruise as it does to go to a beach nearby once you factor everything in.

Seeing new ports while not having having to get up in the wee hours of the morning to quickly pack and board a bus, train, plane, etc.

Someone else is cooking, cleaning, etc.

Meeting new people who also love to cruise.

And the list goes on and on.

The real reason is because there is so much to it that it makes it hard to put into words, but I'll try. The complainers are overall miserable people IMO.

 

Convenience: Everything is there on the boat. Food, drink, entertainment. You don't have to drive around to get to any of it, unless you are at a port. Someone will clean your room every day.

 

Entertainment/Variety: Certain lines have options everywhere. There really is stuff for everyone to do. You get to visit a bunch of different ports to see and do a bunch of different things

 

Staff: Some of the friendliest/hardest working people I've ever seen. I'm not a big "service person," but these people work their butts off to make your vacation special.

 

Price: Tough to beat. There aren't many options out there that will give you lodging, food, and entertainment for well under $100 pp per day.

 

Environment: It's (overall) very laid back. Everyone having a good time. There's something about laying there watching a movie while the sea is around you. There's something about waking up and going to the top of the boat and looking out at the port you just arrived at.

 

I find AIs to be overrated. Food and drink are important to me, but they aren't the entire vacation. I can't just sit at a resort for a week or so. I'd rather put my money towards more options/stuff to do.

Exactly this.

Cruising... It's the adult version of Summer Camp!

It's easy [emoji4]. We have traveled a lot independently and all the planning and arrangements can become a chore sometimes.

Once we board the ship we just go with flow....We have a general idea of what we'd like to see or do when we arrive in a port, but rarely book excursions..

A lovely time of relaxation.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Forums mobile app

Reading so many threads about chair hogs, smoking, bad food, and a host of other complaints, can lead one to believe that going on a cruise about is the worst vacation possible.

 

But of course the complaints are outweighed by all of the great aspects of a cruise. I think it would be nice to have a thread outlining the positives of cruising. After all, most of us are on these boards because we love it. Personally I love the feeling of being surrounded by the ocean. I love the entertainment and variety of things to do. I enjoy visiting different islands in a short time period. I can go on and on.

 

I’d love to see what others consider to be their favorite aspects of cruising.

Why do you cruise and what are the things you like most about cruising?

I cruise because it is the only thing I can do due to severe illness .I cannot fly or take trains .

I love getting on unpack8ng once but being in a different waterfront location every time I wake up.

Doing as much or as little as we want.

But most of all I love getting us time, something that can b3 in short supply at home.

I cruise because that's where the ocean is.

I cruise because it is the only thing I can do due to severe illness .I cannot fly or take trains .

I am lucky that I am not ill, but I do have chronic pain that makes it difficult for me to sit for more than a few minutes. I can manage to get to Southampton and then the world comes to me :)

Luckily I love cruising, so this is no hardship for me!

I love having to get used to a new bed just once. I always find it takes several days for this and it is a real issue if we have a different bed every night.

I love waking up in a new port.

I love the fact that OH and I can do our own thing but still spend lots of time together.

I love not having to worry about who is driving home if (when!) I want a drink.

I love the fact that there is so much entertainment to choose from but I can just do nothing if I prefer.

I love the chance to really dress up on 'formal' nights (of course this differs between cruise lines).

I love meeting so many lovely new people.

Of course nothing is perfect - but cruising comes pretty close!! :D

I like smaller ships that go to seldom visited ports. Some of them would be difficult to visit with flights, train/bus/ferry rides only. We also do land trips but cruise ships are more comfortable. We only have to unpack once.

Before we do the list, agree with the spirit of this thread. Cruising is great and my family was hooked after their first on Carnival Triumph last year - husband says he would be happy to never travel any other way forever.

1. Once aboard, no travel stress, decisions, or packing/moving your stuff and yourself

2. Being able to go do so many activities day and night (restaurant, shopping, trivia, comedy club, dance shows, pool-deck activities, backstage ship tour, casino) without having to get in the car and drive there. Takes no more than 5 minutes to get "home" (stateroom) afterward if we want to rest.

3. Only child tween daughter loves meeting other kids, quickly learns her way around and gets to practice some independence moving between the room, teen activities, buffet and counter serve eateries as she likes, which she can't do at home as we are not within walking distance of anything.

4. Indulging the old vices we left behind years ago, just a bit - a cocktail now and then for me, a cigar for my husband.

5. Port visits to different places while staying in the same room. Husband hates packing, unpacking, moving from hotel to hotel on the road. Frankly I couldn't care less about the Caribbean any more, but my family has a blast with shore excursions, whether it's recreation such as watercraft rentals, or more educational such as the Uxmal ruins in Mexico. My husband loved the forts and little museums in Nassau.

6. The things people complain about on so many threads are honestly stuff we don't even notice, or if we do, it slides right off of us. We are casual eaters and the buffet or any counter service available are fine for us for all meals. We always find something we like well enough. We can't get the kind of live entertainment here you get on a ship, so it's all a treat to us. We have no problem saying no to upsell options we don't want or buying them if we do want them. We always find crew to be nice enough. We live in a diverse suburban / rural area of the Midwest not far from Chicago so we are comfortable with people of all demographics and temperaments and expect a sample of every type of human to be on each cruise :)