Cruising is not for everyone

[MoxieDoll]

Honestly, you may want to wait a couple years and try again. My first cruise was my honeymoon in 1998 and I hated every minute of it. I was seasick and cried the entire time. My husband and I couldn't wait to get off that ship. 3 years later we went on another cruise and had a completely different experience. We knew from our last cruise that we didn't like to sit with people we don't know, that my husband could order a hamburger in the MDR (he's a picky eater) and that we weren't obligated to leave the ship at each port.

 

We've cruised 7 times since then and are leaving in 2 weeks on our 9th. But if I'd base my vacation decisions only on that first cruise, we'd never have stepped foot aboard another ship again.

[Deedleann]

Cruising isn't for everyone and from my understanding every cruiseline is a bit different, as are the ships. Homework is definitely your best defense for picking the right room/ship/destinations. I love these boards as they have answered almost every question I have.

 

I use cruising as my "relaxing break" from my other vacations. We tend to travel a lot but I never consider them relaxing vacations. We pack as much sightseeing as we can into limited days so I always feel exhausted when I come back. Yes, I need a vacation from my vacation. My intention is to take a cruise every other year as a recharge. I find I relax a lot more on cruises even when we do shore excursions.

 

Happy Cruising...or Not! ;)

[hubofhockey]

I just returned from my first cruise. Although my family enjoyed the trip- it is not the perfect vacation it is cracked up to be. If you are prone to headaches; think twice. The vibration of the ship can make a headache unbearable. It "shook" almost the whole cruise. The food was only good- not great. The entertainment was corny and the comics offensive. Even at the PG show, one of the comics made jokes about the mexicans and other ethnicities-- quite questionable taste on a cruise to Mexico. It was so windy (and I was told our cruise was typical) that it was difficult to sit on deck for much of the trip. The ports were great, but I will NOT choose cruising again for a way to travel to the places I want to see. I am really not a difficult person, and I know many on board were having a good time- but a nice hotel tops this in my opinion. Not really looking for responses here- just wanted to sound a warning for those considering this vacation. If I had known up front what I was in for, I might not have had my expectations so high.

 

Looking at your prior posts, it appears that you took a Carnival cruise. While I don't disagree that cruises are not for everyone, I would add that maybe Carnival is not for you. I can tell you that I have very little interest in any Carnival itinerary to Mexico. It's definitely not what we look for.

 

In his own blog the senior cruise director for Carnival even apologized for making ethnically insensitive jokes. Carnival lends itself more to that type of atmosphere. You might find the entertainment to be a bit more refined on other lines. I can tell you that I certainly know the difference when I am on a Carnival cruise as opposed to a Princess cruise. I enjoy both for different reasons. I am not sure about the ship you were on. We usually go on larger ships and I have never felt much in the way of vibrations and that may depend on location of your cabin. But again, as to your overall point, yes, cruises are not for everyone.

[luv2camp04]

This has been a very interesting thread. We have never been on a cruise and our first one is booked for April. It's a 10 day Southern Caribbean. I booked it a special treat for my husband and myself for our 25th anniversary. Our vacations have always been family trips with our trailer (first a tent trailer then a regular hard sided trailer). We have seen some wonderful places that many people have never seen and many of our countries beautiful National Parks. However these trips require quite a bit of work and lots of driving. Since I won't pull the trailer, my husband does all the driving and of course I do the majority of the cooking. Yes, it's gorgeous, but it takes a bit of work. We love it and we will never give up our RV!!! But for this trip, we wanted to spoil ourselves. We aren't the type to go to corny shows so we probably won't do those and we aren't ones for guided tours. We will probably do our sightseeing at each of the ports (or just sit on the beach). Mostly we will enjoy our balcony and not having to cook or drive. I am hoping that this will be what we hope for. Not to mention some blue skies (we are from rainy Seattle!!).

 

Anyway, hopefully my expectations aren't too high and we can enjoy just relaxing. But I sure appreciate the OP and the comments. It is a help to keep my expectations grounded.

[bela47911]

While I agree cruising isn't for everyone and the OP has teh right to voice her opinion I don't want people that get headaches to think they shouldn't cruise. I suffer from terrible migraines and I did my first cruise last year and loved it and never had a headache or migraine the whole time on board (which is a miracle in itself....LOL). So please don't group people with headaches all together and tell them not to cruise.

[Deedleann]

Anyway, hopefully my expectations aren't too high and we can enjoy just relaxing. But I sure appreciate the OP and the comments. It is a help to keep my expectations grounded.

 

I would say that most people that go on their first cruise become addicted. I would cruise every year if I could just for the relaxation factor! Im pretty confident that you will love your trip. :)

[ruecatt]

I would say that most people that go on their first cruise become addicted. I would cruise every year if I could just for the relaxation factor! Im pretty confident that you will love your trip. :)

 

I agree, cruising is very relaxing to me and as a person who suffers from sever chronic migraines in which everyday is a battle, cruising is great for my migraines. I always do much better with them while on the ship. I like the motion of the ship, I sleep like a baby.

 

I wonder if I could get a prescription for cruising?:rolleyes:

[luv2camp04]

I would say that most people that go on their first cruise become addicted. I would cruise every year if I could just for the relaxation factor! Im pretty confident that you will love your trip. :)

 

I have a feeling that you are right and that after this one, we will want to do an Alaskan Cruise (which will be a little easier since we're in Seattle!) That will be a great precursor to our dream RV trip in retirement of travelling Alaska for 3 months!!!

 

I'm sure looking forward to that balcony!!

[bela47911]

I agree, cruising is very relaxing to me and as a person who suffers from sever chronic migraines in which everyday is a battle, cruising is great for my migraines. I always do much better with them while on the ship. I like the motion of the ship, I sleep like a baby.

 

I wonder if I could get a prescription for cruising?:rolleyes:

 

If you find a doctor that will prescribe that prescription, please let me know ;)

[rcs931]

I have found this thread very interesting. We, too, disliked our first cruise, on Carnival many years ago. The food was so-so, we got really tired of eating at the same time every night, and we made the uninformed choice of booking over a school holiday. We did no research before that booking (much fewer resources back then). We were never going to cruise again, but recently several of our friends have told us how much they enjoyed it and how we could to, if we just picked the right trip. So, since we were looking for a vacation which would "force" us to slow down, we did a lot of research and carefully took the jump again. We've booked Eurodam in January and are headed in with an open mind. I'll post our impressions when we return.

[luv2camp04]

I have found this thread very interesting. We, too, disliked our first cruise, on Carnival many years ago. The food was so-so, we got really tired of eating at the same time every night, and we made the uninformed choice of booking over a school holiday. We did no research before that booking (much fewer resources back then). We were never going to cruise again, but recently several of our friends have told us how much they enjoyed it and how we could to, if we just picked the right trip. So, since we were looking for a vacation which would "force" us to slow down, we did a lot of research and carefully took the jump again. We've booked Eurodam in January and are headed in with an open mind. I'll post our impressions when we return.

 

Loved to hear you were trying again. Just curious, are you going with the "anytime" type of dining. We are on Celebrity and we decided on Select Dining because we felt the early was too early and late just too late. Just thought maybe we would be happier with our own schedule since that is what we are so used to.

 

Hope you enjoy your trip and look forward to hearing what you think!!

[read52]

I agree, cruising is very relaxing to me and as a person who suffers from sever chronic migraines in which everyday is a battle, cruising is great for my migraines. I always do much better with them while on the ship. I like the motion of the ship, I sleep like a baby.

 

I wonder if I could get a prescription for cruising?:rolleyes:

 

My husband asked his neurologist that question several times. Unforunately, she can't help him with it. Sorry the OP does not cruising.

My husband had viral encephilitis six years ago from having shingles on his face (twice on his arm). He has daily headaches that turn into seizures. He does wonderful on ships. It is the easiest way to travel for us. We like the fact that if he gets tired, we can go back to the room and take a nap. We do not have to drive anywhere and all the food is taken care of.

 

As a side note to anyone with chronic migraines headaches, the FDA has now approved Botox as a treatment. You have to have headaches for at least 14 days a month for 4 hours or more at a time. My husband has been doing Botox for about 1 1/2 years with wonderful results (meds only helped some). The insurance company pays about 1/3 of the cost now but still fighting to get the whole amount now that it is approved.

[wwaggone]

We love cruising, but if our October cruise on the Carnival Triumph was our first cruise, we may not have ever cruised again either. I hope that nobody ever has a bad vacation, but they do happen. I would certainly try a different cruise line and use the information from this and other sites to pick the best itinerary, cabin location and activities.

[deborahjo]

OP Thank you for your honest posting. We cruise to relax and people watching. Maybe in a couple of years you may find the cruise itch again. If you should get a cabin midship. It will help with your headaches. Again thank you.

[Deedleann]

My husband had viral encephilitis six years ago from having shingles on his face (twice on his arm).

 

Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I have been suffering from chronic shingles for the past 18 months now. I would not wish this on anyone. Thankfully it has been localized to my middle back, beneath my arm and around to my front. No one can understand what it is like until you experience it. The only way I can describe it is having a large 2nd degree burn. The shivers/waves of pain are the worst. Ive managed to keep working through it but some days...... Just when I think its over I get another flareup from the nerve pain. My sincere best wishes to your husband. I am glad he has found an outlet through cruising!!!! And if you find a doctor willing to fill out a scrip.....send him my way!!!!! :D

[rushedmom]

We did the Mexican Rivera this past summer on Mariner and I noticed the ship seemed to vibrate more then others we had been on. I wonder if it is because the water is so much rougher the Pacific with more wind then the Atlantic?????

 

We had a great time on our cruise. But as the OP said cruising is not for everyone, sorry you did not enjoy your time at sea. I hope your next vacation is fabulous!

[Hlitner]

Vibration on ships is an interesting factor in engineering and design. We once had lunch sith Sir John McNeese who is a well-known cruise ship/marine architect (we designed the first cruise ship atrium ship and the old Renaissance ships) and vibration was the main lunch topic. Sir John explained that there are so many factors that play into vibration, but sea conditions are not much of a factor. The most common causes are something called "cavitation" which results from the design of the propeller, its location along the hull, and the distance from the prop to the hull. Another common cause has been the use of Azipod Propulsion systems which have had more than there share of design flaws. My wife still laughs about our cruises on the Enchantment of the Seas which, she said, had a very interesting vibration problem. There were certain seats in the piano bar (Schooner Bar) that had a very pronounced vibration and she noticed than most women who sat in those seats always seems to have a smile on their faces. Guess all vibrations are not bad :)

 

Hank

[Planer's Edge]

I am curious as to why some people feel the need to couch their impressions of cruising as a warning to others? Wouldn't it suffice to tell what happened and how it was dealt with and then say that they think cruising is not for them.

 

Because we all know that everything is not for everybody.

 

PE

[Econom405]

Firstly, it's a shame the OP was disappointed with thier first experience cruising. I was a bit unsure for our first cruise, but by after a day I was already wondering were we could go next before we got off of the ship! As a migraine sufferer myself, I'd like to disagree with the statement that anyone that suffers from headaches should not cruise, we were in an aft balcony suite, and the vibration back there is well...interesting lol but not headache inducing. If anything the sea air and relaxing is a sure fire way to NOT get a headache for a week!! Just my thoughts.

[Half Pint]

I just returned from my first cruise. Although my family enjoyed the trip- it is not the perfect vacation it is cracked up to be. If you are prone to headaches; think twice. The vibration of the ship can make a headache unbearable. It "shook" almost the whole cruise. The food was only good- not great. The entertainment was corny and the comics offensive. Even at the PG show, one of the comics made jokes about the mexicans and other ethnicities-- quite questionable taste on a cruise to Mexico. It was so windy (and I was told our cruise was typical) that it was difficult to sit on deck for much of the trip. The ports were great, but I will NOT choose cruising again for a way to travel to the places I want to see. I am really not a difficult person, and I know many on board were having a good time- but a nice hotel tops this in my opinion. Not really looking for responses here- just wanted to sound a warning for those considering this vacation. If I had known up front what I was in for, I might not have had my expectations so high.

 

 

We are cruising for the very first time in just under six weeks and honestly? I'm dreading it. I don't think it's going to be a good vacation choice for me, but DH really wanted to go, so I'm sucking up my reservations about the whole thing and going.

 

Thanks for your post.

[Mikew0805]

Even at the PG show, one of the comics made jokes about the mexicans and other ethnicities-- quite questionable taste on a cruise to Mexico.

 

WOW.. Can you imagine that... a comic.. making jokes about any given ethnicity. UNHEARD OF!!

 

Actually, ALL people should be able to laugh at themselves no matter who they are. I am NOT OK with all this PC garbage... PC is the dumbest thing since/before Bush.

[sheldrake]

We are cruising for the very first time in just under six weeks and honestly? I'm dreading it. I don't think it's going to be a good vacation choice for me, but DH really wanted to go, so I'm sucking up my reservations about the whole thing and going.

 

Thanks for your post.

I am 70 and travel sick in a car or bus,I suffer with migraines,I cant swim and am terrified of water. I went on my first cruise ever last year,we went to the caribbean on Emerald Princess. We flew from London to Miami then boarded the ship at Fort Lauderdale. I was scared stiff but determined to do it once in my life. I had the best holiday ever,no sickness.no migraine and even though it was hurricane season, calm seas.I cant wait to go again just need the lottery to oblige.

[johneeo]

WOW.. Can you imagine that... a comic.. making jokes about any given ethnicity. UNHEARD OF!!

 

Actually, ALL people should be able to laugh at themselves no matter who they are. I am NOT OK with all this PC garbage... PC is the dumbest thing since/before Bush.

 

Thank heavens we now have the geniuses of Obama and Biden leading us:rolleyes:

[chipmaster]

Yup not for everyone

 

1) Motion is something that some are hypersenstive others not so much

 

2) Food, that is so personal. I assume you didn't try any of the speciality resturants if they were an option. I have never been a fan of the buffet and really enjoy 3 sit down meals and tea. But really just good and you are dissapointed, how much do you think such a "good" meal would cost on land and how much was your cost/day. Are your expectations to high. I have some friends that only Four Seasons and the best 25+ / eating is their idea of vacation "good". They didn't like cruising either on the mainstream lines.

 

3) Entertainment is like the food, they provide something that will be reasonably entertaining for a larger community of folks. Believe it or not if you go to a night club or other variety show in Las Vegas etc... the things you find offensive are everywhere. I agree okay and entertaining for some, not for others.

 

4) Windy, you do know the ship is moving that by definition is "wind" Of course the sheltered pool areas are better but again its open. Sorry to hear that you were dissapointed. Beach for sure don't move so that helps a little :D

 

5) Ports, that is what makes crusing great, moving hotel, feed you 3 meals and have entertainament and every day another port. Try that with land based and deciding where you want to eat and find entertainment.

 

Sorry as a newbie some things surprised you but I agree not for everyone and I for one do it once ever year or two, but it certainly won't be the only vacation I'd take. All the things you mention are reasons I don't cruise too often.

 

I just returned from my first cruise. Although my family enjoyed the trip- it is not the perfect vacation it is cracked up to be. If you are prone to headaches; think twice. The vibration of the ship can make a headache unbearable. It "shook" almost the whole cruise. The food was only good- not great. The entertainment was corny and the comics offensive. Even at the PG show, one of the comics made jokes about the mexicans and other ethnicities-- quite questionable taste on a cruise to Mexico. It was so windy (and I was told our cruise was typical) that it was difficult to sit on deck for much of the trip. The ports were great, but I will NOT choose cruising again for a way to travel to the places I want to see. I am really not a difficult person, and I know many on board were having a good time- but a nice hotel tops this in my opinion. Not really looking for responses here- just wanted to sound a warning for those considering this vacation. If I had known up front what I was in for, I might not have had my expectations so high.

[near the beach]

The Elation is a fantasy class ship. We found that they do have some vibration on the lower decks anyway. We think it helps us sleep. Unfortunately all passengers won’t be completely satisfied with their cruises. I for one don’t like camping. Maybe if I was in an RV. But that’s not camping. For us cruising matches or betters Vegas or Hotel trips. Have a fun vacation whatever you want to do next. :)