Shippy Mark Posted February 27, 2011 #1 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I few weeks back I was reading an article on CNN about the +s and -s of cruising and how some people will not cruise due to preconcieved ideas and misconceptions they have about cruising and being on ships in general. Some firends of mind share in these ideas. Because of this I decided to write an article about this and my thoughts on it. http://shipgeek.blogspot.com/2011/02/fighting-cruise-misconceptions.html. Please tell me what you think! I have heard some pretty weird and baseless ideas about cruising before. I am wondering, has anyone else heard these kind of things? How do you convince people to think otherwise? The reason I am wondering is becasue I have friends (the ones mentioned above) I am trying to convince to cruise but their problem is some of these misconceptions about cruising. I think I am winning them over but I would still like to hear what other do. I'm still trying with them though! I know they would love it!:D Interested to hear your thoughts...:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted February 27, 2011 #2 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I've heard all kinds of things...reason why folks don't think they'll like it...doesn't bother me! All you can do is tell them your experience, then let them alone! More rooms for the rest of us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted February 27, 2011 #3 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I have also heard similar reasons for not cruising. I just say "OK" that is your choice. I don't feel it is my duty to convince people to cruise. If they want to and ask for help, I do what I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suezyq50 Posted February 27, 2011 #4 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I have a BIL who refused cruising. Not enough space, too many people and hating water. DS and his kids finally got him to change his mind. He loved it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirkNC Posted February 27, 2011 #5 Share Posted February 27, 2011 There are a lot of misconceptions but it is ok with me, more space on the ship for us plus it helps keep costs down;). Kirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising Golfer Posted February 27, 2011 #6 Share Posted February 27, 2011 So let them stay on land. They are the ones losing out, plus as said by others, "more room for us". You and I know that cruising is the best vacation on earth and we would not want to miss a sailing because some newbe wants to take our spot!!! I say we just pull down our pants and wave good-by as we sail away to another great time at sea. The sea is for lovers and friends, let the others be land locked... :D All the best!!! C.G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted February 27, 2011 #7 Share Posted February 27, 2011 So let them stay on land. They are the ones losing out, plus as said by others, "more room for us". You and I know that cruising is the best vacation on earth and we would not want to miss a sailing because some newbe wants to take our spot!!! I say we just pull down our pants and wave good-by as we sail away to another great time at sea. The sea is for lovers and friends, let the others be land locked... :D All the best!!! C.G. Well said. Unless the person refusing to cruise is preventing you from cruising, who cares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinfool Posted February 27, 2011 #8 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I have heard many of these objections. After hearing the same ones over and over I have concluded the following: 1. They cannot afford to cruise but don't want to say so. or 2. They have some type of phobia (water, crowds, air travel, etc) but don't want to say so. In either case you won't change their mind. Like spitting in the ocean to try. If either 1 or 2 changes, then you may hear them start asking questions, at which point your words may sink in. (no pun intended) :rolleyes: No need to waste your time and effort if their mind is made up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlendaleCruiser Posted February 27, 2011 #9 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I've learned not to try and change anyone's mind from experience. I just tell them of my experience and tell them that they might want to give it a try but I won't try to convince them anymore. Did that once and listened to her complain the whole time, then come home and say she liked it--go figure. I just don't want to hear that anymore. If they have a bad experience they will just blame me. If they are adamant about it, I just say "to each his own" and make my next reservation without them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelbre Posted February 28, 2011 #10 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I totally agree!!!! My hubby was one of those that didn't think he would like a cruise, now we are about to do our fourth!!!! When we got off (reluctantly!!!!) our first one, he said, I would do anything to turn around and get back on that boat!!!! We were trying to decide between trying an all inclusive for the first time or cruise again and we all decided a cruise again! My hubby's sister and brother and their families did a four day cruise back in 2007 and none of them really cared for it. As you all have said, those that don't go, all the more space for us!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martini Mom Posted February 28, 2011 #11 Share Posted February 28, 2011 The most common things I hear are: 1. I will get seasick 2. I will be bored/claustrophobic 3. It's for old people Probably not, nope, and not unless you are on HAL.....just kidding ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanWeGoYet? Posted February 28, 2011 #12 Share Posted February 28, 2011 So far I've taken 2 friends on a cruise with me, first time cruisers. 2 different cruises. I did not try to talk them into it though, both were fairly positive about giving it a try. Both friends liked it, and I was surprised that one of them had a fairly positive attitude. She is a high maintenance sort who can't go with the standard room at a hotel, no matter how upscale. At Wynn, it has to be a special room with a view of the waterfall. Yet she was reasonably happy with the 3 day bahamas cruise on Carnival - this being the worst cruise I've been on (and would have been a deal breaker for this line for me had it been my 1st cruise with them). Thank God we had booked a cat 12 suite. At work, I've heard negative comments about cruises. Obviously from people who have never been on a cruise ship. "Isn't there a lot of noro virus?" "There's nothing to do but eat. That's all people do." Or they think it is an enormously expensive vacation, when in reality it costs far less than the trips they take. I can only imagine the mental picture they have - a whole ship full of people gorging in the buffets while wearing attends due to the norovirus epidemic. :rolleyes: Whatev. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techie123 Posted February 28, 2011 #13 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I always thought that cruises were so expensive that only the wealthy could afford to travel on a cruise ship. When I priced it out, it turns out that a cruise can cost less than driving around, eating at Denny's, and sleeping at Motel 6. (No one would ever call that a luxury vacation). I even worked out an itinerary on the Alaska Marine Highway, which turned out to be shockingly expensive, and would take two weeks instead of one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomersetBoy0 Posted February 28, 2011 #14 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I have heard many of these objections. After hearing the same ones over and over I have concluded the following: 1. They cannot afford to cruise but don't want to say so. or 2. They have some type of phobia (water, crowds, air travel, etc) but don't want to say so. In either case you won't change their mind. Like spitting in the ocean to try. If either 1 or 2 changes, then you may hear them start asking questions, at which point your words may sink in. (no pun intended) :rolleyes: No need to waste your time and effort if their mind is made up. I have a phobia of water (can't swim), crowds and air travel, but I'm still flying to Fort Lauderdale to take my first cruise in 13 days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky-elpaso Posted February 28, 2011 #15 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I have a phobia of water (can't swim), crowds and air travel, but I'm still flying to Fort Lauderdale to take my first cruise in 13 days! Good for you. Prepare to be hooked though. DH wasn't sure about our first cruise tour to Alaska. I initially booked one on RCI's Radiance of the Seas with a 3 day land portion. Then started looked at adding some time on our own so we could see more. I finally came to the conclusion that I should check RCI's longer land portions to see if they offered one that had some of what I had chosen. And they did. So I was telling him about it and mentioned that I should call in a couple of days to see how much extra it would be. His response was - "You could call now." And the rest is history. Now we're scheduled for 34 days in Australia - but have almost a year to wait. :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griffy116 Posted March 2, 2011 #16 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Cost: We have "the cheapest man alive" in my SIL. We went on a family cruise to celebrate my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. He thinks it's a good value now (translation = It's a great value but mostly, he's hooked on cruising). Crowds: Been on the big and small ships and never find it crowded with the exception of peak time on embarkation day in the Windjammer. Boring: We've never been able to fit in everything we wanted to do on a single cruise, which could explain why we've been on the same ship more than once and the same itinerary more than once. Small Rooms: We have stayed with 4 females in an inside cabin. Now THAT is a small room. We, however, were seldom in the cabin. We have discovered the joy of a balcony now, and can't go back. Seasick: This is from a family with 2 daughters who grew up with a small trash can balanced between their knees on a road trip (car sickness): No seasickness has been experienced on the large ships...a small sailboat once, yes. Not experiencing the island: You get a taste of each island and nothing is as great as waking up each day with a different taste to experience. The funniest misconception we heard: My SIL had been in the Navy stationed out on a ship, and prior to the first cruise, he was giving my father the "been there, done that" talk. We overhead him tell my Dad not to believe what we were telling him about cruising and that my Dad should eat everything in sight for the first few days because toward the end of the cruise, they would be running out of food and putting strange combinations together like eggs and sauerkraut on your plate. My SIL gained 7 pounds during our 7 day cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuiteTraveler Posted March 2, 2011 #17 Share Posted March 2, 2011 These are two odd reasons I was given for being afraid to cruise: 1. Fear of not being able to see land. The person who had this fear was later convinced to cruise. Once she was onboard, and understood how incredibly large these ships are, her concern and fear were overcome. 2. Feeling trapped on the ship. The person who told me this had never cruised and is still afraid to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melody-s Posted March 3, 2011 #18 Share Posted March 3, 2011 2. Feeling trapped on the ship. The person who told me this had never cruised and is still afraid to. My daughter suffers from this one, but it does not keep her from going on cruises with me. She begins to feel trapped after a couple of days on an island and sea days are not good for her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy ks Posted March 3, 2011 #19 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I've heard it all. Mostly people are concerned about being trapped on a ship with nothing to do. The funny thing is, with our schedules year round, being trapped on a ship with nothing to do but relax always sounds like heaven to us ;) Norovirus. Why this is related only to cruise ships is the fault of the media. Do people actually think it is only on a cruise ship you can come down with a viral stomach ailment??? Falling off the ship. I have to admit before our first cruise, the kids were 9 and 6, it was a minor concern of mine. After embarking the ship, my fears were gone seeing how high the railings are. I firmly believe you cannot fall off a cruise ship, you have to make quite an effort to do so. Now being thrown off is another story, but it would take super human effort to hoist a person up over five feet and heave them off, more than likely you could still kill them, but more from landing on a lower deck and a head/neck injury. Crime. We do read from time to time about crime at sea. I think you have to be as careful about your surroundings on a cruise ship just as much as you would in a hotel. Again, the media plays this up more on a cruise ship than most other locations. We do not read so much about the same type of crime that happens in hotels or resorts do we? Other fears that are real...seasickness, eating too much, other people being too old/young/drunk/boring/rude/smokers/non-smokers...you name it. I prefer to just let it happen, I don't control who else is on the ship and what they eat/drink/wear/smoke. Each cruise is different, even the same ship can be vastly different depending on the time of year you cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NODAK1979 Posted March 3, 2011 #20 Share Posted March 3, 2011 As a person who is about to go on his first cruise, I can give my reasons for avoiding cruising. In fact, I'm going on this cruise only because my wife has REALLY pushed for it. 1) I'm more of a sightseeing type of person. I realize you can do that from the port, but I don't feel that you can accurately get the flavor of any particular place within just a half a day at port. I'd rather spend more time in one location and really do it right. We went to Costa Rica last year for a week and LOVED it. No way a day's port stop would have shown us anything about that country. 2) I'm a bit of a control freak and like to control where I'm at or going. Being on somebody else's schedule isn't appealing. 3) Yes, I do fear boredom. I'm not sure how many shows I can go to without being bored. I'm going in with a hope of being entertained, though. I didn't pay money to go in believing it's going to be awful. I hope this cruise proves me wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryL Posted March 3, 2011 #21 Share Posted March 3, 2011 As a person who is about to go on his first cruise, I can give my reasons for avoiding cruising. In fact, I'm going on this cruise only because my wife has REALLY pushed for it. 1) I'm more of a sightseeing type of person. I realize you can do that from the port, but I don't feel that you can accurately get the flavor of any particular place within just a half a day at port. I'd rather spend more time in one location and really do it right. We went to Costa Rica last year for a week and LOVED it. No way a day's port stop would have shown us anything about that country. 2) I'm a bit of a control freak and like to control where I'm at or going. Being on somebody else's schedule isn't appealing. 3) Yes, I do fear boredom. I'm not sure how many shows I can go to without being bored. I'm going in with a hope of being entertained, though. I didn't pay money to go in believing it's going to be awful. I hope this cruise proves me wrong. Welcome, NODAK1979, to Cruisecritic. I think the fact you found this site shows you have an open mind to cruising instead of rejecting the experience at your wife’s expense. You are right that time can be a factor if you really want to explore a port. On the other hand, you will find that by visiting all the different ports, you will get a flavor for what that place is and mark it as a place to come back to. We have plans to return to Aruba, for example, to use a time share week because it is such a beautiful place, to us. As far as your being a control freak I think you, and everyone else, has to be prepared to turn over the “controls” and just enjoy your vacation. There are many things on a ship you can do to be “in control” if you so chose. There are many things to do and you manage your own experiences. Lastly, if a person is bored on a ship they have pretty much decided that themselves. These are places where you can step out of your box and try something new and different. You may find that cruising isn’t for you but I applaud you for giving it a try. I hope that’s not the case. We have met many nice people cruising and plan to meet many more. You will find this community, for the most part is very inviting. Try finding your sailing and join the roll call. They can help you with specifics. Where in ND are you from. I was born in Harvey (grew up all over) and went to college at UND. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NODAK1979 Posted March 3, 2011 #22 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Welcome, NODAK1979, to Cruisecritic. I think the fact you found this site shows you have an open mind to cruising instead of rejecting the experience at your wife’s expense. You are right that time can be a factor if you really want to explore a port. On the other hand, you will find that by visiting all the different ports, you will get a flavor for what that place is and mark it as a place to come back to. We have plans to return to Aruba, for example, to use a time share week because it is such a beautiful place, to us. As far as your being a control freak I think you, and everyone else, has to be prepared to turn over the “controls” and just enjoy your vacation. There are many things on a ship you can do to be “in control” if you so chose. There are many things to do and you manage your own experiences. Lastly, if a person is bored on a ship they have pretty much decided that themselves. These are places where you can step out of your box and try something new and different. You may find that cruising isn’t for you but I applaud you for giving it a try. I hope that’s not the case. We have met many nice people cruising and plan to meet many more. You will find this community, for the most part is very inviting. Try finding your sailing and join the roll call. They can help you with specifics. Where in ND are you from. I was born in Harvey (grew up all over) and went to college at UND. Larry Larry, Well I know you must be from North Dakota if you could figure out the NODAK acronym. Nobody ever seems to get it!! I was born in Minot, grew up in Wahpeton and went to college in Fargo at NDSU. Now I live in the Nashville area....and while I miss the people back home, I don't miss living there all that much. Especially in winter. Plus, for cruising sake, I can drive to a port from here. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryL Posted March 3, 2011 #23 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Larry, Well I know you must be from North Dakota if you could figure out the NODAK acronym. Nobody ever seems to get it!! I was born in Minot, grew up in Wahpeton and went to college in Fargo at NDSU. Now I live in the Nashville area....and while I miss the people back home, I don't miss living there all that much. Especially in winter. Plus, for cruising sake, I can drive to a port from here. :) My sister's husband taught at the (then) Wahpeton State School of Science before he got a job at U of Minnesota. When I was in the Air Force I was lucky enough to get stationed at Grand Forks twice and in Finley the year it closed. Like you, I would have no reason to move back. Nachville is a nice area. The last time I was in Nashville we foulnd a place called the "Cock of the Walk" and had some very good catfish. I go through Wahpeton a lot when we go to the lake (near Battle Lake, MN) Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johneeo Posted March 4, 2011 #24 Share Posted March 4, 2011 As a person who is about to go on his first cruise, I can give my reasons for avoiding cruising. In fact, I'm going on this cruise only because my wife has REALLY pushed for it. If you do as your wife tells you, all will be fine. Repeat after me: YES DEAR! YES DEAR! YES DEAR! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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