Do you ever get fed up of cruising?

[Hlitner]

Thanks for the comments, really interesting. Yes we have probably "overdone" the Caribbean yet we enjoyed the landbase holiday in St Lucia. Tend to cruise there because we nearly always cruise in Nov- Jan. Have done the far East and am not interested in repeating. Would like a long one around australia and New Zealand but are a bit pricey. Europe...we lived in Spain for many years and did a few summer cruises, definitely not a winter venue. Having lived in Africa I think it is better to be landbased.

 

Cruises are excellent value for money but they have got a bit like "cattle class" The newer ships like Oasis I would hate...I want a cruise to be like the old days. Cunard isn't great, prefered HAL. Maybe we will try Regent,or Silversea etc. (budget permitting:D)

 

We agree with just about everything you said. The new mega mega ships do nothing for me and DW would only go on one of those things kicking and screaming. We love the smaller ships (less then 1000 passengers) and try to book those ships as often as possible. And yes, you should go to Australia and NZ. Our surprise on that trip was how quickly we fell in love with NZ (Australia was OK, but NZ was true love). We now want to go back to NZ and spend a month just driving both islands (we did spend a week driving on North Island).

 

Hank

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

No no no

[mamasue]

I'll never get 'cruised out'..... but we decided on our last Carnival cruise that we were 'Carnivalled out', after one Carnival cruise too many.

We've also cruised NCL, RCCL, and MSC.

We'd definitely cruise with any other cruise line again.

We've just returned from a 3-month UK and Asia land trip.... we covered England, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia.

It was great spending as long as we liked in each destination. Sometimes the time spent in cruise ports is just too short.

We always get off at the ports, no matter how many times we've been there before. If we didn't like the itineraries, we wouldn't do that cruise!

I love land vacations... also love cruising.:)

[ILoveScotland]

Interesting thread. As one who has "only" cruised about 10 times I'm not tired of it yet. But, I did come to realize this past January when traveling with friends and DD that I'm really not into all the amenities on board. I enjoy the ports, and the Eastern Med cruise DH and I took a few years ago took me to a variety of ports I would never have seen if not on a ship.

 

However, finances are tough right now so am choosing one cruise this year which is next month and only five nights, but it's out of Charleston so drive to the port, I'm going alone on an older ship and on a line many on CC don't seem to like. And that's just fine as I'll be on the sea which is all I need.

 

And, I have a week booked on Grand Cayman for next January as something different. I also have a week at the beach booked for September.

[beachchick]

We know we would get tired of cruising if it was our only form of travel. That's why we intersperse cruises with land-based trips. We also don't go to the same places when we cruise. Hawaii is the only one we've done more than once and that doesn't really count because the first time I broke my ankle on day 3 and had to fly home on day 4 because the doctors thought I had more serious injuries. I'm thankful I did not and we were kind of bummed that we'd been told to fly home early, but I digress...

 

We don't get tired of cruises because we know our "limits" for any one type of trip. Next trip: land based, then trip after that: cruise, then one or the other, then...basically, lather, rinse, repeat (as it were).

 

beachchick

[GRANNYOFSIX]

Just completed our 21st cruise. Loved every minute.....we have tried all inclusive resorts a couple of times.......but always come back to cruising. Just not enough to do on an all inclusive. My husband and I love to dance and we are able to dance and do tons of other activities (if we want to) every single day..........cruising is the way to go for us.........

[Gathina]

I think the problem with cruising is that to me it's nothing more than a floating US hotel staffed by underpaid foreigners. It provides a "snapshot" of different places for maybe an extended stay off a ship. I've been on 4 cruises and the last one was in 2005 and I think if I go on one again it'll be just for relaxation and not doing anything in particular.

 

I like land based vacations better because it's a real travel experience and having friends living in sevreal countries makes it a real adventure. I do live in FL and have a second home in Jamaica so I can get to a beach whenevre I want, but the thing is, even living in a tropical area I rarely go to the beach (becauase I work alot) and I don't even eat out at some of the popular places for tourists.

 

When I was in cruising mode it was because I dated a crew member. After learning the dirty side of cruising from a crew member's perspective it turned me off to cruising even more. Some of the things he told me about the passengers and their expectations you couldn't even make up. As he put it: "Cruising used to be for like taking a luxury liner, now it's like taking the city bus." The other thing I didn't like was essentially being limited to where I could go on land, what I could see, how much time I could have, etc.

 

There are so many wonderful places to see in the world, and the reality is you can see some of those better by land based vacations. If you do want a cheap vacation, however, I think cruising could be a good deal.

 

We have been cruising every year for the last 12 years or so. The past 5 years we have cruised twice per year. In December we cruised Emerald Princess and didn't enjoy it. No major complaints except the ship seemed overcrowded. Queuing for everything, only able to get sunloungers high up in MUTS (we hated MUTS! most of the movies were for kids) Same ole routine, same Islands. Have done all the tours so most ports we took a taxi to a beach.

 

So we decided to do a Caribbean land based holiday in March....in St. Lucia and we had a great time. Beach front room just yards from the sea, spacious. Lovely restaurant that you could dine under the stars without any wind. Good food and plentiful cocktails. (all inclusive) Never any difficulty in getting a lounger either on the beach or by the pool. Plus a large pool you could really swim in. No bother getting into line to leave the ship or catch a tender, not taxi to pay for. Lazing around until 12 noon on the last day. Everything was sooo relaxing.

 

So we are having a rethink about cruising this december and maybe do another landbased holiday. I do think the standard of cruise ships has declined. Maybe we are just "cruised out" and need a years break.

[Hlitner]

The previous post by Gathina raises interesting issues. The reality is that a majority of cruisers take 7 day cruises to very typical cruise ports (i.e. St Thomas, St Maarten, etc). For many on that type of cruise the ship is the real destination and the ports are merely a sideshow. When cruisers start to expand their experience they often will go to the Med or Baltic and take a 7 - 14 day cruise to some very interesting places. It is true that those port days only give a cruiser a quick snapshot of a place. We started our European traveling on Med cruises (about thirty years ago) and this just whetted our appetite for long land trips. Now, since being retired means we have lots of time, we often prefer a combination of cruises and land. One of our favorite trips is to take a repositioning cruise (often padded with back to backs) to Europe and then spend time on the continent with a rental car (these trips can last two months). It is the best of both worlds. Lately we find ourselves moving back to more cruise time and less land time because of the deterioration in the dollar. Europe is not longer the bargain it was a few years ago when 1 Euro cost about 89 cents.

 

As to the comments in Gathina's post about cruising being like a city bus (some might call this an elitist statement) we do agree that the typcial 7 day Caribbean cruise (or Alaskan cruise) sometimes has that feeling. We are fortunate to now be in a position where we no longer take these "bus" cruises. There are many different types of cruises and they do not all fall into the same cliches. A forty day cruise on the Prinsendam is nothing like a 7 day cruise on the Oasis of the Seas. My point, again, is that there is a huge variety of cruises and if one feels in a rut then it is their own fault for not expanding their experience into other cruise lines, different ship sizes, different itineraries, etc.

 

Hank

[moniquet]

My point, again, is that there is a huge variety of cruises and if one feels in a rut then it is their own fault for not expanding their experience into other cruise lines, different ship sizes, different itineraries, etc.

Done all that, I think it is the general dumbing down of cruises that has put us off, the endless lines for everything and generally just the same ole everything. Other mistakes we made during the last 2 years is booking one cruise from Tampa. Coldest winter for ages (Jan 2010) and so much time spent before arriving in decent temperatures. December 2010

choosing Emerald Princess...we dislike large ships and it was so overcrowded that I am sure most cabins must have had a third or fourth passenger! We arrived home feeling as if we needed a holiday:eek:

 

Possibly will try Regent or Silversea but I think it will be a year or more before I get my OH on a ship.

[Hlitner]

There are alternatives to the lines and crush of folks. It is called a smaller ship! There are quite a few options including the small ships of Princess (650 passengers), Prinsendam (800), Azamara and Oceania (about 650 per ship). And then there are the ultra-luxury products such as Seabourn, Sea Dream, Silverseas, Regent, etc etc that have even smaller (but very pricy) ships. There are also much smaller alternatives (we once did a 20 passenger boat in the Ionian Islands) where a T-shirt is considered dressed-up. We have tried all sizes (except the new Oasis size) and prefer the smaller ships...although we still do some cruising on larger ships.

 

Hank

[Gathina]

I am NOT the one who made the comment about the city bus..that comment was generated by a crew member (the guy I used to date)

 

Everyone has their own preference for travel..as it should be. I think it's rude when people who are die hard cruisers make it look like there is something "wrong" with people who don't share their passion for cruising.

 

A friend own a small, lovely botique resort in Jamaica..and I've also been to Barcelo resorts (5 star) in South America...almost every resort I know of offers off grounds excursions the way ships do.

[Gathina]

Who said the poster was in a rut..maybe he's ready to just expand his/her horizions and try other forms of travel.

 

My point, again, is that there is a huge variety of cruises and if one feels in a rut then it is their own fault for not expanding their experience into other cruise lines, different ship sizes, different itineraries, etc.

 

Done all that, I think it is the general dumbing down of cruises that has put us off, the endless lines for everything and generally just the same ole everything. Other mistakes we made during the last 2 years is booking one cruise from Tampa. Coldest winter for ages (Jan 2010) and so much time spent before arriving in decent temperatures. December 2010

choosing Emerald Princess...we dislike large ships and it was so overcrowded that I am sure most cabins must have had a third or fourth passenger! We arrived home feeling as if we needed a holiday:eek:

 

Possibly will try Regent or Silversea but I think it will be a year or more before I get my OH on a ship.

[BroncosFan2010]

I don't think I could ever get bored with cruising. If I felt that cruising was not up to my standard, I would move up to a more inclusive/luxury line. I would be so bored with land based vacations!

[Gathina]

How many land based vacations have you been on?

 

I don't think I could ever get bored with cruising. If I felt that cruising was not up to my standard, I would move up to a more inclusive/luxury line. I would be so bored with land based vacations!

[Cruise Junky]

I don't think I could ever get bored with cruising. If I felt that cruising was not up to my standard, I would move up to a more inclusive/luxury line. I would be so bored with land based vacations!

 

How could you possibly be bored with a land vacation? Or are you equating a land vacation to an all-inclusive?

[Gathina]

All inclusives doesn't necearrily mean "land locked" either..all the ones I've stayed at had plenty of off site excursions.

 

I was wondering the same..how to be bored with a land based vacation..I stayed in Italy for 16 days last summer and was anything but bored..hiking in the mountains, Venice, villages to explore, it was too short! England..all the museums, Camrbridge, London, the shopping, the countryside...loved every minute. This Thursday: Nicargaua..hiking in the mountains, the beach, a stay at a coffee plantation, volacnoes..

 

How could you possibly be bored with a land vacation? Or are you equating a land vacation to an all-inclusive?

[ILoveScotland]

I can't imagine being bored on a land vacation, either. I do research about where I'm going, book hotels ahead of time - or book a week in a timeshare resort in the area I want to visit. I love the countryside and exploring small villages as well as the cities with all they offer. I love trying out of the way little cafes.

 

And, I also love being on the sea. For pure bliss, there is nothing better for me that being on deck with the sea breeze and nothing on the horizon except water. Some of my cruises have indeed included visits to ports that beckon me to return for an in depth visit; others have meant visits to ports that I was glad to see but which hold no further interest.

 

I figure we all have our likes and dislikes and that they change through the years as we mature and change.

 

To moniquet who started all of this: Maybe a break in your routine is just what you need, so go for it. You say you might try Regent or Silversea if/when you return to cruising. Have you considered going a different direction and sailing on one of the Star Clippers ships? Options are there, but only you know what brings you enjoyment right now, and I'm not the one to tell you what to do or not do.

[better at sea]

We cruise about every 9 months for the last 7 years and have been to the point of what cruise do we take now. We have been to that location... But then we came to realize cruising isn't just about the location it is the people you also meet on the ship. We have made some wonderful friends and even though we have been to St. Thomas 7 times there is something new to see that you didnt catch before. I have found many intersting things out by asking fellow cruisers.