Vacations that rival cruising

[tumeroll]

Ten days at the Balsam's, Dixville Notch, NH - 15,000 acre resort high in the north country of New Hampshire. One price covers everything from fabulously clean room to three excellent meals, same table and wait staff every day. Golf (two courses), tennis, swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, biking, evening entertainment everynight, plenty of porches and lounges, all for the single daily rate, no extra charges.

 

Exactly like a cruise but infinetely better food. The luncheon buffet covers about 100 running feet and has a dessert table to die for. And gentlemen must wear jackets for dinner.

[MSC]

I've enjoyed many land-based vacations, but for me not one of them can beat a cruise (as long as you select the right cruise line;) ).

[HeatherInFlorida]

I have loved my limited cruising experience as well but I think I experienced paradise last July: one week on the beautiful island of Anguilla in the Cuisinart Resort and Spa! Pure bliss.

 

Oh, Olivia!!! I've heard about the Cuisinart! My nephew and his wife say it's a little bit of heaven right here on earth. A bit pricey, but they said it was worth every penny. I saw their pictures and decided that one day we must go there.:)

[Tatka]

Hi Tatka, couldn't agree with you more. I was born and raised in Amsterdam and lived there until I was 18. Just spent 10 days in Holland getting re-aquainted. I'm going back in two months right before getting on the M/S Rotterdam on 07 AUG 05. I was planning on taking the train and visiting Maastricht in Limburg (never been there). Did you like Maastricht and do you have any recommendations for a one-day visit?

 

Вы

 

Take care and be safe!

 

John

 

We only were there for afternoon, so we walked around, visited a little "zoo" (we had 11 yo son with us). But this site might give you some ideas.

http://www.vvvmaastricht.nl/

[Copper10-8]

We only were there for afternoon, so we walked around, visited a little "zoo" (we had 11 yo son with us). But this site might give you some ideas.

http://www.vvvmaastricht.nl/

 

Cool, thank you very much! Большое спасибо (I think)

 

John

[fireflygal]

First cruise ever was in 1979 aboard the Rotterdam to Bermuda and Nassau. Second cruise was 1981 aboard the Oceanic (Home Lines) to Bermuda and Nassau. Great cruising, but we loved Paradise Island Nassau, The Bahamas so much that we vacationed there twice yearly for 21 years. Vacationed thru all the owners of the old Paradise Island Resort that became Atlantis. Just wonderful and truly a paradise. To this day, even though my daughter and her family cruise a lot, they love to go back and stay on Paradise Island.

 

In 2004, DH and I decided to try cruising again and booked the April 17, 2004 W.C. on the Zuiderdam. Great cruise, lots of fun, and wonderful people. Heading back to cruise the E.C. again on the Zuiderdam in November 2005. Yet we still can't wait to vacation in Atlantis again. Now we decided we can do both.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

If we cannot be curising give me a week in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. No, I do not stay in a fancy 5 star hotel but a very old hotel right in the heart of Kona that you can walk to all the great restaurants and be right on the water. We love to hear the waves crashing ashore, this hotel is right on the water. For many years this was the only vacation we took and the hotel know us and always tried to get us our same room. We have not been there since October 2003 and when we just took our trip to Maui (that I won) it reminded us of how much we really missed Kona.

[beckers]

An excellent land vacation for us was driving the Alaska Highway from Seattle to Anchorage. It was awesome going thru British Columbia, the Yukon into Alaska and Denali Park. We saw tons of animals. Moose, bear, dall sheep, eagles, osprey, buffalo, wolf, grissley, etc. but of course we ended it with a seven day relaxing cruise on the inside passage:D

[m steve]

If we want to see an area in depth we prefer going to one or 2 places so we can try local cuisine or see several examples of local culture. Did 3 Italian cities in 15 days and other than hauling bagage we found things that we could never do with a cruise. Also 3 islands of Hawaii. As for Caribbean, We would rather stay on one interesting island for a week tan jump from one to another and not get the feel on any. St. Thomas and St. Martin are great for a week or more.

We take cruises when we want to save money and don't want to be bothered constantly w/bags. Also no need for long flights. It's hard to find 10 days anywhere with hotels and meals for $1800 per person. Well the rooms might be bigger, drinks higher and food more exotic.:)

[Bookish Angel]

but I prefer vacations where my husabnd and I fly in somewhere (San Francisco, London, Alaska, Amsterdam, etc.) and do our own itinerary. Port stops generally don't allow enough time to see much other than the touristy stuff. We are very much "off-the beaten-path-types" and like not having to be back on a ship by a particular time.

 

Having said that though, we still love cruising and generally do at least one cruise a year, keeping in mind that it is different that what we prefer.

[stanford's girl]

We spent a month in Italy and it was fabulous. I love the way that they put a high priority on family.:cool: But I still like cruising the best. Nothing beats a week of not cooking, cleaning, or working.:D

[gizmo]

Since many cruisers have similar expectations for vacation experiences, what other vacation experiences or adventures have you enjoyed "nearly" as much as cruising?

 

To answer the question, Vegas, baby, Vegas.

 

I have a wish list a mile long, I am just waiting to hit the lottery.

[RetRanger]

Each year my wife and I take a Mule Cruise. That is we pack on Mules into the eastern Sierra wilderness. We ride in, 6 to 8 hours set up a base camp, and the packer leaves. My wife and I spend the next 10 to 14 days alone, catching trout(catch and release), hikeing the high country, reading books and clensing the soul. We have cocktail hour every afternoon with snacks and eat when we want to. At the end of the time the packer returns to pick us up.

As we pack in on Mules we can take alot of equipment, good food and good drinks. Most years we see no other human the entire time.

 

We love cruising but if I had to choose, my heart is in the wilderness and the trout would miss me.

[Globaliser]

I do lots of different things, but one of the best "similar" experiences was cruising around the Whitsunday Islands on board a comfortable yacht. I went with this company, although I don't think they're the only ones doing these.

[Copper10-8]

Each year my wife and I take a Mule Cruise. That is we pack on Mules into the eastern Sierra wilderness. We ride in, 6 to 8 hours set up a base camp, and the packer leaves. My wife and I spend the next 10 to 14 days alone, catching trout(catch and release), hikeing the high country, reading books and clensing the soul. We have cocktail hour every afternoon with snacks and eat when we want to. At the end of the time the packer returns to pick us up.

As we pack in on Mules we can take alot of equipment, good food and good drinks. Most years we see no other human the entire time.

 

We love cruising but if I had to choose, my heart is in the wilderness and the trout would miss me.

 

That sounds like a great trip RetRanger! More power to your wife too! Almost sounds like the fishing and/or hunting trips in Alaska where you are air-lifted in by float plane and then left alone (with a guide and as part of a group) for a five days to a week to enjoy the wilderness:) I take it you have some sort of communication with "civilization" when you're out there?

 

Take care and be safe!

 

John

[xpcdoojk]

I live and work for vacations. The DW and I have no children, and both have good careers. We take long weekend vacations and long vacations as often as work schedules permit. I have never had a bad vacation. I have been on 8 cruises, and numerous trips all over the place. There have been good and bad things happening on both land and cruise vacations. The best vacations of all have been land vacations. Cruising to me is a very convenient and easy way to visit lots of places without packing and lugging suitcases everyday, but they are limiting in seeing and really getting in touch with a place. So, I will cruise regularly, and I will take land vacations even more regularly.

 

jc

[RetRanger]

That sounds like a great trip RetRanger! More power to your wife too! Almost sounds like the fishing and/or hunting trips in Alaska where you are air-lifted in by float plane and then left alone (with a guide and as part of a group) for a five days to a week to enjoy the wilderness:) I take it you have some sort of communication with "civilization" when you're out there?

 

Take care and be safe!

 

John

 

This is RetRanger's DW answering this question from Copper10-8. No, we have no communication with civilization while we are on our backcountry trips! That would void the whole experience, besides cell phones don't work in the wilderness. Even though we usually have our base camp at about 10,000 feet you can't get out with a cell phone. We are very careful and one of us could hike out in a day if need be. We have detailed lists of what to take as there are no ports along the way to buy items you have forgot. I grew up on a ranch and every summer my parents took us to the Eastern Sierra camping and fishing. Combining a vacation that gives me a chance to ride good mules, fly fish for golden trout, read in virtual solitude and watch gorgeous sunsets is very restorative. We divide up the camp chores so it is not too much work for either one of us and keep our meals simple. Our luggage has never been lost and so far no mule has laid down and rolled over on our camp gear! I might add after we ride out at the end of our stay we spend a couple of days in a luxury condo and go out for meals! I love the luxury of cruising but it is hard to go more than a year without a "Mule Cruise".

[Tatka]

Cool, thank you very much! Большое спасибо (I think)

 

John

 

Пожалуйста. (Pozhalujsta - You're very welcome):)

[Copper10-8]

RetRanger's DW,

 

Thanks for the rapid response! Sounds like you guys are outdoors persons and really enjoying yourselves out there, great to hear! I was asking the communications question more on how to deal with, god forbid, (medical) emergencies but you've answered that question too. Hope you have many more fun mule cruises and mules that won't lay down;)

 

Take care and be safe!

 

John

[xsnowman99]

ANY vacation is great and I DO love to pack my suitcase---cruising or not!! I do love the cruising; however, I love spending 2 weeks in St. Lucia in a villa on top of the mountain with my own personal pool (no one around to mind if I keep my towel on a lounge chair), spending a week in Nova Scotia staying at a precious little place right on the water and watching the fog roll in....New Orleans (but not at Mardi Gras)....going to the Outer Banks of NC...spending a couple of weeks in Ft. Myers, FL...my husband thinks I would be happy if I just packed my suitcase and went to a hotel in Petersburg, Va (for refrence, that would be about a 25 minute drive from Richmond where I live!) There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to everything...but, even a rainy cold vacation is a vacation void of cooking, cleaning and working!! Who could possibly complain!! :-)

[WillK]

1. A week on the beach in sleepy Zihuatanejo.

2. Cruising in the San Juans (WA) on a small boat and doing everything: cooking, navigating, anchoring etc.

3. Cruise ship vacations where you don't have to do a thing!

[cactuslady]

Cruising on a privately chartered sailboat,

with crew is better than bareboat,

with crew (captain and cook) in Hawaii and stopping to snorkel at Molokini on my birthday is the best. :D

[Sweetdreams]

Loved reading all the responses to this thread. I may just have to revise my vacation wish list. It's hard to compare other vacations to cruising in many ways but the happy memories of a variety of vacations is a pleasure.

 

We found a "little peice of heaven" 12 years ago in the high peaks region of the Adirondacks. A completely renovated log cabin on a lake with interconnecting waterways. The scent of balsam, the sound of the loons waking us from a restful night sleep and the wonderful quiet of the pine woods calls us back each year. Kayaking, canoeing, endless hiking adventures, reliving the vacations of the past visiting the Old Great Camps!

Lazy mornings after feasting on wild blueberry pancakes & maple syrup. Changing from PJ's to swimsuits sure limits the "over packing" syndrome. Reading tons of books in a comfy Adirondack chair by the lake or swimming in the refreshing waters. Late diners on the porch watching the sunset. Chasing the mosquitos with a campfire at the leanto by the lake roasting marshmellows & mountain pies. Planning for a hike the next day or an evening in town for dinner & local theatre......the scent of balsam brings back the memories so vividly......no countdown clock needed.....leaving in 5 weeks for a return to this bliss!

[Giorgi-one]

Spent four nights at Iberostar All Inclusive resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico over Memorial Day weekend. In general, we found AI to be comparable to a cruise with advantages/disadvantages for both.

 

All Inclusive more relaxing (no embarkation, on/off ship, tenders, etc) Never a problem finding chair or shade ANYWHERE (pool, beach, restaurants). The hotel was 100% booked but was never crowded. Each building actually had its own private pool which was essentially empty since most people went to the main pool (more like a lake) and the beach. Service superior to any of 15 crusies I have taken. All drinks included but most people could care less. Lobby bar which seats about 300 people never had more than 30 people at nights and was empty during the day. Food not as good a ship. Breakfast and lunch buffet only but never close to crowded. Breakfast and lunch about equal to cruise with more lunch varietly. Choice of about 5 buffets and 14 restaurants for dinner. Food was good but tasted slightly different, I would give nod to cruise. Usually only entree was served and other courses were buffet style. Deserts did not compare to crusie. Biggest negatives were nightly entertainment and NO CASINO! Latter was a positive for me since it saved me at least $500.

 

Worst part of trip was going thru Immigration, Customs and Security at Atlanta airport. Almost missed our connecting flight. Next time I get direct flight.

 

We will definitely go back and may try 7 days next time. Will give us more time for excursions to ecoparks and ruins. Lots to do in this area.

[Tricia724]

I cast another vote for Alaska. We rented a car, planned our own itinerary, and really enjoyed the 10 days we drove around sightseeing, staying in cabins, fishing, and talking to the locals. It ended far too soon, and there is so much more up there to see. We did finish up with a 7 day southbound cruise, but the interior was more interesting to me than the cruise ports. On our "to do" list is another land trip to Alaska to catch some things we missed the last time.