Do you find cruising addictive?

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

Yes! I have been on to so far. I was about to back out a week before on the first one because I wasn't to sure I wanted to go on it. I loved it. It is by far the best vacation that I have ever been on. No phone, no computer, no news, etc. You don't have to worry about getting in your car and driving to dinner and sitting in traffic and then waiting an hour to be seated. I'm ready for my next one whenever that may be!

[richfret]

My wife and I have been on 16 cruises and all with Carnival. Number 17 has been bought while on a cruise about a month ago.

 

I am the one that is addicted. I just like every aspect of cruising and even all the preparation. My wife cruises because I cruise. She says I over do it but I just like the idea of travel, excitement and adventures.

 

I make a cruise book that contains every concievable piece of data concerning the cruise. I am on the Roll Call daily. Any time I use the computer, I check Cruise Critic. When ever I get in a conversation with some one, quite often I bring up cruising. I know .............. I know ............ I got it bad.

 

I think it all started after I put a couple of years in the navy and served on a guided missle cruiser. Then in 1995, I did my first cruise on the Sensation followed by the Imagination, Paradise, Tropical, Spirit, Valor, Liberty, Miracle, Freedom and next the Breeze. Several of these ships, I have been sailed twice or more.

 

One day I got out my papers and calculated all the sea time I have actually spent on a ship while in the Navy and cruising and it comes out to well over 2 years. Imagine actually living for 2 years while at sea. I feel like I am one of those early explorers who traveled the seas for a couple of years exploring the world.

 

Oh well, just 306 days, 19 hours, 31 minutes and 1 second and I start my next sea adventure.

[vabchtraveler]

This is a bit long - originally published on Cruise Critic - but I thought you other addicts might enjoy it as much as I did....

 

Hello. My name is ____________ and I’m addicted to cruising…..

Welcome to Cruisers Anonymous, where we don’t judge — but we do dispense prizes to those who tell us about their obsession with at-sea travel.

Her name is Kelly, and she was selected at random from the over 250 cruise junkies who participated in Cruise Critic’s “You Know You’re Addicted to Cruising When…” contest. How does Kelly know she’s hooked? “When you’re on a first date and the first question you ask is … do you like to cruise?” she writes. “And his answer decides if you date him or not!” Kelly will be taking home a terry cloth robe and some assorted Cruise Critic logo paraphernalia for her bravery.

There is no known cure for cruise addiction and symptoms vary wildly. Here are nine of our favorites:

You know you’re addicted to cruising when …

You install a porthole in your bedroom at home with the glass painted with a seascape. –Richard Shoaf

You name your kittens Carnival, Disney, Royal, Norwegian, Celebrity and Crystal. –Bulett

You go through withdrawal, complete with physical symptoms — sea legs and uncontrollable depression when there isn’t another cruise booked, and desperation for another cruise that causes you to stalk the ports in your home state. –Mary Hirose

You stand on your balcony (backyard deck) every night at about 5:30 p.m. for a sail-away party, even though it is snowing and 5 degrees below ZERO! –Bill Raffel

When you start thinking “starboard” when you turn right and “port” when turning left while driving. –Hideki Yamada

Your adult children stage an intervention! Unfortunately, it doesn’t work. –Linda

You tattoo a ship on your arm. –Ann

You measure everything in number of cruises … as in, “that car is expensive. It costs 22 cruises.” –Winnipeg Cruiser

You’re at the local pub, the bartender hands you your margarita and you hand him your sea pass card! –Rob

[NJoyCruise]

Yes, I believe so....I always suffer from PCD (post cruise depression) at debarkation and the only known cure for me is to plan and book my next one. Always felt this way since my first cruise in 1992, my honeymoon cruise with RCL.

 

Happy cruising!

 

Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk HD

[LovesAllTravel]

Yep. I'm at 17 cruises, with another one planned this summer. I go through post-cruise blues following a cruise. In fact, the last night of a cruise I get really, really depressed because I know that our trip is over and its back to reality. Nothing cures this depression like booking another cruise and stalking Cruise Critic for trends, ideas, and other cruisers experiences. My cruise obsession started in 2005, after a very long hiatus from cruising ... mainly because I got sick on my first two cruises and convinced myself that that's not the way I wanted to spend vacations. It took DH a long time to convince me to try it again ... then I was hooked. It started out as one cruise a year, then two, some years its three, especially easy since we live close to a cruise port.

 

On a recent cruise with my sister (who has done 25+ cruises) on the Triumph for a quick 4-night getaway, we were actually giddy seeing the ship from the Galveston Causeway, like kids seeing the Magic Kingdom for the first time.

 

I think the total escape from reality is what attracts me to cruising. I love unpacking once, seeing new places, going back to my Americanized ship, getting waited on hand and foot, and stress-free relaxing days at sea. Cruising gets to you, and we got it bad. It could be worse, right?

[Beebob1]

Yes just did my 12th & 13th cruise :) ONLY Botox comes before cruising :D

[Ms. Fun Bunch]

Yes, I am addicted to cruising. I like several others can't get enough of cruising. I am also addicted to vacations period!!! I take several land vacations yearly!!!

[rtw68]

Oh yeah, we are addicted. :eek:

 

Our first cruise was in 2011 and we have been hooked since then. :)

 

Besides stalking CC any time I'm home on the weekends, I have the port webcams up watching the ships go out (especially if its one we will be on soon). :D

 

Got it bad...... :o

[kingoftheicedragons]

Yep, cruising is very addictive. Before we went on our very first cruise, there was a man on the shuttle to the port who said he'd been on 7 cruises. At the time, we didn't think we would ever have that many in our lifetime. Now, we have 7 cruises in, and 2 more booked. We've been going on at least one a year since we started.

[CdrescherRBL152]

Final payment is required I belive 45 days out. We find it much easier ourselfs to book early and make payments.

[cannockfrodo]

In a word....YES, but I was warned that this may happen. This will be our 10th cruise in 5 years and #11 is already booked

We need help as we're up to 3 cruises a year now and it shows no sign of abating even though we're running out of new ports to visit as many Med and UK sold Caribbean cruises offer the same destinations. It's ridiculous to think that when we dock in Citivecchia next month we won't get off the ship as we've been to Rome twice in the last 3 years, although I will admit to one of those times was via a coach holiday (don't critize)

I can think of worse things to be addicted too, you know you're addicted to cruising when on your first night at home nobody remembers to cook !

[Greatescapes]

Its pretty safe to say we are all addicted.... I now have to have several booked out in advance to avoid that not having something to look forward to.

[Tampa cruiser1963]

Am I addicted? First cruise was Dec. 6, 2012. Two more since then, another booked for later this month and a 7 day in Nov.

[framboesa]

Yes.Yes!Yes!!!!!!!:D

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Yes I'm addicted, though I would cure myself and book a transpacific and would never want to see a ship again but that remedy didn't work for me or hubby or kids:D

I thought at ages 9 and 12 they would hate so many sea days and being on the ship that long with only a handful of other kids (8 in total) but boy was I WRONG!!!!

[nitro2448]

Yes, cruising can be addictive. But at the same time some people hate them. But most people that I know who do not like them, was because they got seasick the first day and spent the entire cruise sick. So if you think there might be a chance of getting seasick I would take precautions. I would use medication as a last resort though, Dramamine or patches, those will make you drowsy. Some people, my wife included, take ginger pills before and during the cruise. The Elation is a good ship, my last three cruises were on her, but she is a little tricky to navigate. Hope you have a great cruise and become addicted :)

 

 

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[jmkel]

I booked our first cruise as my 'lifetime dream come true' trip.... to cruise some day, as our 25 wedding anniversary trip (3 years ago). Hubby did NOT want to go. I booked it anyways. He is also now addicted.. and we cruised every April since then... and are going "THIS" month on the BREEZE and can not wait. I'd go every weekend if I lived in Florida! But being we have to spend more for our flight to the port from NS Canada than we do for the cruise, we consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to cruise once a year! (I'm also addicted to Cruise Critic)! :p

[dmet0225]

I'm not sure I would call it an addiction for me. What I DO enjoy is:

 

1. It's a great value, to me. When looking for vacations for my family this year, I looked at Washington, DC, Colorado, New York and AI's. ALL of them, if you include meals (we don't cook while on vacation), were the same price, if not more expensive, than the 2 balcony rooms we booked for this coming May. How much more would I have to pay in any of those locations to pay for meals, go to shows and a comedy club (or dance club, which we don't do) in one day? For that matter, how much time would I waste in order to travel to those types of activities if I was only in a hotel and not on a cruise ship, where all of those activities are within walking distance?

 

2. A cruise provides me with an opportunity to "test-run" future vacation spots. After our first cruise, we knew we wanted to visit other Caribbean beach locations. Since that first cruise, we've vacationed in Playa Del Carmen, Cab San Lucas and Atlantis in Nassau (twice). All are great, and we likely wouldn't have gone to those locations had it not been for our first cruise. We've also vacationed in Maui and Destin, FL.

 

3. While the food is not 5-star quality, there is something for everyone at all times of the day. Eating multiple times in one day while not on a cruise can REALLY get pricey. We know beforehand that the quality isn't on par with outstanding restaurants, and therefore we manage our expectations. That isn't to say that the food is bad.

 

4. How many places during your travels do you get the kind of service that you get on a cruise? How many times do you get room stewards that know you by name? How may waiters not only know you by name, but bring you the meal you want without even having to ask for it? (Yes, I know that doesn't happen if you're in a hotel or restaurant for only a day or two, but it sure doesn't happen when we're in the same hotel for more than a few day.) We feel like we're treated like royalty while on a cruise.

 

5. How many times do you get the opportunity to experience the excursions you do on a cruise while in different locations around the world? Sure, you can find snorkeling, scuba, snuba, stingrays, dolphins, turtles, etc. in one locations. But does a stingray adventure in, say, the Bahamas, match the stingray adventure in Grand Cayman? Is a discover scuba trip as good in, say, Tortola, as good as a discover scuba trip in Cozumel? I'd argue "no" to those examples as well as any example you can come up with. A cruise allows me the opportunity to experience those adventures in different places in a very short period of time.

 

6. How often do I get to wake up on a vacation and go outside on my balcony while watching the sea peacefully drift by? Uhhh...no. Yes, we've vacationed in spots where we have a balcony that looks "at" the ocean, and that's great, but it doesn't beat the peacefulness of a cruise ship balcony.

 

7. There is such a variety of activities on a ship that the entire family can do what they want, when they want and not have to worry about coordinating transportation for all members of the family. I can nap or hang out at the pool while my wife shops or gambles or goes to the spa (please help me on this one!) while my son hangs out on the sports court or whatever it is that 19-year olds do these days. We don't have to be together all the time.

 

Do I throughly enjoy a cruise? Isn't it obvious? Will I go on a cruise for every vacation? No. Am I addicted to cruisiing? No.

[code_d]

I never had an interest to go on a cruise. I had gotten a free one from work on the miracle and was not even looking forward to it. My DW kept saying we will like it. I was worried about the motion as I get sick even riding in the car back seat. I did not see how it would be fun. Thought it was for older people. Then I found this forum and asked questions and began to see it was not what I thought. Then we went, now 3 cruises later... waiting on our 4th after that (first with all 5 kids) I wish we could afford more!:D

[Ours91]

Yes I love cruising. So does my boyfriend. I wasn't sure how much we'd like it , but we really loved it. It's affordable , fun , and you can go at your own pace , which I really like.