How can I get my wife to cruise?

[brillohead]

I'm a recent nursing school graduate, and my career goals include becoming a cruise ship nurse after my son graduates from high school. A situation such as yours would be another career option for me... thanks for giving me something to think about!

 

As for your wife, you've received a lot of good advice here already. I just took a Royal Caribbean cruise, and their ships have a Solarium area that is kid-free... very relaxing to sit and read, in my experience.

 

However, if you think she'd be just as happy being home alone while you cruise with an aide, don't hesitate to go that route! Join your Roll Call thread before you go, and you'll have some friends to hang out with before you even get on board. And if you're even slightly out-going, you can meet as many other people as you want during the trip.

 

Most lines have some sort of Special Needs department -- be sure to contact them in advance if you need any assistance with equipment, bed configurations, etc. They're there to help!

[LandlockedCruiser01]

Did anyone here go a cruise reluctantly?

 

Was there something about cruising that really endeared you to it, that you weren't aware of when you started cruising?

 

So, any advice?

"Reluctantly" wouldn't be the word, but it wasn't my first choice of vacation originally. Due to the nature of my job, I had to go somewhere where there is no reception signal from US-based towers. And I didn't have anyone to go with, which eliminated most, if not all, resorts. Why? About 10 years ago, I had a very bad expereince as a quasi-solo at an AI resort. (Came with a friend, had a falling out, spent most of the time alone and was treated poorly for it, mostly by other guests but by workers to some extent as well.) So this left only cruises as an option. I chose Carnival for its "fun ships" factor, and booked a solo cruise. Cruise Critic reviews helped allay most of my residual fears from the AI experience. Months later, I enjoyed the cruise so much that I booked another one for this year's vacation.

 

What endeared me is the friendly, hyper-social atmosphere on the ship. Everybody I met was very nice. Unlike at the AI resort, not a single person gave me any trouble over vacationing solo. I met people my age and having out with them in the club on the ship and in tourist bars in ports. The crew members were very nice and did not treat me any differently because I was solo. There was always something to do, even if it's just standing on the Serenity deck and staring at the wakes.

 

The only advice I can give is to just go for it. What you experience on your cruise may easily change your mind about cruising altogether.

[fiedav]

How things change!

 

A few weeks ago my wife didn't want to cruise, and I started this thread.

 

Than an agent sent us a bunch of brochures, and I showed them to my wife. She said, almost in tears, "I just can't do this, you have to take someone else."

 

I don't know if I mentioned this previously, but we are going to see a TA who specializes in disabled cruising (she has a quadriplegic husband) who lives nearby.

 

So I carried on, and didn't say anything about who would come with me. I mentioned that I had an aide interested, and she said "I don't want a third person in our cabin." I didn't show my surprise, but it gets better.

 

A few days ago she said (quite rightly) that I couldn't be certain of how I would handle a bus journey to New Jersey, where I wanted to take a Celebrity cruise. She said, "We should see how you handle a cruise out of Boston, and if we like cruising we can see whether we could go next time to a different port."

 

So it looks like we'll both go to Bermuda out of Boston sometime next year.

 

How do I feel?

 

:D

[EmJakeBubbie]

if you need aides some 20 times, wkly, a cruise may not be the most relaxing vacation for you and your wife.

Always think Safety First.

 

Anything that could go wrong, occasionally does on a cruise ship...in the middle of the sea.....how inconvenienced would you be, would be my question.

[paul929207]

Glad it seems to be working out for you.

 

Let us know how it goes.

[fiedav]

Having worked as a personal care aide, please remember the aide is not on vacation. They may have some unscheduled time when you are otherwise occupied. Their costs to accompany you should not be considered as counting towards their compensation.

 

I appreciate this. I figure that three hours a day will be enough for my needs (that's how much attention I have at the moment).

 

Here's my take on this.

 

The aide will pay no money for the cruise.

 

The aide will get her own ocean-view cabin.

 

The aide will be paid $400 for the week (this is a typical amount for my aides).

 

The aide will also have $400 for spending money.

 

The aide can bring along a companion (husband, boyfriend, even both :), and/or kids) for paying me the extra cost for half the room. That looks to be around $650. None of them are responsible for me, and I'm not responsible for them (i.e. I don't have to socialize with them if I don't want to).

 

While I'd appreciate some help from the aide in medical emergency (unlikely) I'll use the ship's doctor.

 

Sound like a deal?

[Elaine5715]

 

I appreciate this. I figure that three hours a day will be enough for my needs (that's how much attention I have at the moment).

 

Here's my take on this.

 

The aide will pay no money for the cruise.

 

The aide will get her own ocean-view cabin.

 

The aide will be paid $400 for the week (this is a typical amount for my aides).

 

The aide will also have $400 for spending money.

 

The aide can bring along a companion (husband, boyfriend, even both :), and/or kids) for paying me the extra cost for half the room. That looks to be around $650. None of them are responsible for me, and I'm not responsible for them (i.e. I don't have to socialize with them if I don't want to).

 

While I'd appreciate some help from the aide in medical emergency (unlikely) I'll use the ship's doctor.

 

Sound like a deal?

If transportation costs are included, we would have a deal. In case of ship emergency, they should have a specialized team to assist you and yours. Have a amazing time!