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Any Jaded Cruisers?


dorisis
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We have done over 80 cruises and traveled all over the world touching down on all the continents. I find that now we are more inteerested in the ships instead of the itineraries. I guess you could say the ships have become our destination.

 

Are there any others like me??

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We have done over 80 cruises and traveled all over the world touching down on all the continents. I find that now we are more inteerested in the ships instead of the itineraries. I guess you could say the ships have become our destination.

 

Are there any others like me??

 

Just like you and the R ships on Oceania are what we choose as our destinations.

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Although I like going to new ports, I could also be perfectly happy on a cruise to nowhere. One of the car companies was using the slogan "The journey is the destination" last year. I really feel that way about cruising.

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For the first time ever, we have decided that we will stay on the ship this November when it docks in Athens and Santorini. Tendering is a hassle and although Oia is gorgeous, we have seen it twice already. We have toured Athens and will go twice on this B2B. So once we are going to ride the HOHO and get off only if we really want to. The second time we will stay on board.

 

As for being jaded, NO WAY. I love being taken care of in such a gracious manner. No cooking, cleaning up or shopping. Someone cleans my room makes my bed and scrubs the toilet twice a day. I can do anything or nothing. DH is a people watcher and can spend hours just sitting on a deck and watching. We have been on many cruises, and hope to enjoy many more.

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Just like you and the R ships on Oceania are what we choose as our destinations.

 

The Oceania line is tops with us but I like the smaller R ships better than the new O class.We will be testing the Royal princess early next year.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 7 months later...

We still get excited about planning each cruise based on the ports of call. We try to see as many new places as we can.

 

Maybe some day we will say the ship is the destination. But for now, each cruise is a new experience that we look forward to.

 

Happy cruising everyone! Being able to travel is a wonderful privilege!

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We have done over 80 cruises and traveled all over the world touching down on all the continents. I find that now we are more inteerested in the ships instead of the itineraries. I guess you could say the ships have become our destination.

 

Are there any others like me??

Have cruised nowhere near as much as you, but we have always felt the ship and the voyage were the central parts of the experience, even though we have enjoyed the ports.

 

Why do you call yourself (and others like you) jaded? Many (maybe most?) cruisers cruise because they love the sea (along with everything else.) There is nothing wrong with that!

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We are jaded inasmuch as the more we travel, the more we realize that cruises do not do it for us in terms of actually seeing things. Time in port is simply to short to see and experience what we want to see and experience.

 

We see them as a quick break or a vacation where we want to chill out. If we want to see a city or a country the only way we want to do it now is on a land based vacation.

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We are jaded inasmuch as the more we travel, the more we realize that cruises do not do it for us in terms of actually seeing things. Time in port is simply to short to see and experience what we want to see and experience.

 

We see them as a quick break or a vacation where we want to chill out. If we want to see a city or a country the only way we want to do it now is on a land based vacation.

 

I developed this same perspective on my first cruise! I remember telling my husband (who had cruised with me) and most of my friends and relatives (who had not) that I thought cruising wasn't for me, because we stayed for such a short time in each port, which left me feeling unsatisfied. I thought the cruise had been a good introduction to some places where I would return for a longer stay in order to get to know the place better.

 

In the end, we have not spent any longer time anywhere we've cruised (not that I haven't thought about it...) but we have cruised 3 more times. I have begun to see the value of the voyage itself as a relaxing vacation (as you said) and not necessarily as a way to "see places" and certainly not to "know" places (except if one starts to repeat ports, perhaps...)

 

And at this point, cruising is a "product" I am familiar with; I feel I know generally what I will be getting when I cruise. The idea of choosing a resort or other lodging from the myriad options is daunting to me, as is the idea of trying to arrange transportation, sightseeing, dining, etc., especially if we tried to see several cities or countries on the same vacation trip.

 

So for the moment, I enjoy the moving hotel (which becomes "home" to me, if briefly) and the glimpses of the countries where the ship docks, recognizing that it is a different sort of "travel" than some might value. And at least as far as the Caribbean goes (which is the only place I've cruised), I recognize that I am a "sea person" but not a "beach person" (some of my friends don't understand this...), so it's the voyage that counts.

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We are planning a land trip to the Med area in Sept/Oct.

 

We will probably book a last minute cruise prior to going or even during the trip... if the price is right.

 

But it will be booked as an interlude from the land trip, not as a means to view the port stops.

 

What really ticks me off is when I see cruises advertised with stops in Florence, Rome, Paris, etc. Places where it takes several hours or more to get to the city advertised.

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I suspect I can be called jaded. I cruise to meet like minded passengers ( for interesting tales not romance).

 

My "gripes" these days is that we no longer can rely on meeting like minded people, enjoying 4 star cuisine, or entertainment.

 

On my last cruise, it was obvious that service standards on a ship that used to be renowned for its elegance, and ambience , had dropped to the level of a "anything goes , drink till you stagger, and never change your clothes or bathe".

 

Not just passengers either, cabin often still not cleaned by time steward went for afternoon break.

 

Entertainment , the so called "top show" had in fact been presented on every cruise for 8 - yes EIGHT years . As for the individual "star acts" brought on board, they were also acts that had been performing on board for year after year without changing one word of their act - one act I knew every word before it even came out of the "stars" mouth. The same act was performed on at least 10-12 different cruise lines in rotation.

 

Being very senior and having to travel solo as I am a widow, I cruise because it is a safe , I can go out and about without having to drive , but I am so sick of paying for an experience that I do not in fact receive.

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I suspect I can be called jaded. I cruise to meet like minded passengers ( for interesting tales not romance).

 

My "gripes" these days is that we no longer can rely on meeting like minded people, enjoying 4 star cuisine, or entertainment.

 

On my last cruise, it was obvious that service standards on a ship that used to be renowned for its elegance, and ambience , had dropped to the level of a "anything goes , drink till you stagger, and never change your clothes or bathe".

 

Not just passengers either, cabin often still not cleaned by time steward went for afternoon break.

 

Entertainment , the so called "top show" had in fact been presented on every cruise for 8 - yes EIGHT years . As for the individual "star acts" brought on board, they were also acts that had been performing on board for year after year without changing one word of their act - one act I knew every word before it even came out of the "stars" mouth. The same act was performed on at least 10-12 different cruise lines in rotation.

 

Being very senior and having to travel solo as I am a widow, I cruise because it is a safe , I can go out and about without having to drive , but I am so sick of paying for an experience that I do not in fact receive.

I am sorry to hear your story. You do sound "jaded!" Have you investigated (or are you interested in investigating) any alternatives to what you describe? Perhaps a different cruiseline (for different entertainment, ambiance, passenger mix)? Perhaps cruising with one or more people whose company you enjoy, so "meeting like-minded passengers" would not be so critical? Or perhaps a high-quality all inclusive land vacation or group tour? I would like to think there might be options that would meet your needs. It seems that all the "plusses" of cruising have lost their value for you.

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Entertainment , the so called "top show" had in fact been presented on every cruise for 8 - yes EIGHT years . As for the individual "star acts" brought on board, they were also acts that had been performing on board for year after year without changing one word of their act - one act I knew every word before it even came out of the "stars" mouth. The same act was performed on at least 10-12 different cruise lines in rotation.

 

Being very senior and having to travel solo as I am a widow, I cruise because it is a safe , I can go out and about without having to drive , but I am so sick of paying for an experience that I do not in fact receive.

 

That sounds terrible

I heard that Crystal have lower single rates ..might be worth trying a cruise with them

Not sure of any other lines with lower SS ..most are 200% these days

 

Hope you find one you like

 

Lyn

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We have become a little jaded.

 

 

 

Now, we only book a cruise as part of an extended land trip in order to break things up. And we usually book 30-60 days out max.

 

 

We are fairly new to cruising and love the time on board the ship. But we are also combining with land tours. Sometimes taking a cruise to the destination of the land your isn'tuch more expensive than flying if you book interior or OV.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Call your local TA's or community center....many have "group" trips planned. One of those can point you in the right direction!

 

I hope that this would work out for other solo cruisers.

 

In my case, the local TA and the community centre only have 5 day Caribbean cruises on NCL, or Carnival. apparently the people using these want to cruise for between $60-80 per day, and prefer "all you can eat buffet dining / very casual wear " cruises.

 

Not one group cruise on Cunard, Celebrity, or even Princess, and for price one TA almost had a heart attack at the thought of Formal nights and costs of $250 pd for 10+ days cruises. "There is no market for those " is the answer I received.

 

One TA did offer a HAL group , but all the other cruisers in the group would be from the local assisted living complex!!!!

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