Cruise Life vs Home Life

[Saphire]

How is your routine different on a cruise?

 

--I seldom eat breakfast at home, and if I do it is light, but when we cruise I enjoy the biggest, most glorious breakfast!

--Never turn on the television or go to a movie.

--Eat dessert, such a treat!

--Have 2 hour long conversations with my husband, preferably on the verandah while watching the ocean. I can't believe we don't need to be anywhere!

--Read several books, a luxury for me.

 

What about you?

[Lovely other]

not just on cruises but on vacations in general -

 

i get to see my husband everyday -usually i see him for only two days a month :(

 

i eat breakfast - just coffee at home is my norm

 

when i am with my husband he is looking at me not his phone - oh the hidden blessings of extortionate roaming phone rates ;)

 

some things are still the same though -

 

i still work - i'm a writer and life away can be an endless source of new material and ideas

 

i'm still an obsessive tidier - this caused much amusement on my first cruise when i rearranged the book swap shelves in alphabetical order

 

i still go to the gym daily - i got off a ship a whole dress size smaller on a transatlantic cruise

[RuthC]

I get up early (never sleep past 9:00), and feel refreshed and rarin' to go.

I have a cocktail every night. :)

I eat real fruit (at home it goes bad before I can finish it).

I have a full breakfast that includes eggs or French Toast, not just an English Muffin or 1/2 bagel.

I have ice cream and a cookie once in a while. :)

I see some entertainment every night. :)

[Lovely other]

I get up early (never sleep past 9:00), and feel refreshed and rarin' to go.

I have a cocktail every night. :)

I eat real fruit (at home it goes bad before I can finish it).

I have a full breakfast that includes eggs or French Toast, not just an English Muffin or 1/2 bagel.

I have ice cream and a cookie once in a while. :)

I see some entertainment every night. :)

 

i know the feeling about the fruit ...i end up juicing it all at home just to use it up

[Scrapnana]

Main difference - I get to dress up on the ship (which I never get to do at home).

[TiogaCruiser]

I enjoy being rocked to sleep on the ship. At home in California it's not a good thing if the earth is rocking.

[OCruisers]

i know the feeling about the fruit ...i end up juicing it all at home just to use it up

 

:D Many of us agree with RuthC on the fruit!

 

LuLu

~~~~

[comfortcove]

I love cruising because I relax! My husband and I share lots of carefree time on a cruise.

 

No work, driving in bad traffic, errands, laundry or cooking!

 

We have time to kick back or do whatever we want, whenever we wish! Of course, it is not always so laid back, if it is Europe or a unique itinerary. I am dreaming of the Caribbean, just booked Noordam in December for 10 days. I had to convince DH, but we both just want a peaceful, restful and fun trip!

[RetiredMustang]

I shift from what I MUST do to what I now CAN do:

 

- Not answering, or even hearing, a phone ring.

 

- Spending hours talking with DW, and sharing thoughts, observations, inside jokes, dreams, memories, life together.

 

- Listening to the sea, especially very early in the morning, before/at dawn, when the faint voice is most hearable.

 

- Eating watermelon. DW does not care for it, and even a small melon is more than I can eat easily. On cruise, I can have a few slices and enjoy them very much, and not fret about the 3 lbs. of fruit in the fridge.

 

- Not caring what anyone else is wearing, or much what I am wearing.

 

- Not reading, or even being aware of, the "news". I don't want to know ... and I don't HAVE to.

 

- Sitting on the balcony, staring 3000 miles out to sea, and 3000 miles inward: thinking, and considering, and pondering all the mysteries ... and then waking up!

 

- Trying to stay out of the bread basket with those round rolls. :D

 

- Being pampered by the wonderful HAL stewards and bartenders.

 

- Returning to kindergarten -- short naps in the afternoon, followed by snacks, but better than I remember from kindergarten, like ice cream and cookies.

 

- Thanking whatever gods there are/kismet that I can cruise now and then.

 

Dave

[feathersandnananose]

The biggest changes are scheduling: later rising, later dinner, later to bed. Hubby: earlier rising, later dinner, earlier to bed.

 

Food changes: on ship, smaller breakfasts and lunches for bigger dinner (with dessert). At home, it's bigger BK & Lunch with small dinner (no dessert).

 

Wine at every dinner.

 

And a cookie with ice cream in the afternoon. And a nap.

 

No TV, movies, or internet (except g-mail at free wi-fi spots at ports - checking in with family).

 

And hubby and I match schedules unlike at home: at home I'm up so much earlier than hubby, and he's to bed much later than I am. But since we eat together on the ship, I get up later/he earlier and the reverse at night.

[BeagleOne]

I enjoy being rocked to sleep on the ship. At home in California it's not a good thing if the earth is rocking.

 

Good one! Having lived in a very earthquake-prone place myself, I concur.

 

I generally go to bed earlier and get up earlier on a cruise.

 

I eat more breakfast and more fruit. And more dessert!

 

No internet, no phones, very little TV. I need to follow that more at home.

 

Lots of reading. But I do that at home too.

[jtl513]

On cruises I eat too much - and don't exercise. At home my main exercise is riding a bike around the neighborhood and mowing the lawn ... which is necessary in FL all year around. :)

[maggiekoolcruiser]

Wonder if many people do room service and what would be the percentage of people approx ?

[comfortcove]

Love room service breakfast! We order coffee, juice and a light breakfast every day on a cruise. Heavenly on the balcony!

[Crew News]

1. A delicious full Room Service breakfast with fresh-baked chocolate croissants within a few minutes of that alarm clock ringing. Home - are you kidding?

2. Safely and peacefully traveling more than a thousand miles. Home - following-to-close advice, bathroom stops, worries about how high the aircraft is flying, squeezed into the aircraft window by a middle-seat football player, police with radar guns, hotel reservations for seven different nights, etc..

3. Room Stewards cleaning three times a day. Home - cannot expect that.

4. Enjoying the scenery, sea, and wildlife. Home - mountain, sand, prairie dogs...

5. Incredible number of food choices/buffets. Home - would have to go to a number of restaurants on the same evening while avoiding all of the drunk drivers.

6. One phone call a day from the Neptune Lounge to ask if I am enjoying myself. Home - receiving sales calls at home, office phone never stops ringing, and text messages..

7. 82-MPH waves and 50-foot seas in a typhoon. Home - I live in a desert.

8. Bread pudding and ice cream cone everyday. Home - once a year if I can find bread pudding and home freezer not large enough to hold 17 flavors of ice cream.

9. HAL itinerary is brief. Home - office hourly calendar controls every activity.

10. Room Service 24/7. Home - reminded that I have two feet and two hands.

11. Ice bucket is filled three times a day. Home - see above.

12. Limited cable channels. Home - overwhelmed with choices and the fear of missing something important.

13. Afternoon naps. Home - have to post the "Meeting do not disturb" sign on my office door.

14. Enjoying the cruise. Home - planning the logistics of the next cruise.

[Crew News]

Wonder if many people do room service and what would be the percentage of people approx ?

 

Almost every day within a few minutes of the alarm ringing.

[dorisis]

No beds to make.

No grocery shopping.

No meals to plan and cook.

No dishes to wash and dry.

No dusting, vacuuming or floors to wash.

No laundry to do.

No lawn mowing.

No weed pulling.

Nothing to do except relax and enjoy.

[shrimp56]

I enjoy being rocked to sleep on the ship. At home in California it's not a good thing if the earth is rocking.

 

True enough ;)

[ellieanne]

I eat breakfast on the cruises but not at home. I love the bran muffins in the Lido so I have one of those and some fresh fruit (if the rude people in front of me do not pick out all the strawberries).

 

My husband does not cruise with me, so my cruises are my alone time, though I admit to spending a good bit of it worrying about what he's doing and how he's getting along without me.

 

I'm much more social on the cruise -- joining team trivia and being "out and about" rather than sitting at home.

 

I exercise more on the cruise, just by walking around the ship and/or ports more than I do at home.

 

I am a more adventurous eater on the cruise, willing to try new things -- knowing I don't have to pay for it, and can get something else if I do not like it helps.

[Esri]

Not the most experienced cruiser, but...

 

Still early to bed, early to dine, and early to rise! I loved being up early in the morning and wandering around the ship, seeing it come to life. Then had breakfast in the MDR - not a Pop-Tart in sight!

 

I also loved having a variety of fresh fruit available. My sister eats fruit very infrequently, and although I buy most fruits by the onsies and twosies at the height of their season I still sometimes end up throwing it away. Having fruit everyday was wonderful.

 

The best thing about the cruise, however, was the ports. Being places I'd never been before. Seeing whales -- I even got a photo (a bad photo) of a baby Orca! "Panning for gold" in Juneau -- an excursion we took only becaues we panned for gold at Knott's Berry Farm as kids -- it was a great nostalgia fix and we both enjoyed it. Being 10 feet from a flock of Bald Eagles in Ketchikan -- and I'm not talking about the Raptor Center, which was great too.

 

My sister loved the ship and tolerated me dragging her around the ports -- I loved both. Sea days were so relaxing and let me catch up on my reading and Internet. Port days were awesome!

[Saphire]

Love all your responses! Just thought of a few more that have to do with food. On a cruise I don't eat any chicken, pizza or burgers! I choose things I don't often eat at home, like all the varied fish, duck, lamb, sushi and of course filet mignon. :)

[pris993]

We have been cruising for years and our routine has changed alot over the years, i.e., remember having all meals in the MDR years ago. Now we are very independent travelers.

 

We do room service for breakfast every day. Sometimes we order lunch as well. Really depends on whether we plan to do dinner or not. We either do lunch or dinner.

 

We keep our meals similar to what we eat at home. We are big fish eaters at home, basically look for best fish on the ship. Do for health reasons.

 

A treat for us is short ribs which we never cook at home.

 

We skip desserts, don't really like the creamy desserts on most cruise lines, where is the cake?

 

We walk more in ports.

 

We enjoy a cocktail or wine daily.

 

We do watch the news on TV before retiring every night, especially international news.

 

We love being at sea and near the water, again similar to being at home... we live near San Francisco Bay and spend a lot of time there when at home.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Cruise & Home:

Always have breakfast

Always get up early -- between 4 and 5 AM

Always dress up when we go out for dinner

Always have a cocktail before dinner

Do read books and magazines all the time

Do spend time out on the patio or verandah talking

Cruise:

Never watch TV unless a world crisis happens while we are cruising

Will have either wine or a cocktail at dinner

Never go to a movie

Not having to drive to tons of doctor appointments

[sppunk]

- Eat a big breakfast on cruises, at home I eat a Greek yogurt

- Naps in the afternoon

- I read much more on cruises than at home

[babyher]

On vacation:

 

Eat a big breakfast

Drink a little more

Nap during the day

Do A LOT more walking

We do watch a little TV, usually at night, but never watch the news , Don't watch the news that often at home either.

 

And althougth I have a pool and a hot tub at home, I spend more time in them on a cruise than I ever have time to at home.