47 day cruise

[Hartford Cruiser]

We are looking at the 47 day cruise to Brazil in Jan 2015. What is it like being on a ship for 47 days? The longest we have sailed is 15 days. Pro-cons? Thanks

[CruiserBruce]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

If you are sailing in January 2015, your ship left without you! :D;)

 

The pros- you are on a cruise for 47 days. The cons- they make you get off at the end.

Edited April 25, 2015 by CruiserBruce

[Atomica]

Longest voyage I've been on to-date is 18 days...but 47 sure sounds like fun! If you're interested in the itinerary and can afford the voyage, why not? :)

[Harry1954]

We are looking at the 47 day cruise to Brazil in Jan 2015. What is it like being on a ship for 47 days? The longest we have sailed is 15 days. Pro-cons? Thanks

before we took a 46 day cruise 5 years ago, we had taken only cruise less than 30 days but at least 10 days. We were very apprehensive about taking this long of a cruise, but decided what the heck, try it.

 

As someone else mentioned in this thread .. we did not want to get off once the 46 days was over. It was quite a delight. We found that by planning ahead for ports, we were always changing our routine sufficiently such that we were never bored. Further, we got to know several folks on our floor quite well and looked forward to socializing with them at various functions.

 

harry

[ski ww]

If you look under the HAL roll call check the Maasdam 14 Jan 2016 departure which I think is the one you meant, we have a group starting our adventure, feel free to join us.

Allan & Marlane

[Susie51]

The longest cruise I've been on is 12 days and I didn't want to get off. Since Maasdam is relatively small, you should get to know your fellow pax well and also the service staff. You'll probably see the officers frequently and some will know your name.

 

Welcome to CC.

[sammiedawg]

47 days is too long to be away from life, unless there is very little in your life. 21 days is enough for me.

[Tampa Girl]

47 days is too long to be away from life, unless there is very little in your life. 21 days is enough for me.

 

I can't think of of being more "in life" than a 47-day cruise - getting well acquained with new friends, some of whom may continue to be part of your life; and becoming knowledgeable about new countries and new cultures. What a great experience! Go for it!

[ANSalberg]

We've been on several 70 day cruises [ HAL's "Grand" cruises] and they are spectacular. The "learning" lectures are great; you have time to make -and KEEP -friends with similar interests; The activities ON board are fun -and, of course the ports amazing [ funnily enough -on the longer cruises into more exotic ports[ for us; Asia] these ports are unique enough you DON'T get port A mixed up with port D! You learn more about everything.....if there is a downside its that it is HARD to go back to 7 or 10 or even 2 week cruises; They just aren't long enough to "plan" for!

NOW; whether YOU will like it is up to YOU- sarcasm aside -EACH person is different. We CHOSE at retirement to 'SEE the WORLD" and that is what we've done; I would not trade that experience for anything; you look at the whole world differently [ I think with MORE tolerance] AND you see headlines for what they are worth; They are to GET your attention! GOOD luck in making YOUR choices!;)

[wyobean]

Our longest so far has been 10 days. We are going for 39 days this fall to Australia, NZ and some islands. We have no idea if we will like it or not, but we are so excited. If we don't try it we will never know. Worse case...if we don't care for it we won't go that long again...but, I am pretty sure we will! I love retirement!

 

 

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[serendipity1499]

47 days is too long to be away from life, unless there is very little in your life. 21 days is enough for me.

 

47 days is certainly not being away from life.. My whole life, including my work life, was in travel & we have met wonderful people during that time of our lives.. DH & I have spent months out on our own boat going from place to place & meeting the most fascinating people..

 

The longest we've been on a Commercial ship is 68 days & that was on the Prisendam in 2013..We had a lovely time although I have to admit that at times we missed our Friends & our Kids, but we kept in touch with them via e-mail & telephone..

 

I can't think of of being more "in life" than a 47-day cruise - getting well acquained with new friends, some of whom may continue to be part of your life; and becoming knowledgeable about new countries and new cultures. What a great experience! Go for it!

 

Completely Agree with Tampa Girl! We have always enjoyed being on the water..One of the pro's, is not having to pack & unpack constantly... It's no longer "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium" :D We did that for many years & now enjoy staying on the ship for the entire trip..

Edited April 26, 2015 by serendipity1499

[take us away]

we LOVE the long cruises! There is so much to do, great lecturers on a variety of topics, more activities on sea days, wonderful ports with so many new adventures that we often have a difficult time deciding what to do as we research and research before we leave. The port talks are not all shore excursions and where to find the Diamonds International - in fact there is not a preferred store in many of the ports you will dock into - yeah! We also load the Kindles and off we go.

 

1st cruise for my DH was 21 days and by day 6, he was pacing and wanted to sweep the engine room or something similar, then we did the So America cruise and he adapted and as he said 'learned how to get into cruising'. After we retired, we sailed for 9 months on a variety of long cruises so we could see where we wanted to return for a longer time (less 2 weeks over Christmas) and he was already plotting the next adventure on the last cruise. Cruising is addicting - so watch out! Biggest con was I did get a bit tired of my clothes . Really, that was the worst con as so many pros.

 

We have learned how to orchestrate long absences from home - and have a wonderful sister (we have no children) who handles any issues for us, pays our credit cards via the 'net if necessary, and who we keep in contact with via email on a regular basis in case something comes up. Life is short and after a few 'reminders' of that, we have developed a new philosophy so everyone knows we go 'off the grid', off to see the world and everything else can just wait. We have some wonderful friends from all over the world that we have met on cruises, many of whom we have sailed with on more than 1 occasion. You will get to know the crew which is fun; they will know your name and your preferences in a very short while. We still stay in contact with a few that we have had on our cruises. And the adventures we have had - we are so very fortunate!

 

So enjoy your time at sea - hope you like the long cruises as much as many of us!

Edited April 28, 2015 by take us away

[igraf]

Some people have reported "hitting a wall" at 30 days. Others, as reported here, enjoy the very long cruises.

 

An analogy is how some people develop island fever while living in Hawaii, while others do not.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are looking at the 47 day cruise to Brazil in Jan 2015. What is it like being on a ship for 47 days? The longest we have sailed is 15 days. Pro-cons? Thanks

[Hlitner]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

If you are sailing in January 2015, your ship left without you! :D;)

 

The pros- you are on a cruise for 47 days. The cons- they make you get off at the end.

 

Like :).

 

Hank

[Sir PMP]

We are looking at the 47 day cruise to Brazil in Jan 2015. What is it like being on a ship for 47 days? The longest we have sailed is 15 days. Pro-cons? Thanks

 

It's basically a short cruise;)

[casamariposa]

Enjoy! I did the 49-day version of the cruise you're gong on. I would do it again in an instant (if I weren't booked on the 67-day Prinsendam South America Grand Voyage coming up in January). I've been going on longer and longer cruises, and I won't even consider going on a cruise lasting less than four weeks. Your fellow passengers will be an interesting lot and have earned the luxury of having time to enjoy. Most of them are life-long learners. The cruise staff on the longer voyages tend to be hand-picked and are even more solicitous than on the other HAL cruises (if that's at all possible). If you've sailed on HAL's shorter cruises, this will be a different experience. The best part of all IMHO is that you have many, many days at sea to get to know your fellow passengers very well and really become an "old salt." It's not for everyone, but once you get hooked on it, you're hooked!!!

[Adoptionmsw]

We just booked the Maasdam round trip to the Mediterranean from Ft. Lauderdale sailing October 30. It's a 50 day cruise with lots of European ports. We sailed for 27 days last fall on the Zuiderdam to Alaska and then on a repositioning through the Panama Canal to Ft. Lauderdale. It certainly didn't seem too long to us. I can't think of anything better than letting HAL take care of all the details while DH and I spend our time relaxing.

[RMLincoln]

Hard to say pros and cons... a 47 night cruise is a different experience compared to a short cruise. I love longer cruises, the longer the better! The "cons" are worth it to me.

 

The very good sides of longer cruises: You get to really immerse in the cruise experience and absorb the culture of the lands you are visiting. Longer cruises may have some overnight ports. And there are all those sea days to relax and absorb. You get to know more of the passengers and may develop some very pleasant relationships. For sure you will get to know the crew and have more meaningful conversations with them about their ways of life at home, their family, if you choose to engage with them. And HAL will have lecturers aboard who will offer enrichment of your experiences.

 

Cons... or added complexity.... Well you have to prepare more for management of your home for the time you will be away.

 

And you will have more preparation to learn about the many places you will get to visit, even if this is only some research about the shore excursion opportunities or it may be much more for some people. Depends on your goals for your travels.

 

And you may have a bit more complexity packing, especially if you will have variety in climates on your trip - CT to Brazil in January!! We pack relatively light, packing thin layers for cool climates. We keep the volume down - wear - rinse - repeat. :) If you are on Maasdam you could take advantage of the self-service laundry or of course there is always valet or send-out laundry.

 

Brazil requires a visa - learn about those in advance, maybe through your roll call. The process for Brazil can appear daunting to begin with, and expensive. I learned a huge amount through our roll call for our trip around South America including the Brazil visa process. We decided to use an agent and found Travel Visa Pro excellent and have used them since for other needs, but this is only an example that some longer cruises have some more complexity to them... maybe that's a con, maybe not.

 

Lucky you to be able to consider a long cruise and good that you are looking ahead and seeking to learn. You are off to a great start and preparing the way for an excellent experience. Enjoy it all, m--

 

Added thought: The longer the cruise the older the demographic... not matter what cruise line. I don't consider this either a pro or a con but it may make the cruise experience different for you if you have only been on short cruises.

Edited April 28, 2015 by RMLincoln

[dockman]

I really have no interest in any cruise less than 14 ++ days and generally more in the 30 day category. With all the hassles, expense, and BS involved in flying to/from a port it's just not worth it to me for the short cruises.

 

Of course if you live near the port it might be more attractive.

 

I do think you tend to go through several phases on longer cruises but ultimately fall into a very pleasant daily rhythm where you are most comfortable. I also find the more I cruise the more I enjoy the sea days without all the hype and hassles of so many of the ports.

 

Give me a big pile of books, a couple hours a day of deck walking, the wonderful smiling friendly Holland America staff, some nice sunsets, good food, wine, afternoon naps, and an occasional decent entertainer and I am a pretty happy cruiser.

[DeeniEncinitas]

I can only relate to our 24 day B2B Mediteranean Cruise, and we loved it! Never a dull moment, and will do it again!

Right now doing 12 day Med Cruise, and will be doing a 30 day hopefully in the future doing the Inca Empire cruise. pathfinders will be doing that one in 2016!

Have a wonderful 47 day cruise.

Denise

[Riversedge]

We did the 49 day Brazilian cruise this past January. We loved every minute of it. Please do not think of passing up this cruise because it's long. This was the longest cruise we had been on (30 days previously) and we loved every minute of it. There is so much to see and do on this cruise that the time will pass and you won't be ready to get off at the end. We made so many new friends and had so many memorable experiences.

 

We found that this cruise had a slightly younger clientele. I don't know that it was the best cruise for a handicapped person and many people must have realized it because there were only a couple of wheelchairs/walkers.

 

You will find that HAL treats this as a specialty cruise so you will have lots of fun "extras". The dining room was decorated several nights and the waiters were even dressed up in costumes a few times. It was fun to keep guessing what surprise they had in store for us next.

 

You will also get to know your room stewards and waiters so well. I had tears in my eyes when we had to say goodbye.

 

Be sure that you sign up for your roll call and go to the meet and greet. You'll make lifelong friends and it will make the time fly by. And be sure not to miss Carnival. The memories of that will live in our minds forever.

[lazey1]

we LOVE the long cruises! There is so much to do, great lecturers on a variety of topics, more activities on sea days, wonderful ports with so many new adventures that we often have a difficult time deciding what to do as we research and research before we leave. The port talks are not all shore excursions and where to find the Diamonds International - in fact there is not a preferred store in many of the ports you will dock into - yeah! (snip)

Life is short and after a few 'reminders' of that, we have developed a new philosophy so everyone knows we go 'off the grid', off to see the world and everything else can just wait. We have some wonderful friends from all over the world that we have met on cruises, many of whom we have sailed with on more than 1 occasion. You will get to know the crew which is fun; they will know your name and your preferences in a very short while. We still stay in contact with a few that we have had on our cruises. And the adventures we have had - we are so very fortunate!

So enjoy your time at sea - hope you like the long cruises as much as many of us!

 

Totally agree. Our longest cruise to date is 31 days of sheer happiness. Can't wait for our upcoming 50 day cruise in the So. Pacific.:);):)