What is it about cruising?

[kimlovesfl]

What is it about cruising that causes us to wax poetic, and eagerly anticipate our next cruise? Why do we get such a different feeling from vacationing on a cruise ship, as opposed to a land vacation?

 

I think a lot of it is, you are truly disconnected from the world, and connected to each other. Lack of cell phone and internet access kind of forces you to talk to your traveling companions, and other people. In the land-based world, you would never dream of sharing a restaurant table with strangers, but on a cruise, not only is it enjoyable, it is often preferable.

 

Having everything you need at your fingertips is another big plus. You unpack once, that's it.

 

Waking up to a different location almost every day is a factor. And the views! You go to bed when the ship is at sea, and when you wake up the next day, lo and behold, you are somewhere wonderful and beautiful and special and exotic.

 

Not really having to worry about paying for everything little thing as you go along makes cruises special.

 

I have only been on 3 cruises, and I have had many, many wonderful land vacations over the years, but I don't actively start planning my next land-based vacation as soon as I come home. I have a cruise booked for September, looking at January/February 2017, and thinking of Hawaii in 2018 (actually doing the California Coast drive in late summer 2017).

 

What is it for our fellow cruise lovers that makes cruising so special that we ALWAYS want to be on board a ship?

[luvs2beachit]

We love cruising because it's effortless. I go on line, do a little research, look at the line, the ship, the ports and the price. Then I pick one and book.

Sometimes I will start my research thinking one kind of cruise i.e. Carib or Bermuda and then find myself booking Europe or a TA because I found a great deal. We have been on over 40 cruises, including several European cruises and 8 Trans Atlantics and have enjoyed each one, some more than others but they all had something we loved. I also agree with all of the reasons that you stated in your post and will add a few reasons of my own.

No driving to get to the next stop. No living out of a suitcase. Unpack once and done. No schedules we NEED to keep. No deadlines for getting to the next destination because we have hotel reservations or show tickets and we will lose our deposit if we don't show up. No searching for decent restaurants with good food every day. No worry about booking something and getting stuck there for the week even though we hate the place. (I am sure there are some who have cruised and have found themselves in that position but we have not). What I like about cruising the most is that I have no responsibilities. No shopping, no cooking, no cleaning and no work. The only decisions I need to make are what to pick from the menu and whether to go to the show or hit the casino.

And that's why I love crusing!:D

Edited February 21, 2016 by luvs2beachit

[Blondilu]

I feel a freedom on a ship I don't feel anywhere else. I think in part it's because everything is familiar enough that I never feel out of place. But all the new places you get to go keep it feeling new and exciting. Both completely grounded and out in the wind, so to speak. I like that feeling.

 

Also, there is something about being on the sea that doesn't compare to much. Timeless and larger than life. I could stare at it for hours, and have.

[Clarea]

For us, it's the disconnect and lack of planning. We were on a very large ship recently, which required reserving all the shows in advance, and did not enjoy it as much. We felt rushed, and took away some of the feeling of being relaxed on the cruise.

[Velvetwater]

For me its being on the ocean and seeing new places easily...as long as cruises do that I am game.

 

It is for the above reasons I have seriously considered a stint as a youth worker on a cruise ship because I would still get those.

 

 

Don't get me wrong the abudance of food, people looking after you and pools/entertainment etc are great but they are not why I started cruising.

[paul929207]

Relaxation

[Scrapnana]

I don't cook so having food available without having to drive some place is great.

Having many different forms of entertainment available (I love trivia).

Meeting interesting people from around the world.

Being able to do what I want or nothing at all.

Seeing amazing places all over the world without constant packing/unpacking.

It is a very safe way for a solo to travel.

Most of all, however, it is the sea. The sea is beautiful and mysterious and I can sit and look at it for hours without getting bored.

[cb at sea]

I get excited about ALL vacations..not just cruises! I can relax pretty much anywhere! And, we eat out on land vacations...no big difference there! And, once we're at our destination...I unpack and never repack until time to go home!

 

I love ANY vacation....not just cruises!

[calliopecruiser]

I find a sense of calm being in the middle of the ocean with no schedule and no plans. I simply can't replicate it on land somehow (I wish I could). I purposely turn off any news or event on land -- I do stay connected in the sense that I email updates to family, but I don't want any updates in return and I only email them because they want it, not because I do.

[beachbum53]

Well, you've got to admit it. A week on a cruise is a thousand times better than spending a week with the in-laws.:eek::D

[lahlah57]

Its the ease of the whole thing but I must disagree about going to to bed and waking in a beautiful exotic place. Last few cruises we have woke to some pretty horrific industrial and ugly ports.....smelly too with the fumes that go along with that port!

Do love being far out to sea and taking an after dinner walk around the deck just as the sun is going down......now that is surreal! :o

[GoneJohnson]

I am about to do my 3rd a 21 day Panama Canal with HAL March 12th. My first two 7 nights, 10 nights were Princess out of LA USA

 

I'm in a wheelchair and much of going some where is getting in and out of transportation... the ship I get on and go... it just takes me along. The food, the people, the ship has much to offer if you look... I did not want to get off either of my first two. I do wish I had found this earlier in my life.

 

I grew up on the ocean of Washington states coast line and spent hours there. I have saltwater aquariums now.

 

It's relaxing... planning a trip is fun. I did not find this wonder in life a little late. Financially this will most likely be my last... or find/plan a Hawaii off the west coast. I'm in Montana airfare to Florida is expensive. I'll start planning find a poorly located interior room and enjoy the ship all day. I have or will have had 3 nice balcony rooms/suites... but to cruise... I'll sleep anywhere. I'll try to Find a last minute deal... but I hear hard to do with handicapped rooms.

 

Yes, it's fun.... a real vacation

Edited February 21, 2016 by GoneJohnson

[Keith1010]

We love it.

 

We don't have any interest in doing land tours where you have to constantly check in and out of hotels and pack and unpack.

 

And we don't have to worry about little details such as searching out land based restaurants.

 

Keith

[GUT2407]

I love unpacking once, but vpbeing somewhere new every day.

 

I love the ocean. The sound, smell, sight and feel.

 

I have many generations of sea farers in my Ancestory maybe that has something to do with it. But I just love being near water.

[moniquet]

In addition to many which others have said I would add feeling safe and secure. Strolling around the decks at midnight you don't have to worry about taking a wrong turning into a dark alley or similar;) take ill or have an accident and there is instant help. Quite pampered really.

 

I do enjoy land holidays too. We have taken more than cruises the last few years. Both have pro's and con's:)

[Karysa]

In addition to many which others have said I would add feeling safe and secure. Strolling around the decks at midnight you don't have to worry about taking a wrong turning into a dark alley or similar;) take ill or have an accident and there is instant help. Quite pampered really.

 

I do enjoy land holidays too. We have taken more than cruises the last few years. Both have pro's and con's:)

 

"Instant help" yes, but if you need more than what can be done at the medical center being hours or even days away from the help you need is a possibility while cruising.

[cruiseapril]

We enjoy the warmth of Caribbean cruises after a Maine winter.

We love being in the sun and visiting various beaches in a relaxing manner.

We enjoy visiting a variety of ports and exploring nature on the islands.

 

We also enjoy land vacations to warmer climates, but they are not as relaxing.

[bigsky]

As one said, I love all vacations. BUT, something about being on a cruise is special. Sometimes I just need to be ON the water. So relaxing to sit with a drink or book and look out onto the water. Many common threads of why we like it! You can do as much or as little as you want. Love the idea of being able to just go and eat and not worry about budget with the meals. A little different with land vacations with that aspect. So many things I love about cruising. Though once we discovered Maui, we don't go quite as much. Still need a fix every other year or so :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

For years we did all those land tours nearly all over the world. I got sick having to live out of a suitcase, getting up early and being on the road all day, extra planes, trains, etc. Sure we saw a lot of interesting and beautiful places. But it was tiring. I felt like I needed a vacation after being on the road for 3 weeks.

Finally got DH on a ship -- unpacked once. He fell in love with cruising.

[jocap]

Most of our holidays have involved driving...which includes traffic jams, crammed car parks, road works etc...and hours trying to get out of cities. Eventually we discovered that the very end of the holiday was the most enjoyable part- driving on to the overnight ferry, with a tiny cabin and plenty of food being served without car parking first ( :rolleyes:)....and above all, a sail away which even out of an industrial port is so interesting.

Now we drive as far as the port and ditch the car for two or three weeks, and have sailaways a-plenty...and no more traffic jams! :cool:

[marco]

No matter what ship or line I'm on, or what the itinerary is, a sea day, when you can find an isolated chair away from the crowds and look out onto the horizon and listen to the sea against the hull of the ship, the gentle hum of the ship and the water is just as blue, the sky and the clouds just as majestic, the sun just as bright, the breeze just as invigorating.. it's quite, it's peaceful, I feel so calm, peaceful, and contemplative........it's a sensation that can't be replicated anywhere else!

[kimlovesfl]

Thought I would revisit this topic, because I just booked another cruise.

 

Another great thing about cruising is the almost absolute lack of a need to plan. Pick your ship, destination, dates, and cabin, and that's it. I am in the very beginning phase of planning a trip driving up the California coast, from San Diego to San Francisco, in Aug/Sep 2017. I have to figure out if I should drive north or south, how much time to spend in each area, who has the cheapest airfare, which car rental agency has the best rates, which are the best hotels for my budget, what do I want to see along the way (I actually have that pretty much figured out), and are there any "must do" restaurants that will need advanced reservations and saving.

 

The sea seems to be very restorative. I was having terrible problems with heart palpitations, especially starting in December. Have had nary an issue since the cruise. The fact that I work A LOT in order to pay my bills and be able to vacation was most likely the factor; I think that I had actually worked myself to near-exhaustion, and in fact was sick the last 2 weeks of 2015. Other than wishing I was on a cruise, I've felt pretty great since I stepped on that ship 3 weeks ago.

[SPacificbound]

We came to cruising late, really had no idea how we would feel about it, we booked that first cruise to avoid a long plane ride.

 

It was 18 nights and I figured we would either really love it or really not.

 

By the time we were pulling away from Sydney I was hooked. :D

 

It is just a much more comfortable way of travel. The sea is so peaceful, or sometimes angry. I love looking out at the wake of the ship and seeing nothing but the sky and the ocean.

 

I also think it is the only place I have ever been that I don't have allergies. :)

[moniquet]

In addition to all the reasons, value for money. Compare the cost to a large hotel with comfy beds, excellent room stewards, activities and all the food you want. Our 3 days in a Puerto Rico Hotel cost almost as much as our cruise when meals were factored in and the service wasn't as good as on a cruise.