Stressful or relaxing???

[emm126]

My work week is a tight schedule, from 9am to 6pm, every minute/every day is planned out. That is why when I cruise I am more of the "go with the flow mentality" That relaxes me. I do what I want when I want to. Which is part of the reason I enjoy Carnival so much. Yes I do research before I travel for shore excursions and might make a reservation for 1 night at the steak house but that is about it. Although I have loved every cruise I have been on with RCI and NCL, it was too much planning for me and felt like work. Do I want to make a reservation to zip line on a ship for 12:10 pm, 6 weeks from today or plan out where/what I am going to eat for 7 nights straight? No. That is why Carnival is a great fit for me.

[Freckle53]

The only thing I find stressful and hate is the check in/boarding process and debarkation. With a land vacation you don't typically have 2-4,000 people all starting and stopping their trip at the same time.

[Sitzmark]

I read a post recently in which a cruiser responded that generally their cruises were stressful.

 

Many others respond with " go with the flow, you are on vacation, don't worry about delayed boarding or VIP lines etc.

 

I find cruising stressful because it is so structured I feel caged. I prefer a more open vacation plan. I enjoy a "go with the flow" vacation, the problem I've found on cruises is that there don't seem to be too many options to that flow. There are far too many people jammed into too small a space to be terribly relaxing and too few options for escaping them.

[Cruzin2paradise09]

Please speak for yourself. I have flown in the morning of at least 30 cruises and don't experience stress about it, nor do I take anti anxiety or psychotropic meds nor drink.

 

 

 

If your routine does fine by you, by all means advocate for yourself. But don't try telling me what I will feel if you do my routine.

 

 

Wow, nobody was telling you how to feel. Relax a little.....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[cb at sea]

If a vacation is "stressful", it's your own fault A cruise is simply a vacation. Some folks really over-think, and over-plan....

 

It's supposed to be "time off"...do what you want, when you want!

[jdemps]

I find the people that are stressed on vacation don't plan well. Whether it's the money or the time factor, if you plan realistically then there's no reason to be stressed. I tell people that want to go on a cruise with us what the real expectation will be for the money spent or the time it takes to do things. I HATE going on vacation with cheap people that complain about every $5 spent so if they can't afford the way we do it, then we just go by ourselves.

 

We never rush at an airport and that is what sets most people off from the very beginning of a vacation - showing up to the airport and trying to cut the line because they can't plan right.

 

We are very much those people that go with the flow and don't let things ruin our vacation. Plus, we don't have any kids messing with our plans....lolol

[cajunpowercruiser]

Once I'm on the ship it's Carnival take me away. Rest and take in the beautiful water, the wonderful scenery, the fantastic people, both cruisers and crew. Enjoy an adult beverage, or two, or three... Lay in the sun, not a care in the world. Visit a place I've never been. Experience a new culture. It's the biggest chill I've had. This was my first experience and I know the second will be even better. 60 days till the next adventure....I'm ready.

[OCruisers]

Happily, way more relaxing than stressful for us! :)

[Warm Breezes]

I do all of the planning. Not stressful for me since I am an organizer by nature. Some cruises have a lot of things planned ahead. Some cruises have very little planned ahead but I know what options are available should we want to do something last minute. For me cruises are the most relaxing vacations I have ever taken. No cooking or cleaning. Entertainment and food provided. Travel to exotic locations provided. Unpack once and done for a week. I go out on the balcony to read and fall instantly asleep. Speaking of sleep, the rocking of the ship at night puts me in a deep slumber. We are not in a rush. We avoid lines by not going at peak times. If we hit a line or have a wait for anything, we spend the time enjoying each others company and people watching. I have yet to find any other vacation that I come back completely refreshed....which is why we are going on number 14 next week. Bring on the relaxation. I'm ready:p:):D.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

I cruise TO RELAX and that means I don't get "involved" in worrying about anything. Book with a TA who has been doing our bookings for eons and eons. The only "stressful" thing is the initial decision...which week, which port, which ship. After that I just wait for my TA to book flights, rooms, the cruise, etc. Always fly in the day before, if not two....

 

Sure doing it this way I spend a few more bucks but its vacation time. My TA knows our preferences...she has been doing this for 25 years.

 

The other thing that makes cruising stressless is that we don't board a ship with a chip on our shoulder. We don't require or need our latest experience to be a carbon copy of an earlier cruise...in fact we have cruised enough lines that it is hard to remember which cruise line offers what so when we board we just go with the flow of what is offered.

[Quilcruisers]

I sometimes stress while planning because I want everything to go right. Once I am on the ship, the only stress I have is that the time goes by so fast. Vacations are something we do every year and try to cruise every year because it is the one vacation that you pay for upfront and can choose to spend more money or no money. We relax and let someone else cook, clean, and entertain us. There is nothing better than eating, then going back to the room and watching TV without having to do dishes, sleeping late, getting up to eat then going to a party or to the casino for the evening. The only thing stressful about the port days is debarking, if we choose to debark later, no stress. We walk off and back on without crowds. Finally, the last night is stressful because we want to soak up all of the fun that we can until we have to go home. It just makes us want to work hard and get back to planning our next adventure. I must admit it was a little stressful when we went with a large group because we didn't relax as much, too busy going here there and everywhere. That is just once in a while that we do those types of vacations, normally its a small family trip.

[RWolver672]

For us, it's relaxing. We always fly in a day or two before the cruise because we live in Michigan and you never know what the weather will be like. After the cruise, we stay in the port town for another day or two just so that we don't have to fight the crowd at the airport with a whole ship load of people trying to fly home.

 

Once we get to the hotel, we have a day or two to relax before getting on the ship. That way, we don't feel rushed at all and enjoy the cruise.

[*Cassie*]

Having just finished a cruise with a 1 & 3 year old, I have to say it was stressful at times. There was no relaxing to be had, unfortunately. But, I'm a SAHM, so that's my daily life I suppose. I was still glad to be doing that at sea than just at home! Although I think we'll be waiting until they're a little older before attempting it again.

[meatloafsfan]

I find the planning relaxing and up to about 4 days before the cruise to be relaxing (you know, talking about it, looking at photos/reviews, figuring out what's at each port, etc.).

 

About 4 days before the cruise the reality of what needs to be done sets in. Concerns over ensuring we have travel documents, medication, medical supplies, packing, last minute wheelchair maintenance, etc. pop up and my family expects that I am handling all of that stuff so things go smoothly.

 

Then, I find embarkation stressful - where to go, what facilities are at the port, where is the parking lot, checking in, assistance to get onto the ship (or am I or my dad pushing), finding a table, will all of the luggage arrive, is the set up of the accessible cabin going to work as is or will I need to figure out how to rearrange things.

 

Once Muster is over, it's my time to relax and the stress is done.

[First and Ten]

If one tries to fly in the day of the sailing and fly out at 10 am the day of returning to port the entire experience will be on of total stress. Also if one books a short cruise and tries to pack a ten to fourteen days worth of events into the 5 -7 days there will be stress.

 

My vacations begin the minute I lock my front door and end when I return home. Always arrive a day or two before sailing and even will remain a day or two after returning.

 

One of the big "stressers" seems to be having delays that would prevent you from embarking on time. We have eliminated that by arriving a day early. Even if the port we are going out of is within driving distance, we still come in a day early and spend the night in a hotel close to port

Edited May 11, 2016 by First and Ten

[canadaman111]

I find all parts of a vacation enjoyable. I am in the planning stage for our first cruise which is still roughly 650 days away. Everyday I am looking at something to help plan the cruise. Maybe people who find it stressful are people who don't like to plan. Without planning and therefore knowing what to expect I could see where certain things could leave you feeling stressed

[KatieCharlotte]

The only thing I stress about is losing our passports or somehow not making it to the port on time. Cruising leaves no wiggle room for those kinds of problems.

 

But once I have my S&S card in hand, I relax more than I can on any other vacation. We never charge anything and have our port activities already figured out, so there are no unexpected expenses. I don't have to figure out meals, and my kids always have something they like to eat. I don't have to constantly repack and make sure we haven't left anything in the hotel room. The cabin is serviced and the towels exchanged. The MDR lets me have a nice dress-up dinner while still being relaxed and family-friendly.

 

Most importantly, my child who, because of neurological conditions, is anxious on every other type of vacation is very relaxed on a cruise -- predictable food, low-key predictable activities, the calm sea, a cozy inside cabin, and the ship as a defined area that is just big enough and soon feels comfortable for roaming with siblings.

[Dizzneefan]

I experience both. As the planner for our vacations, I am in the stress mode right not leading up to our cruise on Sunday. We've got all the excursions booked, I have gone over and over in my mind things to remember and carry with us, I think I have everything covered except for the one thing I can't cover.

 

The weather.

 

I know, I know, that a forecast a week from now is about as useful as last weeks TV Guide (if those are still published), yet I worry about it. We are visiting Cozumel, Roatan and Belize and it looks like a good chance of rain while in Cozumel and a little less chance in Roatan.

 

As you can tell by my name, we are Disney fans, and I know what to do in the parks in the event of rain, but cruising and excursions are a different setup.

 

When I get on board, I plan to relax and enjoy the days as I always do, but right now I can feel the anxiety increasing. My DW tries to keep me calm, but it's not working!

[evandbob]

Wow, nobody was telling you how to feel. Relax a little.....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Here's the quote that I calmly responded to;

 

if one tries to fly in the day of the sailing and fly out at 10 am the day of returning to port the entire experience will be on of total stress.

 

The writer of that quote may feel total stress doing that, but I don't. Had the writer said "I" instead of "one", I would have let it go.

 

Chill.

[JaniceB]

Personally the packing and getting there is the most stressful part for me. I will say the excitement of a cruise makes it all worth it. I find cruises so much more relaxing than any other vacation. No worries about where to eat, the place being too crowded and long waits for a table. I can stay busy or just relax.

[beachbum53]

I read a post recently in which a cruiser responded that generally their cruises were stressful.

 

Many others respond with " go with the flow, you are on vacation, don't worry about delayed boarding or VIP lines etc.

 

My question is... " In general, how are your cruising experiences?"

 

I understand 30 ft. waves. power outages, Noro etc. can bring stress upon a cruiser, but was the whole experience, from booking, yo planning, to getting onboard, to dining etc, all stressful, or relaxing?

 

We almost exclusively do Mexican Riviera now. The stress of flying to other ports is something we eliminated.

People often ask.." Are you going there, AGAIN ? "

Yes!! we go to RELAX, no cooking, cleaning. Lots of reading, good food, nice ports.

 

What are your general experiences, and why?

 

Blessings

 

Cruising is VERY relaxing. However, as you've already pointed out, flying to and from the port city can be stressful. Unfortunately for us, we don't live close to a port city. The closest would be Baltimore, which is about a 6 1/2 hr. drive. Now that gas prices have dropped to almost $2.00 a gal., it might be worth considering.

[crusinpsychRN]

I stress over packing, getting to cruise port now that I have to drive to port since they took our 7 day ships from Tampa--to stay overnight or night, parking and then keeping up with the activities I want to do.

 

Last cruise I went on a CCL excursion. Ticket said they leave at 8:30am from theater. Got there at 8:15 am and NO ONE was there. I was told don't worry, they'll be here. Waited another minute and luckily staff came in and said they already left. I asked for an escort to the others. Had to run a long way!

 

The other excursion on same trip I wore myself out with all the climbing I had to do.

[cmukid87]

The one stressful thing about cruising: Getting to the port. Once we make it to the port, or even the area that port is in, I know we will make the ship. All of my cruises to date we have had our flights the morning of embarkation.

[boopsahoy]

I read a post recently in which a cruiser responded that generally their cruises were stressful.

 

Many others respond with " go with the flow, you are on vacation, don't worry about delayed boarding or VIP lines etc.

 

My question is... " In general, how are your cruising experiences?"

 

I understand 30 ft. waves. power outages, Noro etc. can bring stress upon a cruiser, but was the whole experience, from booking, yo planning, to getting onboard, to dining etc, all stressful, or relaxing?

 

We almost exclusively do Mexican Riviera now. The stress of flying to other ports is something we eliminated.

People often ask.." Are you going there, AGAIN ? "

Yes!! we go to RELAX, no cooking, cleaning. Lots of reading, good food, nice ports.

 

What are your general experiences, and why?

 

Blessings

 

We got rid of the stress when we decided not to fly to any ports anymore. I only go out of NY...same itinerary? Who cares! Same ship? Who cares!

[beef8066]

Only once when My FIL oxygen did not make it aboard the ship. We had to chose to stay on or all get off. He said I don't need it, needless to say it worked out all was fine. I was stressed but now he has a portable one that he takes with him. No more waiting on deliveries.

I do sometimes stress when traveling with a group trying to get them altogether to leave or be some place. That's why cruising is great. leave a note on the door about where you will be and when to meet. No problems :)