Convincing people to cruise

[lenquixote66]

We have friends who have no desire to cruise.We have tried to convince them but nothing has worked.How would you convince people to try cruising ?

[Husky61]

Why would you want to convince someone to cruise that has no desire to do so?

[lenquixote66]

5 minutes ago, Husky61 said:

Why would you want to convince someone to cruise that has no desire to do so?

They have traveled all over the world but have never been on a cruise.My wife and I have been cruising since 1973.Although we have done none cruise vacations in our opinion there is nothing better than cruising. I have told my friends that it can be non stop activity ,food available nearly 24/7,entertainment every day and the opportunity to make new friends. 

[Husky61]

I understand what you are saying, but if your friends decide to listen to you and cruise, and then they hate it, who do you think they are going to blame since they have already told you they have no desire?

[lenquixote66]

True,but I have yet to meet anyone who hated cruising ,have you ?

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

They have traveled all over the world but have never been on a cruise.My wife and I have been cruising since 1973.Although we have done none cruise vacations in our opinion there is nothing better than cruising. I have told my friends that it can be non stop activity ,food available nearly 24/7,entertainment every day and the opportunity to make new friends. 

Many variables may be affecting their reluctance.

For example, they may have a different standard of quality expectations than do you. If you're preferred line is RCI or Carnival and they are Ritz Carlton hotel/Michelin restaurant types, you may want to show them brochures from premium/luxury lines.

We've occasionally run into folks who are surprised to learn that we do three or four multi-week cruises per year. Once we explain that we are not talking about the "floating amusement parks," fast food, thundering herds of humanity and flying to/from Swamplandia, they usually take an interest where none may have been there previously.

[evandbob]

I know many people who don't want to cruise. Many would only do land vacations.  I also know some people who cruise only as scouting trips to determine if they want to return for a resort stay.

 

If a friend of mine is adamant about not cruising, or only doing cruises, I wouldn't try to change their mind.

[Julie MacCoy]

True,but I have yet to meet anyone who hated cruising ,have you ?

No, I haven't, but the reason that I haven't met her is that she hates cruising.  On one cruise, I met a father traveling with his adult son.  The father's wife wasn't there, because she hated cruising.  I ran into the father and son on a second cruise.  The woman still wasn't there, because she still hated cruising.  So no, I haven't met her, but I'm sure that she exists.

 

Please don't badger those people into taking a cruise.  I certainly wouldn't like it if people tried to badger me into going camping.  Different people like different things.  It's not worth risking losing a friendship just because you keep trying and keep failing to get them to do something that they don't want to do.  Would you be willing to stay friends with people who kept trying to get you to do something that you didn't want to do?

 

 

[OCruisers]

Gosh, I would never try to talk someone into cruising and then feel responsible if they didn't like it.  

[GeezerCouple]

Some people may know they get motion sick, severely.

Others may be horribly afraid of water.

They may not want to share details with you.

 

If they have ZERO interest in doing something, why  would you pressure them into it?

The only possible exception I can think of is someone who has not expressed a fear/etc., but who DOES say something like, "I am SO BORED and cannot think of anything at all to do with my vacation time.  I hate hiking.  I hate forests.  I hate city hotels.  I hate country inns, ....etc."

 

GC

[lenquixote66]

49 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Many variables may be affecting their reluctance.

For example, they may have a different standard of quality expectations than do you. If you're preferred line is RCI or Carnival and they are Ritz Carlton hotel/Michelin restaurant types, you may want to show them brochures from premium/luxury lines.

We've occasionally run into folks who are surprised to learn that we do three or four multi-week cruises per year. Once we explain that we are not talking about the "floating amusement parks," fast food, thundering herds of humanity and flying to/from Swamplandia, they usually take an interest where none may have been there previously.

A caribbean cruise is not for them,my friends wife is native to a caribbean island.They travel often to Europe and my thought is perhaps a relaxing cruise in the Mediteranean.

[lenquixote66]

38 minutes ago, Julie MacCoy said:

 

 

No, I haven't, but the reason that I haven't met her is that she hates cruising.  On one cruise, I met a father traveling with his adult son.  The father's wife wasn't there, because she hated cruising.  I ran into the father and son on a second cruise.  The woman still wasn't there, because she still hated cruising.  So no, I haven't met her, but I'm sure that she exists.

 

Please don't badger those people into taking a cruise.  I certainly wouldn't like it if people tried to badger me into going camping.  Different people like different things.  It's not worth risking losing a friendship just because you keep trying and keep failing to get them to do something that they don't want to do.  Would you be willing to stay friends with people who kept trying to get you to do something that you didn't want to do?

 

 

My close friends know my physical limitations and know that at this time in my life the only form of travel I can do is cruising. The couple in question is my best friend and his wife.In 70 years of friendship we have yet to have an argument.

[akcruz]

I agree with others, if the friends are adamant about not cruising, drop it.  While I love to cruise know others who have tried it and had a horrible time.  I used to tell people why I love it but stopped years ago.  If someone asks me I will give my opinion, otherwise it's all up to them.

[GeezerCouple]

10 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

My close friends know my physical limitations and know that at this time in my life the only form of travel I can do is cruising. The couple in question is my best friend and his wife.In 70 years of friendship we have yet to have an argument.

 

Is there no other possible vacation that would work for you?

A cruise ship is like an "All in One" resort, but it floats.  I'm guessing that you'd need to travel to get to some of the cruises (either the Caribbean or Mediterranean, so why not to a land-based equivalent?)

 

Would that be a way you could vacation together, assuming that is your goal, rather than your goal being primarily to convince them to cruise?

GC

[cb at sea]

The more you "talk it up", if they do go, the less of a good time they will have.  What is so awesome and fun to YOU, may very well not be, to them.  I've found, the more you tell people about an experience, the less they find it to be so.

 

If they want to cruise, they will.

[donaldsc]

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

They have traveled all over the world but have never been on a cruise.My wife and I have been cruising since 1973.Although we have done none cruise vacations in our opinion there is nothing better than cruising. I have told my friends that it can be non stop activity ,food available nearly 24/7,entertainment every day and the opportunity to make new friends. 

 

It is none of your business what they want to do.  Also, although we have done cruises when it is appropriate, I feel that there are lots of travel options that are better than cruising such as really long 2 - 3 month driving trips.  However, do I try to convince my friends that they should do long driving trips - no.

 

I have never been able to figure out why people try to convince their friends that their choice of leisure time activities are bad and the friends should adopt their leisure time activities.

 

Basically - butt out.

 

DON

 

 

 

 

[donaldsc]

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

True,but I have yet to meet anyone who hated cruising ,have you ?

 

Lots of them.  My brother for example.  My brother-in-law for example.  My brother's 2 kids and their families.  Several friends.  Shall I continue?

 

DON

[Velvetwater]

It's is particularly tricky for us to convince our friends to cruise as they are fellow 30 something liberals but alas it comes up in conversations now and again. I would like to think I am good at finding voyages for their taste as we mostly look for voyages that have more mixed ages on board.

 

Some have asked me for advice of the years and some of my wider circle of friends and family have asked me for cruise advice and booked. My great auntie and uncle discovered cruising the same time we did so they try convince family members also.

 

Some people just like what they like I guess but I do think their is a cruise out there for everyone with only exception being those with phobias/medical issues.

Edited February 3, 2019 by Velvetwater

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

We have friends who have no desire to cruise.We have tried to convince them but nothing has worked.How would you convince people to try cruising ?

For almost two or so years my wife tried convincing me to take our first cruise. No way!! So in 1991 I reluctantly agreed to go on our first cruise and told her I wasn't going to like it. We went on a Hawaiian cruise with American Hawaii Cruise Lines on the SS Constitution. We went by ourselves, had no idea of what we were doing and ended up having a blast. That cruised hooked us both. The rest is history. 

Edited February 3, 2019 by davekathy

[bonsai3s]

2 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

They have traveled all over the world but have never been on a cruise.My wife and I have been cruising since 1973.Although we have done none cruise vacations in our opinion there is nothing better than cruising. I have told my friends that it can be non stop activity ,food available nearly 24/7,entertainment every day and the opportunity to make new friends. 

 

We were just like you...love cruising and wanted everyone to join us and discover the best way to vacation.....some joined us and some didn't....you'll discover that there are people out there who genuinely have no desire to go on a cruise.  Perhaps your friends fall in this category.  Do what we have been doing for years now....we stopped telling people about cruising.............unless they ask.  

[Toofarfromthesea]

2 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

True,but I have yet to meet anyone who hated cruising ,have you ?

Irrelevant.  What I hate is someone insisting that I have to like what they like.

[martincath]

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

...The couple in question is my best friend and his wife.In 70 years of friendship we have yet to have an argument.

... so why would you ask a bunch of total strangers who know nothing about this couple, for an argument that will magically convince them to try cruising? If you've known them for 70 years and YOU can't do it, there's no way in heck that we'll be able to manage!!!

 

Plus, let's say you DO manage to get them cruising and then it turns out that they DON'T like it - you're setting yourself up for your very first argument, and it's going to be a doozy. Maybe before you explore your persuasion techniques further, you should ask yourself how you would respond if your friends said something like:

 

"Thanks to you we wasted $X and Y time that could have been spent doing something we would have enjoyed!"

[Kartgv]

I'm with the others...don't try to convince them.    Yes, we do know people who don't like cruising - some who have tried it and hated it, some who just can't imagine being confined to what they see as 'adult day camp' for any period of time.    There are things we dislike about cruising but, for us, the good outweighs the bad, so we continue to do it.    We once cruised with a couple of friends - he had cruised before and loved it, she hated it; they ended up fighting the whole cruise and it kind of ruined it for everyone.    

[Husky61]

3 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

True,but I have yet to meet anyone who hated cruising ,have you ?

Yes, quite a few.

[SantaFeFan]

3 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

True,but I have yet to meet anyone who hated cruising ,have you ?

 

Not hated, but I have friends who didn't like it enough to want to cruise again. People are different and have different interests. Why not be a GOOD friend and let them do what they want without pressuring them to do something they aren't interested in?