Convincing people to cruise

[new_cruiser]

3 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. 

 

None of that would appeal to me as a reason to take a cruise. I don't particularly desire non-stop activity and when I want activity, I have no problem finding it on any type of vacation that I take. I've not had trouble getting my food needs met on any travel (and I'd rather have nice amounts of really good food than an abundance of calorie heavy so-so food). The couple of times I've cruised on a large ship, I've enjoyed the evening entertainment, but I can take it or leave it - it doesn't make the vacation for me. Mostly, I like to cruise on small ships (~300 or fewer passengers) that don't bombard me with noise, that don't have lines, that have quality food, that get into small interesting ports and have plenty of places to relax on board.

 

You might think about what types of things they like rather than what appeals to you about cruising. But even if they find something in cruising that they like, it might not be the kind of cruise that you like to take. 

 

Perhaps they might like to take a Panama Canal cruise to see that piece of history/technology. But perhaps the typical Panama Canal trip has too many sea days to interest them for a first cruise. There are small ship Panama Canal cruises that go from Panama to Costa Rica so that there are ports most days.

[ilikeanswers]

What type of holidays do they like to take? Are they resort, hotel or AirBnB types? Do get around self driving, public transport or they the stay in the one place type? Are they foodies, sightseers, experience gatherers or do nothing holiday types? Do they have adventurous off the beaten track holidays or conventional tourist places trips? Maybe instead of telling them why you love cruising look at what they enjoy about travelling and provide them with examples of cruises that match their travel style.

[taglovestocruise]

4 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

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

Yes, my BIL. Did 7 nights on NCL pride to Mexico. He hated every minute of it, complained non stop for 7 days on the cruise and now 15 years later he talks of how much he hated it and can't understand how we still cruise. His wife and 2 kids loved it.  Don't try and talk anyone into it. 

[K32682]

4 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. 

 

Attempting to entice experienced travelers to cruising with promises of non-stop activity, 24/7 food, new friends and the gaiety of shipboard life is probably not the right approach.  Some of us cruise because it is the best means to achieve a specific travel objective.  Cruises allow us to go to places that are otherwise hard to get to, lack sufficient infrastructure or somehow offer something more than just bobbing around on the ocean swilling drinks and watching second-rate shows. Tolerating the cruise environment can sometimes be compared to a cramped seat on an airplane.  It's the price of admission to go to a place and see things that I want to see. 

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, martincath said:

.. 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!!!

 

Exactly.

 

We have family members we’d love to cruise with, but they have zero interest in cruising and the last thing we’d do is try to talk them into doing something they aren’t interested in doing.  They are adults, they know what they like to do. 

[cruising cockroach]

As  couple of posts up mentions, it all depends on the style of the traveller.  Some like to immerse themselves in the culture and atmosphere of where they're visiting, staying in old rustic or classic accommodations, eating local food, away from the hustle & bustle, experiencing the local life.  Some want the ol' familiar, same food, same culture, same language atmosphere.  Different comfort levels.

 

For me, an all-inclusive resort holds very little attraction, and so would a huge cruise ship that goes to beach destinations.  Or maybe it's just huge cruise ships especially with people I have little in common with.   I use the big cruise ships to get from A to B and don't particularly care where it stops, if it even stops anywhere.  A cruise on a small ship to where independent tourists would find it difficult to go to (e.g., the Arctic and Antarctic, and small remote islands) holds infinitely more appeal to me, and perhaps to your friends too (other than for the price  over $1,000 pp pd for the cheapest cabin is still a bit rich).

 

The parents of some former neighbours of ours were invited to go on (actually, comp'd) an Alaska cruise by the cruise line when in their late '70s or early '80s.  One of the conditions was he wore his serge red uniform (he is a retired senior police officer, probably saving his dress uniform for his funeral) for photo opps at certain times and to formal dinners.  When they came back, they thought the demographic wasn't for them as they liked organised naturalist tours (he liked to wilderness canoe - to the point that he once called his wife to let the authorities know where to find his putrifying corpse).  They actually rethought that decision as she was getting less mobile so they did go on some other cruises.  What also helped was taking his grandchildren on a wlderness canoe trip, rolling and cracking the canoe on some rapids and losing a lot of gear.

[GUT2407]

5 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

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

Yes a few.

[GUT2407]

• No idea why you would want to try and convince sone to do something they don’t want to do.

 

OK there have been some things I’ve tried to convince Mrs Gut to do, and cruising was one of them, but that was because I wasn’t going without her,

[sfaaa]

 No one likes to have a nag as a friend. It's their lives, not yours. Leave your friends alone and let them be.

Edited February 3, 2019 by sfaaa

[jocap]

I've met several people who shudder at the idea of being with so many people- they are the ones who enjoy a villa on a small Mediterranean island, or a remote cottage in the Scottish Highlands. The adverts for the vast funfair ships make them shudder.

One couple, however have shown an interest in a cruise on a small ship, to Iceland, simply for the ease of transport, after our latest experience, and although I've given them details, I'd never proclaim how much they'd like it.

[Elaine5715]

Have you gone with them some place you didn't want to go?

[spookwife]

5 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

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

  Plenty of people in my circle don’t like cruising.   And that’s okay.  

[SRF]

5 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

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

 

Yes.  My ex always wanted to cruise.  We did one.  She has no desire to do another one.

 

Considering the number of people who cruise, it would be VERY unlikely that EVERYONE liked it.

 

 

[SantaFeFan]

3 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

Yes.  My ex always wanted to cruise.  We did one.  She has no desire to do another one.

 

Wow! Doesn't want to cruise and now she is your ex. I guess that was a deal breaker, eh?  😁 😇

[new_cruiser]

1 hour ago, cruising cockroach said:

  A cruise on a small ship to where independent tourists would find it difficult to go to (e.g., the Arctic and Antarctic, and small remote islands) holds infinitely more appeal to me, and perhaps to your friends too (other than for the price  over $1,000 pp pd for the cheapest cabin is still a bit rich).

 

Sometimes one can find a good deal on a small ship cruise - though not to places quite as exotic as the Arctic or Antarctic. 

 

Star Clipper currently has some departures for island hopping round trips out of Phuket, Thailand for half price. 7 nights for $700 pp (for the whole cruise, not per day) for the lowest cabin category, or ~$1000 for a mid-range category. 

[cruising cockroach]

1 hour ago, new_cruiser said:

 

Sometimes one can find a good deal on a small ship cruise - though not to places quite as exotic as the Arctic or Antarctic. 

 

Star Clipper currently has some departures for island hopping round trips out of Phuket, Thailand for half price. 7 nights for $700 pp (for the whole cruise, not per day) for the lowest cabin category, or ~$1000 for a mid-range category. 

 

Sounds intriguing and I might be tempted even if I didn't have pre-arranged plans.  A small bunk bed inside cabin may not be the best introduction but it is cheap.  Might want to note it is an unpublished blowout price (through that holiday take-out/away site whose name we're are not allowed to mention here) as it's more than twice as much in GBP per the cruiseco's website.

 

 

[Sea Hag]

I don't try to convince anybody to do anything these days. No good comes of that.

[zqvol]

8 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 ?

 

Why try?

[lenquixote66]

Except for DaveKathy everyone is so negative here.It reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode.

[new_cruiser]

1 hour ago, cruising cockroach said:

 

Sounds intriguing and I might be tempted even if I didn't have pre-arranged plans.  A small bunk bed inside cabin may not be the best introduction but it is cheap.  Might want to note it is an unpublished blowout price (through that holiday take-out/away site whose name we're are not allowed to mention here) as it's more than twice as much in GBP per the cruiseco's website.

 

 

I meant to put a link in:

https://www.starclippers.com/us-dom/specials/asia-bogo.html

It isn't an unpublished price through an agent. It's on Star Clippers US website under Specials. I'm not sure why, but I had trouble getting the US website to open and kept getting the British website the other day if I just typed in www.starclippers.com and I didn't know what to put in to force the US site (/us-dom). Sounds like that's what's happening for you. The British website doesn't have a specials page that I could find.

 

They have a similar sale for some Bali sailings. 

 

They only show the specials on a separate page, they don't show them on the page with the cruise details. I guess they are willing to have people buy it at full price that don't consult the specials? Or, giving the benefit of the doubt, there are other specials you can choose if you pay full price (currently there is a 3-day complementary land package or air credit). 

 

For $835 you can get a Cat 5 instead of a Cat 6 and some of those are outside and regular beds, not bunk. Or $935 for Cat 4. 

 

I'm going on one of the Phuket sailings under the no solo supplement sale. The BOGO sale doesn't do me any good as my husband isn't interested in this trip, but if I like it, another time he may come along.

[SantaFeFan]

35 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Except for DaveKathy everyone is so negative here.It reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode.

 

Yeah, ain't it a pain in the keister when people don't do as you want them to do! You want people to only tell you ways to go about doing what you want to do, and all these horrible people keep telling you is that annoying common sense stuff. 

Edited February 4, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[Turtles06]

46 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Except for DaveKathy everyone is so negative here.It reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode.

 

YOU started this thread and asked for advice.  If you weren't prepared to deal with advice that doesn't happen to fit your world view, you shouldn't have asked for any advice in the first place.  

 

 

[ilikeanswers]

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

Except for DaveKathy everyone is so negative here.It reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode.

 

I don't think I was being negative🤔 but I did point out that perhaps if you are going to argue the benefits of cruising it should be based on what they enjoy not what you enjoy. You haven't provided any information about your friends likes, dislikes, preferred travel styles or destinations and yet you expect us to provide an argument on the benefits of cruising when we know nothing about these people . If a generic argument was going to be effective at persuading them to cruise then you would have got them cruising a long time ago😉.

[GeezerCouple]

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

Except for DaveKathy everyone is so negative here.It reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode.

 

On a bit of a positive note, why aren't you asking them what type of trip they *would* like to share with you?

 

Isn't the point to share a trip, to be together, rather than to "convince them"?

 

GC

[AL3XCruise]

20 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

if you are going to argue the benefits of cruising it should be based on what they enjoy not what you enjoy.

 

To me this is the key point in this discussion. 

 

I know people who have chosen not to cruise because there personal interests and desires on vacation simply don't align with what most cruises offer.  For instance, one couple wants to do a deep cultural dive into wherever they go: local hotels, local food, etc.  Though there are many things they would like on a cruise, they are of the opinion they have good piano bars, theaters, and a variety of restaurants in their home city that will rival anything on a cruise ship.  So while they enjoy those things, they wouldn't necessarily be looking for them on a vacation.  The chance to eat at a shack on the side of the street in some town whose name I couldn't pronounce let alone spell... that is vacation to them. 

 

I'm not quite as adventurous, so cruising is a more appealing way for me to visit exciting locations.  Though I'd enjoy going on a cruise with them, I wouldn't try to convince them to use limited time and money on one unless I knew it would give them what they want.

 

HOWEVER, I also know people who are confused by rumors and myths.  Just look how often you see threads about clothing optional decks and raunchy parties on family focused cruise ships!  People who claim they would be board because there is nothing to do persist despite modern megaships having more activity and entertainment options than a lot of smaller cities!

 

And of course, there are people that just choose not listen.  They may have a reason they don't want to reveal to you, or they might just be stubborn.  Who knows...

 

So, at least for me, I try to clear up misconceptions and give someone an accurate picture.  They can use that information to decide what works best for them.  Though there are friends and family I'd like to spend time with on a cruise, it is important to me not to influence someone into a vacation that doesn't give them what they want!

 

The OP obviously knows these folks well, so I'm just adding my two cents as a fan of cruising with pro and anti cruising friends I discuss vacations with.  Every situation is unique.