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Shortest possible cruise


lenquixote66
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On 2/12/2019 at 5:36 AM, KmomChicago said:

 

I certainly would and did, but you can argue that's setting an awfully low bar for what qualifies!  If it has private cabins, it's a cruise.  I want to go on the SS Badger across Lake Michigan too.   You can get an optional private day cabin on that, even though it's only 4 hours.  A National Historic Landmark from 1953, still in service, with staterooms? Yes please!

 

I know some vessels that travel on the water that list their sailings as cruises even though they don't have private cabins.

 

I've been on the Gateway Clipper (Pittsburgh) a few times and their river outings are sold as cruises.  Even closer to home, the Hiawatha (Williamsport) sells many "cruises" but are also the short several hour type tour.

 

I don't count any of these as "cruises" though 😉 

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We have taken ferry cruises to Helsinki (several times), Tallinn (two times), Riga and Gdynia.I have even sailed between Sweden and the UK. I don't count any of them as cruises.
We sailed on Birka, the only Swedish cruise ship. 22hrs to nowhere. Technically it's a true cruise ship, but not to me and I don't count that as a cruise.

 

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6 hours ago, pacruise804 said:

I know some vessels that travel on the water that list their sailings as cruises even though they don't have private cabins.

  I think that is pretty common marketing for those type of lines.  "Scenic Dinner Cruise" sound better than "Sightseeing Boat Ride with Food".

 

But I think there is definitely a blurred line between cruises and ferry trips on some routes.  To me, a lot of it has to do with if the primary purpose of the trip is to get from A to B... but then how do you account for Ocean Liners versus 50,000 plus ton ferries?

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On 2/10/2019 at 7:56 PM, lenquixote66 said:

In 1976 my wife and I boarded a ship in Maine at approximately 2 PM arriving in Canada 22 hours later. This was not a ferry.There were sleeping accomodations and a dining area. Would this have been considered a cruise ? 

Not really - rather it is simple (yet comfortable) transportation. I sailed (with cabin) from Cagliari, Sardinia at about 5:00PM and arrived Civita Vecchia at 7:00 AM next morning.

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2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Not really - rather it is simple (yet comfortable) transportation. I sailed (with cabin) from Cagliari, Sardinia at about 5:00PM and arrived Civita Vecchia at 7:00 AM next morning.

 

Must have made a stop (do any excursions?)  I made a booking from Arbatax (midway up the east coast), hoping that the ferry started from there.  Wrong.  Not only did it not, but it was late coming from, presumably Cagliari, so boarding didn't start until 11p, and got off early at Civitavecchia.  Made for a long, boring evening (not much goes on around there off-season).

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17 minutes ago, cruising cockroach said:

 

Must have made a stop (do any excursions?)  I made a booking from Arbatax (midway up the east coast), hoping that the ferry started from there.  Wrong.  Not only did it not, but it was late coming from, presumably Cagliari, so boarding didn't start until 11p, and got off early at Civitavecchia.  Made for a long, boring evening (not much goes on around there off-season).

I don’t know if it stopped - I was in USN then, returning to Naples from temporary assignment with Italian Army at Porto Scudo— I was beat, so after light supper I hit my bunk and was out soon after the ferry cleared Cagliari harbor.

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The ship I was on had outdoor  cots for sleeping ,a dining room ,live music .As I indicated previously we were on board 22 hours and we slept .I cannot recall the name of the ship. I probably have a brochure somewhere in my house.I looked through my junk closet but could not find it.

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If only we could agree upon the essential amenity/amenities which would definitively distinguish a ride on a vessel (avoiding terms such as ship, boat, ferry, etc.) as being a cruise.  The obvious tempting one would be if there were a cruise director on board — but that would eliminate most windjammer cruises.

 

I propose the intent of the cruiser as the defining condition. If you are primarily interested in getting from one place to another, I would cal it a journey. If the purpose of the exercise is simply to enjoy being on the water with some entertainment, some (decent) meals, and a private place to sleep, I would call it a cruise.

 

So, when I take QM2 primarily to get back to the US after a visit to England, it is more a trip than a cruise.  And when I spend a week on a bareboat charter in the Caribbean to just go among some islands - preparing our own meals, making up our own bunks, entertaining ourselves, etc. it is more a cruise than a trip.

 

The “why” is more significant than the “what”.

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I hope you're satisfied, LenQ (original poster) and everyone else. I find myself "badgering" my husband now about taking the little mini cruise (for those of you who have agreed to call it that) across Lake Michigan on the SS Badger!  Directly as a result of this discussion. I figure, how long can an operation like that remain solvent, better climb aboard sooner rather than later.

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