How Often Do You Cruise?

[SLSD]

I WISH we had been cruising for 25 years Maggie.1008.  We probably should have worked something out so that we could do it.  It would have required short 7 day cruises to work around my husband's schedule.  Still--it could have been done.  I got so tired of having to cancel so many trips do to his work and I knew that cancelling a cruise was a much bigger deal.  Maybe we enjoy it even more now because we know it is just for a few years.  We're in our middling later 60s--so how many more years (God willing) do you think we will be able to cruise?  We've met wonderful SB guests in their 80s.  

[Hoyaheel]

How often do we cruise? Not often enough! Husband and I started cruising together in 2006 and tend to go every 3-4 years. I still love land vacations and there are so many places I want to see where I'd prefer to rent an apartment and explore in depth (I'm a big fan of visiting local markets and cooking - need a kitchen for that 😉 Many of our cruises are to areas we've not visited before, to see where we might want to go back and do a land visit. I could cruise more (I have a fair bit of vacation time) but husband runs his business basically alone as his parents are more or less retired and living out of the area much of the year. So we're putting off the longer cruises/rental stays until retirement; also trying to do more active stuff now while we are able.....

 

We really like small ships so our itinerary choices are somewhat limited (as is our budget - we're not at a point to do multiple Seabourn trips in a year 😞 I mean, if I had an unlimited budget & time, I'm sure I'd find enough trips to take 🙂

[Tarwood3]

We started cruising about 4 years and average 5 cruises a year.  Before that , we traveled extensively on land, which we still love.  Silversea was our first cruise line and were defintley spoiled.  I never thought I would like cruising as much as I do....it seems to get better and better for us.  We are “samplers’...so I think that also keeps things interesting.  We are all about new experiences and so we arent particularly loyal to any cruise line, however, we have done Silversea and Celebrity the most.  I would say our favorite cruise line is Seabourn but for us, it’s difficult to find an itinerary that works for us.  We have 3 dogs and cant be away from home for more than 2 weeks .  So we dont do cruises more than about 12 days max and SB is mostly 16 days and longer with the exception of a bunch of shorter Med cruises which we have done all those ports multiple times so they arent high on the list of places to see and do anymore.  SB also seems to be the last cruise line to release itineraries for a particular year and by that time , we have already booked something else.  Its frustrating as we really want to do SB a lot more.  We are considering dropping back to maybe 3 cruises in 2021 and beyond...concerned about the economy.  I defintley dont think doing more cruises makes you tire of them or lose the excitement. ...but I do see a lot of folks that never seem to get off the ship at ports and just want to lay by the pool all day.  To each his own I guess. We are intrigued by a longer cruise, such as 30-45 days once our dogs pass, not sure how we will feel about being on a ship for that long, but we will definitely try it at some point and see how it goes.  It does seem like cruises are getting more and more expensive each year .  We keep a spreadsheet of our total cost per day and it’s defintley creeping up across all cruise lines.  I think a recession here in the next year or 2 will see some dramatic changes in prices.  I dont know how Royal Caribbean and others who have been launching so many big ships constantly will be able to survive in a recession and higher unemployment.  Anyway, that’s off topic...lol

[SLSD]

Tarwood3, Off topic on this thread is ok.  It's just a discussion of various aspects of how often we cruise--and for many--cost is a factor.  

 

We have a dog as well and hate leaving him for so long, but we do.  In the past, we've had a petter sitter come in twice a day to feed and care for him (he has a dog door).  But recently our area has been spotting coyotes.  A 15 lb. dog was killed in his own backyard by one.  So--we are a bit worried and think we may have to board our dog this time.  

[Mauzac]

Interesting thread.

 

We booked our first cruise with SB in 2016 to celebrate anniversary and big birthday.  It was only ever going to be a one off. Careful research of likes and dislikes brought me to SB.  Well..... I had to be dragged off kicking and screaming, we booked another one within a week of disembarking, and we haven't stopped since and last year we snuck in a second one in the Autumn, booking on a good deal at the last minute.  

 

We are off on our longest cruise next week (20 days) ending up with another 4 days in Maldives (it's a long way to go and not stay there!)

 

We've only ever done SB and to be honest it's all we want to do (unless we do a River cruise at some point), so I have nothing to compare to but we are happy with what we've experienced so far.   When we are less active, we will look at the Med cruises with SB but at first glance they seem expensive to us, especially as we have a second home in Spain and spend a lot of time exploring that part of the world.  Whilst we can manage long haul, we'll just keep going!  

Edited February 25, 2019 by Mauzac

[Catlover54]

A two to three week cruise every three months,  with a few days of activities on land before and after, will probably hold me after I retire this coming year. I am going to do two cruises that look good on HL, back to back on the same ship, and same suite,  solo, for 28 days in 2020, and two other two weekers, including with DH, and that will be a good start to answering if I will not see it as special anymore if I do it a bit more than now.  As I almost always do not want to get off the ship at the end of a 14-17 day cruise, I doubt I will have a problem staying on roughly one quarter of the year.  Antarctica is now also on my bucket list as an ASAP.

But I must periodically get off a luxury ship so I have just enough time to focus on losing the weight I gained  ( it inevitably happens I gain several lb. as I cannot resist all the temptations) , and to see the doctors I need to see whom I cannot bring with me on the cruise.

 

What might limit my cruising in the future is not just further health worsening that requires I be home, but if the dreaded airline experiences which are getting worse each year get so bad even in business or first class that I could not  physicially tolerate it. I am not yet at the point where I request wheelchair assistance at airports, though with all my problems I could justify it, but that would only solve part of the flying from western U.S. nightmare.This is where money issues comes in:  the only way around a lot of the long distance flying headaches with its constant delays and cancellations and discomforts is to have a private jet,  and that is out of our price range.

Edited February 25, 2019 by Catlover54
typo

[lincslady]

It was so-called airport assistance that finished us on flying - we only needed it a couple of times, but the last flight, back from Barcelona, was appalling.  I believe that Mr. and Mrs. Kass had what sounds like a similar experience, coming off a Seabourn ship.  Even though they were good at Heathrow, at terminal 5 you usually had to go on a coach out to the plane, and then of course climb up steps to board, with your hand baggage, unless you were disabled enough to need to be hoisted!

 

Our current cruise line is Saga, which is very much UK based and orientated - only for over 50s, and to be honest most on board are over 70, though mostly with lots of spirit and interest.  What we like is that the standard of food and service is pretty high, comparing  well with the top small lines, and being taken care of by a chauffeur from home - he carries all the bags etc., is great.  The ships are old and small, but two new ones are coming out soon, slightly larger at 999 passengers, with all balcony cabins and several interesting restaurant options. I think they will appeal to a slightly younger set, which will be good.  However, the passenger list is entirely Brits - can be considered  good, or bad!

 

 

[maggie.1008]

I know many of us with pets have a hard time leaving them. We have a small dog who is 14 yr. old. We won`t have her much longer. We have also found that we hit the wall after about two weeks on a ship. I think we are not good at pacing ourselves with all the food and drink. The longest we have done is 18 days and we were ready to get off the ship.

[Isklaar]

Like Mauzac our first cruise (on Silversea) was only ever going to be a one off!  That was in 2011. We cruised again with SS later that year then moved to Seabourn.  Having only cruised with SS and SB we are probably rather spoiled. I find land holidays a little disappointing since discovering cruising. 

 

I also agree with catlover about dreadful airline experiences. I will only fly in business or first class on flights longer than 5/6 hours  but even so, the service, food and general airport experience is awful, mostly. This could well be the thing that stops us taking several cruises a year after retirement. I'd prefer one longer one so that flying frequency is reduced.  We can't afford a private jet either!

Edited February 25, 2019 by Isklaar

[Catlover54]

Lincslady, was the problem with boarding assistance at LHR just that you had to climb the stairs to get on, or something else?  A few years ago I needed to use boarding assistance for a few necessary flights when I was unable to walk the long airport connectors due to illness and compounding injuries from a European land trip, and at least in U.S. the worst of it was the deboarding delay ( last off) leading to inability to make a tight connection.  It did not help that there was a reckless Chicago O’ Hare  employee who wheeled me while distractedly chatting on his cell phone with buddies, not paying attention to the fact that his  high cornering speeds and tight turns seemed  more appropriate for the Indy500 than my wheelchair transport.  I fell out of the wheelchair due to my momentum with gravity assist at one of his downhill turns before the final straight, sustaining another injury, though minor. I refused to fly anywhere for three years afterwards until I was fit to walk the distance for connections unassisted

My problem now is the standing in hot lines, the barking and pushy security personnel, and the loud, careless and jostling fellow pax who are younger and aren’t paying attention to more frail people around them who stand while young dudes sit in the disability seats at crowded gates before boarding. 

Edited February 25, 2019 by Catlover54
typo

[lincslady]

Catlover - just the ridiculous fact that at the UK's 'wonderful' terminal it is so busy that there are not enough stands for all planes, so only the bus and steps at the end.  Otherwise , Heathrow staff were very helpful, as were the staff at Venice  (to my surprise), but Barcelona was awful; can't be bothered to mention everything about it.  But try not to use assistance from there.  

[SLSD]

Our longest cruise, so far, has been 21 days with three days on land at the beginning in Amsterdam.  At the end of the 21 day voyage, we did NOT want to get off the ship.  I remember Handre saying to us "where did the 21 days go?" as we disembarked.  I was wondering that myself.  

 

I don't think we could ever do cruises every three months, but I could possibly see doing one every six months of so.  

 

I will admit that we are lazy travelers.  While some of you are very enterprising and love all the planning of excursions, etc--I really hate that part--which is one of the reasons I love cruises.  

 

Twenty years ago, we loved taking auto trips across France with our young sons, but now, we talk about doing it, but plan another cruise instead.  We ARE considering a land trip connected to some future cruise which might either begin or end in Monte Carlo.  

 

The only cruise lines we have experienced are Silversea (14 years ago) and SB.  We are not adverse to trying one of the others, most likely Crystal or Regent, but haven't seriously looked at opportunities there.  

 

I'm just back from a bit of shoe shopping for our May cruise.  I'm trying to seriously limit the number of pairs I pack, but still be happy with what I have to put on my feet.  Not easy!  

 

I will admit that I have lost interest in dressing up for dinner.  I used to love doing that in the past, but hate shopping for that kind of clothing--or maybe just have difficulty finding what I want.  Don't worry, I always dress appropriately for the dress code as does my husband, but would enjoy "country club casual" all day and into the evening.  That's just today's thought.  

[amandamcmullan]

Thanks to everyone for your thought provoking comments on how often you are travelling, and where and why.   My husband and I retired two years ago and our pace of cruising, and also glamping! Has accelerated.  I vacillate between the urge to retain our retirement funds, but also, as many on this post have said, carpe diem!

we have our first trip booked on Seabourn on July 1 around Ireland, hence me lurking on this board after some years on regent, siverseas and crystal.  Any advice for a Seabourn newbie very welcome. A 

[Viking1966]

Not often enough LOL. We have settled into a pace of 1 cruise every 12-18 months all with Seabourn as of late. We did Alaska in July last year and Shanghai to Kobe this year leaving April 28th. Our next Seabourn cruise in 2020 to Antarctica in late November. Work will limit number of cruises next few years.  Seabourn could make it easier with better internet. 

[MalbecWine]

Seabourn and Crystal are excellent lines and we have been sailing for over twenty five years and we would do at least two sailings a year.  I was in the travel business for many years and ticked off almost our bucket list.

 

Our new passion for the last few years has been Africa and we love it not just for Safari’s but the community’s we visit in South Africa and Botswana.  They have beautiful lodges and you certainly are not roughing it and they are all inclusive.  We no longer do daily game drives , instead we visit remote villages and are hands on and we love it.  The people are wonderful and so kind and grateful for anything we can do to help.  We will spend time at an orphanage and I will assist with medical.  I have EMT training so when at a lodge I will ask what I can do to help in a village..draw blood assist a doctor whatever they want.  It’s such a pleasure to give back but we feel guilty that we are returning to a luxury lodge.

 

Enjoy all your travels.  We are only here for a short time.

[Sunprince]

On 2/25/2019 at 9:01 AM, SLSD said:

Tarwood3, Off topic on this thread is ok.  It's just a discussion of various aspects of how often we cruise--and for many--cost is a factor.  

 

We have a dog as well and hate leaving him for so long, but we do.  In the past, we've had a petter sitter come in twice a day to feed and care for him (he has a dog door).  But recently our area has been spotting coyotes.  A 15 lb. dog was killed in his own backyard by one.  So--we are a bit worried and think we may have to board our dog this time.  

SLSD, did I just read this correctly? You leave your dog home alone, without someone living in the house full time? Please get a live in house/pet sitter next time you cruise. I worried enough about our dog when we travelled and we paid for 24 hour in house care. I would not enjoy a moment of my vacation if there was not someone living in my home caring for my dog. But that is just me. 

[GUT2407]

16 minutes ago, Sunprince said:

SLSD, did I just read this correctly? You leave your dog home alone, without someone living in the house full time? Please get a live in house/pet sitter next time you cruise. I worried enough about our dog when we travelled and we paid for 24 hour in house care. I would not enjoy a moment of my vacation if there was not someone living in my home caring for my dog. But that is just me. 

M boy always stays with our daughter or if she is coming too, hers and ours goes into boarding at a place that rears them like royalty and has cameras we can access

[MalbecWine]

19 minutes ago, Sunprince said:

SLSD, did I just read this correctly? You leave your dog home alone, without someone living in the house full time? Please get a live in house/pet sitter next time you cruise. I worried enough about our dog when we travelled and we paid for 24 hour in house care. I would not enjoy a moment of my vacation if there was not someone living in my home caring for my dog. But that is just me. 

 

19 minutes ago, Sunprince said:

SLSD, did I just read this correctly? You leave your dog home alone, without someone living in the house full time? Please get a live in house/pet sitter next time you cruise. I worried enough about our dog when we travelled and we paid for 24 hour in house care. I would not enjoy a moment of my vacation if there was not someone living in my home caring for my dog. But that is just me. 

We have a housekeeper for twenty years and she is our dog sitter as well and stays overnight when we travel anywhere.  I cannot imagine the separation anxiety she would have.   This will probably be our last puppy out of three we have had.  

 

We love our remaing dog like family and she is.  No boarding our dog for us. 

[SLSD]

Sun prince, we  have not had a 24 hour pet sitter.  We have hired a pet sitting service that comes twice a day, feeding our dog and taking him for walks.  We have felt confident with that.  They are excellent at their job and our house/yard has been quite secure. The sitter emails us twice a day with photos of our dog and a report.  They are also equipped to take our dog to his vet if necessary.  Our dog is very small and has certain parts of the house to be in and  a dog door to our fenced and locked back yard.  This may not be a continuing option due to wildlife encroaching in our very urban environment.  Every dog situation is different and ours is evolving. Quite frankly, I  was more comfortable with the pet sitting service with the twice a day visits than I would be with someone staying in our house.  I would be afraid they would leave the front door open--or something like that. 

 

However, for our trip last year (21 day Baltic cruise) our son and daughter in law did house sit for us.  We have also boarded our dog in the past.  

 

Our other son and daughter in law (in another city) would be happy to keep our dog.  However, there are issues there--with our two little grandsons coming and going--often their front door is open and our dog might run out.  He is used to our house, his areas, his yard, etc.

 

We even thought about boarding him with the breeder from whom we bought him.  We know her very very well and she takes wonderful care of her dogs.  BUT---she lives out in the country--has a very secure yard, sleeps her dogs in their crates at night--but I still can foresee certain dangers there.   We love our dog immensely (he is a miniature long haired dachshund).  We have his safety in mind.  And fortunately, he really likes the sitter who come does not seem prone to separation anxiety.  

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2019 by SLSD

[MalbecWine]

Will never again board or cage our dog again.  Our vet has cameras and TV for the dogs but our two house keepers take turns and one stays overnight and sleeps with her.  Very easy and the dog is in her own environment and of course is familiar with her.  Yes, we pay daily extra for dog sitting but it’s peace of mind and also the medications she needs as a senior dog.  To each their own.

[SLSD]

I agree to each his own.  For us, it is not about unwillingness to pay for a 24/7 housesitter/dogsitter.  We have options for that--but feel safer using other options.  Fortunately, our dog takes no medications.  And, our dog is not caged at our house.  

[SKP946]

Not as often as we would like, but so far we have managed at least one cruise a year since we discovered Seabourn in 2010.

We live in Melbourne, Australia, so it’s over 20 hours flight time to Europe, (even nearly 8 hours to Singapore) We need to cruise for at least 20 days to make the flight worthwhile.

So far we have made a total of 19 cruises on Seabourn (mostly back-to-back) for a total of more than 250 days

The shortest was 10 days, (our first one on Seabourn) in Asia, the following year we did 28 days from Rome to Dover, the next year 36 days (our longest) from Singapore to Athens, all on “Pride”

We have cruised twice a year twice, would really like to cruise every 4 months or so.

 

We also have a dog and fortunately met a lady at the beach who adores our dog (and our dog adores her) she is happy to look after our dog. (We reciprecate with looking after her dog when needed)

[Sunprince]

SLSD, funny that you mention that you would worry about someone living in your home leaving the door open.  That happened to us where our housekeeper (who was more like our daily caretaker for the dog) left the back patio door open. I came home from work and the dog was looking at me weird and then I realized the alarm was not on and the patio door wide open.  The housekeeper was getting on in years and she did this a few times despite me putting post it note reminders everywhere (lock door, turn on alarm etc). She had been with us for over 20 years so we didn’t have the heart to let her go. Luckily she retired shortly after.

 

Anytime we leave the dog home unattended, I still worry about all the “what if’s”, like what if there was a house fire, what if someone broke in and stole/ harmed the dog.  But, I am overprotective of animals and worry about these things.  So yes, it is whatever each person is comfortable with  as long as the pet is well cared for and happy.  

[SLSD]

Sunprince, We are fortunate to live within a small town within a large city.   Our little town has its own police and fire department with very quick response times.  Our alarm system is tied into the local police department.  Yes,  it  is the what ifs that worry me a lot.  I've rescued a visiting dog in our neighborhood who escaped through an open door.  I called the vet clinic (in another city) to try to find owners--and that vet called the owner with our contact info. It was very scary  for the visiting dog's owners while he was missing. 

 

 

My sister is going to be in town while we are gone--attending to my 96 year old mother.  She has been a careless dog owner in the past--so I don't trust her to care for our dog.  I want to be sure he is fed and given plenty of refreshed water on time.  I saw her not care well for her own dog--so I am wary.  She is welcome to stay at our house, but says she doesn't  want to stay in a big house alone.  

[lincslady]

Reading this thread, it seems a miracle that any of us manage to cruise!  It is either work, affordability, looking after pets or relatives, inability to travel by air, or any combination of these, plus others no doubt that I have not mentioned.  So well done if you actually manage to cruise as much as you would like, when you like and where you like.