How or Why Did You Decide to Take Your First Cruise??

[Pale Gail Sails]

I am interested in knowing how people chose to take their first cruise.  I took my first cruise decades ago when a friend and I decided to take an Alaskan cruise. We had watched a television program that depicted a rather glamorous/romantic side to cruising and we decided it would be a good way to meet guys and vacation at the same time. We did not do any research other than price and destination. Since we lived on the west coast, the Alaskan cruise was the cheapest cruise we could find. Unfortunately we ended up on a cruise geared to seniors so we did not meet anyone our age but we had a great time and the love of cruising was born. We both now cruise with our husbands.  What made you take your first cruise and where was it?

[LoriPhil]

We were only interested in a cruise so we could see glaciers and some Alaska territory without the hassle of moving our stuff or arranging for transport from location to location, and nothing further beyond that.  19 cruises later and we've sailed Alaska about 8 times, the Baltic, Norway/Iceland and bunches of Caribbean locations.  Who knew we'd enjoy it so much?  We sure didn't when we started!

[evandbob]

2003, Carnival, cheap solo price, non smoking ship.  Western itinerary, so I went snorkeling in Hol Chan Reserve off San Pedro Belize and on Tabyana Beach in Roatan.  Liked both so much that I booked land vacations to each and took Evelyn along as well. 

[Mike981]

Back when I smoked cigars a person on a cigar forum talked about doing a cigar cruise. I jokingly asked my wife if she wanted to go, knowing she would say "NO we can't afford that!" And to my surprise she said YES. Her thinking was we never had a proper honeymoon and after 10 years this was going to be it.

Then I got worried about trying to figure it all out on our own since this was pre-cruise critic for me and I had never traveled before. A little while later after we booked, a friend who had cruised before and I were working a boat show for a boat company we were both sponsored by. During a lull I asked him jokingly, "hey want to join us for a cruise?" He asked when it was, then called his wife and they both said yes. Not where, or what cruise line (Celebrity Mercury in the Caribbean). Their experience made it much easier to take the trip. What an experience and as they say, we were hooked. We have been able to share our love of cruising/travel with our kids and they both are better for it.

Edited February 15, 2020 by Mike981

[Essiesmom]

I was looking for a vacation that was different from going home to visit the parents.  The previous year I had taken an airline arranged vacation to Curacao.  I was reading the travel section of the NYT (I lived in NYC) and spied cruises.  They looked romantic.  I think I really meant exotic, something indulgent.  So I booked a 10 day Caribbean cruise.  On a ship that was already 40 years old...and this was 1972.  Porthole/inside cabin with sink, bathrooms and showers down the corridor.  Most interesting.  EM

[XBGuy]

A couple months before our wedding, my sweetheart and I asked each other, "What should we do for our honeymoon?"

 

I think she was the one who suggested a cruise.  Neither of us had ever been on a cruise, and neither of us even knew anybody who had been on a cruise.  Over the weekend, we dropped into a travel agency, and I don't think it took more than an hour for us to be booked on a Western Caribbean cruise on Norwegian Caribbean Line's MS Southward.

 

I'm pretty sure the fare for the two of us was less than $700, and that included air fare to Miami.  The flight departed at midnight, and, so, we arrived in Miami at about 8:00 am.  However, also, included was a room at a Marriott hotel where we were able to nap for a few hours and shower before being bussed to the port in the early afternoon.

[mom says]

I had really wanted to try a cruise for years, but DH always said no. And since he spent months at a time at sea on a navy ship, I understood where he was coming from ( Although I did point out that on a cruise ship there were actual windows, and the food was better, lol). But once he was posted ashore, and with our 25th anniversary approaching, he finally agreed to trying a one week cruise. The next day I dragged him to a TA, and within an hour we were booked on a 7 day Eastern Caribbean on the QM2. And the rest is history. DH absolutely loved it, and we've had many happy cruises since.

[Joebucks]

I've always LOVED taking vacations. I've always heard bad things about cruises. For years, I wanted to try one. They were so cheap, that I figured why wouldn't I try it? The worst case scenario is I know I tried it, and it's not for me. Not knowing is not a way I want to live life.

 

In 2017, Jay Leno was performing on a Carnival ship. I absolutely loved him on the Tonight Show, and living across the country, figured I may not get many more chances to see him live. I knew it was time to finally give it a try. We did the cruise. Loved the cruise. Loved Jay Leno. I became hooked.

[jocap]

We used to drive the car on to a ferry in the UK, then drive around Europe.

One time, after touring Germany for 3 weeks, we were exhausted, and the most memorable part of the holiday was the overnight ferry down the Elbe from Hamburg. 

Soon afterwards we saw an advert from a TA in the paper, offering door to ship transport- to the Caribbean! I fell in love with the ship- Sea Princess-  but not so much the Carib; OH spent all his time in the sea;  I preferred being on the ship or taking excursions.

We sailed again just a few months later, to the Greek Islands, and now rarely take any other kind of holiday.

[Pennyscandy]

It left out of a city near us. My husband didn't like to fly after being shot down twice in Vietnam.  

[Lois R]

My first cruise? That was back in the 80s when I got divorced....went on a short one on a line no longer

around. I think it was "The Big Red Boat".   

 

My 2nd cruise was in 1992 for my parents 50th Anniversary....short family cruise on an old Carnival ship.

 

I didn't cruise again until 2003....that is when I "started cruising" on a regular basis. I was trying to find

a vacation for a solo....I have been divorced since that very first cruise back in the 80s....anyway, I decided

to do some research and spoke with my sister who had cruised many times (she and bil still do). I went on

a Caribbean cruise in May 2003----LOVED IT and have never looked back....in the last 17 years I have

been on over 50 of them and it is the best vacation my money can buy

[lenquixote66]

3 hours ago, Pale Gail Sails said:

I am interested in knowing how people chose to take their first cruise.  I took my first cruise decades ago when a friend and I decided to take an Alaskan cruise. We had watched a television program that depicted a rather glamorous/romantic side to cruising and we decided it would be a good way to meet guys and vacation at the same time. We did not do any research other than price and destination. Since we lived on the west coast, the Alaskan cruise was the cheapest cruise we could find. Unfortunately we ended up on a cruise geared to seniors so we did not meet anyone our age but we had a great time and the love of cruising was born. We both now cruise with our husbands.  What made you take your first cruise and where was it?

My first cruise was in 1973.My wife and I decided to do a different type of vacation,It was a 7 day cruise to Bermuda from NY for $699.00 for both of us on the Cunard Ambassador.

[leaveitallbehind]

My wife was with me on business in Puerto Rico in 1991 and we saw RCI Sovereign of the Seas docked one night in Old San Juan.  As the largest and most modern ship of her time and with all her lights on, she looked wonderful.  We both said that one day we would sail on her as she looked so inviting.  The following year, 1992, I surprised her with an Eastern Caribbean cruise for our 10th anniversary, which started us on our 28 year path of cruising that continues today.

Edited February 15, 2020 by leaveitallbehind

[ontheweb]

In late 2001, I said to my DW, "our 25th anniversary is coming up next summer, how about a cruise.". She thought that was a wonderful idea.

 

However, picking a destination turned out to be more difficult. I proposed Bermuda, since we could drive to NY City and  not have to fly, and who at that point of time wanted to fly. She said no, and counter proposed Alaska. I said no. (We have since cruised to both.)

 

I sent away for brochures. I found a Barcelona to Barcelona cruise with ports like Rome and Florence. I knew DW who is an art teacher would love that, and that's the cruise we did in August of 2002 (and later repeated in 2012 for our 35th anniversary). Our very first port was one that you could go to Nice, Cannes, or Monaco. We went to Nice and saw both the Matisse and Chagall museums, plus DW swam in the Mediterranean. To this day, that was probably the best port on our own we ever did. (She had me watch our stuff after sitting me down behind several topless French women.)

 

 

[cruisemom42]

I had no choice -- my parents took my sister and I on a cruise over the Christmas holidays back in 1972. I think the Poseidon Adventure had just come out and when my parents told us about the cruise, I remember worrying that the ship would be hit by a rogue wave and sink.  (It was the SS Emerald Seas....long gone.)  My mom had been to Europe and back on various ships with my grandmother in the past, but cruising just for the sake of cruising was new to all of us. We loved it.  The four of us shared a cabin with a porthole and a very tiny bathroom.  After that we cruised about once a year, mostly on Sitmar ships. And I still, all this time later, like to cruise about once a year, although I do other types of travel as well.

 

So many things I remember about those early cruises. We all had to dress according to the dress code for dinner every night -- there was no buffet, only the MDR, and only one or two casual nights.  The Caribbean was much less commercialized -- no Diamonds International or Margaritaville. When we docked at some islands, children would swim up to the ship and beg us to toss coins to them; they'd retrieve them from the water. I remember visiting Haiti and the Dominican Republic and understanding for the first time what poverty looks like. But also how beautiful some of the unspoiled stretches of these islands were.

 

Many folks have posted about the things onboard that have changed, and it's true. But what I like about cruising still remains -- the thrill of setting out across the water for new places and new experiences. 

 

[Gwendy]

My Mum at 75 wanted to go on a cruise.  She couldn’t go on her own, so I said I would go with her, then my daughter decided to come too.  At end of 7 day South Pacific Cruise Mum said it was OK but wouldn’t bother again.  Daughter and I were rapt.  Have cruised at least 3 times a year since then, solo round the world cruise and many other solo cruises.  Other cruises with daughter and occasionally with son.  Have now sailed with 8 cruise lines.  Thanks Mum would never have considered cruising if she didn’t want to go.

[SewMuch]

This is a good question. I'm not sure why I wanted to go on that first cruise, but it was probably because of that tv show Love Boat. I didn't know anyone who had been on a cruise, and this was pre-internet, so I studied the cruise catalog like crazy and based my wardrobe on what people were wearing in the pictures!  Cruise #9 is coming up next month.

[Tapi]

My parents started me cruising back in the 80’s when I was 7 years old aboard the Cunard Princess. They were cruise addicted long before I was born. 

[Fishboy1947]

Wanted to see Alaska and was told a cruise was the way to go. Figured I would put up with the cruising so I could see Alaska.

At end of cruise, couldn’t decide if we liked Alaska or cruising the most.

Took whole family, 19 of us 5 families, on cruise to Alaska last summer. Everyone raved about the trip and cruising.

17 of us cruising the Caribbean this summer. They’re all hooked

[davekathy]

My wife talked me into going on our first cruise.  I reluctantly agreed to go.That was in 1991. We've both been hooked on cruising ever since.  

[FionaMG]

When he was younger (and before he met me!) DH was a crew member on the old Sitmar line, and he always reminisces fondly of those days.

In 2000, we were on a family holiday in Funchal, Madeira, and happened to see a couple of cruise ships that were docked in the port. That started us talking about possibly doing a cruise.

I was a travel agent in those days so as soon as we returned from our holiday I started looking into the possibility of doing a cruise and I found one that worked perfectly for us - a respositioning cruise from Barcelona to Lisbon on Splendour of the Seas in November 2001. 

No sooner found than booked!

And in the end we almost didn't make it because DH got food poisoning a week before we were due to sail! The stars aligned for us however; although he hadn't recovered sufficiently to travel when we were supposed to, the first stop on the cruise was Malaga, which is a port we can drive to. The extra couple of days were enough for the doctor to give him the go-ahead, a family friend agreed to drive us to Malaga, and Royal Caribbean gave us permission to board there.

Cruising has been our holiday of choice ever since.

[Aplmac]

Carnival Destiny was being used as a dormitory ship

during a big local Cricket thing, in April 2007

when something happened and that function got cut short

leaving the ship useless, with 3 or 4 days still left on the clock!

 

Local cruise ppl engaged it to sell a quick charter to locals here on the island

and it sold out quickly! We got Cabin 2283.

 

We did Antigua, Sint Maarten and Saint Lucia. Good price too!

Oh man.. did the cruise bug ever bite hard.
THIS was the escapism I had been looking for!

 

A few pics from that First Cruise, early May 2007

 

[ontheweb]

14 hours ago, ontheweb said:

In late 2001, I said to my DW, "our 25th anniversary is coming up next summer, how about a cruise.". She thought that was a wonderful idea.

 

However, picking a destination turned out to be more difficult. I proposed Bermuda, since we could drive to NY City and  not have to fly, and who at that point of time wanted to fly. She said no, and counter proposed Alaska. I said no. (We have since cruised to both.)

 

I sent away for brochures. I found a Barcelona to Barcelona cruise with ports like Rome and Florence. I knew DW who is an art teacher would love that, and that's the cruise we did in August of 2002 (and later repeated in 2012 for our 35th anniversary). Our very first port was one that you could go to Nice, Cannes, or Monaco. We went to Nice and saw both the Matisse and Chagall museums, plus DW swam in the Mediterranean. To this day, that was probably the best port on our own we ever did. (She had me watch our stuff after sitting me down behind several topless French women.)

 

 

Thanks to those who liked my post about our initial cruise experience. I wish I could also give it a like. LOL

 

A few more details. That first port I mentioned (I'm sure I will misspell it) was Villefrance. My wife enjoyed the swim, but said the place she needed to change into her bathing suit (I think basically a bathroom that was a hole in the ground) was the most vile place she had ever experienced. She said no to Bermuda because she "had been there". But "been there" turned out to be 1 day during a Nor'easter. (Her late father was an airline executive and he and family always flew for free. That is how she ended up in Bermuda one day, hardly the cruise experience.) Not sure why I said no to Alaska.

 

Other ports on the cruise were the ports for Rome and Florence plus Naples and  Malta (which was not a port on our cruise 10 years later).

 

 

[matamanoa]

My husband and I took our first cruise, which was to Alaska, back in 1997.  My parents had cruised for many years and had always enjoyed it and my father kept asking us when we were going to try a cruise.  We were hooked as soon as we took that first cruise, which also coincided with our 25th wedding anniversary.  We have been cruising ever since and think it is a wonderful way to travel and see the world.  Our adult children have also taken a cruise or two although it has been a while since they have been on a ship.

[Pale Gail Sails]

14 hours ago, SewMuch said:

...

but it was probably because of that tv show Love Boat. I didn't know anyone who had been on a cruise, and this was pre-internet

...

That was the show that inspired my friend and I to take a cruise as opposed to going on vacation elsewhere. We were in our early 20s and had been watching it and thinking that it looked like cruising was fun. It ended up it was!