Ever Been on a Cruise That You Could Not Wait to Finish?

[Smokeyham]

Realizing that we are on a website for those who enjoy cruising, I am curious if anyone has been on a cruise where you could not wait for the journey to end?   If so, what was the reason?  Was it too long, you didn't like your fellow passengers, the service was poor, or.......?

 

One request.... If you have not been in this situation, then please just don't post "No."   Most of us have been on very pleasant cruises, so I assume this is the default!

 

Thanks.

 

[Lois R]

5 minutes ago, Smokeyham said:

Realizing that we are on a website for those who enjoy cruising, I am curious if anyone has been on a cruise where you could not wait for the journey to end?   If so, what was the reason?  Was it too long, you didn't like your fellow passengers, the service was poor, or.......?

 

One request.... If you have not been in this situation, then please just don't post "No."   Most of us have been on very pleasant cruises, so I assume this is the default!

 

Thanks.

 

Yes, one of the stand outs (and not in a good way).  I have been cruising on a regular basis since 2003. When I

say regular, 2 to 3 times a year.   I don't know why I chose this particular cruise but I ended up on a spring break

cruise…..I could not wait to get off.   It was a few years ago and after a couple of days I remember thinking

to myself, OMG....there were so many kids and they took over so many of the bars/lounges/pools.....I guess

part of it was my fault and I have never done that again....I remember thinking a Celebrity spring cruise might

not be so overrun but this one? It was and it was really bad not being able to find a seat to have a drink.

Actually the CD had to make several announcements about clothing (and wearing it)…...it was one of those

cruises that was SO FUNKY

[Smokeyham]

3 minutes ago, Lois R said:

 I don't know why I chose this particular cruise but I ended up on a spring break

cruise…..I could not wait to get off.   It was a few years ago and after a couple of days I remember thinking

to myself, OMG....there were so many kids and they took over so many of the bars/lounges/pools.....

That does not sound like fun!  

Years back I was on a 3-day Carnival cruise out of Los Angeles, to Mexico and back.  It was basically a weekend "booze cruise."  I'll never forget the sight of a teenager vomiting by the elevator.  After a day in Ensenada we were parked on Pacific for a day, far enough off shore for the casino to be opened.    

I have friends who look at those short cruises and think they should just do them to "try cruising."  I try to dissuade them!

[iancal]

Yes.  Wonderful ship, everything perfect.

 

It was a TA.  Our first and last.  After 3 or 4 days we were ready to jump.  We discovered that TA’s, multiple sea days, were not for us.

[Smokeyham]

2 minutes ago, iancal said:

Yes.  Wonderful ship, everything perfect.

 

It was a TA.  Our first and last.  After 3 or 4 days we were ready to jump.  We discovered that TA’s, multiple sea days, were not for us.

Yes, some people love sea days and they definitely do not work for others.   A TransAtlantic would be a good test, especially if you are ever considering a Round The World, that has multiple sea days.

 

[jocap]

Yes, a couple, both of them on ships built for hot weather, with lots of pools, a sea- screen and many deck activities. The weather was foul for most of the cruises, rain, gales and even some snow- I wanted to watch a new release film, but gave up when the rainwater gathered around my ankles; one ship had few windows to the outside world, so we had to huddle on deck to watch the sights, returning to the cabin to get warm... and both ships were crammed inside with people looking for things to do. 

Obviously there were pleasant moments, too, and both ships would be marvellous in good weather, so we don't blame them... just the weather!

[ldubs]

I have not been on a cruise that I wanted to get over with because of the cruise or experience.  But, my tolerance for travel is just about three weeks max.  I have been on lengthy trips where I was just ready to come home.   

[davekathy]

Not yet. 

[clo]

49 minutes ago, ldubs said:

I have not been on a cruise that I wanted to get over with because of the cruise or experience.  But, my tolerance for travel is just about three weeks max.  I have been on lengthy trips where I was just ready to come home.   

I'm about the same. At two weeks I start thinking about going home. We've made it to a month but that was tough. And those weren't cruises at all or the cruise was just part of it.

[clo]

34 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Not yet. 

I'm sure you mentioned this but what kind of travel do you with along with or separate from cruising.

[iancal]

Our friends asked us to join them on a HAL world cruise.  We looked at each other and said no thanks.  It was not only the sea days. 

 

We find that after two weeks we get very tired of the same food from essentially the same kitchen.  Longest we have done was 21 days.  It was fine, lots of ports and Milford Sound, but we were both happy to disembark.

[clo]

2 minutes ago, iancal said:

We find that after two weeks we get very tired of the same food from essentially the same kitchen. 

We were on Oceania's Marina and the food is super. And the food in their buffet-equivalent, the Terrace Cafe was super. But I eventually got tired of it - even with all the choices. Some of that is likely cause I love to cook so like getting home to our own kitchen.

[auntjoy036]

I wasn’t in a hurry for the cruise to end because I was enjoying time with my niece, but after a spring break in the Caribbean cruise I promised myself I’d avoid spring break season in the future.  Nothing vile happened.  The ship was just uncomfortably crowded compared to similar cruises my Mom and I took in January and February. 

[spirit rev]

We had a wonderful land tour in Alaska before boarding the ship. We thoroughly enjoyed the people we met and had fun with throughout the tour and cruise. However... the ship experience was questionable. The management crew was very stiff. The interior of the ship was very dark and little natural light in public areas. When we boarded, we found several empty beer cans under the bed. Several chairs in the upper forward lounge (the one over the bridge) had about half the chairs that provided a view to the front were broken and unusable. We have not sailed with this line again. 

 

[DaKa2002]

We cruised out of Ft Lauderdale for a Caribbean cruise over Christmas one year.  It was a disaster from our perspective as children ran loose and unsupervised all over the ship: they would run down the halls knocking on doors and run off; they would get on an elevator and push all the floor's buttons; several large groups put all the children at one table while the adults sat at a separate table paying no mind as the kids ran ruckus and abused the dining staff.  Sadly, no one, not even the line's security paid any attention.  We both felt very sad for the entire dining staff.

[DaKa2002]

1 hour ago, iancal said:

Our friends asked us to join them on a HAL world cruise.  We looked at each other and said no thanks.  It was not only the sea days. 

 

We find that after two weeks we get very tired of the same food from essentially the same kitchen.  Longest we have done was 21 days.  It was fine, lots of ports and Milford Sound, but we were both happy to disembark.

Agree.  We can take about 15 to 20 days, and we want to be home.

[GlamorousGirl]

I was on a cruise a lot of people would have wanted to get off of, but I believe in making the best of everything and happiness is a choice - which is why I did not even want to get off the cruise I took on a rust bucket where the glass of a table in a night club which was not attached to the legs (negligent!) slid off and shattered and seriously injured my feet and lower legs. I was bleeding profusely and covered in glass shards, and staff response at first was an immediate, defensive ‘its not the cruise line’s fault!’ And I was told I’d have to pay to see the doctor. I finally got a manager who apologized, expressed sympathy, and agreed I could see the doctor at no charge. I went on to make the most of my cruise. Staying mad or wishing to get off the ship would have been both a wasted opportunity and made the experience worse.

[GlamorousGirl]

2 hours ago, DaKa2002 said:

Agree.  We can take about 15 to 20 days, and we want to be home.

I took a 21 day and hated getting off. I think it would take months before I felt “ready” to go home with no disappointment

[ldubs]

29 minutes ago, GlamorousGirl said:

I was on a cruise a lot of people would have wanted to get off of, but I believe in making the best of everything and happiness is a choice - which is why I did not even want to get off the cruise I took on a rust bucket where the glass of a table in a night club which was not attached to the legs (negligent!) slid off and shattered and seriously injured my feet and lower legs. I was bleeding profusely and covered in glass shards, and staff response at first was an immediate, defensive ‘its not the cruise line’s fault!’ And I was told I’d have to pay to see the doctor. I finally got a manager who apologized, expressed sympathy, and agreed I could see the doctor at no charge. I went on to make the most of my cruise. Staying mad or wishing to get off the ship would have been both a wasted opportunity and made the experience worse.

 

Hey, they didn't charge your for the table, so what's the problem!  😄😄😄

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, iancal said:

Our friends asked us to join them on a HAL world cruise.  We looked at each other and said no thanks.  It was not only the sea days. 

 

We find that after two weeks we get very tired of the same food from essentially the same kitchen.  Longest we have done was 21 days.  It was fine, lots of ports and Milford Sound, but we were both happy to disembark.

 

Our longest was 21 days too.  It was a SE Asia cruise with some days tacked on at the beginning and end which added about 5 days.  We had lots of port stops too and the trip really was terrific.  But all in all, 26 days and I was itching to go home.    

[Smokeyham]

Great responses...... 

I have dreams of doing a round the world cruise, but the comments provided here reinforce what I have read in other forums that I really should try longer (3 and 4 week) cruises to be sure that I really do want to commit to ~6 months of living on board a ship.  I believe I really will enjoy that, but it does not hurt to test that out (plus the testing would be a lot of fun!).

[ontheweb]

Our second cruise was a 5 day Western Caribbean on which we basically went to see Mayan ruins. We were supposed to disembark in Fort Lauderdale on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, but a hurricane hit. Our 5 day cruise became a 7 day cruise. The extra days were fine except for the fact that DW is a teacher and had to get back to get her art room ready for the opening of school.

 

And then there was disembarkation. Pretty much everyone. including us, needed a new flight, so they opted for the first color. And the lounge filled up. And then they called the second color, and it was so crowded you could not breathe. Remember it was a holiday weekend and there were now 3 days worth of disembarking ships in port, and obviously not enough immigration agents. And then there was finally an announcement and we were all hoping that they said the disembarkation process was about to start. Instead we were told that it was "our last chance to buy photographs".

 

BTW, the ship was the Enchantment of the Seas, but at the last night's show one of the assistant cruise directors gave the ship a new name---the ENTRAPMENT of the Seas.

 

[K32682]

All of them in one way or another. 

[davekathy]

14 hours ago, clo said:

I'm sure you mentioned this but what kind of travel do you with along with or separate from cruising.

The short answer is when not cruising we travel within the lower 48. Some trips are by car to our destinations and some by flying to get to our destinations. Even those trips this year are looking like a no go. 

Edited March 28, 2020 by davekathy

[clo]

24 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Even those trips this year are looking like a no go. 

I know. That's the hard part for us. Today is day 14 of social distancing and I'm getting real tired of it. I actually looked up the code here in Reno for parking an occupied vehicle (our small motorhome) on the street. We'd be good for 48 hours. I just want to look at something different when we get up in the AM. Thanks for your reply. Cath