I think the cruise addiction is losing its grip on me

[breezy_carol]

I guess going cold turkey is the way to end break an addiction.

[livingonthebeach]

More like getting my hopes and dreams dashed than an addiction for me.  Had a TP in mind after several TAs, as well as an Antarctica, Panama Canal and Singapore to Hong Kong.  Alas, won't be anytime soon.  I'm lucky if I get to go around the block on a good day.  

 

After experiencing cruising the way it was, not sure I want to dive into the way it will be, as it will unlikely resemble the past.  I'll just have to remind myself how fortunate I was to have known the Pre-CV-19 cruising life and call it a day.  The transition from seawoman to landlubber won't be an easy one. 

[keywest1]

Yeah, I feel the hold loosening as well.  Going from swearing I would never cruise in 2013 to panicking if I didn't have at least

one cruise (sometimes 3) booked and racking up 15 cruises sailed in that time was a heck of a ride.  I have one cruise booked for Aug 2021 to Alaska, and only booked that because cruising friends want us to celebrate a birthday with them.  It seemed like the safest bet with mostly US ports.  Quite honestly, I look forward to spending a week with our dear friends, but not so much cruising again.  If cruising isn't possible, hopefully we can figure a way to spend that week together anyhow.  They are in Canada so visiting is impossible at the moment.

[Oceansaway17]

It is now becoming not just cruising but A LOT OF FUN will be cancelled.

Mayor of Philadelphia just announced no concerts, parades, sports, anything with more than 50 people until MARCH 1ST 2021.

 

So get addicted to staying at home and doing small fun things. I am wondering what articles Cruise Travel magazine can now publish. I am wondering about all the lost jobs in the cruise industry including the officers too.

But one addiction we all should stop is watching too much news. Such a mess.

 

I think I will try to get addicted to looking at all my photos of past vacations of which I have many including doing B2B Norway and Baltics in 2018 on Serenade and last year on Celebrity Silhouette to Canaries. Was lucky I got these two on my bucket list. Will have to wait for New Zealand and Iceland.

 

Hoping for the best for 2021.

Peace out everyone.

 

[bonsai3s]

Our daily ritual is now to log on to Cruise Critic...just to keep our cruise addiction alive.

Traveling, of any kind, is our passion.  Not being able to travel has been difficult...specially for those of us in our Golden Years...who knows how much time we have left?...another sigh.

 

Yes, a trip to the grocery store has become a significant event.

We are staying positive and genuinely hopeful that cruising will resume.  In the meantime, we have used our time wisely by taking care of things around the house..lots of yardwork...lots of exercise...less alcohol (no happy hour)...less food (no windjammer buffet or late night pizza at Sorrento's)..................result: sugar count and cholesterol lower, liver test better, and we've both lost 20 lbs. 😷😊

 

 

 

[Rocket3D]

My xxxxxxxxxxxx  insider told me that they decided today that cruises from the US are cancelled through September.

Edited July 17, 2020 by Rocket3D

[Etta1213]

On 7/14/2020 at 1:05 PM, bonsai3s said:

...taking care of things around the house..lots of yardwork...lots of exercise...less alcohol (no happy hour)...less food (no windjammer buffet or late night pizza at Sorrento's)..................result: sugar count and cholesterol lower, liver test better, and we've both lost 20 lbs. 

 

 

 

Wow! I'm proud of you. I lack motivation, but I'm finally working on dropping the weight I picked up. Still not exercising

 

[smalltimecruiser100]

I am still hopeful for late 21 and early 22 as I booked two cruises. I maybe foolish doing so but hoping a vaccine will be available by then and  give more confidence to cruising.  The first cruise is close to home anyways so if it does not work out, I don't have to worry about having to cancel hotels or air/train. Just drive an hour home.

Edited July 17, 2020 by smalltimecruiser100

[bucfan2]

On 7/14/2020 at 1:05 PM, livingonthebeach said:

More like getting my hopes and dreams dashed than an addiction for me.  Had a TP in mind after several TAs, as well as an Antarctica, Panama Canal and Singapore to Hong Kong.  Alas, won't be anytime soon.  I'm lucky if I get to go around the block on a good day.  

 

After experiencing cruising the way it was, not sure I want to dive into the way it will be, as it will unlikely resemble the past.  I'll just have to remind myself how fortunate I was to have known the Pre-CV-19 cruising life and call it a day.  The transition from seawoman to landlubber won't be an easy one. 

 

 

Well stated.  Having been what I consider a cruise 'addict' (5-6/yr), I too remind myself how blessed we were to enjoy the overall experience of a cruise.  Met great people and had great times.

 

Just trying to envision what a cruise will look like doesn't excite me in the least:  masks, fear-mongering, social distancing, vaccine, etc. etc....sounds more like a nightmare vacation to me.  

 

[PattiHere]

On 7/14/2020 at 1:30 PM, Oceansaway17 said:

It is now becoming not just cruising but A LOT OF FUN will be cancelled.

Mayor of Philadelphia just announced no concerts, parades, sports, anything with more than 50 people until MARCH 1ST 2021.

 

So get addicted to staying at home and doing small fun things. I am wondering what articles Cruise Travel magazine can now publish. I am wondering about all the lost jobs in the cruise industry including the officers too.

But one addiction we all should stop is watching too much news. Such a mess.

 

I think I will try to get addicted to looking at all my photos of past vacations of which I have many including doing B2B Norway and Baltics in 2018 on Serenade and last year on Celebrity Silhouette to Canaries. Was lucky I got these two on my bucket list. Will have to wait for New Zealand and Iceland.

 

Hoping for the best for 2021.

Peace out everyone.

it is also difficult to vacation in our country, so many restrictions, will we ever see the end and begin to look forward to vacations and being with our friends and loved ones.  

On 7/14/2020 at 1:30 PM, Oceansaway17 said:

 

 

[B-52]

Aside from the faithful who are here on these boards, mention cruising to  any co-worker, friends, and they will look at you like you have 2 heads. (with masks on) They will say Cruising is Dead. The last thin g on anyone's mind in light of what is happening in your own town.

We are Diamond +, which means every cruise we have taken, and every cruise we may take in the future, we expect a certain atmosphere, experience, from the moment you check in and then step on the ship and feel it beneath my feet.

. I can picture it now.

Entering your stateroom for the first time, that first lunch in the windjammer after boarding, the MDR, Casino, the shows, the pool, and everything else we have come to take for granted and fully expect.
If that changes, which it will undoubtedly will, and whenever it may change, we will then re-examine.

 

We have a few booked for 2021, but I am beginning to feel it is not worth the angst.

We will probably cancel everything we have, and just hang it up until.....whenever that may be.

We can book a cruise whenever we feel we want to in the future.

Edited July 17, 2020 by B-52

[TheMastodon]

Things will calm down - there will be a vaccine and everyone will move on - cruising will be a thing much like flying, concerts, restaurants, etc.    Everyone is bored, and when we are bored our mind goes to weird places.  Can’t wait to get back on a ship when things simmer down!

 

 

[grandgeezer]

I think when/if cruising resumes they will be a lot of people that will lose their addiction to cruising when they see the new normal caused by the changes dictated by the CDC and the need to recover the monies lost by not sailing for 7-?? months. 

The capacity cutbacks due to social distancing and ships being retired will only drive the price up because of supply and demand. You'll be getting less and paying more until/if things improve, which could take years.

[cynt]

I'm still addicted!  We were in the process of researching and booking a Christmas cruise when Covid shut the world down. So luckily for us we didn't have anything booked. I've never been able to book months and years ahead. I just can't do it. Every 6 months or so we booked something.  Now we're just researching and wishing. We decided not to book anything until cruising actually starts back up again. I ain't got time to be booking and rebooking and L & S'ing. SMH! That would drive me insane. I'm hugging and giving shout out's to everyone caught up in that mess. 

 

We will cruise again but who knows when. But you know what I did do?  I finally looked into those American Queen cruises. I don't think I would like them. I mainly cruise for the relaxation and staring at the deep blue ocean. I LOVE SEA DAYS!!  The next thing I did was start looking at smaller luxury lines, specifically Paul Gauguin Cruises. So maybe smaller cruise ships are in our future.  

 

In the meantime, I'm hiking at our state parks on the weekends to keep me entertained.  It's great because we start hiking around 7AM and we're finished by 9ishAM depending if it's a short 5 miler or 8 miler.  No one is up and moving around at the parks at that hour. So we feel pretty safe in the woods hiking.  

[John&LaLa]

24 minutes ago, Rv6flyer said:

We gave up, have Been using our Motorhome for weekend trips. We also have a cabin in the mountains And are going more often. We alwAys cruised with the same 6 people that do not want to go back. We all rented a Villa in in St Croix for Dec. 2021 That is refundable up to 30 days before start date. It came out cheaper per person including airfare and it is right on the beach. It sleeps 9 so will not be crowded. I also have an airplane and many of the restaurants   at small airports have outside seating so they are still open. It is not hard to find other things to keep busy with.

 

Why did you cruise in the past😱

 

Not hard to find things to do when you have a mtn cabin, an RV, and a G5

Edited July 18, 2020 by John&LaLa

[Joebucks]

I demand to hear from all of those losing the interest in cruising once cruising returns

[bucfan2]

18 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

I demand to hear from all of those losing the interest in cruising once cruising returns

 

Ya, I can imagine that being the wife and I.  We'll be one of the first 'out the gate' when cruising resumes.  We will have very low expectations, and won't be surprised if even those aren't met....figure we'll either be pleasantly surprised or it'll just reinforce that fact that our cruising days are in the rear view mirror.

Edited July 18, 2020 by bucfan2

[JamesEM]

My 2 cents, I have been cursing for 35 years, the stuff that made cruising great has been replace by larger ships, now that the plague has hit my interest in cruising has lessened.  

[Ocean Boy]

On 7/17/2020 at 10:00 AM, B-52 said:

Aside from the faithful who are here on these boards, mention cruising to  any co-worker, friends, and they will look at you like you have 2 heads. (with masks on) They will say Cruising is Dead. The last thin g on anyone's mind in light of what is happening in your own town.

We are Diamond +, which means every cruise we have taken, and every cruise we may take in the future, we expect a certain atmosphere, experience, from the moment you check in and then step on the ship and feel it beneath my feet.

. I can picture it now.

Entering your stateroom for the first time, that first lunch in the windjammer after boarding, the MDR, Casino, the shows, the pool, and everything else we have come to take for granted and fully expect.
If that changes, which it will undoubtedly will, and whenever it may change, we will then re-examine.

 

We have a few booked for 2021, but I am beginning to feel it is not worth the angst.

We will probably cancel everything we have, and just hang it up until.....whenever that may be.

We can book a cruise whenever we feel we want to in the future.

I get the same reaction from people who know that I am into cruising. They have no comprehension why anyone would even consider it. I agree with everything that you have written in your post.

 

I have a Jan 2021 cruise booked and don't really know what I want to do with it. If it is anything like going to the grocery store where every one has a mask on, looking at one another with suspicion, and diverting their path as they approach another person, then I, too, feel it won't be worth the angst. Spending thousands of dollars to feel guarded every time you leave your cabin does not sound like a good time. I just wish some cruises would start up so we could start getting some feedback from people.

[bobmacliberty]

I wouldn't say that we are addicted (honestly, I can quit anytime!) since we only cruise once or sometimes twice a year.  We intermingle cruises and land trips.  I am recently retired and the plan WAS to take more land trips.  My job enabled me to travel all over the world and I want to go back to many places with my wife and spend more time.  We'll still do a cruise or 2 a year but there are SO many places in Europe and Asia that we want to spend weeks visiting.  We plan to move to Northeast Florida so maybe our cruises will increase once we are in driving distance of a port.  Assuming that cruising actually starts again.

[TheMastodon]

Quite the opposite for me - I’m more eager than ever to get on a ship once this situation we find ourselves in is over - with some qualifiers (that are common sense to me)

 

1.) Quite positive Royal will give every staff member on their ships the vaccine - how couldn’t they?!?

2.) Require those who are cruising to have the vaccine - duh

 

Vaccine is on its way - hopefully being administered to the masses by winter or early spring.   
 

Things will return to the way they were!  

[KmomChicago]

On 7/14/2020 at 7:04 AM, Iamcruzin said:

I have switched my searches to land vacations. My son has turned my attention towards AirBnB.  The Key West thread has peaked my interest. It was always on my bucket list but I never made time to plan a trip because cruising was always my first choice.  I thought one day we would sail a Mediterranean itinerary but now I considering a land tour. I was never overly optimistic about the time cruising would start up again but I never thought it would turn out to be what it is today. There is plenty of time to research and plan because U.S. citizens won't be welcome to some places in our own country for some time.

 

While a land tour can be a great way to do Europe (the old 12 countries in 9 days joke) there are many countries and cities that can easily serve as a base and provide plenty of activities and endless sightseeing on your own. I went to Rome years ago. We stayed 5 or 6 nights (it was during a child's spring break so time was limited) and barely scraped the surface of this amazing city. We did one easy day trip down to Pompeii as a bucket list necessity.  Used public trains to get around when we were not on foot and did not find it too difficult.

 

Did another one in Amsterdam, and another one last year in Iceland. Many years ago I did a 3 week visit and only went to France and the UK (visited a local who drove us around in a little compact car).  In every case I could have very easily spent more time in the country at hand and loved the freedom of managing my own schedule and desires. 

 

It's up to you of course and if you are happy packing and unpacking daily and moving around on someone else's schedule to their destinations, tours are very convenient. That stuff does not fit my temperament and I have found Europe so easy to navigate that organized tours are neither cost effective nor a good value for me.  I did use partially escorted tours in Mexico, China and Peru, however. These offered a combination of pre-planned days and visits with some free days and meals on our own, at prices that were better than I could manage independently.

[LXA350]

On 7/14/2020 at 6:04 PM, Rocket3D said:

 

You are not alone. 

 

The 'golden age of cruising' (before March 2020) is finished.

 

Cruising was a relaxing, fun, and largely social event.

 

We are not wanting to cruise with covid half-solutions....

simply won't be fun, or totally safe anymore.

 

We may try to use our FCC before it expires.... if vaccines arrive,

and things improve.

 

This pandemic mess is not RCL's fault.

 

 

 

 

 

The current situation affects all o us in all situations of life, hence no matter if taking a land vacation or cruise, any form of vacation you will take will feel different as long as the virus is amongst us than pre COVID. Hence, once cruising will restart and the restrictions that will be in place turn out simmilar than when goin to a resort, there is no reason why you shouldn't cruise. However many people will not want to fly, go to hotels etc for the time being and this is understandable. Hence, it will take quite a while one things resume before pre COVID levels will be reached.

[PhillyFan33579]

On 7/14/2020 at 12:04 PM, Rocket3D said:

The 'golden age of cruising' (before March 2020) is finished. 

 
Unfortunately I think you hit the nail on the head with this comment. 

[LXA350]

22 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 
Unfortunately I think you hit the nail on the head with this comment. 

 

You can say then the "golden age of traveling", restrictions are felt everywhere.