Long cruises

[sanger727]

For me 7-14 days is my general sweet spot for a vacation. I can do and have done a couple longer ones when the flight justified needing to stay away for longer. Those of you who are retired probably have less of a lifestyle change and more flexibility for a 30+ day vacation. Us working stiffs have things we need to get back to. Jobs, dogs, kids, etc. 

 

For me a vacation is still a treat, not a way of life. The idea of spending 1/3 of the year on "vacation" doesn't really appeal. My last trip was 7 days and towards the end we saw an opportunity to extend it for another 4-7 days at a lower cost. But really, after 7 days of splurging on my eating, not getting my regular workouts, not seeing my dogs, I was ready to go home and get back to reality. Sure, I could eat healthy and try my best to get my normal workouts in on vacation, but when you only take 7 days a year, the splurge is part of the fun. I always feel like on vacations (cruises are better than most since there are usually options on the breakfast or lunch buffets) I never get enough fruits and veggies. All the meals you order when you go out tend to be a lot of meats and starches and the sides of veggies ends up being 3 pieces. 

[ldubs]

12 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

For me 7-14 days is my general sweet spot for a vacation. I can do and have done a couple longer ones when the flight justified needing to stay away for longer. Those of you who are retired probably have less of a lifestyle change and more flexibility for a 30+ day vacation. Us working stiffs have things we need to get back to. Jobs, dogs, kids, etc. 

 

For me a vacation is still a treat, not a way of life. The idea of spending 1/3 of the year on "vacation" doesn't really appeal. My last trip was 7 days and towards the end we saw an opportunity to extend it for another 4-7 days at a lower cost. But really, after 7 days of splurging on my eating, not getting my regular workouts, not seeing my dogs, I was ready to go home and get back to reality. Sure, I could eat healthy and try my best to get my normal workouts in on vacation, but when you only take 7 days a year, the splurge is part of the fun. I always feel like on vacations (cruises are better than most since there are usually options on the breakfast or lunch buffets) I never get enough fruits and veggies. All the meals you order when you go out tend to be a lot of meats and starches and the sides of veggies ends up being 3 pieces. 

 

I like that distinction.  For some travel might be a vacation or a treat from daily life.  For others travel is a way of life.  Both are good and I suppose both could apply regardless of the length of the trip.   

Edited March 19, 2021 by ldubs

[Sue Do-Over]

Someday, I hope to be financially comfortable enough to spend as many days travelling as I do at home.   I'm so jealous of you all! 

 

In the meantime, my sweet spot is 12-14 days, especially if the ports are new to us.   After a while, seems like the Caribbean ports blur together, so we've been taking more European trips for a fresh perspective.   We are casino players, so a long run of sea days could be ... problematic!  (I always pay for my free cruise!)

 

in 2019, we had back-to-back 7D cruises on two separate lines.  First out of Port Canavarel on Princess, rented a car to drive to Ft. Lauderdale for NCL the second week, both casino offers. Or maybe the other way around?  (I know we drove south!).   Really brought our preferences for dining, shows, activities to the front.

[Hlitner]

I am a bit puzzled by folks that want to draw a line on the number of days.  While we favor the longer cruises it does not mean we do not enjoy shorter Caribbean cruises.  At the moment we only have 3 cruises booked (all within the next year) and one of them is a back to back 14 day MSC cruise in the Caribbean.  Another is a 16 day Oceania cruise from Miami to Lima and the third is a 28 day Asian cruise on HAL.  There are all completely different types of cruises but to us, they all sounded like wonderful opportunities.  There is no right or wrong but to us it is just time on ships which is always good :).  For us, travel has always been a fun adventure (we say this after more then 50 years of extensive travel) and we resist getting into a rut in terms of cruise length, itineraries, land trips, etc.  When it comes to travel I think of the world as our palette and we are always open to new ideas and adventure.  I understand that many folks prefer familiarity and repetition because that gives them a feeling of comfort.  For us, the adventure of something different usually wins out!

 

Hank

[ldubs]

8 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I am a bit puzzled by folks that want to draw a line on the number of days.  While we favor the longer cruises it does not mean we do not enjoy shorter Caribbean cruises.  At the moment we only have 3 cruises booked (all within the next year) and one of them is a back to back 14 day MSC cruise in the Caribbean.  Another is a 16 day Oceania cruise from Miami to Lima and the third is a 28 day Asian cruise on HAL.  There are all completely different types of cruises but to us, they all sounded like wonderful opportunities.  There is no right or wrong but to us it is just time on ships which is always good :).  For us, travel has always been a fun adventure (we say this after more then 50 years of extensive travel) and we resist getting into a rut in terms of cruise length, itineraries, land trips, etc.  When it comes to travel I think of the world as our palette and we are always open to new ideas and adventure.  I understand that many folks prefer familiarity and repetition because that gives them a feeling of comfort.  For us, the adventure of something different usually wins out!

 

Hank

 

I like your attitude about the fun adventure of travel.  It is fun!  

 

As far as your puzzlement, I can only speak for myself.  I think the reason I don't want a longer cruise is because I have so many other things going on, most of which involve being active outdoors. Something I consider a blessing.    If I am away on a cruise for a long time I'm not doing those other things.  So I guess it is just a kind of balance among activities I enjoy I based on my personal preferences.   

 

I have to admit, like just about everyone here,  we are definitely going through travel withdrawal.  

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I like your attitude about the fun adventure of travel.  It is fun!  

 

As far as your puzzlement, I can only speak for myself.  I think the reason I don't want a longer cruise is because I have so many other things going on, most of which involve being active outdoors. Something I consider a blessing.    If I am away on a cruise for a long time I'm not doing those other things.  So I guess it is just a kind of balance among activities I enjoy I based on my personal preferences.   

 

I have to admit, like just about everyone here,  we are definitely going through travel withdrawal.  

So I have a crazy thought.  You mention that you like being active outdoors :).  Do you work this into your cruises and other travel?   That is why DW and I love independent travel.  It allows us to pursue our own interests on our own terms.  When many folks are going off on excursions or tours we are often going off on our own to do the things we want to do...without being confined to a group.   Just a thought.

 

Hank

[clo]

On 3/18/2021 at 8:46 PM, sanger727 said:

For me a vacation is still a treat, not a way of life. The idea of spending 1/3 of the year on "vacation" doesn't really appeal.

We're retired but two weeks is pretty much our limit. Although we did two special trips (SE Asia and Patagonia and Antarctica) that were close to a month. We missed our dogs, our home, our kitchen 🙂 and more. The thought of a third of a year away honestly makes me seriously unhappy. (And I'm being nice by describing it that way.)

[clo]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I am a bit puzzled by folks that want to draw a line on the number of days.  While we favor the longer cruises it does not mean we do not enjoy shorter Caribbean cruises.  At the moment we only have 3 cruises booked (all within the next year) and one of them is a back to back 14 day MSC cruise in the Caribbean.  Another is a 16 day Oceania cruise from Miami to Lima and the third is a 28 day Asian cruise on HAL.  There are all completely different types of cruises but to us, they all sounded like wonderful opportunities.  There is no right or wrong but to us it is just time on ships which is always good :).  For us, travel has always been a fun adventure (we say this after more then 50 years of extensive travel) and we resist getting into a rut in terms of cruise length, itineraries, land trips, etc.  When it comes to travel I think of the world as our palette and we are always open to new ideas and adventure.  I understand that many folks prefer familiarity and repetition because that gives them a feeling of comfort.  For us, the adventure of something different usually wins out!

 

Hank

I'm curious. Do you have a home? Do you have friends? Any family or pets? Any social activities at home, i.e., plays, concerts, etc.?

 

Regarding " I understand that many folks prefer familiarity and repetition because that gives them a feeling of comfort. " That's not it AT ALL. Comfort? Oh please. 

[clo]

5 hours ago, ldubs said:

So I guess it is just a kind of balance among activities I enjoy I based on my personal preferences.

This. I can't imagine building my life around travel. We love it but it's only a part of our life. And not the major part.

[clo]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

So I have a crazy thought.  You mention that you like being active outdoors :).  Do you work this into your cruises and other travel?   That is why DW and I love independent travel.  It allows us to pursue our own interests on our own terms.  When many folks are going off on excursions or tours we are often going off on our own to do the things we want to do...without being confined to a group.   Just a thought.

 

Hank

When you're "home" (whatever that means for you), do you have dinner parties, do to local culturall, sportts, whatever things?

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

So I have a crazy thought.  You mention that you like being active outdoors :).  Do you work this into your cruises and other travel?   That is why DW and I love independent travel.  It allows us to pursue our own interests on our own terms.  When many folks are going off on excursions or tours we are often going off on our own to do the things we want to do...without being confined to a group.   Just a thought.

 

Hank

 

Can't bring the boat or RV on the cruise ship!  😁😁

 

Seriously,  we do take advantage of opportunities to see natural wonders during our travels.  At home I'm heading out to the lakes with the boat or dragging the RV to the coast almost weekly.   It would be terrific to combine my interest in fishing with our travels, but so far it has not been practical.   On our New Zealand trip I thought hard about bringing my fly fishing gear, not that fly fishing is my expertise.  As it turned out I would not have been able to use it.      

[ilikeanswers]

41 minutes ago, clo said:

We're retired but two weeks is pretty much our limit. Although we did two special trips (SE Asia and Patagonia and Antarctica) that were close to a month. We missed our dogs, our home, our kitchen 🙂 and more. The thought of a third of a year away honestly makes me seriously unhappy. (And I'm being nice by describing it that way.)

 

I've never found myself missing home when travelling but maybe I have yet to find my maximum limit. Home life is fine but I love the stimulation of travel and there isn't anything at home that is as good an equivalent.

[ilikeanswers]

11 minutes ago, ldubs said:

It would be terrific to combine my interest in fishing with our travels, but so far it has not been practical.   On our New Zealand trip I thought hard about bringing my fly fishing gear, not that fly fishing is my expertise.  As it turned out I would not have been able to use it.      

 

When I was on Aranui they had optional fishing tours where they would take you out on a smaller boat to popular fishing spots (I'm pretty sure they supplied all the equipment). On one of these tours someone caught quite a large fish and the ship's chef cooked it up for them and their group.

[ldubs]

16 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

When I was on Aranui they had optional fishing tours where they would take you out on a smaller boat to popular fishing spots (I'm pretty sure they supplied all the equipment). On one of these tours someone caught quite a large fish and the ship's chef cooked it up for them and their group.

 

Very cool.  They offered that out of some Alaskan ports too, along with whale watching.   

 

Edit:  Kind of the other side of the world.  When I knew we were going to Liverpool I asked about getting to Sheffield so I could visit the Sorby factory.   I was interested because I owned quite of few of Robert Sorby's woodturning tools.   People I talked to thought I was nuts!  I'm pretty sure Mrs Ldubs rolled her eyes.  I didn't make it but did thoroughly enjoy Liverpool.    

Edited March 20, 2021 by ldubs

[sanger727]

14 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I am a bit puzzled by folks that want to draw a line on the number of days.  While we favor the longer cruises it does not mean we do not enjoy shorter Caribbean cruises.  At the moment we only have 3 cruises booked (all within the next year) and one of them is a back to back 14 day MSC cruise in the Caribbean.  Another is a 16 day Oceania cruise from Miami to Lima and the third is a 28 day Asian cruise on HAL.  There are all completely different types of cruises but to us, they all sounded like wonderful opportunities.  There is no right or wrong but to us it is just time on ships which is always good :).  For us, travel has always been a fun adventure (we say this after more then 50 years of extensive travel) and we resist getting into a rut in terms of cruise length, itineraries, land trips, etc.  When it comes to travel I think of the world as our palette and we are always open to new ideas and adventure.  I understand that many folks prefer familiarity and repetition because that gives them a feeling of comfort.  For us, the adventure of something different usually wins out!

 

Hank

I really enjoy the adventure of vacation. But we have also invested a lot of energy and money into making our homes and lives into places we want to be. I actually try to take 1-2 weeks of vacation a year AND a week of staycation. Home doesn’t carry the same adventure and energy of travel, but it also doesn’t carry the same complaints and frustrations. 
 

what do people consistently complain about on vacation/cruises?1. Flight cost/changes/delays 2. crowds/lines 3. Chair hogs 4. Dress codes 5. Limited dining options 6. Hot tub crowding 7. Getting to the ship before it leaves 8. Missed ports/itinerary changes 9. Small rooms/bathrooms/lack of storage 10. Slow Internet, etc etc

 

none of those are issues at home. I have a beautiful home, several outdoor seating/lounging options reserved for me, a gym reserved for me, and a hot tub reserved for me. And I live in a city that, pre Covid, had enough to do to keep me as busy and entertained as I would be on a cruise.

Edited March 20, 2021 by sanger727

[cruisemom42]

So many good and diverse points of view. It shouldn't be difficult to understand that we are all wired differently. For some vacation adds some spice to their enjoyable everyday life. For others it's a getaway from everyday stress. And for some, it is our overriding passion in life. 

 

Many of my life decisions have revolved around my love of travel. I have a stressful job, but it affords me both the means and vacation time (during non-COVID years) to spend about 4-6 weeks traveling per year. I plan to travel more than that once I retire. Longer trips are fine with me as long as I can base myself somewhere. I'm not sure I would like a really long period (e.g., more than a month) on a cruise ship, but my vacation plans do call for being out of the country for around 3 months at a stretch in Italy.

 

Would I miss my home, social life, friends, family?  Yes, to varying degrees, but not as much as the enjoyment of the time spent away. Travel is a family passion anyway, everyone in my close family has traveled often throughout their lives. I don't have any pets (in normal times I work long days away from home), and as soon as I retire I plan to sell my house and move into a condo where I can just lock the door and be off.

 

[Hlitner]

31 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

I really enjoy the adventure of vacation. But we have also invested a lot of energy and money into making our homes and lives into places we want to be. I actually try to take 1-2 weeks of vacation a year AND a week of staycation. Home doesn’t carry the same adventure and energy of travel, but it also doesn’t carry the same complaints and frustrations. 
 

what do people consistently complain about on vacation/cruises?1. Flight cost/changes/delays 2. crowds/lines 3. Chair hogs 4. Dress codes 5. Limited dining options 6. Hot tub crowding 7. Getting to the ship before it leaves 8. Missed ports/itinerary changes 9. Small rooms/bathrooms/lack of storage 10. Slow Internet, etc etc

 

none of those are issues at home. I have a beautiful home, several outdoor seating/lounging options reserved for me, a gym reserved for me, and a hot tub reserved for me. And I live in a city that, pre Covid, had enough to do to keep me as busy and entertained as I would be on a cruise.

I agree that you hear a lot of whining and complaining from folks in "travel mode."  But that is not our style and we are generally happy as clams when in travel mode and also happy when at home.  In our ideal year we like to travel about 6 months and be home about the same.  We have met other travelers who prefer more travel and plenty who like to keep their travel time at a few weeks per year.  No right or wrong...it is just whatever works for you.

 

I have long been mystified about folks we meet on cruises who do nothing but complain about the cruise.  When we hear all the whining (often with new acquaintances at cocktail time) I sometimes suggest that they consider a different cruise line or type of travel that might better meet their expectations.  But what is strange about many cruisers is they will go on the same line time after time and complain about the same things on every cruise.  Perhaps it is a form of masochism :).

 

Hank

 

 

[Hlitner]

6 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

So many good and diverse points of view. It shouldn't be difficult to understand that we are all wired differently. For some vacation adds some spice to their enjoyable everyday life. For others it's a getaway from everyday stress. And for some, it is our overriding passion in life. 

 

Many of my life decisions have revolved around my love of travel. I have a stressful job, but it affords me both the means and vacation time (during non-COVID years) to spend about 4-6 weeks traveling per year. I plan to travel more than that once I retire. Longer trips are fine with me as long as I can base myself somewhere. I'm not sure I would like a really long period (e.g., more than a month) on a cruise ship, but my vacation plans do call for being out of the country for around 3 months at a stretch in Italy.

 

Would I miss my home, social life, friends, family?  Yes, to varying degrees, but not as much as the enjoyment of the time spent away. Travel is a family passion anyway, everyone in my close family has traveled often throughout their lives. I don't have any pets (in normal times I work long days away from home), and as soon as I retire I plan to sell my house and move into a condo where I can just lock the door and be off.

 

I think our major sacrifice we make in order to satisfy our travel passion is not having pets.  DW and I both love dogs (our last dog died many years ago at age 17) and I do miss having a dog around the house.  But we realized, many years ago, that dogs were not compatible with our travel passion.  While it is possible to leave a dog with a friend, family, or in a kennel we think it is hard on both the dog and the owner :(.   Being able to pick up and go..(sometimes for weeks or months) on short notice is an important facet of our travel passion.

 

Hank

[bonsai3s]

Great thread...very nice to read that we share the same passion for traveling.

To the OP...when we were younger, we thought a 7 day cruise was not long enough...but we were poor and did not have the time to take longer cruises.  As we got older, saved our money, and slowly built up our vacation time, we were able to extend our cruises.  We have not yet reached a point on cruises were we were itching to get home...our longest to date in one stretch was 46 days. 

 

Fast forward to today, if not for the pandemic, our plan was to travel (combination of cruises and land tours) and complete our seemingly ever increasing bucket list.  That included consecutive cruises that would've broken our personal record.

 

Note: One of our friends did ask us "Don't you get tired of eating the same food?"

I said "No, our biggest problem is gaining weight".   During the pandemic, and no cruising...we've both lost an average of 30 pounds doing IF, Intermittent Fasting.  Not sure we can do that on a cruise. 😇😉😊

[clo]

9 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

Note: One of our friends did ask us "Don't you get tired of eating the same food?"

 

I bet you're eating tons of meals in ports. All that great "ethnic" food. Yum.

[getting older slowly]

Travel.. whether by sea or land  ( not being home ) is basically .. a change of scenery, a break from your normal routine.... maybe somebody doing stuff for you...

 

It is nice to have a change.......

 

Some people think a long break is a week. others a month or a few...   totally up to the person  

[clo]

On 3/20/2021 at 7:38 AM, Hlitner said:

I think our major sacrifice we make in order to satisfy our travel passion is not having pets.  DW and I both love dogs (our last dog died many years ago at age 17) and I do miss having a dog around the house.  But we realized, many years ago, that dogs were not compatible with our travel passion.  While it is possible to leave a dog with a friend, family, or in a kennel we think it is hard on both the dog and the owner :(.   Being able to pick up and go..(sometimes for weeks or months) on short notice is an important facet of our travel passion.

 

Hank

For probably 20 years we've had pet sitters who stay in our home and can't have jobs to go to. One site is trustedhousesitters.com . You pay to join the site and so do the sitters, a modest amount, under $200/yr but no money for the sits themselves. For us it's generally been retired people who like seeing a different part of the country or world. We know how successful it is when we get home and the dog runs to greet us and then runs right back to their sitter.  We have English friends who did it for over five years and have been to Thailand, Fiji, Costa Rica, Mexico, all over Europe. Now they're back in England and pre-Covid had pretty much cut back to a month 'sit' in Switzerland. Sweet life for them and us.

[Hlitner]

34 minutes ago, clo said:

For probably 20 years we've had pet sitters who stay in our home and can't have jobs to go to. One site is trustedhousesitters.com . You pay to join the site and so do the sitters, a modest amount, under $200/yr but no money for the sits themselves. For us it's generally been retired people who like seeing a different part of the country or world. We know how successful it is when we get home and the dog runs to greet us and then runs right back to their sitter.  We have English friends who did it for over five years and have been to Thailand, Fiji, Costa Rica, Mexico, all over Europe. Now they're back in England and pre-Covid had pretty much cut back to a month 'sit' in Switzerland. Sweet life for them and us.

We actually once heard about a pet sitter job on Tahiti (it was to house sit for a teacher when she want back to France over the summer) and thought it might be a fun "job."  But alas we never followed-up.  Our dog (no long gone) would have driven any dog sitter nutz and the dog sitter would have probably paid us to come home early :).

 

Hank

[clo]

2 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We actually once heard about a pet sitter job on Tahiti (it was to house sit for a teacher when she want back to France over the summer) and thought it might be a fun "job."  But alas we never followed-up.  Our dog (no long gone) would have driven any dog sitter nutz and the dog sitter would have probably paid us to come home early :).

 

Hank

We've had three horses, four dogs and four cats that we've left with pet sitters.  (Down to one now - my avatar) Plus we love our home, love to cook and entertain. We love to travel and we love to come home.

[lissie]

On 3/20/2021 at 12:22 PM, Hlitner said:

I am a bit puzzled by folks that want to draw a line on the number of days.  While we favor the longer cruises it does not mean we do not enjoy shorter Caribbean cruises.  At the moment we only have 3 cruises booked (all within the next year) and one of them is a back to back 14 day MSC cruise in the Caribbean.  Another is a 16 day Oceania cruise from Miami to Lima and the third is a 28 day Asian cruise on HAL.  There are all completely different types of cruises but to us, they all sounded like wonderful opportunities.  There is no right or wrong but to us it is just time on ships which is always good :).  For us, travel has always been a fun adventure (we say this after more then 50 years of extensive travel) and we resist getting into a rut in terms of cruise length, itineraries, land trips, etc.  When it comes to travel I think of the world as our palette and we are always open to new ideas and adventure.  I understand that many folks prefer familiarity and repetition because that gives them a feeling of comfort.  For us, the adventure of something different usually wins out!

 

Hank

I completely agree - there is nothing  better than arriving at a foreign airport - frankly the next time I can check in for an overseas flight I'll probably be in tears of happiness. 

 

I spent many years constraining my travel to either when the money ran out (between jobs) or when the leave ran out (when I worked for someone else). Now my partner's and retired and I can work from anywhere with my laptop and WifFi we got hit with his health issues (2019) - and of course last year was a wash out. 

 

Our only constraint going forward - after this year once we're both vaccinated - is going to be a requirement to spend 6months out of 12 in NZ, for him to qualify for his pension (we may be cutting it a bit fine). I have one cruise booked next year - which will get us to Europe by late Aug  - that's 39 days plus at least a week getting to SF. Now I've found the same ship returns from Europe back to Oz in mid October - so we' re  tossing ideas around for 6  weeks in Europe  and then cruising back via the other canal.  That's probably 3.5 months away. Its a little far out of my partner's comfort zone - for reasons he's never explained to me.  To me its prefect - we effectively miss winter - we get to see a lot of Europe which we haven't travelled in at all since 2012 .  

 

Travel is my life - its my reason for being alive. Cruising is a new thing - and I don't mind it - my partner is keener to be honest. But I've certainly got things to tick off which are easier from a cruise than land transport - particularly with a partner who no longer has the stamina that he used to have. 

 

I chose not to have children and to have a career I never liked much, but which paid well, to facilitate that dream. We dog sit for friend's because we love dogs - but I won't have a pet while we can still travel, its too big an unknown as to whether they could cope with frequent absences. 

 

Edited March 22, 2021 by lissie