What do you miss more cruising or travel in general?

[HxFx]

3 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I miss travel but being on the cusp of retirement a lot of my daydreaming was tied up with cruising.  I am now revisiting the atlas and catching small bites of the US that I have passed over before, at least those that are open.  

I'm in the same position. I know several folks that retired right before COVID and I think of them often and feel so bad for them, especially because they retired much older than I plan to! One of them was an avid cruiser. At least she got a great cruise in a few months before it all started.

[Mary229]

Just now, HxFx said:

I'm in the same position. I know several folks that retired right before COVID and I think of them often and feel so bad for them, especially because they retired much older than I plan to! One of them was an avid cruiser. At least she got a great cruise in a few months before it all started.

Don't feel too sorry for me, I have had a good life,  I am just pouting.  I have re-learned a lot about American archeology this year.  I have one left to go then I can say I climbed every pre-Columbian mound in the US and that one is scheduled for next Friday

[SelectSys]

19 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I miss travel but being on the cusp of retirement a lot of my daydreaming was tied up with cruising.  I am now revisiting the atlas and catching small bites of the US that I have passed over before, at least those that are open.  

Sounds like my story!

 

14 minutes ago, HxFx said:

I'm in the same position. I know several folks that retired right before COVID and I think of them often and feel so bad for them, especially because they retired much older than I plan to! One of them was an avid cruiser. At least she got a great cruise in a few months before it all started.

It could have easily been me that retired.  I thought about it last year and will look again in March 2022.   Being at work this last year has been a blessing in terms of keeping occupied.

 

 

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

Mrs.Woodstock must have really enjoyed the art museums in Peru .

My daughter was there with an Education group and they went to many of the cultural sites.

She has enjoyed art museums all over the world, even in Brooklyn!

[Mary229]

@onthewebIf she enjoyed the Peruvian museums she might be quite surprised with the Dallas Museum of Art.  I had bypassed this museum for years and was truly surprised to find one of the best pre-Columbian Peruvian art exhibits, even better than some of the museums I had visited in Peru.  

[sverigecruiser]

 

I don't miss travel in general because we can do domestic trips but I miss international travel.

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

She has enjoyed art museums all over the world, even in Brooklyn!

The Brooklyn Museum which used to be an everything museum is now an art museum.

[ldubs]

I voted for "Travel" but still miss cruising.  And I guess we can't have cruising without travel.  

 

What I really miss is spending time on trips with our friends and family.   

[ldubs]

6 hours ago, HxFx said:

I'm in the same position. I know several folks that retired right before COVID and I think of them often and feel so bad for them, especially because they retired much older than I plan to! One of them was an avid cruiser. At least she got a great cruise in a few months before it all started.

 

Mrs Ldubs took an early retirement at the beginning of 2020. One reason she pulled the plug early was to enjoy more travel while she was young.   Our last trip saw us home from Asia literally right before the shut down.  Anyway, it does no good to look back and we will be fine in the long run.

[ldubs]

13 hours ago, K32682 said:

Travel. For us cruises are a means to an end and are for visiting places that may not have modern infrastructure, are hard to reach by other travel modes or where a short port visit is sufficient to see what we want to see.

 

This is why a "cruise to nowhere" has about the same appeal as root canal surgery.  

 

 

 

I know they exist but I didn't think there were many ports like that.   What are some examples of places where the easiest way to get there is by cruise ship?  

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I know they exist but I didn't think there were many ports like that.   What are some examples of places where the easiest way to get there is by cruise ship?  

Juneau, Alaska---there are no connecting roads.

 

Juneau, Alaska - Wikipedia

[K32682]

10 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I know they exist but I didn't think there were many ports like that.   What are some examples of places where the easiest way to get there is by cruise ship?  

 

Three that come to mind are Alaska, Tahiti and Antarctica. Tahiti was less about getting there by ship but being able to see more of it instead of being stuck on one island. Iceland is another example of a place better visited by cruise ship because a day or two there was more than enough.   

[ontheweb]

24 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

Three that come to mind are Alaska, Tahiti and Antarctica. Tahiti was less about getting there by ship but being able to see more of it instead of being stuck on one island. Iceland is another example of a place better visited by cruise ship because a day or two there was more than enough.   

We spent, I don't remember the exact number of days but well over one, in Iceland, and never had a problem of finding something to do.

[ilikeanswers]

29 minutes ago, K32682 said:

Three that come to mind are Alaska, Tahiti and Antarctica. Tahiti was less about getting there by ship but being able to see more of it instead of being stuck on one island. Iceland is another example of a place better visited by cruise ship because a day or two there was more than enough.   

 

I would disagree about Iceland. I spent 10 days exploring the island and there was still plenty I hadn't done😂. French Polynesia is mostly well connected with flights and you get discounts for buying multi inter island flights. The only exception would be the Marquesas archipelago which was why we chose to cruise as half the islands don't have airports and except for Nuku Hiva the other islands have few flights. 

[ilikeanswers]

10 hours ago, ldubs said:

I know they exist but I didn't think there were many ports like that.   What are some examples of places where the easiest way to get there is by cruise ship?  

 

I mentioned the Marquesas Archipelago in another post, another would be the Northwest Passage as a lot of those communities and islands have no roads, flights or ferries. Sub Antarctic islands like Macquarie are pretty difficult to reach. Pitcairn there is a cargo ship but it super expensive and to get to the embarkation is complicated. Islands in the Bering Strait which have limited or no flights. Greenland while there are flights to different communities it can be complicated to organise the logistics yourself. Exploring the Congo jungle is infinitely easier on a river cruise than trekking through the undergrowth which probably also goes for the Amazon rainforest. The Chilean fjords a lot of those places have no road or flight access. 

[HxFx]

4 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I would disagree about Iceland.

I concur! Of course I was lucky enough to be staying with a friend from there and we barely touched the surface. So many cool sites to see but I was only there 4 days so didn't go too far out. Her family told me that astronauts were trained there years ago due to some of the more unique terrain. I experienced Gullfoss, Geysirs, lamb hot dogs, and of course Blue Lagoon!

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, ontheweb said:

We spent, I don't remember the exact number of days but well over one, in Iceland, and never had a problem of finding something to do.

 

I think Iceland is dependent on what you are interested in seeing/doing. For me, a cruise that stops in 3 different ports in Iceland with a day to explore each one is fine. I am not one who really appreciates natural scenery/beauty. Not interested in volcanoes or waterfalls or rugged landscapes. For me, I think a day in each of three major but different cities around Iceland is more than sufficient. If I change my mind after going, I can always return and do a land visit.

 

[ilikeanswers]

5 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

I think Iceland is dependent on what you are interested in seeing/doing. For me, a cruise that stops in 3 different ports in Iceland with a day to explore each one is fine. I am not one who really appreciates natural scenery/beauty. Not interested in volcanoes or waterfalls or rugged landscapes. For me, I think a day in each of three major but different cities around Iceland is more than sufficient. If I change my mind after going, I can always return and do a land visit.

 

I might be mixing you up with another poster but I thought I read you saying you had in interest in Viking history😳?

[cruisemom42]

36 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I might be mixing you up with another poster but I thought I read you saying you had in interest in Viking history😳?

 

History, yes. Waterfalls and thermal pools not so much.

 

[K32682]

4 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I would disagree about Iceland. I spent 10 days exploring the island and there was still plenty I hadn't done😂. French Polynesia is mostly well connected with flights and you get discounts for buying multi inter island flights. The only exception would be the Marquesas archipelago which was why we chose to cruise as half the islands don't have airports and except for Nuku Hiva the other islands have few flights. 

 

We looked at the flight options for Tahiti but found it far more convenient on a cruise ship because the Marquesas was on our itinerary.  Much of what Iceland offers I can get in my own country so had no burning desire to spend more than a couple of days there.  

[ldubs]

5 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Juneau, Alaska---there are no connecting roads.

 

Juneau, Alaska - Wikipedia

 

5 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

Three that come to mind are Alaska, Tahiti and Antarctica. Tahiti was less about getting there by ship but being able to see more of it instead of being stuck on one island. Iceland is another example of a place better visited by cruise ship because a day or two there was more than enough.   

 

4 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I mentioned the Marquesas Archipelago in another post, another would be the Northwest Passage as a lot of those communities and islands have no roads, flights or ferries. Sub Antarctic islands like Macquarie are pretty difficult to reach. Pitcairn there is a cargo ship but it super expensive and to get to the embarkation is complicated. Islands in the Bering Strait which have limited or no flights. Greenland while there are flights to different communities it can be complicated to organise the logistics yourself. Exploring the Congo jungle is infinitely easier on a river cruise than trekking through the undergrowth which probably also goes for the Amazon rainforest. The Chilean fjords a lot of those places have no road or flight access. 

 

I spent some time working in Juneau and Fairbanks so long ago it seems like a previous life.  Juneau (2^nd largest city in the US 🤔) has a pretty robust marine highway system, but the easiest way to get there is by air.  Unless I was into a very long road trip, I sure wouldn't drive there from the lower 48.  😀

 

The Congo -- Yikes!!  😁

 

These are all good examples. I think some may be driven more by personal preferences instead of limited travel modes.   Which of course is as it should be.   I think the point is made that some take cruises for the destination, some for the cruise ship experience, and some (most?) for both.   But if someone hates cruises ships there are alternatives in almost every case.  

 

There was a poster (can’t remember who) some time ago who claimed there was absolutely nothing about cruise ships they liked.  Didn’t like the food, the atmosphere, or fellow passengers.  Nothing.  Nada.   They claimed the sole reason they set foot on a cruise ship was because it was the only viable transport to some places.  All of which of course, with very few exceptions, is nonsense and I did not believe them.   

[Mary229]

5 minutes ago, ldubs said:

They claimed the sole reason they set foot on a cruise ship was because it was the only viable transport to some places.  All of which of course, with very few exceptions, is nonsense and I did not believe them.

I have never said that but I do understand.  I am friendly on cruise ships but I truly use them for transport and a convenient hotel.  I do relish the days at sea so I can get caught up on some downtime activities like reading, meditating, exercising, etc..   On the other hand, life is a compromise  and DH loves the people, the food, the atmosphere, etc.....

[lenquixote66]

10 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

 

 

 

I spent some time working in Juneau and Fairbanks so long ago it seems like a previous life.  Juneau (2^nd largest city in the US 🤔) has a pretty robust marine highway system, but the easiest way to get there is by air.  Unless I was into a very long road trip, I sure wouldn't drive there from the lower 48.  😀

 

The Congo -- Yikes!!  😁

 

These are all good examples. I think some may be driven more by personal preferences instead of limited travel modes.   Which of course is as it should be.   I think the point is made that some take cruises for the destination, some for the cruise ship experience, and some (most?) for both.   But if someone hates cruises ships there are alternatives in almost every case.  

 

There was a poster (can’t remember who) some time ago who claimed there was absolutely nothing about cruise ships they liked.  Didn’t like the food, the atmosphere, or fellow passengers.  Nothing.  Nada.   They claimed the sole reason they set foot on a cruise ship was because it was the only viable transport to some places.  All of which of course, with very few exceptions, is nonsense and I did not believe them.   

I spent time in both Juneau and Fairbanks.When I was in Juneau there was a restaurant that had a sign on the outside reading “Our food is just like restaurants in New York”.I met a woman who owned a store in the area who said that the sign was an exaggeration.When I was in Fairbanks I was highly recommended to an Italian restaurant.The food was really bad.

[ldubs]

2 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

I spent time in both Juneau and Fairbanks.When I was in Juneau there was a restaurant that had a sign on the outside reading “Our food is just like restaurants in New York”.I met a woman who owned a store in the area who said that the sign was an exaggeration.When I was in Fairbanks I was highly recommended to an Italian restaurant.The food was really bad.

 

In Fairbanks I was introduced to Moose and Elk.  Haven't had either since.   I was there winter time.  Being a spoiled Californian, what I really remember was being cold all the time.  I have similar memories of NJ & NY! 😀

[lenquixote66]

2 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

In Fairbanks I was introduced to Moose and Elk.  Haven't had either since.   I was there winter time.  Being a spoiled Californian, what I really remember was being cold all the time.  I have similar memories of NJ & NY! 😀

I was there in Alaska in the Spring.I am sure that you will be jealous when I tell you that it is 34 degrees here now.