How old were you when you discovered

[ckrobyn]

First cruise, I was 38 :o

Bugged DH for 10 straight years before he finally relented! Now he is as addicted as I am.

[CarolinaCheesehead]

I was 29. My friend kept trying to talk me into it but I thought we couldn't afford it. I realized I spent more for my yearly beach trip than I do for the cruise. The lobster dinner sure beats the bologna sandwiches we eat at the beach. Now I won't travel any other way. See the world and only unpack once.

[suezyq50]

We went at the age of 50 for our 30th wedding anniversary. Didnt think we could really afford it. Than two of my sisters went and ya know, you got to keep up with the Smith's!!! Going on my third in June and can't wait.

[The Grumpus]

I was 23. The DW and I were getting tired of the craziness of Christmas time with our families so the next year we decided to try a cruise instead. I know, they did a movie like that but that's how it happened. We don't do Christmas cruises anymore but that first cruise got us hooked.

[Swissfred]

1st cruise was in 1984 when I was 21. Went with my roomates, also 21, on NCL's Skyward. Haven't stopped. Next one is in July on the Glory.

[Sassy Chassis]

I think I discovered cruising in my childhood...I did watch Love Boat a lot! However, I didn't really have the means to take a cruise until I turned 30 (2003). I booked a cruise for us to celebrate our anniversary, my college graduation, and Christmas. The next year we went to Las Vegas, which just wasn't the same (and more expensive too!) so I ended up booking another cruise for '05. I pretty much booked the '06 cruise as soon as we got back from the Rhapsody.

 

I would love to do a Europe/Med cruise, a Panama Canal, Alaska, and most importantly, a Tahitian cruise. My priorities are to save enough $$ every year and combine the tax refund and performance bonuses so that I can take a great vacation every year :)

[Jeanie821]

I was 23. The DW and I were getting tired of the craziness of Christmas time with our families so the next year we decided to try a cruise instead. I know, they did a movie like that but that's how it happened.

 

The movie you're thinking of is Christmas with the Kranks. Not to spoil the ending for anyone, but the Kranks never made it on their cruise - and that's all you're getting out of me. To this day, I still feel sorry for Luther and Nora.

[The Grumpus]

The movie you're thinking of is Christmas with the Kranks. Not to spoil the ending for anyone, but the Kranks never made it on their cruise - and that's all you're getting out of me. To this day, I still feel sorry for Luther and Nora.

 

Thanks Jeanie, that's the one. I thought their pre-cruise preparation was hilarious.

 

Before the movie it was the book called Skipping Christmas written by John Grisham.

[PrincessMelody]

We started in 2004 when we were 35. I had thought about trying a cruise for several years. I researched it endlessly and waited and waited before I finally pulled the trigger. We've been on two more cruises since then, and have loved every minute of it!! That first cruise was magical!!

 

We leave for our 4th cruise in 3 weeks, and our 5th in September. I hope we can keep cruising for a long time to come!!:D

[secretcastle]

I was 11 on my first cruise. My Dad was a captain on ships up in Canada, so cruising was no holiday for him. I was lucky enough to cruise with my mom, and now that my kids are growing up, my DH and I are back into cruising, going on #10 next April.

Happy sailing,

julia

[Post Cruise Blues]

I was 49 and turned 50 somewhere between Charleston, SC and Grand Caymon ......... My wife was 44 .............

[jcanino]

cruising? I didn't go on my first until I was 44. Sure wish I would have gone in my 30's!

 

I was 29 and on my honeymoon when I sailed on my first cruise. My two kids were four and 18 months when they took their first cruise 14 years ago this week.

[pcboston]

I was 61 before I cruised the first time, always wanted to do it and never had anyone to go with. Finally did a 3 day Disney with a grandson, got hooked, and am booked on #9 in May. I'm just an all-around late bloomer, though. I flew for the first time when I was 38! I have tried to make sure that my children and grandchildren had travel experiences much earlier in life and I think we have made memories that will last them long after I am gone. Happy sails..........................

[joejo]

I will be 25 and DH will be 30 when we go in Nov.

 

We have been to Mexico for 2 weeks in Jan 2004 but found it way too expensive to do yearly. ($7000CAN for us 2 and our DD at an all inclusive)

 

This time no DD though!

[RevSmith]

I am 61 years old and I can't remember a time when I wasn't cruising or thinking about a cruise since I was 5 years old. Actually I was 9 months old when I first cruised or sailed as they said in those days, from Sydney, Australia to New York, USA...and have been cruising ever since...but I can truely say that I don't remember my earliest cruises. Cruising is in my blood...now that I am in my 60's I go on 1-4 cruises every year...I just returned from a cruise two weeks ago and have another booked in May. Once cruisin' gets in your blood...you never stop doing it...

[pppiglet]

Rev....you lucky guy. I would love to be able to do 4 a year! We won't be able to afford to though. But I love the other suggestion of booking another as soon as one is over. We only had our 2nd one this year as a fluke. Well.....actually our first one was a fluke too!

I am loving all your responses. I also would never have cruised if Disney hadn't sent me an email (because I have an AP) telling about the west coast cruises. I had never considered cruising. But we happened to have some money because my dad left us some when he passed away5 months before the email. Went on the cruise, loved it, booked another while on board that we will be going on for our 25th anniv. next year. Then our church had this impromptu Valentines Day cruise that we just went on. The price was right!
And so....you all know....we are hopelessly addicted to cruising! At least our son gets to experience it early (21) and can be addicted sooner than us!

[Live4cruises]

Ah, 26 on my first cruise! It was during the "Love Boat" days when cruising was just starting to catch on as a vacation. My mother wanted to go to Alaska, my father was a stick in the mud and wouldn't go, and I was single and readily available! What great good fortune for me. Mother loved Alaska, so we cruised up there 3 times. She past, time passed, I met my man. DH spent two fun-filled years in the Navy, and was a hard sell to get on a cruise ship! I finally dragged him to the TA's office. On the way over, he says as long as there's a window that's all we need. None of this for another 100 dollars we can move up two decks, ok? OK says I, just happy to finally have another cruise in my future. I chat with the TA, DH looks at brochures. Did you know some of these have balconies, he asks. Yes, I said, a few do now. And the rest is cruising history. 10 years, 10 cruises, 10 balconies, and now we say, you know for another 300 bucks we could have a bigger balcony - and do!

Also, every cruise the first toast standing on the balcony is "To Miriam" - thanks Mama.

Thanks for a fun question!

[sea_breaze]

Didn't even want to go. Was talked into it by my girlfirend. Boy is she sorry she did that. Now that's all I want to do. She has made me promise that our next vacation will be land based. Okay, but then back to cruising.

[greatam]

First cruise-22. One of those 3 day Carnival PAAAARTY cruises to nowhere out of LA. My sorority sisters thought it would be a hoot for a weekend. Even at 22, it was more paaaartying than I wanted. I have NEVER seen so many drunken college kids acting like total idiots as then. Even Lake Havusu, during Spring Break, is not as bad as that was. And we spend almost every weekend we are in Arizona on the Colorado River. I swore up and down I would never cruise again. I thought they were all like that.

Fast forward almost 30 years. Mom wanted to go to South America. I go every year 4 times for business. But I thought walking around, moving from hotel to hotel, on and off tour busses, was just too much for her. So I looked into a cruise. My Mom passed away before she could go on the cruise. Had the reservations on the Mercury and decided to go as a tribute to my Mom. That was 12 cruises ago. Thanks Mom!!!

[momofmeg]

[quote name='pppiglet']cruising? I didn't go on my first until I was 44. Sure wish I would have gone in my 30's!

So I have been on two now. Hope I can afford to do 1 a year! :p[/QUOTE]


I took my first real cruise in Oct. 98. I was 44 also. I am now 51-soon to be 52 and I have taken 11 cruises and and have my twelth booked this fall. I guess you can say I am "addicted" for sure.

The best thing about cruising to me-at least on the mainstream lines-is it is very affordable-and most people with middle class incomes an easily afford it-but most people have this mindset that you have to be "rich" to afford a cruise.

That is so not true-we have found our cruises much less expensive then a week at Disneyworld-a vacation that is fine for when your children are young-but a cruise has much better food and entertainmant for adults and older children both and is much easier on your pocketbook.

and I agree with you-we should have skipped those Disneyworld trips once our daughter passed 10 and took a cruise sooner!

[momofmeg]

[quote name='Post Cruise Blues']I was 49 and turned 50 somewhere between Charleston, SC and Grand Caymon ......... My wife was 44 .............[/QUOTE]

Too funny! Hubby turned 40 in a plane headed to London! He always wanted to make it to Europe before he turned 40 and would have except that London is 6 hours ahead of us-so although we left the day before his birthday-we landed after midnight so he was 40 over there! I tell him though since he was born in the US-he was really still 39 after we landed for a couple of hours!

[kimmeesook]

24... two week cruise to Alaska with the family. my mother used part of her inheritance money from my grandmother to take the family (7 of us) to the last place my grandmother traveled. saw a whale breach in Sitka and fell in love with whales. visited family on Kodiak Island. Princess no longer does that route, so i feel fortunate to have gone when i did.

[ozland]

I'm originally from Sydney, Australia. In 1968, at age 18, I decided to move to New Zealand. Went alone and didn't know anyone there but it was such an adventure! I went by ship. A four day voyage on the Archille Laura (yes, THE Archille Laura which later became quite well-known as a result of the take-over by terrorists). My dad was in the Navy and then the Army (but in a water transportation unit) so I guess a love of the ocean was in my blood!

When I moved to the U.S. in 1972, at the age of 21, I chose to sail on the Chandris lines "Ellinis". It was a 30 voyage with only two ports of call -- Tahiti and Panama (Balboa, I believe). It was a grand old ship though I didn't see it all -- these were the days of first and second class. I was in second class for a total of $400 and we second class passengers weren't permitted in the first class section of the ship. Again, I was travelling alone but was in a five berth cabin with 4 unknown roommates. Although the cruise line tried to match roommates by age, my four were older ladies. The youngest was 68 and the oldest 84. They were very sweet ladies who became surrogate grandmothers to me! Especially when we encountered a cyclone in the middle of the Pacific five days from land! Although the captain went out of his way to avoid the worst were were in VERY rough seas for three days. Weren't permitted outside, had to strap into our bunks at night to avoid rolling out of bed. (Two of us were in top bunks, two in lower and one on the sleeper sofa. We didn't eat much for three days. Many of the older passengers wore their life jackets 24/7 for the three days!

In spite of that voyage I still retained a love of the ocean and cruising. Took a long time to get back to it but finally began the cruising experience again. My 20 year old daughter has inherited the addiction also.

Happy cruising!

[mousey]

I went on my first cruise when I was 19. I'm going on my next cruise next Sat. 4/8 and I am now 50 something! Been cruising all along the way all over the world. Started DH on cruising when we first met back in 1971 and we've been cruising together ever since. Started our now 10 1/2 yr. old cruising when he was 1 1/2 and he's cruising with us ever since! We love to cruise!:p

[Kindlychap]

My wife and I had our first cruise together last year - when I was 38, and our second the following September. Our third this June will be the last before I am 40!

But I did my first crossing back in 2003, when I was 37. And that was before I met my wife - her first crossing was a few months later in 2004.

Given that she is a lady, you'll have to guess her age, because I'm saying nothing!

(I'm not quite sure how to classify the Midnatsol - I think the Hurtigruten will have to count as a thing in itself!)