How old were you when you discovered

[pppiglet]

wow...you all have some great stories!

Gail...the sailing with the four older ladies and being strapped to the bunks probably would have cured me from sailing. How scary!

[montana200024]

my Dh didn't want to even hear anything about cruising...that was back when we got married in 1972 and I said to him..".on our 25th wedding anniversary i would love to go on a cruise."..he just laughed..and our 25th had come and gone, OH , WELL...but alas, his brother and sister in law suggested going on a Cruise 2 years later..he said yes..that was in 2000, we sailed with 12 others...then in 2004 we decided to go again and again we loved it...then the last 2 years we have gotten into doing Back 2 Backs...love it..

[FONT=Arial Black][COLOR=red]TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVEN'T CRUISED...THIS IS MY MOTTO...[/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Black][COLOR=darkorchid]LIFE IS SHORT....DO IT NOW, LIVE, LOVE AND LAUGH...AND OF COURSE CRUISE..[/COLOR][/FONT]

[popsec]

I was 53, DH 59 and we just went on our 1st cruise this past Feb. I kinda dragged mu husband along (after all, he WAS in the Navy 22 years and was never aboard a ship!). Anyway, we're both hooked now. We leave on the 19th for a 9 day cruise out of Bayonne on Constellation. Then I take my 84 yr old Mom on a 7 night on the Zenith to Bermuda May 20th. Plus we plan to book an 11 night on the Constellation in Oct when we're on board this month. Think we're making up for lost time! ;)

[jcruise67]

My first cruise was on Spring Break in 1987 after pledging a fraternity. Didn't go on another one until 1998 with DW, which was her first. Our 14th cruise since 1998 is this month on RCCL's Adventure of the Seas. We sail twice a year by booking our next cruise while on board.

jcruise

[renata102]

:D I took my first cruise back in 1997. I had JUST turned 21 a few weeks before we cruised on RCCL 3 night to the Bahamas! My than SO who know is my DH was 22. We decided on a cruise, becuase we had been a couple for 4 years by than, and he was leaving for Parris Island, SC (MArine Boot Camp). We wanted a wonderful memory! we had an inside stateroom. We immediatly became hooked. I think my husband more than me. Unfourtnatly we did not cruise again (after joining the Marines, getting married, finishing college, having a baby, being stationed everywhere) for FIVE YEARS! Our DD had just turned 1 and we needed a vacation badly. We took our second cruise 4 night to the Bahamas. We loved it even more than the first one. we had an ocean view stateroom. (we laugh because each cruise we go longer and upgrade rooms). our third cruise was exactly 11 months later. Again on RCCL, this time a 7 night cruise to Bermuda without my DD (she was turning 2). we had a Balcony Suite. Unfourtnatly, this cruise did not pan out well. My mother had emergancy surgery weeks before the cruise and we had NO ONE to watch my baby. So we added her to the cruise. NO BIGGIE! Than Hurrican Fabian hit Bermuda DEAD on the night before we cruised out. So our cruise turned into a Canada Cruise (not my idea of cruise - it was lovely and we had a great time, but I DID not want to be there). Anyway, we took a little break from cruising. My DH went to NJ State Police Academy, we bought a new house, had a little boy 6 months ago. Than the cruising bug hit me. So we booked a cruise coming up in September. Well, once my in laws found out we were cruising, my SIL and her huge family and my FIL and MIL ALL booked the same cruise. So,now we added our two small children. This is our 4th cruise! and I am already planning my 5th. The following spring, I need to cruise to Bermuda WITHOUT children!
BTW, my daughter first cruise was when she was 2 (she turned 2 on the ship). She will turn 5 on the Enchantment this September!
My son will turn 1 two days before the cruise and it will be his first cruise!
:eek: ;)

[misterchatter]

[SIZE=3]We started at age 53,51. Didn't know what we were missing. We have our kids going with us in June at the old age of 29,28 and 2 grandkids, 8 and 4. Get them started off on the right foot anyway.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Only other comment is "Wer'e a cruisin now":D [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Mike & Angie[/SIZE]

[momofmeg]

[quote name='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.[/QUOTE]


Alaska was awsome for natural beauty! we saw lots of whales breaching-one night at dinner-we saw a bunch-everyone in the dinningroom were running to the windows to watch-we upset a couple of waiters-they were trying to work so hard and we kept getting in their way! I guess to those poor fellows it was a common sight but not to all the PAX!

I loved seeing all the eagles and sea lions and porpoises also-that was one thing about going into those College Fjords to see the glaciers-there was plenty of wildlife also!

We had done a northbound cruise-which ended in Seward-we rented a van to drive to Anchorage. On the way to Anchorage we saw a mother moose and her baby-the baby was all wobbly legged-so we felt he was newly born like in the last 24 hours.

We also saw some grey whales in this inlet and up on the hills were some kind of wild sheep common to Alaska. On that drive we saw so much wild life! We were very glad we opted to rent a van instead of taking the train or bus-as we were able to stop and look whenever we wanted!

I tell you I really love the "feel" of a caribbean cruise-but I would not trade that Alaska cruise for anything. We hope to go again one day. We live closer to the caribbean so we cruise there the most often-less expenive-we can drive there or fly there fairly inexpensive. But we try to every 5 years or so to take a "special" cruise. We are planning to do a european cruise and then we want to do a cruise to Hawaii but after we do those 2 cruises we hope to do Alaska again-so maybe we will get back there in about 10 years or so.

[NancyJewel92]

Went on first cruise at 24 and have lot cruising ever since!

DH and I met on a cruise....aboard Crown Cruise Line's Crown Jewel in Sept 1992. It was inaugural cruise for the ship. :D (Crown Cruise Line was to be Commodore's upscale line. But it didn't last more than a few years. The ship, however, is still sailing from Asia.)

[jenn_saxon]

I went on my first cruise on my 21st birthday......now planning #4(miracle) and #5(glory) this summer, will be 23, I'm addicted.

[Shogun]

I was 11 when the school took me on the SS Uganda I think there was around 300 hundred of us no parents just a few teachers, The first stop was Amsterdam, now if you know Amsterdam then you know its not the place for young boys alone in groups, but we did learn alot about the facts of life.

yours Shogun

[harrodsfan]

I can't believe I was 45. So afriad I would get seasick...since then I have discovered I am a good sailer...Use Bonine..it must work as I knock on wood...haven't been seasick...

[md40901]

My first cruise was when i was 15 than 18 both with my dad. Than 22 for my honeymoon which I've now got my husband hooked and we are going again in Sept and I'll be 23.
So I'll have cruised 4 times by the time I'm 23. Not to bad. I hope to cruises at least every other year for now and some day every year.

[momofmeg]

[quote name='md40901']My first cruise was when i was 15 than 18 both with my dad. Than 22 for my honeymoon which I've now got my husband hooked and we are going again in Sept and I'll be 23.
So I'll have cruised 4 times by the time I'm 23. Not to bad. I hope to cruises at least every other year for now and some day every year.[/QUOTE]


My daughter has you beat-she turns 22 this summer and she has been on 8 of the 11 cruises we have taken.

Ofcourse now that she is paying her own way she won't go as often-right now hubby and I are booked for one in Sept. and she is trying to save money so she can add on to it-we may help her out some-being the "pushovers" we are-but we want her to pay at least some of the fare-it is time she learned Mom and Dad will NOT pay her way through life.

She would really prefer to cruise with some of her friends-the problem is her friends are all broke and do not have Moms and Dads that are "push overs" like us.

[May4]

I was 49 when I sailed for the first time. Now I don't want to travel any other way. What's not to love?
I am booked on a 15 day cruise at the end of this month. I can hardly wait. Maybe I should go throw something in my suitcase right now.:D

[cruiselife4me]

I was 27 when I first cruised. 11+ now and one booked on Freedom of the Seas in March '07.

My dad had died the year before and left me a little money to do something FUN for myself and that's what a girl friend and I chose. Needless to say I haven't stopped!

[JCLNJ]

I was 21 the first time I went on a Carnival cruise out of Miami with a friend. The next time I went was when I talked my husband into going on Celebrity to Bermuda I was 36. My kids were upset we did not take them and promised the next time. We took a 5 day carnival cruise to Canada and they loved it. Then in 2003 we took the Disney cruise. We are leaving in 3 days on the Constellation for a 12 day cruise and also are going on the Disney cruise in November. I am now 41 and our whole family loves it. I don't know how my husband and I will ever be able to cruise without the kids now. Maybe when they are in college, they are now 11 and 13.

[momofmeg]

[quote name='May4']I was 49 when I sailed for the first time. Now I don't want to travel any other way. What's not to love?
I am booked on a 15 day cruise at the end of this month. I can hardly wait. Maybe I should go throw something in my suitcase right now.:D[/QUOTE]

That is my dream also-hopefully we will do that in 2 years unless hubby has to change his job position to another company-if that happens he may not have enough vacation time- but still in a few more years retirement will be here if we are still around. then for sure if we are "still kicking" we can do that.

[SaltBreezeCruiser]

I was 14 on my first cruise with my mom. She took me on Carnival Sensation. It was a "Celebrity Cruise" ... where about a dozen child/teen stars were on board and interacted with us (ate dinner/played games etc.) It was a time to remember hanging out with celebrities my age. :) Now that I'm 12 years older and married...my husband and I plan on going on atleast one every year around our anniversary. The one coming up in a few weeks is my 3rd.

[Blue46]

I was 43 and DH was 45 in 2003. We went to Alaska to celibrate our 25th Anniversary. It was only a 7 day cruise, but boy were we hooked. Unfortunately since DH family is in Mass. and we live in Nevada we have to balance our yearly vacations with visiting them. So our next cruise is in just 44 days and this time it is a 12 day from San Francisco to Alaska and back. Our next one will probably be in 2008 to Hawaii for our 30th Anniversary.

[VICKIVICKI]

I was also 44 the first time I cruised. That was 6 years ago, which makes me, what, 39 years old now, right?

[momofmeg]

[quote name='VICKIVICKI']I was also 44 the first time I cruised. That was 6 years ago, which makes me, what, 39 years old now, right?[/QUOTE]

Well 44 seems to be the magic age-but since it has been almost 8 years since my first cruise-I guess I am 37 then!!

[perkyblue]

I was 21 on my first cruise in 2000, and I was cruising with my mom. I'm a figure skater, and we were on RCI's Voyager (with the skating rink). It was a skating camp organized by a skating magazine and we got to take lessons from and hang out with some famous Olympic skaters and coaches. It was fantastic, and Mom & I booked the same skating cruise for the following year. Unfortunately the magazine ownership changed, and they don't offer this cruise anymore. But now I'm a coach and I hope to start up a yearly skating cruise on RCI sometime in the future--after my husband finishes up his Ph.D. and we know where we'll be living!

I NEED one sunny vacation per year, but I also enjoy land vacations. (Our honeymoon was at Sandals, and we recently enjoyed a mostly free business trip to Hawaii!) Hence the sporadic cruising history.

[pppiglet]

Thanks for all your postings!

[musicmansmom]

i was 51 when i took my first cruise ' SOLO ' . i had always wanted to go on a cruise and see alaska, so that is what i did. i got on the computer, saw a great site for a cruise with a fantastic price and just went for it. i got out the credit card and within 15 minutes i was booked, confirmed and set to go. wow, it was a awesome cruise ( the carnival spirit ) and of course now i am hooked.

i literally , as they say , [B]'''' work to cruise ''''.[/B] :D

[gointostpete]

I was 32 when I took my first cruise with a college friend. I was hooked and began taking at least one a year after that. On my first date with my future husband, he mentioned that he had been on a cruise several years before and wanted to go on another one (this was before I ever mentioned my addiction) and right then and there I said, "I'm gonna marry this man!" And I did. On a cruise ship, naturally.