When was the moment you knew you were a cruiser for life?

[Crzr4Lyf]

I was 41 years old when I took my 1st cruise. I saw too many Love Boat episodes and thought it was too confining. When I agreed to go with my cousin, I originally wanted a 3 day cruise so I could get it over with. But she talked me into a 4 day cruise and I felt like I lost a pet when we disembarked.

But I knew I'd be a cruiser for life when walking the lido deck I saw 2 people I met on the cruise on different different places. They remembered my name and everything. It was a special moment and I decided that I would cruise every year on my vacation.

 

When is the moment you knew that you would be a Cruiser for Life

 

Signed,

Crzr4Lyf

[morriscats]

Oh gosh, it is a combination of things. That hectic "get to the pier dragging your luggage" and then handing it off to the porter wondering if you'll ever see it again. Then discovering all your paperwork is filled out correctly and you DID remember your ID. Picture time. Across the gangplank. And then "HOME". For the next 7 (of longer) days we are going to relax, be pampered, smile, laugh, eat and lounge to our hearts content and meet so many other happy smiling people. Nothing like it. We are hooked and proud of it.

[Teeara]

I would probably say after the 2nd or 3rd night during my first cruise. Being rocked to sleep and knowing that I was going to a country I hadn't been to before and that I wasn't driving or having to worry about dinner plans. I, too, grew up watching The Love Boat and loved the thought of being onboard a ship (although I wish I could've met one of those old Hollywood movie stars on my cruise--or Scott Baio! Swoon! ;) :D ) Life is always grand when there's a countdown clock under my signature!

 

Theresa

[margie4233]

I knew i was hooked on our first night. no driving, all we could eat , bed made every day by some one else ,no phone calls to answer...i could go on & on ... our next cruise is in 6 months can`t hardly wait.... 3rd cruise in 18 months...

[Happy ks]

I honestly think I was hooked before I ever set foot on my first ship.

 

My husband was telling me for years how much I'd like it, but it wasn't until Disney came out with their first ship in 1998 that I even considered it at all.

 

We've cruised 11 times since, on 7 different lines and all but one I've absolutely loved. We hope to cruise many more times in the future, our next "big" cruise will be in 2008, to the Med. Until then, I have to cruise local just to keep my sanity :)

[SheriNtexas]

I took my first cruise last October, with my mom, and when we went around the corner (in Galveston) and saw those ships for the first time, well, my mom started CRYING, which made ME cry!! Then I reminded my mom that neither one of those ships was OUR ship; our cruise was the next day, lol!!:D ;) I have since been on 2 more cruises, and you can tell by my signature that I am HOOKED!! I never DREAMED that I would love it so much!

[skertso]

My daughter took me on my first cruise for Mother's Day 2001. We both were hooked within hours and I wanted to stow away and never get off! There is nothing like a cruise and I try to take at least a couple a year.

 

:) Cherie

[SheriNtexas]

My daughter took me on my first cruise for Mother's Day 2001. We both were hooked within hours and I wanted to stow away and never get off! There is nothing like a cruise and I try to take at least a couple a year.

 

:) Cherie

 

Cherie, what exactly is your second cruise? It looks very interesting!! Would you mind describing what and where it is??:)

 

How sweet of your daughter to take you on a cruise for Mother's Day!!

[caribbean dreams]

On my first cruise i knew i was hooked, I had decided the first evening onboard that i would get up at sunrise and take pictures.......Well that was it for me, our ship left at night so i was unable to really see what was going on, i woke up, grabbed my camera and headed for the front of the ship, the quiet of the beautiful sunrise over the ocean with the moist sea breeze:eek:

I have to have it over & over again:)

[pg.]

I knew i was hooked on our first night. no driving, all we could eat , bed made every day by some one else ,no phone calls to answer...i could go on & on ... our next cruise is in 6 months can`t hardly wait.... 3rd cruise in 18 months...

 

Me too exactly,, I knew on my first cruise , which was our honeymoon ( 18 years ago).

 

I love cruising, but, it has not replaced other forms of travel( still love Paris, London, Hawaii and even our summer motorhome trips,, but) . It is unique though in that on a cruise, was you board, you just can go " aaahhh" and relax!

[Warmer Climes]

When I saw how relaxed DH got- HE CAN'T WORK! We love to go to New York City but he always makes sure he has high speed wireless in the hotel and of course his work has his cell phone number. Even if he's not working, he's thinking about work to some degree. When he gets on the ship it all recedes and he actually looks relaxed.

 

This revelation came around the second day at sea on our first cruise so then we were hooked.

 

Barb

[flvol77]

6 months after me wife and I were married....I remember driving up and being in shock that i was going to be cruising on that huge ship.....

 

I remember walking into our cabin and seeing that awesome balcony and I was hooked.

 

I love that my cell phone doesn't work while I am on vacation....IMO its a true get away.

[Cruisin' Kari]

The moment we booked our first cruise (our honeymoon last year)

 

I love the water. I love the sunshine and beaches. I missing living down south and having 3 seasons - almost summer, summer and still hot but not summer. (and the three days of winter every 4th year) :D

 

I knew I would get hooked.

[SheriNtexas]

The moment we booked our first cruise (our honeymoon last year)

 

I love the water. I love the sunshine and beaches. I missing living down south and having 3 seasons - almost summer' date=' summer and still hot but not summer. (and the three days of winter every 4th year) :D

 

I knew I would get hooked.[/quote']

 

I live in West Texas and I know those 3 seasons VERY well! It is not even May yet, and it got up to 88 yesterday and 91 the other day!:eek: I have lived here my whole life and still can't get used to the really really hot days of summer!! My house has a fireplace and we haven't used it here and we never used it in our last house! I take that back, we did fire it up one time so the kids could roast marshmallows!:D

[jerseygirl3]

I knew I was a cruiser for life well before I took my first cruise. It was when I was young and watched "The Love Boat." I knew someday I would grow up and go on a cruise. I didn't actually realize it would become an addiction, but there are worse things in life that I could be addicted to!

[Cruisin' Kari]

I live in West Texas and I know those 3 seasons VERY well! It is not even May yet, and it got up to 88 yesterday and 91 the other day!:eek: I have lived here my whole life and still can't get used to the really really hot days of summer!! My house has a fireplace and we haven't used it here and we never used it in our last house! I take that back, we did fire it up one time so the kids could roast marshmallows!:D

 

I grew up in New Orleans. Don't think I had ever seen a fireplace in a house until I moved to Colorado :rolleyes:

[e150club]

carnival mardi gras april 28 1985. our honeymoon... no driving to a show or dinner like land vacations.going back to your own bathroom to freshen up and always somthing to do or not to do. never hungry or thirsty. ect ect ect.

[phish tales]

my wife tried to get me to cruise for 5 yrs. i kept saying "i crossed the atlantic twice when i was in the military and both times by ship, never again" well she finally won me over and i absolutely loved it.. now after completing 40 some cruises we do 4 to 6 each year. i guess wives do know everything, Mr Phish Tales ps--thank you dear..

[Crzr4Lyf]

I would probably say after the 2nd or 3rd night during my first cruise. Being rocked to sleep and knowing that I was going to a country I hadn't been to before and that I wasn't driving or having to worry about dinner plans. I, too, grew up watching The Love Boat and loved the thought of being onboard a ship (although I wish I could've met one of those old Hollywood movie stars on my cruise--or Scott Baio! Swoon! ;) :D ) Life is always grand when there's a countdown clock under my signature!

 

Theresa

 

 

OMG Theresa, you hit the nail on the head. I am happiest when I have a countdown clock too!

[Crzr4Lyf]

The moment we booked our first cruise (our honeymoon last year)

 

I love the water. I love the sunshine and beaches. I missing living down south and having 3 seasons - almost summer' date=' summer and still hot but not summer. (and the three days of winter every 4th year) :D

 

I knew I would get hooked.[/quote']

 

 

LOL... I live in Phoenix and we have only 2 seasons. Summer and Not Summer.:cool:

[LOWTYD]

I did several cruise to nowhere in the 90's before my first real crusie to Bermuda. I think hearing the lapping of waves against the ship, the sunsets/ sunrises, and silence of the sea got me. I've always loved the ocean and sometimes it seemed it was me and fish out there. I would go on my balcony and get mesmorized listening to the waves,and starring at the sky in all it's brillinace. I even saw an eclispe once at sea. AWESOME! I was hooked for life!:)

[agabbymama]

WOW, 20 posts and nobody has said "they aren't hooked for life", so guess I'll be the first.

 

I'm not hooked on cruising. I cruise when it makes sense to as a mode of transportation. The Alaska ports are easily reached on a cruise ship (whereas flying to each would be terribly expensive), New England/Canada would be impossible to go to all the ports by driving in 11 days and again would be terribly expensive to fly to, no bridges in the Caribbean between San Juan, St. Martin, St. Thomas, etc.

 

I become easily bored on the ship if there are too many "at sea" days. I like a port intensive cruise, and I think I prefer the 5 day cruises. The 7 day Inside Passage cruise was like 4 days sailing, the 11 day New England Canada was 5 days sailing (and I about went crazy). I don't play trivia contests, I don't gamble, I don't drink, not into art auctions or lectures, bingo is too expensive to play much, so that leaves the shows and the shops. And of course, I do like to eat. It's nice that you only have to unpack once whereas on a landbased vacation, you are living out of suitcases everyday, having to lug those suitcases on the train or in the car, but I do like the freedom of being on the land where you can go where you want when you want.

 

So think there will continue to be a mix of landbased vacations with a cruise here and there. I'm thinking of flying to Australia and taking the cruise from their to New Zealand. Not interested in the long cruise from Los Angeles downunder, and my friend wants to do the Med (Italy and Greece).

[Norman107]

I had an aunt and uncle who had cruised for years. After several years of them suggesting I take one, i reluctantly agreed. In the back of my mind I always throught i would be bored on a ship. I wasn't excited about dressing for dinner and worried i would be sea sick.

 

I remember that very first day, we flew into Tampa the morning of the cruise and claimed our luggage and turned it into the HAL representative at the airport. Was told to go to the bus and it would take us to the ship. When i got on the bus, there were about 30 people complaining about this and that. I mentioned to my wife that i wonder if i could just catch the next plane back to Cincinnati and forget the cruise.

 

When we arrived at the pier and i saw the ship for the first time, all i could say was " WOW ".

 

The bottom line was i had the absolute time of my life. By the way, never did run into any of those complaining people i saw on the bus. I discovered i wasn't bored for one minute the entire week, never got sea sick and i found out i really didn't mind dressing for the 2 formal evenings that week.

 

I returned home from the cruise on Sunday and the following afternoon, i had booked another one for the following year. :)

[trevette1981]

carnival mardi gras april 28 1985. our honeymoon... no driving to a show or dinner like land vacations.going back to your own bathroom to freshen up and always somthing to do or not to do. never hungry or thirsty. ect ect ect.

 

That was my 4th birthday!LMAO! I say that because it's coming up this weekend.LMAO.

[baseball16]

In my early 20's my then mother-in-law lived in Miami and she took me to see the cruise ships. All I could say was WOW. Now this was 1975 or so.

I never thought I would be on one of them

 

I am now 52 and have been on 5 now and 18 more days till the next one.

 

It is the best and better priced vacations you can take. I always thought I'd be bored also and have been until we booked a balcony. It is so nice to sit out on your own balcony and watch the world and ocean go by. Also the kids are old enough to roam by himself (20) last one.

Also the ships have come a long way with things to do since the big red boat.

 

Sometimes we feel we don't get enough time in port, but that leads to the next cruise.

 

Believe me we have flown to some islands and tried to stay a week and that was what you call bored. Especially with kids. It's mostly party all night and lay on the beach all day, not for us. Cruising is perfect for us.

 

Hope everyone enjoys