Would you consider......

[mamaofami]

I love to be at sea and love the sea days. Nothing beats sitting on the verranda and watching the ocean go by. In the Caribbean, we don't take excursions, but I love to feel the sand beneath my toes even though I have high sun block on and am under an umbrella. So, while I do feel the ship is the destination for me, I also love to go to the beach, especially when it's freezing at home.

 

I will probably stay on the ship when we stop in Puerto Rico this year since there's not much to do in such a short time.

 

When we were in Alaska, we got off in every port and took excursions everywhere.

 

If I cruise the Baltic next year, I'll probably want to get off and see the sights.

[SarasMommy]

Unless I have already been to a port once (which hasn't happened yet) I wouldn't even consider not getting off the ship. Even if all I did was walk down the gangway, stand on the dock for five minutes, then turn around and get back on the ship. At least I could say I have been there.

 

On our Transatlantic cruise there were no shore excursions in Cape Verde. DH & I walked into town (45 minute walk) and my mom stayed behind because she can't walk very well. After we returned to the ship and sailed away, my mom confessed she didn't even leave the ship to step on the dock. I was absolutely furious! So now when she lists the countries that she has been to, I don't let her claim Cape Verde.

 

My mom loves the sea days. She was on a 19 day cruise on the QM2 in Feb/March, and it only had five port stops.

[Boytjie]

My DH has to be DRAGGED bodily off the ship; BUT that's what cruising is all about; the choice to do as you please- WHERE you please!

 

I guess choice does not extend to your husband! :eek:

[Tricia724]

We have pretty much evolved into destination cruisers. Our first priority is the itinerary, and we definitely want to get off and explore a little. Neither of us likes too many sea days in a row. We prefer a balance between port days and sea days.

 

I love sitting out on deck or my balcony watching the waves roll by and completely relaxing, but I also like to see something new or learn something new or meet someone new. That's why we're choosing itineraries to places we haven't seen before.....and to see them, we have to get off the ship.

[duck tune]

DH and I really enjoy our time on the ship. We have done the Mexican Riveria and Alaska several times - have gotten off the ship in all the ports at least once or twice and have done some shore excursions. But the last couple of times we prefered to relax and enjoy our time with each other and the quiet time on the ship--and it is quiet when most everyone goes ashore.

 

Next week we are scheduled for the Veendam but I may be taking the trip alone. We've never done a Carribean Cruise and have been looking forward to this but won't know until Wednesday if it will be both of us or just me. If I go alone I will stay on the ship and just relax and enjoy the balcony and miss my DH. However, DH and I hadn't booked any shore excursions or made any plans to go ashore because we love what HAL offers on board.

[CCCM]

I just booked Mexican Riveria this week. I was very happy because there are three sea days, not just two as the Carribean cruises. At this point in my life I don't think I could stay on a ship in port. I am a person who has to see something, taste something if I am there. I want to take that opportunity.

 

Now that being said, if there are no ports, I think I would be very happy. But that would be a cruise DH and I would do, I don't think DD could handle that.

 

When I book I look at dates first, then price and itinerary.

[l2c]

We have always looked first at itinerary and have been all over the world via cruise ships...(had neither the time or the money to see all the places we wanted to see via land tours)

 

We have however taken several transatlantic cruises with six days at the beginning or end of the cruise and loved it. We also once took a cruise of eleven sea days in the north Pacific from Japan to Vancouver,BC. But we had toured in Japan before boarding and also spent time in Vancouver.

 

We love the sea days for the fact that you really get to enjoy the ship on those days....you can do a lot or a little and feel very relaxed.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done those 5 day TransAtlantic cruises on the QE2 as well as the 5 days over and 5 days back from Hawaii. Always found something to do - never bored.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I can think of a couple of ports where we would stay on the ship:

 

Montego Bay -- have been there a number of times - JMO - but we don't like that port.

 

Cartagena - have been there several times as well - again - JMO - we don't like that port.

[ANSalberg]

I guess choice does not extend to your husband! :eek:

 

Sure it extends to him.......But SOMEtimes I have to drag him off -to pay the BILLS!!!!!!

[Copper10-8]

I can think of a couple of ports where we would stay on the ship:

 

Montego Bay -- have been there a number of times - JMO - but we don't like that port.

 

Cartagena - have been there several times as well - again - JMO - we don't like that port.

 

Locals/vendors there a bit too aggressive for you, Yonnie?;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

If only they were just agrresive -- you have to walk past too many run down buildings to get from the ship up to the shopping area.

 

Back in the 70's we stayed there for a week!!!

[Copper10-8]

If only they were just agrresive -- you have to walk past too many run down buildings to get from the ship up to the shopping area.

 

Back in the 70's we stayed there for a week!!!

 

Know what you mean!

[HeatherInFlorida]

I agree, Yonnie. Jamaica is scary. Our last stop at Montego Bay we took a wonderful dolphin/beach tour ... guards everywhere. On our return they dropped us off in the shopping area (which was gated and guarded) which is very near the ship. They told us NOT to walk back on our own under any circumstances. A shuttle took us right to the gangway.

 

I don't bother getting off in Grand Cayman anymore ... done the stingrays, been to Hell .. not worth the tendering. I don't get off in San Juan either because we've been there so many times. I'll only get off on Half Moon Cay if there's no other ship there ... otherwise it's too crowded. I don't get off on Dominica either. We did an all day tour of the rainforest that I thought would never end ... 8 hours on one of the scariest rides I've taken and I can't remember a time I was happier to return to the ship.

[Cruising-along]

:eek: After reading these posts about the Caribbean, it makes me even less likely to want to go there! We aren't into the beach, so we really haven't been tempted to do a Caribbean cruise (yet anyway) other than to see some of the beauty available there. :) We try to book cruises that go to completely different places than we've been to so far, another reason we always get off at the ports (seeing new places) A good mixture of sea days and port days is ideal IMO.

[lee-gold]

We live in Northern Ontario, where it's winter from mid-October to end mid-April. Brrrrr! That's when we crave a warm place. A HAL ship in the Caribbean is perfectly wonderful, and that's where we go.

 

April to September we spend in our in- and outdoor gardens.

[HeatherInFlorida]

:eek: After reading these posts about the Caribbean, it makes me even less likely to want to go there! We aren't into the beach, so we really haven't been tempted to do a Caribbean cruise (yet anyway) other than to see some of the beauty available there. :) We try to book cruises that go to completely different places than we've been to so far, another reason we always get off at the ports (seeing new places) A good mixture of sea days and port days is ideal IMO.

 

If you like to go to completely different places and you haven't yet been to the Caribbean, then you definitely SHOULD go. All these people posting are people who have been to these islands many, many times so sometimes we prefer to stay on board the ship. But if you haven't been, you can't go wrong with a Caribbean cruise.

 

And not just one cruise!!! There are several you can take where you see different islands each time. A few ports are tossed in each time, but other than that they are different. And it's not true that if you've seen one Caribbean island, you've seen them all. They each have their own culture, their own separate beauty, their own special people.

 

And if you like a mix of sea days and ports, the Caribbean is ideal.:)

[Cruising-along]

If you like to go to completely different places and you haven't yet been to the Caribbean, then you definitely SHOULD go. All these people posting are people who have been to these islands many, many times so sometimes we prefer to stay on board the ship. But if you haven't been, you can't go wrong with a Caribbean cruise.

 

And not just one cruise!!! There are several you can take where you see different islands each time. A few ports are tossed in each time, but other than that they are different. And it's not true that if you've seen one Caribbean island, you've seen them all. They each have their own culture, their own separate beauty, their own special people.

 

And if you like a mix of sea days and ports, the Caribbean is ideal.:)

 

 

Thank you Heather! I was half-joking, I'm sure we'll do a Caribbean cruise some day (we love cruising too much to let one pass us by) ;) Everything you said makes a lot of sense, thanks for putting it into perspective! I'm thinking that in about 3 more cruises we might try the Caribbean. We have the Athens-London cruise coming up in May, and then I'd like to do a Hawaii out of Vancouver or Seattle. Then I think we'll be ready for the Caribbean :)

[CrystalLady]

Would you consider spending all your cruise time on the ship?

 

OR are you one of those people that HAVE to go ashore?

 

 

Depends on the itinerary, but I would have no problem whatsoever remaining aboard ship. I'm a ship-lover!

[Krazy Kruizers]

:eek: After reading these posts about the Caribbean, it makes me even less likely to want to go there! We aren't into the beach, so we really haven't been tempted to do a Caribbean cruise (yet anyway) other than to see some of the beauty available there. :) We try to book cruises that go to completely different places than we've been to so far, another reason we always get off at the ports (seeing new places) A good mixture of sea days and port days is ideal IMO.

 

The Caribbean is great.

Grand Cayman - Sting Ray city and Hell and the Turtle Farm - loved them.

Dominica - have been here many times - only take 1/2 day tours -- it is such a lush island - Emerald Pool, Rain Forest, Trafalgar Falls.

And there are so many other wonderful Caribbean Islands.

[Cruising-along]

The Caribbean is great.

 

Grand Cayman - Sting Ray city and Hell and the Turtle Farm - loved them.

 

Dominica - have been here many times - only take 1/2 day tours -- it is such a lush island - Emerald Pool, Rain Forest, Trafalgar Falls.

 

And there are so many other wonderful Caribbean Islands.

 

Thanks KK, it's sounding better all the time! I was hoping there were good tours. Thanks to you and Heather, I know we'd enjoy a Caribbean cruise. :)

[grandmaR]

:eek: After reading these posts about the Caribbean, it makes me even less likely to want to go there! We aren't into the beach, so we really haven't been tempted to do a Caribbean cruise (yet anyway) other than to see some of the beauty available there. :) We try to book cruises that go to completely different places than we've been to so far, another reason we always get off at the ports (seeing new places) A good mixture of sea days and port days is ideal IMO.

 

We also like to book different places than we have been before, and we also are NOT into the beach. I never liked sitting hot and sweaty on the sand (although I love to swim, snorkel and scuba) and I can't comfortably sit and read in such strong light. Both of us have had melanomas removed.

 

We have traveled a lot on our own boat. It was my husband's dream to sail out to Bermuda and then down to the Virgin Islands on her. But I'm chicken to do that with just the two of us - we are 70 and 71 years old now, and Bob had a heart attack in 2002 at an uninhabited cay in the Bahamas (he's ok). But he won't get a third person to help stand watches, so we are more or less restricted (if you can call it that) to sailing in the Chesapeake in the summer.

 

Anyway, we get plenty of out in the water time on our own and have no need of that from a cruise ship.

 

We cruise for the destinations, and to be down south where it is warm in the winter. That more or less means the Caribbean because Bob also won't fly to the embarkation port, and doesn't want to drive to the west coast.

[Batinfla]

We both much prefer sea days. In the past we have taken many port intensive cruises, where we have taken land tours at each port. It can be tiring and we would come home feeling as if we had not had a chance to relax. Living in Florida, and close to beaches we don't want to go to more beaches. We have taken many Caribbean cruises since they are so easy to get to from here (no flights). If we stop at a new port I will generally get off the ship, but sometimes DH will not. We both enjoyed our Hawaii cruise a couple of years ago - 5 sea days over, 5 days in the islands, and 5 sea days back. As we had been to Hawaii before on a land tour, we did not even get off at all the ports.

[hammybee]

I love port intensive cruising and don't do "nothing" well. :D

 

 

Many ports bring out my goofy side.

 

I out harassed the hawkers in Cartegena by waving my arms and barking like a wild dog any time I am approached and eventually the hawker entourage gives me my space. I aggressively tried to sell my HAL beach towel in Grenada. I asked the beach hawkers to stroke it and it scared them away. I need to go back to Istanbul with a plan for the carpet baggers, the best salesmen in the world. I think I shall carry a jug of Kool Aide/paper cups and post cards from the U.S. and see how they handle it.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Thank you Heather! I was half-joking, I'm sure we'll do a Caribbean cruise some day (we love cruising too much to let one pass us by) ;) Everything you said makes a lot of sense, thanks for putting it into perspective! I'm thinking that in about 3 more cruises we might try the Caribbean. We have the Athens-London cruise coming up in May, and then I'd like to do a Hawaii out of Vancouver or Seattle. Then I think we'll be ready for the Caribbean :)

 

You have a couple of fantastic cruises planned!!! Lucky you:) !! And it is a very long trip for you to come down here to cruise. Still, put it on your wish list and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

Cruising in Europe is totally different than cruising islands. Then the cruise is more for the ports .... cruising the Caribbean is more about relaxing and letting go. Enjoy!!!:D