Was the first time best...

[Swtgypsy]

How do you feel about your 2nd, 3rd, 10th, 15th cruise in comparison to your first? Are you more excited? Are you getting tired of cruising? Has it changed too much over the years? Do the ports getting boring? Do you have more fun because you know what to expect?

I seem to get more excited with each cruise :D It seems the more I learn on these boards and other research I do the more I want to cruise.

I was just curious what people thought :)

[cruisinbuddy]

Our 1st cruise was the best, even though it was a tiny, 27,000 ton ship and rocked and rolled the whole time. This was the 1st time we'd ever travelled without driving. So the whole experience was great. We've been on 5 since and our last one, the Crown P. was darn close to being as good. This was also the first time that we'd ever travelled with another couple, my DS & BIL. We had a blast. I still get all giddy inside up until the last week. Then the nerves get in on the action. And when we're on our way to the airport I get all giddy again. Our upcoming cruise is a b2b with DS, BIL, DB & SIL. So I think we're going to have even more fun.

[lady_cruiser]

My first time was on Carnival Conquest, right after Hurricane Katrina and "during" Hurricane Rita.

 

Then came our second cruise on the Norwegian SUN, much smaller ship and we cruised in the roughest of weather. We found out later we were on the edge of a front that caused tornadoes to spawn in Florida. We felt every wave we went over. So much so that we were thinking of wearing our life vests to bed. Our cabin neighbors told us they were actually thrown out of bed that night and hit the floor like a ton of bricks. Thankfully they were not hurt.

 

Our last cruise was the best, Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas. Our second to last night we had seas with waves 8-10 feet and all outside decks were closed to passengers and crew. But we had a terrific time.

 

Our next cruise is once again on the Voyager and I am counting the days.

[cb at sea]

Our 1st cruise was the most awe-inspiring, but not the overall "best" cruise. (Very rocky and too short!!!!)

There's nothing like the 1st time--seeing the ship, feeling it pull away from the dock for the 1st time.....

But, we've had much better and more fun on cruises since. Each one is a different experience. I think it has to do with the make-up of passengers on each cruise.

[tomko2]

We seem to get more excited with each cruise; there is always something new to see and do either on the ship or in the ports. We enjoy the planning process including researchon the ports and of course wardrobe planning.:D

Kathy

[AlanFromFL]

I don't know if anything will top our first cruise on Caribbean Princess for the sheer excitement...we should have known that it was going to be an 'interesting' voyage, as we arrived at the pier Sat. morning we were handed a flyer stating that due to Hurricane Frances swirling thru the Eastern Caribbean, our sailing was changed to a 7-day Western Caribbean...no big deal, we said, we actually gained a port call in the process...but what we didn't expect was that Frances turned right toward SE Florida while we were at sea. By the end of the week we were watching our home region being blasted by the hurricane on TV, while we enjoyed perfect weather and calm seas in the W. Caribbean. Port Everglades was closed for nearly 2 days, so our 7 night cruise turned into a 9-night cruise; we even got to overnight in Cozumel! And fortunately we were spared any major damage at home. All in all, not a bad way to weather the storm.

[grandmato4]

The first was the most unique because everything was new and different and no internet research before hand :eek: so we didn't know what might not have been correct or even what we missed at the time.;) We loved it ! We experienced a horrible storm on our first cruise, which turned out to be a good thing since any bad weather we've experienced since has felt to us like nothing. None of our family or close friends had ever cruised before so we were the first.

 

There's something about cruising that makes the anticipation months and weeks ahead of time as special about the trip as the cruise itself no matter how many times we cruise. Planning for what to do in Ports is always as much of the adventure as the excursions themselves. Accepting with grace the changes we've seen over the years is a bit difficult at times, but those changes simply reflect changes we see every day at home so you learn to deal with them. The excitment hasn't died yet ! :)

[Andee]

There was an unmatched excitement about our first cruise because we had no idea of what to expect, and were filled with wonder and delight at everything--the beauty of the ship, the quality of service, the fun of being on a cruise, and having the whole ship as our playground. We still love those things, but now we have come to expect them, so don't quite have that same magical sense of wonder.

 

Our favorite cruise was our sixth, because after sailing on Celebrity, Princess, and Orient, we found Oceania, the cruise line that seems to suit us perfectly.

 

Our first cruise was to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, and our most recent (Oct 2006) was to celebrate their 60th anniversary. That last one holds special memories because my father was diagnosed with cancer three months after the cruise, and died five weeks later.

[retiredonthesea]

Our first cruise was probably the most exciting as it was a gift from my Mother for our 25th ann. and it was on one of the most beautiful ships we have been on The SS Norway (may she RIP):( That was also what got us hooked on cruising, my DH would have never set foot on a cruise ship if it hadn't been for that wonderful gift. Our cabin was also one of the largest on the ship. Because of that we got spoiled right away and now book Penthouses( love Butler service;)) Every cruise since has been exciting and always look foreward to the next. We will celebrate our 38th Ann. this year and have been on eight cruises.

 

Took our Sons, DIL's,GD's and MIL on a cruise in Jan. and that was 2nd best cruise. Nothing like spending time with family!:D

 

Retiredonthesea

[retiredonthesea]

There was an unmatched excitement about our first cruise because we had no idea of what to expect, and were filled with wonder and delight at everything--the beauty of the ship, the quality of service, the fun of being on a cruise, and having the whole ship as our playground. We still love those things, but now we have come to expect them, so don't quite have that same magical sense of wonder.

 

Our favorite cruise was our sixth, because after sailing on Celebrity, Princess, and Orient, we found Oceania, the cruise line that seems to suit us perfectly.

 

Our first cruise was to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, and our most recent (Oct 2006) was to celebrate their 60th anniversary. That last one holds special memories because my father was diagnosed with cancer three months after the cruise, and died five weeks later.

 

Andee,

 

I hadn't read your post before I wrote mine, but want to say how sorry I'am about your Dad. It's wonderful memories to think back about how he must of enjoyed himself on that cruise. Like I said family is so important and making fond memories ---priceless!

 

Retiredonthesea

[ancldaca]

My first cruise was still the best to date. It was on the Rennaissance IV, a ship of 52 suites and 104 pax. We sailed out of Antigua and went to all the small islands where the mega ships could only sail by (Union Island, Bequia, etc). Fantastic!!!

[lilybug]

I remember it was the first trip without our children, and I don't think I slept for a week before we left ... I often wish I could recapture that feeling of excitement and anticipation. We've certainly taken many more exotic vacations since, but I have never quite felt that way since our first cruise which was a typical Caribbean cruise out of Miami.

[Putterdude]

I was most nervous and excited about my first cruise. However that was 45 years ago, I was 18, I was going to school and I was a crew member.

[phillyf]

Great topic

 

Our first cruise was great. We were wowed by cruising.

Our second cruise was good and was effected by rough seas, 95% of the ship was sick, and negativity from an invited couple-constant complainers

Our fourth cruise was the best since it was full exposure to freestyle cruising which we loved and we met 40 plus people from our roll call

 

We love cruising and hope this August cruise can exceed our fourth cruise

and are anticipating another great cruise.

My family has a very positive attitude and when we are on vacation and we experience a detour or something unpleasant we make the best of it.

We were waiting for a tender in pouring rain and we were laughing and having a great time, some other people were upset however we had no control over the uncontrollable and just had fun!

[Andee]

Thank you, retiredatsea, for your kind words.

 

My Dad was a great guy, loving, very funny, and able to fix or build just about anything. Seven weeks before he died, when he didn't even know he was sick, he was still playing tennis at age 88, after two hip replacements. We have a wonderful picture taken on formal night of my parents, my husband, and myself that is very precious to me.

[Swtgypsy]

I love all these posts. I started this thread this morning and I have been out all day with my DH, SIL, BIL & their children (they are visiting) and I was excited to come home and read the responses. My SIL was the one that got us into cruising. Though, my first cruise was one that I won for selling the most earrings at work. I was 19 and really didn’t get it. When we did the cruise with my SIL in 2005 we were just in awe. We loved every minute of it. We didn’t have a clue what we were doing and that was half the fun :D

When I got back from that cruise I booked a 4 day cruise with my sister and Mom to see if they would like cruising and they both had a great time. My last cruise was Dec 2007 and 3 days into the cruise my back gave out and I spent pretty much 4 days in my cabin. Thankfully it was a free cruise I had won through Princess. I had a balcony room and I laid on my bed looking out the balcony with the door open and ordered room service. My DH & DM took care of me and we made the best of it. Since then I have had back surgery and I am planning an eleven day cruise with my Mom and I am having so much fun planning. I believe life is an adventure and getting to the destination is just as much fun. Reading these posts have made me smile and realize how important these memories are that we make with our loved ones!

[cv322]

Before I ever cruised myself, we had seen people off...that was back in the 80's when you could still board a ship for a Bon Voyage party. It seemed so otherworldly to me even then! So romantic & mysterious & exciting.

 

My first cruise was 7 days out of NY to Bermuda on the old Home Lines Atlantic. We traveled with 4 other couples, all great friends. The cruise proved to be everything I had hoped for. I remember I couldn't seem to get my bearings around the ship for most of the week...kept getting lost! This wasn't my best cruise, but it was probably the most exciting, just because of the sheer newness of the experience.

 

Of the 5 couples (including us) who traveled together on that cruise, 3 of those couples are now divorced (including us) and 1 person has died. It's really kind of bittersweet to think back on it now...but I was clearly hooked on cruising and I think this love affair will never end.

[MNfamilycruiser]

I would say my cruises just keep getting better - because I learn more each time. My researching has improved a great deal since I found CC!

 

But not just the researching about ports and shore excursions - also learning about what we like and don't like.

 

After each cruise - we say - "well this worked very well, loved that....wouldn't do this or again and we really need to be careful about this other thing"

[Spikesgirl]

Our fourth cruise I would have to say, since we're actually repeating it. We did Tahiti/Cook Islands back in '04 and are about to leave for another cruise around Tahiti. Both were(are) on Princess and I'm sure we'll have fun.

 

It's hard to match the anxiety level from the first cruise(it was well before the Internet and CC), but our excitement level is just as high with each new cruise.

[rebeljohn]

My first cruise was around the Hawaiian Islands. Really nice. But, it would not be my favorite. Our cruise on the 10 day Celebrity Horizon cruise was PERFECT. Everything went right. Ate with the Captain, friends joined us on the cruise, received a NICE upgrade, had our best excursion ever, etc. AND the Horizon cruise was with my current wife, and Hawaiian cruise was with the ex.................

[Morgsmom]

Our first cruise on Disney got us hooked, but every cruise since has held something different. The only one that I disliked (a lot) was one that I won in a contest (the Fascination). Other than that, the excitement leading up to the cruise is almost as fun as going...

[mrsjvp]

Our first cruise was not all that great.... It was for our HM and I had actually started not feeling well the day before the wedding... thought it was nerves. The next day we left for Galveston and I still wasn't feeling well. I couldn't keep any food down. Got on the Conquest and the whole time I just couldn't leave our cabin. We didn't get off the ship in Jamaica:( Went to the infirmary 2 times for 2 different shots! They weren't very helpful--said it was seasickness and if it wasn't that I had something blocking my stomache!:confused: I only saw one show(Newlywed Show), went to the casino once! DH was always at the casino though bc he didn't want to do anything else without me. I also never had one bite of any of the delicious food!!!:mad: I might have had a few pieces of bread or some fruit but that was about it.

By the time we disembarked I had had it with my own body and told DH to go to the ER.... we drove straight from Galveston to a hospital near our home in Austin. I was admitted that evening and the next day I had my gall bladder removed!:eek:

 

So this second honeymoon is definitely going to be better! We are on the same ship and going to really live it up! I can't wait to eat, see the shows, join the parties, drink lots of DOD's, and sit by the pool and tan! I am very much more excited this time than last time, bc I know what I missed out on! 53 days and counting

[NMCruiser55]

The most excitement and anticipation was with our first cruise as it was all new to us. We still get excited thinking about a cruise.

Our second cruise, we brought our daughter and both Moms with us. Lots of family memories.

Third cruise, thought "lets get a window" reserved porthole room got upgraded to Cat. 11 on the Elation! Now DH always wants a balcony. :D

Fourth cruise, ok but not a favorite.

Fifth cruise was the most exciting as 2 passengers fell overboard! :eek: Did create a lot of extra conversations.

Can't wait to see what happens on our next cruise!

[AmoMondo]

It was the most amazing as I was persuaded my some colleagues at work to try it and I went onboard with some trepidation, not sure if I was going to enjoy it or not. It far exceeded my expectations and got me hooked - now cruising 3 times a year. Not sure I'd say it was the best as i have enjoyed all the cruises that I've been on for different reasons and because I now know how much I love it and the existence of websites like this, half the fun know is the anticipation of waiting for the date to come around (instead of stressing about whether I've made a huge mistake) and researching and planning ports of call and the ship before i go

[Mekamax]

the first time was actually awesome and with no internet back then it was so incredible to see the huge ship back then. But now is a lot less nerve wracking - we were newly wed and hadn't been out of the country... Now it is more relaxing and we have a little more money to enjoy where back then I wouldn't dare buy a bar drink as all my money went to pay the cruise... :rolleyes: Debbie