OK, what are we really missing out on....

[kywildcatfanone]

Hi folks,

 

We are about to go on our 5th Princess cruise, and have had a wonderful time on the previous four. However, we really don't partake of lots of things the ship has to offer, and I wonder what I am really missing out on. We spend 70% of our time on the Lido deck. My wife wants to be by the pool, every minute possible, and with our cabin, the pool areas, and the buffet on the Lido Deck, we are there almost all of the time, except when going to the dining room or the onboard boutiques.

 

I see the new and improved piazza area, but dont' stop there much. Have never taken a close look at the international cafe. We do go to most of the shows however. We rarely do shore excursions, usually just shopping around the port and then back on the ship.

 

We enjoy how we do things, but I have to think we are "doing it wrong". What do you think?

 

Mike

[mii]

That is the one thing that is great about cruising. You can do as little as you want or you can go whole hog and try to do everyting. Basically we do the same thing. We sit and relax and people watch, go to the buffet, maybe get a pizza. Now if there is a good movie then we would go see that. We will play in the casino for awhile. Have done the bingo, art auctions, etc which now does not interest us at all. We do go on shore excursions but there are times that we just get off of the ship and walk around.

 

So to answer your question, no you are doing nothing wrong.;)

 

Marilyn

 

P.S. I also take an afternoon nap on sea days.

[cruisingready]

We cruise with a group of 8 and we all like to do different things but always meet up in the dining room to discuss our days adventures which sometimes we do together or half of us do or whatever trips anyones trigger to do. That's what makes our cruises great and no one has hurt feelings

[miniwheat]

Doing nothing is a great way to have a vacation, I took a lot of naps but never felt like I was missing out on anything.:D

[2Ports]

...it sounds like you are doing everything wrong - you have 2 options:

 

1 - hire a "Personal Cruise Trainer" to accompany you on your next cruise (and others as needed) until you are competent cruisers. (see contact info)

 

or

 

2 - simply give you cruise to someone else who can do it right. (see contact info)

 

:D:p:D:p:D

[kywildcatfanone]

...it sounds like you are doing everything wrong - you have 2 options:

 

1 - hire a "Personal Cruise Trainer" to accompany you on your next cruise (and others as needed) until you are competent cruisers. (see contact info)

 

or

 

2 - simply give you cruise to someone else who can do it right. (see contact info)

 

:D:p:D:p:D

 

Awesome! I will keep that in mind.... A "Personal Cruise Trainer". I like that. What is the pay for a job like that? I might have to look into it myself!

 

Mike

[kywildcatfanone]

That is the one thing that is great about cruising. You can do as little as you want or you can go whole hog and try to do everyting. Basically we do the same thing. We sit and relax and people watch, go to the buffet, maybe get a pizza. Now if there is a good movie then we would go see that. We will play in the casino for awhile. Have done the bingo, art auctions, etc which now does not interest us at all. We do go on shore excursions but there are times that we just get off of the ship and walk around.

 

So to answer your question, no you are doing nothing wrong.;)

 

Marilyn

 

P.S. I also take an afternoon nap on sea days.

 

Oh yeah, I do take an occasional afternoon nap as well....

[kywildcatfanone]

Doing nothing is a great way to have a vacation, I took a lot of naps but never felt like I was missing out on anything.:D

 

Glad I'm not alone in that regard!!

[kywildcatfanone]

We cruise with a group of 8 and we all like to do different things but always meet up in the dining room to discuss our days adventures which sometimes we do together or half of us do or whatever trips anyones trigger to do. That's what makes our cruises great and no one has hurt feelings

 

That does sound like fun.

 

Mike

[Romy40]

Every time we cruise we "discover" something new to do.

Makes booking another cruise soooo necessary, eh? :D

[DrivesLikeMario]

I thought that was what cruising was supposed to be for - doing what you want, when you want.

 

We don't go to any of the song & dance type shows, I've never seen a champagne waterfall, we never go to any luncheons we're invited to or the repeaters parties. We have no desire to do the Chef's Table, UBD, UBB or do any of the ship's tours. They just don't interest us, so why do them?

 

You're doing what interests you & what makes your wife happy. Why change?

[venusbello1]

As long as you and your wife are happy, why change anything?! Every cruise I take, I do try something new and sometimes I find something I really like (i.e., thermal suite, piano bar, etc.) that I had never done before and I just add it to my next cruise if it is available!

 

If you're having fun, then you are doing "cruising" perfect! :D

 

Happy cruising!

VB1

[Pam in CA]

Some cruises are what we call "working" cruises going to ports on other continents with historical significance that we want to see. Other cruises are what we call "vacation" cruises and we do as little or as much as we feel like doing. I'm perfectly happy sitting on my balcony with a book, maybe taking in a movie, and avoid the pool area. I never go to Bingo, rarely go to an evening show of any kind, don't go to the auctions unless I happen to be walking by and feel like a glass of champagne :), and generally, just hang out. I've also been known to not get off the ship in ports which is what I'm planning to do on my upcoming Sapphire cruise. I have a couple of tours booked but I may or I may not take them.

 

A vacation is best when it's what you make of it so don't feel guilty by what you do or don't do. It's YOUR vacation.

[ggprincess2004]

Do what you enjoy, relax and don't feel guilty for not doing everything there is aboard the ship. It is impossible to do it all.

 

International Cafe - you might want to scope it out a little more closely for the cashew chicken salad, yummy shrimp and the Greek salad...but if that doesn't appeal to you, no problem. I could live on the pizza on the Lido deck and maybe some cruise I will try that.

 

We hardly ever make more than one or two shows in the course of a cruise, have yet to break our record of never making a champagne waterfall, can't make up our minds between whether it is better to have a continental breakfast on the balcony or a lovely relaxing breakfast in the dining room.....and stay on board at lots of ports in the Caribbean without feeling the least bit guilty or worrying about what we may be missing ashore since we are perfectly content on board.

 

Our ritual - we try not to miss the morning or afternoon triva. So I can relate to not missing a minute of sun and fun poolside.:)

[Joyce B.]

OFF TOPIC--but--hello KY WILDCAT FAN!! What a "bummer" of a basketball season!!

 

We are from Western Kentucky. Our next cruise is May 9 to the Med.

 

Just wanted to "sneak" in on your posting and say "Go Big Blue".

[pekachryn]

Your plan sounds good to me! We do the same, except less. We never, ever go to any of the shows. Sometimes I visit one of the nightclubs to listen to the music and have a coffee drink, while my husband is off smoking his after-dinner cigar. On sea days, my husband reads a lot on deck, and I watch movies or nap in the cabin. I do spend a lot of time in the internet cafe, as we get the free internet benefits from being Platinum. We generally skip shore excursions, except on our own, unless it's a port like Rome, Athens, etc. We love the relaxation of doing nothing, and that's the way we like it! A nice, leisurely vacation.;) Oh, and a balcony is a must for us.

[themerle]

Quote "and have had a wonderful time on the previous four". You're doing everything just "right"! Enjoy your 5th cruise!;)

[Pearlbill]

I don't think you are doing anything wrong if it's what you enjoy.

 

A few years back we were on the Island Princess, with 10 sea days, so we had a lot of time to really explore the ship. We went to the mini-golf for about an hour every day. The ship even had a mini "Ryder Cup" where they tallied scores over a few days and finished up with the top ten in the final tournament.

 

It was a lot of fun with the winner receiving a bottle of champagne.

 

Pearl

[kooljamming]

Hi folks,

 

We are about to go on our 5th Princess cruise, and have had a wonderful time on the previous four. However, we really don't partake of lots of things the ship has to offer, and I wonder what I am really missing out on. We spend 70% of our time on the Lido deck. My wife wants to be by the pool, every minute possible, and with our cabin, the pool areas, and the buffet on the Lido Deck, we are there almost all of the time, except when going to the dining room or the onboard boutiques.

 

I see the new and improved piazza area, but dont' stop there much. Have never taken a close look at the international cafe. We do go to most of the shows however. We rarely do shore excursions, usually just shopping around the port and then back on the ship.

 

We enjoy how we do things, but I have to think we are "doing it wrong". What do you think?

 

Mike

 

If you are enjoying it then you are doing things right:D. I like dancing, so rocking to the sound of a great band or at the disco is great for me. I love excursions but hate being by the pool or in the sun period.

[Cruisin' Chick]

That's why there's plenty of activities and different kinds of entertainment. You can even stay in your cabin all the time, except, of course, for the muster drill.

 

On our last cruise, on one sea day, I spent much of the day going from one trivia match to another, with a break for afternoon tea. Hubby was jamming with some fellow guitarists on the Promenade deck.

 

It's also my chance to watch some movies on the in-cabin TV, while many other people probably avoid doing so.

 

You can even stay on the ship while it's in port if you want.

 

We're all different.

[CHIEB2812]

I thought that was what cruising was supposed to be for - doing what you want, when you want.

 

We don't go to any of the song & dance type shows, I've never seen a champagne waterfall, we never go to any luncheons we're invited to or the repeaters parties. We have no desire to do the Chef's Table, UBD, UBB or do any of the ship's tours. They just don't interest us, so why do them?

 

You're doing what interests you & what makes your wife happy. Why change?

 

Lady Jag, we'd get along well! This cruise (our 6th) will be the first time we have committed ourselves to trying the afternoon tea, and I'm already exhausted thinking about it!:D We relax, enjoy eachothers company, go see the comedians, or hypnotists, nap a little, and watch the water A LOT! That's what we enjoy doing! Ports we'll do some excursions, if there's nothing that interests us, we'll browse around the port a bit. You'll never find ANY of us scaling a wall or zooming down a zip line, but snorkling off of a relaxing private beach? Now that's us! To the OP, it sounds like you have it all figured out, as long as your happy and satisfied when you get off the cruise, so much that you want to do it again, then you've done everything right! -The Goldston's-

[Cruisin' Chick]

Oh, by the way, Go Mizzou! (went there for J-school)

[lsane2]

OFF TOPIC--but--hello KY WILDCAT FAN!! What a "bummer" of a basketball season!!

 

We are from Western Kentucky. Our next cruise is May 9 to the Med.

 

Just wanted to "sneak" in on your posting and say "Go Big Blue".

 

I turned on the radio this morning and all they're talking about is when is Gillispie going and who's the best to replace him. I noticed OP was posting during the UK-Notre Dame game last night. Too painful to watch?;)

 

We leave on the Ruby on Saturday and I'm hoping they'll be showing the games on MUTS! You know, there's still a team from Kentucky in the NCAA.:D

[jrw]

I have to agree with the poster who suggested checking out International Café. We regretted it taking us so long to bother, even though we read the rave reviews. Once we did go, we were hooked! The chicken salad is to die for, among many other delicious offerings that are not available elsewhere. Most items are free before 4PM. They have excellent gelato (flavors vary daily, always a nice selection) and it was $1.50 for 3 generous scoops. We only had it once and shared it, and have to say it was worth the small charge. Oh, and the warm cookies! Can't forget those! :D

 

Note: Not all of the ships have International Café, which is sad...

[cruiseryyc]

Well if you're missing out on it (whatever "it" is) then I am too. Never go to shows; never go to speciality restaurants; haven't played Bingo for the last few cruises; and don't spend a lot of time around the pool. We like to find a lounge chair on the Promenade Deck and spend the day watching the ocean go by - that's what cruising is all about!