Why Cruise?

[Mrs.C05]

So the question is, why do you guys cruise? Is it destinations? Is it the ships? The food?

 

My husband and I like to cruise because:

*great price for what you get

*see different places in one trip/destinations

*having the experience of learning and seeing different countries

*meeting new people

*having fun with the crew

*enjoying the views of the open waters from our balcony

*my favorite is to dress up and take pictures

*Most of all: a trip alone to spend with each other

[MDSue]

While I love all types of vacations and would love the opportunity to spend more time at some of the destinations that the cruiseships visit, there are specific reasons why I desperately need my one cruise [more if I could afford it] a year.

The number one reason is the total pampering that I recieve for my week on the ship. I love getting up in the morning and going to a nice breakfast, and then returning to my room to find it cleaned and made up.

I love my ocean front room and listening to the waves lapping against the side of the ship, sittiing out on the balcony whenever I want, watching sunrises, sunsets and arriving and departing from port.

I love going to sleep and waking up in a new port everyday [or almost everyday]. I like port intensive cruises, but enjoy the occasional sea day to relax from our busy port days.

I love having no responsibilities other than deciding what I'm going to do that day- no packing, unpacking, no dirty dishes, no grocery shopping.

I love meeting people from different countries and cultures and learning about their homes and visiting local attractions and most of all beaches- especially the ones with white sandy beaches and different shades of green and turquoise waters.

Then when I return to the ship in the evening, I can go to a nice dinner and dessert, go to a show or other nightly entertainment and when I return to my room, it is once again clean and the bed turned down.

I just like being totally taken care of for a week. As a mother with kids [now grown], pretty much every other vacation involved long car trips, going to beach houses where the first thing I do is go to the store, buy groceries for a week and move my cooking and cleaning operation to a new location. It might be on a nice beach, but I still have many of the same responsibilities as home. On a cruise, all of that is taken care of and I love travelling to different ports daily.

Plus there is this wonderful message board that provides so much information and the ability to share memories and port ideas. I have learned so much about the different places that I have visited, that I have total confidence of being able to choose fun activities for the day ad reputable tour companies.

So far we haven't had a bad cruise yet- can't wait for the next one:)

[SavannahLime]

Salt air

margaritas

Tropical breezes

Free entertainment

Margaritas

Meet wonderful people from all over the world

Visit exotic locations

Margaritas

All you can eat and drink 24/7

R&R

Margaritas

Pampering

Never boring/always something to do

 

 

In college I worked on a tour line (bus and boat) and I was hooked then. It took me years to convince my husband to cruise for more than a 2 hour whale watch or a ferry ride. Now he is convinced as well. No better deal on a vacation. We even save by getting inside cabins since we never stay in there longer than to change clothes or sleep.

 

and

Did I mention the Margaritas?........

[sallywallygal]

I have always favored spending lots of time in one place on vacation to get a real feel for that country or state and to see the highlights there. I have spent 3 weeks in Kenya, 3 weeks in New Zealand, 3 weeks in Australia, 10 days in Alaska, and a few days in many other places.

 

BUT, there is nothing like a cruise! It is more relaxing than a land vacation. Your lodging, food, and entertainment are all covered in the price. You get to see several places without the hassle of driving or moving. And if you fall in love with a port, you can always decide to go back there for a longer stay. My family still does other types of vacations. We spent ten days in Colorado and Utah last summer. It was gorgeous and we loved it. But we decided to take our third cruise this year. We just love them!

[Days @ C]

Well cdamion, you got plenty of excellent reasons to your question and they are all correct.

 

I could not but wonder as I read your question, a question I have always had: Why do people rent the same cottage or condo at the beach every year? They have to pay high prices, fight crowds at the restaurants, traffic all the time, look for their entertainment (crowds again) and then there is the weather (rain, cold, too hot, etc). They get home and need a vacation. Cruising eliminates all that.

[Cruise Junky]

Well cdamion, you got plenty of excellent reasons to your question and they are all correct.

 

I could not but wonder as I read your question, a question I have always had: Why do people rent the same cottage or condo at the beach every year? They have to pay high prices, fight crowds at the restaurants, traffic all the time, look for their entertainment (crowds again) and then there is the weather (rain, cold, too hot, etc). They get home and need a vacation. Cruising eliminates all that.

 

The place we love to rent in Provence, France works out to be about 1,200 us a week, walking distance to world class restaurants, the only traffic jam is if you get stuck behind a goat and 10 litres of pretty drinkable wine for about $20 :) A more relaxing time cannot be had on a ship.

[Days @ C]

The place we love to rent in Provence, France works out to be about 1,200 us a week, walking distance to world class restaurants, the only traffic jam is if you get stuck behind a goat and 10 litres of pretty drinkable wine for about $20 :) A more relaxing time cannot be had on a ship.

 

That's true and there are always exceptions to the rule. What I was referring to are the crowded popular & not so popular beachs along the east coast and probably gulf & west coast. We all know peiople who do this each & every year.

[Cruise Junky]

That's true and there are always exceptions to the rule. What I was referring to are the crowded popular & not so popular beachs along the east coast and probably gulf & west coast. We all know peiople who do this each & every year.

 

I know, I was only pulling your leg ;)

[Happy ks]

The place we love to rent in Provence, France works out to be about 1,200 us a week, walking distance to world class restaurants, the only traffic jam is if you get stuck behind a goat and 10 litres of pretty drinkable wine for about $20 :) A more relaxing time cannot be had on a ship.

 

 

To me, that sounds like heaven on earth :)

 

Although we do love to cruise, the one big downside is the short port times. Last year when we chose our Med cruise, we chose the cruise for the port times, not the ship. We did have a nice crew and the ship was clean and well maintained (Legend of the Seas), but we kind of looked at it as a mode of transportation rather than the trip itself. We had overnights in both Livorno (Florence) and Venice, which sealed the deal.

 

As to the discussion of food quality, I believe the food prep not only suffers because of sheer amount, but also the health restrictions that limit the use of fresh vs. frozen or canned. Little things, like no more pats of butter and instead the individual wrapped kind are an example, or jelly packets instead of served in a bowl or jar. Food having to be overcooked and held at temps to halt growth of bacteria tend to dry and toughen meats. So, it's not just the larger amount of pax that are to blame, the CDC protecting our health has had a major impact. Then again, food poisoning could be rampant without these regulations in place ;) Over the years, with more testing comes more restrictions.

 

There are a lot of people who accept food as great and I can't argue with their taste. After all, I love to drink wine but what I like others may not appreciate at all. I don't drink beer so I can't appreciate a good draft (or is it draught :confused:).

[Loretta Marie]

It's not as stupid a question as the title may imply.

 

I am wondering why folks like to cruise. I love to travel and until recently have always liked the idea of going somewhere and exploring more than the idea of being on a cruise ship only experiencing ports for a day or less. For example, this summer we are headed to Honduras where we will see much of the country, including several days in Roatan, which is more than we would ever see and experience if it were just a port call on a cruise.

 

I have just booked my first cruise as a present for my 40th birthday next year and it is largely to get a taste of what a cruise is like. For me, the cruise itself is largely the destination, with the bonus of seeing a couple of places I've never been to (its only a 4 day cruise).

 

If I like it and book longer cruises in the future, the ports will be an important factor, but the cruise line and ship will be equally important in deciding on a cruise.

 

So the question is, why do you guys cruise? Is it destinations? Is it the ships? The food?

 

 

Have you ever tried all inclusives? Those are not as pricy as cruises are you can go to a place in cancun but i am not allowed to put the name on here go to google and search the all inclusives in cancun and look for the site of all inclusives in the grande, It begins with a an Occ then you will see what the name is. My sister in law and brother went there just last week while the pig flu was going on they said they had no problems with it, and they did thier own thing. the price they paid was more than what they said online, they paid with airfair and all the booze you can drink with 14 bars and 18 resturants and all the food you can eat for 2100.00 a couple.

That is not that bad if you go for the booze. Now I put it all together, if you drank 2 bottles of scotch in 2 days thats 40.00 each so that is 80.00

that would not cost you close to 2100.00 in booze prices close to 200.00 in booze for 1 week its only for 7 full days. Now, if the airfare was from Miami where they come from like me, is 239.00 pp round trip, so the rest has to be accomdations and food, she said the food was excellent. If you like to eat fish, lobster and salmon. I am a vegtarian so no meat no fish no dairy no cheese no chicken too. only veggies tofu and fruit.

 

So this will not pay for me. the entertainement is bands and bars for dancing and water pools and water surrounding you. on land.

 

To me that is not fun. I want to laugh the entire trip I want to gamble no casino on that island and its a rough road from the airport too.

 

I think that inclusives are for newlyweds who do not leave the room in 3 days not for me.

I want to find a nice person who wants to visit and then goes home to his own room No men allowed in my bed.

[CJHAN]

It's not as stupid a question as the title may imply.

 

I am wondering why folks like to cruise. I love to travel and until recently have always liked the idea of going somewhere and exploring more than the idea of being on a cruise ship only experiencing ports for a day or less. For example, this summer we are headed to Honduras where we will see much of the country, including several days in Roatan, which is more than we would ever see and experience if it were just a port call on a cruise.

 

I have just booked my first cruise as a present for my 40th birthday next year and it is largely to get a taste of what a cruise is like. For me, the cruise itself is largely the destination, with the bonus of seeing a couple of places I've never been to (its only a 4 day cruise).

 

If I like it and book longer cruises in the future, the ports will be an important factor, but the cruise line and ship will be equally important in deciding on a cruise.

 

So the question is, why do you guys cruise? Is it destinations? Is it the ships? The food?

The easy anwser is all of the above. But even more to the point u get all these things with vary little hassal.