Do you enjoy them?

This stems from the getting older thread

Quote :

"On an unrelated note, cruises seem about the most boring asinine vacations ever. Get out with the locals and do some uncomfortable shit--be brave and tre."

personally, I enjoy them. They're cheap as shit for what they are, they eliminate a lot of the hassle of vacations. I mean I wouldn't want to go on one every year, but every 2-3 would be good.

9/17/2011 7:18:00 AM

I have been on two and I LOVED them.

I really dislike the hassle of going on a vacation, then having to drive everywhere in a new town when I get there, worry about parking, etc etc etc. On a cruise everything is right there. I can play poker for 4 hours in a casino, then go out and lay on the deck while drinking Mai Tai's and watching girls in bikinis, go eat dinner, go for a run around the upper deck, go watch a comedian or other show of some type, and cap the night getting fairly drunk all whilst doing karaoke - all without traveling more than a tenth of a mile from my room.

I am a fan.

9/17/2011 7:47:21 AM

I've been on a few. No real complaints. I've had a great time on each of them. An easy inexpensive way to see a bunch of destinations. My only minor complaint is some cruises options for dinner require you to sit down at assigned seating with strangers.

9/17/2011 11:16:17 AM

Love them

9/17/2011 11:57:04 AM

A lot of cruiselines now offer "open seating"... We went on one back in December and never had to sit with strangers. We walked up...waited for a little bit...and got an open seat by ourselves or with our family members.

I love cruises. Add me to the list of folks who likes lounging around all day on the ship doing what I want, then waking up in the morning and being at a different destination.
For the prices, you really can't beat it.

If I had to think of a "disadvantage", it may be only staying for a day or half-a-day at certain destinations...
but that doesn't bother me.

9/17/2011 12:09:57 PM

I like them. Sea sickness does bother some people though.

Great resource:
http://cruisecritic.com

9/17/2011 1:47:38 PM

Generally hanging around a hotel isn't my type of vacation, even if the hotel floats and is quite nice.

Maybe if there were historical theme cruises I might be interested: take the Endurance Cruise down to the Antarctica, experience a Patrick O'Brian book--in real life!, Mutiny on the Bounty!
Or maybe not.

9/17/2011 2:08:01 PM

Love 'em.

9/17/2011 3:15:56 PM

I have been on 7 and love them.....Can't wait for 8.....11/20.

I hate sea days so I tend to pick ships that are in a different port every day.

9/17/2011 5:49:13 PM

Haha I LOVE sea days. I would do a cruise with no port calls at all.

9/17/2011 6:05:39 PM

I've always wanted to go on one. But my wife has an irrational fear that some rogue wave/tsunami is going to sink the ship.

But she'll swim in the ocean and ride in smaller, ski/sail boats though

9/17/2011 7:53:21 PM

^^They have those, and I've always wanted to go on a "Cruise to Nowhere."

I've been on two, and really enjoyed them. Although the Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel route was better than the Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau route (mostly because Nassau sucked).

9/17/2011 8:17:05 PM

I would really love to go on a ship that isnt a navy ship.

9/17/2011 9:08:29 PM

Vacation is a hassle. The reason I posted that is I travelled with my mother in law and she about had a break down on a train in Switzerland. I realized then some people like the hands off approach and require frozen American food on an al inclusive resort or cruise. To me a huge part of experiencing travel is the local cuisine and people and learning how to say one more round in another language. The other part is more hard core adventure but that's a different discussion all together.

9/18/2011 3:33:05 AM

I love cruises, but my least favorite aspect are the ports of call. They often seem commercialized, and not authentic to the place. I feel like the cruise dumps you off at a port where there are just gift shops and no substance. For instance, I've technically been to Jamaica (Ocho Rios), but I felt like all we saw were people hustling trinkets and cab rides. I didn't get a feel of any of the culture of the place (then again, maybe Jamaica is just people hustlin').

Its kinda of like going to a tourist trap verses visiting the places the locals frequent.

Outside of that I'm a fan of cruises. Economical and easy. Going on my third this coming December with Royal Caribbean.

9/18/2011 9:42:11 PM

Strongly dislike. I'm not the lay around the pool, do shit when it's scheduled for you kind of vacationer. I don't like crowds either.

9/18/2011 11:08:02 PM

love 'em

can be cheesy at times but the newer ships are just ridiculously sweet

9/18/2011 11:57:08 PM

Quote :

"lay around the pool, do shit when it's scheduled for you kind of vacationer"

cruises don't have to be like this

9/19/2011 12:15:45 AM

nothing is stopping you from being adventurous AND going on a cruise.

My wife and I almost never do "cruise expeditions", but rather, we find another couple or two who want to see something that is interesting to us, and we figure it out once we get to the destinations.

Nothing says exciting like hitting the water falls in the puerto-rican rain forest with NOBODY ELSE around ... or stopping at a jamaican chicken restaurant where you are the only foreigner in the whole place eating dinner ...

Seriously ... you can still be adventurous ... the only thing is you DO have to be back at a certain time, so it takes camping/survivor-esque opportunities off the table ... but still plenty to do while still being adventurous.

9/19/2011 12:24:23 AM

What kind of cruise? I've been on a Carnival Cruise to Mexico and hated it. My brother recommends European river cruises.

Where are you thinking of going and what do you want to do? If Mexico and relaxation, try an all-inclusive resort.

9/19/2011 12:25:06 AM

I don't think I even went to the pool on the last few....oh wait I went to the jacuzzi at midnight to look at the stars, but that hardly counts.

I enjoy...art auctions, movies, seminars on how to improve myself and/or learn something new, mystery/who dun it lunches, as well as the shows, random forced activities (pub crawl, trivia, wii bowling, etc.), and of course gambling I actually very rarely go to the pool since it is usually crowded.

In port we usually do something (not the beach). I have snorkeled (many times), parasailed, horseback ridden, hiked, ziplined and more. I do both cruise lined planned tours or we get a taxi and go on our own.

I personally like the variety of things to do and only having to unpack 1 time. I also like "regular" vacations, but for 7 days it will be less than 1500 after tax for my husband, son, and me. We will have a balcony stateroom on a nice ship with all of our meals and basic entertainment included.

[Edited on September 19, 2011 at 12:26 AM. Reason : ]

9/19/2011 12:26:25 AM

I am a big fan of cruises. They are economical and allow you to see a bunch of places on a "mobile hotel."

Out of the 5 I have been on, Celebrity Cruises, is probably my favorite cruise line. NCL is my least favorite. NCL is cheaper pricewise but as the adage goes, you get what you pay for....

Quote :

"The reason I posted that is I travelled with my mother in law and she about had a break down on a train in Switzerland. I realized then some people like the hands off approach and require frozen American food on an al inclusive resort or cruise"

Sounds like my father. He does not handle change well and functions better when given a routine/schedule. Hence during our open-ended tour of Normandy and the British Isles he often got frustrated during unexpected events, getting lost, getting seperated, etc.
He was most well behaved during the day long guided bus tour of leeds castle and canterbury.

[Edited on September 19, 2011 at 12:41 PM. Reason : a]

9/19/2011 12:28:41 PM

I wasn't really on board with the idea of a cruise until I had a kid.

They're kinda ideal for a family vacation, especially when trying to be economical.

9/19/2011 12:34:37 PM

Quote :

"I've technically been to Jamaica (Ocho Rios), but I felt like all we saw were people hustling trinkets and cab rides. I didn't get a feel of any of the culture of the place (then again, maybe Jamaica is just people hustlin')."

That is indeed Jamaica... although you may have missed the full experience if you did not have anything stolen. Be sure to go back for that fun experience

9/19/2011 12:34:52 PM

There are some pretty neat things to see in Jamaica. We did a tour of the banana farm and climbed up the Dune River Falls (that was awesome). But yeah, then spent the afternoon arguing with people over why we didn't want to buy their $5 t-shirt.

9/19/2011 12:57:19 PM

Carnivals new years cruise is pretty neat.

ive been on a handful of 5-7 day cruises and this 3 day NYE was just as fun.

they greet you on board with unlimited champagne, they dock at bahamas and you can either spend NY celebration on the boat, or on the streets of Nassau, where they really go all out.

we may do it again this year.

9/19/2011 1:43:54 PM

i don't lump all of my vacations together. i tend to think of my trips as either "travel" or "vacation".

If i'm traveling I want to experience everything I can about my destination. If it's abroad then the cuisine, people, culture.

If i'm vacationing i want it to be as relaxing as possible, and for that cruising is a great option.

9/19/2011 2:20:28 PM

i've been on a few as a kid and as an adult. loved all of them.

HOPEFULLY we'll one day do the Mediterranean cruise we had planned for our honeymoon before I lost my job and we did Key West instead.

9/19/2011 3:57:04 PM

I've been on 6 cruises, and loved them all. It is a great way to see a region, do some land activities, and have relaxation and great food.
My most recent cruise (Alaska) was not as great but I'm hoping that was a cingular experience.

9/19/2011 4:10:00 PM

i guess really the crowds are what i have a problem with. all of my vacations in the last several years have been to remote locations, middle of nowhere, backpacking & sleeping in a tent as far away from people as possible kind of trips i can see how they would be economical & easy.

9/19/2011 6:47:00 PM

definitely the best bang for the buck. however, everything is mediocre. the shows will be weak, comedians will be kind of funny, food is ok, destinations are awesome

9/20/2011 7:44:12 PM

I had a good experience on Royal Caribbean. The host/comedian was stellar. Plenty to do on the ship, fun people in the casino to get drunk with. There were a lot of events such as dodgeball, poolside contests, and indoor activities like karaoke and dancing. The food was probably the best part, there's never a shortage of food, whenever you are hungry there's food everywhere and it's all included. There's even a formal dinner on one of the nights where you can capitalize off some insane steak cuts or fish.

Our stops were Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Maarten (dutch side), and Nassau. There was plenty of time at each stop to hit up excursions, explore the area, or just relax on the beach. We did a nature hike in Cas Cay at St. Thomas that included swimming and snorkeling, also leaving enough time for us to shop ($8 fifths of absolut FTW). St. Maarten was the best for me because I was able to scuba dive while there, and pick up some absinthe. It also had some of the prettiest beach i've ever seen.

[Edited on September 20, 2011 at 7:54 PM. Reason : .]

9/20/2011 7:52:29 PM

Anyone here usually get sea sick, but didn't on a cruise?

9/20/2011 8:18:46 PM

^I've been very sea sick before on small boats out in a sound when it was pretty rough. I was concerned I might get sick so I had my doctor prescribe patches for my first cruise that you place behind your ear that help with motion sickness, however for the second one I went on I did not use these and did not get sick at all, but the seas were pretty calm.

9/20/2011 8:24:18 PM

Never been on one. Doesn't really seem like it would be my style in most cases.

They're cheap; I'm sure I'll end up doing one sometime. My idea of a vacation is more like to the 2 week trip I took to Peru (hiked Inca trail to Machu Picchu, spent close to a week in the Amazon, partied my face off in Cuzco)...or ski vacations...or maybe to some tropical paradise (could be accomplished on a cruise...maybe I'll do that), or to destinations of great significance.

I've looked a little into flying to Paris, getting a euro-rail pass, going to the Nurburgring and renting a car to run for a day, then checking out Berlin and/or Munich, and then heading down into Switzerland to ski Zermat (Matterhorn).

[Edited on September 20, 2011 at 8:32 PM. Reason : ]

9/20/2011 8:27:51 PM

love cruises. I've been on more than I can count on RC, Carnival and Princess.

fwiw RC has the best food, and nicer ships but caters to a 30-50's crowd. Carnival is by far the most fun for a younger demographic and they have nice ships as well, just not quite as new. The food is also good but RC was a bit ritzier. Princess was definitely an older crowd but it was nice. I only went on their line for a European cruise so it could have had a lot to do with it. Much smaller ship.

All around, cruises rock because you get to see so many places in a short time, the ships offer nice relaxing amenities and by far the best part is the endless food from midnight buffets to lobster tails at captains dinners. The comedy shows are among the best I've ever seen (actually saw Louie CK before he got big) and so are the magic/musical shows. The only drawback is that you really don't get to experience the place like you would if you stay overnight and/or longer. For the money though, A+

9/20/2011 10:07:32 PM

hmm, definitely doesn't sound like my thing.

9/21/2011 8:33:24 AM

I've been on two: Royal Carribean (Port Canaveral, Nassau, Little Stirrup Cay) & Carnival (Miami, Key West, Cozumel).

For the RC cruise, it was just my wife and I. For the Carnival, we went with another couple who knew several other couples going on the trip. I would definitely say it is better to go as a group.

For those of you that don't like crowds, it is not much different than a resort vacation. Unless you are going to a rainforest village, there is going to be people around. The cruise ship is not really any more crowded than a hotel pool. It is not like you are fighting for elbow room all the time like a crowded bar or a concert.

Cruises are an ideal for a vacation for a family; no driving, no argument over where to eat, etc.

9/21/2011 10:55:28 AM

ive been on a family cruise, and a cruise with just my wife. each had advantages and disadvantages. the biggest problem with cruising with a group is communication. you can't just pull out your cell phone and call people (unless you want roaming charges up the ass) so you have to be creative with when/where you plan to meet, etc.

9/22/2011 9:47:53 AM

Meh...I went on one when I was 17. It was fun then, but I don't think I'll ever go on another one unless it's something like an Alaskan cruise.

I cherish my vacation time (because I get so little of it), and I like to go on vacations where I can really immerse myself in the place. Cruises don't let you do that.

I definitely see the advantages and I don't knock people who like them. But just not my cup of tea.

9/22/2011 9:57:04 AM

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/world/asia/north-korea-seeks-to-lure-tourists-to-holiday-cruises.html

9/22/2011 10:02:29 AM

Quote :

"For those of you that don't like crowds, it is not much different than a resort vacation. Unless you are going to a rainforest village, there is going to be people around. The cruise ship is not really any more crowded than a hotel pool. It is not like you are fighting for elbow room all the time like a crowded bar or a concert."

yeah i avoid resorts & hotel pools too. unless my dad is planning the trip, then it's always some all inclusive resort with lots of people & nothing to do.

my grandma LOVED cruises.

9/22/2011 10:55:48 AM

I'm going on my honeymoon cruise (Mediterranean on NCL Epic) in less than a month. I've only been on one cruise (Carnival to the Bahamas) so I don't have much to compare it to, but I'm pretty excited. Our ship has Blue Man Group on board for no additional charge, along with tons of other shows and an ice bar. We booked our balcony room 14 months in advance and spent $850/person. Not bad when you think about all meals and accommodations included...plus we get to see Barcelona, Florence, Rome, Naples/Amalfi Coast, and Palma over a week, granted it will be a whirlwind vacation but we're looking forward to it. I think cruises are definitely worth it. I've never really wanted to book excursions through the cruise line, but after comparing their prices to local tours, it's not a bad deal at all. Plus, you're most likely to be first off the ship and guaranteed to get back in time. If not, they send you to the next port on their dime. With wedding money, we've been able to book an excursion at almost every port. I don't think we would've done that many if it wasn't our honeymoon.

9/22/2011 10:58:16 AM

^ Tell me how that is......we hated the only NCL cruise we were on, but they offered us that cruise for free since we gamble in the early spring and we are so conflicted.....


Cruises are like anything else.....they are exactly what you make of it. My brother and wife spend the WHOLE week in the spa.

[Edited on September 22, 2011 at 9:31 PM. Reason : ]

9/22/2011 9:30:14 PM

NCL sucks

9/23/2011 8:15:24 AM

What about NCL sucks? I haven't been on one, but just curious. Their newer boats look nice, and I like the idea of the restaurant choices and "freestyle cruising".

Haven't booked a cruise or anything, but based on advertising I would have probably tried NCL next so specifics would be helpful.

I have always heard RC was the best of the big boys, but my only cruise experience is on Carnival.

9/23/2011 8:36:24 AM

So teach me about cruises.
Are all cruise prices "all inclusive" with food, ammenities, etc.(I'm talking about those cruises listed in the $700-$1000/person range)? Is there a limit to the amount of, or price of food that you're allowed to order?

Can you get off and on the ship quickly when at different ports? Seems like you would have very little time at some places if it takes a while to get everyone off and on.

I don't suppose any ships have a kids area that will let you drop them off for several hours if just the wife and I wanted to go into town without the kiddos huh?

9/23/2011 10:47:40 AM

Is alcohol still ridiculously priced on cruises?? It was 10 years ago...just wondering if that was still the case.

Because if I'm going on a cruise...I'm going to be shitty most of the time. I think you could very easily double the price of your cruise ticket, in booze.

9/23/2011 10:54:24 AM

^^Booze is not included, excursions cost money, and there are always restaurant upgrades, but the basic food is covered. Most even charge for soda all though you can usually get an "all day" or "all trip" cup for $10-$20.

If you watch Cruise Inc. they go over an entire NCL cruise from Miami to the Caribbean and tell you all about their margins, and how they seek to make money on the passengers. Really interesting actually.

9/23/2011 10:56:42 AM

How to save on alcohol... Bring a lot of "mouth wash"

9/23/2011 11:06:48 AM