What Do You Like About Cruises

[drrich2]

If I do another cruise it will be something like a transatlantic, where we just cruise and don't stop.

Since the hecticness while one can find cruising has been brought up by a number of people, this is worth expanding on a bit.

1.) In order to be treated as a foreign-flagged vessel and avoid U.S. labor laws (e.g.: minimum wage), a cruise ship based out of the U.S. must visit at least one foreign port. So there are essentially no 'cruises to nowhere.'

Note: It's my understanding there's competition for those cruise ship jobs, so evidently the amount of money they make is meaningful back home for these folks, and I suspect they have a lower cost of living than many in the U.S.

2.) Just because the ship docks at a port doesn't mean you have to get off. While some things close onboard while in port, some things don't, and if you care little for ports and want a much less populated ship experience, when many people head into port, stay onboard.

3.) Not all cruises are the same. The 'mega-ships' like the Voyager, Freedom, and especially Oasis (and I suspect Quantum) class ships of Royal Caribbean are enormous and cater to families, so the term 'floating amusement park' comes to mind.

But you can have a far different cruise experience on a smaller ship and/or a different cruise line targeting a different demographic.

Our one Celebrity cruise was on the Constellation, way back in '08 IIRC, a line known for an older clientele (a buddy looked at the other passengers and told my wife "I told you he booked us on the Constipation!" It was an 11-day cruise (most U.S. families don't take over a week's vacation, from what I understand) in February (when kids are in school, and just had a big Christmas break), and I recall seeing one little kid that week, in an adult's arms, and it felt like I was looking at someone's pet monkey. No rock climbing walls or flow rider.

Some people love the floating amusement park experience, like the Royal Promenade on Royal Caribbean's big ships where it's like you're walking on a city street surrounded by shops. Some like the classic 'at sea' experience where they feel more connected to the sea, like with the smaller Radiance class ships.

And that's not even getting into the luxury lines, or the smaller 'expedition' type cruises - such as might hit the Galapagos Islands.

Cruising is not for everyone, but there are a variety of cruises for a variety of people.

 

[jonhall]

Wow, there are a lot of different notions regarding cruises. My wife and I are not really cruisers but we have been on 4 cruises since 2014 and have one planned for 2024. Having been on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Holland America, it's easy to tell that ships and offerings are not all the same, although on either of them you can make a cruise experience what you want. All but one of our cruises had or will have a purpose - we just got back a few weeks ago from a Caribbean cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale that we never would have done, but we had cruise credit (from a previous cruisetour in which we had a Covid issue - another story) we had to use or lose. Making a stop in Atlanta, before heading home, to see Harry Potter, the Exhibition and the Georgia Aquarium made the trip worth it (OK, the jet skis at Half Moon Cay and the catamaran/snorkeling at Grand Turk were also a lot of fun.)

From my limited experience, a few thoughts:

* $$$$$ - I can plan a 2 week trip (which includes diving) at a resort for less than what I have paid for a 1 week cruise, which have all had extra days tacked on before or after. There is a cheaper way to do a cruise (deals, inside rooms, cheaper drink packages, etc...) but having experienced a veranda, my wife wouldn't do anything less now.

** The cruise I'm taking in 2024 is Australia/New Zealand. It was, in my research, the cheapest way to see what we'll see when compared to land cruises.

* Planning a trip on one's own to locations where cruise ships go could include airfare, car/rental/gas, hotels/motels, excursions, and food - with a lot of driving to get from place to place and then unpacking and packing back up for the next days adventure - that can be stressful and tiring. A cruise ship eliminates most of that. I feel our cruises along the New England coast and Alaska's Inside Passage allowed us to see places we never would have gotten to on our own. A Caribbean cruise allowed us to see some islands we'd not been to before.

* We were on Holland for our last 2 cruises and will be for our future cruise. They have a rep of catering toward older folks. I like that they are smaller than other cruise lines, thus less people, and that they offer quite a bit of entertainment.

Your luggage is delivered to your room when you get on the ship, but when you leave........its F you, we piled your luggage in a giant warehouse. Find it yourself. Black suitcases on the left, colors on the right. I would have rathered just rolled mine off the ship myself.

Just a quick comment about this - Holland, at least on our last 2 cruises, offered Luggage Direct (there are a few requirements.) Our airline boarding passes and airline luggage tags were provided to us the day before disembarking. Our checked bags, which we put outside our door by midnight, were taken directly to the airport. Upon arrival to the airport, we just walked through security check and to our gate. Think the service cost us $25/person. Well worth it, IMO - I can say that now because our luggage has made it home when we did.

 

[DarR]

It keeps my relatives away for a week or two.

 

[mac66]

Yes, it's a bit of hyperbole, but not a ton...

"I know that some people are adamantly opposed to genocide, and that's fine, but..."
"I know that some people are adamantly opposed to blood diamonds, and that's fine, but..."
"I know that some people are adamantly opposed to clear cutting the rain forests, and that's fine, but..."
"I know that some people are adamantly opposed to hunting elephants for ivory, and that's fine, but..."

What I'm saying is that none of those things are good.

Cruises are not good. They are the opposite of good.

This is an industry that is about to dynamite miles MORE of coral reef on Cozumel - a place with dozens of endemic, at-risk species - to make room for yet another giant ship that will disgorge a bunch of people to shop for crap they could have bought at home while they try to get over their stomach-ache from the breakfast buffet.

They are, actually, goddamned evil.

And you are not visiting Mexico. You are visiting a mall. A mall that might be in Mexico. But there's nothing Mexican about it other than the people there are going to try to hard-sell you tequila until you get back on the boat and the town will close up shop until the next vomitorium of cruise-tourists splatter onto shore for the day.

There's nothing "sampler"y about cruise destinations. They're the same boring ports where you can buy the same boring coconut carved into the same stupid monkey that says "Mexico" or "Jamaica" or "Aruba" or whatever on your way to Senor Frog's.

Rethink your curiosity and wanting to learn more about something that is obviously and demonstrably responsible for the destruction for the ecosystems we claim to value as divers.

I am curious about other people and their experiences. People are interesting. But I am not that curious about people who happily just destroy things for no other reason than they pretend not to know better.

BS