# Ask the guy who recently returned from a cruise... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 27, 2016, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325 "2016-02-27T19:27:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2016, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/41 "2016-02-28T23:22:36Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > First, as a tourist, you’re going to be met with aggressive vendors. Be prepared. > > Second, do not, under any circumstances, open your wallet in front of them. One guy was trying to get us to buy some string bracelets: “my mother made these!” (not the only man whose mother stocked his booth with identical items…) My husband pulled out his wallet full of bills (mostly singles, but it looked like a buttload of money) and I saw the vendor lean in to check it out, trying to figure how much he could sell us. In the end, we took 3 of the bracelets for something like $5, which was still somewhat overpriced, but we could afford it and I know Haiti is a poor country. However, I recommend you carry bills loose in your pockets so that you only pull out a few at a time - maybe paperclip $10 groups together. > > Third, learn to be polite but firm in your refusals, and walk away. It’s not rude - it’s survival! This is excellent advice. Both Cozumel and Progresso are set up so you have to pretty much run a gauntlet of vendors to get from the ship to the buses for the excursions. Costumed people wanting to pose for pictures (for “donations” in set amounts), vendors hawking authentic Mayan/Mexican merchandise (made in China or wherever), etc. I never felt unsafe, and the people weren’t threatening or anything, but they were very…enthusiastic…about selling their wares. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/42 "2016-02-28T23:31:23Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > How long was your cruise? How long were you ashore in each place? > > Did you enjoy the food? Or was it okay? How much extra did you spend, over and above for misc stuff? We got on the boat in New Orleans on Monday around noon…it left the dock around 4:00 PM, and we got back the following Saturday morning about 8:00 AM. Because we had the “faster to the fun” thing, we were off the ship and out of the parking garage before 9:00 AM that Saturday. I enjoyed some of the food, and most of the rest of it was at least decent. The Druidess had a really bad lobster bisque, and the fried chicken on the buffet was bad to the point of being inedible. Overall, I found it to be comparable to a decent casino buffet. We probably spent about $400 for extra stuff, but $100 of that was parking while we were on the ship, and The Druidess had her hair done on board for another $150 or so. I’m including what we spent in port as well as on the ship. We prepaid for a bunch of stuff–tips, excursions, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/43 "2016-02-29T05:19:48Z")
Overall how much do you think you paid for all this? Did you get any discounts? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/44 "2016-02-29T05:37:10Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Overall how much do you think you paid for all this? > > Did you get any discounts? Counting every dime, even gas to drive to New Orleans and back, hotel and a nice seafood dinner the night before we boarded, I think we spent around $1800 for the two of us. I think we did get a discounted rate on the basic cruise itself, via either AAA or AARP–not sure which we ended up using, but they were both similar. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/45 "2016-02-29T17:39:23Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > The Druidess and I took a cruise earlier this month, departing from New Orleans aboard the _Carnival Elation_. We stopped in Cozumel and Progresso, got to tour Mayan ruins, and generally had an awesome time. It was my first cruise, first time in Mexico, and my first vacation as an adult. > > ``` > If anyone is considering taking a cruise or is just curious, I'll be happy to try to answer any questions ..... > > ``` I’m jealous! 5 years ago we took the same cruise on the Carnival Ecstasy, but the winds were so high that Progresso’s port was shut down and they weren’t allowing anyone in or out. We still had a great time, though. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/46 "2016-02-29T18:08:49Z")
> [@Katriona](#): > > I’m jealous! 5 years ago we took the same cruise on the Carnival Ecstasy, but the winds were so high that Progresso’s port was shut down and they weren’t allowing anyone in or out. > > We still had a great time, though. Interesting. We ran into weather issues in Progresso as well. In fact, we were about 5 hours late leaving port because the winds were so high the captain deemed it unsafe to depart as scheduled. After we finally left, he put the hammer down on the return trip, managed to make up the lost time and got us back to New Orleans right on time. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/47 "2016-02-29T19:14:49Z")
Our family took a cruise on the Elation years ago, when it was based in Los Angeles. We also went to Mexico, but the Pacific coast. We also had a great time. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/48 "2016-02-29T19:24:21Z")
I’m not being facetious here, so bear with me… But… why take a cruise? That’s the part I’ve never understood. When I travel, I’m going SOMEWHERE as a point of the trip. I can’t quite imagine only spending like 7 hours in any one destination; that’s maybe a somewhat curtailed day-trip elsewhere. I’d rather endure a 10 hour plane flight somewhere, and then spend the balance of the time where I wanted to go, rather than getting there. Are the destinations not the point of the cruise? Maybe that’s the part I’m missing. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/49 "2016-02-29T19:32:20Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I’m not being facetious here, so bear with me… > > But… why take a cruise? That’s the part I’ve never understood. When I travel, I’m going SOMEWHERE as a point of the trip. I can’t quite imagine only spending like 7 hours in any one destination; that’s maybe a somewhat curtailed day-trip elsewhere. I’d rather endure a 10 hour plane flight somewhere, and then spend the balance of the time where I wanted to go, rather than getting there. > > Are the destinations not the point of the cruise? Maybe that’s the part I’m missing. I’ve never been on a cruise, but I can see the appeal. I like being on boats. I like moving around. I like the idea of a hotel on the water, where I can work out, watch the water, eat, gamble, and wake up in a different port most days. I wouldn’t want all my vacations to be on a cruise, but once or twice sounds fun. If I want a week in Cabo, I’ll do that the traditional way. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/50 "2016-02-29T19:38:36Z")
In general, cruises are for people who like staying in nice hotels and being taken care of, rather than people who want to GO and DO and EXPLORE and SEE. In general. Most of the fun of a cruise (like a very nice hotel or resort complex) is being somewhere where you don’t have to worry about ANYTHING. Want to eat? Ok, there’s a 24-7 buffet, lovely restaurants, bars, and room service. Dirty clothes? No worries - they’ll be back later tonight, magically clean. Want to be pampered? Massage? Haircut? Sauna? Aromatherapy? YES. Want to be entertained? It’s like mini-Vegas - what are you in the mood for? Want to lounge in a chair and read and have someone bring you drinks and snacks all day? Yeah boy. Want to swim? Pick a pool, there’s like 6 of them. Want to do something interesting, but not be bothered to plan or figure out the logistics? Hand your card to the nice shipboard/resort consierge and tomorrow morning you go swim with dolphins or go for a picnic on a shrimp boat or ride horses along the beach without you having to do a damn thing to arrange it. I am a manager at work, and I manage my home as well. It is REALLY LOVELY to be somewhere and just let someone else deal with all the organization and menial bits of life while I lay back and relax and go with the flow. When I’m traveling, I’m the one thinking and planning and worrying and making sure everything’s going well - it’s fun, but it’s not RELAXING. When I cruised, it was like a miracle. There’s no planning to do. There’s no worrying to do. It was delightful. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/51 "2016-02-29T19:40:39Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I’m not being facetious here, so bear with me… > > But… why take a cruise? That’s the part I’ve never understood. When I travel, I’m going SOMEWHERE as a point of the trip. I can’t quite imagine only spending like 7 hours in any one destination; that’s maybe a somewhat curtailed day-trip elsewhere. I’d rather endure a 10 hour plane flight somewhere, and then spend the balance of the time where I wanted to go, rather than getting there. > > Are the destinations not the point of the cruise? Maybe that’s the part I’m missing. Destinations are part of the cruise, not the point. You get to see a new place almost every day, and have a few hours to amuse yourself. If you liked a place you can always take a full vacation there in the future, if you didn’t like it you haven’t blown your whole vacation budget on a dud. Cruises are very similar to those all-in-one resorts. You get your accommodations, your meals, your entertainment, and your transportation to a different locale all for one price. Plus you get the chance to win a plastic ship on a stick in the trivia games. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/52 "2016-02-29T20:15:55Z")
Apart from the pampering and total relaxation of being on the ship, I think of the ports of call as a sampler. In fact, based on my last cruise, my husband and I plan to spend 2 weeks in Iceland, because 2 port visits were enough for us to want more time there. Other places, the few hours ashore were almost too much. I can’t wait for my next cruise - maybe we’ll do the Panama Canal… ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/53 "2016-02-29T20:40:44Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > On rare occasions I have been on a cruise with a 2-day port call. You can book separate activities for each day, and IIRC (someone else can weigh in here) they may offer a 2-day side trip with hotel rooms (we were suppossed to go to Alexandria, Egypt and they had a 2-day trip to Cairo offered…we ended up in Athens instead). When we went to Egypt (before the uprisings) we took the one day trip to Cairo to see the pyramids and stuff. Those who took the overnight trip got to see museums also but weren’t all that happy with it. I don’t think they liked the hotel all that much. Doing it in one day was tiring, but doable. It’s a long bus ride to Cairo, but we got to see the half-built housing complexes. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/54 "2016-02-29T20:48:05Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I’m not being facetious here, so bear with me… > > But… why take a cruise? That’s the part I’ve never understood. When I travel, I’m going SOMEWHERE as a point of the trip. I can’t quite imagine only spending like 7 hours in any one destination; that’s maybe a somewhat curtailed day-trip elsewhere. I’d rather endure a 10 hour plane flight somewhere, and then spend the balance of the time where I wanted to go, rather than getting there. > > Are the destinations not the point of the cruise? Maybe that’s the part I’m missing. You get to go to lots of somewheres without the hassle of transportation. I’ve done southern Caribbean including Venezuela where we got to see Angel falls and an amazing lake which was fed by seven waterfalls. We did the Mediterranean where we saw Rome, Barcelona, Ephesus, Egypt and Athens all on one trip. We did the Baltic where we saw Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, the Hermitage, Talinn and Germany. It is a good screen. We’re not crazy about Italy, but definitely are going back to Sweden for longer. We departed from Copenhagen and got an AirBnB there for three days before departure, so we saw a lot of the place. Plus it is relaxing. In Europe there is effectively no Internet on the ships - this is a plus for me. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/55 "2016-02-29T20:54:21Z")
As for dining, Norwegian, which we used for our last two cruises, encourages people to eat at their specialty restaurants for an added charge. Since we can go to great restaurants in the Bay Area whenever we want to, we just used the main dining room. The food was not as good as on the QE2 35 years ago, but still quite acceptable. Given no reservations, we usually sat by ourselves (we were 3), but I enjoyed cruises where we had assigned seating. On the QE2 we were assigned go a table with the Chief Engineer, and we got to go to a party in his cabin. I don’t think they send crew to dinner any more. On NCL when we made early reservations we go seats right by the giant windows astern - and were there when we left Malta Harbor. Malta is the most interesting harbor by far - even better than New York. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/56 "2016-02-29T21:18:39Z")
> [@dzeiger](#): > > When I was on a Norwegian Cruise Line cruise in Hawaii a couple months ago, we did not have any sort of set time or table, you just showed up sometime when the dining rooms were open, they asked if you wanted to be seated with other people, and if not, you got your own table. Presumably if they were full, you might have to wait, or maybe you’d be required to sit with someone else, not sure. We took a Norwegian cruise to Alaska a few years back, and Ivylad and I always sat by ourselves at dinner. Breakfast and lunch was more of a buffet-type thing. We’re taking a Carnival cruise to the Bahamas at the end of March, and we picked the 6p dinner seating. It will be interesting to compare the two. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/57 "2016-02-29T21:33:32Z")
If you don’t want to sit with strangers you can have that noted on your reservation. It isn’t guaranteed, but the cruise will try. I’ve been on many cruises and only sat with strangers on one. Norwegian is different since they have their ‘freestyle dining’ instead of the traditional main dining room set-up. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/58 "2016-02-29T22:09:41Z")
Carnival has an any-time seating option too - just show up with your party and you’ll be seated together. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/59 "2016-02-29T22:11:14Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > In general, cruises are for people who like staying in nice hotels and being taken care of, rather than people who want to GO and DO and EXPLORE and SEE. In general. Ah… that latter half kind of describes my vacationing mentality to a T. My wife and I aren’t usually too concerned about the hotels we’re in (provided they’re sanitary and not overly ratty) because we typically don’t spend much time in them when it’s the two of us. Part of the fun is finding places off the beaten path to eat, shop and entertain ourselves. Being taken care of isn’t in it at all; and to some extent, neither is coming back physically relaxed. Sounds like cruising is not for me… ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325/60 "2016-03-01T00:18:12Z")
We went on our first cruise in 2010, and have been on four more since then (all on Disney Cruise Line). We’ve taken two Bahamas cruises, two Caribbean cruises, and one Mediterranean cruise. We like them because of the great service and amenities on the ship, and the ability to see a new port each day. One reason we started taking cruises was because of my nervous wife. She was initially terrified to travel out of the country, and this was a way for her to take it slow. A cruise ship gives you a place to stay at night, and your meals are taken care of. You can get off the ship in a different port each day, and see a lot in a short period of time. For example, on our Mediterranean cruise, we saw Barcelona, Nice, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Pompeii, and Capri in one week. To maximize the single day we had in Rome, we used a private tour operator who picked us up at the port and drove us all around Rome and the Vatican. That said, I probably wouldn’t do another Mediterranean cruise. It was good for a taste of the places we visited, but you’re on a strict timetable, because you have to get back to the ship. However, the cruise went so well that my wife is now fine with just going there directly next time. Cruises can also be good for family-reunion type vacations. We’re going on a cruise next year at which we’re meeting my mom as well as my sister and her family (all living in Texas), along with another sister who lives in New Mexico. (The cruise is a Bahamas cruise that departs from Florida.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-recently-returned-from-a-cruise/747325.md?page=4)