Cruise ships

In My Humble Opinion
1

Inspired by this thread.

I’ve never been on a cruise, unless you count a trip on [USNS_General Edwin D. Patrick](United States Naval Ship - Wikipedia General_Edwin_D._Patrick) when I was three. I have a very vague memory of the cafeteria, and of playing a game wherein I’d go to the rail of an upper deck and try to back away from it before the ship’s horn blew, while my mom lounged in the sun. So most of what I know about cruises comes from watching The Love Boat. :stuck_out_tongue: My only other underway experience is from small power- and sailboats, and ferries.

My impression is that a cruise ship is a big floating hotel with some very nice (and variable) views. Like hotels, they have pools to swim in, places to catch rays, entertainment to watch, and places to eat and drink. I’ve seen the commercials that depict rock climbing onboard, and various activities in which one may partake at the destinations. The actual ‘cruising’ part seems a bit boring. Now, given the opportunity I’d love to travel by sea. That is, I’d like to use a ship as a means of transportation. But to cruise for the sake of cruising seems pointless to me. I’m sure some people like it, much as many people like to stay in luxury hotels. I prefer adventure to sitting around being pampered.

So what’s the appeal of cruising?

2

My (now deceased) parents and two older, morbidly obese sisters all love to go on cruises.

For them, it is the appeal of not having to plan or think about ANYTHING. Their schedule is made for them and they are given options to shows and entertainment throughout their stay. There is always food available somewhere without too much walking to go and get it.

I am the only one in the family who takes the time to plan and travel extensively internationally and when I tell them what I go through in coordinating air fare, hotels, and restaurant reservations, they say it is too much work.

My family is lazy and for them, going on cruises means very little work for a lot of reward.

I joined them two years ago for a cruise to the Caribbean and while I opted for packages that included hiking, parasailing, swimming with manta rays, and snorkling, my obese sisters only went on the excursions that included the least amount of movement and a planned lunch.

My mother was in a wheelchair the last few years of her life and there were a number of cruises my parents could go on that would easily accommodate her immobility while offering them entertainments throughout the ship they enjoyed.

I would go again only because I know there are some kick-butt deals to be had if you can go last minute. Considering food (not alcohol) is included, it is possible to get away for less than it costs to book a hotel and eat out while traveling.

3

First of all, YMMV.

However, as one who never saw the appeal of cruising until I took my first cruise, I will try to answer your questions.

A cruise allows you to spend time in several different places on one trip without needing to move your sleeping location. For example, on one cruise in the Baltic Sea we saw Helsinki, Talinn, and St. Petersburg but we never needed to unpack because we slept in the same room every night on the ship.

In general, all your meals come with the cost of the cabin, and the meals are pretty good. So you never have to wonder if you’ve got enough money with you for a meal. Most drinks cost extra, however.

I found, much to my own surprise, that I liked the days the ship spent entirely at sea, sailing between one port and another. It gave a quiet break between the port days, which were always very busy. I could sleep, read, or just look out at the ocean. Very peaceful.

Some places are seen very well by cruise ship. The Alaska glaciers is a good example.

Now there are some disadvantages too, of course. A cruise can never get to an inland city (although there are river cruises too, which get to a lot of cities you may not think possible). A cruise spends only a short time in each port, almost always less than two days, so you don’t get a chance to see that much.

So I would never cruise for all of my vacations. But I would, and have done it for some of them, and they’ve been great.

4

I’ve only been on one cruise. It was with Garrison Keillor and the cast of “Prairie Home Companion.” Many long-time cyber friends went and it was a lot of fun to get to finally meet them. Because we already knew each other from cyberspace there was little to do by way of introduction.

We went to The Maritimes. Didn’t think I was interested in that part of the world but I thoroughly enjoyed our time on land and found the people and scenery delightful. Almost fairytale-like.

It was a ship out of Holland and reputed to be one of the cleanest. The meals were absolutely fantastic and by the end of the week I would have paid for a peanut butter sandwich. Entirely too much good food.

There were workshops and no end of entertainment.

The downsides?

I ran out of medicine I needed and wasn’t able to fill the presciption in Canada. The ship’s doctor couldn’t help me.

I don’t care to be on a schedule on vacation and being herded around on tours isn’t one of my favorite things.

I sometimes felt claustrophobic.

We had bedbugs! That was before the current rash of them and quite a surprise.

I wouldn’t take another cruise unless my husband wants to do one.

5

I’ve been on two cruises, both Royal Caribbean, so I’ll give you my impressions although I’m sure others’ may vary.

From a vacation value perspective, depending on the destinations/ports of call, it is hard to beat. My first cruise cost me $3600. For that I received luxury accommodations in a suite-level stateroom (Grand Suite, for those interested), which included perqs, such as concierge service, priority boarding, priority seating at shows, premium seating at the onboard pools, free 24-hour room service, invitations to special events. Our stateroom was much larger than an average sized one, and had a fantastic deck with two loungers, a small table, and a large table with seating for four, the stateroom itself had tons of closet and storage space, a separate bedroom and living room, a small dining area, a huge bathroom with a shower, tub, and two sinks, and a bar area. It was like staying in a very nice hotel suite.

The destination on this cruise was Bermuda. We left from Bayonne NJ. We had almost 2 days at sea, 1.5 days in Bermuda, and another 2 days at sea coming back. On board there were tons of activities. If you like shows you won’t be disappointed as there are many. Many of Royal Carribean’s ships have a rock-climbing wall, basketball courts, ping pong tables, a full-featured gym and other options for the more active cruiser, but some of their ships don’t. Also, many cruise lines don’t have any of these things, so it pays to research before booking.

On this trip, I had a fantastic time in Bermuda. The entire island is clean, the people are friendly and, unlike other island destinations, you will not be confronted by beggars on the streets, or con/scam artists. Transportation in Bermuda is as easy as can be. Their signature pink buses are all over the place. You can cab it to your destinations if you want, but why pay the extra cash when you can just hop on a bus? I went to Horseshoe bay beach and it was amazing and beautiful. I have never in my life seen water so blue. Also, being from New Jersey, it was odd for me to experience a beach that was free. There’s tons of shopping for those who like that sort of thing, and they take American and British money, so there’s no need to exchange.

The cruise line offers many excursion packages, but I found them to be excessively expensive, and in a place like Bermuda, there is absolutely no reason to pay the cruise line’s rates when you can go out on your own and experience the same activities and pay the vendor directly, saving you up to 80%.

I’m not what you may consider a typical cruiser, but my wife wanted to try it out, so we did, twice. Will be do it again? I’m not sure. I’m kind of in a been-there-done-that frame of mind at this point, but it did turn out to be worth it for us.

As I said, I’ve gone on two cruises, and still have all the paraphernalia and information from both, so feel free to ask any specific questions you may have.

6

I’m not planning any trips. It’s just that the other thread made me think of cruises. My style is to hit a town and wander aimlessly. I’ve been to tourist spots of course, but I like getting away from the crowds. A friend went to Hawaii and marveled at the people hanging out at the hotel pools when there was a perfectly good ocean just steps away. I’m like that. I’d rather swim in the ocean than in a pool. When I see $3,600 I think ‘That’s 36 hours of Cessna rental.’ Or ‘That’s 16 hours of helicopter rental.’

Still, a friend would like to go on an Alaska cruise. I’d like to, just to see the glaciers. (And I love riding on the Washington State and BC Ferries.) She might move up here in a couple of years. Might be fun.

7

True, but that $3600 was for an entire five days, with all the food you can eat included. Also, $3600 is high for the cruise I went on. We wanted the VIP treatment and decided to pay extra. Most passengers on that cruise paid in the range of $1200 to $2000. My four day vacation in France cost me more than that. Heck, my three day trip to Japan cost me more than that, and all my food and activities were extra.

8

We went on a Disney cruise, which was about as much fun as you can have without being arrested. Lots and lots of stuff to do, for children and adults, in a totally safe environment.

As suranyi says, it is a nice balance of busy fun and laid-back fun.

We did another cruise this summer, on a gambling ship, which I would not recommend. I am not much of a gambler, and I would have preferred more entertainment on board besides the casinos. The shore excursions (we went to Cozumel, Mexico) were very fun - undersea scootering, snorkeling, swimming with the dolphins. And evening shows for young and old. My son won $600 in bingo.

YMMV. Void where taxed or prohibited.

Regards,
Shodan

9

Shouldn’t the opinions state YNMMV?

:wink:

10

My wife and I have done cruises to both locations (Alaska was actually a combination cruise/tour). They were two completely different types of vacations, but we loved both. Some details:

The Hawaii cruise was fantastic. We’d originally thought in terms of island-hopping on planes (which my wife did some thirty years ago), but the travel agent told us that in these post-911 days we’d be spending two hours each day in an airport and suggested that we take one of the island-hopping cruises instead. Each night we’d have dinner on the cruise boat, then go to bed as the boat undocked and sailed to the next island. We’d wake up at a new (to us) island, spend the day onshore, and return to the boat for dinner and an overnight trip to the next island.
The Alaska cruisetour was actually a ten-day land your followed by a four-day cruise that included a pass through Glacier Bay (Holland America Cruisetour 4B). The land part was by far the best part of the trip; the cruise part was just veg-ing out for four days after the land part was over.

11

There’s only one effin’ way you’ll ever find me going on a cruise-sailing ships! If it doesn’t even feel like I’m at sea it ain’t the real thing.

Hell we should do a Doper-only one.

12

I’d be down for that. There are companies that will rent to smaller groups of 50 to 100. I’ve heard they can be fantastic fun. I own a boat that sleeps 6 and I have my captain’s license and boating safety certificate (there was this thread from two years ago about gas prices at the dock, in which I discussed my boat, if you’re interested), but I’ve always wanted to be part of a real crew of a real sailing ship, even if it was just for a week or so. Now that would be a vacation :slight_smile:

13

We’ve cruised twice. I’m not sure we will go again - though the kids are asking.

Its a mindlessly easy way to vacation. The food is decent. There is entertainment, sunshine.

People really like different things when they vacation. Some people like to see a lot of different things - the idea of spending weeks going through museums or seeing historical places is appealing. Some people like to be active - a ski vacation, whitewater rafting, hiking and camping tend to appeal. Some people want to relax in the sun with a book and a margarita and food - for those people cruising and all inclusives are really nice.

As I’ve gotten older, the idea of letting someone else take care of the details and having plenty of time to veg has gotten way more appealing. I used to think sitting on a beach or a cruise ship deck would be something I’d NEVER do. That was before I seldom had time to finish a whole novel, before I had need of a “kids club” so I could spend time with my kids, but also take a vacation from them, when I could spend a day by myself in a museum or at a historical site and not have to deal with children getting bored long before I do - and not vaguely interested in looking at the work of French Impressionists. (“But honey, its a Renoir” is meaningless to my kids, despite my best efforts to drag them through museums…).

14

Three questions:

How do TVs and computers (and cell phones) work on a cruise ship?

How do you survive longer cruises on all that rich food? I mean, who doesn’t like bacon-wrapped filet mignon? But not every week! Foie gras, huge steaks, that really fatty Wagyu beef. Fancy-pantsy French food, everything drowning in buttery sauces and gravies. Wow. I mean, do they sort of wink at “healthy dining options” with one not completely ridiculous option each night, or are you doomed to grilled chicken breasts and the salad bar every day if you want to eat healthfully? Sure, they have a fitness room, but you still shouldn’t be processing that kind of fat and sodium every day.

Is there a weird kind of heirarchy of wealthier cruisers and more middle class cruisers? I ask because they will say things like “dress is Elegant Casual”, which I guess means no T-shirts, ripped jeans and flip-flops, at least at dinner. Is there a divide between the people who need this explained to them and the people who don’t? Does it matter which cruise line?

15

I’ll get behind that. :slight_smile: How about a river cruise on the St Lawrence?

16

Hey, thanks for the link to what appears to be the reincarnation of Windjammer. I went on one back in the 70’s to the Grenadines and loved it. Then they lost a ship at sea and disappeared. Glad to see some of the vessels survived.

17

I had a 7x3x3 bunk, with a curtain and a light bulb, on watch from 4 to 8, and galley duty every seven days.

Well, speak of the devil. Scroll down to the Picton Castle.

I went for the trip, not the destination, but once we got to the Eastern Caribbean, it was amazing. I don’t think of myself as the lay-on-the-beach type, but it’s a beautiful part of the world. Saw a few big cruise ships and megabucks yachts, but it’s not completely spoiled, either. You can hire a cab for the day, go hiking, swimming, snorkeling. I can understand the appeal in a way I never did before. (And I can recommend a nice bar/restaurant right on Pinney’s Beach on Nevis. Trust me.)

18

TVs have piped-in programming, some is cached on-board and some is satellite. most of it is repeated over and over; there’s not much variety. Royal Caribbean has CNN International and FOX {blech} News if you’re looking for news. Plus the Cruise director has a daily program wherein he (or she) discusses the day’s events. There are also recordings of the various shows on-board, if you meant to catch one, but missed it live.

By computers I presume you mean the Internet, which is becoming more and more available. However, you must piggy-back onto the cruise ship’s network, and they charge a premium for that. They’ve started offering data packages that do save you money, but you’re still talking a pretty penny if you want to use the internet every day, AND the connection is slower than molasses, so don’t think you’re going to stream video while you’re on the ship; it just aint gonna happen. Also, cruise ships block certain ports. For example, Skype will not work on a cruise ship because it’s blocked. If you want to use the Internet, I’d wait until you got into port and visit an Internet Cafe. I did that while in Bermuda and saved a bundle.

Cell phones work, but it is unbelievably expensive to use them on the ship. You’ll be hit with international roaming charges. I don’t recommend it at all.

Increasingly, they are offering healthy options. Don’t get me wrong, there’s enough artery-clogging food to send the entire passenger complement to an early grave, but there is healthy food as well, and plenty of it. And no, you’re not doomed to chicken breast and salad, but I have to admit that the selections are limited.

The short answer is yes. The long answer is it depends on which cruise line you choose, and which tier of that company’s line. For example, Royal Caribbean has the Azamara line, which is their top-tier cruise line, Celebrity, which is their second tier, and Royal Caribbean, which is their third tier line. Azamara caters to a class of clientele that expects elegance and personal attention, and you pay for that. Celebrity caters to a crowd that’s looking for something a little more opulent than an average cruise offers. The Royal Caribbean line caters to the mass market, or bargain cruiser. If you want to be casual all the time, then you want the Royal Caribean tier. Other cruise lines in the same tier would be Norweigian Cruise lines, or Carnival, or Disney. Upper tier lines like Azamara would be Paul Gaugin, or Regent Seven Seas.

Having said all that, even within the bargain, or mass market cruise lines, there are expectations of attire at certain events. For example, most cruise lines have a least one formal night per cruise; they don’t all enforce it, but they all strongly suggest coats and ties for men, and ballgowns for women. Most men wear a simple suit and women a skirt and some jewelry. It’s all part of an attempt to portray an ambiance of elegance if only for one night. The elderly crowd tend to really get into it. On formal night, depending on the cruise ship, the main dining room will turn away those who dress outrageously inappropriately, so tee shirts, shorts, and flip-flops won’t be allowed, but a smart button-down shirt and slacks will. It all depends on the line and the audience they’re catering to.

On the upper-tier lines it’s a different story. Appropriate attire is enforced for all events, with casual attire being a departure from the norm.

19

Wow! That was a bargain, all-inclusive luxury post! :smiley: Thank you very much!

20

Agree with everything said in this very informative post, including this sentence, but I wanted to point one thing out: If you want to keep in touch with other members of your party on the ship, and you expect to be separated from them often, then instead of using your cell phone you can rent walkie-talkies.