I love to cruise. It is basically the only vacations we take anymore (except for the obligatory kids to Disney pilgrimage). I know that cruising has gotten a lot more popular in recent years with the general public and that more and more families are cruising. However, I still get a lot of confused looks from people when I tell them that I’m going on a cruise. They look at me like “Hey you’re not 70 why would you go on a cruise?” A lot of people tell me they wouldn’t like cruises because they get seasick or because they would get bored just out in the middle of the water. Some even tell me its too expensive. In response, I just nod and smile knowingly. I figure the less people that really love it, the more space for me on board.
Seriously though, taking a cruise is the best vacation possible. There are theme cruises (lifestyle themes, murder mystery themes, cooking themes, TV show themes, even NASCAR themes). If you feel guilty about having kinds and not taking them to Disney, there is Disney Cruise Line. If you don’t like the idea of “formality” there is NCL or Carnival. One of the best places to go and check out if you are looking at a cruise, or are anxiously awaiting your cruise date to arrive is Cruise Critic. They have ship reviews, cruise news, and, best of all, a huge Forum that has message boards for all the lines, ports of call, questions, etc. Plus you can meet up with others on your cruise and plan activities etc. Its an absolute essential resource.
One of the best things about cruising is that you unpack once but get to see many different places. If you love to hang on the beach for a day, you could have 3 or 4 in one cruise in 4 different countries. If you like to shop, pick a new country every day. If you love to just explore, you have unlimited options. You never have to worry about dinner reservations (or even paying for dinner since its included). Room Service is included and works as a great wake up call in the AM.
My personal preference right now is Royal Caribbean. I can’t give you a specific reason why RCCL is better than others in my mind because I have only cruised one other line. I enjoy RCCL and what they offer so I go back. And boy do they have offerings. Their ships offer rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, rollerblading, giant indoor promenades, multiple restaurants, stage shows, pools, whirlpools, bars, discos, and great ocean views. I really can’t see how anyone could ever get bored on one of their mega ships. As for seasick, there are patches and to be honest, the ships, while they do move, don’t move all that much in normal seas. Get over it 
There is nothing better than waking up on a bright sunny morning, opening up your balcony door, and having breakfast delivered to you while you let the warm ocean air blow by and listen to th ecalming sound of the water and waves.
Great post. I may link to it from http://www.cruisesource.us . My one recommendation is to be careful with Cruise Critic…it has become a bathroom stall for people to gripe. Just remember, there are over 2000 people on some ships and there is bound to be a few that have a bad time…and there are some people who have a bad time no matter what. One person actually got banned from RCCL becausethey went on 3 cruises andeach time while on the ship they threatenedto write bad reviewon Cruise Critic. Each time RCCL went above and beyond for the guest and they still went out on Cruise Critic to blast RCCL. Royal finally told them theywere not welcome on their ships.
Comment by cruisenow — August 4, 2008 @ 8:07 pm |
Yeah that is my one complaint about the Cruise Critic forums. I take everything I read there with a grain of salt but the simple fact is that I have gotten a lot of great information and port excursion recommendations from there as well. I can normally spot the trouble makers who simply complain because they have nothing better to do. An added plus is that I understand that there will almost always be some hiccup during a vacation and I simply don’t let them bother me. I’m on vacation and I’m going to enjoy myself dammit!
Comment by lvatty — August 5, 2008 @ 2:15 pm |