Today we’re going to talk a bit about what you are looking for in a vacation, and whether or not a cruise is really right for you. I will admit, I am a bit biased, being a cruise lover and all. But I know that a cruise is NOT for everyone. In fact, I have seen some pretty miserable people on a cruise ship. Is it because they are just miserable people or perhaps talked into going on a cruise they never wanted to take? Perhaps a bit of both?
I believe everyone needs to look at a cruise ship as a giant, floating hotel. That is essentially what it is. But instead of walking out the front door of your hotel onto the same street each day, you walk out onto a whole new island, into a whole new country, sometimes even onto a new Continent!
We chose our first cruise for reasons I discussed in a prior blog post. What happened after our first cruise, our discussions about what we liked or did not like, led us to the conclusion that we had fallen for cruising. No, we did not want to go through another storm like we did on our first, but we had learned pretty quickly that there were many ways to avoid that as much as possible. So we would be wiser in our choices from that point on.
Since then we have cruised mostly Caribbean ~ Western, Eastern and a lot in between. We thought cruising would be a great way to see many different places, especially vacation islands. We figured that if there was any island in particular that we ever fell in love with, we could always go back there for a vacation of a week or more, and we have! Cruising is a great way to see everything imaginable, all over the World, for one flat rate.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself……..1) Do you want to see a few different places during your 6-9 day vacation or just one? 2) Do you like to go sit on the same beach, in the same beach chair each day? 3) Are you social? Do you like to meet people, engage in fun activities? 4) Do you feel confined at all or have a fear of the sea? 5) Do you know whether or not you get sea sick? 6) When you choose a hotel, what type of amenities are you looking for?
If your answers to 1 and 2 above are that you prefer one destination, sitting in your beach chair in a familiar spot every day during your vacation, then a cruise may not be for you (although we do ‘claim’ our spot on deck and sit pretty much in the same location by the pool all during the cruise). If you are social, but really prefer to just be left alone, hanging with whomever you are traveling with exclusively, then a cruise may not be for you (although there are plenty of spots on every ship for you and your significant other to have quiet time). And although most places, even your cabin, really don’t feel too confining on a ship, if you fear the sea or know you get sea sick, then a cruise may not be for you.
On the other hand, if your answers to the above questions are that you would love to see different places in one fell swoop, you would love to sit on a different beach each day and take in the sights and sounds around you or even tour some new locations, you are social and would have fun engaging in on board activities (or even watching from afar), you are totally on board (pun intended) with making some lifelong friends, you have no problems with feeling confined or sea sickness (that you know of), then a cruise may be for you!
Cruise ships are like any 4 or 5 star hotel, with A LOT of amenities. All cruise ships have multiple pools, most with one exclusive to children and another exclusive to adults. All ships have several different show venues, from one large theater which puts out Broadway style shows nightly, to smaller venues with comedians or magicians, piano and jazz bars, and full blown nightclubs where you can dance into the wee hours. Every ship has a full gym and a spa which offers treatments of all kinds for the face, body, hair….you name it. Every ship has a casino and multiple shops with duty free items like cigarettes and liquor, as well as souvenirs such as clothing, jewelry, hand bags and more. If you cannot find something to do on a cruise ship to keep you busy, then I’m afraid you are just very hard to please. And I mean that in the nicest way possible.
If you are in the category of thinking a cruise may not be right for you, but you’re still curious, then just try it! If you hate it, then you never have to do it again. If you love it, then the rest will be history. No one says you have to go for a full week either. There are cruises to ‘No Where’ for as little as two nights. This would not be my first choice, as they tend to be ‘booze cruises’, but it’s an option. I would say, if you are a hesitant first time cruiser, pick a 4-5 day. The first and last days are travel days essentially, so the few days you actually have of cruising will give you a good taste test.
If you still aren’t sure, just ask me! I love having discussions of all kinds about cruising, and I will be honest with you.
Until next time……cruise on…
Just Cruisin' 