Why I'm unlikely to ever "Cruise" (At least on a large ship)

[Hvr]

100 Cruise Days =Sapphire Milestone

250 Cruise Days =Emerald Milestone

350 Cruise Days =Ruby Milestone

So Ruby comes after Emerald? They'll have to change that if they want to join OneWorld.


On a serious note the reason I can't ever see me cruising is my relationship status, i.e. single. A single room usually costs the same as a double room or you have to share with a stranger. Both reasons to avoid a cruise.

But as they say, never say never, because some destinations can only be accessed by, or a better seen from sea. Antarctica springs to mind.

Still it's not in my immediate future.

 

[tgh]

We enjoy cruising as a part of our travel agenda, however the enjoyment perspective is perhaps different to many.
I have done , and hope to continue , lots of adventures where wild exploring or living rough is part of the fun.
The "softness" of the cruise environment has many drawbacks, but one facet usurps all that.
I really like the people. I get to meet and chew the fat with mostly like minded folks of a similar demographic from all over the world.
We usually ask the maitre 'd to find us an interesting group for dinner and he mostly delivers…they are quite observant.
Closing the restaurant is common as the wine and the conversation flows on and on….we have met some amazing people.
I will continue to cruise for this aspect alone.

Imo , the common perception of cruising is defined by the volume carriers.
I have no interest in crowded buffets or gangways , or paying for anything once onboard.
This aversion limits my options and purges my travel budget… so be it.

Adventure cruising is in a massive growth phase as the big people movers saturate the market and folks seek something different.
The nooks and crannies of the world's oceans will soon be awash with inflatable laden adventure seekers, go now while there are some quiet places left.
Folks cruise Antarctica , revelling in the solitude completely unaware that their ship is in a scheduled time slot and hidden round the corner is another ship waiting to show the wild solitude to their supplicants.

Aboard the Shadow in Alaska , we were docked among some of the mainstream behemoths.
Their re-boarding queue was more than a hundred metres long, a few of us stood and marvelled that folks would pay to do this.
Viva le difference….

Herewith endeth the sermon…...

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

We enjoy cruising as a part of our travel agenda, however the enjoyment perspective is perhaps different to many................
Imo , the common perception of cruising is defined by the volume carriers.
I have no interest in crowded buffets or gangways , or paying for anything once onboard.
This aversion limits my options and purges my travel budget… so be it.
…...

Totally agree ! we can do only Silverseas as we like the small numbers on board !
We have been in places where those huge boats pull in and it is like a plague of locusts hitting town - Juneau comes to mind !! 3 to 5 big boats hit the small town disgorging 10,000 to 15,000 people for the day and at 6pm they all sail out - what an experience !

 

[Pushka]

So Ruby comes after Emerald? They'll have to change that if they want to join OneWorld.

And on Princess, Ruby comes after Gold. Sacre Bleu

I agree about the friendships made TGH. We forged an enduring friendship with 4 guys from Canada on one of our first cruises. Actually, we met on a Vaporetto in Venice coming back from Burano and as we got to chatting discovered we were also on the same cruise ship next day. And last year we all did a Baltic Cruise together. They come from such diverse backgrounds - 2 Canadians by birth, one from Hungary and the other from South America.

 

[drron]

So Pushka 2 of them weren't William and Ken where they-a Canadian and Colombian we met on our last cruise.great guys.

 

[Pushka]

So Pushka 2 of them weren't William and Ken where they-a Canadian and Colombian we met on our last cruise.great guys.

Alex and Dusan. The other two Harv and Murray. They send the funniest of emails and a tad riske!

 

[turtlemichael]

I feel almost guilty (but not quite) reporting that our next cruise starts in San Francisco on January 6 and ends in London on May 18 next year, 132 days later. It will take us to about 230 days on Silversea. You are either a cruiser or you are not.

"James, the usual thanks. Shaken not stirred please"

 

[Pushka]

I feel almost guilty (but not quite) reporting that our next cruise starts in San Francisco on January 6 and ends in London on May 18 next year, 132 days later. It will take us to about 230 days on Silversea. You are either a cruiser or you are not.

"James, the usual thanks. Shaken not stirred please"

I could so join you on that!

 

[drron]

Boarding a cruise ship is much easier than boarding a plane.Flying Rex tomorrow and they often weigh your carry on.so I have to wear my rex jacket-easily fits the excess 1.7Kg of my carryon.
Never have that problem boarding a cruise ship.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

I feel almost guilty (but not quite) reporting that our next cruise starts in San Francisco on January 6 and ends in London on May 18 next year, 132 days later.........

Hey TM we are going to be in a port together ! Saturday 02 Feb ! you on the Whisper in Sydney and us on the Muse in Sydney - I hope you know how to semaphore

 

[turtlemichael]

Hey TM we are going to be in a port together ! Saturday 02 Feb ! you on the Whisper in Sydney and us on the Muse in Sydney - I hope you know how to semaphore

Yes, I had noticed that. I checked the listing a while ago and sadly it looks like we'll be at White Bay where Muse probably will be too? Some behemoth is listed at Circular Quay.

 

[Pushka]

Yes, I had noticed that. I checked the listing a while ago and sadly it looks like we'll be at White Bay where Muse probably will be too? Some behemoth is listed at Circular Quay.

But at least you’ll get to go under the bridge?

 

[serfty]

Hey TM we are going to be in a port together ! Saturday 02 Feb ! you on the Whisper in Sydney and us on the Muse in Sydney - I hope you know how to semaphore

Ahhh ... a message ... "HELLOTM" ...

 

[Bundy Bear]

I enjoyed the 4 night AFF cruise gathering last weekend, it was good, do I need to rush and do another one straight away, no.

The Golden Princess had plenty of places to escape the crowds and the one buffet that I had breakfast at a few times was ok and you could get a sit down breakfast or dinner with table service which was rather good.

There are certain places in the world where cruising would be easier than driving or flying like in the Mediterranean or Alaska.

I am looking to do a cruise to or from New Zealand to Australia via ship, have a cruise credit that has 2 years validity, I guess that has been a bucket list item of mine, and cruising the inside passage of Alaska will be fun, when I am rich and have retired from work which might not be for another 20 years at this rate.

 

[RB]

I enjoyed the 4 night AFF cruise gathering last weekend, it was good, do I need to rush and do another one straight away, no.

The Golden Princess had plenty of places to escape the crowds and the one buffet that I had breakfast at a few times was ok and you could get a sit down breakfast or dinner with table service which was rather good.

There are certain places in the world where cruising would be easier than driving or flying like in the Mediterranean or Alaska.

I am looking to do a cruise to or from New Zealand to Australia via ship, have a cruise credit that has 2 years validity, I guess that has been a bucket list item of mine, and cruising the inside passage of Alaska will be fun, when I am rich and have retired from work which might not be for another 20 years at this rate.

If you don't need all the trimmings, the Alaskan Marine Highway ferries might be a more frugal option. We did 4 hops in 2010 and had a great time.Takes a bit of organising but gives you some flexibility.

 

[VPS]

So Ruby comes after Emerald? They'll have to change that if they want to join OneWorld.


On a serious note the reason I can't ever see me cruising is my relationship status, i.e. single. A single room usually costs the same as a double room or you have to share with a stranger. Both reasons to avoid a cruise.

But as they say, never say never, because some destinations can only be accessed by, or a better seen from sea. Antarctica springs to mind.

Still it's not in my immediate future.

I also travel alone and there are some cruises where there is no single supplement.

I did one on a cargo ship in the early 80s from Perth to Singapore sharing a room with three others but I was a poor backpacker then.

A couple of years ago I did Alaska and avoided the buffets. I had dine on demand and always asked for a shared table and met some really interesting people. I never did any of the shows and one couple I met and wanted to catch up with I never saw again - this was a Celebrity cruise.

I'm really keen to do a relocation cruise which I gather can be quite cheap with lots of sea days so I can just sit in my cabin or on the balcony reading my book and sipping coughtails before heading to the restaurant for dinner

 

[VPS]

I'm not sure if that qualifies as a cruise, but I've contacted Hamburg Süd Travel agency which organises trips on freighter ships. Some trips are 3 months long, but it's possible to do only a trip segment (e.g Melbourne to NZ) for $150/day. Of course these type of freighter trips won't appeal to many, but to me it sounds great. Maybe because I had a few family members who worked on freighter all their lives and I've always been curious about what daily life is like at sea on a big freighter ship.

Interested to hear more about your experiences

 

[defurax]

I'm not sure if that qualifies as a cruise, but I've contacted Hamburg Süd Travel agency which organises trips on freighter ships. Some trips are 3 months long, but it's possible to do only a trip segment (e.g Melbourne to NZ) for $150/day. Of course these type of freighter trips won't appeal to many, but to me it sounds great. Maybe because I had a few family members who worked on freighter all their lives and I've always been curious about what daily life is like at sea on a big freighter ship.

Interested to hear more about your experiences

I haven't booked anything yet, but I've received a few quotes.
Hamburg Süd Reiseagentur GmbH - Departement Freighter Voyages | Freighter Travel - Special experience of travelling

 

[Dr Ralph]

Wow. All of those cruise lovers jumping up and down trying to oversell cruising and suggesting that there's something wrong with you if you don't love cruising tells me one thing for sure. Those cruise lovers are hoping to win over people to their side to further validate their own experiences. When something is being sold so heavily I run the other way.

 

[Pushka]

Wow. All of those cruise lovers jumping up and down trying to oversell cruising and suggesting that there's something wrong with you if you don't love cruising tells me one thing for sure. Those cruise lovers are hoping to win over people to their side to further validate their own experiences. When something is being sold so heavily I run the other way.

Oh good grief. I really don’t care who goes cruising.