Cruises are popular among parts of the AFF community, as demonstrated by the recent AFF cruise! But it seems the experience is not for everyone. One AFF moderator has declared that they are unlikely to ever book a cruise.
Comparing cruise liners to floating hotels for cattle, AFF moderator serfty believes that the negatives outweigh the benefits…
Land resorts are bad enough, but who wants to be herded into a floating hotel like cattle then herded off days later with every effort made in between to take money out of your pocket to line someone else’s while effectively being held captive?
Everyone is different, and until recently I had been considering it, but some finer details were made apparent recently and it was not a good look from my perspective.
As well as the queues to get on and off the ship, price gouging is a cause for concern. Once on board the ship, passengers are effectively a captive audience. Some cruiselines take advantage of this, charging exorbitant prices for everything from internet to drinks. However, cruise line status can provide many free on-board benefits.
Cruising is not my preferred option, and yes the gouging is eye watering. I recently asked one cruise line what drinks were free, and they came down to tap water (bring your own water bottle for day trips), apple juice, filter coffee and tea!
Sea sickness is another problem for some passengers… and then there’s the stories you hear from time to time about half the passengers on the ship becoming ill. This can ruin an otherwise fantastic experience.
The only cruise I have done with +1 was a 5 day luxury catamaran cruise around the Galapagos Islands with a total of 16 pax and 10 crew…it was fantastic!….unfortunately, +1 gets terribly sea sick (even with meds) so we haven’t done another cruise since.
But not everyone agrees with serfty‘s cruise criticism. Avid cruisers on the forum point out that much of the criticism has come from members that have never actually been on a cruise. The forum’s regular cruisers love the experience and believe sceptics should try it at least once!
If you’re not sure what to expect, the AFF cruise trip reports are a good place to start reading.
So… to cruise, or not to cruise? That is the question! Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Why I’m unlikely to ever “Cruise” (At least on a large ship)
