I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you screen for rentals that don’t require you to strip the beds, start a load of towels, run the dishwasher and take out the trash? I don’t want to do any of those things. I agree the food issue is easy enough to manage.

You can't screen for it, but if you go to house rules in the listing (at the very bottom of the page), it lists what you need to do before you leave. Whether that's accurate with what they tell you when you get there, who knows, but you can see if they have a long list of rules.

Many listings don't add that info. I looked at our last 5 stays. 2 of them had that info, 3 didn't.

[Anonymous]

I don't see the appeal of cramming into a hotel room when I can just stay home in my four bedroom house with a yard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We tend to rent condos at the beach or mountains and prefer centrally located hotels when visiting cities and hotels/resorts when visiting islands (ideally smaller boutique resorts).

When staying at a condo at the beach, we hit the grocery store but we don’t overdo it. We keep some staples on hand, but we still get our coffee (and baked goods) from a cafe and typically eat dinner at restaurants or bring in food. So, I don’t really cook at the beach.

We usually do laundry at the condo to stay on top of towels. But laundry isn’t hard, and everyone knows how to do laundry (including my husband and kids).

Everyone pitches in to keep the condo clean throughout the week. There’s a cleaning service, so I don’t scrub anything. It’s NBD.

If you haven’t cruised yet, you should try it. No cooking or cleaning. No laundry. They clean your cabin twice a day and provide turn down service. Room service is included. It’s the most relaxing vacations for moms. There’s really nothing else like it. You can send your DH off with the kids while you lay in the sun with a drink in your hand. Bliss!

Would rather cook every meal on vacation and do all the dishes every day by hand than go on a cruise. But hey to each their own.

+1

I think the only way I’d ever do a cruise is if a family member wheeled me onto a cruise ship….against my will.

I don’t understand how you all group “cruises” together. I’d never go on a carnival cruise but a high-end cruise to the Galapagos? Yes, please. It just makes you sound close minded.

Nah. I’ve done my research on cruises. Talked to friends and family, seen pics, videos, checked routes… not for me at all. I know me and it’s not how I ever want to vacation.

And you and I both know what was meant by “cruise”. Pools and drinks, not turtles. 😄

I’m the one who posted about cruises being easy/relaxing for moms and I stand by it.

FTR I’ve cruised the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Europe and beyond on private boats, river boats, and small, medium, and larger ocean cruise ships. I’ve never cruised Carnival or Norwegian but I know people who enjoy those lines.

If you’ve never actually cruised before, you simply don’t know what it’s like and what you are missing. You can cruise without ever eating at a buffet. You can cruise and find a quiet spot where you are the only person enjoying the blue horizon. You can party or not. You can stay in an amazing cabin or economy cabin—both will be cleaned twice a day.

I always return from a cruise completely relaxed. I don’t always feel that way with land based trips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Breakfast: simple no-cook stuff like cereal, fruit, yogurt, bagels, send DH out for donuts...

Lunch: again simple and no-cook: sandwiches, fruit, chips. Use paper plates.

Go out for dinners.

this is the way. I feel terrible when i eat out every meal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We tend to rent condos at the beach or mountains and prefer centrally located hotels when visiting cities and hotels/resorts when visiting islands (ideally smaller boutique resorts).

When staying at a condo at the beach, we hit the grocery store but we don’t overdo it. We keep some staples on hand, but we still get our coffee (and baked goods) from a cafe and typically eat dinner at restaurants or bring in food. So, I don’t really cook at the beach.

We usually do laundry at the condo to stay on top of towels. But laundry isn’t hard, and everyone knows how to do laundry (including my husband and kids).

Everyone pitches in to keep the condo clean throughout the week. There’s a cleaning service, so I don’t scrub anything. It’s NBD.

If you haven’t cruised yet, you should try it. No cooking or cleaning. No laundry. They clean your cabin twice a day and provide turn down service. Room service is included. It’s the most relaxing vacations for moms. There’s really nothing else like it. You can send your DH off with the kids while you lay in the sun with a drink in your hand. Bliss!

Would rather cook every meal on vacation and do all the dishes every day by hand than go on a cruise. But hey to each their own.

+1

I think the only way I’d ever do a cruise is if a family member wheeled me onto a cruise ship….against my will.

I don’t understand how you all group “cruises” together. I’d never go on a carnival cruise but a high-end cruise to the Galapagos? Yes, please. It just makes you sound close minded.

Nah. I’ve done my research on cruises. Talked to friends and family, seen pics, videos, checked routes… not for me at all. I know me and it’s not how I ever want to vacation.

And you and I both know what was meant by “cruise”. Pools and drinks, not turtles. 😄

I’m the one who posted about cruises being easy/relaxing for moms and I stand by it.

FTR I’ve cruised the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Europe and beyond on private boats, river boats, and small, medium, and larger ocean cruise ships. I’ve never cruised Carnival or Norwegian but I know people who enjoy those lines.

If you’ve never actually cruised before, you simply don’t know what it’s like and what you are missing. You can cruise without ever eating at a buffet. You can cruise and find a quiet spot where you are the only person enjoying the blue horizon. You can party or not. You can stay in an amazing cabin or economy cabin—both will be cleaned twice a day.

I always return from a cruise completely relaxed. I don’t always feel that way with land based trips.

I associate cruises with norovirus so they’re a hard no from me

[Anonymous]

I prefer air bnbs because I want to do laundry. I hate packing huge amounts of clothes so I tend to do laundry frequently on vacation. I also love going to farmers markets on vacations and buying cool things to eat, so I want to have a kitchen to try things out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I prefer air bnbs because I want to do laundry. I hate packing huge amounts of clothes so I tend to do laundry frequently on vacation. I also love going to farmers markets on vacations and buying cool things to eat, so I want to have a kitchen to try things out.

Laundry is one of the many reasons that I like Residence Inn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We tend to rent condos at the beach or mountains and prefer centrally located hotels when visiting cities and hotels/resorts when visiting islands (ideally smaller boutique resorts).

When staying at a condo at the beach, we hit the grocery store but we don’t overdo it. We keep some staples on hand, but we still get our coffee (and baked goods) from a cafe and typically eat dinner at restaurants or bring in food. So, I don’t really cook at the beach.

We usually do laundry at the condo to stay on top of towels. But laundry isn’t hard, and everyone knows how to do laundry (including my husband and kids).

Everyone pitches in to keep the condo clean throughout the week. There’s a cleaning service, so I don’t scrub anything. It’s NBD.

If you haven’t cruised yet, you should try it. No cooking or cleaning. No laundry. They clean your cabin twice a day and provide turn down service. Room service is included. It’s the most relaxing vacations for moms. There’s really nothing else like it. You can send your DH off with the kids while you lay in the sun with a drink in your hand. Bliss!

Would rather cook every meal on vacation and do all the dishes every day by hand than go on a cruise. But hey to each their own.

+1

I think the only way I’d ever do a cruise is if a family member wheeled me onto a cruise ship….against my will.

I don’t understand how you all group “cruises” together. I’d never go on a carnival cruise but a high-end cruise to the Galapagos? Yes, please. It just makes you sound close minded.

Nah. I’ve done my research on cruises. Talked to friends and family, seen pics, videos, checked routes… not for me at all. I know me and it’s not how I ever want to vacation.

And you and I both know what was meant by “cruise”. Pools and drinks, not turtles. 😄

You’re telling me you can’t find a cruise route that’s appealing? That’s a you problem then.
I just don’t understand dismissing something that you’ve never tried. It’s like when my kids tell me they don’t like a food they haven’t eaten.
And I have no idea what your last sentence even means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We tend to rent condos at the beach or mountains and prefer centrally located hotels when visiting cities and hotels/resorts when visiting islands (ideally smaller boutique resorts).

When staying at a condo at the beach, we hit the grocery store but we don’t overdo it. We keep some staples on hand, but we still get our coffee (and baked goods) from a cafe and typically eat dinner at restaurants or bring in food. So, I don’t really cook at the beach.

We usually do laundry at the condo to stay on top of towels. But laundry isn’t hard, and everyone knows how to do laundry (including my husband and kids).

Everyone pitches in to keep the condo clean throughout the week. There’s a cleaning service, so I don’t scrub anything. It’s NBD.

If you haven’t cruised yet, you should try it. No cooking or cleaning. No laundry. They clean your cabin twice a day and provide turn down service. Room service is included. It’s the most relaxing vacations for moms. There’s really nothing else like it. You can send your DH off with the kids while you lay in the sun with a drink in your hand. Bliss!

Would rather cook every meal on vacation and do all the dishes every day by hand than go on a cruise. But hey to each their own.

+1

I think the only way I’d ever do a cruise is if a family member wheeled me onto a cruise ship….against my will.

I don’t understand how you all group “cruises” together. I’d never go on a carnival cruise but a high-end cruise to the Galapagos? Yes, please. It just makes you sound close minded.

Nah. I’ve done my research on cruises. Talked to friends and family, seen pics, videos, checked routes… not for me at all. I know me and it’s not how I ever want to vacation.

And you and I both know what was meant by “cruise”. Pools and drinks, not turtles. 😄

You’re telling me you can’t find a cruise route that’s appealing? That’s a you problem then.
I just don’t understand dismissing something that you’ve never tried. It’s like when my kids tell me they don’t like a food they haven’t eaten.
And I have no idea what your last sentence even means.

Much of the entire cruise experience is unappealing to me but the reason a route is unappealing is because of all the short stops with minimal times in areas. I would not like to disembark, tour a spot for only a few hours and then get back on boat to sleep. The way I prefer to travel is to spend time in areas and actually get out and experience them. I’ve been to places cruise ships go, Alaska, carribean, north east US, Canada, pacific northwest, Mediterranean and the areas are beautiful. I love spending time in the areas and experiencing them for longer visits. Thats how I like to travel and vacation. If you like cruise ships, good for you. 😉

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We tend to rent condos at the beach or mountains and prefer centrally located hotels when visiting cities and hotels/resorts when visiting islands (ideally smaller boutique resorts).

When staying at a condo at the beach, we hit the grocery store but we don’t overdo it. We keep some staples on hand, but we still get our coffee (and baked goods) from a cafe and typically eat dinner at restaurants or bring in food. So, I don’t really cook at the beach.

We usually do laundry at the condo to stay on top of towels. But laundry isn’t hard, and everyone knows how to do laundry (including my husband and kids).

Everyone pitches in to keep the condo clean throughout the week. There’s a cleaning service, so I don’t scrub anything. It’s NBD.

If you haven’t cruised yet, you should try it. No cooking or cleaning. No laundry. They clean your cabin twice a day and provide turn down service. Room service is included. It’s the most relaxing vacations for moms. There’s really nothing else like it. You can send your DH off with the kids while you lay in the sun with a drink in your hand. Bliss!

Would rather cook every meal on vacation and do all the dishes every day by hand than go on a cruise. But hey to each their own.

+1

I think the only way I’d ever do a cruise is if a family member wheeled me onto a cruise ship….against my will.

I don’t understand how you all group “cruises” together. I’d never go on a carnival cruise but a high-end cruise to the Galapagos? Yes, please. It just makes you sound close minded.

Nah. I’ve done my research on cruises. Talked to friends and family, seen pics, videos, checked routes… not for me at all. I know me and it’s not how I ever want to vacation.

And you and I both know what was meant by “cruise”. Pools and drinks, not turtles. 😄

You’re telling me you can’t find a cruise route that’s appealing? That’s a you problem then.
I just don’t understand dismissing something that you’ve never tried. It’s like when my kids tell me they don’t like a food they haven’t eaten.
And I have no idea what your last sentence even means.

Much of the entire cruise experience is unappealing to me but the reason a route is unappealing is because of all the short stops with minimal times in areas. I would not like to disembark, tour a spot for only a few hours and then get back on boat to sleep. The way I prefer to travel is to spend time in areas and actually get out and experience them. I’ve been to places cruise ships go, Alaska, carribean, north east US, Canada, pacific northwest, Mediterranean and the areas are beautiful. I love spending time in the areas and experiencing them for longer visits. Thats how I like to travel and vacation. If you like cruise ships, good for you. 😉

Same. Some posters here are oddly offended that others don't want to go on a cruise. So bizarre.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We tend to rent condos at the beach or mountains and prefer centrally located hotels when visiting cities and hotels/resorts when visiting islands (ideally smaller boutique resorts).

When staying at a condo at the beach, we hit the grocery store but we don’t overdo it. We keep some staples on hand, but we still get our coffee (and baked goods) from a cafe and typically eat dinner at restaurants or bring in food. So, I don’t really cook at the beach.

We usually do laundry at the condo to stay on top of towels. But laundry isn’t hard, and everyone knows how to do laundry (including my husband and kids).

Everyone pitches in to keep the condo clean throughout the week. There’s a cleaning service, so I don’t scrub anything. It’s NBD.

If you haven’t cruised yet, you should try it. No cooking or cleaning. No laundry. They clean your cabin twice a day and provide turn down service. Room service is included. It’s the most relaxing vacations for moms. There’s really nothing else like it. You can send your DH off with the kids while you lay in the sun with a drink in your hand. Bliss!

Would rather cook every meal on vacation and do all the dishes every day by hand than go on a cruise. But hey to each their own.

+1

I think the only way I’d ever do a cruise is if a family member wheeled me onto a cruise ship….against my will.

I don’t understand how you all group “cruises” together. I’d never go on a carnival cruise but a high-end cruise to the Galapagos? Yes, please. It just makes you sound close minded.

Nah. I’ve done my research on cruises. Talked to friends and family, seen pics, videos, checked routes… not for me at all. I know me and it’s not how I ever want to vacation.

And you and I both know what was meant by “cruise”. Pools and drinks, not turtles. 😄

You’re telling me you can’t find a cruise route that’s appealing? That’s a you problem then.
I just don’t understand dismissing something that you’ve never tried. It’s like when my kids tell me they don’t like a food they haven’t eaten.
And I have no idea what your last sentence even means.

Much of the entire cruise experience is unappealing to me but the reason a route is unappealing is because of all the short stops with minimal times in areas. I would not like to disembark, tour a spot for only a few hours and then get back on boat to sleep. The way I prefer to travel is to spend time in areas and actually get out and experience them. I’ve been to places cruise ships go, Alaska, carribean, north east US, Canada, pacific northwest, Mediterranean and the areas are beautiful. I love spending time in the areas and experiencing them for longer visits. Thats how I like to travel and vacation. If you like cruise ships, good for you. 😉

Fwiw some itineraries actually stay overnight or multiple nights in ports (e.g., there are cruises to Bermuda where it’s docked there for 4 nights and then you sail back home). There are certain lines (smaller boats) that do itineraries where you just island hop in Greece or Croatia, docking overnight so you can enjoy the nightlife. And most Med and River cruises stay in port late as well (so you can eat dinner on land if you prefer).

But this thread is about relaxing, and the bottom line is cruising is more relaxing than being in a condo at the beach or an Airbnb in Europe. Hands down.

PS - every thread that references cruising quickly devolves to open criticism of cruising as if every cruise is a trashy experience preferred by dim witted people unequipped to travel. And that’s just not the case.

Someone always comments that you only have a few hours on land and don’t see anything, and that’s just not true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We tend to rent condos at the beach or mountains and prefer centrally located hotels when visiting cities and hotels/resorts when visiting islands (ideally smaller boutique resorts).

When staying at a condo at the beach, we hit the grocery store but we don’t overdo it. We keep some staples on hand, but we still get our coffee (and baked goods) from a cafe and typically eat dinner at restaurants or bring in food. So, I don’t really cook at the beach.

We usually do laundry at the condo to stay on top of towels. But laundry isn’t hard, and everyone knows how to do laundry (including my husband and kids).

Everyone pitches in to keep the condo clean throughout the week. There’s a cleaning service, so I don’t scrub anything. It’s NBD.

If you haven’t cruised yet, you should try it. No cooking or cleaning. No laundry. They clean your cabin twice a day and provide turn down service. Room service is included. It’s the most relaxing vacations for moms. There’s really nothing else like it. You can send your DH off with the kids while you lay in the sun with a drink in your hand. Bliss!

Would rather cook every meal on vacation and do all the dishes every day by hand than go on a cruise. But hey to each their own.

+1

I think the only way I’d ever do a cruise is if a family member wheeled me onto a cruise ship….against my will.

I don’t understand how you all group “cruises” together. I’d never go on a carnival cruise but a high-end cruise to the Galapagos? Yes, please. It just makes you sound close minded.

Nah. I’ve done my research on cruises. Talked to friends and family, seen pics, videos, checked routes… not for me at all. I know me and it’s not how I ever want to vacation.

And you and I both know what was meant by “cruise”. Pools and drinks, not turtles. 😄

I’m the one who posted about cruises being easy/relaxing for moms and I stand by it.

FTR I’ve cruised the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Europe and beyond on private boats, river boats, and small, medium, and larger ocean cruise ships. I’ve never cruised Carnival or Norwegian but I know people who enjoy those lines.

If you’ve never actually cruised before, you simply don’t know what it’s like and what you are missing. You can cruise without ever eating at a buffet. You can cruise and find a quiet spot where you are the only person enjoying the blue horizon. You can party or not. You can stay in an amazing cabin or economy cabin—both will be cleaned twice a day.

I always return from a cruise completely relaxed. I don’t always feel that way with land based trips.

I associate cruises with norovirus so they’re a hard no from me

Remember when Yosemite had a norovirus outbreak over winter break a while ago? Pretty sure the ski resort my friends went to a couple years ago had a norovirus outbreak as well. Germs happen everywhere…including norovirus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We tend to rent condos at the beach or mountains and prefer centrally located hotels when visiting cities and hotels/resorts when visiting islands (ideally smaller boutique resorts).

When staying at a condo at the beach, we hit the grocery store but we don’t overdo it. We keep some staples on hand, but we still get our coffee (and baked goods) from a cafe and typically eat dinner at restaurants or bring in food. So, I don’t really cook at the beach.

We usually do laundry at the condo to stay on top of towels. But laundry isn’t hard, and everyone knows how to do laundry (including my husband and kids).

Everyone pitches in to keep the condo clean throughout the week. There’s a cleaning service, so I don’t scrub anything. It’s NBD.

If you haven’t cruised yet, you should try it. No cooking or cleaning. No laundry. They clean your cabin twice a day and provide turn down service. Room service is included. It’s the most relaxing vacations for moms. There’s really nothing else like it. You can send your DH off with the kids while you lay in the sun with a drink in your hand. Bliss!

Would rather cook every meal on vacation and do all the dishes every day by hand than go on a cruise. But hey to each their own.

+1

I think the only way I’d ever do a cruise is if a family member wheeled me onto a cruise ship….against my will.

I don’t understand how you all group “cruises” together. I’d never go on a carnival cruise but a high-end cruise to the Galapagos? Yes, please. It just makes you sound close minded.

Nah. I’ve done my research on cruises. Talked to friends and family, seen pics, videos, checked routes… not for me at all. I know me and it’s not how I ever want to vacation.

And you and I both know what was meant by “cruise”. Pools and drinks, not turtles. 😄

You’re telling me you can’t find a cruise route that’s appealing? That’s a you problem then.
I just don’t understand dismissing something that you’ve never tried. It’s like when my kids tell me they don’t like a food they haven’t eaten.
And I have no idea what your last sentence even means.

Much of the entire cruise experience is unappealing to me but the reason a route is unappealing is because of all the short stops with minimal times in areas. I would not like to disembark, tour a spot for only a few hours and then get back on boat to sleep. The way I prefer to travel is to spend time in areas and actually get out and experience them. I’ve been to places cruise ships go, Alaska, carribean, north east US, Canada, pacific northwest, Mediterranean and the areas are beautiful. I love spending time in the areas and experiencing them for longer visits. Thats how I like to travel and vacation. If you like cruise ships, good for you. 😉

Same. Some posters here are oddly offended that others don't want to go on a cruise. So bizarre.

No one is getting oddly offended - do whatever makes you happy. But the people who have never cruised and reply with “Would rather cook every meal on vacation and do all the dishes every day by hand than go on a cruise. But hey to each their own.” with an emoji are obnoxious and the reactions are in response to that. (Justifiably)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We tend to rent condos at the beach or mountains and prefer centrally located hotels when visiting cities and hotels/resorts when visiting islands (ideally smaller boutique resorts).

When staying at a condo at the beach, we hit the grocery store but we don’t overdo it. We keep some staples on hand, but we still get our coffee (and baked goods) from a cafe and typically eat dinner at restaurants or bring in food. So, I don’t really cook at the beach.

We usually do laundry at the condo to stay on top of towels. But laundry isn’t hard, and everyone knows how to do laundry (including my husband and kids).

Everyone pitches in to keep the condo clean throughout the week. There’s a cleaning service, so I don’t scrub anything. It’s NBD.

If you haven’t cruised yet, you should try it. No cooking or cleaning. No laundry. They clean your cabin twice a day and provide turn down service. Room service is included. It’s the most relaxing vacations for moms. There’s really nothing else like it. You can send your DH off with the kids while you lay in the sun with a drink in your hand. Bliss!

Would rather cook every meal on vacation and do all the dishes every day by hand than go on a cruise. But hey to each their own.

+1

I think the only way I’d ever do a cruise is if a family member wheeled me onto a cruise ship….against my will.

I don’t understand how you all group “cruises” together. I’d never go on a carnival cruise but a high-end cruise to the Galapagos? Yes, please. It just makes you sound close minded.

Nah. I’ve done my research on cruises. Talked to friends and family, seen pics, videos, checked routes… not for me at all. I know me and it’s not how I ever want to vacation.

And you and I both know what was meant by “cruise”. Pools and drinks, not turtles. 😄

You’re telling me you can’t find a cruise route that’s appealing? That’s a you problem then.
I just don’t understand dismissing something that you’ve never tried. It’s like when my kids tell me they don’t like a food they haven’t eaten.
And I have no idea what your last sentence even means.

Much of the entire cruise experience is unappealing to me but the reason a route is unappealing is because of all the short stops with minimal times in areas. I would not like to disembark, tour a spot for only a few hours and then get back on boat to sleep. The way I prefer to travel is to spend time in areas and actually get out and experience them. I’ve been to places cruise ships go, Alaska, carribean, north east US, Canada, pacific northwest, Mediterranean and the areas are beautiful. I love spending time in the areas and experiencing them for longer visits. Thats how I like to travel and vacation. If you like cruise ships, good for you. 😉

Same. Some posters here are oddly offended that others don't want to go on a cruise. So bizarre.

No one is getting oddly offended - do whatever makes you happy. But the people who have never cruised and reply with “Would rather cook every meal on vacation and do all the dishes every day by hand than go on a cruise. But hey to each their own.” with an emoji are obnoxious and the reactions are in response to that. (Justifiably)

No. What’s obnoxious is that you can’t understand that we all vacation and relax differently.

But hey, to each their own. 🙄

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We tend to rent condos at the beach or mountains and prefer centrally located hotels when visiting cities and hotels/resorts when visiting islands (ideally smaller boutique resorts).

When staying at a condo at the beach, we hit the grocery store but we don’t overdo it. We keep some staples on hand, but we still get our coffee (and baked goods) from a cafe and typically eat dinner at restaurants or bring in food. So, I don’t really cook at the beach.

We usually do laundry at the condo to stay on top of towels. But laundry isn’t hard, and everyone knows how to do laundry (including my husband and kids).

Everyone pitches in to keep the condo clean throughout the week. There’s a cleaning service, so I don’t scrub anything. It’s NBD.

If you haven’t cruised yet, you should try it. No cooking or cleaning. No laundry. They clean your cabin twice a day and provide turn down service. Room service is included. It’s the most relaxing vacations for moms. There’s really nothing else like it. You can send your DH off with the kids while you lay in the sun with a drink in your hand. Bliss!

Would rather cook every meal on vacation and do all the dishes every day by hand than go on a cruise. But hey to each their own.

+1

I think the only way I’d ever do a cruise is if a family member wheeled me onto a cruise ship….against my will.

I don’t understand how you all group “cruises” together. I’d never go on a carnival cruise but a high-end cruise to the Galapagos? Yes, please. It just makes you sound close minded.

Nah. I’ve done my research on cruises. Talked to friends and family, seen pics, videos, checked routes… not for me at all. I know me and it’s not how I ever want to vacation.

And you and I both know what was meant by “cruise”. Pools and drinks, not turtles. 😄

You’re telling me you can’t find a cruise route that’s appealing? That’s a you problem then.
I just don’t understand dismissing something that you’ve never tried. It’s like when my kids tell me they don’t like a food they haven’t eaten.
And I have no idea what your last sentence even means.

Much of the entire cruise experience is unappealing to me but the reason a route is unappealing is because of all the short stops with minimal times in areas. I would not like to disembark, tour a spot for only a few hours and then get back on boat to sleep. The way I prefer to travel is to spend time in areas and actually get out and experience them. I’ve been to places cruise ships go, Alaska, carribean, north east US, Canada, pacific northwest, Mediterranean and the areas are beautiful. I love spending time in the areas and experiencing them for longer visits. Thats how I like to travel and vacation. If you like cruise ships, good for you. 😉

Fwiw some itineraries actually stay overnight or multiple nights in ports (e.g., there are cruises to Bermuda where it’s docked there for 4 nights and then you sail back home). There are certain lines (smaller boats) that do itineraries where you just island hop in Greece or Croatia, docking overnight so you can enjoy the nightlife. And most Med and River cruises stay in port late as well (so you can eat dinner on land if you prefer).

But this thread is about relaxing, and the bottom line is cruising is more relaxing than being in a condo at the beach or an Airbnb in Europe. Hands down.

PS - every thread that references cruising quickly devolves to open criticism of cruising as if every cruise is a trashy experience preferred by dim witted people unequipped to travel. And that’s just not the case.

Someone always comments that you only have a few hours on land and don’t see anything, and that’s just not true.

Hands down to you doesn't mean hands down to everyone else. I would rather just fly to Bermuda and stay for 4 days in a nicer part of the island than spend all the time sailing there to stay on the ship in....Dockyard. Hands down! See how that works?