Anonymous wrote:Some people don’t like cruises. My husband is one of them, we’re in Montreal right now and he prefers it to our last cruise trip.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A cruise is a great option for the following types of people:

- elderly
- lazy
- non-curious
- Murica exceptionalism types
- faint hearted
- challenged in one way or many ways

Careful, Troll…your wild assumptions and sweeping generalizations underscore your ignorant biases.

Nonetheless, I’ll play.

My family is Dcumlandia affluent. Think: advanced degrees, big DC jobs, kids in private schools, etc.

We travel regularly throughout the year (including international travel). And we cruise at least once a year (sometimes more) in addition to land-based vacations. (Interestingly, we’ve never done an AI. Zero interest in staying put at a resort.)

Cruising has gained a lot of popularity post-covid, and we know plenty of similarly situated families who enjoy cruises.

If you’ve never cruised—or if you’ve only cruised (ahem) certain lines (and/or crummy itineraries)—then you really aren’t equipped to weigh in on cruising.

When we cruise, we never do group excursions; rather, we hire a driver or charter a boat for the day. We aren’t surrounded by tourists since we seek off the beaten path places. We always have fun.

People who enjoy cruising tend to be fun. They like to meet new people, so everyone seems very friendly and outgoing. They enjoy live music, dancing, and partying (each cruise line has a different vibe and varying levels of partying). Certain lines cater to retirees, but even that is changing a bit.

I’ve been a beach person my entire life as well as a person who thrives on researching and planning big, multi week vacations. I’ve never had a boring or bad vacation…ever. But I have to say that nothing beats being on the water. The sunrises and sunsets are amazing. And listening to the sea overnight is so soothing.

Since you are criticizing cruisers, I’ll share that I can’t understand people who prefer to sit by a pool (especially when the beach is a stone’s throw away). Talk about lazy and incurious…not to mention the ick factor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A cruise is a great option for the following types of people:

- elderly
- lazy
- non-curious
- Murica exceptionalism types
- faint hearted
- challenged in one way or many ways

Careful, Troll…your wild assumptions and sweeping generalizations underscore your ignorant biases.

Nonetheless, I’ll play.

My family is Dcumlandia affluent. Think: advanced degrees, big DC jobs, kids in private schools, etc.

We travel regularly throughout the year (including international travel). And we cruise at least once a year (sometimes more) in addition to land-based vacations. (Interestingly, we’ve never done an AI. Zero interest in staying put at a resort.)

Cruising has gained a lot of popularity post-covid, and we know plenty of similarly situated families who enjoy cruises.

If you’ve never cruised—or if you’ve only cruised (ahem) certain lines (and/or crummy itineraries)—then you really aren’t equipped to weigh in on cruising.

When we cruise, we never do group excursions; rather, we hire a driver or charter a boat for the day. We aren’t surrounded by tourists since we seek off the beaten path places. We always have fun.

People who enjoy cruising tend to be fun. They like to meet new people, so everyone seems very friendly and outgoing. They enjoy live music, dancing, and partying (each cruise line has a different vibe and varying levels of partying). Certain lines cater to retirees, but even that is changing a bit.

I’ve been a beach person my entire life as well as a person who thrives on researching and planning big, multi week vacations. I’ve never had a boring or bad vacation…ever. But I have to say that nothing beats being on the water. The sunrises and sunsets are amazing. And listening to the sea overnight is so soothing.

Since you are criticizing cruisers, I’ll share that I can’t understand people who prefer to sit by a pool (especially when the beach is a stone’s throw away). Talk about lazy and incurious…not to mention the ick factor.

Anonymous wrote:I recently went on one and can't decide whether it was a good overall experience or not. The food was excessive. I was concerned what, if any, labor laws were being followed. There was an inability to clear one's own plates; it was all done by staff. Pools were crowded. I did like the ability to get off at a port.

I think I would have been really bored at a gated all-inclusive placee and am not a beach person.

Anonymous wrote:I think of cruises like being at the beach. It’s so much better than a beach house with relatives. And no thinking about meals- it’s all provided. It’s not our only trip, but it’s the one we take instead of a beach trip. It could be because I can’t stand beaches around here. OBX and ocean shitty are so awful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A cruise is a great option for the following types of people:

- elderly
- lazy
- non-curious
- Murica exceptionalism types
- faint hearted
- challenged in one way or many ways

Careful, Troll…your wild assumptions and sweeping generalizations underscore your ignorant biases.

Nonetheless, I’ll play.

My family is Dcumlandia affluent. Think: advanced degrees, big DC jobs, kids in private schools, etc.

We travel regularly throughout the year (including international travel). And we cruise at least once a year (sometimes more) in addition to land-based vacations. (Interestingly, we’ve never done an AI. Zero interest in staying put at a resort.)

Cruising has gained a lot of popularity post-covid, and we know plenty of similarly situated families who enjoy cruises.

If you’ve never cruised—or if you’ve only cruised (ahem) certain lines (and/or crummy itineraries)—then you really aren’t equipped to weigh in on cruising.

When we cruise, we never do group excursions; rather, we hire a driver or charter a boat for the day. We aren’t surrounded by tourists since we seek off the beaten path places. We always have fun.

People who enjoy cruising tend to be fun. They like to meet new people, so everyone seems very friendly and outgoing. They enjoy live music, dancing, and partying (each cruise line has a different vibe and varying levels of partying). Certain lines cater to retirees, but even that is changing a bit.

I’ve been a beach person my entire life as well as a person who thrives on researching and planning big, multi week vacations. I’ve never had a boring or bad vacation…ever. But I have to say that nothing beats being on the water. The sunrises and sunsets are amazing. And listening to the sea overnight is so soothing.

Since you are criticizing cruisers, I’ll share that I can’t understand people who prefer to sit by a pool (especially when the beach is a stone’s throw away). Talk about lazy and incurious…not to mention the ick factor.

Anonymous wrote:A cruise is a great option for the following types of people:

- elderly
- lazy
- non-curious
- Murica exceptionalism types
- faint hearted
- challenged in one way or many ways

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) re: crowded ports, and even when we planned excursions like a resort pass, packing up everything for a few hours at a hotel was an annoying waste of time - What ports? Tell me which ports and I’ll tell you better options. We always avoid the crowds, and we never go on group excursions.

2) re: everything on a ship is crowded. I hate being confined to a space with so many people - What ship? Were you on a big ship? The bigger the boat, the bigger the crowds. We prefer the older, smaller ships precisely because we dislike crowds. We’ve never had trouble finding quiet spots on a ship.

3) Re: too much access to food. I was stressed and bored, so I overate and feel gross. - Eh, it happens to the best of us. We avoid the buffet and eat meals in the main dining room where you order off the menu. We also strive to hit our daily steps. Rarely use the elevator; always take the stairs.

4) Re: so much rocking. It has made sleeping unpleasant. - The last two nights on our spring break cruise were rocky. 10-15 ft waves. But that’s unusual.

5) Re: so many transitions throughout the day. Meals, get off the ship, get to ports/excursions, get back in the ship, activities on the ship. - Take control of your schedule. Avoid group excursions and then you aren’t following someone else’s schedule.

PS - I’m surprised anyone enjoys Baha Mar or Atlantis. Both are more crowded than any cruise ship, and both have crowded, crummy beaches imho.

I agree with all of these points but also see why some don’t like cruising and know that 1 year olds are a pain. Cute, but a pain.

Sure, but toddlers are a handful on any vacation. At least on a cruise you can split up and take turns watching the toddler. You can easily nap in the cabin and hang out on the veranda while everyone else can still have fun. You can easily find food at any hour.

We have a handful of kids and have cruised, rented beach houses/condos, traveled to Europe, etc. and cruises are hands down the easiest and most relaxing trips.