Anonymous wrote:A travel vlogger couple I watch just went on an Arctic cruise with Ponant. I looked it up out of curiosity. It’s crazy expensive — like starting at $40k! A girl can dream.

Kara and Nate? I love their videos!

My in-laws took us all on a cruise to celebrate their 50th anniversary a few years ago (pre-covid). It was MIL and FIL (early 70s), DH and I and our 15 and 13 year olds, BIL and his wife and their 7 year old twins. It was eastern Caribbean out of Miami, 7 nights, on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas. Yes, it is a huge "mass market" ship. But what I liked about it was that it was just so painfully EASY, especially with a large group. With a bigger group with such a large age range, it can be a challenge to find trip options that everyone will enjoy but a cruise offered that. MIL and FIL got to relax, book and drink in hands, by the pool and beach. The teenagers were able to have their independence.

No, the food wasn't Michelin star quality, but everyone could find something they liked. I enjoyed not having to dole out cash or my credit card every time my kids wanted ice cream or a snack. I liked that the kids could try new foods without me being annoyed I dropped $20 on something they took two bites of. I liked how little planning was involved. I liked that we could go see a show and if it was awful (and some of them were, yes) and the kids were bored out of their minds...oh well.

No, the days at port didn't offer some incredible culturally authentic experience, but everyone was able to do things they were interested in and enjoyed themselves. If that makes us trashy, so be it!

Anonymous wrote:We rented a boat on our cruise. Sailed to a quiet place. Snorkeled. Swam. Nice people quiet. Really fun.
Cruising is expensive if you do it right but we had a blast. I don’t think we are trashy as we have traveled all around the world. Cruise is a relaxing vacation especially with kids. But I don’t care if some anonymous person thinks I’m trashy.
I have noticed that more and more non trashy well off folks are doing cruises.

More upper class professionals are cruising because they realize it’s easy, relaxing, and fun. We booked a cruise over spring break precisely because I didn’t want to invest time in planning each and every detail for a trip to Europe or the Mediterranean. And, we were all uniformly burned out thanks to work, school, and sports. While DH initially balked at the price (particularly once you add in flights and private guides/captains), but he agreed that it was priceless to completely detach, unwind, and enjoy our family without feeling like we were on a schedule.

Don’t knock it until you try it.

We rented a boat on our cruise. Sailed to a quiet place. Snorkeled. Swam. Nice people quiet. Really fun.
Cruising is expensive if you do it right but we had a blast. I don’t think we are trashy as we have traveled all around the world. Cruise is a relaxing vacation especially with kids. But I don’t care if some anonymous person thinks I’m trashy.
I have noticed that more and more non trashy well off folks are doing cruises.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI $300k

White collar professionals with fancy degrees living in the dc metro area

We thought we weren’t (gasp) “cruise people” until we took a Disney cruise and realized how relaxing cruising is. No stress. No planning. Just show up and have fun. You have a picky eater? No problem! The waiters will literally bring you whatever you ask for, or you can just order room service for the kid before or after your dinner (and it’s included).

Go price out a Disney cruise for a family and you’ll realize it’s not a trashy lower-class trip. It’s $$$$$. We’ve done Europe for less than a cruise.

I chuckle at the quips about cruising not being “real” travel or less “authentic.” No clue how your weeklong stay on an island is more authentic than my day trips to 5 islands during a cruise. I mean, we hire a driver or charter a boat for the day, hit local spots for food, and spend the day on off the beaten path beaches or outer islands that you probably never saw because you didn’t leave your resort unless you were herded onto a catamaran for an excursion.

I wonder if the cruise haters simply hate the Caribbean.

Disney cruises are expensive but still trashy. Let’s not pretend your “day trips” off the cruise ship are filled with authentic food and adventures. They aren’t. They are places that are catering to cruise folk. They know you are coming. But I feel the same about all inclusive resort trips. So at least we can agree on that

I hire local guides who take me to bakeries (that’s my jam!) and restaurants that definitely do not cater to tourists. Islands basically have a tourist side and a local side. We are always the only tourists in the bakeries. The restaurants sometimes have tourists who clearly are airbnbing it with a rental car since they are on the other side of the island. If we have a driver, we end up on beaches where we are the only family. Literally. We pick up lunch on the way (sometimes at the bakery). When we charter a boat, we mix up fishing and beach time (sometimes on an outer island). We are never around tourists—or people, really.
If we catch a good fish, we hit a restaurant to cook it. We’ve always met nice locals. I’m FB for some of them!

We’ve stayed on plenty of islands at resorts or private villas. It’s nice, but you really don’t interact with locals aside from those serving you. You definitely get more of a shared experience and personal insight spending the entire day with a guide or captain.

Re: tourist traps - easy to avoid.

I'm not fancy enough to hire a guide, but I like to plan the same way I would plan for actual travel. Look up other walking tours and local spots and create my own walking tour and see what I find along the way. Ended up at a cool distillery that way that had a small tasting room but really was mostly a big warehouse. And a tiny winery that was empty and they did a tasting for us. There were locals outside with carts filled with something I didn't recognize. I asked the winery person serving us and she ran outside and got some of the fruits for us. We've rented cars are drove inland to small towns away from the hustle and bustle. Not way off the beaten path, but better than the tourist villages that the cruise excursions take you to.

I still love more elaborate travel to unique places but I've had fantastic experiences on cruises too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI $300k

White collar professionals with fancy degrees living in the dc metro area

We thought we weren’t (gasp) “cruise people” until we took a Disney cruise and realized how relaxing cruising is. No stress. No planning. Just show up and have fun. You have a picky eater? No problem! The waiters will literally bring you whatever you ask for, or you can just order room service for the kid before or after your dinner (and it’s included).

Go price out a Disney cruise for a family and you’ll realize it’s not a trashy lower-class trip. It’s $$$$$. We’ve done Europe for less than a cruise.

I chuckle at the quips about cruising not being “real” travel or less “authentic.” No clue how your weeklong stay on an island is more authentic than my day trips to 5 islands during a cruise. I mean, we hire a driver or charter a boat for the day, hit local spots for food, and spend the day on off the beaten path beaches or outer islands that you probably never saw because you didn’t leave your resort unless you were herded onto a catamaran for an excursion.

I wonder if the cruise haters simply hate the Caribbean.

Disney cruises are expensive but still trashy. Let’s not pretend your “day trips” off the cruise ship are filled with authentic food and adventures. They aren’t. They are places that are catering to cruise folk. They know you are coming. But I feel the same about all inclusive resort trips. So at least we can agree on that

I’m not sure how a week at a luxury resort is more authentic then spending the entire day with a local tour guide. I mean, you aren’t interacting with servers in any meaningful way. One guide (who I’m still FB friends with and hire whenever we are on his island) took us to his aunt’s bakery, a truly behind the scenes tour of historical sites, a secluded beach (we were the only family there), a restaurant/bar filled with locals and local music. We were the only tourists wherever we went. We got an earful about their local politics and shifting demographics. We talked sports. He gave my teen son a beer.

Needless to say, we never have experiences like this when we stay at resorts or villas unless we hire a guide or captain for an entire day.

I think the problem I have with your post is your points of comparison are “cruise with hired staff” or “luxury resort (maybe with hired staff)” neither of which are going to result in really authentic travel because everyone you interact with is being paid to make sure you have a nice time. I don’t actually know, having never been to the Caribbean, but that’s what it reads like.

To answer OP’s question, I tend to think of cruises as somewhat tacky because my cousins live in a port town and I inherited their disdain for cruise ship travellers but honestly I think that’s just a local’s impression of tourists which is pretty uniform regardless of form of transport.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI $300k

White collar professionals with fancy degrees living in the dc metro area

We thought we weren’t (gasp) “cruise people” until we took a Disney cruise and realized how relaxing cruising is. No stress. No planning. Just show up and have fun. You have a picky eater? No problem! The waiters will literally bring you whatever you ask for, or you can just order room service for the kid before or after your dinner (and it’s included).

Go price out a Disney cruise for a family and you’ll realize it’s not a trashy lower-class trip. It’s $$$$$. We’ve done Europe for less than a cruise.

I chuckle at the quips about cruising not being “real” travel or less “authentic.” No clue how your weeklong stay on an island is more authentic than my day trips to 5 islands during a cruise. I mean, we hire a driver or charter a boat for the day, hit local spots for food, and spend the day on off the beaten path beaches or outer islands that you probably never saw because you didn’t leave your resort unless you were herded onto a catamaran for an excursion.

I wonder if the cruise haters simply hate the Caribbean.

Disney cruises are expensive but still trashy. Let’s not pretend your “day trips” off the cruise ship are filled with authentic food and adventures. They aren’t. They are places that are catering to cruise folk. They know you are coming. But I feel the same about all inclusive resort trips. So at least we can agree on that

np. What defines authenticity?

Don’t bother engaging with the hater who either never took a cruise or simply stuck to the typical excursions. They have no clue what they’re talking about. Seasoned travelers know how to travel the right way.

Example: St. Lucia. The fancy resorts are on sugar beach by the Pitons. When we were in port, we wanted to see the pitons and that beach, but we didn’t want to be stuck with all the tourists (from the resorts and the ship). We hired a private boat. They took us to a secluded beach after picking up lunch from a sketchy area filled only with locals and shacks. They assured us it would be the best meal we ever had, and it sure was delicious and reasonable. True local food. We snorkeled off the boat and some of the crew took us into caves. Great fishing. The crew was a bunch of young guys and my kids had a blast hanging with them all day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI $300k

White collar professionals with fancy degrees living in the dc metro area

We thought we weren’t (gasp) “cruise people” until we took a Disney cruise and realized how relaxing cruising is. No stress. No planning. Just show up and have fun. You have a picky eater? No problem! The waiters will literally bring you whatever you ask for, or you can just order room service for the kid before or after your dinner (and it’s included).

Go price out a Disney cruise for a family and you’ll realize it’s not a trashy lower-class trip. It’s $$$$$. We’ve done Europe for less than a cruise.

I chuckle at the quips about cruising not being “real” travel or less “authentic.” No clue how your weeklong stay on an island is more authentic than my day trips to 5 islands during a cruise. I mean, we hire a driver or charter a boat for the day, hit local spots for food, and spend the day on off the beaten path beaches or outer islands that you probably never saw because you didn’t leave your resort unless you were herded onto a catamaran for an excursion.

I wonder if the cruise haters simply hate the Caribbean.

Disney cruises are expensive but still trashy. Let’s not pretend your “day trips” off the cruise ship are filled with authentic food and adventures. They aren’t. They are places that are catering to cruise folk. They know you are coming. But I feel the same about all inclusive resort trips. So at least we can agree on that

I’m not sure how a week at a luxury resort is more authentic then spending the entire day with a local tour guide. I mean, you aren’t interacting with servers in any meaningful way. One guide (who I’m still FB friends with and hire whenever we are on his island) took us to his aunt’s bakery, a truly behind the scenes tour of historical sites, a secluded beach (we were the only family there), a restaurant/bar filled with locals and local music. We were the only tourists wherever we went. We got an earful about their local politics and shifting demographics. We talked sports. He gave my teen son a beer.

Needless to say, we never have experiences like this when we stay at resorts or villas unless we hire a guide or captain for an entire day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI $300k

White collar professionals with fancy degrees living in the dc metro area

We thought we weren’t (gasp) “cruise people” until we took a Disney cruise and realized how relaxing cruising is. No stress. No planning. Just show up and have fun. You have a picky eater? No problem! The waiters will literally bring you whatever you ask for, or you can just order room service for the kid before or after your dinner (and it’s included).

Go price out a Disney cruise for a family and you’ll realize it’s not a trashy lower-class trip. It’s $$$$$. We’ve done Europe for less than a cruise.

I chuckle at the quips about cruising not being “real” travel or less “authentic.” No clue how your weeklong stay on an island is more authentic than my day trips to 5 islands during a cruise. I mean, we hire a driver or charter a boat for the day, hit local spots for food, and spend the day on off the beaten path beaches or outer islands that you probably never saw because you didn’t leave your resort unless you were herded onto a catamaran for an excursion.

I wonder if the cruise haters simply hate the Caribbean.

Disney cruises are expensive but still trashy. Let’s not pretend your “day trips” off the cruise ship are filled with authentic food and adventures. They aren’t. They are places that are catering to cruise folk. They know you are coming. But I feel the same about all inclusive resort trips. So at least we can agree on that

Doesn’t matter how much you pay for it, you are on a “Disney cruise” no HHI or expense is going to make that less lowbrow. Not saying it can’t be fun to some, I’ve been to Vegas for a bachelorette party and had a good time, but it’s undoubtably tacky.

Wow. lol.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI $300k

White collar professionals with fancy degrees living in the dc metro area

We thought we weren’t (gasp) “cruise people” until we took a Disney cruise and realized how relaxing cruising is. No stress. No planning. Just show up and have fun. You have a picky eater? No problem! The waiters will literally bring you whatever you ask for, or you can just order room service for the kid before or after your dinner (and it’s included).

Go price out a Disney cruise for a family and you’ll realize it’s not a trashy lower-class trip. It’s $$$$$. We’ve done Europe for less than a cruise.

I chuckle at the quips about cruising not being “real” travel or less “authentic.” No clue how your weeklong stay on an island is more authentic than my day trips to 5 islands during a cruise. I mean, we hire a driver or charter a boat for the day, hit local spots for food, and spend the day on off the beaten path beaches or outer islands that you probably never saw because you didn’t leave your resort unless you were herded onto a catamaran for an excursion.

I wonder if the cruise haters simply hate the Caribbean.

Disney cruises are expensive but still trashy. Let’s not pretend your “day trips” off the cruise ship are filled with authentic food and adventures. They aren’t. They are places that are catering to cruise folk. They know you are coming. But I feel the same about all inclusive resort trips. So at least we can agree on that

np. What defines authenticity?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI $300k

White collar professionals with fancy degrees living in the dc metro area

We thought we weren’t (gasp) “cruise people” until we took a Disney cruise and realized how relaxing cruising is. No stress. No planning. Just show up and have fun. You have a picky eater? No problem! The waiters will literally bring you whatever you ask for, or you can just order room service for the kid before or after your dinner (and it’s included).

Go price out a Disney cruise for a family and you’ll realize it’s not a trashy lower-class trip. It’s $$$$$. We’ve done Europe for less than a cruise.

I chuckle at the quips about cruising not being “real” travel or less “authentic.” No clue how your weeklong stay on an island is more authentic than my day trips to 5 islands during a cruise. I mean, we hire a driver or charter a boat for the day, hit local spots for food, and spend the day on off the beaten path beaches or outer islands that you probably never saw because you didn’t leave your resort unless you were herded onto a catamaran for an excursion.

I wonder if the cruise haters simply hate the Caribbean.

Disney cruises are expensive but still trashy. Let’s not pretend your “day trips” off the cruise ship are filled with authentic food and adventures. They aren’t. They are places that are catering to cruise folk. They know you are coming. But I feel the same about all inclusive resort trips. So at least we can agree on that

I hire local guides who take me to bakeries (that’s my jam!) and restaurants that definitely do not cater to tourists. Islands basically have a tourist side and a local side. We are always the only tourists in the bakeries. The restaurants sometimes have tourists who clearly are airbnbing it with a rental car since they are on the other side of the island. If we have a driver, we end up on beaches where we are the only family. Literally. We pick up lunch on the way (sometimes at the bakery). When we charter a boat, we mix up fishing and beach time (sometimes on an outer island). We are never around tourists—or people, really.
If we catch a good fish, we hit a restaurant to cook it. We’ve always met nice locals. I’m FB for some of them!

We’ve stayed on plenty of islands at resorts or private villas. It’s nice, but you really don’t interact with locals aside from those serving you. You definitely get more of a shared experience and personal insight spending the entire day with a guide or captain.

Re: tourist traps - easy to avoid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI $300k

White collar professionals with fancy degrees living in the dc metro area

We thought we weren’t (gasp) “cruise people” until we took a Disney cruise and realized how relaxing cruising is. No stress. No planning. Just show up and have fun. You have a picky eater? No problem! The waiters will literally bring you whatever you ask for, or you can just order room service for the kid before or after your dinner (and it’s included).

Go price out a Disney cruise for a family and you’ll realize it’s not a trashy lower-class trip. It’s $$$$$. We’ve done Europe for less than a cruise.

I chuckle at the quips about cruising not being “real” travel or less “authentic.” No clue how your weeklong stay on an island is more authentic than my day trips to 5 islands during a cruise. I mean, we hire a driver or charter a boat for the day, hit local spots for food, and spend the day on off the beaten path beaches or outer islands that you probably never saw because you didn’t leave your resort unless you were herded onto a catamaran for an excursion.

I wonder if the cruise haters simply hate the Caribbean.

Disney cruises are expensive but still trashy. Let’s not pretend your “day trips” off the cruise ship are filled with authentic food and adventures. They aren’t. They are places that are catering to cruise folk. They know you are coming. But I feel the same about all inclusive resort trips. So at least we can agree on that

Doesn’t matter how much you pay for it, you are on a “Disney cruise” no HHI or expense is going to make that less lowbrow. Not saying it can’t be fun to some, I’ve been to Vegas for a bachelorette party and had a good time, but it’s undoubtably tacky.

Anonymous wrote:Buffets, Vegas shoes, hordes of people, mostly old, overweight, infirm, tiny rooms, Vegas shows, tourist trap stops, lots of booze. Nothing about them is appealing.

We don’t eat at the buffet.
We prefer smaller ships. No crowds, better service.
Mostly families and fun older people. We saw the cutest super elderly couple dressed up like Peter Pan and Tinkerbelle on our last Disney cruise on pirate night. They’re totally winning at life.
The cabins aren’t big, but we enjoy the coziness. We sleep so well on ships.
We aren’t big drinkers. Shrug.
The entertainment has been fun. Saw a fabulous comedian from Baltimore on a cruise out of San Juan.

Anonymous wrote:HHI $300k

White collar professionals with fancy degrees living in the dc metro area

We thought we weren’t (gasp) “cruise people” until we took a Disney cruise and realized how relaxing cruising is. No stress. No planning. Just show up and have fun. You have a picky eater? No problem! The waiters will literally bring you whatever you ask for, or you can just order room service for the kid before or after your dinner (and it’s included).

Go price out a Disney cruise for a family and you’ll realize it’s not a trashy lower-class trip. It’s $$$$$. We’ve done Europe for less than a cruise.

I chuckle at the quips about cruising not being “real” travel or less “authentic.” No clue how your weeklong stay on an island is more authentic than my day trips to 5 islands during a cruise. I mean, we hire a driver or charter a boat for the day, hit local spots for food, and spend the day on off the beaten path beaches or outer islands that you probably never saw because you didn’t leave your resort unless you were herded onto a catamaran for an excursion.

I wonder if the cruise haters simply hate the Caribbean.

Disney cruises are expensive but still trashy. Let’s not pretend your “day trips” off the cruise ship are filled with authentic food and adventures. They aren’t. They are places that are catering to cruise folk. They know you are coming. But I feel the same about all inclusive resort trips. So at least we can agree on that

Buffets, Vegas shoes, hordes of people, mostly old, overweight, infirm, tiny rooms, Vegas shows, tourist trap stops, lots of booze. Nothing about them is appealing.