What's so great about cruises?

[_Jersey Girl]

Yet another Facebook friend is going on yet another cruise. Why? I've been invited to go many times and I just don't understand what the draw is.

I'm not afraid to sail, I grew up on boats down the Shore. What the heck is so inviting about being trapped on a ship with, I dunno, a thousand other people that you can't get away from unless you lock yourself inside your state room that is the size of a closet? Or you could get some horrible communicable illness and be trapped with vomiting en masse?

Why does anyone want to do that? They have shows, I guess shopping, meals/buffet, maybe gambling?

Sheesh. Just put me on a plane, let me land on a beach or nearby, and leave me alone already! It sounds like an Introvert's nightmare!

[_MeDotOrg]

Cruise ships are for people with time, and sometimes for people who have a lot of time and don't know what they want to do, except they want to be on vacation. It's funny, while I would never go on a cruise ship, I'm intrigued by the river barge cruises they have in Europe. My parents did one many years ago and loved it.

[_honorentheos]

I had no interest in going on a cruise, but we ended up doing an Alaskan cruise with family. One member in particular had always wanted to visit Alaska but, due to age and health, the cruise was the only viable option for making that happen.

It changed my perspective on cruises. Most of the time was spent on excursions at the various ports, with the time on ship usually limited to evenings/nights and a couple of open ocean cruise days. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to other people with expectations that aligned with the intent of the experience. We saw whales breaching out in the open ocean, saw and visited a fair amount of the coast line of Alaska, the entertainment was good, and the time with family was nice. My expectations were low going in, so that may have influenced the degree I was pleasantly surprised by the overall accommodations, too. I will say that I am one who enjoys time reading, so when we weren't on excursion I had no problem filling the time between ports out on a deck overlooking the ocean in a parka, reading and drinking a coffee or adult beverage. Our daughter went with us, and she and I played a lot of air hockey and ping pong (with rocking cruise ship physics which was interesting), and other things. In some ways, I think it helps allow people who are looking for extroverted entertainment to do their thing and those who just want to internalize what's going on do theirs with limited friction. I'm sure if a person when into it intent on being unhappy they'd find a reason to be unhappy. And we may have been lucky in the quality of experience as it's been the only cruise I've been on. But I wouldn't give cruises a blanket bad review.

[_moksha]

Jersey Girl, if you see the names S.S. Minnow or S.S. Damned on the side of the ship you might want to skip those voyages.

[_huckelberry]

My brother took a cruise down the middle fork of the Salmon. I found myself having a few twinges of jealousy.

[_Markk]

# 1 rule...Cruises are only as fun as who you go with.

My wife and I go on a local 3 day Ensenada Mexico cruise often. People watching is great on cheap Carnival Cruises, especially watching those that buy the "exclusive drink ticket." The food is basically crappy buffet food, except for the taco bar and the Cheeseburger bar. The comedy clubs are actually pretty funny most the time, they can get foul, but the clean ones are pretty funny.

But, believe it or not most years we win enough to pay for the trip. We bring a few hundred dollars to loose, but win far more than we loose overall.

But it is fun to have a day in Mexico buying crap, amoxicillin, and eating tacos, and going to the blow hole.

[_honorentheos]

The cruise we went on was Norwegian. In addition to the buffets, which included a surprising amount of variety at least, they had a few restaurant-style dining areas that served pretty nice meals at no additional charge. The quality of the food was one of the bigger surprises to me, as I envisioned something akin to an off-strip Vegas casino buffet. I would put it above that by a few steps. They did charge for drinks, and probably made a decent amount on alcohol sales.

[_Jersey Girl]

Okay so I read all the replies so far. I just got a Facebook message saying how certain folks are going to "have to talk" me and JB into going on one with them.

Yeah, no. If you have to talk me into it, that's your first hint that it's not going to happen.

Example, this year I'm going to shelling beaches in Florida that I've wanted to visit for approx. 15 years now, probably more. My idea of a good time is get there, take an extra empty suitcase, my beach stuff and leave me alone while I set about the business of filling up the suitcase with shells, bucket by bucket, to bring home.

I did love my UK trip last fall and mainly because it was tied to my heritage. But I came home with pics of trees and bricks and stones and walls of castles with climbing vines fall leaves and sheep and things that normal people don't really care about and those are my favorite photos of the whole trip.

My sister took me to an outdoor art gallery sculpture thing and remarked on how I was in this park with all these art sculptures and I was more interested in stuffing my pockets with birch bark to take home. Which I was and I did, and yes, I still have my bark because bark matters.

So...I cannot see myself going on a ship, going to shows, eating buffet, I dunno, getting my nails done or going in a pool onboard ship.

It sounds like Vegas on the water to me. The one and only time I went to Vegas was in July (don't ask) and I recall being in the pool at the MGM Grand with about a million people and only because the place was an oven and that was one place to get cool. I freaking hated it there.

So...I don't really think cruises are for me. I feel like I would be frustrated the whole entire time.

[_Jersey Girl]

I had no interest in going on a cruise, but we ended up doing an Alaskan cruise with family. One member in particular had always wanted to visit Alaska but, due to age and health, the cruise was the only viable option for making that happen.

This that you wrote right there is one reason that I think a certain set of folks want us to go with them. The health issue. When folks come to visit us where we live (and I didn't realize this until one of my kids pointed this out to me) all the stuff we take people to see is out of doors and involves some walking if not some hiking. I don't think they like the out of doors and have some difficulty getting around. I think that's why they like the cruises they go on.

The other person wants me to go because they think the whole experience is fancy and fun--or something.

There is something about this that goes against my grain. Like I said, I grew up on boats for a good portion of my childhood. On a cruise ship you're not really out on the water where you can hang off the boat and get in the water or run your fingers through it as you are going.

I'm crazy. Just accept that part and we'll all be fine.

[_Jersey Girl]

The cruise we went on was Norwegian. In addition to the buffets, which included a surprising amount of variety at least, they had a few restaurant-style dining areas that served pretty nice meals at no additional charge. The quality of the food was one of the bigger surprises to me, as I envisioned something akin to an off-strip Vegas casino buffet. I would put it above that by a few steps. They did charge for drinks, and probably made a decent amount on alcohol sales.

Quite a lot of folks rave about all the food choices on a cruise. I don't really care about food.

I feel like (this is the real inner me talking here) people want to go sit on their butts and stuff themselves silly and call it a good day.

That's not my idea of a good day.