Cruises---would dh and I enjoy one?

[Ottakee]

Dh saw something on the travel channel yesterday about cruises and is now considering one.

 

I don't know if we would really enjoy it as much as another vacation...but, never having gone, I don't know.

 

We are both a bit overweight so while we might enjoy the pool, hot tub, etc.--we are NOT the sit in the sun in our trim swim suits and get a tan type people. I love to relax and read but dh doesn't. He does enjoy fitness/weight rooms, etc. We do not drink at all. We do not gamble. Theater/shows.....maybe as long as there were PG rated or cleaner. Neither of us are big shoppers.

 

He hates flying but since we are in Michigan we would have to fly to get to a cruise dock. Would we want a 3, 5, 7 day cruise? We would be leaving behind 3 special needs kids, 3 horses and a host of other little critters.

 

What cruise lines should be check out? What ones to avoid? What else is there to do on a ship? What is worth paying extra for and what is not? What is included on the ship? What extra expenses pop up?

 

Typically on vacation we go only a few hours away, stay in a resort (his tribe owns it so we get HUGE discounts on the rooms), drive around, visit state parks, hiking trails, etc.

 

Any hints for us or should we look at something different?

[Lori C- Texas]

We enjoyed the cruise that we went on. We live in the Dallas area so we lucked out and only had to drive to Galveston. We went on a Carnival 4 day cruise to Cozumel. Dh and I are NOT the party type! But we went in the off season so our ship was not over crowded with the party crowd. We went on our cruise just to relax. We did not do any of the group activities that were scheduled. We don't drink a lot and even if we did we wouldn't drink on a cruise ship. One drink is almost $20!! But the food was awesome. We didn't swim or do the hot tub because they were super small and always had a ton of people in them. We just sat and enjoyed being waited on. We didn't go to the captain's dinner either. Every one else on the ship did. So, we basically, had the whole ship to ourselves that night just to walk around, enjoy the quiet and stars. It was the best vacation we ever went on. We dream all the time of going on another one! Dh and I don't get a chance to just be together and enjoy each other very often. My favorite part was not having to clean, cook, change diapers, and break up fights between the kids.

 

The shows on our trip were PG. They did have some shows late at night that were not PG(we didn't go to these). They have a casino which we did not even walk into, karaoke bar, wine tasting(we did do this), art show/auction (fun to look at the paintings).

 

This has probably not helped you at all but I think you can make a cruise work for you. We set a budget before we left and stuck to it. Even in Mexico we just enjoyed the beach and sites. We didn't pay a ton of money to do all the excursions that you can do.

 

Typing this out is making us sound like really boring people!! But like I said we went to relax and enjoy just being alone not to party!:)

[MamaT]

My dh and I have been on several cruises, and we have taken the kids on cruises too. Carnival is probably the best if you were taking your dc, but Celebrity is the one I would pick to go by yourselves. It is much quieter, the people on the ship are usually a little older (not as much wild partying), the shows are better quality, and there are only a few children on the ship.

 

There is so much to do, you can pick what would suit you or do nothing at all. The food is wonderful! For me, it is the perfect thing to do if you are going without your kids. As far as how long a cruise to take, I would say the longest you feel comfortable leaving your kids for and can afford. We never want to get off the ship when a cruise is over.

 

I say GO and have fun!

[Marie463]

We love cruising! In my opinion, it is one of the easiest ways to travel...you simply wake up, look out your window and you're in a new place. No getting lost! No need to figure out where to get meals. You don't even need to plan any activities....it's all done for you!

 

There is a ton of information available on cruising at a site called CruiseCritics.com. The forums there are very active and you'll find more info than you need there!

 

Quickly to answer a few of your questions: To avoid flying you may be able to drive to a port such as Baltimore or Philadelphia (granted, it would be a long drive, but would spare your husband from having to get on a plane). There are not as many ships that depart from the East Coast as there are from the Florida ports, but it is something to consider.

 

As for activities the extra expenses. Well, if you don't drink or gamble then it will be very economical for you. Generally speaking, water, lemonade, tea and coffee are always available for free. Anything other than that will come at a cost. Nearly all activities on the ship are free, however, trips at the ports (called excursions) are at an added cost. We do not drink or gamble, but this is an area where we do spend a bit more. We don't particularly enjoy shopping or beach laying when visiting the various islands, but we LOVE to do more active things such as jetskiing, snorkeling, etc (which come at a cost).

 

Ah, I could type a book! Feel free to PM me if you'd like....and definitely check out cruisecritic!

[TravelingChris]

I don't drink (medications) and I don't tan and I love cruises. THere is so much to do. I have been on three different cruise lines in two different areas (3 in Caribbean/Bahamas, 1 in Mediterranean) and have never come across anything except PG shows. Now there was some non PG game program on the last cruise we went on but it was well announced what it was and it was not the main entertainment. We spend our money on excursions though at times, we end up renting a car on our own and doing our own excursion.

[MyThreeSons]

My Mom says that after a few days on a cruise, she gets tired of being waited on -- no cooking, or cleaning, or laundry ....

 

I've only been on one short cruise, and I sure didn't feel like I would get tired of that! :D

[Stacia]

Echoing what the others have said. We've done various cruises & loved them. I love that you wake up in a new place (so you're not constantly packing/unpacking as you travel from place to place). The service & the food are wonderful & I love many of the excursions (paid) trips you take when off the ship. There are a wide variety of activities to choose from at the various ports, from physical activities (river rafting, hiking, etc...) to more historical things (city/historic tours) and shopping trips. Of course, if you're looking to really relax & hang out, you don't ever even have to leave the ship -- just stay on board, even when in port, enjoy the view & the service (esp. since the ship is almost empty).

 

We've always traveled w/ Holland America (and Windstar, which is part of Holland America). It definitely has an older crowd, so they are not 'party' ships. The ships are really very quiet. As someone else mentioned, you can do as little or as much as you want to do on a ship. I've never been swimming in the ship's pool & I've never gone out for tanning either. I don't drink &, as someone mentioned, coffee & tea are usually free. You will pay for Diet Cokes (or other sodas), though.

 

It sounds like you have many responsibilities at home, so I'd take a cruise that would accomodate what you could handle/find help for w/ home-life (childcare, pet-sitting, etc...).

 

We've had great success & fun w/ cruising.

[Reesegirl]

My DH and I have only been on one 5 day cruise but we loved it and keep trying to figure out how to do another in the future...You can see what excursions are available even before you go on the cruise and figure out your budget and sign up for them ahead of time.

 

There are lots of activities but you can also just do your own thing. My husband loved the gym...the machines looked out right on the ocean and the track was on the top deck with a wonderful view. We only went in the hot tub once....in the evening when the deck area was mostly empty and people were either at the late dinner or a show.

[Jennifer in MI]

We've been on two cruises. Our first was Royal Caribbean for our honeymoon. It was GREAT!!! Getting waited on was wonderful. Dh and I are NOT people who like to sit by the pool and tan either. We are both very pale. So, we found other things to do - wine tasting, shuffleboard, reading, napping, game shows, etc. The ports were a lot of fun - we did it on the cheap and planned our own excursions. There was gambling (and we did the slot machines and won a LOT!!) and we had to walk through the casino to get to dinner. Some people were not happy about that.

 

More recently our family went on a Disney Cruise. It was every bit as elegant as the RC cruise, but with more stuff for the kids. Unless you and dh are Disney fans, if you're going alone, Disney probably isn't for you!

 

Cruising is just so much fun! Every line will include different things in what's included with the cost. I don't remember what was included on our RC cruise. But on Disney, everything was except drinks from the bars and an adult only restaurant on board ($15 extra). We could even bring our own alcohol on board. We had to pay for our excursions and tips and pictures (there are ship photographers everywhere!) at the end.

 

Oh - and we drove to port Canaveral to save money. It was about 19 hours for us and we split it into two days. Not too bad!

[Margaret in GA]

My parents took my family on one a few years ago-- Holland America to the Carribean/ Central America. I found it incredibly boring. I do drink and I do tan, but Lordy how I wanted to just get off the boat and do something-- anything. I felt trapped. My ideal vacation is just drop me somewhere and let me explore... walk all day and get to know the locals. Not sit on a boat with a bunch of old white people. The excursions were interesting, but not authentic. Just not my cuppa.

 

Thought you might want another opinion! ;)

Margaret