Brilliant Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 We just booked a summer Alaskan cruise. It took lots of convincing to get dh to agree. I have wanted to go on a cruise since our first year of marriage...23 years ago!...and we have NEVER gone on one. He truly thinks he'll hate cruising. But I can think of at least a dozen people I've talked to in the last few years who LOVED their cruises, and not a single one who wished they hadn't gone. So - anybody here regret it? (By the way, here's what hubby thinks he'll hate: cramped quarters, too many crowds, and too many lines) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnIslandGirl Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I get claustrophobic so a large suite with a balcony is a must and I prefer a separate room to sleep in from the children. This makes cruising rather pricey for us, so I prefer all inclusive resorts instead. Add on the pricy drinks, wonderful excursions, tips and up-charges for finer dining that we like... a cruise's price skyrockets pretty fast. I wouldn't say that I regret cruising, just that I'd rather spend my vacation $ in other ways if given the choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckles Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Yes! Because I gained 7 pounds in one week from all of the amazing food at my fingertips. :drool5: We had fun, but my dh enjoyed it a lot more than I did because I'm not a pool person. I would love to go on an Alaskan cruise!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyLady Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Personally, I've gone on one cruise and will most likely never go on one again. I'll tell you the positives first - the food. The endless food was heaven for me. And being able to eat 24/7 was wonderful. I don't know if all cruises are like that, but mine had sit-down dinners (where the food was absolutely amazing) and 24/7 buffets. Um, thinking about it, that was the only thing I liked about it. LOL What I didn't like was going down to the pool at 9am and having all the chairs already taken. Everything I wanted to do on the ship was crowded, long lines, etc. Though I liked that you didn't have to go get your cocktails (waitresses came to you wherever you were) I didn't like not knowing how much I was actually spending on booze. Let's just say, I don't drink much and my ex was a moderate drinker and our bill was over $400! I liked that we stopped at 3 different locations, but I didn't like feeling nervous about being late to get back to the ship. I felt rushed even though we had about 8 hours off the ship. I didn't like that I had to bring dressy clothes for dinner, and if I didn't, then I didn't get to eat at the sit-down dinner. My room was small, but I was ok with that. If I were to ever go on a cruise again, I'd spend the money on larger room with a balcony. I don't regret going on my cruise, but I wouldn't do it again. I think it's something that you should do at least once in your life if you like to try new things. I think in the end you're going to enjoy your cruise. Have fun! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Has anyone been on a disney cruise to the Bahamas? We are debating what we want to do. Oh and dd is 4 so would it be ok for her too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz007 Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Has anyone been on a disney cruise to the Bahamas? We are debating what we want to do. Oh and dd is 4 so would it be ok for her too? Yes! One of my favorite cruise lines! They really know how to entertain both children and adults. We took my twins when they were 1 yr. Your 4 year old will have a blast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliums Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 We took a cruise from England to Spain several years ago when the kids were quite young. There was plenty to do for everyone and I don't recall it being over crowded. Good food and a variety of entertainment. Our room was tiny though. It was like a train sleeper car. I am talking seriously cramped. Also, we were in a section where we heard a loud banging noise throughout the night, loud enough to interfere with our sleep. DH thinks it was cargo shifting. We went with friends and that was the best part of the cruise. DH will not go on another cruise and he enjoys making fun of our cruise still. :) It was memorable, at least. My sister went on a cruise a few years ago through her work and it was a much nicer line than the budget one we had taken. But, she mentioned that promiscuity among the adults was rampant. As in, married men were making advances on her and her co-workers and in some cases men and the wives were approaching young women with propositions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somo_chickenlady Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Yes, but only b/c we went with my parents...twice. Should have learned the first time. :cursing: Other than that, we loved them and I'm glad we were able to go. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I never wanted to go on a cruise, but dh likes them, so we went on one. We left the kids with the grandparents. I liked it much better than I thought! But I made sure it was a line where I'd have something to do. I am not a pool (or beach) person, nor do I like shopping or gambling (there was a casino). For things I liked to do, our boat had a rock climbing wall, rollerblading, ice skating, and there was evening entertainment. And of course lots of food. We did not splurge on food upgrades or drinking - just took what was included. We also got a last-minute fare which was much cheaper, and an inside cabin with no window - we only slept in there, so I didn't care at all. We did splurge on the off-boat outings, as that was where I had the most fun. We went to three different Mayan ruins. For dh's interests, we also went snorkeling and swam with the sting rays. We may have been a bit overcharged there, but I liked not having to worry if we would be in time for the boat, as I knew they'd wait for their own excursions. Those were what made the whole experience a positive one for me. I would do it again if it were going someplace where I'd be interested in what was going on off-boat. I couldn't just do the Islands - beaches are not for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljenn Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I am wondering the same thing! I am seriously considering one of the European Viking River Cruises for my 50th birthday in a few years. Viking is supposed to be all-inclusive, with shore excursions included, but I am wondering if I will feel too constrained on a boat. We just spent Christmas and New Year's in NYC, and I couldn't wait to get out of the hotel room in the morning, and didn't really want to go back at night. I like to explore! Any thoughts on whether a cruise would be good for me? I've never been on a cruise of any kind, so I don't really have any experience to go off of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I have cruise number 3 and 4 scheduled for this year (17 days and counting down to the first of those). I love cruising, but I am a cheapskate on and off the boat. I don't/won't spend big bucks on excursions. If I do not find something that interests me at a location, I will stay on the boat. On our last cruise my highlight was when I spotted a fabric store while riding on a $5 bus tour. I then went fabric shopping for an hour (much to my DH's dismay but hey he goes diving without me). One of the main things I love about cruises over other stateside vacation is the lack of communication to "the real world". I call my parents from ports to check on the kids, but that is it. No one is blowing up my DH's phone with emails and "urgent" needs so I actually get him to myself. Last cruise we became addicted to playing Scrabble. We were the young couple hanging out with the old folks in the library most of the cruise. As for the rooms, yes, they are tiny. We have no choice but to get an inside cabin care of DH's motion sickness issues, so we get tiny. We only really sleep in there so it doesn't matter to us. All that to say we have never cruised with our children (thank you grandparents). Ask me again in November if I still like cruising after that experience (oh, and add my MIL into that cruise so I should thoroughly be over cruising by then). As to the person that asked about Disney cruises, my 3 older kids love them (again thank you grandparents). Plenty of things to do for everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 No. I love cruising. We hope to go in March again. We have gone on crluises from 4 days to 10 days and with three different lines. Loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafdog Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 DH and I went on our first/only cruise to Mexico back in 2010. We went on a huge ship, and had more fun than we expected. A great time! However, we both agreed that if we ever took another cruise, we'd rather go on a smaller ship, and one that has a more educational aspect to the destinations (expert speakers, for example). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I've been on three cruises - two to the Bahamas and one to Mexico. Although I do like being out at sea, it got old for me after awhile. The food was always great, but the crowding was an issue as others have mentioned. At the end of my last cruise, I had ringing in my ears and dizziness that lasted for two weeks after getting off the boat. I think I much prefer vacationing in one spot to cruising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brilliant Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 OK, I'm somewhat reassured at what you are all saying - it's not anything dh isn't already expecting! :) About the cabin size - I am KICKING my self over this one. I had the cruise picked out with all costs summarized, checked the flights & everything. A balcony cabin for the kids and a suite for me & dh, yay! Talked to dh about it that night and the next morning he told me to book it. All the smaller suites at that price level were gone - I checked many websites with no luck. It would have been almost $2k more for me & dh to still get a suite. So we are in 2 balcony rooms. The moral of this story is, when you see a price you like, book it. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I've been on one cruise and it was seriously the most relaxing vacation I've ever been on. You can choose exactly how active you're going to be. It was fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 we went on our only cruise about 10 years ago. We went with dh's 2 sisters, bil and their adult children and spouses. We had a great time, but then we enjoy our entended family. The only thing is that I about had a heart attack keeping my VERY active son (age 4 or 5 at the time) from going overboard. I had a harness which I forgot to bring. We left out of New York and had not even gone under the George Washington bridge before ds had climbed to the very top of the flag pole on the very top deck. My nephew had to climb up and get ds. From then, on dh and I took turns holding on to ds and we had a room with a balcony which we had to keep locked at all times or take turns going out on the balcony (without ds of course). We could not keep him in the kids club because we were afraid he would get loose and "overboard". In every other way, we had a great time, the best food ever. We had our dining time for late and had a large table with the best waiter and waitress for the entire trip. OUr trip was to Canada and it was COLD, so no pooltime. Sil and I spent a lot of time in the observation area just drinking hot drinks and watching the ocean. Every night, there was fog and the fog horn was going. We were glad that I had packed a small fan as the noise of the fan drowned out the fog horn. Oh, the lifeboat drill was a joke, just glad it was not necessary to really have to evacuate the boat. The shows were fun even with my son standing on his chair and yelling, "Mommy, I can see their bottoms" yes, the costumes were rather risque. We made 2 stops in Canada, one in Newfoundland and the other at Halifax, Nova Scotia, where we visited the Titanic museum and the Citadel. We did enjoy it but have had no desire to go on another, probably because some of it was rough sailing, which I thought was kinda cool but dh hated it so he will not go on another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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