Having been browsing the threads for a few days now I've been blown away by how often many of you cruise. Wow! I guess it's normal to you but to me it's like a whole new world.
I'm actually starting to get a little worried that if we take a cruise and love it we might never take a "normal" holiday again. I'm only kind of half joking! Is cruising that addictive or is it just the hard-core cruisers who frequent forums?
btw thanks for sharing all that knowledge - I am learning lots and it's definitely helping me get my head around the whole thing.
We've been on 43 cruises as well as dozens of land vacations and alot of all-inclusive resorts. Each is different for different reasons, but they're all good.
I'm sure others will have opinions on this, but for us, ocean cruises offer an opportunity to take a wonderful floating motel with good food and see different ports. We don't have to worry about packing and unpacking, where we're going to sleep, how we're going to get there, where we're going to eat, shopping for hotels, restaurants, activities, etc. And if we find a really nice port, we make a note in case we want to go back there and spend some time.
A resort vacation is awesome for relaxing, eating, drinking, and activities. But normally you stay right there and don't leave the property. If you do, you usually have to rent a car or pay alot for an excursion.
And land vacations to see several places have alot of planning involved.
We spent 20 days touring around Europe by train visiting 8 countries and spent another 12 days on a Baltic cruise visiting an additional 5 countries. It was absolutely amazing. But it took ALOT of planning. Needless to say, when we got back, we were exhausted and needed a vacation from our vacation.
Then again, we've spent 2 weeks laying around a 5-star all-inclusive resort doing nothing but eating, drinking, laying around, and taking a daily sail. VERY relaxing!
We've done a river cruise in Europe that was incredible - definitely hooked on river cruises.
Bottom line, it just depends on what you want to do, where you want to go, your lifestyle, and of course your budget. But cruising does tend to offer something for everyone.
Pete
__________________ 45 Cruises & Counting! Favorites: Paul Gauguin to Tahiti: Uniworld River Cruises in Europe; any of the Celebrity Solstice-class ships; Holland America for 12-nights in the Baltics & Russia; RCCL for 14-night Greek Isles, Turkey, & Croatia; Holland America for 14-day Alaska cruisetour; 10-night Canada/New England cruise; 21 days in Hawaii including a 7-night NCL cruise; Oceania for 25 days in Asia; & 3 months touring Europe by train. And many days spent in all-inclusive resorts!
We do a lot of "staycation" types of things. Going to places within a couple hundred miles of our house.
We've also done a few All Inclusives and enjoyed them but they are good for a lay on the beach" type of vacation but overall their value isn't any better, and usually worse, than a cruise vacation.
This summer we did almost eight weeks in Europe. We started with a twelve day cruise and then spent the rest of the time going to The Netherlands, Germany, Poland and England. In the eight weeks we visited nine different countries. It was enjoyable. In December we'll be doing a fourteen day Asian cruise but we will have four days pre-cruise in Singapore and five days, post-cruise, in Hong Kong. We love Hong Kong and look forward to returning and seeing the things we haven't seen.
Cruise vacations are the best for us. At least for me. I have a health problem that gives me good days and bad days. If I am having a bad day the most I'm out is that days activity. If I was on a "tour" then I would cause myself and others too many problems. It's also why we usually book our own private tours when we are on a cruise.
There is more to travel than just cruising and I admit that one day in a location is usually not enough but it is about the best, and most economical way, to see the world.
Take care,
Mike
__________________ Cruisemates Community Leader/Moderator
"There is a great difference between being well traveled and just having been to many places." ~Me
We've done some of the 'staycations', also. We've booked several places through vrbo or homeaway and had some great trips.
As they say, "The journey is the destination."
Pete
__________________ 45 Cruises & Counting! Favorites: Paul Gauguin to Tahiti: Uniworld River Cruises in Europe; any of the Celebrity Solstice-class ships; Holland America for 12-nights in the Baltics & Russia; RCCL for 14-night Greek Isles, Turkey, & Croatia; Holland America for 14-day Alaska cruisetour; 10-night Canada/New England cruise; 21 days in Hawaii including a 7-night NCL cruise; Oceania for 25 days in Asia; & 3 months touring Europe by train. And many days spent in all-inclusive resorts!
Right about 50/50 here too...As much as I love cruising, there are still other places to visit and things to do and see. Actually think about WDW next year, that or Alaska again...tough choice...
Being Down Under our go-to cheapie beach break is SE Asia - generally Bali, Malaysia or Thailand. Prices are so expensive here and the Aussie dollar so strong, it's actually cheaper than taking a camping holiday here. eg in Thailand I can get a family bungalow in a small, family-run, beachfront resort for $36 a night for four of us, breakfast and wi-fi included, and I don't have to lift a finger. Airfares on AirAsia sales are unbelievably cheap - often less than flying to Queensland.
By contrast, over summer a beachfront campsite at a place within a reasonable drive of a major city here costs $55 a night. Add to that the fact that we can eat out in SE Asia for less than the cost of buying groceries here, and we don't travel around Australia much! It's a shame as I'd love to see more of Australia, but I really can't justify the cost. So over here we just do short weekend trips or go to stay with friends.
When we were living in NZ we went to the Cook Islands, which is gorgeous, but way more expensive from here than SE Asia, so unfortunately I don't think we'll be going back for a while. We might try Vanuatu though - we love snorkelling and I've heard Espiritu Santo has amazing snorkelling right off the beach.
When we want some culture, we travel to Europe or a major city. I prefer to stay in one place for a while - at least a week - I find tearing around the place exhausting. I could happily spend a month just in Paris, Florence or London doing art museums etc. We're also keen to do a trip around central Japan, with at least a week in Kyoto.
For our first cruise we're thinking of a week in Barcelona followed by a 7 or 10 night Western Med cruise. (I won't have much time away from work.) Maybe next time we'll try a river cruise, but since we'll have the girls with us this time we thought there'd be more for them to do on a big ship, and anyway we were keen to try it and see what it's like.
As you can see, we like to travel, and there are many, many places we want to go to. So I was starting to get a little paranoid that I might fall in love with cruising and not do anything else!
We see a lot more Aussies coming into our site since so many cruise lines are moving ships there right now.
The difference between styles of cruise lines is vast - I mostly cruise to see the world, and less for the shipboard experience. Therefore I like smaller ships with port-intensive itineraries.
Of course I already live in a hot climate so I do not need to take a cruise to escape the cold like so many regular cruisers do...
But I think you will find that cruising in Oz will tend to focus on "the ship as the destination" cruises with very big and active ships where the ports of call are secondary to the fun you have on board. This is because OZ is so vast that the distance between ports of call is much more than the average Caribbean cruise.
I personally do not see OZ creating as many "rabid" cruisers as the US and Europe have generated - because of so many more days at sea. Cruising is great, but cruising to the same destinations, or spending too many days at sea, gets a little old for many people.
On the other hand, having a wide variety of cruise destinations tends to make cruises more attractive as a vacation option. I don't see OZ as being able to offer that many different cruise destinations.
So - I would try cruising if I were you, but I would not worry about never taking "normal" vacations again.
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I am the editor, but I also speculate, ask questions and play devil's advocate. I reserve the right to change my mind.
I used to do only land vacations but once I cruised, I realized that a cruise offers a "sneak peak" at many different destinations that I could come back to later for a land vacation. After my second cruise, I started realizing that cruising can offer so much more than some land based vacations do with it being all inclusive and wow..with some cruises, you get really spoiled!! The activities, the shows, the casinos..That's when I started getting more "hooked" on cruising. Hence, now I would have to say that I am like several here..my vacations are 50/50. However, I am starting to err more toward more cruises than land packages...
I realized that a cruise offers a "sneak peak" at many different destinations that I could come back to later for a land vacation.
"Sneak Peak." I like that!! Good way to put it. I may just have to use that - hope you don't mind.
Pete
__________________ 45 Cruises & Counting! Favorites: Paul Gauguin to Tahiti: Uniworld River Cruises in Europe; any of the Celebrity Solstice-class ships; Holland America for 12-nights in the Baltics & Russia; RCCL for 14-night Greek Isles, Turkey, & Croatia; Holland America for 14-day Alaska cruisetour; 10-night Canada/New England cruise; 21 days in Hawaii including a 7-night NCL cruise; Oceania for 25 days in Asia; & 3 months touring Europe by train. And many days spent in all-inclusive resorts!
Did both at one time, now all cruises unless somewhere very close by.
As we age we want less hassles and cruising does it for us. Unpacking once, no looking for entertainment, no looking for restaurants, no staying in one place or car rental. We get a ride to the airport, get on a plane, have cruiseline transfers or taxi to the port and reverse on way back. Sometimes hotel between airport and port. This is why so many seniors cruise.
I am sure the ratio of cruises to total vacations goes up as a person ages. My ratio now is over 90%.
O F C'er
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Experiences over the years enabled me to have all the answers, but not necessarily corresponding with your questions.
We prefer the cruise vacation because of the "bang for the buck" that it provides. Occassionally, we will set out to San Antonio for a couple of days and to Galveston for the same but the cost ends up being the same as a cruise.
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Michael
Cruised more times than I can remember.
Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
Courage and perserverance have a magical talisman; before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into the air.
Pick your company wisely! Hang around people who are going to help you become all God created you to be.
Being really honest, if someone came to me and said "I have never been to Europe, and I have about $5000 for my wife and myself to see it"
I would not hesitate for a second to recommend a Mediterranean cruise that visits: Istanbul, Santorini, Ephesus, Athens, Rome, Florence, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, etc.
You can substitute Venice, or the U.K. etc, if you want. But I think a cruise like this, with lots of ports of call, is a fantastic way to see Europe.
Of course, it always helps to have a pre-cruise visit to at least one city to really see it up close.
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I am the editor, but I also speculate, ask questions and play devil's advocate. I reserve the right to change my mind.
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Non-cruising vacations?
.....not on a ship
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