ldubs

We do multi-day road trips with our close family & friends. We did that for a cruise embarking in Quebec City. I think we were three nights on the road. But it was only pre-cruise. For me the return drive should have an itinerary of things to stop, do, and see to make it fun for the group. Otherwise if just travel home, then I would feel the same as you.

If the concern is about making a flight, the disembarkation excursion details it should have a special notice similar to this one: "Special Notes: This tour is available to passengers disembarking in Southampton with flights departing Heathrow after 5:45pm."

Folks - OP is in Arizona. Cruise is out of Louisiana.

To avoid getting kicked off the ship, best remove clothes before jumping into the pool.

Seems a visa clearinghouse website is very doable and would benefit everyone. Just need to find someone to sponsor it. As it is now, one can search visa requirements for citizens of a given country and get a list. Problem is the lists don't always provide details on the process required. I knew I needed a visa for China and Brazil. That was the easy part. Both had cumbersome processes full of red tape traps.

From reading then forums I think a lot of people will be happy with the return of a traditional dining option. Overall, I think it is a pretty good change.

I guess everyone who travels is foolish because things can happen with any kind of travel.

We have done a one way van rental for travel to our cruise terminal. In fact our group was too large for one van so we rented two. More recently we had a one-way van rental for a land trip. However, we did not take the rental vans back. We flew home from a different disembark port. For large group cruises, we have done car caravans with our personal vehicles from SF Bay Area to Los Angeles to catch a cruise. If you have trouble finding a one-way van rental, you might have more luck selecting an airport drop off location. Meaning instead of dropping off, say in New Orleans, drop it at MSY then shuttle to the port. Might be just in my mind, but seems rental companies might offer that option more than a drop off with less traffic. If you cannot get the two separate one-way rentals (one going and one returning) it might still be good to do a rental. Even if you keep the rental van for the duration of the cruise, the additional parking would be slightly offset by the eliminating any one-way drop fee, and might still be less than several airfares. Don't know for sure. Just a thought.

When we have a family/friend group cruise, people will generally share their excursion interests. Folks are welcome to join or not.

If I had to name my most enjoyable vacations they would likely be those that combined a cruise with a DIY land trip.

We travel with others all the time. Sometimes another couple and sometimes a large group of family and friends. For the most part our interests mesh. Where they don't a little flexibility helps. No one is expected to join in for any activity except for the group dinner. Though in practice, most will end up doing about the same thing. If I didn't know someone very well, I would be hesitant to go on a joint vacation.

I disagree. To some a cruise can absolutely be considered superior. That does not mean they can't enjoy other things. I think folks may be getting too wrapped up in the thread title. It should be a discussion, not a vote. It is not hard to conclude one might discuss the pluses and minuses. Like the things you mention about ocean cruises.

I do not believe that. I was referring to an earlier post that said that. I am in agreement with you and immensely enjoy hanging out for a day in a picturesque place.

You don't like the way the question was asked. Got it. I understood the question to be a discussion of why cruising is great for them (or not).

We have done an inside cabin with two kids. It is crowded. It was fun. Kind of like camping in a four person tent.

Thanks for sharing this. I can see how folks would make the mistake. I mean, domestic travel, like a domestic flight, doesn't require a passport or BC -- yet.

I'm not surprised at the disagreement, but would like to see more info why or what is superior. So far the only reasons I've seen is people are deluded into thinking a one day port visit is meaningful and ports with large ships are crowded. I agree with the potential for crowds. For the other, I guess it depends what someone enjoys. Your comment also made me realize as I have achieved some age advantaged status, cruises are just physically easier. For people with mobility issues or even just the normal aches and pains that come with advanced years, a cruise is a pretty good option.

Yep. Cruising is easy and relatively worry free.

And those who get offended too easily I suppose. I sure agree that these forums are wide open when it comes to viewpoints. Even the wrong ones that don't agree with mine. 😀 I've never been part of one of the groups mentioned, so can't comment other than I'm sorry to hear they are so heavily filtered. I also agree the Mod's do a terrific job.

If I have a question I would rather ask in a new thread than attempt to search for relevant answers in one that is thousands of posts long.

I have not actually brought tap water from home to do a comparison but like @John Bull says, can't notice a difference. The tap water I drink at home is through a filter before it gets to me. Places with hard water would probably taste weird to me.

We were in exactly the same place as you for a long time. In fact, if you searched back several years you would find a post from me saying the same thing. We had tried several times and were absolutely convinced using a TA would not be to our advantage for the cabin classes we typically used. That was until we found the right TA. Our TA serves folks and their family who work(ed) in a specific industry segment.

It can be more complicated. All the perspectives can lead some to overthinking things. But overall, I think having more choices is a good thing.

We were the same for a long time before we finally found a TA that delivered significant price savings. BTW, I don't agree that TA discounts are not available for fall season cruises. We just booked a fall cruise at an incredible savings compared to booking directly. To sweeten things, we selected the cabin we wanted and have a refundable deposit. The cruise line fare we compared was a guarantee and nonrefundable deposit. As far as controlling the booking, the difference is instead of calling or using the cruise line website, we call the TA or use theTA's website. Using the TA does not prevent us from entering preferences to our Princess Cruise Personalizer if we want to take that approach. If fares go down, we can get the lower fare without having to deal with the cruise line. But, we have to monitor fare levels and make the request.

Sweet spot for us is 2,500 to 3,500. Age not a big consideration as long as the ship has been maintained. Though I have to admit I have not been on any size cruise that I didn't enjoy.