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I Don’t Cruise ...


Toryhere
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When I hear the word “cruising” I immediately think of those vast new mega ships, filled to the brim with people who are constantlly in need of proving that they are enjoying themselves, whilst queueing for everything, worrying about drinks packages and paying extra for anything that is decent. I think too of water slides, pools jam packed with people, naff shows, regimentation and being the archetypal tourist when in port.

“Luxury cruises” are supposed to be the antithesis of that. But including the word “cruise” brings with it the connotation of “tourist” rather than “traveller”.

The activity we undertake on the luxury ships is different to that on a cruise as that term is now understood. We need to have a new way of defining what we are doing when we travel on a luxury ship.

SeaDream understands this distinction. Hence the slogan “It’s yachting not cruising”.

But some of the luxury ships are now too big to be called yachts. So what do we call the product they offer?

I think “voyage” is a good substitute. Thus one might say: “my friend Joe Bloggs is voyaging on the [insert name of luxury ship here].

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Hello, Toryhere. I definitely understand what you are trying to say, but I do not think we require neologisms to convey what we do. “Luxury cruising” works just fine, unless the concept of luxury continues to erode, as it has been doing lately,

And frankly we’re still tourists even if in the most expensive suite on the most expensive ship, as we are indeed touring places away from home when we travel for leisure rather than for work or survival. This is true regardless of what we call ourselves, no matter how much we contemplate the vastness of the earth and the universe, how many enrichment lectures we go to, how many degrees we have, or how many languages we speak.

There is no shame in being a tourist :).

 

BTW my next tourist experience/luxury cruise/voyage/aquatic traversing/Kreuzfahrt is in May on MS Europa, which named itself the most beautiful yacht in the world despite 400 or so passengers. You may wish to try her sometimes, and perhaps give her a new name.

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I disagree with both your definitions and premise. (Kinda smacks of snobbery too).

A "cruise" is merely a trip on a boat/ship on water. Many variations of this exist, luckily, because there are many different people who desire various experiences at prices they can afford. I am able to pay far more now than 30 yrs ago when I was in college, but I have always loved travel and have had enriching experiences no matter what vehicle I have chosen to get me there. Many people enjoy mega, mass market ships, so why should someone be judgemental and imply that they're not going on a "voyage" too? :rolleyes:

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I disagree with both your definitions and premise. (Kinda smacks of snobbery too).

A "cruise" is merely a trip on a boat/ship on water. Many variations of this exist, luckily, because there are many different people who desire various experiences at prices they can afford. I am able to pay far more now than 30 yrs ago when I was in college, but I have always loved travel and have had enriching experiences no matter what vehicle I have chosen to get me there. Many people enjoy mega, mass market ships, so why should someone be judgemental and imply that they're not going on a "voyage" too? :rolleyes:

 

It’s funny that when people accuse others of being judgmental they are also being judgmental in making that assertion.

It seems that people are really scared these days of showing discernment. They also seem to think that if you praise one thing you must be scorning another.

I know people who love the big cruise ships and who turn their noses up at the idea of the luxury ships, not because they are expensive but because they don’t have all the amusements that the large ships have.

What they are really saying is that small luxury ships are not for them. I’m saying that large mass market ships are not for me. I’m not saying that anyone who sails on them is inferior, but that I find the idea as not meeting the standards of elegance and sophistication that I and many others think are important.

As I said in the last 30 years or so the term “cruising” has come to be defined as something that is closer to what is offered on the big mass market ships. If I tell someone I’m going on a cruise, I always have to take a lot of time explaining that I’m actually travelling on a 6 star yacht which has very few of the attributes of what most people would call “cruising”.

Even if I said I was going luxury cruising, most people would just think that I was going in a bigger cabin on a large ship.

That is why I thought it would be good to use a different word to describe a voyage on a luxury ship.

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Hello, Toryhere. I definitely understand what you are trying to say, but I do not think we require neologisms to convey what we do. “Luxury cruising” works just fine, unless the concept of luxury continues to erode, as it has been doing lately,

And frankly we’re still tourists even if in the most expensive suite on the most expensive ship, as we are indeed touring places away from home when we travel for leisure rather than for work or survival. This is true regardless of what we call ourselves, no matter how much we contemplate the vastness of the earth and the universe, how many enrichment lectures we go to, how many degrees we have, or how many languages we speak.

There is no shame in being a tourist :).

 

BTW my next tourist experience/luxury cruise/voyage/aquatic traversing/Kreuzfahrt is in May on MS Europa, which named itself the most beautiful yacht in the world despite 400 or so passengers. You may wish to try her sometimes, and perhaps give her a new name.

 

William Wycherley got it right when he said: “A good name is seldom got by giving it to one’s self...” ;)

 

“Luxury cruisng” might cut it as an apt descriptor when talking to those who know the distinction. But, as you point out, the definition of luxury is being somewhat blurred these days. In addition, those who know little about sea voyages are now seeing all those ads on TV for cruises that have all the hallmarks of a cruise on a mass market ship. I said to a friend the other day that I was going on a cruise at the end of the year and she was shocked, until explained to her that I was in fact travelling on a large yacht in 5 star comfort.

But that’s not cruising,” she said.

The distinction between being a tourist and a traveller goes back to at least the period between the Wars in Britain when it was thought that a tourist merely went on holiday to do what he would do at home if he didn’t have to work. He didn’t really take a close interest in the places he went, which were really just stops where got a little information spoon fed to him whilst he worried about whether they make the tea the same way they did at home. The traveller by contrast went abroad to find out about foreign lands and cultures.

I still think the distinction holds good today. My reading and watching leads me to believe that passengers on luxury ships will usually contain more travellers than tourists, whilst the opposite is true on the huge ships. This is evidenced by the fact that on so many of the reviews I’ve read or watched about the big ships there is much made of how you can get hamburgers, pizzas and hot dogs on board. It’s more about taking your world with you rather experiencing a different culture.

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Does a voyage not denote a long journey?

 

 

Even on a luxury ship, would one say one is going on a 7 day voyage?

 

Yes, voyage , in my mind, is a luxury because it is about time. The distinction between a trip and a journey comes to mind.

Also one's perspective can be rooted in geography. I live in the middle of the USA and my journey always includes travelling to the port of departure, staying days before and after my voyage upon the water to far off lands.

There is a web site called the Slow Traveller that is all about savoring the journey on land or voyage by sea.

Time is the core element of luxury in the world today.

7 days on any ship is not luxury to me.

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It’s funny that when people accuse others of being judgmental they are also being judgmental in making that assertion.

It seems that people are really scared these days of showing discernment. They also seem to think that if you praise one thing you must be scorning another.

I know people who love the big cruise ships and who turn their noses up at the idea of the luxury ships, not because they are expensive but because they don’t have all the amusements that the large ships have.

What they are really saying is that small luxury ships are not for them. I’m saying that large mass market ships are not for me. I’m not saying that anyone who sails on them is inferior, but that I find the idea as not meeting the standards of elegance and sophistication that I and many others think are important.

As I said in the last 30 years or so the term “cruising” has come to be defined as something that is closer to what is offered on the big mass market ships. If I tell someone I’m going on a cruise, I always have to take a lot of time explaining that I’m actually travelling on a 6 star yacht which has very few of the attributes of what most people would call “cruising”.

Even if I said I was going luxury cruising, most people would just think that I was going in a bigger cabin on a large ship.

That is why I thought it would be good to use a different word to describe a voyage on a luxury ship.

 

Why in the world would you need to "take a lot of time..." to do all that 'splaining just because you mention you are taking a cruise?

 

If it's someone you know well and wish to share the details with, then undoubtedly, you'll be discussing (at one time, or over several/many discussions) all about your trip, probably also giving more details than just the ones that make it a "luxury" cruise (er, voyage).

 

And if it's not someone you'd otherwise enjoy sharing these details with (and who you already know would enjoy *hearing* all of these details over a "lot of time"), then... why bother?

Why does it apparently make so much difference to you if anyone you mention "cruising" to "thinks" it is a big ship (and perhaps you have an inside cabin) or if you've chartered your own yacht complete with full crew?

 

We handle it quite the opposite way.

For most people, we just mention "... a cruise to <destination>", and any conversation typically heads in the direction of the destination. IF they respond with something like, "Oh, what ship are you taking?", then we follow their lead in that direction.

 

Very FEW people know that we often sail in "Owner Suites", and wouldn't even know what that meant (it sort of sounds like one owns the ship, after all...).

 

We rarely tell someone when we go to hotels much other than the city, unless they ask which hotel. And then, unless they are very special friends with whom we share "that kind of thing", we rarely would mention that we had a huge suite, although we might mention a view we particularly enjoyed.

 

We don't treat "cruises" any differently.

 

GC</destination>

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Why in the world would you need to "take a lot of time..." to do all that 'splaining just because you mention you are taking a cruise?

 

If it's someone you know well and wish to share the details with, then undoubtedly, you'll be discussing (at one time, or over several/many discussions) all about your trip, probably also giving more details than just the ones that make it a "luxury" cruise (er, voyage).

 

And if it's not someone you'd otherwise enjoy sharing these details with (and who you already know would enjoy *hearing* all of these details over a "lot of time"), then... why bother?

Why does it apparently make so much difference to you if anyone you mention "cruising" to "thinks" it is a big ship (and perhaps you have an inside cabin) or if you've chartered your own yacht complete with full crew?

 

We handle it quite the opposite way.

For most people, we just mention "... a cruise to <destination>", and any conversation typically heads in the direction of the destination. IF they respond with something like, "Oh, what ship are you taking?", then we follow their lead in that direction.

 

Very FEW people know that we often sail in "Owner Suites", and wouldn't even know what that meant (it sort of sounds like one owns the ship, after all...).

 

We rarely tell someone when we go to hotels much other than the city, unless they ask which hotel. And then, unless they are very special friends with whom we share "that kind of thing", we rarely would mention that we had a huge suite, although we might mention a view we particularly enjoyed.

 

We don't treat "cruises" any differently.

 

GC</destination>

 

Agree with you and we handle explanations to our friends in the same way (and also stay in upper suites).

 

In terms of other comments, everyone has their own likes and dislikes and it doesn't seem very polite to put what someone else likes down. For instance, SeaDream Yachts are not our idea of a luxury cruise but if the TS (Thread Starter) enjoys the yachts - how nice!

 

When you are in port, you can do touristy things - or not. There are no rules and it is up to you. You can hike, ride bikes, go to local restaurants (away from the cruise port) or you can do the touristy stuff. We do both - depending where in the world we are.

 

Admittedly, we have not been on a large mainstream cruise line but this will change in May when we board the NCL Bliss for a short cruise out of Seattle. We are excited to see what it is like to have more restaurants and things to do that we could possibly partake in. While we will likely be happy to return to luxury cruising, I bet that we'll have a great time.

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The OP is obviously not so concerned with how to explain it to others but more on how to justify to him/herself that he/she is superior to those who simply take a cruise to travel, see things and have a good time.

 

That's my feeling too. ;) I would say that the OP's post is just too precious by half! ;p

 

Patty

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The OP is obviously not so concerned with how to explain it to others but more on how to justify to him/herself that he/she is superior to those who simply take a cruise to travel, see things and have a good time.

Really! It looks like status is more important to her than simply enjoying herself.

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The OP is obviously not so concerned with how to explain it to others but more on how to justify to him/herself that he/she is superior to those who simply take a cruise to travel, see things and have a good time.

I also agree. I also stay in suites on cruises but have no need for anyone to know.

In Europe, especially, I wouldn't stay in a luxury hotel if it were free....I prefer small local B&B's. Eat in local restaurants or cafes. In Italy I stayed in convents....very unique experience. I like that kind of travel.

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I also agree. I also stay in suites on cruises but have no need for anyone to know.

In Europe, especially, I wouldn't stay in a luxury hotel if it were free....I prefer small local B&B's. Eat in local restaurants or cafes. In Italy I stayed in convents....very unique experience. I like that kind of travel.

 

Love staying in convents.

 

Guess i took the TS's post wrong. Now I wonder why it matters what you call a cruise. For us, this is a non-issue.

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Love staying in convents.

 

Guess i took the TS's post wrong. Now I wonder why it matters what you call a cruise. For us, this is a non-issue.

You're right! It doesn't - just semantics and who cares anyway?! I don't give a rip whether people think I'm sailing on Carnival, NCL, Princess, Oceania, Regent or some billionaire's yacht. ;p

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Hapag-Lloyd is happy to incorporate the word 'Cruises' in it's Company name.

 

If the connotation is good enough for them then it is good enough for me.

 

That's an opinion. But what if Hapag Lloyd uses that term because they haven't yet caught on to the fact that the definition is changing as more and more people are thiinking of cruising as being on a huge ship with water parks and all that sort of thing?

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You're right! It doesn't - just semantics and who cares anyway?! I don't give a rip whether people think I'm sailing on Carnival, NCL, Princess, Oceania, Regent or some billionaire's yacht. ;p

But you do care enough to let it be known that you have Platinum status on Princess. I'm not knocking that. It shows that you are proud of the achievement, which must have involved the expenditure of a lot of readies over the years. So why shouldn't someone else be proud of travelling on a luxury ship, not because he or she can afford it, but because it is a matter of taste? :)

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Really! It looks like status is more important to her than simply enjoying herself.

 

My question is this, do you think that travelling on a large mass market cruise ship is the same activity as travelling on a smaller luxury ship? I think the expereinces whilkst they have certain things in common are really different activities.

 

I am actually more interested in having a good time than the status. But what I have found that the best way to a good time is to seek the good things of life.

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Agree with you and we handle explanations to our friends in the same way (and also stay in upper suites).

 

In terms of other comments, everyone has their own likes and dislikes and it doesn't seem very polite to put what someone else likes down. For instance, SeaDream Yachts are not our idea of a luxury cruise but if the TS (Thread Starter) enjoys the yachts - how nice!

 

When you are in port, you can do touristy things - or not. There are no rules and it is up to you. You can hike, ride bikes, go to local restaurants (away from the cruise port) or you can do the touristy stuff. We do both - depending where in the world we are.

 

Admittedly, we have not been on a large mainstream cruise line but this will change in May when we board the NCL Bliss for a short cruise out of Seattle. We are excited to see what it is like to have more restaurants and things to do that we could possibly partake in. While we will likely be happy to return to luxury cruising, I bet that we'll have a great time.

 

I am coming to think that the much of the reaction by posters on this thread is a cultural thing. Where I come from there is a lot more banter, archness and irony behind our communications. Thus, if you announce to someone that you are going on a cruise, they will feign horror, because cruises have a bad reputation here for being the preserve of the yobbo. It's all part of ensuring that people know what you are really talking about.

 

I agree with you that Sea Dream is not luxury cruising. I'd say it was luxury yachting.:) But, I think it would be a great idea if there was a thread here defining what we, as customers, think is ''luxury''.

 

 

It so happens that I did go on a mainstream crusie ship in the Med back in 2000. It was an Italian ship, so it was a blast, because it was filled mostly with europeans out on the razzle.

 

But I wouldn't do it again. One can enjoy some things ironically once, but after that they pall.

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Why in the world would you need to "take a lot of time..." to do all that 'splaining just because you mention you are taking a cruise?

 

If it's someone you know well and wish to share the details with, then undoubtedly, you'll be discussing (at one time, or over several/many discussions) all about your trip, probably also giving more details than just the ones that make it a "luxury" cruise (er, voyage).

 

And if it's not someone you'd otherwise enjoy sharing these details with (and who you already know would enjoy *hearing* all of these details over a "lot of time"), then... why bother?

Why does it apparently make so much difference to you if anyone you mention "cruising" to "thinks" it is a big ship (and perhaps you have an inside cabin) or if you've chartered your own yacht complete with full crew?

 

We handle it quite the opposite way.

For most people, we just mention "... a cruise to <destination>", and any conversation typically heads in the direction of the destination. IF they respond with something like, "Oh, what ship are you taking?", then we follow their lead in that direction.

 

Very FEW people know that we often sail in "Owner Suites", and wouldn't even know what that meant (it sort of sounds like one owns the ship, after all...).

 

We rarely tell someone when we go to hotels much other than the city, unless they ask which hotel. And then, unless they are very special friends with whom we share "that kind of thing", we rarely would mention that we had a huge suite, although we might mention a view we particularly enjoyed.

 

We don't treat "cruises" any differently.

 

GC</destination>

 

As I said to someone below, I think that there is a cultural difference at play here.

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I also agree. I also stay in suites on cruises but have no need for anyone to know.

In Europe, especially, I wouldn't stay in a luxury hotel if it were free....I prefer small local B&B's. Eat in local restaurants or cafes. In Italy I stayed in convents....very unique experience. I like that kind of travel.

 

So you are really supporting my point:) You are keen to show that you are a traveller, not a tourist, because you stayin B&Bs in Europe. That's a good thing. I am saying the same thing in regard to cruising. Sailing on a small ship is the equivalent to doing what you like to do on land: getting closer to what you came to see.

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That's an opinion. But what if Hapag Lloyd uses that term because they haven't yet caught on to the fact that the definition is changing as more and more people are thiinking of cruising as being on a huge ship with water parks and all that sort of thing?

 

I doubt it.

 

In January 2016 Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten changed it's name to Hapag-Lloyd Cruises in order to appeal to an International market.

 

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is owned by TUI Group which operates the 'Mein Schiff' Line with ships carrying up to 2500 passengers.

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The term "voyage" denotes a "long journey involving travel by sea or space". I wouldn't call a typical cruise a long journey.

Yachting is "the sport or pastime of racing or sailing in yachts". I'm not really sure that applies if the point of your trip is to visit ports instead of just sail.

The definition of cruise is "to sail on a ship or boat taken for pleasure or as a vacation and usually calling in at several places."

 

So call it according to how you like to vacation and let others do the same. Their idea of the good things in life may not be the same as yours, but that doesn't make it any less important. Additionally, your idea of the good things in life may change throughout your life time or depend on circumstances. When I am alone, my priority may be luxury and elegance. It could also be just a hike through nature to reconnect with my soul. When I am on a family trip though, the good thing in life is doing things that the ones I love will enjoy - including my grandchild who enjoys the activities on a mass market cruise ship.

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