Some things you've experienced while cruising that you might not have otherwise

[packedandready]

In my line of work I deal with many older patients. Many of these live alone and enjoy being able to "visit" during their appointment and many of these are having memory problems. One of the things I've noticed (very unscientific observation) is that when they tell their stories it's about the past and many, many times about the places they've been and the things they've done NOT about THINGS they've had.

 

SO.....when/if my memory starts failing I want LOTS of fun, exciting, beautiful things to remember.

 

Just look at cruising as an investment in your future:D

[trixiegolf]

With 38 years of marriage and 17 cruises under our belt we still look forward to our "special time" on our aft balcony.

[Trainman-2]

What is most special to me is the friendship and support I received from CC Members, both on the ships, and here on the boards, during my time of need.

 

Once again, thank you all...

[bigtoeswim'n]

Aww, Thanks for asking. The simple, simple pleasure and unexpectant at that, if walking on deck, early morning, to see a double rainbow!!! I kid you not. Many stopped their walking to awe at it. This was on the way to Nassau on RCL Sovereign.

 

Then eagle soaring by us on raft trip in Alaska. Also those low-hanging clouds.

[sandian]

Waking early and seeing beautiful coloured houses as we sailed into Curaceu excuse spelling. Also on same cruise being able to see a pod of Dolphins follow the Ship it was magical.

 

Seeing my DD so relaxed on the balcony, she has learning dificulties and does not find it easy to relax. This prompted me to book another Cruise with balcony as she enjoyed it so much.

[luvscruising2007]

Flight seeing in Alaska near Mt. McKinnley.

Float Plane over glaciers.

Visiting Omaha Beach and the cemetery at Coleville.

I think there are so many memories and experiences I can't list them all. But those listed are my favorites. Just seeing so many different places in a short amount of time has been so much fun.

[lovetocruise75]

Zip line

 

Swimming with dolphins

 

Quest!

[Tazsamp]

I agree with everyone else, there are so many wonderful memories that it's hard to choose!

 

Also, again like many others, one of my favourites is the people we've met. Particularly a wonderful couple from Bath, England - Jan and Barrie. We met them on VOS back in 2003, sitting in the pub. We clicked instantly, regardless of the age and culture difference. Unfortunately we have not had the opportunity to be able to visit them in England but we have been able to surprise them by joining them unexpectedly on another cruise and they returned the favour by "popping over" to Canada to visit us for a surprise!

 

As an aside, it was right after this 2003 cruise that DH and I found out that not only were "we" pregnant, but that we were expecting twins! It was just the other day that my now 6 YO twins prepared an anniversary card for Auntie Jan and Uncle Barrie )even though they were so young that they don't remember their surprise visit).

 

I love that we've been able to make lifelong friends with such amazing, loving, caring people. I can't imagine not having them in our lives!

[twoputt.plusone]

Ziplining through the rainforest and sea sickness. Not necessarily in that order. :D:D:D

[rp23g7]

Seeing my wife parasail in Cabo, swimming with stingrays in Grand Cayman, scary though, the first time we did it was a week after Steve Irwin died.

 

Swiming with the dolphins in Cozumel, we did it in Hawaii at Sea Life park, but in Cozemel you were actualy in the ocean.

 

Seeing dolphins surf on the bow wave of the ship.

 

Talking to the locals in Ocho Rios, finding out how important Wedneday is to a third world country.

 

The Ruins at the Falls, people who have been there know what i am talking about.

 

Finding out that Puerto Rico was nothing like i thought it would be like.

 

Learning ( or trying to ) 3 different languages at dinner in a week.

 

Find total peace and quite walking up the beach and around the bend at Pricess Cays

 

My son would have never met Ludacris at the Fox Cafe in South Beach

[Goes Cruising]

So many memories! I feel I've seen so many places and done so many things that I would never have done if I had to set out individually to each.

 

I could not agree more with the comment about making memories that will be remembered when I'm old (or I should say older).

 

At the very top of my list -

1) Caribbean - My 1st scuba dive (and watching my hubby and daughter have the same amazing experience), swimming with stingrays.

2) Mediterranean - Floating around Capri for 1/2 day, on a private gozzo with our sweet Italian host feeding us wine and bread. Climbing inside the pyramids in Cairo. The amazing ruins of Ephesus.

3) Europe - The beauty of Paris, the incredible scenery around the Lakes of Killarney.

[rp23g7]

Oh yeah, and if it wasnt for Hurrican Wilma, i wouldnt have been to Tortola yet and found that little lonely palm tree on the beach , the one in my sig pic. Or found Frenchmans Cay on the other side of the island, what a neat littl eplace.

[johneeo]

St. Martin, America's Cup Yacht Race.

My son and I were on True North and we were racing Stars N Stripes.

And we won the race by about a foot:

 

Here is a pic, that is Stars N Stripes up close and personal:

 

[sassy12]

So-o-o many wonderful memories -

 

The many cruises with a group from our church - with our priest singing "Teddy Bear" at karaoke and who can forget Roy (church member who is normally extremely quiet and shy but when he got on a cruise ship - watch out - he was dancing everywhere and singing karaoke every night and he really can't sing!)? -

 

Going to pick up my ShipShape t-shirt after our second RCI cruise and the activities crew member said he recognized me from another cruise - two years before (didn't think I was THAT memorable) -

 

Going to a jewelry store in St. Thomas after purchasing a sapphire tennis bracelet two years before and as soon as we walked in the store the store owner asked if I still liked the sapphire tennis bracelet I bought the last time I was there - and I didn't have it on! -

 

Parasailing at age 60, climbing the rock wall, the helicopter ride over and walking on a glacier in Alaska and doing the Treetop Adventure Canopy Tour in St. Maarten (sp?) at 62 when I've been afraid of heights my entire life -

 

Swimming with stingrays twice and swimming across Megan's Bay -

 

Our pre-cruise tour of Florence and Rome followed by 12 night cruise of Italy and Croatia - still cannot believe how beautiful Dubrovnik is - followed by a 15 night transatlantic cruise -

 

Pre-cruise tour of Ayres Rock and snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef followed by the amazing cruise around New Zealand (hope to go back someday) -

 

The afernoon we spent just walking in Barcelona - can't wait to return after our transatlantic cruise in May for four more nights there -

 

And, of course, all the wonderful people we're still in contact with that we've met all these years.

 

Thanks RCI for the wonderful memories.

[cruiser-007]

 

"But for me it's all about being surrounded by that deep blue water."

 

Yeah, especially that soft, light blue water in the carribean. Unlike the 'scuzzy' looking water we have up the US coast here. Believe me, I've tried to explain it to non-cruisers but I don't think they understand. I guess they're satisfied swimming in that brown water at our northern beaches.:D

[Kellie Poodle]

Zip Line in Honduras. Both of us over 60. The only thing DH answered truthfully on the questionnaire was that he was not pregnant.

 

Our physician thinks this is incredible and tells every medical student that follows him into our appointments about it.

 

Our kids and grand kids were astounded.

 

Our cabin steward set the photos which we had purchased on the bed and put a note with them so that we would know how impressed he was.

[emilygrace]

1. Seeing the water in the Caribbean and realizing it really IS that color that you see on postcards.

 

2. Meeting great people at dinner and staying in touch with some and even cruising with them again.

 

3. Standing in the American Cemetery in Normandy and having all that WWII history that eluded me for years suddenly "click" in my mind.

 

4. Visiting Iceland.

 

5. Crossing into the Arctic Circle and becoming a "blue nose", then later seeing the blue nose painted on the (inner) bow of the ship because it was the first time the Jewel OTS had done this.

[griffy116]

1. As the above poster said, seeing the water and realizing it really is that color.

2. Seeing my Father and my Grandson, both in awe, sitting on a bench chatting with one of the survivors of Pearl Harbor on our Hawaii cruise.

3. Dolphin Swim

4. From the ship, at night, Lava flowing into the ocean in Hawaii...and our "HOLY SH*T" moment during our drive the previous day, when we rounded a curve and, for the first time saw the volcano field in Hawaii (we had to edit our CD).

5. Our first Muster Drill. My Grandson was only 4 and was howling as we hurried him down the hall. As we continued to try to quiet him, and we heard a newlywed groom whisper to his new wife, "you did remember your birth control pill, didn't you."

6. Waking up one morning before daylight to a strange sound and realizing it was the seals in the harbor as we docked.

7. Anniversaries, birthdays, graduations and all the other "excuses" we used for booking cruise after cruise.

[gatrbait]

Meeting someone on these very boards that now after many years I call her one of my best friends even though we live far away!

Seeing it "click" in my son's head we aren't getting off the ship...it's moving...yeehaw!

Swimming with dolphin, stingrays, barracuda :eek:

Finally finding "Shipwrecked Mickey" on our Disney Cruise.

Bundling up on our balcony drinking hot cocoa in September cruising to Canada.

My son flirting with all the show girls whoohoo!

The people I've met...

Way too many memories to list...thanks OP for starting this thread what a nice smile in my head for the day!

[pmkejk]

I just remembered another wonderful memorie.

 

My husband and I each won $1,000 on the slots. We were playing $1 wheel of fortune. I won the second night and my husband won the last night. This was 4 years ago on the Jewel. We used the money for another cruise.:)

 

 

Favorite waiters, assistant waiters and our favorite wine steward "Robinson" from our first cruises with RCI from back in the 90's.

Those were the days when every dinner in the MDR was "special" and they didn't need "specialty" restaurants.

Although if you look at the cruise prices back then, we probably pay less now.

It's still money well spent however you look at it!

[Sandy Sails]

As a child, I dreamt of swimming in the sea in Aruba - that dream came true in 2005. Swimming in the beautiful Caribbean so many times!

 

Losing my bra during Quest!

 

Zip-lining on several islands.

 

Best of all, meeting my husband on my 3rd cruise 3-1/2 years ago - he from Wyoming and me from Seattle. And we're both middle-aged...it took a long time for us to finally meet!

[BillOh]

 

3. Standing in the American Cemetery in Normandy and having all that WWII history that eluded me for years suddenly "click" in my mind.

 

 

 

The history didn't elude me, but I think that would bring it into perspective and scale. Hope to go there someday.

[MelissaE1]

• Seeing the incredible beauty of a glacier, and whales close enough to the ship that it felt like you could touch them.

 

• Being inspected by 5 very intelligently acting squid while diving Cozumel.

 

• Sitting in a shack on the side of a river with my husband having a Red Stripe beer with a local.

 

• Learning about the salt export on Anguilla from someone who had done it. Having another local person teach my then 4 year old the "ring game".

 

• Breakfasting on a balcony while at sea. Nothing like it!

 

• Watching my very cautious son discover the amazement of snorkeling in the Caribbean. Stingrays and turtles and fish, oh my!

 

• The excitement that comes every time we get to go again!

[Rockfordcruiser]

Joining the exclusive Balcony club.:)

[ssb]

The anticipation of every cruise!

Expectations of every port!

Meeting of new friends!

Making of memories!

Exploration of places I thought I would never see!