Husband is not excited

[fakeanne]

My husband and I leave on our first cruise this Saturday on Caribbean Princess. He is not very excited about it all because he thinks we are spending too much money and doesn't know why we couldn't just do all this stuff on land. He is dissappointed about a lot of things that he thought would be different like having to buy a card for soda, small staterooms, having to dress up to eat, and not getting free alcohol. I think once he gets there that he is going to love it. But, what can I say to him? I feel bad.

[custompcsys]

You might have him take a peek at the boards here and read some of the wonderful comments from the posters here. Maybe that will help stem the tide (pardon the expression :) )

 

He doesn't go around saying "bah humbug" over the holidays does he? :D

[bosteph]

There is nothing that you can say to him. I went through the exact same thing this past March. I think that my husband made himself sick thinking about the money spent vs. perceived value before the cruise even started.

 

Good news though...

 

As soon as we were on the ship the awe factor took effect. He had the most fabulous time and can't wait for our next cruise. He is already buying stuff for it!

 

Have faith and have a good time.:)

[edYYZ]

I guess he'll have to give it a try and see. I definitely don't think cruising is for everyone, so you'll just have to see if it's his kind of thing.

 

You would get a better deal with a land vacation that's all inclusive (like Mexico or the Dominican), but you also don't really get to go to multiple places at once. And lying in the sun while you're at sea is quite nice!

[Casshew]

Enbarkation day is pretty stressful but after that, once he gets out on the open deck with the sea breeze, he is going to love it.

[tiffygirl]

Fake Anne,

 

Wow, what a situation you are in. It sounds like your husband is all ready determined not to have a great cruise. Tell him that he only live once and if he goes and finds that it is not what he thought and not worth the money then maybe consider doing a land all inclusive on your next vacation.

 

Encourage him to have an open mind, and relax. IT'S A VACATION.

 

I hope you both have a great time on your cruise. Be sure to report back to let us know how it went.

[Layla]

I've had friends who felt the same way, until they got on board. You don't have to buy a soda card, but if you drink a lot of soda it is really the way to go. I don't think the staterooms are that small. We've stayed in boutique hotels and the rooms there felt smaller than the staterooms. If you have a balcony, you have the option of going outside and getting out of the room if it starts to feel small. You don't have to get dressed up for dinner. Every night except for the formal nights, you can dress in khakis, dockers, etc. and go to the dining room. If you want to eat more casual than that, the Horizon Court and Caribe Cafe is always available. Unfortunately, there is no free alcohol, unless you cruise on the luxury lines like Radisson or Silver Seas - and these cost a lot more!!! You can do all of these things on land, but there is nothing like being on the water!! Hopefully when you get on board your husband will change his mind and have a great time!

[dbmiller1956]

I just read the post to my husband who said "take someone else and leave him home". :D Unfortunately you don't have that option...nor do you probably want to.

 

When we went on our first cruise, my husband didn't get ecited until we got on the ship but once he was there, he was fine. Hopefully your husband will find something that he likes and realize that he should have been doing this every year.

 

Definitely let us know!

 

Deena

[kryos]

I guess he'll have to give it a try and see. I definitely don't think cruising is for everyone, so you'll just have to see if it's his kind of thing.

 

You would get a better deal with a land vacation that's all inclusive (like Mexico or the Dominican), but you also don't really get to go to multiple places at once. And lying in the sun while you're at sea is quite nice!

I agree ... a cruise vacation is not for everyone. Just tell him that it's time to try something different and the money is being well-spent just for the experience. After all, it's only seven days and if at the end of the cruise he is still of a mind that cruising is not a good value, then you could always go back to land vacations for a while.

 

Unfortunately, there are always gonna be people to whom a cruise just does not appeal. I was talking with a woman on the Zuiderdam last summer who said she would never cruise again. She just didn't care for it. No specific reason ... she just said that it was her first cruise and it was just something she wanted to try, but she wouldn't be sailing again. She said she just much preferred land-based vacations where she got to spend a lot of time at her destination. Her major complaint seemed to be that there really wasn't enough time to do things in each port. The visits were so relatively short.

 

To each his own ... that's why ice cream comes in so many flavors. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Enbarkation day is pretty stressful but after that, once he gets out on the open deck with the sea breeze, he is going to love it.

Not if the cruise line does it right. I was expecting stress when I boarded the Island Princess this past April. All of my past cruises embarked in Fort Lauderdale ... just a 2.5 hour flight, but this one was leaving from Los Angeles ... a 5+ hour flight. I always hate embarkation because I'm bone tired by the time I get to the ship (work the night before, then fly to the embarkation point the morning of the cruise). I figured this particular cruise would be the absolute worst since the flight was so long. I got to LAX, the Princess rep was right there in baggage claim to meet me (didn't have to go looking for them), got my luggage, was on the bus to San Pedro in less than half an hour, at the pier, through all the check-in stations without a wait of any kind, and on the ship before I knew it. Then, even the staterooms were ready so I didn't have to sit around waiting to take my shower and my nap before muster drill.

 

Painless embarkation makes for a stress-free start to a cruise ... and in the case of the Island, it was as painless as it's gonna get.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[gg3]

Fakeanne - don't try to convince him any longer - just use the "wait and see" approach. My husband never wanted to cruise, but 10 friends were going and he finally "gave in". He thought he would be so bored. WRONG !!! He loved the food, the casino, the diversity of so much to do, he loved touring the ship, esp. the Bridge, the shore excursions, seeing all the new sights and sounds and smells, the wildlife, the gulf, caribbean, ocean, Mississippi River, Inside Passage. I could go on and on. Unless your man is just normally a pessimistic person, I bet he will warm up quickly and love cruisin. We leave for our 2nd trip to Alaska in 2 weeks, and our 4th cruise. Have a wonderful trip. gg

[Casshew]

Not if the cruise line does it right. I was expecting stress when I boarded the Island Princess this past April.

 

I hope he has a good experience, I am just going on the fact that he has never been on a cruise before and doesn't know what to expect.

 

The only painless embarkation I have had was when I was in a suite on NCL and we were whisked on by the Concierge - passing a thousand disgruntled people in a long line :D

[jclarkeusa]

Get yourself another husband. How can one not be happy about going on a cruise?

[Cruisin' Chick]

My hubby (then bf) took me on an one-day cruise (sorta gamblers' special) to see how I do at sea. I was fine so we planned our first real cruise together (his second) and I took to it well (even tho' I was a little injured and sleepless from a major earthquake we had two weeks prior). Since then every vacation except our honeymoon has involved a cruise. These boards will cover just about any question he has prior to the trip. And you can even find a roll call and meet some of your fellow cruisers ahead of time.

 

Have a great time!:)

[jnc411]

I hope that all goes well for you and that your DH really enjoys himself once he gets onboard. There is so much to do, so many things to see in the ports, the ship is a destination in its self. And on top of all of that , you meet so many wonderful people. Good Luck, and YOU have a good time.

Cori

[WCAB]

You can spend more on a cruise but if you take a car trip, you pay for the gas, your meals, your hotel, your excursions, wear and tear on the car, and any souvineers (sp). If you drink tea or coffee and watch the other expenses, it can be far cheaper to take a cruise. Just a couple of weeks ago was looking to spend a few days in San Diego and could not find a decent hotel for under $150.00 per night and that only takes care of where you will sleep.

 

Carol

[alans]

My wife and I booked our first cruise many years ago. It was only four days from Athens because I was concerned that I would be bored after the first day. We now have cruises 19 and 20 booked and hope to take many more. While every one has different tastes, we have thoroughly enjoyed each and every cruise.

[catdancers]

In 1983, I worked with an older gentleman whose wife desperately wanted to go on a cruise. While he finally relented, he complained to me from the day they booked til the day they left. Every day he bemoaned the expense, all that salt water, the time, frou frou food, dressing up, etc. You name it, he was prepared to dread it on his cruise.

 

I was dreading the day he returned to work for fear I'd have to listen to further complaints. He came back to work about the third week of May and by the second week in June, I'd booked our first cruise on the Norway!!!

 

You guessed it! He loved, loved, loved it! He couldn't stop raving about everything and what a wonderful time they had and how they were already planning their second cruise. His euphoria rubbed off on me and I simply couldn't stand it--now I had to try a cruise. Fortunately, my husband was not such a hard sell and later this year, we'll be on our tenth cruise.

 

Good luck!

[Casshew]

My ex husband was a cheapskate - the exact opposite of me, I don't have a problem paying for better cabins/locations, specialty restaurants.. I would plan the holiday and he would grump, grump, grump about the cost of things :rolleyes: notice I said 'ex' husband? :D

[izodlacoste]

Just focus on having a good time yourself. If he is cranky, there is plenty of stuff for you to do by yourself on board and plenty of friends to make. There is nothing you can do before you go to make him more excited so just get excited yourself. Crusing is not for everyone but actually it is a good value. Remind him that when you go on a regular vacation the expenses really add up fast (Plane tix, rental car, hotel, food, plus activities plus when you stay at a resort they start piling on the tax (18 to 20 %), resort fees, valet parking fees, room service, in room movies, etc etc etc. The cruise may seem steep at first but it does not have to be so expensive once you get on board.

[Coolmama_1]

I agree with the everyone else here, once he gets on board, he will be fine. Unless your land based vacation is an all inclusive, then you are still paying for soda and alcoholic beverages.

 

My husband didn't complain when I booked our first cruise, but we wasn't as excited as I was either. That is, until we boarded the ship. Then he was like a kid in the candy shore and we had an open booking for a future cruise by the 3rd day!

 

Enjoy and let us know how this turns out:)

[Host CJSKIDS]

Just remind your husband that it's still a vacation and one he may end up actually loving. However, if he goes with the attitude that he doesn't want to be there chances are he may not like the cruise at all. When you approach something so negatively you'll always find things wrong with it.

If he wants free alcohol, buy a bottle on board (same price as home, I know not really free) and enjoy cocktails in your stateroom.

I don't know where you could go on land where you'd get free alcohol and soda all day with the exception of the inclusive and has your husband priced those out lately? Maybe you should run the numbers quickly for him for some of them in the Caribbean and he'll probably quickly change his tune.

[spongerob]

I had very similar feelings prior to our first cruise. And guess who was running down to the Future Cruise office after two days? You got it. :)

[Toto2Kansas]

My husband never got excited about a cruise until we arrived at the port for the first 15-20 cruises. Now, he is the one that tells me how many days until we leave. Husbands are a different breed of passenger, usually. LOL ;)

[vacationhappy]

I deal my DH "Vacation monster" for several weeks before every vacation...I think he just likes to complain - LOL - once he gets there, he is fine and enjoys himself.

 

Also, I handle all the details. I just tell him the basic price for the trip but I don't share all the minor details with him - he just becomes miserable and it just isn't worth it.