What constitutes a "Cruise?"

[Kayelache]

Every now and then someone states that he/she has been on x number of cruises. Now, just exactly what is a cruise? The dictionary is not a lot of help as it states, "To sail about, touching at a number of ports, " and "To travel for the sake of traveling," as well as other uses, such as "to cruise the streets looking for adventure" and "To fly at the optimum altitude." Dismissing the latter two definitions and concentrating on the first two:

Would a transatlantic voyage with no ports, say from London to New York be considered a cruise? I've seen people who list twenty or more cruises, include "Cruises to nowhere" as well as overnights from Miami to Nassau. Is an overnight ferry from Boston to Nova Scotia or from England to France a cruise?

What about back to back cruises, say east and west Caribbean, be considered two cruises, or one long one? Or when one sails several segments of, say, a round the world cruise?

What about a week on a cabin cruiser on, say the Thames River?

What about a two week venture down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon? How about a two week canoe trip? Adventure travel, or could these be stretched to be called "cruise."

Or a week long sail in a privately chartered falucca on the Nile? We stopped at the same sights that the people in the big "river boats" did, and we slept onboard. What makes the former a "cruise" and not the latter?

We sailed the Marine Highway on the Alaska ferries, from Prince Rupert to Skagway. Was this a cruise? Again, same route the cruise ships take.

Another one I'm not sure about. We took our car with us on the Polish Ocean Lines, Stephan Batory, from Montreal to London some years ago. A nine day crossing of the Atlantic. Was it a "cruise?" A year later we took the same ship from Rotterdam to Gdansk and back. Again, a cruise?

Just curious. The term seems to be open to broad interpretation. What's your take on the question?

[flashdog_1]

When people ask me how many cruises I've been on, I ask, does that include crossing the Atlantic on a freighter? LOL

 

i have friends who are currently on a boat which stops for a few days at several Russian ports. I said, "oh, you're going on a cruise." They said, no, it's not a cruise. The ship is feeding and housing them and offering some free excursions and charging an arm and a leg. I think it's a cruise!

 

Anyone else?

[patnjohn]

Anytime I'm on a ship that sails & feeds & houses me for a number of days. By ship, I mean "big" not my friends "boat".

[kitty9]

If you wanted to be totally technical about it, a cruise is whenever you step aboard a vessel that's powered by motor, wind or paddles and floats on a body of water including oceans, lakes, rivers or seas.

 

When it comes to commercial pleasure cruising, which is what I think you're talking about, a cruise is anytime you board a commercial vessel with the purpose of staying on board that vessel for whatever period of time to enjoy the amenities of the ship/boat and any ports that might be on an itinerary.

 

I've been on 40 pleasure cruises, and many more private boat cruises on inland lakes and rivers. A cruise length is determined by the cruise line itself and that cruise is considered one cruise, whether it's two days or 35 days (the longest cruise I've ever been on in one segment). If it's back to back, it's considered two cruises, no matter if one segment is 4 days and the other one is 10.

[marco]

I guess if you are looking for some information or insight from someone, the number of cruises they have been on is not as important as what ship(s) and port(s) they've been to. If I were contimplating a cruise on the s/s Minow to East Oshkosh, if you've never been on that ship or to that place, you could have been on a thousand cruises, but probably wouldn't be able to provide the information I'm looking for regarding the ship and port I am about to experience.

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Being a passenger on a Cruise ship.