Long cruises

[4boysnana]

For me, the biggest challenge was having 30 plus days with desserts offered :)

I tell myself that all you need is a taste and I am planning on asking for smaller servings on main courses. Lots of fruit and walking the decks. Should be interesting and fun.

[Astro Flyer]

For me, the biggest challenge was having 30 plus days with desserts offered :)

I tell myself that all you need is a taste and I am planning on asking for smaller servings on main courses. Lots of fruit and walking the decks. Should be interesting and fun.

I usually get a single scoop of ice cream which taste just as good as two scoops...it's portion control for me. ;)

[moonhunter]

We love the long cruises. Our longest was a 28 day roundtrip from LA to Tahiti. We have heard some really good lecturers (and some mediocre ones). We have found that if we can break one cruise into two back to backs, we get more OBC. We are going from LA to Rio this December. By doing this as two cruises, we will get double veterans benefits, shareholders credits and $100 OBC twice from Future Cruise Credits, plus whatever our TA throws in. The menus do sometimes repeat, but the ones that repeat seem to be the better ones. We love the sea days and never get bored. However, we have known people who would throw themselves overboard after the second sea day.

[Pia1913]

We love the sea days and never get bored. However, we have known people who would throw themselves overboard after the second sea day.

 

We can never have too many sea days. After two 49ers and two 63ers, we are now primed for the World Cruise (94 days) in January.

[dorisis]

For me, the biggest challenge was having 30 plus days with desserts offered :)

 

Life is short, eat dessert first.

[Mommypig]

We did the 51 day Pacific Princess Ft Lauderdale to Sydney and Polynesia, ending in Tahiti. The first 35 days we only had 8 ports, with scenic cruising through Panama Canal and Pitcairn Island. Then after a month long road trip in New Zealand we caught the ship again and cruised 12 days to Hawaii.

 

Loved.the.sea.days. The Pacific Princess is a small ship so you really got to know people. And you really get an idea of how vast the sea is. We had several days with no internet as we were too far from anything for satellite service other than for ships navigation.

 

You do have to prepare for the sea days. I am a knitter, and we had a nice knitting group in the mornings. My hubby is a weaver and he brought a small tapestry loom with him. We both brought fully loaded kindles (Internet onboard is too slow to download books cost effectively, so load up beforehand) and a Macbook and backup drive loaded with movies. The Pacific Princess also has a large library.

 

There were lectures available on a variety of topics. There were also activities and games that the cruise staff did.

 

Anyway, we are considering doing the world cruise in 2016, again on the Pacific Princess. Love the small ships.

 

Linda

 

I did find myself getting picky about food after about 2 weeks. Started really limiting myself because it was often too rich. Too many sauces and too many desserts. Requested steamed broccoli at dinner every night and my waiter made it happen.

 

 

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[Love.II.Cruise]

Our longest cruise was 18 nights on a transatlantic that could not be broken into segments.

 

The enrichment lectures about Egypt were great! They did repeat themed buffet lunches. The suckling pig at lunch one day was really nice. We were able to get the cheeks and ears. :) The chef slicing didn't have a clue how to slice. The head chef smiled (as if we took his lunch) and told the chef how to slice it off.

 

We had spent 6 nights beforehand in 2 other cities. This was the longest trip we had ever taken and I'm not sure we will go much longer than this unless we are retired. We were some of the youngest on our cruise (being mid thirties). Longer cruises in general (without b2b segments) will have an older demographic just because younger demographics cannot take that much time off from work at one time.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Love.II.Cruise

[BrandiGreg]

Three advantages not mentioned yet that we like about longer cruises 1) you get to know your wait staff better and they know you and your preferences better, also you get to know your tablemates better (which may or may not be a plus.:eek:) 2) the cost of the cruise vacation per person per day is usually lower, especially if you have a lot of sea days, and considering your flight costs to get to and from the cruise 3) you only have to unpack and then not have to pack up to go home for a LONG time! These days, we only take cruises of 14 days or longer (now that we are retired and have the time) because it seems like by the time you unpack, and get relaxed and settled in, for short cruises you already have to worry about debarkation. The disadvantage for us is having our mail held by the US Postal Service, since their rule is that they don't hold mail for more than two weeks! (bills paid online which is no problem on board)

[caribill]

The disadvantage for us is having our mail held by the US Postal Service, since their rule is that they don't hold mail for more than two weeks!

 

They hold it for 30 days here in Texas.

[paul929207]

They hold it for 30 days here in Texas.

Same in South Carolina. We had a couple of trips that we 32 or 33 days, and they even held then for us.

[jean s]

Being the spouse of a postal worker I confirmed that mail can be held for 30 days.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We just got back from a Golden Princess B2B from BA to LA. The biggest blessing of being Elite was free laundry! We came home with mostly clean clothes.

We got 2 bar setups, one for each leg.

To brighten up our minisuite, I bought my wife flowers twice during the cruise. Our TA had sent us an arrangement when we boarded.

We also always had chocolate chip cookies from room service.

We dined at Sabatinis and the Crown Grill twice each during the cruise. We had anytime dining, and never had a problem with waiting long.

 

Food is a very subjective thing. It was prepared and presented nicely, but to our taste lacking seasonings. My wife kiddingly suggested she would take her spice rack if we did another long cruise.

 

We were almost paranoid about getting the dreaded Noro on a long cruise like this. As soon as our steward opened the door, we sprayed everything in sight! Handles, knobs,TV remote, phone, bathroom faucets.

 

Here is a list of things we found to make the cruise more enjoyable; They do NOT take up much room!

 

Pack

3 clocks-2 for bedside tables-1 for sofa area

Unbreakable wine glasses

Nook/Kindle loaded with books + chargers

Lysol #3 spray to disinfect cabin

Bonine (meclazine)

Imodium

Cold medications

Broad spectrum antibiotics

Belkin surge suppressor-3 outlets+2 USB ports

Binoculars

Scotch magic tape to tape things to mirror

Itinerary one page calendar

Flashlights

Plan view of decks from cruise brochure

Swiss army knife, Leatherman, corkscrew

Night light for bathroom

Spare prescription glasses

 

Request from steward or others

Kleenex for sofa area

Large Ice bucket

2 daily programs (Princess Patter or equivalent)

Extra waste basket for sofa area

Small tray for carrying snacks back to cabin

Top sheet for under duvet

Egg crate mattress pad

Pitcher for ice tea

Shot glass (from bar)

Mugs for morning coffee (from buffet)

Silver wine package 12 bottles (dining room)

 

Most of all, patience and a sense of humor

Very nice list ..

[silvercruiser]

You can rent a post office box, a large one, and have your mail forwarded to it.

[Viesczy]

Susan!

the best thing about the long cruise, beyond being on vacation of course, are those sea days if you ask me.

 

You'll quickly find the routine (most likely by end of 3rd day) that is "best" for you with regard to "regular" activities--IE breakfast/lunch/dinner & areas to enjoy the vacation. Then the daily "excitement" (lectures or games or shows) will color the "best" schedule.

 

As for packing, you will need FAR LESS than you think. Pack some detergent to do your laundry and you'll be able to pack for a week but dress for a month.

 

I'll bore you with the "schedule" when we were on our 30 day cruise to the South Pacific HAL's Westerdam.

 

We'd get up and hit breakfast (typically the buffet) mid to late morning and be done by 10.

 

We'd then change and head to the pool area and be there until about 2 as that typically was when a lecture would start and then I'd hit the fitness area after the lecture. If the lecture wasn't anything I was interested in I'd hit the weights.

 

Back to cabin by 4 pm (3 pm if no lecture), catch a quick nap and then we'd get ready for dinner/show/night.

 

We did the anytime dining so we could miss the two dinner rushes. Then we'd hit the later show. If there was something that was happening @ 10 pm we'd check that. If not it was then grabbing a DVD from and watching that or checking something on the ship's movie channel.

 

Sounds a little boring I guess, but it wasn't the routine that mattered so much as the who I was doing the routine with on our vacation.

 

Derek

[Mommypig]

They hold it for 30 days here in Texas.

 

 

If you are going on a seriously long trip you can have your mail forwarded to a trusted friend or relative. It costs around $15 per week, and the trusted friend can do a quick sort and email you what bills you need to go online and pay, invites you need to RSVP or send regrets to, etc. Just get that friend an awesome gift. We have done this twice on four month trips.

 

 

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[4boysnana]

Susan!

the best thing about the long cruise, beyond being on vacation of course, are those sea days if you ask me.

 

You'll quickly find the routine (most likely by end of 3rd day) that is "best" for you with regard to "regular" activities--IE breakfast/lunch/dinner & areas to enjoy the vacation. Then the daily "excitement" (lectures or games or shows) will color the "best" schedule.

 

As for packing, you will need FAR LESS than you think. Pack some detergent to do your laundry and you'll be able to pack for a week but dress for a month.

 

I'll bore you with the "schedule" when we were on our 30 day cruise to the South Pacific HAL's Westerdam.

 

We'd get up and hit breakfast (typically the buffet) mid to late morning and be done by 10.

 

We'd then change and head to the pool area and be there until about 2 as that typically was when a lecture would start and then I'd hit the fitness area after the lecture. If the lecture wasn't anything I was interested in I'd hit the weights.

 

Back to cabin by 4 pm (3 pm if no lecture), catch a quick nap and then we'd get ready for dinner/show/night.

 

We did the anytime dining so we could miss the two dinner rushes. Then we'd hit the later show. If there was something that was happening @ 10 pm we'd check that. If not it was then grabbing a DVD from and watching that or checking something on the ship's movie channel.

 

Sounds a little boring I guess, but it wasn't the routine that mattered so much as the who I was doing the routine with on our vacation.

 

Derek

Thank you!

I think this sounds wonderful and I am looking forward to a similar day. It will be fun to check out the ship and find those spots that you can hang out and relax. I am going to limit my packing and simplify my life.

Thanks to everyone and the great ideas you shared. I hope you all are dreaming of those cruises to come and I hope you find peace and joy in every moment on board.

[Bill B]

One disadvantage to a true long cruise, as opposed to back-to-backs or 'segments', is you can't get your duty-free alcohol order delivered to your stateroom 'in the middle'.

[paul929207]

One disadvantage to a true long cruise, as opposed to back-to-backs or 'segments', is you can't get your duty-free alcohol order delivered to your stateroom 'in the middle'.

On some b2b's they have checked carefully before selling or delivering alcohol at the end of a segment.

[Bill B]

On some b2b's they have checked carefully before selling or delivering alcohol at the end of a segment.

 

That would be a downer! Luckily, it hasn't happened to me (yet).

[caribill]

On some b2b's they have checked carefully before selling or delivering alcohol at the end of a segment.

 

If you make that last day purchase inside the shop, B2B status will likely be be checked.

 

If you make it outside the shop where they just fill out charge slips to be processed later, it is not checked.

[Viesczy]

Thank you!

I think this sounds wonderful and I am looking forward to a similar day. It will be fun to check out the ship and find those spots that you can hang out and relax. I am going to limit my packing and simplify my life.

Thanks to everyone and the great ideas you shared. I hope you all are dreaming of those cruises to come and I hope you find peace and joy in every moment on board.

 

Susan,

You are welcome!

 

By the 3rd/4th day your 'groove' will be found and then it will be Shangri-La for all the days!

 

For packing, it is hard not to over pack. We're always SURE we will need X, Y & Z. Do we? Not really.

 

For our cruise next year I'm going to plan/pack based on 10 days-that is just one bag (including my suit bag wedged into the big bag). Have just enough for 10 days and repeat/rotate. That way I'm sure to have 1 spare bag for the flight home for knick and knacks!

 

Derek