How avoid post-cruise depression?

[Gracie115]

Actually, booking on board may NOT be so easy. Here is a quote from a thread on Summit going to Bermuda:

 

"The way you book future cruises has now changed. See I told you there was a point! Your deposit amount is now equal to the OBC they give you and is non-refundable. Under the old system when we booked this cruise on board Equinox we paid a $100 per person deposit (refundable) and got a $250 OBC and one category upgrade for this cruise plus our choice from the 123Go. Under the new system you still get the one category upgrade but you get your OBC instantly. Now here is where it gets confusing, the OBC they give you instantly is refundable. So while the deposit amount is technically not refundable if you don't spend the OBC they give you on the ship that will get refunded to your credit card. This is a brilliant move by X. I bet most cruisers don't know the different between refundable and nonrefundable OBC. So they are going to get that OBC and either spend it all, and most likely some more, or not spend all of it. Either way X will be making money. For the Bermuda All In we got our one category upgrade (A2 to A1), the instant $250 OBC, pre-paid gratuities and the classic drink package for out Summit cruise next year. Since we get additional OBC from our TA the fact that we wont have OBC from X is not a huge loss to me. We actually got a refund of $825 from X after this cruise from unused OBC. If any of this is unclear or confusing please just ask! I tried to be very clear here, but I know the new system can be confusing. ... I also remember hearing that they may only be doing bookings this way on the Summit. I would be interested to hear from someone who has been on one of the other ships recently. The Summit is currently serving as a test ship."

 

Comments?

 

I've only booked on board once and cancelled it within weeks after arriving back home.... Instead we either already have the next cruise booked before getting on the ship or I immediately start looking when returning home...THAT helps with PCD too....:)

[gordylad]

have another cruise booked within a few months of coming back that way you can start counting down the weeks again........

[kikki21]

We've been back 2 weeks and are close to booking another cruise for next year, think that's the best cure for me!

 

It's worse when you get off the cruise ship and fly straight home though! We didn't seem to have a choice with our last cruise as it was a special offer all in package but on our last cruise we booked flights and accommodation independently so we could stay another 2 stays in Rome before flying back, that helped a lot! :)

[DWhit]

Sometimes I try to think in terms of excursions or activities while still back home. For example, we enjoyed the dance lessons on a cruise, so when we got home, I signed us up for some ballroom dance lessons. Or I might plan a trip to an event or museum and think of that as my excursion for the day.

 

It's not exactly the same, but it's better than nothing. And I definitely agree with booking another cruise.

[Cruise a holic]

I love to travel, and one of the things I love best is to think about it and anticipate it ahead of time. There is a price to pay, though. After the trip, I come home, where I have a nice life, but I must say there is often a post trip depression -- I have now lost the anticipation of that trip. It's like losing a friend. I know one way to avoid this is to have another nice trip planned, but that is hard to do sometimes.

 

I will take my 3rd cruise this October, a TA on Equinox from Spain to Florida. It's my wife and my 25th anniversary. Already enjoying it, vicariously, just by anticipating it, reading the roll call, reading about our ports, thinking about what I'll do on ship. But, I want to plan to avoid my post-cruise depression. I am not sure when my next big trip will be. On my last two cruises, I read CC a lot, then when the cruise was over, there was such a void. I am not sure when I can plan to cruise again.

 

Please, heal me. What shall I do?

 

-Joel

 

I agree with many posters. We always book another cruise while on the cruise. You get many perks, including a reduced deposit. You can cancel up to 90 days in advance without a penalty. This always gives me something to look forward to. Worth the deposit pp. With the rate of interest you get today in the bank, a no-brainer to give a small deposit. Think of it as an investment in your mental health! Enjoy your cruises! We currently have cruises booked through 2016! Thinking positive! Hope to sail on the Anthem and Quantum of the Seas in addition to our celebrity cruises.

Edited July 11, 2014 by Cruise a holic

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Sometimes I try to think in terms of excursions or activities while still back home. For example, we enjoyed the dance lessons on a cruise, so when we got home, I signed us up for some ballroom dance lessons. Or I might plan a trip to an event or museum and think of that as my excursion for the day.

 

It's not exactly the same, but it's better than nothing. And I definitely agree with booking another cruise.

 

Good examples. We do road trips every few months and try and stay active at home, smell the roses in the mean time. I wasn't depressed after the Navigator, and I'm not anxious to get on the Millennium, but my head is on cruising every day. Not sure it's entirely healthy, but it seems to help.

 

Planning is fun, building and adjusting the bucket list, researching. Even for someone who can't book in advance financially, or it's too far out to book yet, setting a target can be a good way to keep engaged.

[cl.klink]

Lots of good posts. In part, it seems, treating PCD requires a heathy outlook on life more generally. In part, this can apparently be supplemented with a plan for another cruise or future travel fix and a sense of being connected to it by the trick of putting down a deposit before leaving ship. I think what that does is to take your attention away for the sadness of the past that is gone and reorienting it to the good that is to come. I agree with the posts that also highlighted the gratitude of having been able to have cuised at all.

 

Did I get all the main points? I want to get my cure set up and ready to do it right!

 

- Joel