What Was Your Most Interesting Cruise Ever???

[Chuck]

If I may I would like to ask you what was your most interesting cruise ever and the reasons why??? My wife and myself have taken about 15 cruises over the years. And in all honesty have gotten a little bored with the Carribean scene. We really need to find something interesting and fun. Hope someone out there can help us out. THANK YOU. PS One issue or problem I have with Europe is if you're going to fly that far why would you want to spend such a small amount of time at each port??? You fly 8 or 10 hours to get there and then at each port you only have about 8 to 10 hours to see all the sights. Doesn't really make alot of sense to me.

[cruisemom42]

If I may I would like to ask you what was your most interesting cruise ever and the reasons why??? My wife and myself have taken about 15 cruises over the years. And in all honesty have gotten a little bored with the Carribean scene. We really need to find something interesting and fun. Hope someone out there can help us out. THANK YOU. PS One issue or problem I have with Europe is if you're going to fly that far why would you want to spend such a small amount of time at each port??? You fly 8 or 10 hours to get there and then at each port you only have about 8 to 10 hours to see all the sights. Doesn't really make alot of sense to me.

 

 

Most interesting cruise: Started in Egypt with 2-day stay in Cairo hotel, then transfer to Luxor for sightseeing and an overnight there. Boarded the ship at Safaga, sailed up the Red Sea (with a stop at St. Catherine's monastery in the Sinai), and through the Suez Canal. Then the REAL highlights: Beirut Lebanon (to see Baalbek), an overnight at the Tartus port in Syria to visit Palmyra (beautiful desert ruins) and Krak des Chevaliers (the most outstanding Crusader castle), then a day in Aleppo to visit sites now destroyed in the ongoing civil war. :( Finished up with visits to Cyprus, Antalya Turkey, and then Athens.

 

This cruise was amazing and would not be possible today.... One reason it was such a highlight were the pre-cruise days in Egypt (included) and several overnight stays in the ports.

 

 

To answer your question about time in port -- yes, in some cases it is not ideal on a cruise ship. But with smart planning, the impact is minimal. Pick two interesting cities for embarking and disembarking and plan to spend several days there before and after your cruise. Also, there are certainly some port stops in Europe where a full day is enough to give you a pretty good idea of the place -- some of the Greek islands, for example.

[mtwingcpa]

Three-night cruise on Alaska Ferries from Kodiak to Dutch Harbor.

[kitty9]

It's difficult to pick just one because so many have been interesting. One was a cruise from Hong Kong to Dubai that stopped in Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Cochin India, Mumbai India (with a side trip to the Taj Mahal) and ending in Dubai. The second trip started in Cape Town, and went on to Namibian, St Helena, across the ocean to Rio and two other stops in Brazil and then up to NYC. The third cruise started in Sydney and went around the east coast of Australia, up to Singapore, then to Vietnam, Thailand and ending in Hong Kong.

[buggins0402]

Most interesting cruise: Started in Egypt with 2-day stay in Cairo hotel, then transfer to Luxor for sightseeing and an overnight there. Boarded the ship at Safaga, sailed up the Red Sea (with a stop at St. Catherine's monastery in the Sinai), and through the Suez Canal. Then the REAL highlights: Beirut Lebanon (to see Baalbek), an overnight at the Tartus port in Syria to visit Palmyra (beautiful desert ruins) and Krak des Chevaliers (the most outstanding Crusader castle), then a day in Aleppo to visit sites now destroyed in the ongoing civil war. :( Finished up with visits to Cyprus, Antalya Turkey, and then Athens.

 

This cruise was amazing and would not be possible today.... One reason it was such a highlight were the pre-cruise days in Egypt (included) and several overnight stays in the ports.

 

 

To answer your question about time in port -- yes, in some cases it is not ideal on a cruise ship. But with smart planning, the impact is minimal. Pick two interesting cities for embarking and disembarking and plan to spend several days there before and after your cruise. Also, there are certainly some port stops in Europe where a full day is enough to give you a pretty good idea of the place -- some of the Greek islands, for example.

 

Similar cruise to Cruisemom, but not as interesting itinerary. It was a Holylands Israel and Egypt. At that time, whether we would port in Egypt was iffy, due to political issues. We had no problems in Egypt, but in Israel Hamas started major rocket attacks. We ported because at that time the extent of conflict wasn't apparent - subsequent ships diverted (Nov 2012). We had to make some adjustments to our DIY visit in Israel...but all worked out. Cyprus and Alanya Turkey were great add ons with some days added days in Rome to finally get to know the city without running from site to site (third time there). Two sea days at beginning and end of cruise was just the right mix for the itinerary.

 

DH and I don't skip a beat when responding as to what our favorite trip was (we've been to well over 50 countries land and cruise)....it was this Holylands cruise. We will get back to this area again to do the Valley of the Kings, with perhaps Jordan...probably land or mix of land and cruise.

[Floridiana]

My last three trips have been on land, two of them combined with cruises. I thought the land portions were more interesting: Peru, Ecuador, China.

None of my cruises were as interesting as Machu Pichu, Iguazu Falls, the Li River, the Yangtze River and the Silk Road in China. However, the fjords in New Zealand were pretty close! Followed by the inner passage of the Chilean fjords. I haven't been to Alaska yet and saw the Norwegian fjords about 40 years ago. We have to return some time.

Edited November 5, 2014 by Floridiana

[SPacificbound]

I haven't been on the "my most interesting cruise" yet. :)

 

We attach land trips to our cruises past and future. We have a Mediterranean cruise in 2015 and are going to spend three weeks in Europe at places we have not already been.

 

We are fortunate to have the time to do this.

[OCruisers]

Our what most would consider our Most Interesting because they were in "very far away places", were not the ones where we actually had the most FUN! :D

LuLu

[Floridiana]

It all depends on how you define FUN. :p

[buggins0402]

OP...seek itineraries in Europe that round trip from a city which you want to really see...or better yet an itinerary that starts in a city that you want to see and ends in another. Also, look for itineraries that spend an overnight in a city (many do Venice and Istanbul as overnights).

Edited November 5, 2014 by buggins0402

[cindivan]

For perspective, after this cruise we decided we are a highlight family. We like to see awesome places and while we might like to learn more about them, we know we don't have the time to do that if we want to see all the main places we want to see.

 

For cruises, our family favorite was a Med cruise.

 

Rome. So many things to see there, spent a couple days pre-cruise.

 

Sicily. I didn't have high expectations for this port but we had a private driver who brought us to amazing places.

 

Athens. One word - Parthenon. More - first modern world Olympic stadium made of marble, Touring the city. Incredible.

 

Kusadasi, Turkey. We saw Ancient Ephesus and we were all blown away. It was everyone's favorite stop. So interesting and learned so much.

 

Crete. We stopped there for a short 6 hours but did a really interesting winery tour and quick tour of the city. Lots of history there with the battle over the strategically placed island.

 

 

 

 

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[OCruisers]

It all depends on how you define FUN. :p

 

Fair/Good question ....

Our definition of FUN is being with follow passengers we enjoy and have a good time being around in convenient ports so we don't have to fly.

While we feel fortunate to have been able to see far away places and glad we have, but they were not the ones we've most enjoyed.

Now, it's your turn: How do YOU define FUN?

LuLu

[cb at sea]

The Caribbean is hardly interesting...it's fun, and relaxing..and beautiful....and that's what cruises are for...a vacation..relax, and have fun!

 

 

Most cruises are too short, or don't have enough time in a port to be "interesting"...

[Floridiana]

LuLu,

Fun for me and DH is to travel, to see sites of great historical importance, spectacular scenery, to experience a new cuisine, to encounter the unexpected, to take local transportation, to find out how other people live and what moves them. We both like architecture, old and new, gardens, parks, animals, desert and jungle. Ever since we moved to Florida, escaping cold weather and hanging out on beaches have ceased to be a reason for travel. We have vacationed on Caribbean islands and done several cruises there as well. I would now like to visit the islands where no cruise ships stop. :D

Edited November 5, 2014 by Floridiana

[Bookish Angel]

The scenery and wildlife were beautiful, the raft rides from the ship to the land were thrilling (and often wet!) and I could imagine what the world looked like when it was new. It is a hard trip and frightfully expensive but well worth it.

[cruisemom42]

Our what most would consider our Most Interesting because they were in "very far away places", were not the ones where we actually had the most FUN! :D

LuLu

 

The OP asked about interesting, not about fun... :D

 

That said, I have to admit that the two tend to be one and the same for me. In my mind's eye, the perfect vacation involves me playing "Indiana Jones" and visiting places (especially if there are great ruins) that I've read about all my life.

[maywell]

My most interesting cruise (for now) isn't happening until next year when I visit 6 port stops in South Caribbean such as San Juan, St. Kitts, and St. Martin. I have to figure out where I going in each Stop, if I going in a tour group or visiting a beach. Still have a year to figure out my little quarry. Lol.[emoji14]

 

 

To me, cruising is a sampler course - a small taste of what the destination has to offer before deciding if you want to spend more time there or not. If a stop during a cruise seems so interesting or happening that you want to spend a few days or week at, then why not plan your next vacation there? That's the beauty of cruising, don't have to spend a whole week at one stop/place and finding out it was a complete waste of time.

 

 

 

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[Traveling Library]

Buenos Aires to Santiago Chile around Tierra del Fuego. Long flight but such a wonderful trip we're doing it again!

Rome, Rhodes, Athens, Cairo, Alexandria, Rome. Very port intensive but each port was more interesting than the last. I'd do this again in a heartbeat.

Complete transit of the Panama Canal from San Diego to Miami.

 

We too are tired of the Caribbean (it's nice but we aren't beach people). We've started to explore South America and wished we had done so earlier. Lots to see and since you don't change more than 1 time zone the flight, though long, doesn't seem as tiring as compared to Europe.

[Aquahound]

HAL Nieuw Amsterdam, 12 night itinerary Venice to Barcelona.

 

The 3 nights pre-cruise in Venice was priceless. Dubrovnik and the Greek Islands were stunning, especially Santorini. Sicily was beautiful. The history in Naples, Pompeii, Rome, Pisa, and Florence was an experience to never forget. And ending it all in Barcelona was just the icing on the cake.

 

My southbound Seward to Vancouver cruise on Celebrity Millennium comes in as a close second but so far, nothing else has topped that Med cruise.

[paul929207]

Circumnavigating South America from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco. 49 days

[Scrapnana]

The world voyage I took had to be the most amazing. There was such a range of experiences that won't be forgotten.

[Chuck]

I just want to say that all of you folks are absolutely "Great", and I do appreciate it very much. Wish we were all cruising togethor.

[Bookish Angel]

I just want to say that all of you folks are absolutely "Great", and I do appreciate it very much. Wish we were all cruising togethor.

 

Wishing you perpetual blue skies and calm seas.

[NMLady]

If I may I would like to ask you what was your most interesting cruise ever and the reasons why??? My wife and myself have taken about 15 cruises over the years. And in all honesty have gotten a little bored with the Carribean scene. We really need to find something interesting and fun. Hope someone out there can help us out. THANK YOU. PS One issue or problem I have with Europe is if you're going to fly that far why would you want to spend such a small amount of time at each port??? You fly 8 or 10 hours to get there and then at each port you only have about 8 to 10 hours to see all the sights. Doesn't really make alot of sense to me.

 

We feel that a taste of several ports is fine even though we have also done longer stays in some European cities. That said, our most interesting cruise was round trip DoVer England north to Norway, Iceland, Faroe Island, Shetland Islands, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. We visited lots of ports new to us that are not on many itineraries.

 

We then continued, b2b cruise, across the Atlantic.

[donaldsc]

There are 3 of them - none of which almost any of the CC members would have taken -

 

1) 7 days on a Maine windjammer - 22 passengers, no motor, powered by sails, no set itinerary

 

2) 2 weeks on an Alaska cruise - 50 passengers, no entertainment except for what was outside of our ship, all excursions included, many of the passengers including me spent most of my time on the ship on the bridge with the captain.

 

3) Antarctica - 3 weeks, 10 landings, came back via a cruise of the Chilean fjords.

 

DON