Why do you cruise repeatedly?

[momonthego17]

BK (before kids) my DH and I would only do land vacations and we did some pretty fun trips out of Los Angeles. When we moved to Florida, a friend of mine suggested a cruise. We never thought about cruising, but it was "kids go free" and by that time we had 2 kids, 4 and 6 years old. Best vacation ever! The girls loved the kids club and we loved having a few moments of "mommy and daddy time". After that it has been, "when is our next cruise" from the DDs who are now 12 and 14. My mom has even joined in the fun and we are set to sail in two balcony rooms (grandma and the 2 DDs in one, me and Dh in the other) for next Thanksgiving. A cruise vacation is one of the best deals out there for a vacation!

[evandbob]

BK (before kids) my DH and I would only do land vacations and we did some pretty fun trips out of Los Angeles. When we moved to Florida, a friend of mine suggested a cruise. We never thought about cruising, but it was "kids go free" and by that time we had 2 kids, 4 and 6 years old. Best vacation ever! The girls loved the kids club and we loved having a few moments of "mommy and daddy time". After that it has been, "when is our next cruise" from the DDs who are now 12 and 14. My mom has even joined in the fun and we are set to sail in two balcony rooms (grandma and the 2 DDs in one, me and Dh in the other) for next Thanksgiving. A cruise vacation is one of the best deals out there for a vacation!

 

I cruise as an alternative to land vacations, it's a nice change of pace. While I probably have done more vacation time in resorts, cruising is a way to just get a taste of what an island or area is about. A scouting expedition, if you will.

Edited March 25, 2015 by evandbob

[camperhawk]

Cruising rejuvenates me! I always come home more relaxed, more tolerant, and a lot happier!

[jason534]

Wife and I took first cruise in 2001 on the Fantasy...and I thought she'd never do another one. She was sick half of the cruise (4 day cruise). I was hooked and just hoping she'd give it another try. Somehow I convinced her to try it again and we sailed the Triumph and we both enjoyed the entire cruise. Fast forward to today and I'm leaving for #20 (all on Carnival)in a few days and she's been on 18 of them. She's missed two because of work.

 

We just love the relaxed atmosphere...eat when you want, no phones, no car keys...relax, party, whatever you want to do.

 

I've been to Vegas 46 times, but coming up on 5 years since the last trip. In those 5 years we've been on 9 Carnival cruises. The cruise is the best of both worlds for us...we can go to the casino, but it's just one part of the trip and there are so many other things to do. And....the casino's actually close on the boat:)

 

Almost forgot to mention that our two kids have each been on 10 or 11.

Edited March 25, 2015 by jason534
forgot something

[maywell]

I cruise on my birthday now because it better to celebrate while doing something fun and relaxing than turning a day older at work grumpy. I prefer to be wished 'Happy Birthday' with a alcoholic drink in my hand, in warm weather and in a cheerful mode. ;)

[Kayloves]

Great question! While I am relatively new, I believe I am hooked. First, I love the ocean. Amazing views that truly rejuvenate me. Second, no work (I.e. Cleaning, rental cars, cooking, laundry...). Also, I love that, for the most part, expenses are all inclusive. Affordability. And finally, kids club included means that I Truly get a vacation, and the kiddo is entertained. [emoji6]

[navybankerteacher]

As a single father with four childreni I was heavily involved time wise and financially until the youngest finished law school in 2001. Finally on my own - retired, and with time and disposable income at last, I wanted to travel. Going places alone seemed really dreary, so I took a 7 day cruise on Maasdam in 2002 - and found it a great way to travel, so I sailed a couple of times a year until 2008 - when I remarried (no, we did not meet on a cruise) - our honeymoon was on an 11 day cruise to the Caribbean from New York in January. That getaway hooked my wife, and we now sail once or twice a year.

[theriac]

I went on my first cruise in the 90s on The Big Red Boat. My mom took my sister and I when my parents got divorced to show we can still have fun as a family. Sure enough dad had to out do her and take my sister and I on a cruise a few months later. So I was fortunate to have parents who wanted to share the world with me showing we still are a family even though mom and dad don't live together anymore. Needless to say I fell in love with cruising, making friends, trying new foods and making friends jealous who had never left the state let alone the country. So I cruised a lot as a child/teen ans then started focusing more on land vacations as we became a little bored of the Caribbean. My sister got married and mom started dating someone so that left my dad and I to start vacationing together a lot(which I love cause were both so laid back) by ourselves. We started scheduling cruises for my birthday in December because the weather is bearable in the tropics then. Luckily I'm fortunate enough to repay both of my parents this year by taking both of them on a cruise for mothers day(Caribbean) and fathers day(Alaska). I'm also going to take my dad on a Med cruise next year for watching my dog for a year while I'm in China teaching English. I love the value cruises offer with all food, lodging, and travel included. We were blessed living in Florida never worrying about flights when we would cruise. I'm very happy to be blessed with such wonderful parents who were able to show the world to me on top of providing everything else I needed. I hate to say cruises are cheap because so many struggle to pay for just one, but again if the money is there to be spent on a vacation you really can't find better value unless you want to vacation in southeast Asia where hotels/food/transportation are extremely reasonable.

 

Basically I cruise to make the memories because one day when my parents aren't here I'm going to know we had great and some not so great times exploring the different cultures of the world.

[port msp]

OK Most of us are repeat cruisers. I can see that by our signatures :) So I guess my question is do you have a special event you celebrate every year, or do you just love cruising and that's how you spend your vacation time? Some of you seem like you're on the water more than land! LOL

 

What's your story? What got you started cruising?

 

What got us started? It took my wife ten years to talk me into a cruise. I finally agreed and realized what a great value they are. I like that I unpack once, I don't have to deal with the logistics of getting from place to place, eating arrangements, etc. It's warm, I get to see interesting things, and then my hotel takes me someplace new for the next day. I like to sit on the balcony in the warm sea air and watch the world go by with my bride.

We've found that we really like to get away from the Minnesota cold sometime in January or February. It breaks up the winter. The cold starts in November, the Holiday season is a whirlwind of activity, then it's a month or so before we leave. I especially like to go when it's below 0 and snowing :D When we get back to the land of snow and ice, the end of winter is in sight. (although it's snowing as I type this)

 

I like Alaska cruises for the scenery and wildlife. I will never tire of seeing whales!

 

We don't do many "cruise" things. We've been to two shows in 12 cruises. We don't gamble, we don't lay out in the sun all day/play pool games, we don't sit in bars/go to art auctions/unveiling of new jewelry/ etc. I do like ship talks from ships officers and lectures from academics. Mostly, it's a relaxing way to spend a week with my wife in the warmth of the Caribbean, away from the cold.

[xeroxme]

I like to cruise because I give up on doing phone calls or emails etc. I try to totally disconnect from the daily pressures of life and focus on my DW and spend the quality time she and I love together. Im not driving the boat and im not in control nor can I change it. That is relaxing for me and my DW. after 21 years of marriage I love to dance with her every night and act like the kids we were when first met. It just seems easier to do on a cruise. I do enjoy land vacations also but I always seem to find someway to make the calls or check the emails etc.

I have had a great experience on every cruise so far and as long as that continues I will continue to cruise!! Happy cruising to all of you!

[pris993]

We went on our first cruise in l982 or l983, on RCCL Song of America, just a 7 day Carribbean... as we left St Thomas headed back to Florida I still recall thinking I am sorry this cruise is over as I stood on the top deck watch the ship leave the port. I never dreamed at the time we would do over 50 cruises on 9 different lines over the years.

 

Cruising we have done the CArribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, the Baltics, TAs, Mediterrean cruises both east and west... I visited all the historical ports in the Mediterranean from Barcelona to Istanbul and in between. We would never have been able to visit all these places as easily as we have done cruising. Many places we have returned 5-6 times, never get tired of doing so.

 

We are going on the Queen Mary 11 this year for the first time, will visit New York City and all the north eastern ports up to Quebec City Canada and back...

 

Love being at sea... being on the water, love exploring ports on our own.

 

We look for something new and different each time we go, so it never get old. We cruise presently Princess, HAL, Cunard, and Celebrity... our favorite lines... are Princess, Cunard and HAL. Love dressing formally for dinner, always do traditional late MDR table for two.

 

Some people like to do road trips, we like to cruise.

[JLee1973]

My honeymoon was on a cruise. For our 20th we went on our second cruise and have made it our annual tradition.

[TheTexans]

When I graduated with my Bachelor's degree- my parents were so proud that I put myself through college that they took me on my first cruise. I found my ocean view on Deck 2 to be Heaven. I was immediately bitten by the bug. It took me a few years to financially afford to cruise, but I consider the ocean my second home. I'm finally graduating again... with a Masters degree. We're cruising again but this time I've paid for it... Deck 7 balcony!

[tip]

We first started cruising in 1997 when I held an administrative position. I was working 60-70 hours a week and one year I gave back eleven of my twenty vacation days and quite frankly I felt that no one really appreciated it. The powers to be would find reasons for me to come in on what was supposed to be a vacation day and would track me down at home or elsewhere. One of my colleagues told me that she would get out of the country and best of all take a cruise because there was no way they would find her in the middle of the ocean! Thus we started taking two one week cruises a year. Each was limited to a week or eight days due to job demands.

 

Now we are retired and are leaving on our 25th cruise in less than two weeks. This will be a thirteen night repo from New Orleans to Boston and we are spending four nights in New Orleans before we sail. Me darling wife tells me that the cruise vacations are different now because I do more than sit and stare at the ocean from the balcony with my mind on the job back home!:D And, as always, she is right. Enjoy your vacations and retirement while you can!

Edited March 25, 2015 by tip

[theriac]

Now we are retired and are leaving on our 25th cruise in less than two weeks. This will be a thirteen night repo from New Orleans to Boston and we are spending four nights in New Orleans before we sail. Me darling wife tells me that the cruise vacations are different now because I do more than sit and stare at the ocean from the balcony with my mind on the job back home!:D And, as always, she is right. Enjoy your vacations and retirement while you can!

 

That's a good point, no one is ever guaranteed any extra time in their lives so its best to vacation whenever you can! Even if finances are tough but you can find the money for 3 or 4 days, its worth it! The memories you can make are what matters in the end, not an impressive resume'. Its good to work, but not the most important thing. I know many people who have said keep travelling because when you're old and sick you want nothing more than to be able to relive the good times, which for the most part travelling is. I'm glad you're able to enjoy your retirement together.

[Krazy Kruizers]

What got us cruising?

Well back in the 70's my DH wanted to tour all over Europe and the British Isles. I got sick of living out of 1 suitcase for 3 weeks, traveling on planes, trains, car, bus, etc.

So I booked a 14 day cruise -- showed DH how nice it was to go to different ports -- unpack one time -- not have to hunt restaurants to eat in -- not spending many hours on trains and buses and seeing very little.

[Warm Breezes]

Our first cruise was in 2001. We did a 3 night Disney Wonder/4 night Disney World package. Our kids were 4 and 7 and we went with close friends whose kids are the same age. The cruise was too short so in 2004 we did the 7 night Disney Magic with the same friends. We were hooked. Since Disney was too expensive for us to cruise more frequently we tried Carnival and NCL and Princess....still hooked. We cruised as a family for the first 10 cruises and in 2013 when our kids were 16 and 19 we took our first couples cruise for our 25th anniversary. We fell in love with a new style of cruising for us. We still go on land vacation as well...but it seems every time we finish one we are ready to have a cruise again:D.

[live2vayk]

I need to be leaving for work, but have gotten hooked on reading all these replies!

 

I took my first cruise in 2005. We went with a group of 8 adults, 4 other couples. Most of them had cruised at least once before. While we enjoyed the cruise, I had to leave the ship early due to my Mother's death. So, the memories of that cruise are clouded as you can imagine. But, we did a "re do" if you will, and cruised a year or two later, and I loved it, and have been trying to cruise as much as I can ever since. There is nothing more calming/centering to me than finding a quiet place on deck and just looking at the ocean. Sunsets are breathtaking. I also love that I pack my cell phone away and leave work truly behind. On land I am usually checking emails non stop even on vacation. And unpacking once but being in different places is nice.

 

Our group of friends are not interested in cruising any more, and while my husband will go with me once in awhile, it isn't his thing either. Luckily I have a sister in law who loves cruising, and my two sisters. So we do a lot of girls trips. And my two daughters love it also, so they go when they can.

 

I end up on RCCL often because my sister in law and sister are "loyal to royal". I am not, and when I can I book on other lines. I love them all!

 

Happy sailing!

Edited March 25, 2015 by live2vayk

[paul929207]

We have been fortunate to have sailed to most of the world. We love seeing new places and exploring the wonderful sights all over.

[FritzG]

We tend to cruise in fall because we love the westbound ta's. We also try to take a winter cruise to somewhere warm.

 

We love to cruise because we love the relaxation of sea days.

 

We love to cruise to Europe because we've visited so many places that we enjoyed very much, but we would never have flown to for a land trip. We've also visited places where we knew we would go back for a land trip some day.

 

We love warm weather cruises for the total relaxation and peaceful days on a balcony reading or doing nothing.

 

We love unpacking once and going to several different ports.

[SittingPretty]

We are relatively new to cruising, but already hooked. Honestly, I knew it would happen before we ever started as the hubby and I both love the water as well as travelling. Went on the Breeze last year for our 10th anniversary and my birthday and did the same this year on the Valor. Booked the Brreze again for next April so that the kids can finally enjoy it. I must say, I am a little concerned that I may end up making addicts out of them! :rolleyes:

[Kopy]

We took our first cruise in 2001 and loved it, We have been cruising ever since. What we like most is the convenience of it all. Since we love to dance, we mostly base our cruises on the ships which offer the best dance floors and the most music. We had taken other types of vacations before we tried cruising, but We would rather be sitting at a pool than on a bus to get to our next destination. We also enjoy walking down some stairs to get to dinner and dancing than to have to find a suitable place which is safe and easy to get to. For us, there is no other vacation that comes close to cruising, so as long as they keep the music playing, we will continue cruising.

[DKane]

We fell in love with cruising from the get go. Love quiet time on the balcony looking out at the ocean, getting off at most ports and hitting the beaches or touring, sunning on pool deck, traveling with family, deciding where we want t eat our meals, having cocktails, and the excitement of planning the whole cruise is also part of it.

 

We've done all-inclusive land-based vacations but whenever we see a cruise ship, we both wish we were on it.

[JimAOk1945]

I had always wanted to go on a cruise but my wife was hesitant until her brother came back from a Caribbean cruise and told her how nice it was.

 

So, one year I booked a surprise cruise on the Carnival Conquest to celebrate her birthday. Before that cruise was over, she was already talking about taking a 2nd cruise! :p

 

Since that time, we have cruised on two other cruise lines and have plans to try a new one next year. We both love the total experience.

 

Cruising is a great way to travel. The "hotel" takes me where I want to go! :D

Edited March 25, 2015 by JimAOk1945

[Cru1s1ng2009]

OK Most of us are repeat cruisers. I can see that by our signatures :) So I guess my question is do you have a special event you celebrate every year, or do you just love cruising and that's how you spend your vacation time? Some of you seem like you're on the water more than land! LOL

 

My husband and I went on a few cruises and I fell in love with it and he decided it's not for him. My mom does European cruises and river cruises through a diff line than Carnival, but a couple summers ago, my mom, me, and my two little girls went on a cruise on the Elation and we were HOOKED. Now we do a Girls' cruise every summer and leave my husband at home with the dogs!!!

 

What's your story? What got you started cruising?

 

We do the exact same thing. Our husbands don't like it much so my mom, my dd's, and I try to go every year.