Who to cruise with?

[Kissmya63]

We've only been on two cruises. Our honeymoon in 1992 and Alaska in 2012 for our 20th anniversary. We are going on our 3rd at the end of May. I tried to get friends to go with but no one wanted to go. A couple of them wouldn't be caught dead on a ship because for some reason they're terrified. Some just can't afford it (most of our friends have kids that are still in the house - our kids are grown and out of the house).

 

I love when its just the two of us, but back in 2009 my bro-in-law had a destination wedding in Vero Beach FL. There were friends and family invited and I thought it was going to be a disaster, but we all had so much fun. Most of us came in days early and when we saw each other great, but we could be by ourselves too. We found our "spot" by the pool and you just knew that if you wanted to find some fun - just go to the spot.

 

My DH doesn't know it yet, but we will be cruising more frequently ;) So hopefully next time we can try and plan something with friends and see what happens.

[SteadyBetty]

Other than with my Mom, I cruise solo. She is a veteran cruiser, so she know the "ropes".

 

I choose solo travel (anywhere) because I do not like being tethered to anyone. I detest having to deal with tardiness, indecisions, etc by others.

 

That said, I wouldn't mind having a travel partner, but they would have to be a virtual clone of myself. :D

[gatour]

My wife and myself normally travel alone however we have done several cruises with either her family or some of my family. And on one occasion a slight combination. We have also done several trips to Las Vegas with some of my wife's family

 

All have been successful

 

When traveling with the extended family, the expectation are that we can do our own thing but we would get together periodically. Prior to the trips (cruise or not) there would be informal discussions about who wants to do want through email/phone etc. Different subgroups would arrange to do excursions prior to embarkation. There is no expectation that everyone would do everything together and no master plan.

[cindivan]

For us it's always a mix! DH and I both come from relatively large families so we have been on cruises with as much as 60 "close" family. And it's a ton of fun but we are not committed much to each other on a daily basis. This May we are only the 5 of our immediate family. For us we enjoy a change.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[SPacificbound]

We have done many fly/resort vacations with family and extended family in Cozumel, Belize, Aruba, NYC, Lake Tahoe, Toronto, Las Vegas etc. to name a few.

 

As for cruises it has just been the two of us, and we always have a land trip attached at the beginning or end, sometimes both. We are at an age where we can take long trips, we travel well together, and enjoy seeing new places.

[goncruzn]

Over the years I have traveled with dh, mom, sister, mom and sister, cousins & aunt and friends. I have enjoyed every single cruise. Anyone I've cruised with is a "go with the flow" kind of person and I have never had any type of issue with anyone. In fact, one of the cruises I took was with three other women to the Med. Only one was a friend of mine...the other two were her friends. We all met once for lunch almost a year prior to the cruise and once on the cruise we all enjoyed every minute. Never had an issue. Lucky I guess!

[boxermom711]

My first cruise was with a group of 30. 2nd cruise was a group of 43. Lots of drama on both. I'll no longer do those big groups. Last cruise & next cruise with just a friend. My cruise in 2017 is with my 2 DS & oldest son girlfriend. But we have 2 JS. So it should be great

[Desert Cruizers]

Our daughter and husbands sister took their first cruise with us a couple years ago, but we weren't tied to the hip, they did what they wanted and so did we. We joined each other on several tours and for meals. Just because your with a group you all need what I call down time. We will cruise with friends next year but doubt we will be together every minute.

[iahawkfan21]

I've been with family in the past, but took my wife on her first cruise about three years ago and she loves it! I enjoy cruising with her the most because we both just try and relax and not do too much. She also is perfectly ok letting me go to a show she doesn't want to see or head down to the bar and watch a ball game with a drink by myself. We've both learned to do 90% of the cruise together but that other 10% is nice having someone who appreciates even a little solo time.

 

That said, if my family wanted to go on a cruise tomorrow I'd be all for it!

[tlatrice]

First cruise was me and my son. I deliberately did it that way because I DIDN'T want people telling me how to do it. I wanted to do it the way I'd imagined it.

 

When I told people I was going on a cruise, several experienced cruisers told me 7 days was too long. They also said I was wasting money on a balcony. So glad I didn't listen to them! :D

[SpainAlien]

My first cruise was with my aunt and my parents. I loved spending time with my aunt, we enjoy the same things and laugh all the time, my parents found the ship too big and itinerary to intensive (West Med) so they put a little dampener on the cruise

 

Since then I have done a Baltic cruise with my aunt, which was great and another W. Med cruise this time with my husband and his parents. After the cruise with my husband (who I normally get on very well with ) I told him I would never go on holiday with him again and booked a S. Pacific cruise with my aunt.

 

I have since relented and am doing the Greek Islands with hubby, his parents and his brother and wife but this time I will tell them to do their own thing and just meet up for dinner. I don't mind booking tours etc for people but I don't want to be responsible for every minute of their days

 

 

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[SPacificbound]

First cruise was me and my son. I deliberately did it that way because I DIDN'T want people telling me how to do it. I wanted to do it the way I'd imagined it.

 

When I told people I was going on a cruise, several experienced cruisers told me 7 days was too long. They also said I was wasting money on a balcony. So glad I didn't listen to them! :D

 

That is one of those "with friends like that you don't need any enemies". :D

[tlatrice]

That is one of those "with friends like that you don't need any enemies". :D

 

Exactly! They think I'm crazy for wanting to do a transatlantic!

 

After that first cruise my son and I both agreed that anything shorter than 7 days would be too SHORT! And I don't want to ever cruise without a balcony!:D

[Mommabear2Five]

I think it is comes down to what you look for in a cruise vacation.

 

I like to party, dance, participate in everything and my husband just likes to relax. So, I prefer going with a group. This way I can spend time with him relaxing and then enjoy everything else with friends and family.

 

I've been on many vacations outside of cruising with large groups and I have to say, cruising is the easiest way to do it. Most other vacations (Vegas, Disney, etc.) can be a pain with large groups, but I found it works on cruise. We pick a group meeting spot on embarkation day and we meet up with each other throughout the cruise and for dinners.

[maryjaden]

In my limited cruise experience, I have cruised with:

- two other couples and teenagers

- 1 girlfriend, our teenagers and two other couples.

- my 4 brothers and sisters, spouses and children, and our parents. 28 in all.

- my two sisters, one of their husbands, 7 teens

- 1 sister and husband, one of their teens, my husband and our two teenagers.

- just my girlfriend and i

- my next cruise will just be my husband and I. Cruising is not his favorite activity, but I love it, so he only goes every few years. I am looking forward to the cruise with just us.

 

When we go in groups, everyone agrees to meet up at dinner. We also have a favorite bar or pool area that someone is usually at. We make it clear from the start what each other's plans are, but no one is required to do the same and no hard feelings.

 

This has worked great for us. I have not cruised alone, but I am considering it.

[Lerin]

As long as I'm not cruising with my in-laws all is well ;)

[repeater]

As long as I'm not cruising with my in-laws all is well ;)

 

Yeah...some ships are not big enough!

I had a friend who had a fight with her mother in law just before a cruise. Her husband drew a line down a deck plan with a bold black marker: during the day, mother in law stayed on port side, wife on starboard, civility required at dinner. Oddly, they said it worked.

[hellsop]

Who do you think it’s best to travel with? Are you happiest with just your spouse/partner, solo, or with twenty-three of your best friends? What are advantages of traveling with a group, or a couple of generations of family? Is it easier on your own?

 

I usually cruise with about 50 of my closest friends, which makes finding buddies for excursions easy and LOTS of minds to source ideas for fun when doing things independant of the ship's "preferred vendors". It does make some things easier -- there's always someone to hang out with if you like, even if it's three AM.

 

"Solo" cruising with far fewer people is more relaxing and there's more opportunity to review experiences together.

[SPacificbound]

Exactly! They think I'm crazy for wanting to do a transatlantic!

 

After that first cruise my son and I both agreed that anything shorter than 7 days would be too SHORT! And I don't want to ever cruise without a balcony!:D

 

Agree with that! :D

[Roadtripster]

I am a less the people, the better type person. I usually will cruise with my SO. We have treated a friend of ours on her first cruise and now another. Luckily she is one who is good with doing things on her own.

 

I love taking vacations by myself. Some of my best ones have been just me. From traveling Europe, to hiking the Grand Canyon and cruising. With my work schedule I love the solitude. On a cruise, I don't want to make friends and chit chat and learn things from them. I want to be left alone and vege out. My SO and friend are the ones that are people persons. They know once I find a lounge chair on deck, that is where I will be all day. They come and go as they please throughout the day and check up on me. We meet up for dinner and usually my SO and I will do our thing afterwards and our friend goes and does what she wants.

 

I would never be able to just go with any ole friend. I know who I would be able to handle a vacation with and that list is very small. LOL

As for family members, never. LOL

[AZ Ocean Lover]

My In-laws invited their two kids and spouses on our first cruise. They were experienced and I'm very glad we went with them (but by the end of the cruise we were telling them things they didn't know). We all got together on the connected balcony for happy hour and then went to dinner. That was the only commitment we had to each other for the week. We would do things and run into someone and that was great but nothing planned. It worked out quit well.

 

Fast forward 10 cruises later and my in-laws and my husband and I went on another cruise together. I would have never thought that have one other couple (brother-in-law and spouse) would have changed the dynamics so much. By the end of the cruise my husband and his mother were hardly speaking and I was playing peace maker. Never again.

[tbmrt]

Our neighborhood development has a Travel Club that organizes cruises and trips. We haven't taken any of these because we envision too much waiting and feeling obligated to socialize more often than we'd like.

 

DH and I usually cruise by ourselves and like the freedom of doing what we want to do when we want to do things. Enjoy making or changing plans on spur of the moment. Also enjoy peace and quiet on our balcony, reading poolside without chatting, etc.

 

That being said though, we do have a few friends whom we've cruised with who are as independent as we are. We have very different interests so rarely take excursions together. We love water sports and adventurous excursions, they like bingo, art shows, and grabbing a cab for sightseeing.

 

We do plan to meet at a central bar before anytime dining dinner at an approximate time and then dine together if we all want to. If someone doesn't show up or wants to dine alone, that's fine. This works out for us.

[Tatka]

I believr it makes more sense to compare particular ships within one line, than whole line.

Experience is very different on RCCL Brilliance and Allure. Older people might like smaller ships more than huge kids filled.

[Suze10860]

I like this question.

 

We haven't cruised very much, but it seems each has been with a different cast of characters.

 

#1 - a police convention cruise

#2 - 8 members of the family

#3 - Same 8 members of the family

#4 - Just me and the hubs

#5 - with another couple - this one is happening this Sunday

 

So far, the only issue has been with cruise #3 (affectionately called "The Cruise from HELL!) Not a great time in my now 26 year old daughter's life - she was 19 at the time and can you imagine that we actually discussed putting her on a plane in San Juan to send her HOME?!?! Unfortunately, I think it might have turned her and her brother off to cruising...at least for the last 7 years.

 

I'm hoping the other couple cruise goes well. The only constant in all 5 has been my husband, so I'll have to go with he's definitely my favorite companion!

[Tatka]

Sorry, my previous post was meant for a different topic.