How may skip all or most of the organized activities

[Loreni]

I wonder how many people skip the all or most of the organized activities in the daytime or the evening or both.

 

Nothing listed in the Patter would ever really be a strong selling point for us. We are happy enough just to enjoy being on the sea. Sometimes we do go to a show at night. Nothing in the daytime. If we happen to be at the IC when something is going on, we might stay.

 

For a while I've wondered if cruising would be even better if the organized activities/entertainment were different or somehow more appealing. On the other hand, I don't like having a schedule when on vacation, so maybe it is for the best that nothing is really a must-see or a must-do. I have read horror stories about people trying to schedule show tickets on Royal Caribbean months in advance.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Loreni

[Pam in CA]

I skip most and attend the "Knitters and Natters" get-togethers.

[waltd]

Only time we have really been kept busy during the day on board was when we were on Cunard. The transatlantic we were on had some great speakers that we were running from one lecture to another.

[MTJSR]

In all my many Princess cruises, I have done very few daytime activities, only 3 lectures (panama canal cruise) and at night 1 magician (gaitano) and 1 comedy/ventriloquist) act (willie tyler and lester).

 

Thats it!

Edited September 7, 2016 by MTJSR

[Dorset Cruiser]

We skip them all with the exception of any table tennis tournaments which my husband likes to attend.

 

We did attend all the lectures when we did our QM2 crossing 😀

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Edited September 7, 2016 by Dorset Cruiser

[DrivesLikeMario]

After so many cruises, you figure out what's important to you. Some people scurry from event to event and feel the need to be in on all the action. For us, we don't feel the need to be on the run, catching up with the next activity. We rarely notice who the CD is, who the captain is or what past passenger party is happening.

 

The only daytime activities we'll go to are some of the trivia games. The only evening shows we'll go to are to the comedian (and not the half comedian, half singers/dancers either). On some cruises, we don't do any of the above and are happy to spend our time together playing board games, talking, watching the sea and visiting with others.

[reedprincess]

Daytime - almost no organized activities for us. We're late risers, leisurely lunch, leisurely afternoon people. Every once in a while one or the other may attend something, ie basketball game or bingo or trivia or pool event maybe, cooking demo maybe, etc Otherwise, nope.

Evenings, often we'll do the game show or comedian, events in the atrium occasionally, sometimes the production shows. Then to casino and the club to dance and socialize..

After 50+ cruises, we know what we enjoy and what we don't, and do our own thing.

[jennybenny]

We keep busy on our cruises. We hang out at the pool, we hang out at an open bar area and play cards, we read our books. I feel like when we are on a cruise there is little time to do everything we want to do. :) There aren't many of the activities that we do. We like the food presentations, the art auctions, trivia, but there are not many activities that we really participate in. At least it doesn't feel like we do.

 

We love sea days though. They are our favorite!

[joeyancho]

Generally I enjoy any cooking demonstration. Also any lectures (not to be confused with shopping talks). The rest we just skip. Although enjoying a drink and listening to music is great. Do what you like, that's what you pay for.

[mariakitty]

My boys like the kids club activities and stay there much of the day, but my husband and I like to relax on the promenade with a book, have a drink and just watch the ocean. We do attend the lectures and the comedians at night. I never need to hear a shopping talk again!

[karena1]

Daytime-nothing. We are pool/beach people so I don't give up my sun for anything! At night, we see what we want. Sometimes we go to a show, sometimes dancing, just depends.

 

Last time on Ruby, we were just walking around early evening and spotted a cruzan seminar. So we went. Got to taste some good rum and had a good time

 

We also occasionally do trivia, but again, just depends on what we feel like.

 

Only time we reserve shows is on like Oasis/Allure/Harmony as I absolutely want to see the broadway musicals. other than that, we let our day decide what we will do. I read the paper each morning and we figure out if there is anything specific we want to see/do and go to dinner around that so we can make those specific things. But never plan ahead, it is a day by day thing

[ppmanusa]

Besides the evening shows and MUTS, if I catch a Patter activity it’s most likely by chance. Chill out on the lido deck by day then head inside in the evening.

[RJ2002]

We only attend lectures and (when offered) local entertainment that come aboard to perform.

[Kinkacruiser]

We do very little, if anything, to do with organised activities. Then again, there are folks who carry their Patter with them all day....to each their own.

[geoherb]

I try to attend every daytime trivia. Dinner takes priority over the evening games. We also go to the shows in the evening.

[wizard-of-roz]

We love just letting it happen when it happens. Once, while onboard the Golden Princess to Alaska we played a game of Bingo [we won $150.00] and heard that Libby Riddles was going to come and do a presentation right afterward. It was such an interesting talk and she showed slides of her races and how she lives with and prepares her dogs, when she's racing.

 

Since then, we actually look for presentations or talks about the ports that we're visiting. Princess does a great job on bringing very interesting folks onboard to speak and present.

 

It's always nice to learn something new, while cruising.

[srlafleur]

We are definitely not "joiners"! While there are always some activities that sound fun, (ukelele lessons on our Japan cruise last week sounded interesting), I just can't be bothered to get my head organized enough on vacation to remember times and places, which is why we prefer anytime dining whenever it's offered. We do prefer the MDR over the Lido for dinner, so we suck it up if anytime isn't offered. Nor do we want to fight the crowds for the popular activities.

We didn't even go to MUTS, preferring to watch movies in the comfort of our stateroom (2 TVs in the minisuite!) and nap. Keeping excursion times straight is the extent of my mental exertion most of the time.

I'm pretty sure I'd manage to participate more on, say, a transatlantic or transpacific sailing, though.

Edited September 7, 2016 by srlafleur

[jnc411]

Ha, ha...love the comments about the shopping talks, We a avoid them like the plague. But we do attend lectures if we are interested in the topic. DH likes the trivia but not every day. We do go to the production show if it fits with our dinning plans. We don't go to the art auctions. Occasionally a movie, just depends on what is showing. Mostly we like to watch the sea and read good books and we enjoy a cup of coffee or tea at the IC, and some good music in the Pizza. We are on vacation so we don't plan much, just go with the flow.

Cori

[Alaskan Joe]

I wonder how many people skip the all or most of the organized activities in the daytime or the evening or both.

 

Nothing listed in the Patter would ever really be a strong selling point for us. We are happy enough just to enjoy being on the sea. Sometimes we do go to a show at night. Nothing in the daytime. If we happen to be at the IC when something is going on, we might stay.

 

For a while I've wondered if cruising would be even better if the organized activities/entertainment were different or somehow more appealing. On the other hand, I don't like having a schedule when on vacation, so maybe it is for the best that nothing is really a must-see or a must-do. I have read horror stories about people trying to schedule show tickets on Royal Caribbean months in advance.

 

My wife and I was on the Oasis RCCL no horror stories here we booked our schedules for all the shows in advance. When the cruise arrived we got in line for the show, and time we had selected when you get to the door they scan your key card to make sure you scheduled for this time it went smooth like butter.:D

[reedprincess]

I have read horror stories about people trying to schedule show tickets on Royal Caribbean months in advance.

 

No horror stories here with 5 sailings on Oasis class. Making the reservations is a simple process, they're stored in your key card, and there is a stand-by line for those who don't make reservations for every show - and most of the venues, those folks get in as people who made reservations don't show... Absolutely no problem, even when sailing with others, very easy to make the reservations for the group, I've done it three times, with group ranging from 4-10.

Quantum class ships seem to be a slightly different story as they seem to have not yet worked out all the bugs, but for the most part, people's reservations are as they pre-reserved with no hiccups.....

[Alaskan Joe]

My wife is a TA (not professionally) its just that when we travel she looks everything up and I mean everything. So with this said when we travel we always have a full itinerary:eek:. Like the old saying goes; can't wait to get home to have a vacation from our vaction. We do run from one thing to the other non-stop, but on the other hand we also have seen a lot of things.:D

[Thrak]

I skip most and attend the "Knitters and Natters" get-togethers.

 

Ohhhhh...!!! I really hope we sail with you one day. My wife loves it when that is a good group. She generally just takes her tatting as it's small and easy to carry around but she knits, crochets, tats, does needle point, quilts (buying a new Juki soon) sews clothing, etc.

 

One cruise the Knitters and Natters group was small and several didn't even have a project to work on. She was very disappointed. The group on our 17 day full transit was very good and she went every day and enjoyed it immensely.

[Thrak]

We sometimes check out Trivia but often just "do it ourselves" rather than actually competing with a team. I often watch the ice carving as I find it fascinating. I've watched MUTS during the day - I was crossing the deck and Casablanca captured me (:cool:). I've watched a movie or two in the Princess Theater during the day but not often.

 

We go to evening shows but not always as I'm tired of the "usual" shows. I've done dorky things like the champagne hoopla ring toss (OMG that was bad champagne!), and we've watched acts in the atrium. We loved the ship's jazz group both in the atrium and, one one occasion, in the late evening in Adagio. That was a very nice evening with a small bunch of people who all enjoyed the music. We often go to the BOGO in Wheelhouse.

 

Despite these things we find lots of time to simply relax and read near the pool and to just stroll around the ship and on the Promenade. I love the sea days as they can be so relaxing as opposed to the port days which can sometimes be a bit hectic. I don't "do" shopping and my wife isn't a big shopper when we travel either. We prefer to "see things" when in port or to simply find a nice beach for my wife.

 

As noted in a previous post my wife likes to attend the Knitters and Natters group. :)

[JimmyVWine]

I enjoy watching the prep cooks do fruit carvings, so if that takes place in the Atrium, I will attend. Also, I am a sucker for live music so I will enjoy performances by the IC when convenient, or rock bands out by the pool. But we are always off the ship during the day except on Sea Days and with only a few per cruise, we barely have enough hours in the day to relax and unwind, so a full plate of organized fun just isn't in the cards. Pun intended.

[vampiress]

i've stumbled into activities, but i rarely schedule anything. i'm bringing books, knitting, colored pencils, i plan on relaxing and doing whatever feels fun at the time. i might go see a show, but i'm iffy about it.

 

i cruise for the disconnect. i can't work (i don't even bring my laptop).

i don't have to clean the dishes, or prep the food.