Trying to find a good fit--having a hard time

[kawagama]

I never considered an ocean cruise vacation, based on the crowds of people, the casinos, the "party" atmosphere, and some of the other things you mentioned. After our first Viking River cruise (which we greatly enjoyed), we learned that Viking was expanding into the ocean market, with new ships built for them. There are just over 900 passengers, no casino, virtually no children, all cabins with a balcony, with an unofficial motto of the "thinking man's cruise". There is a resident historian, and several guest lecturers who travel on the ships, and true enrichment lectures are offered daily. In addition, there is a port lecture for every port. There is classical music live in the atrium, small scale shows in several venues, and sometimes movies under the stars.

 

Pricing is pretty inclusive, with an included excursion in every port, wine and beer at lunch and dinner, and no additional charge for the specialty restaurants. We sailed with them this April on the Empires of the Mediterranean itinerary (Athens to Venice), and have discovered that, based on the Viking version, we are cruise people after all !

 

Thank you! This sounds more like what we are looking for. I will certainly do some research on Viking now.

[kawagama]

I agree with SadieN, try Celebrity. It is a step up from Royal, plus they have no smoking indoors - that means an entirely smoke-free casino for your whole cruise. It is wonderful.

 

Regarding the sales pitches, well, that's how the lines make money. A polite, firm "No thanks." should do it, but on the mainstream lines, you're more likely to find this. You should also know that lines have the right to revise an itinerary for whatever reason. I'm not sure what happened with you on Royal but just know that it could have happened with any line.

 

Thank you! The port of Venice was fogged in and closed. Previous cruise couldn't end and ours was delayed by a day. Consequently they had to rejig the itinerary. Many of us were disappointed with the choices made by the captain. Two of the Greek islands (Mykonos and Corfu) were cancelled, added a sea day, and then added Split, Croatia. We booked it because of the islands, so were quite upset by the changes.

[Tatka]

Loved atmosphere on Queen Mary2 (Cunard)

2600 pax is nothing for 160k tons ship. Enrichment lectures, planetarium. You will spend lots of time just reading history on the walls. Very nice entertainment and ambience

[kawagama]

Hi there

 

What I read in your post suggest that you do not really like the "cruising" aspect of this mode of travel.

 

Many of us very much enjoy the lying around on deck (or your balcony) maybe sipping a drink, reading a book, listening to some music. You know, just relaxing, for hours at a time for many days.

 

I truly do understand your appeal of how the ship can allow you visit many different locations with little effort on your part. That was definitely something that was immediately evident and a major plus for cruising after our first cruise, but a true love of just being at sea was also significant.

 

The idea that some sort of enrichment lectures and other entertainment will keep you amused will only work for a short time.

 

If you can't be happy with just "lying around in the sun, eating and drinking", and you haven't found ways that would make you feel the down time is what you are looking for, this would be the reason I suggest cruising might not be your cup of tea.

 

That being said, since you mentioned that you do like the fact that cruising allows you to see many locals, I can only suggest that you find "port intensive" cruises and plan ahead on what you can do for your sea days that you would enjoy on your own.

 

There are of course some of the larger RCCL ships where the ships are considered the "destination". They have zip lines, rock climbing walls, ice skating, flow riders, bowling alleys...whatever you want. If this would keep you interested, you could check them out. I personally don't consider that an aspect of cruising. Otherwise, if you are relying on the cruise line to entertain you on those sea days, and after your two cruises you haven't found that to be the case, it likely won't change no matter what cruise line.

 

hope this helps

 

Yes, it does. The larger ships don't appeal at all. We are 60+, so all the bells and whistles such as flow riders, etc. are beyond us now (sadly).

We do enjoy relaxing with a book for a certain amount of time and try to find a place on the ship to do that. For Alaska, it became too cold to use our balcony. On Royal, there was too much noise and/or smoke in the outdoor spaces (we didn't have a balcony this time).

Perhaps you are right; maybe we just aren't the cruising type. Although, some other posters have included some viable possible options that I will be looking into.

[cruisemom42]

Don't give up -- just because some cruisers haven't experienced lines with the kind of things you are looking for doesn't mean they don't exist.

 

You've gotten some good suggestions to look into. I am very interested in history and cruise for the destinations. I have been cruising with Voyages to Antiquity since 2010 -- not exclusively but about 1x/year. They have only one small ship that carries about 350 pax tops, with excellent itineraries. Plus there are 3-4 lecturers on each cruise that provide historical background for the areas visited + plus interesting and enlightening talks. Since the line is British, the lecturers tend to be retired or near-retired British professors, though we've had others as well. There is no shilling for drinks packages, specialty dining (there is none), etc. No casino and very limited smoking. Most excursions are included as are wine/beer/soft drinks at dinner.

 

Despite Celebrity being mentioned several times, I've not experienced any really good lecture programs like this on Celebrity cruises. I don't think you are likely to find what you're looking for on any of the so-called mass market ships. Do have a look at the others mentioned. Viking sea cruises are on my radar to try -- sounds like a similar experience to Voyages to Antiquity but with larger (and by all reviews nicely appointed) ships.

[navybankerteacher]

Yes, it does. The larger ships don't appeal at all. We are 60+, so all the bells and whistles such as flow riders, etc. are beyond us now (sadly).

We do enjoy relaxing with a book for a certain amount of time and try to find a place on the ship to do that. For Alaska, it became too cold to use our balcony. On Royal, there was too much noise and/or smoke in the outdoor spaces (we didn't have a balcony this time).

Perhaps you are right; maybe we just aren't the cruising type. Although, some other posters have included some viable possible options that I will be looking into.

 

River cruises, as mentioned, might be an option. Also, Cunard has always had good enrichment programs (there is even a planetarium on QM2), as well as being a line aimed more at grown-ups (as are Celebrity and HAL) rather than providing the flow riders, skating rinks, bumper cars, climbing walls, etc. which attract Royal Caribbean and NCL's fan bases.

[flamomo]

My initial thought about OP's original post is that perhaps they should look more at the itinerary they are choosing, rather than the cruise line.

European, and especially Mediterranean, itineraries are much more port intensive, significantly reducing the number of sea days, which they apparently find boring.

I returned home last week from a 23 day cruise from Dover, England to Venice on the lovely Pacific Princess, which only has capacity for 670 passengers. Of those 23 days, only about 6 were sea days, while the vast majority were port days. With so few sea days, and at times having 5-6 port days in a row, the occasional sea day was quite welcome, as we were ready for a mini-vacation day to just relax.

Something like that might be more to OP's liking.

[lackcreativity]

Yes, it does. The larger ships don't appeal at all. We are 60+, so all the bells and whistles such as flow riders, etc. are beyond us now (sadly).

We do enjoy relaxing with a book for a certain amount of time and try to find a place on the ship to do that. For Alaska, it became too cold to use our balcony. On Royal, there was too much noise and/or smoke in the outdoor spaces (we didn't have a balcony this time).

Perhaps you are right; maybe we just aren't the cruising type. Although, some other posters have included some viable possible options that I will be looking into.

 

For our first experience with an ocean cruise (Viking), we selected an itinerary with no sea days, as we travel for the ports. We assumed that a sea day would be rather boring. However, we found that we enjoyed being on the Viking Star so much, that when we booked our upcoming trip, we were not deterred by the inclusion of three at sea days.

We read quite a bit, and even with 900 other passengers, there are always lovely, quite spaces on the ship to read. We also met and enjoyed the company of many of the other passengers. A good conversation is an excellent way for us to pass the time. Maybe on this next trip, we will have time for afternoon tea in the Wintergarden. Now I won't know for sure until after our second cruise, but I don't think we will be bored at all!

[jgallagh1944]

Try Viking river cruise; you stop in a new city/town each day with informative excursions included. No smoky casino on board. Mostly local entertainment or informative lectures, and hardly ever do you encounter noisy kids running around on the decks or putting their fingers in the food trays on the buffet. More expensive than your standard ocean cruise, but worth the expenditure. Haven’t cruise on Viking ocean cruise yet, but looking forward to it.

 

 

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[Roz]

I suggested a river cruise earlier. Viking has a lot of ships and they're popular with a lot of people, but there are other lines out there that are a bit more upscale and all-inclusive, including Uniworld and AMA Waterways.

 

Roz

[PROCRUISE]

Check out Viking Ocean cruises.

[new_cruiser]

You might try Windstar.

 

The port talks gave information about the port. They did mention the ship excursions, but didn't spend much time on them or pitch them - just this is what's available. They explained how to get around the port if you were touring on your own, the one time we were docked at a distance from the town center, told us how often the complimentary shuttle would run and where it dropped off. Suggested highlights one might want to see.

 

Their cruises are usually port intensive. The ones I've been on had 1 sea day. The sea days are pretty laid back, but I've never been bored on one. On our cruise last spring from Lisbon to Barcelona, it was the first day and I spent some time during it in the Yacht club rereading books on my Kindle about the ports where I wasn't planning on excursions to know what I wanted to see and do. Went on the galley tour which was interesting. Visited the bridge. Spent some time with my husband. Chatted with fellow passengers.

 

I'll be taking a cruise with them in Alaska next year and they are supposed to have a naturalist on board for the Alaska itineraries.

 

There isn't much evening entertainment. There are two duos performing in the lounge and the bar on deck. One night they will bring on local entertainment. In Spain, it was flamenco dancers.

[kawagama]

My initial thought about OP's original post is that perhaps they should look more at the itinerary they are choosing, rather than the cruise line.

European, and especially Mediterranean, itineraries are much more port intensive, significantly reducing the number of sea days, which they apparently find boring.

I returned home last week from a 23 day cruise from Dover, England to Venice on the lovely Pacific Princess, which only has capacity for 670 passengers. Of those 23 days, only about 6 were sea days, while the vast majority were port days. With so few sea days, and at times having 5-6 port days in a row, the occasional sea day was quite welcome, as we were ready for a mini-vacation day to just relax.

Something like that might be more to OP's liking.

 

Yes, I do agree that after several days of intensive touring, a sea day would be relaxing and refreshing. On our recent cruise, our single sea day was to be our last day, allowing for relaxation and time for packing up. However, due to the changes, they added a sea day and both of them came right at the start, before we had had any time off of the ship. At times we felt a little caged, despite taking the time to explore, to read, and to walk on the decks.

[Cyber Kat]

We did a Viking river cruise last fall and it was wonderful. I think river cruise would fit what you are looking for. We were quite happy with Viking, but as others suggested there are other lines doing similar itineraries.

 

We also like ocean cruising, and while we enjoy sea days we don’t do the usual activities - casinos, lounging by the pool, etc. We do like relaxing on our balcony and exploring the ship. We do things like wine pairings or cooking demonstrations and have found such things on our cruises.

 

I will say that we enjoyed sailing with Viking enough to book an ocean cruise with them and another river cruise. Viking is a good fit for us.

 

One of the posts mentioned that their ships are “tiny.” Well, maybe in comparison to the Oasis of the Seas [emoji15]. But there are only 930 passengers and the ships have one of the better space per passenger ratios. The river ships were lovely, but their ocean ships look spectacular.

 

We are doing an 11 day Caribbean cruise with 9 ports and no sea days (we overnight in San Juan). There is an included excursion in each port and some optional ones as well that you can pay for. From reading the Viking Ocean board, I’ve heard that there are guest lecturers as well. I’ve heard great things and we are looking forward to it - especially after our river cruise experience with them.

 

 

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[Aquahound]

However, both times we found the at sea days to be boring and confining.

 

Here's the thing. HAL and RCI are vastly different regarding activities. If you found sea days boring on both of these lines, I think you are going to find sea days boring on any ocean going cruise line.

 

I agree with the recommendation of a river cruise.

 

Also, consider a port intensive Alaska cruise. The sea days on Alaska cruises are typically in scenic areas, such as the Inside Passage, Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm or Hubbard Glacier.

[kawagama]

Here's the thing. HAL and RCI are vastly different regarding activities. If you found sea days boring on both of these lines, I think you are going to find sea days boring on any ocean going cruise line.

 

I agree with the recommendation of a river cruise.

 

Also, consider a port intensive Alaska cruise. The sea days on Alaska cruises are typically in scenic areas, such as the Inside Passage, Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm or Hubbard Glacier.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. We did Alaska with HAL in May 2016. Glacier Bay was gorgeous for sure. Could not get into Tracy Arm (sadly), stopped at Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway--all lovely. We found that much of the scenic cruising, such as Inside Passage, was done at night on the way north. In all fairness, HAL did have some naturalists on board, and some of the activities were decent. We appreciated the library and games room on their ship, and the way open dining loaned itself to meeting other travellers--which we really enjoyed. Royal seated us only with our party of 4 all week, at the same table, with the same servers, so it wasn't conducive to meeting others.

 

We will look into river cruises and those offered by much smaller ships. That may be the answer. My husband builds wooden boats and loves sailing. We are not opposed to being on the water. Just have different interests I guess.

[Aquahound]

Thanks for the suggestions. We did Alaska with HAL in May 2016.

 

My apologies. You did say that in your first post, and I must have overlooked it.

[tlovescruising]

I would look into Regent. It is a little more expensive, but had what you are looking for. Very informative.

 

 

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[Flatbush Flyer]

Thanks for the suggestions. We did Alaska with HAL in May 2016. Glacier Bay was gorgeous for sure. Could not get into Tracy Arm (sadly), stopped at Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway--all lovely. We found that much of the scenic cruising, such as Inside Passage, was done at night on the way north. In all fairness, HAL did have some naturalists on board, and some of the activities were decent. We appreciated the library and games room on their ship, and the way open dining loaned itself to meeting other travellers--which we really enjoyed. Royal seated us only with our party of 4 all week, at the same table, with the same servers, so it wasn't conducive to meeting others.

 

 

 

We will look into river cruises and those offered by much smaller ships. That may be the answer. My husband builds wooden boats and loves sailing. We are not opposed to being on the water. Just have different interests I guess.

 

 

 

Boat builder?

One of Oceania's fun events on cruises with multiple sea days is A BOATBUILDING CONTEST!

simple rules: must be made of items found on the ship and small enough to be sea tested in the pool but large (and well-designed/sturdy) enough to carry a six pack of soda without sinking. Teams are allowed and several days are allowed to build the entry. Sorry, but ship's tablecloths can not be cut up for sails. Materials must be disposable items.

 

 

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[donaldsc]

How about doing one of the many small ship adventure cruises. I agree w your re sea days - I hate them.

 

DON

[txjim09]

Let's see...

 

1) Your husband is a boat builder

2) You want an enriching cruise

 

May I suggest http://texas200.com/!!!!!

 

(I've done it twice, can't get my wife to go with me for some reason!)

[PhD-iva]

I must chime in to agree with those who have posted their praises of Oceania. We loved our 2016 Baltic cruise.

Although, in truth I think a river cruise will really fit the bill. Port intensive, no “sea days” yet you experience the simplicity of unpacking once during your vacation.

You can choose between budget lines such as Grande Circle Tours (affordable and recommendable), Viking River Cruise (can’t wait to try them), and luxury lines such as Uniworld. There is a river cruise line in your price range. The river cruises are very focused on the ports and the local culture.

I think you could spend some time pursuing the river cruise forums to get a better idea, and then, take the plunge! Happy cruising!

 

 

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[kawagama]

Let's see...

 

1) Your husband is a boat builder

2) You want an enriching cruise

 

May I suggest http://texas200.com/!!!!!

 

(I've done it twice, can't get my wife to go with me for some reason!)

 

Perhaps my husband should go with you! ;p

[PhD-iva]

Upon reflection, it might appear that I was suggesting Viking River cruise line is a budget line, Which it is not. Edit function not available.

OP, please let us know when you have made your selection. Enjoy!

 

 

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[kawagama]

Thank you all for the many and varied suggestions! I see that there is hope out there that we will find a good fit. Having just come back, we aren't planning another trip just yet, but once the madness of Christmas goes by, and dreariness of winter sets in, I'm sure we will start considering future travels. I know I will for sure. Still hope to see those Greek islands one of these days.