Why Do You Choose Cruising As Your Choice For Vacationing

[taylortime05]

We have been on 4 cruises so far - Oasis, Allure, Celebrity Eclipse, and NCL Escape Haven. We are going on Freedom next week. I love cruising and get so excited when planning our next adventure. So far all our cruises have been to the Caribbean. My hubby has enjoyed them all to but he keeps complaining that he wants to see more than the Caribbean.

 

What do I love about the cruises? I love the entertainment, relaxation, food & drinks, people, visiting of ports. You can be as active or relaxed as you want to be.

 

For the cruise diehards I have a few questions:

 

1) What is it about cruising that keeps you cruising?

 

2) Where did you go after the Caribbean?

 

3) Do you also integrate land trips with cruising?

 

Thanks

[Clarea]

... 2) Where did you go after the Caribbean? ...

Pacific Coast. Mexican Riviera. Alaska.

[Pitzel]

Alaska, Panama Canal, Europe (UK, Norway, Iceland)...

[taylortime05]

Pacific Coast. Mexican Riviera. Alaska.

\\

 

I was looking at Panama Canal because my daughter is in San Diego for next 2 years and I could combine a cruise with a trip to visit her. Her husband is in the Marines until summer of 2019.

 

I can't wait until I retire and then I can take longer cruises without worrying about vacation days.

 

Happy New Year Bob!

[Clarea]

\\

 

I was looking at Panama Canal because my daughter is in San Diego for next 2 years and I could combine a cruise with a trip to visit her. Her husband is in the Marines until summer of 2019.

 

I can't wait until I retire and then I can take longer cruises without worrying about vacation days.

 

Happy New Year Bob!

Panama Canal is still on our bucket list. Happy New Year!

[tnt10]

(1) Unpack once, all-inclusive, new destinations, meet interesting people.

(2) Transatlantic cruises.

(3) Start out with several days in Baltic/Europe/Mediterranean, (at the embarkation city or stop-over city on the way or combination of both), then cruise back to the eastern US. Love the sea days and the shorter flights home, (to the west coast US).:cool:

Edited January 1, 2018 by tnt10

[xpcdoojk]

I enjoy cruising, but we do about 1 cruise for every 2 land / air trips. Cruises tend to be our big ticket trips, and most times they are combined with a long before or after land trip. We want to go and do everything, so that means you can't do that by cruising only.

 

JC

[Johnamac123]

I like cruising because my primary reason to cruise is so I can snorkel the great Caribbean reefs. I've been thru the Atlantic locks of the Panama Canal, then on to Aruba. I hope to get to the Med someday. I don't combine a cruise with a land vacay at this point, but that might change when I'm done snorkeling.

[Terre]

 

For the cruise diehards I have a few questions:

 

1) What is it about cruising that keeps you cruising? For us, it's the cost. We can take a 7 day cruise as cheap or cheaper than we can go to the beach for a week. By the time we pay for the hotel, food, entertainment, etc., we could've gone on a cruise and gone to at least three islands. You just have to find the deals. Plus, we just love cruising! There's nothing like being in the middle of the ocean away from everything, just doing what you want to do.

 

2) Where did you go after the Caribbean? We've been to Eastern, Western, Southern Caribbean, Mexican Rivieria, Hawaii, and Alaska. We've been on 37 cruises.

 

3) Do you also integrate land trips with cruising? No, we haven't.

 

Thanks

 

Hope this helps.

[blackshirt]

We fell in love with cruising for much the same reasons after our first Caribbean cruise. After the Caribbean; Alaska, Baltic, Panama Canal, Canada/NewEngland, Australia/New Zealand, Mediterranean. Next on the list is a Pacific Coast cruise and a TransAtlantic.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1) What is it about cruising that keeps you cruising?

I basically just love being on the water at sea. I also love that you can unpack once and see multiple places. Being gluten-free, I love having a "safe" home base to come back to where my servers are going to take care of me.

 

2) Where did you go after the Caribbean?

I'm not "over" the Caribbean yet - I still have the Western and Southern to do!! But I've also done Alaska and some of the Mediterranean.

 

3) Do you also integrate land trips with cruising?

Not in the sense of a land-sea thing. I am always in at least the day before embarkation, but if I can swing more days before I'll do that - or after if I can do that - in/around the port.

[imlulu]

Fun thread..

 

1) What is it about cruising that keeps you cruising?

We like to cruise in winter to get away from the snow and cold. It gives us more options than an all inclusive as we like to have some activity.

 

2) Where did you go after the Caribbean?

Bermuda, NE/Canada

 

3) Do you also integrate land trips with cruising?

We do land trips but not combined with a cruise. I may be in the minority but a 7 day cruise(with pre/post days) is pushing my time away from home.

[Skippy]

1) unpack once, see multiple destinations, I don’t have to cook or clean or figure out where we are going for dinner. There’s fun stuff to keep you busy on the boat, plus shows at night. It’s more cost effective than going to an all inclusive resort. We were able to drive to the port for our last cruise. Flying directly to most of the Caribbean from our location for the 4 of us would cost more than the cruise.

 

2) haven’t yet, but would be interested.

 

3) no.

[CanadaRob]

After Caribbean? (No Trinidad and Tobago) Mediterranean/transpacific/Panama

Live in the great white north don't gave any interest to see Alaska but I gave family that loved it

Also love the variety and 1 unpacking

Don't usually add extra days

[ColoradoGurl]

I like cruising because it’s an easy way to see lots of places in a short period of time.

 

It’s easier and cheaper to island hop on a cruise ship than to book multiple airfares and hotels at each place.

 

I go on lots of land vacations; more than I go on cruises, but those trips are always shorter 3-4 day trips to different cities around the US (besides all the travel I do for work).

 

I also travel on land vacations to the Caribbean, but have found that I get bored going to the same beach and being on the same island every day for multiple days in a row, so it makes more sense to me to visit the Caribbean on a cruise ship instead, so I have veered more towards cruises for Caribbean and beach vacations.

 

I also do integrate a small land vacation before the cruise, where I’ll stay 2 days ahead and go do something in the embarkation port. For example this summer we’re going to San Juan for a cruise, but stopping in Orlando for a day or two to go to amusement parks and then heading to San Juan to do the biobay before the cruise. Mostly I’m doing that just because it’s on the way and it costs the same airfare wise to stop there.

 

 

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[Tahina cruising]

Unpacking only once, all inclusive, visiting different islands each trip. Have only the Caribbean so far but hoping can talk hubby into NE/Canada cruise next. Some day would like to do Alaska and Med. We usually do land vacations because hubby didn't like the first cruise we did. He's trying it again after 9 years. I've been on 2 more after the first one with him.

 

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[Lmm79]

We went our first cruise in November. We have another booked already.

 

My husband and I loved to travel before the kids. We have a 3 and 7 year old. We have no family help so we don’t get any breaks. Our cruise was the first time we had down time in years. Our kids loved adventure ocean. My husband and I saw a comedy show, went to a champagne bar and ate multiple relaxing meals at coastal kitchen. I read 2 books. It was awesome. I can’t justfy taking the 7 year old out of school again and prices for summer sailings are nuts otherwise we would probably go again before November.

[awestover89]

 

1) What is it about cruising that keeps you cruising?

 

2) Where did you go after the Caribbean?

 

3) Do you also integrate land trips with cruising?

 

Thanks

 

1) We love the variety. Getting to see multiple ports for one price is amazing. Several of them, like Caribbean islands or Alaska, would be really difficult and expensive to see if not traveling by cruise ship.

 

2) Alaska was our first (and second) non-Caribbean cruise. Since then we've done Canada/New England, China/Japan, and are doing Singapore/Southeast Asia next.

 

3) Usually a few days worth. Our first cruise left from San Juan and we added 3 days in Puerto Rico. Our first Alaska cruise we added 2 days around Anchorage and the second cruise we added about a week. Canada/New England we tied in with visiting family on the East Coast, and China we spent 3 days in Shanghai before the cruise. Singapore next month we are doing 1 day before and 2 days after the cruise.

[dorothyh]

1. I love it all. The planning, the fact that everyone on the ship is starting their vacation together, the wonderful service we've had on every cruise we've been on, sitting on my balcony in the morning with my coffee, all the different kinds of food, the sound of the ocean, the gentle rocking of the ship, visiting new places and sometimes visiting places again, the private islands. Making wonderful memories. All of this for so much less than an all inclusive.

 

2. We've been to Hawaii and are going to Alaska this summer. I still love the Caribbean though!!

 

 

 

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[George C]

I have cruised every year since the 70’s , like seeing visiting multiple places and only packing and unpacking once, we also have gotten drink package since it was introduced.

90 percent of our cruises are Caribbean, Europe is also great but not as relaxing as the islands, Hawaii and Bermuda are also great to visit. We also like all inclusive resorts in Caribbean and nyc

[EmilyJay]

1) What is it about cruising that keeps you cruising?

I love that it can be as relaxing as you like or as active as you like. For me it's a mix of relaxing and enjoying everything the ship has to offer and waking up somewhere different most days.

Although sometimes I wish I could stay longer in a port it's a great way to dip your toes in to that destination.

2) Where did you go after the Caribbean?

I've only done Caribbean cruises. 3 cruises in the Caribbean on Allure, Oasis & Harmony, would love to go on a smaller ship to some different islands such as Barbados, Aruba etc.

But I've also been looking into cruises going to Alaska, Bermuda and the Med.

3) Do you also integrate land trips with cruising?

When sailing to the Caribbean we usually spend 2+ days in whatever destination the cruise is departing from. We did 7 days pre-cruise in Orlando last year and this year we did 3 days in Ft Lauderdale before the cruise.

[Florida_cruisers]

As you can see by my signature we don’t cruise every year. We also go on land vacations. Most recently in 2016 we flew and stayed in Hawaii for 12 days while hopping islands and also spent a week in London and spent a night in a castle in Wales. In 2017 we went to Alaska as cruising is the best way to see it. In 2018 we are going skiing to Colorado, will spend Spring in China visiting Beijing and Shanghai among other places, and then Peru in the Summer. Those are places that you really can’t appreciate on a cruise.

 

For us is more about seeing different areas of the world, not just lay on the beach.

 

So to answer your questions:

1) What is it about cruising that keeps you cruising? I don’t LOVE being on a ship for the sake of cruising, we use it for the logistics and seeing snapshots of multiple places at once. On a cruise you unpack once and while you sleep you move from place to place. That’s the big advantage for us.

 

2) Where did you go after the Caribbean? on a cruise we have been to Europe twice, the northern east areas and the Mediterranean. Also Alaska and Bermuda.

 

3) Do you also integrate land trips with cruising? We always stay in the city we are departing from at least two days to get to see the town.

 

Go see the world, a ship is just a ship.

Edited January 1, 2018 by Florida_cruisers

[Thorben-Hendrik]

Interesting topic! (y)

[bouhunter]

3. Usually 2-3 days before and after cruise in San Juan. 4-5 days post cruise in Florida. We are in no hurry to come home and shovel snow:p

[LuCruise]

For our 'big' family trips (i.e. not a simple road trip but planned one week vacation), we've been rotating between a cruise and land trip...with land trip being Walt Disney World/Disneyland and LA. From the latter, you can guess we have kids. We love cruising as it's all in one, with variety of different stops. I love how there is tons to do in the day between swimming (beach on port days) or activities (rock wall, zipline, scavenger hunts) or simple exploring or silly shows (belly flop competition, welcome back), etc etc. There is tons of flexible eating options. Then every night there is quality and variety of entertainment. It's a wonderful vacation for both parents and kids.

 

We have a cruise booked for Mar 2019 and are actually debating between a short cruise of land vacation for August (big city type). I'd love to throw in a cruise again.

 

If I"m understanding your second question, then for us it's Disney park vacation (not the cruise as we prefer Royal for that) or we do mini trips to New York, Buffalo or Chicago. We can only drive to Buffalo so cost is a consideration.

 

For your third question...no...since we need to fly (a day early) for a cruise, we would add a day beforehand to come in, but we would have already taken time off work and with flying, the cost adds up already. Having said that...if we ever did a cruise out of Port Canaveral, well then there might be talk of adding a day at Walt Disney World..lol.