element of Surprise!

[lab_love123]

I don't think most people are being "nit picky" per say... I think it just helps them plan their day - especially on the newer ships with so many features. I also think that it adds to the excitement leading up to their cruise and that's okay with me. For me personally, I don't care much about the FunTimes or the menus. After a few cruises, I feel like the activities and menus are more the same than they are different. I can always find something I like, so I can wait until I'm onboard to know which specific activities or meals I'll make time for. 

 

All that being said, I do enjoy seeing pictures and videos of my ship leading up to my cruise. I don't need the deck by deck walk through - I like to do that myself, but seeing the deck parties or cabin pictures and other stuff just makes me excited for my trip. I also enjoy reading through some of the daily reviews that people post - there's lots of good information in them. For example, I never would have found Pasta Bella for lunch or realized how cool a cove balcony are without them.

 

Overall, I say to each their own and I try not to let others' vacations affect mine because that's a quick way for me to ruin my own.

[Bingobaby0]

11 hours ago, Bookbug53 said:

If wanting to be surprised is your thing then so be it. I like looking ahead and seeing 'where I am going'. I get excited looking at the pictures and videos. When I finally see it for myself it is still impressive and exciting to me and I am prepared. I have witnessed enough people walking in a daze of confusion around the ship and standing in long lines at the excursion desk because they wanted to wait until they were on the ship. They have no idea where anything is, how anything works, and can look pretty miserable until someone steps up to help. Maybe you find it exciting to be lost and confused for the first day or so but I find it a waste of time. My vacation starts when I get on board and not 3 days later when I finally find my way around.

 

But I think asking John Heald to stop posting videos and photos because you don't want to see them is a bit much. Just don't watch.

 

I did NOT asking anyone to stop posting videos or comments or pictures or anything.   I was just curious why people want to know every detail about their cruise before they get on it, because for me that takes the fun out of it.   That is all.    I am not knocking those who like the details just curious as to why.   

[purplephenom]

19 minutes ago, Bingobaby0 said:

 

I did NOT asking anyone to stop posting videos or comments or pictures or anything.   I was just curious why people want to know every detail about their cruise before they get on it, because for me that takes the fun out of it.   That is all.    I am not knocking those who like the details just curious as to why.   

 

Your post seems to have made John Heald's page.  Any hot topics on here magically seem to turn into posts on his page- generally with a little bit of added attitude.  I have my own theory as to how that happens, but it doesn't really matter.  

[Chervil]

Personally I don't like being surprised by things that I could know when I am on vacation.
I like knowing as much about the area I am going to be, so that I can get the most out of it.
All the neat little "hidden gems" that the people who didn't research end up missing out on.

 

It also helps to temper expectations.

For example:
Our third cruise with Carnival was on the Vista, earlier this year.
It was our daughter's first cruise so we had been giving her some tips and describing what we liked on the cruises.
Two of our favorite things were Tandoor and watching everything happening in the Atrium. (music, events, etc.)
After being on the Breeze and Dream, we were used to the spacious Atrium with beautiful glass elevators.
Vista doesn't have that. It also doesn't have Tandoor (none of them do, now).
It would have been a bummer to not find that out until we got on.
As it was, we knew ahead of time and were able to appreciate other things about Vista (like the brewery and the ice cream sandwiches in Sweet Spot!

It's also the way we found out about the salad bar in the Serenity Deck on Vista! Which is a great spot for a secluded lunch without having to leave the area!
And that if you make reservations for the Steakhouse on the night you embark, you get a free or discounted bottle of wine.
Not a big deal, perhaps, but it is a nice little perk we took advantage of and will do again!

Knowing the menus ahead of time helps us plan which days we will skip the MDR and hit the Lido or a restaurant, and which days we are going to definitely plan on being there!
It's also how we knew about Tea Time, which is a family favorite.
A lot of people we have talked to on the ship had no idea they offered it!

I definitely don't mind surprises as a general rule. Our vacation motto has always been that whatever happens, it's all part of the adventure!
But we have found that being well prepared makes our adventures that much more enjoyable!

 

That being said, I don't knock it when people want to experience everything themselves.
I like reading books without knowing the ending and playing video games without knowing everything when I first start.
So I can see how some would like their vacation to be the same way.

[Bingobaby0]

42 minutes ago, purplephenom said:

 

Your post seems to have made John Heald's page.  Any hot topics on here magically seem to turn into posts on his page- generally with a little bit of added attitude.  I have my own theory as to how that happens, but it doesn't really matter.  

 

oh how weird, i didn't know that.   For what its worth it was not me.   I am not trying to be mean or anything and obviously i am on this board, so i like to read what others are saying and writing about and you know.......curiosity killed the cat!    Thanks for letting me know that is was on John Heald's page, i will have to go find that now.

[Lottacruises]

15 hours ago, Lottacruises said:

 

There is rarely a quest out of ships on Galveston because the "Texas  cruisers leave negative comments on the survey cards". Surprising, because Texas cruisers are a rowdy bunch and we have fun at quest.

 

Once last year, Andy held it on the Valor, and Frankie (the CD) didn't take part. I saw it once on about 15 cruises on the Valor. It was not held by gary on the dream a couple of weeks ago.

 

Schwartz and Leigh  did it  on the breeze, two sailings and two quests.

 

Malcolm did it once on my many freedom cruises and it was very very tame.

 

 

Should add that Emma  has not done the quest on any of our sailings with her either, about 8 of them.

[Lottacruises]

I like to look at ship tour videos to get excited about my trip. I don't care to look at menus because who knows what I will feel like eating 3 days from now much less weeks or months from now.

 

Same with daily activities, but I do like sometimes to know if a certain band will be onboard, but most of the time it doesn't matter.

 

It's each of our vacations, plan or don't plan, just have fun!

 

 

[TNcruising02]

Although I don't go so far as to look over the fun times or menus ahead of time, I love planning for my cruises.  I like reading reviews and trip reports.  That doesn't ruin my excitement at all.  I learned my lesson when I went on a Norwegian cruise for the first time and didn't realize that I needed to make reservations for shows.  Planning ahead helps me have a better cruise experience and eliminates stress.  To me, showing up clueless on a cruise wouldn't be fun.  Planning helps me make sure I won't miss things that I think will be fun and helps me have reasonable expectations for a particular ship.

[HillBilly Bob]

23 hours ago, Bingobaby0 said:

What ever happened to just going on your booked vacation and enjoying all the surprises to come. 

I'm with you....opening that Christmas present on Labor Day just ruins all the excitement for the day.   I want to be completely surprised and enjoy  ALL the moments of discovery.