Do you enjoy land vacations as much as cruising or is it a toss up

[SmoothFlying]

We, my wife and I haven't done a real land vacation since 2007 (the year of our first cruise). She just retired at the end of June and we've only planned to go on cruises. To me, I'd rather do a cruise but IF she ever decides otherwise (which I doubt) it's entirely up to her. Our only child is grown with his own life and family, so we're empty nesters. What's the opinion here of other seniors who love too travel.

 

Mac

[NSnJW]

They are really different animals aren't they?  Some of my favorite places are difficult for a ship.  Yellowstone,  Bryce Canyon, Arches National Park etc.  But for kicking back and just enjoying the day, it is hard to beat a cruise.  

In short I enjoy both types for different reasons but I would hate totally give up either.  I also like to take my motorcycle and go on 3 to 5 day camping trips.  You are retired, don't look at it as either/or.  Look at it as this AND that. : )

[SmoothFlying]

1 hour ago, NSnJW said:

You are retired, don't look at it as either/or.  Look at it as this AND that. : )

Ohhhhhhhhhhh yes !! Exactly, with all the time in the world (well..you know what I mean) too do both!!

 

Mac

[Von & John]

Although we have yet to retire...

I can work from the road, as long as I have internet & cell service.  We find this frees us up to enjoy both Land & Sea vacations.  I do not work on a cruise - unless it's a true emergency.  Cruising for us is the only time we get to relax 100% & leave the outside world behind 🙂 

In other words - we want to have our cake & eat it too...  We love both Cruising & Land Vacations!

[SmoothFlying]

7 hours ago, Von & John said:

Cruising for us is the only time we get to relax 100% & leave the outside world behind 🙂 

My thoughts exactly ! Especially when I'm either sitting or leaning on the balcony rail, watching that beautiful bright blue-green ocean wash by and smell the salt air ! When there's no sounds (even from the deck pool) you can totally unwind and decompress. I believe the only land vacation similar would be camping HIGH up in Rockies. But it'd be my luck there'd be a massive rock slide ! LOLLLLLLLL ! Am I a half empty glass type or what !

 

Mac

[NSnJW]

Mac,

You might be amazed by the many places on land that you can find peace and quiet with a great view.  White Sands in New Mexico, Capitol Reef in Utah, Black Rock Canyon in Colorado are all quiet with great views.  If you can't find a beautiful place by yourself in the vast Canyonlands National Park in Utah then you aren't looking.  I also find solitude and beauty camping by a small stream in the Appalachians.  But everyone has their own standards of peace and beauty.  I hope you find and enjoy your own.  The search gives me much of my travel enjoyment. 

[SmoothFlying]

2 hours ago, NSnJW said:

I hope you find and enjoy your own.  The search gives me much of my travel enjoyment. 

I've checked out the Rockies for a week (when I flew into Denver) and the Great Smokey mountains some 40+ years ago while engaged to my first wife but will keep those other places in mind. Thank you so much for the advice.

 

Mac

[Von & John]

I would also add - camping almost anywhere in Alaska:

Talkeetna

Denali National Park

Denali Highway

Atigun Pass

Wrangell St Elias

Kennecott / McCarthy

Homer

Seward

Cooper Landing

Kenai

Manley Hot Springs

Kanuti River Hot Springs

Chena Hot Springs

Ketchikan

Sitka

Juneau

Wrangell

Any of the National Parks...

Any of the State Parks...

Any of the Rivers, Lakes, Islands...

 

 

[lenquixote66]

We began land vacations in 1967 and did them until 2007.We cruised once in 1973 and once in 1994 but became a cruise only couple in 2008 when we did a 14 day Alaska,7 days land and 7 sea.

On the land our favorite activity was visiting Denali.We had a tour guide who told us to look out either side of the bus for bears.However,a bear came to the front of the bus to watch the humans look out the side windows.

We loved being in Alaska but alas never returned.I personally would love a 20 hour daylight life.

We toured by land all over the US and Canada between 1969 and 2007.

Edited September 16, 2019 by lenquixote66

[Lunenburg]

We like to combine the two. Next month we are flying to Europe for several weeks visiting Porto, Geneva, Venice and Florence mainly travelling by train and then we go to Savona to board a cruise back to Buenos Aires.

Next year we are going to India for a a couple of weeks before flying back to Abu Dhabi and taking a cruise before heading home.

We are then thinking of a trip to Eastern Europe followed by a riverboat cruise from Germany to Amsterdam.  Our land tours are getting shorter with less walking so adding a cruise makes the whole trip worth the travel from Uruguay.

[AnnieB925]

Following

Edited September 18, 2019 by AnnieB925
Error

[AnnieB925]

1 minute ago, AnnieB925 said:

We do more land vacations than cruising, but do enjoy getting the sampling that a cruise offers, and the convenience of cruising can’t be beat in some locations, IMO. We tend to favor cruising for seeing islands, the Caribbean being our favorite winter getaway. For European travel we like to do land vacations and enjoy staying in B&B’s. We keep saying that when we get “older” we will probably opt for more cruising, however we are now both retired and still enjoy walking several miles/day when traveling.

 

Our next cruise is to the Greek Isles. 

 

[lenquixote66]

On 9/15/2019 at 5:33 PM, SmoothFlying said:

We, my wife and I haven't done a real land vacation since 2007 (the year of our first cruise). She just retired at the end of June and we've only planned to go on cruises. To me, I'd rather do a cruise but IF she ever decides otherwise (which I doubt) it's entirely up to her. Our only child is grown with his own life and family, so we're empty nesters. What's the opinion here of other seniors who love too travel.

 

Mac

We have not done a land vacation since 2007.My wife retired in 2008 and we have only been doing cruises since.

[iancal]

Since retiring we do far less cruising and considerably more land travel.  Two months in the winter, two months in the fall.  Occasionally we will add a last minute cruise to our land trip.  

[Kylie]

What ever vacation we are on is our favorite!   Cruising is still our first love because then we don't have to live out of a suitcase and can wake up in a new place every day.  We really enjoy Gate 1 travel too - so many places to chose from!

Next vacation - B2B river cruises.  First Gate 1 and then switch to Viking in Paris.

 

 

[chipmaster]

Cruise by definition is port/day and a few ports and possible a few extra days at embarkation / disembarkation, then all standard stuff on the ship shows, set place for meals, pools, music, bowling, ice skating, and every new land based adventure they can put on a ship.

 

Land by can do everything you do on a ship with more work and a lot more flexibility.

 

When I want to turn brain off and have a good time cruise, or do 6-8 places with ports cruise.    Many times I like the variety and work and better everything of a land based, only thing I don't get is turn the brain off on making choices and balance choice/$ among so many fun stuff.

 

I enjoy both, but which more, if you asked if I had to give one up, easy, give cruising up.  So I guess land wins hands down!

 

 

[Roz]

I'm still working, but the last few years I've been doing more river cruises than ocean cruises.  Granted, they are pricey, but you get to be in a different city each morning without dragging a suitcase on and off a bus or thru a rail station.  An easier form of land travel in a way.  

[LMADAMS91]

The older I get, the more I like cruising.  We tend to pack waaaay too much into a land trip-every waking minute seems to be filled with SOMETHING. A cruise forces us to slow down a bit and relax.  It works well for us when we are cruising as a couple of with the family (adult kids.)  On a cruise, we do excursions and meals together and go our separate ways for the most part after that. My husband and I can go do "old people things" (what the kids call it) and they can do whatever it is they do on a cruise.  

 

Packing/unpacking or living from a suitcase is not something I enjoy either.  Cruising works well for us, especially in this phase of our lives.

 

The one exception is when visiting somewhere we really want to explore.  Cruises don't allow enough time to see or do as much.

Edited September 22, 2019 by LMADAMS91

[herbanrenewal]

I love both cruising and land travel. Cruising definitely helps explore many different places - areas of the world that I never expected to visit during my lifetime. Land travel lets me stay in B&Bs, getting to know the people and the life in those areas. I never would have believed i’d Feel so comfortable and enjoy so much a bus tour of Turkey - wonderful people, beautiful country. And there’s nothing like staying a week in a rural area of Ireland, spending evenings sharing Craic at the pub and dancing to local music. But cruising has the advantage of my sleeping while someone else does the driving to the next location. And seeing the highlights of so many places. From Russia to Galapagos to China to New Zealand. Growing up a kid from Philly who thought going to theJersey shore was the highlight of travel, to having visited every continent except Antarctica I’ve experienced so much, and most would have been missed if not for cruising.

 

 

[iancal]

We are in the middle of doing four weeks in Northern Greece/Ionian Islands and another two in Cyprus.  

 

This was the first year that we did not even bother looking for last minute cruise offers.   

 

Retirement has has changed our travel preferences in some areas.

[iancal]

DW pointed something out to me today.  We are just finishing three weeks of independent travel on the Greek Islands of Corfu, Kefalonia, and Zakynthos.  We tend to stay outside the usual tourist haunts and never in the packaged holiday places.

 

Every  night we see couples going out for dinner.  Men dressed like me.  Extremely casual...shorts, sandals,shirt.  The women are the exact opposite...most often dresses, jewelry, fancy sandals or shoes...the whole ball game.  I never really paid much attention unti DW pointed out the inconsistency.  Been this way for three weeks.  Wonder what we will see in Ne t week in Cyprus?

[SmoothFlying]

6 hours ago, iancal said:

The women are the exact opposite...most often dresses, jewelry, fancy sandals or shoes...the whole ball game

Women!!🙄Always know HOW to make  us men look BAD !! And loving it ! As we men never seem to catch on..

 

Mac

[Lois R]

I haven't done a land trip in years. I LOVE cruising and I am getting ready to take one this weekend.

Flying to Venice on Friday and sailing on the River Po for a River Cruise with Uniworld.

[cb at sea]

We enjoy both forms of travel....there is something to be said for staying in one place for more than a few hours!   We generally like to travel the surrounding areas when on land vacations...can't do that in most ports.

[ducklite]

Typically we prefer land based. It allows us to stay in one or a few places over a couple of weeks and really dig in to the local flavors instead of spending a day.  We pretty much do not do ship excursions because they tend to be canned and we prefer to be spontaneous. 

 

Some of our favorite travel memories have been to have loose plans and then find something that interest us more and making a total change in direction towards the unexpected and delightful.  

 

Cruising now and then for a relaxing way to see either places better seen from a cruise ship (Norwegian Fjords, Inside Passage, Panama Canal) or to see a lot in a short time is fine--particularly when we're trying to find out how much time to plan in an area for a future trip--but it will never replace land based trips for us.