At what point in a cruise do you decide that..

[springbreakcruiser]

Wow! These are awesome. I take my first cruise in March and now I am even more excited!!!! How am I ever going to last 54 more days!!

[loves2Travel68]

Only been on one cruise and the 2nd one is in 2.5 weeks. For us, it was when we first saw the ship. We were standing at the pier and someone came up to us and introduced himself as the cruise director! he took our picture and we knew right then...it was gonna be a great trip.

[Binney]

When my right hand becomes numb then I realize that I can put the frozen drink in my left hand for a while. Then I have a real dilemma, right or left. OH, the humanity.

 

It is at that moment that I realize that this may be my biggest decision for the next 8 days and I am NOT accessible by cell phone.

AHH!!!:cool:

 

Eloquently put...and I'd like to add the "Welcome Back" from the first bartender or waiter makes me feel like a million bucks!

 

[morebeaches]

well of course when you first walk on the ship, but I think just when you return from the muster drill and the ship is just about to sail away, you put away your life vest and it's party time

[Jenn P]

When my right hand becomes numb then I realize that I can put the frozen drink in my left hand for a while. Then I have a real dilemma, right or left. OH, the humanity.

 

It is at that moment that I realize that this may be my biggest decision for the next 8 days and I am NOT accessible by cell phone.

AHH!!!:cool:

 

 

So funny! I love it. :-)

 

First time poster, long time lurker. I always know cruising is worth it but I always get so excited simply by crossing that threshold onto the ship. Hearing the "welcome aboard" and surveying the decor of a ship I've never sailed on is one of the greatest feelings ever. A close second is the first moment I am lying out on deck feeling the warm ocean breeze and sipping something fruity and frozen with an umbrella sticking out of it.

 

Great question!

[MikeM]

For me the following from Anne Campbell says it all.

MikeM

 

What is it about a Cruise?

by Anne Campbell

It’s always the ship’s horn that stops me in my tracks. It frequently catches me in the act of unpacking for the voyage ahead. This unforgettable sound is when the ties that bind me to land and my life back home begin to fray a bit. Racing to the top deck I peer over the side as sailors drop the thick-coiled ropes, finally making hand signals to the bridge that the ship is all clear. Suddenly this gleaming white vessel slowly begins her horizontal slide from the pier and we majestically steam out of port.

This is the most magical moment of the voyage for me, the actual separation of the self that normally inhabits me and the self I’ll become for a week or so. My excitement level is so high I want to jump like a child with glee. I fully understand DiCaprio’s euphoric outburst on the bow of Titanic. We’re leaving for unknown adventures, to be revealed each day.

On the pool deck, passengers lift glasses of bubbly, dance or silently stare ahead, at the seas that carry this royally crafted vessel, designed to carry several thousand people 50 weeks per years for a duration of 30 years. By the time we have fully departed home port, I can almost see the person I was back home, sadly standing on the pier silently mouthing "bon voyage."

The myriad irritations and problems of life aren’t resilient enough to follow me to any ship. The effect is akin to a deep massage, perhaps with a magic potion tossed in. I simply no longer care that the dry cleaner ruined my best dress, stupid mistakes at work haven’t been corrected or even that I must eventually come home. Nor do I worry if my clothes are right, that I’ll fit in with other passengers or whether the food will be passable. For one week, I’ll be with like-minded folks who have cast-off everything but the joy at being carried away to new places.

The seas, oceans and rivers of the world offer cruisers so many choices. If you demand a place in the sun, then the Caribbean is your natural habitat, with its potpourri of colors and people and splendid tropical climate (and, should you ever tire, Hawaii or the South Seas might entice your senses). If you’re looking for adventure and wildlife, Antarctica, the Galapagos and Amazon beckon. If majestic scenery fills your soul with wonder, then you should sail through the southern tip of South America, Alaska’s Inside River or in and out of Norway’s saw-toothed fjords.

Serious scuba divers will love the Mexican Riviera on sailings from either the West Coast of Florida and our own eastern seaboard can be explored all the way from Florida to the rocky coastal islands of Maine. If you wish to stretch your mind, as well as your legs, in every port, the whole world is waiting for you. Those who love antiquities will be thrilled in Greece, Turkey, Israel and Egypt. If it’s river life you like, try the small boats on the waterways of Europe, the paddle wheelers on the Mississippi and Ohio River and the barges along the Nile. You can be as enriched and fulfilled as you desire, or pursue each day at a sail’s pace.

This is the perfection of a cruise.

[cruisinbuddy]

For me it's after embarkation, you've taken a peek at your cabin, and now you're on deck with your favourite beverage. NOW! This is the exact moment, well it has been 4 times. All that scrimping & saving to blow it all in 1 week, yee haw.

[cabruntz]

For me, it is after getting on board, going to the cabin, unloading your carryons, going to the upper deck and getting that drink. Watching the ship leave the dock. FREEDOM at LAST!!!!

[PADutchman]

I just need to think about it. :D :D :D :D :D

[caribbean_mom]

We have taken 14 cruises--one every year of our wonderful marriage--and the best part is seeing a sunset and/or sunrise together on the wonderful waters! Could there be anything better than cruising....we have found no better vacation!

 

Amen!!!

 

I couldn't agree more. DH and I have will have taken 4 cruises (after we get back from Valor in March) in 6 years of marriage. We too have not yet found a better vacation.