Do you feel cruising right now is worth it?!

[slidergirl]

On 1/2/2022 at 5:22 PM, ilikeanswers said:

 

I think the big difference between cruise and a land vacation is priorities. When people pick cruises they do so on the basis of the ports or the ship amenities like the restaurants and entertainment. So if that stuff is unavailable the whole reason for the cruise has been taken away. Whereas with a land vacation people don't usually travel to be at a certain entertainment venue or eat at certain restaurants, they are usually more interested in visiting places and seeing sites so they would be more upset about a tourist attraction being closed than a restaurant. 

I think your theory is not really true.   With a land vacation, say a ski trip right now, people are expecting to be able to go skiing.  If the resort is closed, what do you do?  Plenty of people cancelled at our condos last year because of issues with the ski resort - who wants to actually ski with a mask on?    I do some of my land trips based on entertainment and restaurants.  I cancelled my LA trip last year because a concert was cancelled.  Sure, I could have gone to LA and gone to the beach (maybe) or take a drive to the desert, it wasn't want I wanted.  I always try to pick one truly special restaurant for a dinner on my trips.  I wouldn't cancel if I found one was closed, but I'd still be mightily disappointed.  On my cruises, I never pick for ship amenities.   Just my experience and opinion.

[slidergirl]

1 hour ago, taglovestocruise said:

YEP, tested today drive to the port and  get on Navigator Monday. Last report from Navigator yesterday said all venues were open, Windjammer is open for dinner,  only line was on the flowrider. Ensenada open with no masking requirements, Catalina open with no masking outside on the island.  Passenger count was 1100.  4 nights and 16 points, sets us up at D+  for the next three cruises, 24 nights, at the end of the year. Got a great deal, under $ 800 for two in a JS + two specialty dinning from TA + $50 OBC from TA + $45 shop card from TA + $600 of payment came from FCC issued from Royals cancelled cruise in 2019.         

                                                     Things are getting back to normal

I think you are lucky you are going out of California and not Florida!  

And, things are NOT getting back to normal.  Florida is having bad issues with cruises from there being cancelled and having to return to port.  Interesting article in the Washington Post today about some guest and employee experience in quarantine.  The food issue was disgusting, with photos included.  

[Hlitner]

I think we have all made the topic overly complicated.  It simply comes down to whether (or not) folks learn to live with COVID just like we have learned to live with other diseases, viruses, and maladies.  While government's have lately taken it upon themselves to make the choices for most folks (whether living in a so-called free society or an authoritarian society) for many of us it comes down to exercising our right of free choice.  Cruising is not much different then many other activities in that most of us have options.  Just while some folks are fine with going to the Supermarket, while others order delivery, there are those of us who have resumed travel/cruising while others stay home.  COVID is most likely here to stay although it will continue to have its ups and downs just like influenza.  It is how folks choose to live with this nasty virus that is the question.  About 13 months ago DW and I made the joint decision that we would return to something akin to our normal lives (the the extent possible with COVID restrictions/rules).  At the time we decided to accept the risk associated with that decision.  Lately we have noticed that many more folks are making similar decisions.  Here in Puerto Vallarta (our winter home) most things have returned to near normal (with inside mask mandates) with the city crowded with folks just like in years prior to COVID.  Our restaurants are open (and crowded) inside and out, bars are back to near-normal, clubs/theaters are open with their normal entertainment, and folks seem to be enjoying themselves with very little talk about COVID.  Just like in past years I can sit on my balcony and watch some cruise ships enter and leave the port although there are certainly fewer passengers on most of those ships.  

 

But for many of us, life has returned to near-normal as we have accepted the reality of COVID and learned to tolerate the risk.

 

Hank

[ilikeanswers]

2 hours ago, slidergirl said:

I think your theory is not really true.   With a land vacation, say a ski trip right now, people are expecting to be able to go skiing.  If the resort is closed, what do you do?  Plenty of people cancelled at our condos last year because of issues with the ski resort - who wants to actually ski with a mask on?    I do some of my land trips based on entertainment and restaurants.  I cancelled my LA trip last year because a concert was cancelled.  Sure, I could have gone to LA and gone to the beach (maybe) or take a drive to the desert, it wasn't want I wanted.  I always try to pick one truly special restaurant for a dinner on my trips.  I wouldn't cancel if I found one was closed, but I'd still be mightily disappointed.  On my cruises, I never pick for ship amenities.   Just my experience and opinion.

 

Salient points there. The poster I was replying to mentioned specifically hotels so I didn't consider resorts but thinking on it I would agree people tend to go for specific experiences. Thinking on Thredbo people do only visit in winter just to ski 😂. I also know people who travel for specific festivals. Festival cancels so is their whole trip. Overall like you going from experience for me it seems like the minority of land trippers travel for specific experiences or at least they aren't normally deal breakers compared to discussion with cruisers when it comes to certain amenities. Even on CC I have seen countless threads asking for assistance in deciding on a ship to book based on the amenities so it gives the impression there are a fair amount of cruisers for whom amenities seem to be deal breakers. Which I think if you are looking for such specific experiences covid restrictions effect you so much more, just like the skiers at your resort🤔. 

Edited January 9, 2022 by ilikeanswers

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I think we have all made the topic overly complicated.  It simply comes down to whether (or not) folks learn to live with COVID just like we have learned to live with other diseases, viruses, and maladies.  While government's have lately taken it upon themselves to make the choices for most folks (whether living in a so-called free society or an authoritarian society) for many of us it comes down to exercising our right of free choice.  Cruising is not much different then many other activities in that most of us have options.  Just while some folks are fine with going to the Supermarket, while others order delivery, there are those of us who have resumed travel/cruising while others stay home.  COVID is most likely here to stay although it will continue to have its ups and downs just like influenza.  It is how folks choose to live with this nasty virus that is the question.  About 13 months ago DW and I made the joint decision that we would return to something akin to our normal lives (the the extent possible with COVID restrictions/rules).  At the time we decided to accept the risk associated with that decision.  Lately we have noticed that many more folks are making similar decisions.  Here in Puerto Vallarta (our winter home) most things have returned to near normal (with inside mask mandates) with the city crowded with folks just like in years prior to COVID.  Our restaurants are open (and crowded) inside and out, bars are back to near-normal, clubs/theaters are open with their normal entertainment, and folks seem to be enjoying themselves with very little talk about COVID.  Just like in past years I can sit on my balcony and watch some cruise ships enter and leave the port although there are certainly fewer passengers on most of those ships.  

 

But for many of us, life has returned to near-normal as we have accepted the reality of COVID and learned to tolerate the risk.

 

Hank

 

I don't agree that it is simply a matter of learning to live with COVID.  There is the whole shipboard experience to consider.   Many, me included, would not enjoy the current ship atmosphere.   This has been shared repeatedly by many on these boards.  And, I'm sorry, but I don't believe those who claim the ship is nothing more than needed transport to their destination.  If there were no appeal to being on a cruise ship, they would, with few exceptions, be on a flight.    

[ilikeanswers]

34 minutes ago, ldubs said:

And, I'm sorry, but I don't believe those who claim the ship is nothing more than needed transport to their destination.  If there were no appeal to being on a cruise ship, they would, with few exceptions, be on a flight.    

 

I'm guessing those people aren't complaining about ship experience but about missing ports and bubble excursions😂. I know for myself that would be my main concern. 

Edited January 9, 2022 by ilikeanswers

[ISLABONITA]

I believe that certain cruise lines are handling the Covid testing and isolation or quarantine differently. I have booked on MSC Divina for Jan 30th a W. Caribbean cruise and people who just returned described a very different scenario than just being quarantined if tested positive, they were quarantined as a result of contact tracing from being in the pool area and were not allowed to be tested after 5 days, were also removed from their balcony cabin and taken to an inside one.

I have been looking forward to this cruise for the 4 ports to snorkel and the awesome aft balcony cabin we booked but this is not the way I want to spend my vacation money. Cruise ships have become petri dishes unfortunately and I do not see any pleasure in a restrictive cruise.                                                           I will wait to see what MSC will say in the next two weeks so I do not lose money on it as they are still cruising but giving passengers the option to cancel  get a refund  or rebook as it has offered for the Jan 6th cruise. At least for this cruise it's merely a 2 hour drive but  I have 2 more cruises to Europe booked this year with NCL who I hope handles the testing differently and the decision to cancel due to widespread Covid or variants.

[donaldsc]

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

 

I don't agree that it is simply a matter of learning to live with COVID.  There is the whole shipboard experience to consider.   Many, me included, would not enjoy the current ship atmosphere.   This has been shared repeatedly by many on these boards.  And, I'm sorry, but I don't believe those who claim the ship is nothing more than needed transport to their destination.  If there were no appeal to being on a cruise ship, they would, with few exceptions, be on a flight.    

 

I am one of those who basically believe that a ship is just a big bus that gets me to places that I want to visit.  Of course I don't want a totally bad old ship with lousy food and nothing to do between places but given that most ships are basically comfortable etc., I really don't don't care about most of the ship board atmosphere. 

 

I am not interested in trivia.  I am not interested in the movies that they show as I don't do movies on land.  I don't shop on board.  I don't play bingo.  I don't go to the spa.  On the sea days that I find basically boring, I usually sit and read unless there is a good lecture and most of the ship board lectures are where to shop or what places to visit.  The places that they say you should shop at are the ones that have paid to be mentioned in the shopping lectures.  I have already researched the places that I want to visit and have arranged to visit them on a private tour.

 

So why do I cruise instead of fly.  The main reason is that a ship is an efficient and cost effective way of getting from point A to point B to point C to point D etc.  If I just want to get from point A to point B and stay at point B for a while, going by air is far superior to going by ship. 

 

Also, in many cases I would be far better flying to point A and then driving to points B, C and D.  I can think of one trip to New Zealand where I wanted to do a driving vacation and my wife wanted to do a cruise we did a cruise.  There were several instances where it took the ship almost a full day to get from point A to point B while I could have driven it in 3 or 4 hours seeing scenery on the way.  Also, there are almost no New Zealand to New Zealand cruises and almost every New Zealand cruise starts in New Zealand and ends up in Australia which wastes a full day getting from New Zealand to Australia.  That said, there are places in New Zealand and places in the Chilean Fjords that can only be done by ship.

 

So will I continue to cruise - yes.  The reason is that sometimes going by ship is the best way for me to see the stuff that I want to see and  more importantly my wife doesn't want to be packing and unpacking every day.  Also, that fact that I am getting older is a point in favor of ships.  In my younger days, we did land trips varying in length from 1 months to 3 or 4 months.  I don't think that I would want to do that now.  I would like to pick 3 or 4 places that are interesting and stay in each place for a week or so but I have not convinced my wife of this.

 

One last thing.  We have booked 3 cruises in late 2022 and early 2023.  One is a B2B cruise on a Star Clipper sailboat in the Greek Islands because spending 2 weeks on a full rigged sailboat in the Greek Islands sounds really cool followed by 8 days on a Viking river boat in southern France because I have never been on a Viking river boat or in southern France.  In early 2023 we are doing 10 days on a Viking ocean ship in the Caribbean not because I am interested in the Caribbean but I want to see what the Viking ocean ships are like.

 

Sorry for the long winded post.

 

DON

Edited January 9, 2022 by donaldsc

[ldubs]

34 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

I am one of those who basically believe that a ship is just a big bus that gets me to places that I want to visit.  Of course I don't want a totally bad old ship with lousy food and nothing to do between places but given that most ships are basically comfortable etc., I really don't don't care about most of the ship board atmosphere. 

 

I am not interested in trivia.  I am not interested in the movies that they show as I don't do movies on land.  I don't shop on board.  I don't play bingo.  I don't go to the spa.  On the sea days that I find basically boring, I usually sit and read unless there is a good lecture and most of the ship board lectures are where to shop or what places to visit.  The places that they say you should shop at are the ones that have paid to be mentioned in the shopping lectures.  I have already researched the places that I want to visit and have arranged to visit them on a private tour.

 

So why do I cruise instead of fly.  The main reason is that a ship is an efficient and cost effective way of getting from point A to point B to point C to point D etc.  If I just want to get from point A to point B and stay at point B for a while, going by air is far superior to going by ship. 

 

Also, in many cases I would be far better flying to point A and then driving to points B, C and D.  I can think of one trip to New Zealand where I wanted to do a driving vacation and my wife wanted to do a cruise we did a cruise.  There were several instances where it took the ship almost a full day to get from point A to point B while I could have driven it in 3 or 4 hours seeing scenery on the way.  Also, there are almost no New Zealand to New Zealand cruises and almost every New Zealand cruise starts in New Zealand and ends up in Australia which wastes a full day getting from New Zealand to Australia.  That said, there are places in New Zealand and places in the Chilean Fjords that can only be done by ship.

 

So will I continue to cruise - yes.  The reason is that sometimes going by ship is the best way for me to see the stuff that I want to see and  more importantly my wife doesn't want to be packing and unpacking every day.  Also, that fact that I am getting older is a point in favor of ships.  In my younger days, we did land trips varying in length from 1 months to 3 or 4 months.  I don't think that I would want to do that now.  I would like to pick 3 or 4 places that are interesting and stay in each place for a week or so but I have not convinced my wife of this.

 

One last thing.  We have booked 3 cruises in late 2022 and early 2023.  One is a B2B cruise on a Star Clipper sailboat in the Greek Islands because spending 2 weeks on a full rigged sailboat in the Greek Islands sounds really cool followed by 8 days on a Viking river boat in southern France because I have never been on a Viking river boat or in southern France.  In early 2023 we are doing 10 days on a Viking ocean ship in the Caribbean not because I am interested in the Caribbean but I want to see what the Viking ocean ships are like.

 

Sorry for the long winded post.

 

DON

 

I think you did a great job explaining your perspective.  In fact, I think I might even revise my perspective as a result.  Thanks for sharing.     

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I'm guessing those people aren't complaining about ship experience but about missing ports and bubble excursions😂. I know for myself that would be my main concern. 

 

Some folks prefer a more sedate elegant atmosphere and some folks prefer a more vibrant active atmosphere.  If I'm going too generalize, the folks in the former group likely relate more to the traditional ocean liner days.  Still,  folks using a cruise as transport will point out the convenience & comfort, so there is something appealing beyond a reclining seat to the next destination.  

 

I fall in with the group that prefers a more active atmosphere.   Yet, I don't like having a lot of sea days and  I wouldn't like missing ports.  I think I could live with bubble excursions, but it wouldn't be my first choice.   

 

Edited January 9, 2022 by ldubs

[Cruising Divers]

9 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

I am one of those who basically believe that a ship is just a big bus that gets me to places that I want to visit.  Of course I don't want a totally bad old ship with lousy food and nothing to do between places but given that most ships are basically comfortable etc., I really don't don't care about most of the ship board atmosphere. 

 

I am not interested in trivia.  I am not interested in the movies that they show as I don't do movies on land.  I don't shop on board.  I don't play bingo.  I don't go to the spa.  On the sea days that I find basically boring, I usually sit and read unless there is a good lecture and most of the ship board lectures are where to shop or what places to visit.  The places that they say you should shop at are the ones that have paid to be mentioned in the shopping lectures.  I have already researched the places that I want to visit and have arranged to visit them on a private tour.

 

So why do I cruise instead of fly.  The main reason is that a ship is an efficient and cost effective way of getting from point A to point B to point C to point D etc.  If I just want to get from point A to point B and stay at point B for a while, going by air is far superior to going by ship. 

 

Also, in many cases I would be far better flying to point A and then driving to points B, C and D.  I can think of one trip to New Zealand where I wanted to do a driving vacation and my wife wanted to do a cruise we did a cruise.  There were several instances where it took the ship almost a full day to get from point A to point B while I could have driven it in 3 or 4 hours seeing scenery on the way.  Also, there are almost no New Zealand to New Zealand cruises and almost every New Zealand cruise starts in New Zealand and ends up in Australia which wastes a full day getting from New Zealand to Australia.  That said, there are places in New Zealand and places in the Chilean Fjords that can only be done by ship.

 

So will I continue to cruise - yes.  The reason is that sometimes going by ship is the best way for me to see the stuff that I want to see and  more importantly my wife doesn't want to be packing and unpacking every day.  Also, that fact that I am getting older is a point in favor of ships.  In my younger days, we did land trips varying in length from 1 months to 3 or 4 months.  I don't think that I would want to do that now.  I would like to pick 3 or 4 places that are interesting and stay in each place for a week or so but I have not convinced my wife of this.

 

One last thing.  We have booked 3 cruises in late 2022 and early 2023.  One is a B2B cruise on a Star Clipper sailboat in the Greek Islands because spending 2 weeks on a full rigged sailboat in the Greek Islands sounds really cool followed by 8 days on a Viking river boat in southern France because I have never been on a Viking river boat or in southern France.  In early 2023 we are doing 10 days on a Viking ocean ship in the Caribbean not because I am interested in the Caribbean but I want to see what the Viking ocean ships are like.

 

Sorry for the long winded post.

 

DON

I am right there with you Don. 
 

My wife and I use the ships in the same fashion as you and have many of your same thoughts and intentions when booking them. We scuba dive everywhere for vacations so instead of spending our vacation in only one destination we are able to spend it in multiple destinations. We will go back to a single destination for a week/etc after had having an excellent time there on a cruise and have done this many times now, we absolutely love it.
 

This was shown/taught to us by amazing person we actually met here on Cruise Critic, the story is very interesting and the poster is now what we consider a very close family friend. We have taken multiple land-based and cruise vacations with him and in fact just returned from an eight day trip that was again spectacular. 

We do have a few deviations or additions to add however. Outside of the taxi service aspect we LOVE cruising because:

 

We love being on the open sea. Some of our best memories are falling asleep on the top deck under the stars and waking up at 3 AM and going back to our cabin. We love a balcony cabin, we never spend enough time on our balconies and look forward to every minute we can.
 

We love the formal nights and fine dining aspects of a cruise. There is nothing like coming back from a day of amazing scuba diving and jumping in to a nice suit for a wonderful dinner and doing it all over the next day. What a life to live!

 

We enjoy the hot tub and solarium adult only style pools. We enjoyed the shows. We enjoy walking around the little art galleries. None of these things “make it or break it” but are all just fun additional little highlights. 

 

We enjoy meeting our other shipmates. We have met some amazing people from all over the world. 
 

We do not stick with just one line so we have enjoyed all of the different unique aspects that the different lines have the offer. We think it would be wonderful to be top-tier at any given line but much prefer the unique experience that each cruise line offers. Slides on RCL, high tea on HAL, the lawn and sauna areas on X - all of these things have been highlights that we wouldn’t trade. 

There are many other aspects we enjoy too but I think you get the point. We take crazy land-based vacations also that we will never be able to do once we are much older but not everything has to be “extreme”, sometimes we like for them just to be “nice”.

 

We currently have our first post-C cruise booked for May and am just now considering canceling it because of how much we have enjoyed every cruise we’ve ever taken in the past; we just don’t thank it will be enough of the same experience (even though it is to an entire new destinations/region that we’ve never been to before) and for the amount of money it costs us we are not sure if we will go through with it... We do not have unlimited resources and are held captive by our employers for sparse amounts of vacation time so the time that we do get to spend to us is very precious. 

 

In the end I think we all took what we had for granted. I hope one day it will again be what it once was, it meant a lot to us and we would love to have it back once more. 

Edited January 9, 2022 by Cruising Divers
Typo’s/etc.

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, Cruising Divers said:

I am right there with you Don. 
 

My wife and I use the ships in the same fashion as you and have many of your same thoughts and intentions when booking them. We scuba dive everywhere for vacations so instead of spending our vacation in only one destination we are able to spend it in multiple destinations. We will go back to a single destination for a week/etc after had having an excellent time there on a cruise and have done this many times now, we absolutely love it.
 

This was shown/taught to us by amazing person we actually met here on Cruise Critic, the story is very interesting and the poster is now what we consider a very close family friend. We have taken multiple land-based and cruise vacations with him and in fact just returned from an eight day trip that was again spectacular. 

We do have a few deviations or additions to add however. Outside of the taxi service aspect we LOVE cruising because:

 

We love being on the open sea. Some of our best memories are falling asleep on the top deck under the stars and waking up at 3 AM and going back to our cabin. We love a balcony cabin, we never spend enough time on our balconies and look forward to every minute we can.
 

We love the formal nights and fine dining aspects of a cruise. There is nothing like coming back from a day of amazing scuba diving and jumping in to a nice suit for a wonderful dinner and doing it all over the next day. What a life to live!

 

We enjoy the hot tub and solarium adult only style pools. We enjoyed the shows. We enjoy walking around the little art galleries. None of these things “make it or break it” but are all just fun additional little highlights. 

 

We enjoy meeting our other shipmates. We have met some amazing people from all over the world. 
 

We do not stick with just one line so we have enjoyed all of the different unique aspects that the different lines have the offer. We think it would be wonderful to be top-tier at any given line but much prefer the unique experience that each cruise line offers. Slides on RCL, high tea on HAL, the lawn and sauna areas on X - all of these things have been highlights that we wouldn’t trade. 

There are many other aspects we enjoy too but I think you get the point. We take crazy land-based vacations also that we will never be able to do once we are much older but not everything has to be “extreme”, sometimes we like for them just to be “nice”.

 

We currently have our first post-C cruise booked for May and am just now considering canceling it because of how much we have enjoyed every cruise we’ve ever taken in the past; we just don’t thank it will be enough of the same experience (even though it is to an entire new destinations/region that we’ve never been to before) and for the amount of money it costs us we are not sure if we will go through with it... We do not have unlimited resources and are held captive by our employers for sparse amounts of vacation time so the time that we do get to spend to us is very precious. 

 

In the end I think we all took what we had for granted. I hope one day it will again be what it once was, it meant a lot to us and we would love to have it back once more. 

 

Nicely said, and kind of supports what I'm trying to say.  While you are highly focused on destination for diving, the ship provides a lot of enjoyment beyond simply moving you from point A to B.   

 

I agree 1000% that we likely didn't properly appreciate the travel opportunities we had before all this mess.  

[lynncarol]

My husband and I really have enjoyed Hlitner’s responses. We also are senior citizens, fully vaccinated and still traveling (2021 we went independently to South Africa, Botswana and Italy plus a 6 day cruise in November out of Ft Lauderdale).  We joke our tombstones will read “We tried to warn them”. Yes, the Covid tests and mask requirements are not fun but on the flip side:  NO Crowds!  Our November cruise had 1115 passengers despite a capacity of 4300 passengers. No lines anywhere onboard at flowrider, virtual trampoline, bumper cars, theater etc. plus a very grateful and attentive crew. We loved it!

[ilikeanswers]

17 hours ago, donaldsc said:

I am not interested in trivia.  I am not interested in the movies that they show as I don't do movies on land.  I don't shop on board.  I don't play bingo.  I don't go to the spa.  On the sea days that I find basically boring, I usually sit and read unless there is a good lecture and most of the ship board lectures are where to shop or what places to visit.  The places that they say you should shop at are the ones that have paid to be mentioned in the shopping lectures.  I have already researched the places that I want to visit and have arranged to visit them on a private tour.

 

I think I am quite similar to you on this. Most ship activities have very little interest for me and I rarely use or partake in those facilities or activities. The only things I need are a comfy bed, decent water pressure and flavoursome food which doesn't need to be fancy and I would say every ship achieves those basics just fine. 

[navybankerteacher]

19 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

I am one of those who basically believe that a ship is just a big bus that gets me to places that I want to visit.  ...

When it comes to a number of lines, I am inclined to agree with you -- there are basic similarities between NCL and Greyhound, and between Carnival and Trailways. 

 

And, for my purposes, between Cunard and the Staten Island Ferry (both efficient ways to cross a body of water - be it the North Atlantic or New York's upper harbor) -- but with wider experience, you might recognize that some lines manage to make the time on the ship itself actually worth looking forward to --- with them, you get two for the price (admittedly not bargain basement) of one:  a superior travel experience -- in addition to getting  you to places you want to visit.

[ontheweb]

On 1/2/2022 at 4:38 PM, ontheweb said:

Just want to give everyone an update. EXTREMELY GOOD NEWS!

 

The doctor said his recovery is a miracle. They do not see people recover who had Covid this bad. It is why they are pushing the vaccine. 

 

He is being moved out of ICU  and will probably be going home soon, with oxygen.

 

Thank you to everyone for their will wishes and/or prayers.

 

Further update---he will be moved out of the hospital and into rehab once the paper work is done, hopefully tomorrow.👍😊

[ISLABONITA]

13 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Further update---he will be moved out of the hospital and into rehab once the paper work is done, hopefully tomorrow.👍😊

Good to hear, continued prayers for a great outcome.

 

[ontheweb]

12 minutes ago, ISLABONITA said:

Good to hear, continued prayers for a great outcome.

 

Thank you, I truly think all the prayers helped. And of course the vaccinations also helped greatly.

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

Further update---he will be moved out of the hospital and into rehab once the paper work is done, hopefully tomorrow.👍😊

Great news.

[SelectSys]

The increasing number of cancellations by the lines themselves say no.  With the Omicron wave sure to cause even more disruptions, I think now is a good time to wait it out.

 

That said, I was by the harbor in San Diego today and saw two ships in port.   One of the ships was the Insignia heading this evening to HI as the first major leg of its world cruise.  Good luck to all on board.  I am certain all the passengers will have extra stories to tell.

Edited January 10, 2022 by SelectSys

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

Thank you, I truly think all the prayers helped. And of course the vaccinations also helped greatly.

I usually do not pray for people but since I know your name it was easier to pray for your BIL.Good to hear the good news.

[cruisemom42]

22 hours ago, donaldsc said:

I am one of those who basically believe that a ship is just a big bus that gets me to places that I want to visit.  Of course I don't want a totally bad old ship with lousy food and nothing to do between places but given that most ships are basically comfortable etc., I really don't don't care about most of the ship board atmosphere. 

 

I am not interested in trivia.  I am not interested in the movies that they show as I don't do movies on land.  I don't shop on board.  I don't play bingo.  I don't go to the spa.  On the sea days that I find basically boring, I usually sit and read unless there is a good lecture and most of the ship board lectures are where to shop or what places to visit.  The places that they say you should shop at are the ones that have paid to be mentioned in the shopping lectures.  I have already researched the places that I want to visit and have arranged to visit them on a private tour.

 

So why do I cruise instead of fly.  The main reason is that a ship is an efficient and cost effective way of getting from point A to point B to point C to point D etc. 

 

While I think I'm about 95% reflected in the above, there is "something" I enjoy about cruising. I think it is the feeling of setting out on an adventure that you get when pulling away from the dock or pulling up anchor that is lost in most modern modes of travel. And I do like the occasional day on board ship to sit out, preferably on a nice, covered promenade deck, and watch the waves with a book in my lap.

 

I agree that cruising sometimes is an efficient way to visit several places in one trip, particularly if they are places where one doesn't want to spend a long time but merely to see a few key things. And traveling by night while sleeping and unpacking only once also have their appeal.

 

Shipboard life per se, however, isn't something I'm really interested in. I can't see myself doing a trans-Atlantic. Days on end on board ship would drive me out of my mind. I don't gamble or go to the spa or lie on a sunbed by the pool. Don't play bingo or go to art auctions and -- like you -- by the time I'm onboard the ship I likely know nearly as much about my destination(s) as your average cruise ship lecturer (enrichment lectures on Voyages to Antiquity and the like excluded).

 

I will say that on some smaller ships I have been more successful (as a solo) meeting others with similar interests, and it's pleasant to share a drink or a meal together. However on larger ships it seems more difficult to connect with other cruisers, making those trips not much different from a city stay on one's own. (But in a city there is often more to do during an average day than onboard ship...)

[donaldsc]

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

While I think I'm about 95% reflected in the above, there is "something" I enjoy about cruising. I think it is the feeling of setting out on an adventure that you get when pulling away from the dock or pulling up anchor that is lost in most modern modes of travel. And I do like the occasional day on board ship to sit out, preferably on a nice, covered promenade deck, and watch the waves with a book in my lap.

 

I agree that cruising sometimes is an efficient way to visit several places in one trip, particularly if they are places where one doesn't want to spend a long time but merely to see a few key things. And traveling by night while sleeping and unpacking only once also have their appeal.

 

Shipboard life per se, however, isn't something I'm really interested in. I can't see myself doing a trans-Atlantic. Days on end on board ship would drive me out of my mind. I don't gamble or go to the spa or lie on a sunbed by the pool. Don't play bingo or go to art auctions and -- like you -- by the time I'm onboard the ship I likely know nearly as much about my destination(s) as your average cruise ship lecturer (enrichment lectures on Voyages to Antiquity and the like excluded).

 

I will say that on some smaller ships I have been more successful (as a solo) meeting others with similar interests, and it's pleasant to share a drink or a meal together. However on larger ships it seems more difficult to connect with other cruisers, making those trips not much different from a city stay on one's own. (But in a city there is often more to do during an average day than onboard ship...)

 

That is the great thing about my hopefully 2 week B2B Star Clipper Greek Island cruise.  In 14 days, I think that we have 2 sea days.  One sea day at the beginning of each of the cruises.  Wonderful!!

 

DON

[KirkNC]

No

[slidergirl]

Some of you should try a train trip.  I did the Amtrak Coast Starlight a few years ago.  Seattle to Los Angeles.  Flew into Seattle and flew home from LA.  About 36 hours.  I had booked my own roomette so I was basically isolated.  I brought my own junk food and wine.  I did eat in the dining car (came with the roomette) and it was surprisingly decent.  The only thing to do was to sit and watch the world go by, listen to music on my headphones, and read.  One of the most relaxing trips I've had.   

Probably why I also enjoy those West Coast repo cruises - short, don't deal with the "entertainment", just relax, listen to music, and read.  By the 4th day I am ready to get home. I've never done games, watched movies, gone to shows - don't need them.