Do you feel cruising right now is worth it?!

[SelectSys]

15 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

here 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

I have a similar feeling at the start of a cruise. Not so much leaving each and every port, but certainly at the start when first coming on board and leaving the pier to start a new trip.

 

15 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I agree that cruising sometimes is an efficient way to visit several places in one trip

Not just efficient, but comfortable as well.

 

15 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Shipboard life per se, however, isn't something I'm really interested in. I can't see myself doing a trans-Atlantic.

Personally, I really like the rhythm that sets in on repeated sea days.  I just find it very relaxing and enjoyable.  

 

1 hour ago, slidergirl said:

did the Amtrak Coast Starlight a few years ago.  Seattle to Los Angeles...  About 36 hours.  I had booked my own roomette so I was basically isolated... 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

I am glad you found it enjoyable.  For me, a long train journey seems a bit too cramped although I have never tried it.  The idea of an overnight train seems appealing as part of a land trip as it solves two problems - sleep and transportation - efficiently.

[pc_load_letter]

No. Not as long as I have to wear a mask and onboard entertainment may be effected.

 

I could care less about missed ports or covid testing.  But after sitting around eating and drinking all day, the wife and I generally take in a show, comedy, whatever may be offered. If all of that is canceled, then, meh, I can wait.

[SPacificbound]

It's not to me.

[iancal]

No. 

 

Besides not really knowing what the product will be when we board, we are not anxious to end up isolating in our cabin or in some shore hotel motel because of a positive covid test.   

[Mary229]

Yes, but I think choosing mid April 2022 and transatlantic to the Med is a good choice.  I would not be sailing to South America now, Asia is closed for true exploration and the islands do have difficulty.  Islands, historically, have a great deal of difficulty with infectious diseases.   I have traveled by land for much of 2020 and 2021 with no difficulty but that experience has also given me the realization that travel will be a Covid era experience.   That is the era I live in so that is how I will travel.   I am fully aware of my own health status and financial capabilities, if I felt either condition was not adequate I would not travel 

[navybankerteacher]

On 1/10/2022 at 3:01 PM, SelectSys said:

..

I am glad you found it enjoyable.  For me, a long train journey seems a bit too cramped although I have never tried it.  The idea of an overnight train seems appealing as part of a land trip as it solves two problems - sleep and transportation - efficiently.

It is very efficient - doing your travel while also getting your sleep - often getting you to where you want to be very early in the day. Sadly, there are few very good routes - Boston to Washington, DC is a great example of a good one.

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

It is very efficient - doing your travel while also getting your sleep - often getting you to where you want to be very early in the day. Sadly, there are few very good routes - Boston to Washington, DC is a great example of a good one.

 

Rather like cruising, you travel while sleeping -- in theory. 

 

In practice, I've done two sleeper trains. Once from Frankfurt to Paris and once from Lisbon to Madrid. I did not sleep well either time and more or less ended up tired and less than "present" the next day, rather like a night-time trans-Atlantic flight.

 

[navybankerteacher]

8 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Rather like cruising, you travel while sleeping -- in theory. 

 

In practice, I've done two sleeper trains. Once from Frankfurt to Paris and once from Lisbon to Madrid. I did not sleep well either time and more or less ended up tired and less than "present" the next day, rather like a night-time trans-Atlantic flight.

 

I think it largely depends upon the quality of the equipment.  In the 1990’s I frequently took Amtrak’s Executive Sleeper - which you could board in New York any time after 10:00 PM and go to sleep (the train actually pulled out sometime after midnight and arrived in Washington DC by 5:00 or 6:00) and get off the train at about 8:00 AM.  Because they still had the old sleeping cars, the berths were comfortable, you could get a good night’s sleep after a full day in New York followed by a full day in DC — reversing the process for the return trip.  
 

We now use Amtrak’s Autotrain to get to Florida with loaded car — the berths in the new equipment just are not as comfortable — but it is still an efficient way to travel.

[Joebucks]

After having physically just gotten back from a cruise, I am SO glad I went. The constant mask wearing was for the birds. Still, we had an absolutely fantastic time.

[ISLABONITA]

39 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

After having physically just gotten back from a cruise, I am SO glad I went. The constant mask wearing was for the birds. Still, we had an absolutely fantastic time.

Which ship and cruise?

 

[slidergirl]

15 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Rather like cruising, you travel while sleeping -- in theory. 

 

In practice, I've done two sleeper trains. Once from Frankfurt to Paris and once from Lisbon to Madrid. I did not sleep well either time and more or less ended up tired and less than "present" the next day, rather like a night-time trans-Atlantic flight.

 

My Seattle to Los Angeles train was actually excellent.  I expected a rough sleep, but it was not that bad in the roomette.  It was the scenery that made it worthwhile.  

I did Paris to Munich on the train, but not the sleeper.  Wouldn't have mattered since I was recovering from the flu that I caught in Paris.  

I'm trying to figure out if I want to take the train from Marseille to Bologna - 11 hrs vs at least 5.5 hours with air and a long connection time somewhere.   Or, I could drive 8 hours...

 

There is NO WAY certain factions in the US would have allowed a seal or something on that Vax card - hard enough to get people to show the existing card at places where they legally ask for it.   I went to a concert back in October at a venue which required proof.  Saw a few people grip about their "freedoms" and forfeiting an expensive ticket to the concert because they either weren't vax'd or didn't want to show the card... pathetic IMHO

[Ashley321]

We are going to be basing ourselves out of Florida for the next few months and go  on some last minute cruise deals.  If we get a positive test just before getting on the ship,... well.  we  will already be in Florida and will just wait until we recover and try again. So it will financially be worth it and there are great chances of getting upgrades right now too.  Plus , at this moment, there are less passengers so it will make for a more enjoyable cruise too. So personally, for us, it is a very good time to cruise 🙂

[Joebucks]

On 1/17/2022 at 12:25 PM, ISLABONITA said:

Which ship and cruise?

 

 

Carnival Panorama. 7 day balcony for $880.

[ISLABONITA]

10 hours ago, Ashley321 said:

We are going to be basing ourselves out of Florida for the next few months and go  on some last minute cruise deals.  If we get a positive test just before getting on the ship,... well.  we  will already be in Florida and will just wait until we recover and try again. So it will financially be worth it and there are great chances of getting upgrades right now too.  Plus , at this moment, there are less passengers so it will make for a more enjoyable cruise too. So personally, for us, it is a very good time to cruise 🙂

For me its not about a cruise deal but my health, actually enjoying the cruise, being tested frequently if traveling internationally and stopping at ports on the itinerary, ship entertainment and freedom to roam.

[herbanrenewal]

Since September I've done land-based trips to Budapest, Amsterdam and Lisbon. I've cruised the Danube and Rhine, and a TA from Rome To Miami, using up vouchers from 2019 and 2020.

At every location requirements for entry and exit of borders caused constant attention to stay able to continue travel. I wore a n95 mask whenever indoors, and chose dining where social distancing was possible. While there were definitely limitations and added efforts to stay safe and healthy I would not have missed the opportunities to travel.

I'm at a point in my life that delaying things for years doesn't make sense. I will continue to live my life doing what I love. Instead of fighting restrictions I embrace the opportunity to see more of the world.

[chipmaster]

On 12/28/2021 at 11:25 AM, bthomas67wagon said:

Do you feel cruising right now is worth it?!

 

With ships returning home early or ports turning away ships (ie. Curacao, Aruba, and Bonaire ), do you think going on a cruise now or in the next 2 months is worth the chance of disappointment or stress of not being able to "enjoy" going out on a cruise.

 

 

 

Having just cruised with my family, I'd say yes and no.

 

The good:  Pricing and crowds couldn't be lower.  The Disney Dream sailed with probably 1300 passengers and there were no crowds anywhere, nor in port.     Service and seating for shows, pool, etc. couldn't have been better.

 

The Bad:   We caught COVID someplace between Orlando and on the Ship, likely just before we got on.   BTW we tested negative the night before, also negative on embarkation, but started feeling not so hot  ( cold like ) day of disembarkation, and tested positive after we landed on the west coast.

 

Given the crowds, poor mask discipline, and sometimes unavoidable situations like eating, pools, waiting in line for Aqua Duck sans mask,  and such, this was a natural expectation, you'll get it for sure if you expose yourself enough.    This isn't a pandemic anymore in most of the Western world and can be considered an endemic problem, a terrible flu situation and natural selection working it's way to the high risk, and in a few years they will all be natural selected out as with how all things in biology work.  

 

Worth it, yeah, we are health and fit, so we are already on the recovery after two days.  A light cold, and yes we are vaccinated and boosted ( boosted about 4 weeks ago), me Az double shot from Taiwan.  Of course statistically we could have been vaccinated, healthy, young and had a different result as well.   

Edited January 23, 2022 by chipmaster

[JohYo]

On 1/9/2022 at 12:11 AM, 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

Hello Don

Because you like driving, I think you would love touring Italy that way (by automobile). They tail- gate, speed and are very impatient drivers but you'll get use to it in a couple days as long as you stay aggressive in your driving to 'fit in' 😉

We spent a few weeks driving from north to south and staying at fantastic AirBNBs. Because you've probably seen the larger cities like Rome, Venice etc., on past cruises, the Italian experience in small towns and countryside will be thoroughly enjoyable to you both. A much easier pace that you control and the Italian people are wonderfully kind and accommodating. Their food is simply prepared and delicious in so many ways! Do your research and go there. It's the only country in the world that my wife said she would love to tour again by car.

Cheers,

Johnny

[navybankerteacher]

5 hours ago, JohYo said:

Hello Don

Because you like driving, I think you would love touring Italy that way (by automobile). They tail- gate, speed and are very impatient drivers but you'll get use to it in a couple days as long as you stay aggressive in your driving to 'fit in' 😉

We spent a few weeks driving from north to south and staying at fantastic AirBNBs. Because you've probably seen the larger cities like Rome, Venice etc., on past cruises, the Italian experience in small towns and countryside will be thoroughly enjoyable to you both. A much easier pace that you control and the Italian people are wonderfully kind and accommodating. Their food is simply prepared and delicious in so many ways! Do your research and go there. It's the only country in the world that my wife said she would love to tour again by car.

Cheers,

Johnny

Agreed — driving around Italy is the best way to see the country - but you need to plan the itinerary to avoid the larger cities - Rome, Naples, Milan, Taranto, Messina and Palermo, etc. are best approached by train - while Campania, Umbria, Tuscany etc. - and their marvelous smaller towns are definitely best handled by car.

[Hlitner]

Am enjoying the last few posts about driving.  No secret on CC but we have long opined on the benefits of extended driving trips in Europe and have been doing it for a few decades.  Although I do not keep actual statistics we have probably driven more miles (at least 10,000) within Italy from the Italian/Swiss/French borders to Sicily.  I love driving in Italy (DW thinks I am crazy) where the drivers are nutz but quite safe.  I do agree with Navybankerteacher that it is not generally wise to drive in the major cities (especially Rome).  In fact, in many of these cities you must deal with ZTLs (limited driving zones) which can get you a nasty fine for driving into one of the restricted zones.  But as much as we do enjoy the major cities of Italy, most of the country is outside those cities and wonderful to explore.   Cruisers (and we do plenty of cruising) do not ever see much of the best this country has to offer.  Even in the main cities (often visited by cruisers for a port day or perhaps 1-2 nights) most cruisers have never really explored the wonders of Italian cuisine.  As an example, we enjoy a small Florence restaurant that specializes in the use of truffles (both black and white) in nearly every dish.  But this place is not open for lunch so can never be experienced by a cruiser who only goes to Florence on a short port day.  And there are parts of Italy (such as the Marche) that are never visited by cruisers and will never be part of an excursion because they are simply too far from the nearest port.

 

So, for folks that really want to discover Italy (or just about any other country) you might want to consider an extended driving trip either pre or post cruise.  Mixing land travel with cruise travel is our idea of a near perfect trip.

 

Hank