doesn't it surprise you when someone DOESN'T have a good time on a cruise?

[cruzobsessed]

as you can see from my name...... i live, eat and breathe cruising. either actually planning, doing or just reading about it on cruise critic. so, when my brother came back from his 1st cruise in 4 years (and the last one was on sovereign) and this one was on the ADVENTURE..... i was sad (for him because he didn't enjoy it) and surprised. his cheif complaints were.... that he never really relaxed because of the chair situation on sea days (somehow i can get past this), that you HAVE to be back on the boat by a certain time (cuts into time on the island) and he said he was very disappointed with the dining room food. what's funny is.....we usually eat in the windjammer and think that food is good!!! wheni asked him his impression of the ship....he said, 'YEAH IT'S HUGE" anyway...they came home on sunday the 26th if anyone else was on this cruise can you tell me your thoughts and how do you all feel about the subject?

p.s. they had spectacular weather all week...so why was he complaining?:rolleyes:

[estreetbandfan523]

you never know when bad service can stike, and that could be why they dont like it, but all the people i have known, even my dad who was not looking foward to the cruise fell in love and booked again

[pinkrosesdeb]

I am surprised when someone doesn't have a good time but everyone is different. We didn't enjoy our HAL cruise nearly as much as RCCL but I would NEVER say I had a bad time cruising...as long as I am onboard it's a good time. We have had friends who found cruising just isn't their style...go figure! More room for the rest of us.

[Jan_In_Maine]

I ran into a person the other day that went on a cruise and hated it. He said there was "nothing to do" and the ports were "scary" and he would never go on a cruise again. I can't imagine not finding anything to do and I love all the different ports. (he did say it was a carnival cruise).

[Jsme]

I think a bad cruise is better than no cruise. I do not understand when people can not make the most of a vacation. We have had some bad vacations but we try to make the most of them and find the silver lining. Like for instances in October our Cancun vacation was destroyed by Wilma so we had to go somewhere else. This vacation was like one of those Chevy Chase vacation movies but you know it will be one we always remember. We met some wonderful people on this vacation.

 

I am not going to flame someone for their diappointment either. They are entitled to feeling let down. I do not think anyone means to sound really negative about a disappointing vacation. I like to hope that they just want some words of wisdom and comfort from us all.

[cruzobsessed]

i hope that i didn't come off like i was flaming my brother because i'm not..... it's just that for the month leading up to the crise i was getting so excited for them and then while they were away i checked the weather at every port and imagined what they were doing. we will be on our first voyager class ship this june so i couldn't wait to hear all about the adventure.....so when he came home and said that he thinks his next vacation will be at an all inclusive....because you can sleep late and still get a beach chair...... i couldn't believe my ears. oh well... different strokes for different folks.

[Retired not Expired]

Doesn't surprise me. There are some people who shouldn't cruise.

 

There are others who go in with way too high of expectation based on what they have heard from others or from the idea of what cruising was in the old days.

 

There's also those who have only sailed one line and know no other line could possibly be as good. Then when they go on another line for some reason or another, they go with negative feelings that affects their experience.

[terri23]

tell your brother he may have to fight for a chair at the land-based AI, too!

[wraithe]

i hope that i didn't come off like i was flaming my brother because i'm not..... so when he came home and said that he thinks his next vacation will be at an all inclusive....because you can sleep late and still get a beach chair...... i couldn't believe my ears. oh well... different strokes for different folks.

 

Hmm, didn't come across as flaming at all, just curiosity, that's what it sounded like to me. I can't believe that he'd be that whacked out about a chair at the pool. Oh well, like you said, different strokes. I did the all inclusive thing for my honeymoon, and wasn't all that terribly impressed, to be honest. I got quite bored after a couple days, there just wasn't that much to do at the resort. On the other hand, after 9 days on Grandeur, one of the smaller RCL ships, I was only unhappy that I had to go home. I can barely wait until April and my second pleasure cruise.

Wraithe

[dizzy205]

We sailed with a big group 3 years ago, 11 people. 5 out of 11 never sailed before. The weather wasn't great----it was crappy! The Navigator was listing-- that tells you right there that there were big waves. anyway we all made the best of it, hey, you are on vacation, the hot tubs are covered! Only one couple was unhappy. You could tell on their faces....and then on a partial sunny day, the feamale part of the couple said sarcasticly, "thank you for introducing us to the wonderful world of cruising"--of course I said smiling

"your welcome" You can't please everyone. and nothing pleased them. I know that they like this all inclusive place in mexico, which I later found out was REALLY cheap, in every way, so cruising may have been to expensive for them -- who knows!

[erisajd]

once you are done with the seapass cost and the cruise and airfare and the junque - personally, I could spend 2 weeks on Maui in a private home with a pool for what it costs me to spend a week on a cruise with my spouse and child.

 

Then I do what I want WHEN I want, come and go as I please, swim when I want without thousands of strangers competing for lounge chairs, get a drink when I want without having to tip someone, go to any restaurant I want and have the cuisine that sounds good that day, eat when I want and pick my activities and generally pay for what I use.

 

Now, cruising is fine for those folks who enjoy spending time with the colds and other viruses of 2000 strangers, and I can see it is probably impossible not to get sick after a winter cruise, given the germs floating around. You also have the stress of getting there, of the continuing issue of people pressing you to spend spend spend, buy buy buy and then the hassle of pushy vendors and tour operators ashore - while on my described vacation no one is pressing you to actually do anything. That and having most of the other 2000 persons with you stopping in front of you in doorways and on staircases to chat with their friends, paying absolutely no attention to the fact that perhaps - they are not the only people in the world and that just perhaps they might be in someone else's way.

 

Then you have to pack for cruise imposed formal events, which can be nice but is still a hassle, then there are the 'smart casual' which is a true pain since you need to pack and schlep even more. While on a hawaiian vacation a couple of tshirts and bathing suits makes you good for the entire 2 weeks. That and you have a washing machine in your rented house and do not NEED to pack so much since you can clean it without being gouged once again by the cruise line.

 

So, as you can see, cruising is not for everyone , it is not an economical or even a significantly relaxing vacation. I HATE being shoved off the boat early in the morning and that will NOT change until they deal with the issue of people on the next cruise wanting to get on at 10am. . . .and letting them.

[Texas_Diver]

I'm like the OP in that I don't understand it when people DON'T have a good time on a cruise.

 

After all, what's NOT to like? You're on vacation...someone is cleaning up after you and cooking your meals....plus you are going to new, cool places!

 

D.

[PortugueseLady]

Each to their own, truly....

 

I just think there are some people who go with the intentions of having a great time (expecting little glitches) but still going to have a good time and there are those who just are the type to pick at everything.....

[pinkrosesdeb]

just curious erisajd. if you hate it so much why are you responding to a cruise website?

[Disneycruisers]

i hope that i didn't come off like i was flaming my brother because i'm not..... it's just that for the month leading up to the crise i was getting so excited for them and then while they were away i checked the weather at every port and imagined what they were doing. we will be on our first voyager class ship this june so i couldn't wait to hear all about the adventure.....so when he came home and said that he thinks his next vacation will be at an all inclusive....because you can sleep late and still get a beach chair...... i couldn't believe my ears. oh well... different strokes for different folks.

 

Didn't sound as if you were flaming your brother, not at all. I laughed, because my DB and DSIL went on a Med cruise (or European, I can't remember?) for 10 days and he came back with an 'indifferent' attitude. I had to pull my DH kicking and screaming to our first cruise, (first time for both of us) and he booked another less than 24 hours later while onboard! LOL! We were hooked. I later realized that DB and DSIL were amongst the youngest on HAL, and the were 47 or 48 at the time. A majority of the cruisers were retirees, seniors. Nothing wrong with that, (please, no flames) but I think they might have enjoyed it more had they done an Eastern or Western caribbean, with a middle-aged crowd. My brother also doesn't like 'confinement' if that's the right word? They had many sea days, and he's a land person. (Though he LOVES Hawaii!)

[luckyprincess]

just curious erisajd. if you hate it so much why are you responding to a cruise website?

 

I was wondering that too! I know Erisajd wrote a thourough review about his cruise but wasn't very happy with it, if I recall correctly. But i's funny, all the things you described about being great for what you would like would bore me to tears! First of all, I will not be doing laundry on my vacation! No way, no how! :D You couldn't pay me enough. Next, not interacting with people to me is boring as well. Yes, my so and I get plenty of private time together, but I enjoy people, too. Also, eat, drink, swim, lay around all day in the same spot in the same state in the same country....again, boring to me! I want to get in some ATV's on St. Maarten, parasail in St. Thomas, horseback riding on the beach, climb ruins, snorkel in the Caribbean....you get the point. I'm just not a lay back on a chair by a pool kind of girl on vacation, I guess. So it's a great thing that there are so many different choices in this world. We should just all be grateful that we have the opportunity to travel, I suppose. But for me - cruising is defintly the best vacation yet!

Melody

[pinkrosesdeb]

Didn't sound like you were flaming just puzzled! I get puzzled that way too when someone hates their cruise. But my cousin and his wife did a Carnival cruise (in an inside cabin and he has panic attacks) the cheapest way they could. Don't know if it would have made a difference though. He just said he figures they aren't cruise people!

[kelly in md]

I can see where he is coming from. Don't get me wrong, I've been on 2 cruises and am doing another in April, I do have fun. But, I wouldn't say it's not an overly relaxing vacaion. It sure would be nice to sleep in AND get a pool chair! Also, while I like the food in the dining room better, I'm not overly fond of the formality of it (I DO dress appropriately though). I think it's just a matter of personal preference. A nice AI land resort will probably be my next "big" vacation, but I'm sure I will cruise again. It is a great vacation, just not the only way to go (my opinion, of course).

 

I'd like to add that I am very thankful to all of the cruisers here who do "live, eat, and breathe" cruising. My experience on Granduer last year was wonderful and I know that a lot of that can be attributed to what I learned from the great people here. :)

 

Kelly

[twoguyscruising]

I want to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE cruising (on a ship).LOL... There are small problems now and then and you can roll with punches or let them spoil your trip. Cruising can be the perfect vacation to relax and slow down from the extremely fast paced life. Think about it.. you don't have to do anything and you get full service dining 3 times a day. Depending on the room it can be a budget vacation or lavish one. I have sailed in suites and inside cabins but it is always the ability to be away from a phone and the many decisions that I have to make in a regular day.

 

About complaints: I think complaints are needed and should be voiced. In any business if there is problem and they aren't told about it they won't fix it. As for those who let it ruin their cruise and think cruising sucks or hate the food on every cruise and only complain. Well, maybe they should stop cruising. Why because im not on there to here bad new sad news mad news... Its a vacation so enjoy it "Breathe"!! Just think about the 4.5 billion people on this earth who can't even dream of having vacation.

[pinkrosesdeb]

Kelly, I get what you are saying. Nothing is ever 100% perfect but for us cruising comes closer than anything else. We are doing a "land cruise" to Gatlinburg in a couple of wks. and it is going to cost us more than if we had done a cruise. We are staying in a nice hotel etc so it adds up but we are also DRIVING from place to place. Not exactly relaxing but we will choose what we want to see. So, while I enjoy seeing the states very much I love the ease of a cruise. Everything comes to me!

[erisajd]

my reason is that I just got back from Legend in the RS and was underwhelmed with the experience - had a blog called "Live from the RS" - go read it if you want. I saw this topic and wanted to give me opinion - if you love crusing - GREAT!! Everybody needs to find a vacation style which suits them and their family.

 

This was cruise # 3 - 1st being on HAL for a solar eclipse in the caribbean in 1998 [only way to see it) with a 4 yr old [that was not relaxing at all], 2nd being a 4 night on Disney in 2001 which was OK but nothing special, and 3 was a week on aforementioned Legend.

 

#4 will be Alaska (since that is really the only way to do Alaska and that will be on small luxury ship and since it's Alaska no one is gonna want a lounge chair!) and then I'm done with cruises. Both my wife and I agree - it is not our cup of tea.

[Homeschoolmom69]

Two years ago when we were all excited planning our first cruise on the Enchantment, my brother had said that he didn't think that he would enjoy going on a cruise. He said he was afraid he would feel "confined" on the ship. I think that if he ever went on one though, he would change his mind....

[ChuckyMoe]

I like the best of both worlds. Our children are young adults so we are past supporting them and can take a little time for ourselves now. We take a cruise every January - this past one there were 11 of us. We have a great time. I always say that things may not go exactly as planned but every holiday is an adventure and if you don't want an adventure, then I'm sorry for your luck. In October or November of every year, I go on a "girl's only" all-inclusive to an caribbean island. And it is a blast as well. My husband does his thing by going to South Carolina on a week's golfing vacation with the guys and that is his thing. I just like to be waited on and pampered whether it is a cruise or all-inclusive (although I'm kind of partial to the cruising).

 

By looking at some reviews of the same cruises I have been on, I tend to think that some people go into vacations with the wrong attitude. THye have complained about numerous things in their cruises and I have found none of the problems that they have. Some people are just happy to vacation and stay at home and that's OK for them, just not for me.

[erisajd]

Hey Twoguys - your quote about 'small problems' makes my point exactly. If I control my vacation then I have NO small problems to roll with punches on. I'm not relying on anyone else to make my vacation what I want it to be . ..

[pinkrosesdeb]

sorry it wasn't for you but hope you enjoy your alaska trip. Our girls went with my folks before my dad died. It was one of their favorite memories. We haven't done Alaska yet but hope to soon. My girls said it is absolutely beautiful. Oldest dd just came back from Hawaii and loved it as well. Enjoy your trips which ever way you go. Deb