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

[mercedesmom2002]

Nliedel:

 

Where do you go camping?

 

We camp from April-Oct. at a Campground outside Jackson called ********* Acres. Only about 45 minutes from Ann Arbor. Great campground (in our opinion) for kids. Have you ever been there? They have a 9 hole golf course (play free), a minature golf course (bring your own ball and club), a swimming pool, a lake to swim/boat/fish in, basketball, a recreation center for the kids, lots of playgrounds, as well as on weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day Double Decker London Bus rides, Firetruck rides, Merry Go Round rides, minature train rides and a tram to take you all over the park. They have fireworks on 4th of July and dances at least 2 times per month. Have arts and crafts every Sat. for the kids. Always lots of activities like Christmas in July and Halloween in August. We raise money for the American Cancer Society. Last year we raised over $18,000!

 

Great park. Go on their website and check it out. If you see the pictures of the Red Hat Society ladies that's me in the middle with the pink shirt and the hat that says PMS on it.

 

If you're interested in coming to stay or visit, e-mail me at mercedesmom2002@yahoo.com and we'll sponsor you so it's cheaper rates for you. We have a 14 yr. old DD and an 18 yr. old DD with a 10 month old DGD.

 

Hope to hear from you.

 

Sue

[cruzobsessed]

ELLELUV...... you captured the sentiments exactly. before they left i sent them many (i'm sure i got annoying) e-mails with "advice". i know that they don't visit cruis critic or live here the way i do so i thought that i'd impart some of my "knowledge based on experience". so i was definitely emotionally invested n this cruise (boy do i sound sick and needy!!!!). but this is me......i don't know any of you and i get excited when i read someone is going and then love reading all the reviews. so imagine.....this was my brother!!! anyway....they are looking at all inclusives for their next vacation. to each his own.

[Happy ks]

OK, I only read the first page, I don't have time for the whole thing, so I will only respond to the OP.

 

Answer, you cannot tell anyone how to feel, their feelings are their own. I love many different kinds of vacations, but I absolutely hate Las Vegas or camping, two things that millions of people love. So, I accept that not everyone will love cruising, it's just not for everyone.

[cchevela]

I agree with your last statement. I think that not everyone will enjoy cruising. What I am suprised about is that it is his 2nd cruise, so they should have had some sort of expectations. But -- people's opinions change over the course of time. Not much you can do about it.

[vacationhappy]

We love cruising and each one of our cruises has been very different from the other. I still think that if you want to see alot of places in a short period of time (like a Med cruise, Alaska, or the Hawaiian Islands), a cruise is definitely the best value. It is like a floating hotel that takes you places eliminating the hassle and expense of getting from place to place. The trade-off is that you are on a schedule. We did a a 12-day Med cruise last August with 3-nights pre-cruise in Rome and 2-nights post-cruise in Venice. Compared to taking a land trip that visited half the places, the cruise was relatively (key word here!) inexpensive. For a family of four, the land trip would have cost us at least 50% more to see similar sites with transportation, food, and hotel accomodations - we would not have been able to afford that trip. So for us, the European vacation of our dreams would not have been possible if we didn't take a cruise. The trade-off was worth it. The on-board experience was good but it was not the same as as a Caribbean vacation - it was more low-key (people were tired after long touring days).

 

I can definitely understand why people who are expecting a low-key beach vacation would not love a cruise...a Caribbean cruise can be as relaxing or as activity-filled as you want it. We are an active family and after two days sitting on a beach my fair skinned family would go crazy and could not handle the sun - they would prefer a half day with something else like shopping thrown it. But for others, spending 10 hours on an isolated beach is relaxing and fun. That is what you don't get on a cruise - the long, lazy beach days where you can just hang out until the sun sets. It is harder (but not impossible) on a cruise to just "check-out".

 

We have taken a number of sightseeing vacations over the last several years and this year my family wants a break from seeing the world (poor things ;-). At our annual family vacation meeting we discussed renting a house at the beach or a lake but in the end we decided on taking a south Caribbean cruise. It is easy and flexible for all of us - especially me. We are just going to stop at a different beach every day, do a little shopping, and maybe (just maybe) do a short excusion or two (maybe see a volcano, monkeys, or swim with turtles). I don't have to find restaurants or plan for food. I can assign each person to plan a day - bathing suits and casual cloths - a dress or two. This time, the ship is the detination.

 

So, I think that when people talk about cruising they need to clarify what type of cruising - are you going to use the ship as a floating hotel that takes you places or is it the destination?