Unconventional cruises

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, shorne said:

 

I did it reluctantly, and only because of the itinerary. As I said at the start of that first message, I don't like cruises in general, which is not to say that there may not be specific ones that I could enjoy (finding them being the purpose of this discussion). Ordinarily I would travel in a different way. In this case, visiting the coast of Norway and many parts of Iceland is most easily done by sea, so I looked into cruises until I found one with a good itinerary.

 

Also, although I wouldn't ordinarily spend the money, I shelled out for a room with a balcony, and even one of the better ones, because I thought that I might well end up spending a lot of time alone and that I might as well have a comfortable place for that. Indeed, having had no vacation at all for seven years (and possibly being the only one on this Web site who can claim that), I wasn't up to my usual style of travel, which involves a lot of busy moving around and making arrangements on my own; I wanted the chance to spend some time just relaxing, even if that means just sitting around with a book, or even just sleeping. I thought that a cruise might serve well for that purpose, as long as I could find some tranquillity.

 

As has been pointed out, this one will probably have no children, or very few. Probably most of the people will be of my age or older. So there's some compatibility there.

 

 

 

Thanks.  It is a nice itinerary.  Enjoy.  

[cruisemom42]

Almost all of the things you described on your first post could apply to me. Including being a solo traveler.

 

I’ve been successfully cruising for 50 years (started as a child). 
 

Cruising is just one form of travel among many. Unlike you, there are things about being at sea that I genuinely like. Watching the ever changing seas and skies being one. And if you look at cruising as an ongoing exploration, you can see the bigger picture - for example, I’m on a 28 day cruise right now that circumnavigates all of the major Japanese islands during cherry blossom season. It is a perfect complement to two previous land trips to Japan that took me to the biggies - Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima - by getting me to some beautiful but lesser known coastal cities and places of natural beauty. Could I spend more time in each? Sure. But it gives an unparalleled picture of Japan at this particular time of year. The logistics of arranging such a tour as a land trip would be daunting (and expensive). For the record, I’m on a mass market ship.

 

Flexibility of thought and attitude will add so much to your travel experiences. Don’t like casinos? Don’t go in them. As already mentioned, longer cruises have few kids. Choose wisely. Like local food? Eat lunches ashore. Bring a Kindle for reading. I’m on a ship with a library right now and 99% of the books have no appeal for me. Luckily I have hundreds of options at my fingertips including Samurai history, Japanese folktales about cherry blossoms and more.

 

it sounds like you think longer cruises on mass market lines are the same as the one week Caribbean pleasure cruises. Most are very different animals. I’ve cruised on lines from 300 to 3,000 passengers and have enjoyed them all.

 

 

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

I’ve cruised on lines from 300 to 3,000 passengers and have enjoyed them all.

I first want to say that I enjoyed your post above and related to a lot of it.  The little slice above I have a story about... Since the restart, I've cruised on ships with 300 passengers (the first one) to 3000 passengers (the last one), all on mainstream lines, and have enjoyed them all for what they provided.

 

Enjoy your cruise around Japan!  Don't worry about us.

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

Almost all of the things you described on your first post could apply to me. Including being a solo traveler.

 

I’ve been successfully cruising for 50 years (started as a child). 
 

Cruising is just one form of travel among many. Unlike you, there are things about being at sea that I genuinely like. Watching the ever changing seas and skies being one. And if you look at cruising as an ongoing exploration, you can see the bigger picture - for example, I’m on a 28 day cruise right now that circumnavigates all of the major Japanese islands during cherry blossom season. It is a perfect complement to two previous land trips to Japan that took me to the biggies - Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima - by getting me to some beautiful but lesser known coastal cities and places of natural beauty. Could I spend more time in each? Sure. But it gives an unparalleled picture of Japan at this particular time of year. The logistics of arranging such a tour as a land trip would be daunting (and expensive). For the record, I’m on a mass market ship.

 

Flexibility of thought and attitude will add so much to your travel experiences. Don’t like casinos? Don’t go in them. As already mentioned, longer cruises have few kids. Choose wisely. Like local food? Eat lunches ashore. Bring a Kindle for reading. I’m on a ship with a library right now and 99% of the books have no appeal for me. Luckily I have hundreds of options at my fingertips including Samurai history, Japanese folktales about cherry blossoms and more.

 

it sounds like you think longer cruises on mass market lines are the same as the one week Caribbean pleasure cruises. Most are very different animals. I’ve cruised on lines from 300 to 3,000 passengers and have enjoyed them all.

 

 

 

CruiseMom42.  Some time ago you shared a link for a guy who provided a lot of information on train travel in Europe.  I lost the bookmark and cannot locate that post.  Would you mind posting it again?  Many thanks. 

Sorry everyone for this detour.  

[cruisemom42]

8 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

CruiseMom42.  Some time ago you shared a link for a guy who provided a lot of information on train travel in Europe.  I lost the bookmark and cannot locate that post.  Would you mind posting it again?  Many thanks. 

Sorry everyone for this detour.  

Not sure if I remember the particular interaction you mention, but maybe I was recommending seat61.com ?  It’s a go- to site for European train travel.

[ldubs]

10 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Not sure if I remember the particular interaction you mention, but maybe I was recommending seat61.com ?  It’s a go- to site for European train travel.

 

That is exactly the one.  Thank you so much!

 

 

[shorne]

17 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Cruising is just one form of travel among many. Unlike you, there are things about being at sea that I genuinely like. Watching the ever changing seas and skies being one. And if you look at cruising as an ongoing exploration, you can see the bigger picture - for example, I’m on a 28 day cruise right now that circumnavigates all of the major Japanese islands during cherry blossom season. It is a perfect complement to two previous land trips to Japan that took me to the biggies - Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima - by getting me to some beautiful but lesser known coastal cities and places of natural beauty. Could I spend more time in each? Sure. But it gives an unparalleled picture of Japan at this particular time of year. The logistics of arranging such a tour as a land trip would be daunting (and expensive). For the record, I’m on a mass market ship.

 

Flexibility of thought and attitude will add so much to your travel experiences. Don’t like casinos? Don’t go in them. As already mentioned, longer cruises have few kids. Choose wisely. Like local food? Eat lunches ashore. Bring a Kindle for reading. I’m on a ship with a library right now and 99% of the books have no appeal for me. Luckily I have hundreds of options at my fingertips including Samurai history, Japanese folktales about cherry blossoms and more.

 

 

Thanks for those thoughts. I hope that you enjoy your time in Japan. The cherry blossoms are indeed lovely, while they last.

 

Watching the ever-changing sea is actually one of the appealing aspects of this upcoming cruise of mine, which will include a big block up front with only one port in ten days. Perhaps a lot of people will find that miserable. I can look out at the sea for a bit, read, look out at the sea some more, and rest without feeling a bit put out.

 

And it's true that some destinations lend themselves better to travelling by cruise. Your trip to Japan will work because it is more natural than cultural. For getting to know Japan as a society, stopping for a few hours in each of a bunch of coastal towns would not be ideal. Similarly, this trip of mine to Iceland and Norway is mostly about natural beauty, though that won't stop me from seeking as much of a cultural experience as I can within the very limited framework. Usually when I travel, I want to spend more time in different places; that just can't be done by cruise. But when fjords and islands are the principal attractions, a cruise may show to best advantage.

 

I'm already lugging a few heavy books, but I am going to have to look into one of those electronic gizmos as a substitute.

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, shorne said:

 

Thanks for those thoughts. I hope that you enjoy your time in Japan. The cherry blossoms are indeed lovely, while they last.

 

Watching the ever-changing sea is actually one of the appealing aspects of this upcoming cruise of mine, which will include a big block up front with only one port in ten days. Perhaps a lot of people will find that miserable. I can look out at the sea for a bit, read, look out at the sea some more, and rest without feeling a bit put out.

 

And it's true that some destinations lend themselves better to travelling by cruise. Your trip to Japan will work because it is more natural than cultural. For getting to know Japan as a society, stopping for a few hours in each of a bunch of coastal towns would not be ideal. Similarly, this trip of mine to Iceland and Norway is mostly about natural beauty, though that won't stop me from seeking as much of a cultural experience as I can within the very limited framework. Usually when I travel, I want to spend more time in different places; that just can't be done by cruise. But when fjords and islands are the principal attractions, a cruise may show to best advantage.

 

I'm already lugging a few heavy books, but I am going to have to look into one of those electronic gizmos as a substitute.

Thinking that one can understand the culture of a place like Japan, even in a month or several, is a bit of a stretch.

 

I am of the school that a lifetime of travel, with repeat visits to many places that speak to me, is the best plan. I visit a place, come home and read/study more about it, then return and see with new eyes and new understanding.

 

As an example, I fell in love with Rome (Italian culture, language, history, food). I’ve visited about once a year since then and have also spent the last seven years studying and learning Italian with the goal of spending 3 months or so a year in Italy once I retire.

 

That doesn’t mean that I don’t find my annual Med cruise any less enjoyable - or educational.

[shorne]

Well, of course one cannot understand the culture in great depth within a short time. One can only do so much. It would be worse than presumptuous to fancy oneself an expert after a brief visit.

 

But I maximise the experience by travelling around on my own, taking part in the society as much as I can, using the language (I can easily read the inscriptions on that pillar in your picture, including the ones on the side, even though my entire experience in Japan is a four-day trip more than twenty years ago), doing my best to interact with people on their terms. A cruise that stops in some port for seven or eight hours and moves on is not conducive to that approach.

 

[happy cruzer]

Very interesting viewpoint of cruising for travel vs. vacationing.  You mention all the things that you don't like about mass market cruises.  There is one you missed, the travel snob. 

 

We did a 20 night cruise to Midway Island on Princess.  There was fellow at lunch one day at a larger table of randomly assigned cruisers in the main dining room that spent a great deal of time enumerating the reasons he did not like cruising and would never do another one. Quite the downer.  Most of his points were similar to your first post and known by most frequent cruisers.

 

If you go on the cruise, hopefully you will meet others on the cruise that are making lemonade of lemons.  They have picked their best option either because of finances or physical abilities.  They are fully aware of most of the problematic issues of sharing a travel option with maybe a 1000 others that have various interests.  They are willing to be tolerant and enjoy the good parts.

 

I hope you have a good travel experience but it still is a cruise 🙂  with a lot of people on vacation.

[shorne]

5 hours ago, happy cruzer said:

There was fellow at lunch one day at a larger table of randomly assigned cruisers in the main dining room that spent a great deal of time enumerating the reasons he did not like cruising and would never do another one.

 

Spoiling others' fun is not the thing to do; nor is monopolising the conversation at dinner. Pity that you got stuck with that person.

 

5 hours ago, happy cruzer said:

If you go on the cruise, hopefully you will meet others on the cruise that are making lemonade of lemons.

 

If so, great; if not, I can keep to myself.

[ldubs]

On 4/22/2023 at 6:47 PM, happy cruzer said:

There is one you missed, the travel snob. 

 

We did a 20 night cruise to Midway Island on Princess.  There was fellow at lunch one day at a larger table of randomly assigned cruisers in the main dining room that spent a great deal of time enumerating the reasons he did not like cruising and would never do another one. Quite the downer.  Most of his points were similar to your first post and known by most frequent cruisers.

 

 

 

I see that on these boards too.  There seem to be a handful of people who never have anything really positive to say.   Kind of like an affectation to impress.