What is your favorite thing about a cruise vacation?

[nhtravels]

What is your favorite thing about a cruise vacation?  More specifically, something sets the cruise experience apart from it's land trip counterpart, for you?

 

For me it's the fact that the journey is also the destination.  The brightest part of the adventure is time on ship. Consider the ship its own port, something to explore and wonder over.  Plan your time wisely as you would any port to get the most of the wonders of these floating hotels. 

[casofilia]

My wife says; not having to cook, clean, wash and do all the usual other jobs round the home.   I agree after all "A happy wife is a happy life".

[complawyer]

just the mere joy of being at sea, on a relatively luxurious vessel, traveling to different exotic ports all over the world. but most of all, just being able to sit on my balcony ,  watching the world sail past, and listening to the ocean

[QuattroRomeo]

Enjoying the sounds and feel of the ocean. And, unpacking only once!

[amygutman]

Turning off my phone and spending time as a family...exploring the world as a family and making memories. The sounds and sights of the ocean are my happy places. 

[KeithJenner]

I prefer to move about when on holiday, so if not cruising then we will most likely do a road trip. The great thing about cruising for us is that the travel part is done whilst we are sitting in a bar or restaurant or sleeping.

 

People often put forward an all inclusive resort as an alternative to cruising, but that is absolutely not what we are cruising for.

 

As a result I am a lot less fussed about some of the things that people enjoy about cruising, such as the shows, spas etc. Give me some bars and reasonable restaurants and I’m happy.

 

Having said that, I do enjoy a sea day to relax.

Edited May 15, 2023 by KeithJenner

[hallux]

Unpack once - see 3-4 new places.  Entertainment on the ship.  The comraderie among passengers and how friendly most people are on board.

[ckmedsec]

In my opinion it is best way to see different places on our planet.  The ship is your transportation, your hotel, your restaurants and your nightly entertainment.

Meeting staff and guests from all over the world.

I also love walking on the deck after dark to hear the ocean and see the night sky. 

You realize how small you are on this rotating globe.  

[ExArkie]

Definitely being on the ocean. My wife and I prefer ocean crossings to the itineraries that have mostly port days…although some of the latter are desirable in order to access certain places (e.g., Alaska particularly Glacier Bay, Norwegian fjords, Panama Canal). For visiting ports/cities/countries, we prefer to go spend at least a few days in a single location, but it is the vast expanse of open water that cannot be replicated from a land-based location.

[www3traveler]

Being on tthe ocean listening to the waves.  Meeting new people both passengers and staff.

[quack2]

Watching pier runners at the moment they realize the ship is pulling away.

[kby1216]

Having almost everything paid for before you board so you can just unpack and enjoy the ride.😃

[forty-two]

The shows!

 

Going to be super specific, Choir of Man, maybe the best show (cruise or on land) that I've seen since I saw Hamilton years ago.  So good we went twice.

Edited May 15, 2023 by forty-two

[bkrickles1]

16 minutes ago, forty-two said:

The shows!

 

Going to be super specific, Choir of Man, maybe the best show (cruise or on land) that I've seen since I saw Hamilton years ago.  So good we went twice.

Yep! COM was definitely the best show we've seen on a cruise ship.

We saw it for the first time on Escape in 2018, when they did it in the supper club.

That was the best one, as it was my wifes birthday and I got them to call her up on stage for the serenade. Also, being in a small venue was great!!

I've seen it twice since then on Encore in the theater and it was fabulous too. Just not as intimate.

[CaptainBazz]

The ship...the entertainment...visiting new ports...meeting people...unpacking once and a short walk to the bar 😎...

[Dorhead1230]

Thank you for starting such a positive thread! 😀 For me, definitely being on the ocean. I love visiting new places, but my happiest and most peaceful moments of cruising are when there’s no land in sight. Also, we have everything we enjoy in one place without having to run around/drive around/seek transportation—a casino, restaurants, shows/activities, areas to lounge and relax, etc.

[cruiseny4life]

Sea days! Enjoying time on a lounger, in a hot tub, and in the thermal suite with my husband. Just watching the ocean waves. Not needing to talk with people, except to order my food. 

 

Port days are nice and we fill them with non-stop, somewhat active activities, which makes the sea days that much more relaxing.

 

It's lovely! 

[QuattroRomeo]

Another thing I like is the security of being on board. What I mean by that is when travelling with a partner, or family or friends, you can split up and do whatever interests you at pretty much any time of day or night, and not have to worry about them. They are on the ship somewhere!! 

 

[carohs]

Everything! It just checks all the boxes. My favorite part is that it fulfills all my requirements for how I'd like to spend my vacation days without having to compromise with my travel companions or budget. Everything is already on the ship so I don't have to spend time on transportation from one venue to another either so I feel like I'm maximizing my time on activities I enjoy. 

Extra bonus points because I don't have to preplan anything onboard to have a great time. I do take the time to research ports, but sea days are my favorite. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

Everything except:

a) disembarkation

b) the occasional annoying passenger (probably well below 1 percent)

c) deleted (was "in person muster drill)🤣

[ontheweb]

Being able to see many different places without packing and repacking is up there as something that makes cruises special.

 

It is also a type of vacation that allows both DW and myself to both spend a lot of quality time together especially at the ports, but still allows us to do our own things separately. for instance she can swin her laps while I try my luck at trivia.

[MoCruiseFan]

What is your favorite thing about a cruise vacation?

 

Being on a cruise!

[wncretired]

ALL OF THE ABOVE!!! 😎😎

[Biffire]

Being on the ocean

The all inclusive aspect

Lots of food already paid for

The Free at sea beverage package

Multiple ports in one week

Entertainment options

Being away from the work cell phone

Always feel safe on the ship

The hot tubs

 

 

 

[MoCruiseFan]

3 hours ago, Biffire said:

The hot tubs

 

 

 

 

It would be much nicer if the hot tubs were actually hot.  Most are tepid at best, many are darn near cold.