Some thoughts from an old-timer: Now I see why first-timers are saying they're "terrified", "overwhelmed", "panic-stricken"

[jlawrence01]

On 6/7/2024 at 10:50 AM, Hlitner said:

Your last sentence struck a cord.  New cruisers, and many others, rely on the cruise lines for port info and/or excursions.  Years ago, some cruise lines would provide a knowledgeable expert to lecture on ports and also provide one to one info/advice.  Now, that is gone and the cruise lines only want to sell overpriced/overcrowded excursions.  Some even have port lecturers ( who are selling excursions) do their best to frighten cruises into booking the excursions (which generate profits to the cruise lines).

 

Now, more then ever; folks should do pre cruise homework on their ports so they have the tools to make “informed” decisions rather then relying solely on cruise line info/propoganda.

 

Hank

 

 

We were on the Regal Princess last year and they had a woman who was very informed about each of the destinations in the Western Caribbean.  She prepared a 45 minute lecture talking about what there was to see and what excursions to take - both cruise sponsored AND third party.  It was a nice change from the massive sales pitches that we have received from other lines.

 

RC was the worst.  Their presentations were veiled sales pitches and a great deal of the information was inaccurate even for those vendors they were pitching.

 

We generally prefer to do our own thing in MOST ports.  That has occasionally gotten us on public vans where we end up in some remote location.  However, we are seeing a lot more than most people.  In some ports, we have been able to find local drivers to take us all around town in a private vehicle where we can stop at the things that we are really interested.  The discussions alone are very interesting.

 

I agree that you have to do some research.  The only time that I would take a cruise ship excursion is if I was in a locale that I did not feel safe like Jamaica and Belize City.

[kochleffel]

13 hours ago, Hlitner said:

But when I think of stress, it is sitting on a bus, wasting part of the day, waiting on a late passenger, a few folks who are still waiting in line for a rest room etc.  And for us, stress is rushing to finish a group lunch when we would prefer to be taking our time and enjoying the atmosphere of a well placed cafe or decent restaurant.

 

 

Also true. What I think can be stressful is figuring out the logistics and coping when they don't work. I had a very close call in Spain last fall.

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, kochleffel said:

 

 

Also true. What I think can be stressful is figuring out the logistics and coping when they don't work. I had a very close call in Spain last fall.

When we help folks who want to do more DIY travel we often talk about one's "risk tolerance" and "travel common sense."  This is not meant as a cricitcm or slight, but it is simply a fact of life that we all have our own comfort levels.  When plans go awry (and this does happen) some of us do quite well in quickly adapting to the circumstances and implementing what we call "Plan B."   Independent travel is not for everyone, but it does suit many of us who have some spirit of adventure and enjoy the challenges and flexibility of being on one's own.

 

We recently finished a long Oceania cruise in Trieste.  After the cruise we rented a car (for 12 days) and drove through parts of Slovenia, Austria, and Italy where we had a terrific time.  When we were chatting with some other cruisers on our O cruise, they were surprised that fellow American would simply rent a car and drive to places they had not previously visited.  They asked us "how do you cope with the language barrier" to which our response was that we do not even think about that issue, because we have found it a non-issue.  When they wanted to know "how hard is it to drive in Europe" I explained that it was easier than driving in many parts of the USA :).   These are examples of issues that cause anxiety for some folks, but for the more adventurous they are not worth much thought.  What do we worry about?  The weather, where we want to dine, which route is more interesting, etc.

 

As to the weather, we have been known to completely change our driving plans because of bad weather.  If we are planning to go an area that has a very bad forecast, we have been known to cancel some hotel/dining reservations, and simply drive a different direction to a different country where the weather is better suited to our plans.  

 

Even on a port day, we will sometimes change our plans on a moment's notice because of the weather, labor strike, or even our mood.  To us, this is all good fun....but to others I can understand their anxiety about this kind of travel.

 

Hank

[broadwaybaby123]

It's actually not that complicated if you start in the right place. ALWAYS start by looking at the cruise line website to see anything specific to that line. If you're interested in booking, call a TA or call the number on the website.

 

By looking at places like Cruise Critic first, you'll get a million responses from millions of people with different experiences. Depending on what you're looking for, that can be great: if it's something line-specific, just go straight to the source on the company's website. If it's something not specific to the cruise line, then go ahead and post here.

 

If you want to get a feel for the ship, YouTube is a great source.

[MacMadame]

2 hours ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

If you want to get a feel for the ship, YouTube is a great source.

I agree with this. I always see threads about "the reviews scared me" but online reviews tend to skew negative. But watching ship tours and videos about particular vacations can give you a much better feel for whether that ship or that line is a good fit *for you*.

[john watson]

When it comes to assessing a particular cruise line. The cruise line websites give the factual information. When it comes to opinion of the actual day to day experience the cruise line will always give a very positive experience whereas individual travellers will give a much broader view often negative.  These need a fair bit of sorting as often you find the negative opinion was mainly centred around a single issue that would not affect you.

Regards John

[ldubs]

I would caution first timers to initially take most things reading like a complaint with a grain of salt.   Like @john watson says, sort through things and apply a strong filter before relying on the info.  There is some excellent info for first timers, and as mentioned earlier that should not be downplayed.  There are a whole lot of posters providing exceptionally valuable info.  

Edited July 3 by ldubs

[jlawrence01]

On 7/2/2024 at 8:48 AM, MacMadame said:

I agree with this. I always see threads about "the reviews scared me" but online reviews tend to skew negative. But watching ship tours and videos about particular vacations can give you a much better feel for whether that ship or that line is a good fit *for you*.

 

100% agree with this.  Before booking any cruise, I head over to YouTube and watch at least two or three hours of videos regarding the ship.  That gives me a good feel on what to expect, both positive and negative.

 

It has also steered me away from cruise lines that just will not meet my needs.

 

As for the YouTube content producers, after watching several of their videos, you can generally tell which ones are reliable and which ones are blowhards 

 

The only negative is that many of the producers are being paid well by the cruise lines and can be little more than paid shills.

 

Of course, you can get that on message boards too.

Edited July 3 by jlawrence01

[broadwaybaby123]

On 7/3/2024 at 7:39 PM, jlawrence01 said:

 

100% agree with this.  Before booking any cruise, I head over to YouTube and watch at least two or three hours of videos regarding the ship.  That gives me a good feel on what to expect, both positive and negative.

 

It has also steered me away from cruise lines that just will not meet my needs.

 

As for the YouTube content producers, after watching several of their videos, you can generally tell which ones are reliable and which ones are blowhards 

 

The only negative is that many of the producers are being paid well by the cruise lines and can be little more than paid shills.

 

Of course, you can get that on message boards too.

Which is why if you look at the bio of my channel (Cruisingwithkristen), I make it clear that any reviews are only what I experienced, as I'm not connected in any way to any cruise line.

 

What you see in my videos is what you get. You may not see the whole ship as I may not have had time to explore the entire ship, but it at least gives an idea of what to expect.

[ldubs]

On 7/3/2024 at 4:39 PM, jlawrence01 said:

 

100% agree with this.  Before booking any cruise, I head over to YouTube and watch at least two or three hours of videos regarding the ship.  That gives me a good feel on what to expect, both positive and negative.

 

 

We have never done this and just explore new ships after we board.  I like the potential benefit to your approach and think I'll give it a try.  The trick is going to be to find the one where the person doesn't just like to hear themselves talk. 

[peety3]

We got lucky as first-time cruisers. We chose to do a cruise as our honeymoon, and POOF right as we were coming to that thought, a local travel agent held a "cruise show". They rented out the upstairs "party area" of a local movie theater with two theaters, munchies, representatives from pretty much every cruise line they sold, and scheduled presentations in those two theaters from various lines/reps.

[Honolulu Blue]

5 minutes ago, peety3 said:

We got lucky as first-time cruisers. We chose to do a cruise as our honeymoon, and POOF right as we were coming to that thought, a local travel agent held a "cruise show". They rented out the upstairs "party area" of a local movie theater with two theaters, munchies, representatives from pretty much every cruise line they sold, and scheduled presentations in those two theaters from various lines/reps.

I'm curious, when was this? It sounds like something that was done, say, 20 years ago, but can't happen now.

[jlawrence01]

10 minutes ago, peety3 said:

We got lucky as first-time cruisers. We chose to do a cruise as our honeymoon, and POOF right as we were coming to that thought, a local travel agent held a "cruise show". They rented out the upstairs "party area" of a local movie theater with two theaters, munchies, representatives from pretty much every cruise line they sold, and scheduled presentations in those two theaters from various lines/reps.

 

Our local agency does that every year in Tucson.  It is really a great way to determine

which cruise line meets your needs.  And that was in January 2024.

[peety3]

1 hour ago, Honolulu Blue said:

I'm curious, when was this? It sounds like something that was done, say, 20 years ago, but can't happen now.

That was 2010, but I don't see why it can't happen now. Anyone afraid of being in a crowd like that is afraid of a cruise; anyone willing to be in a crowd like that is likely to be willing to cruise.

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, peety3 said:

That was 2010, but I don't see why it can't happen now. Anyone afraid of being in a crowd like that is afraid of a cruise; anyone willing to be in a crowd like that is likely to be willing to cruise.

I wasn't thinking of the crowds as being the impractical part of this.  It's partly that it would be tough for me to see how they could get the word out for such a thing.  I think I recall seminars like this in the travel section of my local newspapers.  Of course, paper newspapers barely exist anymore, so I would imagine the second best advertisement source is the TAs themselves, by whatever method they choose to get the word out.  The number of travel agents have been in decline for a long time, though the cruise lines have been the one travel segment to prop them up.

 

Also, it's hard for me to imagine more than a few cruise line reps these days being trained and sent out to all these cities and all these seminars just to drum up a little support and maybe take a few orders.

 

But then again, you and @jlawrence01 have helped me to see the light. 🌞  I'll have to seek out and try to find mentions of such seminars.

[jlawrence01]

56 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

I wasn't thinking of the crowds as being the impractical part of this.  It's partly that it would be tough for me to see how they could get the word out for such a thing.  I think I recall seminars like this in the travel section of my local newspapers.  Of course, paper newspapers barely exist anymore, so I would imagine the second best advertisement source is the TAs themselves, by whatever method they choose to get the word out.  The number of travel agents have been in decline for a long time, though the cruise lines have been the one travel segment to prop them up.

 

Also, it's hard for me to imagine more than a few cruise line reps these days being trained and sent out to all these cities and all these seminars just to drum up a little support and maybe take a few orders.

 

But then again, you and @jlawrence01 have helped me to see the light. 🌞  I'll have to seek out and try to find mentions of such seminars.

 

I think that a lot of cruise lines would be more than happy to send their personnel to small towns like Tucson and Scottsdale in winter months when the wealthy are in their winter homes.  When I was at the show, I saw a good number of c-level executives of smaller luxury lines like Ponant and Windstar Cruises.  It is NOT just about writing orders as much as planting seeds ...

 

TAs may be in decline in general but not so much in the cruise area.

[Honolulu Blue]

4 minutes ago, jlawrence01 said:

I think that a lot of cruise lines would be more than happy to send their personnel to small towns like Tucson and Scottsdale in winter months when the wealthy are in their winter homes.  When I was at the show, I saw a good number of c-level executives of smaller luxury lines like Ponant and Windstar Cruises.  It is NOT just about writing orders as much as planting seeds ...

 

TAs may be in decline in general but not so much in the cruise area.

Thanks for the detail.  Sometimes I have too much of a mainstream cruise line perspective.  What's not worth it for them could well be entirely worth it for the smaller, more luxurious lines.

 

P.S.  I agree entirely with your last line.

[peety3]

7 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

I wasn't thinking of the crowds as being the impractical part of this.  It's partly that it would be tough for me to see how they could get the word out for such a thing.  I think I recall seminars like this in the travel section of my local newspapers.  Of course, paper newspapers barely exist anymore, so I would imagine the second best advertisement source is the TAs themselves, by whatever method they choose to get the word out.  The number of travel agents have been in decline for a long time, though the cruise lines have been the one travel segment to prop them up.

 

Also, it's hard for me to imagine more than a few cruise line reps these days being trained and sent out to all these cities and all these seminars just to drum up a little support and maybe take a few orders.

 

But then again, you and @jlawrence01 have helped me to see the light. 🌞  I'll have to seek out and try to find mentions of such seminars.

That travel agent did a "similar" show the following year, but tried to do it in their office and it was madness. That said, each of these lines has reps who are in a job to support their clients, which is the travel agents. If the travel agents say we're doing a show on X date, we need you here with 7 boxes of brochures and be prepared to give a 30-minute talk on Y topic (your new ships, improvements to XYZ region cruising, highlight this product that we think is amazing but isn't selling like it should), they go there. Within that overall "collective", they know how to market and they know how much to spend to do so. That second year, HAL sent one of their Alaska land tour buses, so people could physically experience how roomy they were compared to "standard" motorcoach seats. You never know what will appear at a show like that.

[ldubs]

On 9/12/2024 at 9:39 AM, peety3 said:

We got lucky as first-time cruisers. We chose to do a cruise as our honeymoon, and POOF right as we were coming to that thought, a local travel agent held a "cruise show". They rented out the upstairs "party area" of a local movie theater with two theaters, munchies, representatives from pretty much every cruise line they sold, and scheduled presentations in those two theaters from various lines/reps.

 

We have attended both an in-person and an online zoom type presentation.  I thought good info was shared, but I would categorize the presenters as having general knowledge.  With the exception of how to book.  They were experts on that!  

[peety3]

10 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

We have attended both an in-person and an online zoom type presentation.  I thought good info was shared, but I would categorize the presenters as having general knowledge.  With the exception of how to book.  They were experts on that!  

My biggest takeaway from that first show was the presentation by Princess. They covered their Alaska "product", which was what we were interested in already. The rep had a mix of speaking to us plus a video to show, but during her initial "warmup" she asked the crowd how many had already done a Princess Alaska cruise and half the people raised their hands! Plus, they were all happy with their past cruises and were anxious to learn about new options. That told me we were making a decent choice. Now, 14 years later, I'm very glad we made that choice. I intend to stick with Princess until we're in a position to afford Seabourn (and our son is old enough to be left behind).

[Bill Shutter]

On 5/18/2024 at 9:56 PM, john watson said:

The big problem with internet website forums with topics such as cruising is that not every contributor is genuine.  People post information which they know is not true disingenuously and others have heard what a friend of a friend said about a specific aspect of cruising.  Others have heard things which were true many years ago but no longer happen.

 

Regards John

Incorrect and out of date information from self proclaimed experts is an issue i have noted already

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