What You Make It To Be

[DixieCaribe]

Fellow Cruisers,

I think the title really says it all - and for anyone getting ready to sail for the first time, or folks who've sailed a 100 times, the basic cruising principle remains the same - Your cruise is as much fun as you make it out to be.

 

I just got done talking with a friend on the phone who took a 8 day RCCL cruise to the Southern Caribbean and he hated it - kept blaming the ship, the people, the ports, and anything and everything short of the Queen of England for whatever was "wrong."

I think it just serves as a polite and thoughtful reminder that ultimately you are responsible for making your cruise unforgettable - in a positive way!

[bethee]

We have been on cruises thatwere less thanwe expected but managed to have a wonderful time and ready to book another when we get home.

[kakalina]

I agree with you with certain reservations. A good attitude goes a long, long way towards making your cruise great. However, truly poor service, food or accomadations can bring your vacation down a few levels of enjoyment.

[lippylulu]

We have been on cruises thatwere less thanwe expected but managed to have a wonderful time and ready to book another when we get home.

 

I agree wholeheartedly! We just returned from our first HAL cruise. It wasn't as good as we expected and we had some complaints. but hey----its vacation!!! Did we let it ruin our vacation? No way!

 

There was a woman on our cruies whose luggage got lost by the airline. We left on a Sunday and she wasn't going to get it back until Wednesday in Tortola. Now something like THAT could ruin my vacation unless I had good trip insurance and could then go on a massive on board spending spree.

[booklady26]

I think there are some people who expect perfection and are sorely disappointed when they don't get it.

 

I'm a veteran cruiser who's sailed on many different cruise lines. Each cruise line and even each cruise has it's good points and not so good. I try never to compare one to the other but just enjoy the one I'm on while I'm there.

 

If I think there is room for improvement, I mention it on the comment cards. If I have a bad experience, I bring it to the proper person's attention but not be obnoxious about it.

 

I hear too many complaints on some of these boards about how the cruise lines just don't care about the passengers. I have rarely found that to be the case. They are still in business because satisified customers keep coming back and recommend the experience to their family and friends.

[Orcrone]

Four years ago I went on a Carnival cruise during spring break. Well over 100% occupancy as many cabins had 3 or 4 people. Over 600 kids on board, some getting pretty restless (running around, pressing all the elevator buttons) by the end of the cruise. Tons of chair hogs and many long searches for chairs.

 

Guess what. Four years later the main thing that sticks out in my mind is that we all had a great time.

[hammybee]

Our first cruise was on Carnival many years ago. It was at 100+ capasity with tons of kids, including my own. It rained every single day, as in the shine did not shine. One set of tablemates did not speak English. The other set only spoke of Jesus. I drank a lot of wine at dinner :) We had a great time and caught the cruising bug. Every cruise thereafter has been better than the last.

 

I have never had a bad cruise.

[Len3]

Never again will we cruise with Carnival. They may be called the "FUN" ships, but they can keep their kind of fun. We'll stick with Princess, HAL and RCCL.

[Grumpy1]

The great thing about cruising is that it is a microcosm of life. In a few short days you might meet wonderful people and obnoxious people. You might make new lifelong friends and some you hope you will never see again. You might have fantastic experiences and some that you would rather forget. But isn't that what happens in life? And just like our everyday lives, if you dwell on the negatives, you will be an unhappy person. I've never understood those people that point out one incident from their cruise and claim that it absolutely ruined the whole cruise. you have to wonder how happy they are with their life away from the ship.

[aprilwaters]

Oh I sooooo agree with you Dixiecaribe, It's like I told my ta, this is my first cruise, how can it be bad. #1 there is nothing to compare it to and #2 I will be on a cruise. reading some of these post really scared me at first because some people just complain about well, ice?? I really liked what a previous poster said when someone said she shouldn't have wasted her money on an inside cabin, she said At least she would be there. That's a great attitude that will lead to a great cruise.:)

[DixieCaribe]

Kakalina, I defintely agree that service can make or break the cruise, but this friend went in expecting perfection and when it was not achieved to the nth degree - boarding the boat in Lauderdale took a whole hour ;) he let it affect the rest of his cruise!

[kakalina]

DixieCaribe: Silly man!

 

ps love you screen name

[mamaofami]

A postivie attitude goes a long way towards making a vacation good. We all have expectations of how something is going to be...whether it's a cruise or a land vacation. Our expectations are usually that something will be "'perfect" or at least live up to our expectations(which are of perfection).

 

Seldom is anything perfect. There are so many things that are out of our control, like weather or illness, etc. I always think how much better it is than working or being home and then I relax and enjoy.

 

Also, plan that things will go wrong. You can't cover all the bases.

 

I learned a valuable lesson on a big anniversary when I was sitting in first class on the runway of an airliner waiting to take off for a week in Paris.(used miles to upgrade). As the plane taxied down the runway, I said to my DH that it wasn't going fast enough to take off, and I was right. Takeoff was aborted and we sat on the runway for three hours...no food, drinks, etc.

 

Lesson one, always have food with you.

 

Anyway, we went back to the airport and because we had used miles to upgrade to first class, they couldn't get us on any other flight leaving that day or for the next few days, even though we would have taken coach. Because of a family committment, we couldn't go later.

 

We spent the week we would have been in Paris at a hotel in Connecticut. Not a very romantic trip. But, we were safe, healthy, etc. That was my worst vacation. Nothing can top that so now when I go I know it can't be that bad.

 

Lesson two, always have food with you.:)

[haligonian37]

I'm glad someone started this thread, as the same thought has been on my mind since getting back from my first cruise a couple of weeks ago. It was easily the most relaxing vacation of my life, but there were a few bumps in the road (or seas). I became seasick the first evening (rough seas), one of my two friends became ill with noro and the other was quarantined because they were sharing a cabin, I went off on my own for an excursion in Tortola as my friends were quarantined...etc, etc. But all of it combined didn't put a damper on the trip as we all just made the best of it. All three of us have already booked our next cruise (see below!)....including my friend who became ill and if she can have a positive attitude about cruising the nitpicking people should too!

 

It's a great motto to go through life with: life (including cruising) is what you make it

[HeatherInFlorida]

I definitely agree with Dixie because I further believe all of life is what we make it. I've never had a bad cruise. And given the opportunity I'll always find the silver lining in any cloud.

 

Yet of course there are always things that can happen that we can pick apart if we like. But I honestly believe that there are also many people who enjoy being critics. And it's so much easier to complain than to rave. And for some people, it's also a lot more fun.

 

Except for rare exceptions when things really do go horribly wrong, I just can't see how anyone returning from a cruise can honestly say they were miserable the entire time.:)

[DixieCaribe]

Some unfortunate things have happened to me including a sick DW, luggage that caught up to us on the last day of a cruise, and some "overbooking" that caused us to move from an SS to an A cabin - so the way I look at it seems to be the same as a lot of folks here - cruising is what you make it to be, and since it is vacation, I'm going to have a good time!:)