Thursday, September 8, 2011

Pros & Cons of Cruising

Pros:





  • unpacking once



  • lots to eat



  • sailing to places vs bus or train or plane is really relaxing



  • cover a lot of distance in a relatively short time



  • lots of cities were built by the water for transport/trade purposes so lends itself to this style of travel



  • clean environment



  • makes you realize just how little you need in terms of space and things



  • hotel like service



  • lots of places where you don't encounter even 5 people



  • opportunity to dress up



  • laundry services



  • great overview of many countries



  • ships are amazing feats of engineering



  • lots of exercise classes to choose from



  • efficient check in & out



  • all age ranges



  • travelling with so many people made me even more determined to avoid the tourist traps as they can get over runned



  • forces you to really prepare for the ports because you don't have days to find your way around



  • locations where you'd otherwise need a Visa, like St Petersburg or Turkey you are covered by the ship's Visa





Cons:





  • lots of people around top deck where the pools are -- that's where the "action" is



  • spa is pricey-- $95US for 1 hr massage



  • certain ports do require you purchase excursions



  • excursion cost add up



  • announcements can be loud



  • getting to and from the ship can be far and difficult to do on your own



  • easy to over eat



  • stateroom and dining attendants can be over attentive



  • sea sickness if sailing over rough seas or if susceptible



  • lots of people at meal times



  • lots of examples of fellow passengers over indulging (food)



  • your room key as your charge card can tempt one to spend more



Over all I found it a really neat way to travel. I am still happy to have seen so many harder to reach places for a fraction of time and cost of doing my own itinerary. I would consider taking a cruise again.




The cruise line I sailed with (Royal Caribbean) was I think considered middle of the road service and price wise. Some higher class lines offer pretty impressive 30 - 60 day itineraries that would be quite something to experience.




I'm not sure I would bother with a more expensive cruise line as I see this mode of travel as not much different than a place to sleep and eat. It just gets me to places I want to see in comfort.




There were a good number of people who would come back onto the ship for lunch or dinner (at late dept ports). I didn't get that. For me, what I look forward to on a trip is to try out the local food. Most of my spending money goes to those experiences.

1 comment:

  1. The main thing about cruising is its perceived luxury and decadence. This is just some of the many things we'd like to experience by the time we retire. But as far as cruising is concerned, we can most often feel the joys of retirement on this one. Right?

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