Ya'll know that there are really two Captains on those things, right? There's the "Captain" that you see in the dining room, has dinner with the passengers, etc., and there's the real Captain that actually runs the ship. You don't see him because he's busy actually running the ship.
Bobzilla wrote: This is the thing most people don't realize. You're not "stuck" on it with nothing to do. There are shows, movies, acts, shops, ice skating rinks, putt putt, basketball, tennis, spas, gyms, auctions, art shows, beverage tastings, etc. You will try to plan your day and I guarantee you'll never get to half the things you wanted to.
I guess it all depends on what you like. I was on cruises with all those things, and none of them interested me, so I most certainly felt "stuck on a boat with nothing (I wanted) to do".
mtn wrote: Reading the thread with interest. Never been on a cruise and have had ZERO interest in it--not sure I've ever badmouthed it online, but I might have. But wifey desparately wants to go with some friends of ours, so I might bite the bullet soon. The reasons I don't want to go are that I HATE pools, dislike sunbathing for the sake of it, and greatly dislike crowds. Just don't see where I'll enjoy it anymore than getting a hotel on a beach and ordering out every night.
I don't do pools, and I burn super easy. But there's more to any vacation than that.
I don't like crowds, too. And have barely experienced them even on the 6200 passenger Mega ship.
Cruising isn't "Love Boat". Most cruises have 2 days at sea during a 7 day trip, some only one. If are really concerned about being on the ship, find a 7 night cruise that has only one day at sea. And plan it to be the last one- as you'll be so exhausted from doing stuff that a day off will be welcome.
We've: mountain biked on a small island, mountain biked down a mountain in Jamaica, biked a national park, saw whales, hiked a volcano (on two islands), hiked to glaciers, raced sailing boats (a lot), snorkeled, kayaked some protected bays, seen ancient ruins, toured rum factories, wandered local markets (seeing some odd foods), ran a LOT of routes, and have done beach days. I know on some of the Canary Islands, there are track days that are offered, too.
Cruising is so "relaxing" that it can be exhausting.
Dr. Hess wrote: Ya'll know that there are really two Captains on those things, right? There's the "Captain" that you see in the dining room, has dinner with the passengers, etc., and there's the real Captain that actually runs the ship. You don't see him because he's busy actually running the ship.
No, there's one Master of the Ship. There is a Staff Captain, who is second in command. And most of the time we have visited the bridge, neither are up there. And we have seen both around the ship. Both are up there when docking. But the Master is in total command.
It's not one person, it's a big team.
alfadriver wrote: Cruising is so "relaxing" that it can be exhausting.
Amen. Every single one we ended up laying in our stateroom one whole afternoon napping because we were wore out with all the stuff going on!
EvanR wrote:Bobzilla wrote: This is the thing most people don't realize. You're not "stuck" on it with nothing to do. There are shows, movies, acts, shops, ice skating rinks, putt putt, basketball, tennis, spas, gyms, auctions, art shows, beverage tastings, etc. You will try to plan your day and I guarantee you'll never get to half the things you wanted to.I guess it all depends on what you like. I was on cruises with all those things, and none of them interested me, so I most certainly felt "stuck on a boat with nothing (I wanted) to do".
What did you want to do, but couldn't?
Dr. Hess wrote: "There is nothing to do, so you drink, twenty, thirty drinks a day..."
QFT on most of the carribean cruises I know of. Buy the "all inclusive ticket" such that alcoholic drinks are included.
My wife also gets incredibly motion sick. We have not done a cruise together, but we did go to an all-inclusive mexico resort for our honeymoon. I can tell you from having done cruises before that the all inclusive resort was all the same stuff with none of the movement. Beaches, tourism, drinks, pools, gambling, shopping, classes, performances, jetskis, day trips, spa, massages, hotel rooms, plenty of other like minded people, mexico, Caribbean, islands, internet, whatever you want. We stayed for 7 days and swiped the credit card once, and it matched the quoted price from the internet. Literally everything was included, except I think tips (AWESOME - because I hate up charges). Heck, they even picked us up and dropped us off at the airport so we didn't even need to get any Mexican cash!!! You can leave the resort if you like - we did for a day or two - but it isn't really necessary.
I would ask if that might be an option. Otherwise I think a river cruise like mentioned would have way less motion. I have never done one though.
I heard Viking or one of the other lines is introducing a completely new cruise concept. The whole idea is to guarantee no motion sickness, repetitive sicknesses, or boat breakdowns. They're going to serve a buffet on the dock for a week and then you can go home.
I did a short cruise way back in '95. Carnival cruise line to Nassau. As far as I can remember through the alcohol induced haze, there was literally NO sensation of movement. Like none.
I went as a single guy (it was a reward for work performance) in my early 20's and it was in the era before cell phones. My takeaway for each day was loneliness. If you separated from your group the ship is so big you may not see them again all day. This is probably less of an issue for a couple. 
Remember that the vacation industry makes their money on the upsell and the "extras". Not that it's a bad thing but plan accordingly.
alfadriver wrote:Dr. Hess wrote: Ya'll know that there are really two Captains on those things, right? There's the "Captain" that you see in the dining room, has dinner with the passengers, etc., and there's the real Captain that actually runs the ship. You don't see him because he's busy actually running the ship.No, there's one Master of the Ship. There is a Staff Captain, who is second in command. And most of the time we have visited the bridge, neither are up there. And we have seen both around the ship. Both are up there when docking. But the Master is in total command. It's not one person, it's a big team.
We have a terminology issue here. "Master" and "Captain" are synonymous on ships. On what you go on, the one called "Master" would be the real Captain of the vessel. The one responsible for the thousand people onboard, safety of the ship, etc. If something bad happens, it's his ass. The one you call the Staff Captain is not second in command. He runs the hotel and actually has nothing to do with the ship's movements, safety, etc. The real second in command would be the Chief Mate, who takes orders from what you know as the Master.
mtn wrote:Bobzilla wrote:Interesting. Completely foreign to me--I love water, as long as it isn't a pool.mtn wrote:Neither parent knows how to swim, grandmother/father and aunts either. It just wasn't something we did. By the time I got old enough to try to learn on my own I freak out. Wife has tried a few times and I just am not comfortable in water. I like to say "If I was meant to be in water, I'd have gills"Bobzilla wrote: I can't swim and the idea of being out in the middle of the ocean scares the E36 M3 ouyt of me.Not trying to rag on you--serious question here. How have you never learned to swim? It is a completely foreign idea to me--my dad grew up vacationing and boating on Lake Michigan and I did the same; my mother, though from a tiny town in southern Indiana, was forced to learn to swim by her mother--before becoming a lifeguard. So it wasn't an option for me to not learn how to swim, it just was something we "had" to do. So how have you never learned? Was it just not a thing where you were from? Phobia of water? The idea, when I think of it, is absolutely terrifying to me.
I can't swim either - I sink like a stone. 100% serious. I've had numerous people over the years try to teach me, including actual swim lessons. I've been in backyard pools, and saltwater in the gulf - no difference, I still sink like a stone.
Beyond that, I don't like water. Not one bit, I don't drink it(seriously, more than a few sips makes me nauseous), I don't care to be wet...yes, I do bathe every day. It's just not my thing.
We cruise a lot, too. It's the easy button for vacations. You've gotten a lot of good answers, so here's a little more detail.
wifi: I always get a wifi package on the ship since I'm in a deadline business and a little bit of connectivity is always better than horrible surprises a week later. Around $100 will usually get you 5-6 hours of total time. But it's not quality time. It's satellite, which means latency is crap and sending big files (like magazine page files) can be frustrating. It's fine for email and the like, though.
Stuff to do: Most cruise lines now offer "being the scenes" tours that they don't publicize all that much. They run between $100-150 per person depending on cruise line, but are worth EVERY PENNY. You get to see all the awesome nerd stuff, and usually get a ton of swag as well. On a Princess ship we got friggin' ROBES and personalized stationery printed in their print shop and a HUGE tray of snacks and sweets waiting in our room when we got done. Ask about these at the customer service desk as soon as you get on (not the shore excursion desk).
DON'T book shore excursions through the cruise line. Usually the exact same tours are available through local companies for less money with fewer people and they're less of a cattle call. Better yet, do you own thing. If you're doing the western Carribbean, most of those ports are very friendly for being on your own.
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT do any ship-based excursion in Cozumel. It will be a zoo and there will be tons of people. Cozumel has TONS of little beach bars that have their own private snorkeling beaches and serve cheap beer and tacos. We go to this one in Cozumel, and it's not on the radar of any of the cruise lines. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g150809-d154080-Reviews-Playa_Corona_Corona_Beach_Club-Cozumel_Yucatan_Peninsula.html
If you go to Grand Cayman, check out the Cayman Motor Museum. It's a really sweet private collection of everything from a Turbo 2002 to a Batmobile. The guy that curates the place is nice, and usually lonely as hell, so he's more than willing to chat and hang out when actual car people show up. It's also near a great snorkeling beach.
We did book our current excursions through the cruise line on this one. We knew the Coliseum has to be booked in advance, as well as Athens with an english speaking tour guide. Those we did about 3 months ago. but the rest we'll do on our own.
We've always wantd to do the behind the scenes tour, but our flights don't usually get there early enough to do so as they are usually an hour or two before normal people check in.
In reply to Dr. Hess:
No, the staff captain controls the ship at times, too.
I don't think the structure is what you think it is. At least for the staff we've met.
Not that it matters.
In reply to JG Pasterjak:
I would not say never get an excursion from the ship, depending on the port, a long trip probably is better, as the ships tend to wait for their excursion passengers.
But we do vary what we do a lot, too. More not planning anything.
The one thing I would caution- getting a scooter. Most of the driving we have seen is nuts.
Other than that....
In reply to alfadriver:
We were told that in Bermuda, and I can say it was the best thing we have done to date outside of flying onto Mendenhall Glacier and Dogsledding. It was crazy, we were on the wrong side of the road and it wasn't nearly fast enough for hte two of us.... butI loved every damn second!
I was on a cruise ship as a day cruise to the bahamas once. The food sucked, booze was hella expensive and the "activities" were berkeleying stupid. Seriously, bingo? There were no old people on the ship. No E36 M3 i hung out in the 4 cab arcade for lack of anything better to do.
That being said- id do it again. Swmbo 2.0 is interested, and i dont get motion sick. She works for disney, so I'd get a fat discount on a mouse boat. I know the production values disney has, and I'd anticipate a good time.
I've done a few: Alaska when I was a kid (Paquet), New England (Princess), trans-Atlantic (Cunard), and a small private charter (16-berth) in the Adriatic. I can't speak to the specifics of your situation, but I'll just relate my experiences in the event they might be of use somehow.
I don't remember much detail about the Alaska cruise, but I have positive memories of the excursions (helicopter to a glacier, floatplane to a lodge on a river) and of being allowed to shoot skeet off the stern (I was probably about 14).
Of the big ships, Cunard was at least an order of magnitude better in every way than Princess. The New England cruise worked largely because we stopped every day and spent a lot of time off the ship and away from the crowds. We never did the excursions, just got off and started walking. It was, however, entertaining in a perverse sort of way to watch the ever-increasing displays of gluttony - we saw a couple polish off a good 40 lobster tails in a sitting. But it was basically a big sea bus filled with people determined to eat and drink themselves silly for a week, and do it loudly.
Cunard was so much nicer it's almost a completely different discussion. The ship was about the same size as the Princess vessel, but it carried fewer than half the number of passengers (maybe around a third, IIRC). Lots more space, much more relaxed attitude among passengers and crew, and overall a much better experience. We wondered about going a little stir-crazy being at sea for seven days, but it was incredibly relaxing.
The small boat was again a whole different experience. I went with family, and I did not make the guest list. On the plus side, great opportunities to visit out-of-the-way places, swim anywhere you want, much more visceral experience. However, you do need to make sure you like your traveling companions, as there is no space. Even with cabins with private baths, space is at a premium, voices carry, and there's really nowhere to go if you need some time alone.
The small boat was the only one I used the internet on. It was satellite but pretty decent. Cunard had it but charged some obscene sum for access, and I preferred to be disconnected. I never even checked on Princess, as we just used public wifi on shore as necessary.
I can't imagine trying to enjoy a cruise if you a prone to seasickness. It just seems like a struggle - not exactly what I look for in a vacation.
Of them all, I would do the Cunard Atlantic crossing again in a heartbeat. I would do the Adriatic again, but with more control over who my shipmates would be. I'd like to see Alaska as an adult, but finding the right ship is key. The river cruises mentioned in this thread intrigue me - they seem like a good combination of things I like about cruising.
I'm glad to see some support here. We love cruises, but it took years to try one.
We tend to vacation hard. We are the go go go type who need a vacation to recover from vacation so we thought we'd be bord on a cruis. It's actually very refreshing and relaxing to do nothing for a while. You. An really relax and unwind which was a new concept.
We tried a 5 night cruise first and have done four more 7 night once we knewildemaan@antioch.edu we liked it. We've always done carnival knowing it's the McDonald's of cruises but we shop carefully. Go on some of the cruise forums and look for the best rooms. We aim for something around deck 7 of many ships. A couple of decks below the noisy Lido deck but a couple of decks above the noisy theaters, bars, nightlife.
We always go for a state room with a balcony rather than just a window. We don't do the drinking morning to night so it's great to sit, relax and read.
Drinks are stupid expensive, we tend to only have one or two in total through the week other than buying a wine package for the dinners. There you are paying slightly above restaurant prices.
We do something at every port, we are the first off and last back on. We treat it as a way to explore and check places out for future single venue vacations.
WiFi sucks donkey balls dipped in sour sauce. The WiFi cafe will let you check your email and that's about it. On carnival last time we needed WiFi for our eldest to do course work for uni. You can get packages for $10,$20 or $25 a day from memory with a weekly discount. We went for the best package and it was just over $100 for the week rather than $25 a day. It was pathetic. Forget streaming video or music, it took minutes to load question pages but we had to have it.
Food. If you thinknow Applebees is good food you think you're in heaven. If you think Applebee's is acceptable sustenance then the food is fine to good. You have to work hard not to put on weight. The whole 1lb weight gain per day is very easy to do.
All in all I recommend it. We're planning on doing Cuba next time.
In reply to Bobzilla:
I'm not a motorcycle person, so there's one nervous point. And the other drivers are so very bad.
Rather rent a jeep.
Gary wrote: Annie and I have done a couple Viking river cruises in Europe, the Rhine and the Seine. We're hooked and will definitely do more. In my opinion much better and more enjoyable than a gigantic ocean cruiser. Much smaller boats (long and narrow), and around 200 people max. Virtually none of the motion that would normally make one seasick. The scenery along the rivers in Europe is beautiful and sometimes the shore is only a few feet away. Going through locks is interesting. Stop in a different city or town every day, and lots of interesting tours when you're off the boat. Fantastic food too. They tend to be a bit pricier than something in the Caribbean, and you have the flights to Europe to factor in. But well worth it. Here's Viking's site, but there are other lines. Link
i would only ever go on one of those VIking river cruises if it was a reenactment of when the actual Vikings sailed up rivers and sacked cities... to call it "Viking" and not do that just seems criminal to me..
Pony up the extra cheese for a balcony room. I did the last time LOVED the balcony. It was so nice and peaceful to chill on the balcony with just the water (or nice view of the port) and read a book and order room service.
2 decades ago i went on a cruise, it was freaking awesome. I never got motion sickness nor did i take dramamine or anything yet a neighbor of mine just went on one last week and was sick the whole time and said the whole cruise sucked. Supposedly if you take a ton of dramamine you trip or something of the sort, never found out. Anyways i went on the probably same cruise your thinking, out of new orleans went to the caymans, yucatan, and some other islands i can't remember. What i thought was AMAZING in the yucatan was taking a tour of some ancient city, chichen itza I believe and it was a experience I'll never forget. Curise itself was cool with all the "free" food and stuff. Good thing you dont drink cause last year my brother went on a cruise and spent more on alcohol on the cruise than the cruise itself.
Second bit about motion sickness, get one of those bracelets too but from what i recall its not as bouncy/wavey as a normal boat that gets you sick so you MAY be okay
Adrian_Thompson wrote: I'm glad to see some support here. We love cruises, but it took years to try one. We tend to vacation hard. We are the go go go type who need a vacation to recover from vacation so we thought we'd be bord on a cruis. It's actually very refreshing and relaxing to do nothing for a while. You. An really relax and unwind which was a new concept. We tried a 5 night cruise first and have done four more 7 night once we knewildemaan@antioch.edu we liked it. We've always done carnival knowing it's the McDonald's of cruises but we shop carefully. Go on some of the cruise forums and look for the best rooms. We aim for something around deck 7 of many ships. A couple of decks below the noisy Lido deck but a couple of decks above the noisy theaters, bars, nightlife. We always go for a state room with a balcony rather than just a window. We don't do the drinking morning to night so it's great to sit, relax and read. Drinks are stupid expensive, we tend to only have one or two in total through the week other than buying a wine package for the dinners. There you are paying slightly above restaurant prices. We do something at every port, we are the first off and last back on. We treat it as a way to explore and check places out for future single venue vacations. WiFi sucks donkey balls dipped in sour sauce. The WiFi cafe will let you check your email and that's about it. On carnival last time we needed WiFi for our eldest to do course work for uni. You can get packages for $10,$20 or $25 a day from memory with a weekly discount. We went for the best package and it was just over $100 for the week rather than $25 a day. It was pathetic. Forget streaming video or music, it took minutes to load question pages but we had to have it. Food. If you thinknow Applebees is good food you think you're in heaven. If you think Applebee's is acceptable sustenance then the food is fine to good. You have to work hard not to put on weight. The whole 1lb weight gain per day is very easy to do. All in all I recommend it. We're planning on doing Cuba next time.
What if you wouldn't touch Applebee's if you were about to die from starvation?
alfadriver wrote:EvanR wrote:What did you want to do, but couldn't?Bobzilla wrote: This is the thing most people don't realize. You're not "stuck" on it with nothing to do. There are shows, movies, acts, shops, ice skating rinks, putt putt, basketball, tennis, spas, gyms, auctions, art shows, beverage tastings, etc. You will try to plan your day and I guarantee you'll never get to half the things you wanted to.I guess it all depends on what you like. I was on cruises with all those things, and none of them interested me, so I most certainly felt "stuck on a boat with nothing (I wanted) to do".
I like working on cars. Cars are not allowed aboard ship.
I like drinking beer that costs <$10 for a Budweiser.
I like not talking to people. Being approached by strangers seems to happen a lot on ships.
I like eating at a table for 2 with my SO, not a table full of lingerie salespeople from Saskatoon. (Yes, that happened.)
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