To wonder why everyone raves about cruises?

So you say... Have you purchased these items over several decades? Because one hankie in a random port because you are bored and need a pressie before you rush back to your cruise buffet really makes not an iota of difference does it?

And you ancedotal tale could be true or a lot of nonsense so its completely pointless.

Crud quote fail. The previous post was for @Ineffable23 …

One more idea… I haven’t used these guys (https://adventuresmithexplorations.com/cruises/ships/ ) so buyer beware and all that but they specialize in small boat sailing. I love small boats and have found a lot of solo cruisers to feel very welcome (some even have single cabins)

I have sailed with these guys and they are wonderful mostly Caribbean but they have added a boat in Greece I think (https://www.islandwindjammers.com/default.aspx )

Pretty much all mass tourism is horrendous. The rubbish left, the cars in queues spending hours to cram into poor villages, natural beauty spots turned into cannoning, rock climbing, paddle boarding experiences.

I love the culture and individuality of other places but to me it's homogenisation of travel that's annoying. I'd rather that be a ship that had all the expected holiday requirements and ieft the destinations to be what they always were.,

The cruise ships don't just turn up wherever they fancy. In order to dock in a place they have to make quite complex arrangements with the local authorities years in advance.

So if the locals don't like cruise ships turning up - and that doesn't look great to me - they need to make sure that the local authority doesn't give permission.

I know the Norwegians are putting ever-greater restrictions on visiting cruise ships because that is what their residents require. Also Venice. So why is Fowey allowing them in?

Let's see, things I have spent money on in cruise ship ports...
Artisanal jewellery
Local artwork
Local pottery
Local weaving/embroidery work
Local lace
Local clothing
Local chocolate
Local biscuits
Local olive oil/honey/long shelf life delicacies
Local alcohol
Medication
Toiletries
A new digital camera
Umbrella
Shawls/scarfs
Local glasswork
Food and drink at lunchtime

But I guess none of those are putting money in the local economy.

I'd have thought their presence would just deter all the usual day trippers and those arriving by yacht as well. And my experience of cruising was that we didn't spend much money if any on shore because there was so much food on the boat

How do 'they' even get off the fucking boat? Tenders using more fuel and causing disruption?
What surrounding areas do 'they' go to during the duration of the docking of this hideous thing?
What evidence do you have for their' bountiful spending?
Are you making shit up?

Bringing tourists to boster an area is one thing. Ruining a beautiful setting with this enormous ugly polluting heap is certainly not the way to do it.

They spend a lot of money in Fowey and the surrounding areas. How do you think Fowey businesses survive, because it isn't on the money locals are spending because so many of the properties are second homes?

They've got to dump their shit somewhere. Nice to see all the marine diesel fumes adding to the local area.

Oh that's revolting. Totally out of proportion.

But then I felt the same seeing huge monstrosities churning their way down the fjords. They were so absolutely counter to everything that is lovely about the fjords

How about trying an overnight cruise? 1 night taster?

It really is the dullest most inane and insipid talk ever. They don't 'get' it though.

This is utterly shameful. All the cruise proponents on this thread should comment here about how much their enjoyment overrides the wishes and views of local people who are being forced to put up with this obscene spectacle. When people talk about the benefit to the local communities cruises bring, this is totally laughable. Any port or docking fees can NEVER compensate for this shocker. What will these passengers spend or contribute to the local community? A big fat nada.

I am so angry about this and I live nowhere near Cornwall.

Even on this thread we have heard the " cruise talk " of I would only stay in a suite, I would only eat in that place blah blah. All the different levels and " incentives" people get. It's just so dreary to listen to.

This monstrosity came to Fowey in Cornwall. It's a bloody eye sore. How can a small place like Fowey cope with this shit?

I love a cruise! You get to go to lots of different places without having to travel there. You unpack once in your room and each day wake up in a new location.

Sea days are very relaxing. There is often entertainment put on, which you are free to participate in or not as you choose, from pub quizzes to exercise classes to lectures to wine tasting. I love just grabbing a cup of coffee and finding a nice quiet spot by a window to read. I'm not sure what you mean by space from fellow passengers. Even when a ship is full there are always quiet spots to sit, and plenty of seating in the different venues.

When you're in a port you choose what you want to do. You can take part in an organized excursion, which is often a great way to see the place or have a new experience, or you can just get off the ship at your leisure and wander around. Or you can stay on the ship if you choose.

I've had some amazing food on cruise ships and some more mediocre, but that's no different to being on holiday in one fixed location. I like how you can choose what you're in the mood for - lots of different choices in the buffet area or a sit down restaurant meal in the dining room.

One of the things I like the most is the evenings. There are usually several bars with different types of entertainment. I can't think of anything much better than hanging out with my husband in a bar having a few glasses of wine and watching a band, and then only having to go down an elevator to get back to our room! Some people like the theatre shows in the evening, but that's not our cup of tea.

Occasionally a ship will be pretty rocky in bad weather, and people do sometimes get seasick. Personally I've never been sick but there have been times when I've felt a little nauseous. But apart from that, I can't think of any reasons not to enjoy a cruise.

We always have lunch and a coffee and cake or ice cream when we are off the ship. Granted some people don’t. My upcoming cruise I’ve booked the chefs market shop which I’ve not done before. Apparently they get some of their produce from the local markets. However we are on a small ship so I assume easier to cater for than the bigger ones.

But in reality most people from the U.K. will visit Rome, Barcelona , Venice etc as weekend city break. Which in exactly the same way involves a generic hotel breakfast , seeing the most popular sites and eating dinner in whichever restaurant is top of TripAdvisor.

The only difference is that cruise guests do for 1 day not 3 and possibly only have one meal or snack instead of two. It's a flavour of the city in both cases.
And they disappear by 8pm leaving the place in peace. Unlike the stag and hen do's,

I get what you're saying. I get depressed at the fat and tats shuffling round on their excursions. But that's far from everyone.

I suspect these ships do help the local economy somewhat otherwise wouldn’t they be banned? Also they are not pricing local residents out of the housing market like airbnbs.

How many of each of those types of trips people take and to where and whether they stay in a holiday home instead are just whataboutery and not really relevant to that factual comparison.

I don't think itis whataboutry. The question was "is it better to cruise or fly.?" And they didn't compare like with like.
It would be fairer to compare the emissions for one of the cruises that just goes to Amsterdam say, versus the flight and hotel.

The point is that all the cruisers get to boast about how many destinations they have been to, irrespective of the fact that:
they don't stay long enough to truly absorb and appreciate all the cultural and important features of the towns
they generally don't eat at the local restaurants as they have filled up on their enormous cruise buffet breakfasts so just spend the day wondering around
the cruise ships are a total eyesore and annoyance because the passengers invade these places in abundance and ruin the ambience and appearance of the lovely ports in the historic places with their horrible size and foul characteristics.

But hey who cares as long as Barry, Sue and Rita are enjoying themselves!

I'm not saying the concept is bad in itself, just that it is environmentally terrible. That's just a fact.

As per the stats on the link I posted, one single cruise vs one holiday to a single destination of the same length to a hotel has a worse environmental impact. How many of each of those types of trips people take and to where and whether they stay in a holiday home instead are just whataboutery and not really relevant to that factual comparison.

Like I say I don't judge anyone for going on one, but environmentally they're terrible.

@sweetpickle2 So over 7 days the Co2 emissions of the two holidays are greater on a cruise.
But like for like the same holiday is less if you cruise.

People that take multiple holidays would actually be worse than the person taking a cruise every few years( the two groups may not be mutually exclusive obs).

And probably less than the vast numbers of business people flying when Teams or locals could do the job.

But cruise ships don't use the local water supply and don't force the locals out with airbnbs and holiday homes. They also have sea days where they aren't impacting any villages/ cities at all. Just because cruise ships aren't currently perfect doesn't mean the concept is bad in itself.

@TheBers2024 You'd probably visit a variety of locations over a number of years (if at all)- which spreads the impact over time rather than doing it all in the same 1/2 week period (and then repeating every year like lots of poster on here have said they do). It would probably be like flying to France, then a day later flying to Spain, then a day later flying to Italy, then a day later flying to Germany or whatever- completely ridiculous amount of travel in a short space of time.

Like I say, fair enough if you choose to do it anyway, and as I said I've been on them- but let's not pretend the environmental impact isn't enormous.