To not like ocean cruises

[Moanranger]

Well, I have spent some considerable time hearing people rave about cruises, lots of rather braggy Facebook posts, etc. I never saw the point. The antithesis of how I like to travel - simply & really dig down & get to know people & places. So Iwas finally persuaded to go on a short, bargain cruise -3 days, £80 going from Dover to Copenhagen to Rostock.
Well, it wasn't as bad as Ithought it would be - the ship absorbed the many passengers pretty well; I couldn't fault the service or quality, but I don't get it, really. I was quite bored, and the shore stops are too short to get any meaningful insight into local culture. I suppose if you like cheesy entertainment, Bingo, gambling, serious over-eating & a very artificial atmosphere, it's heaven.
Doubtless I will be flamed.

I have to say, the cruise line I use, when I have done a ships excursion (rare... but in one country we went to it was really advisable for various reasons), they don't do the shop thing.... everyone I spoke to who went on all ships excursions said they barely went near a shop.

I would never ever try and convert anyone. They have to want to go themselves or otherwise they would be determined not to like it! Incidentally I was a total cruise hater.... my DH has always wanted to go on one, eventually I did and now I'm converted (but only small ships)

I can only deal with being on a ship if lying down so would all be rather wasted on me. I ate one meal on a ferry as a teenager - did not end well.

That's interesting, Roussette - can ask which line the "shop avoider" is?

kerala you can't compare huge cruise ships with ferries. I was also really worried about sea sickness but on the two cruises we've been on (med and baltic) I couldn't even feel the ship move.

The enormous ships, you won't feel them move. The small specialist cruises which tend to be aimed at adventurous travellers, you will feel them move.

I imagine most cruises to be Butlins on a boat, but there must be some really high end ones that are a better. They just aren't for me.

A friend went and was showing me some of her photos, one of them was a night shot of the moon from her balcony. She thought it was gorgeous but all I could think was "blackness of night surrounding you in all directions... no land for miles... nothing but you and the deep blue sea and all the horrors it contains..." I've obviously watched Jaws too many times.

At the moment, we would only go on adventurous cruises. But when we get too old to manage or enjoy independent travel, then we plan to go on traditional cruises. I see most older people reaching a point where they get too tired and to stressed travelling around by themselves. Cruises are ideal at this age.
The woman who has been on the longest cruise ever basically spent the last 18 months of her life on a cruise until she died. Much nicer than an old peoples home.

You may get sea sick. My friend and her extended family all went recently and she said of about 10 of them, 2 were sick most days. She couldn't feel it move but she still felt sick.

you can't compare huge cruise ships with ferries

You can if it's Holland America's bloody Ryndam, which was nearly 20 years old at the time and showed every second of it!! The stench of diesel throughout the ship was epic - it's the only ship I've ever been sick on, and it had nothing to do with the motion

The food and service were pretty ferry-like, too ...

you are being vvur. . Saying you don't like cruises is like saying you don't like hotels. They vary HUGELY from the very basic to the hugely luxurious and expensive! Like comparing a cheap b and b to a 6 star hotel. Like most people I had misconceptions before I first went on one then, like most people, I was addicted. Fabulous food, amazing service, wonderful hotel room with a new place to explore every day. What's not to like? We never go on excursions, prefer to do our own thing. An £80 ferry trip is not a cruise. You would be paying more than that per person per day on quite an ordinary cruise.

I can see they'd be a bit marmite, but I quite like them.

Went on one pre-Dc, with another couple. We went out of Mombasa, and down to/through/round Madagascar. It was lovely - smallish ship, time spent with friends, good visits to islands we wouldn't otherwise travel to.

We did another with the dc a couple of years ago. We have 3 dc, then aged 9 (with severe ASD), 7 (with AS) and 18 months. It worked for us for many reasons. Dd1 loved having the continuity of the ship, whilst visiting different places. Dd2 enjoyed the kids club, and getting to know a large-for-a-7-year-old environment which she could roam around safely. Ds didn't care where he was

It worked for dh and I because we had entertainment on tap, never more than 5 minutes walk away - kids clubs,, silly games and activities, swimming, ice skating, shows, roller blading, basketball courts, small soft play room, but also an opportunity to get out a bit in port and see a small glimpse of other stuff. The buffet worked for us, because we could all find something to suit, without compromise.

I would happily do another cruise, but am not exactly a die hard convert - since then we've had a few other family holidays. The dc all loved it and continually ask when we are going in another cruise (dd2 has her heart set on a Disney cruise)

In an ideal world, no I'd not do them either. In my head, family holidays are all about being off the beaten track and exploring. Hill walks, safaris, nothing commercial or organised. But that's not our life - autism means regular, organised and routine works much better. So given we need that, a cruise worked well enough. Still an opportunity to visit a zoo, or aquarium, or science discovery centre, but each in a different country.

We did our first cruise last year to the Baltics. DH wasn't that keen (too many bad experiences on the ferries to St Malo) and he hates big crowds.
By the end of the 2 weeks he was looking to see where we could go to next. He said the only time he really noticed a crowd was when we left the theatre and that soon disappeared. Plus on one of the sea days the pool area was pretty busy but there were loads of beds in other areas as well.
None of the excursions we did were through the cruise line - some we did with others were arranged in advance through a cruise forum. So there was a group of 10 of us in St. Petersburg. Others such as kayaking in Helsinki we just booked in advance for ourselves.
We purposely booked with a company though that doesn't have things like rock climbing walls etc. Dd (teenager) still loved it and as there were less children on there they all got on well when they did mix. Still had great kids clubs if you needed them.
Food was great, sit down, buffet and room service.
We now have a list of places we want to go back to for a weekend and explore more. Plus there were places we were glad we were only there for a day as any longer and we would have got bored.
Also you need to look at how long the ship actually spends in a port. In Some ports ships arrived after us and left before us so they wouldn't have had long to see much.
Different cruise lines appeal to different people. I know DH would never rush back to the ferries but is looking forward to his next cruise.

One of my most treasured memories is taking my nearly 90 year old grandmother on a cruise as we live in a cruise port (she has since passed away)
The look on her face when Ken Barlow Sat next to her was priceless! She had an amazing time and did all the trips with her walker.
My son is keen to do the Disney one but it's ££££££££

There is a really brilliant essay by David Foster Wallace on cruise ships - published as 'A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again' (although much more thoughtful than the snarky title sounds).

The shorter original version is here harpers.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/HarpersMagazine-1996-01-0007859.pdf

Puzzled It's Seabourn, probably one of the most expensive but totally and utterly worth it.

Oh god, Roussette ... I'm up to Oceania so far (Regent's sister company) and that's plenty good enough for the likes of me. I don't think I'd dare sail with Seabourn - not that I wouldn't enjoy it of course, but because then I probably wouldn't want to use any other line

It wouldn't be for me - I hate flying or being on the sea. Flying I can cope with to get from A to B, a whole holiday on a boat, no ta

Plus I've seen this: Let's go on a cruise - it will be fun

As a family we have done two cruises. For me it's seeing places you may not normally visit. Highlights of our last cruise were visiting Ljubljana and Lake Bled, walking the city walls in Dubrovnik, ( ds and dh kayaked round them too), and a cycle ride along the Montenegro coastline. On another we visited Monte Carlo and climbed part of Vesuvius. Back on board we swam, sunbathed, ate amazing food and enjoyed west end quality shows

As I said above, I love transatlantic crossings. But I am the worst sailor in the entire world, I get sick booking the isle of wight ferry online, seriously. The first crossing I went on was pure misery. I was pregnant and couldn't take medication. The second crossing I could barely lift my head from the pillow without vomiting. Managed to crawl down to get the injection and was up walking round the deck 30 mins later. Never felt sick after that.

Since then I've taken medication called Avomine, which is what is given in liquid form in the injection. This stuff is miraculous. I do 15 day transatlantic back to backs now and not a whisper of seasickness. I can't recommend it enough.

My parents go, my sister was 1st mate on cruise ships for years and got.some bargains. They suit them because my mum is disabled, so she gets to see lots of pla es without actual travelling. My dad was a seaman so likes the ships.

I know Puzzled, we had one with them as a special celebration (big birthdays, anniversary etc) and now we're hooked! must remember to tell the kids we're spending all the family dosh!

I think they are horrendous.

I have been on holiday to numerous places when the huge ferry pulls into town. The majority who come ashore have no idea which country they are in, never mind which town. I find that incredibly offensive, that you can't be bothered to find something out about the places you visit. The general behaviour is also incredibly entitled and disrespectful both to locals and other tourists.

If you want to travel, do it properly. Otherwise just stay at a resort. They often don't contribute to local economies in terms of employment or income either, as the cruise companies keep the tourists away from locals as much as they can. If only because holidaymakers don't have the local currency. You don't get bragging rights if you are spoon-fed a diet of fake culture by your tour company.

There are more adventurous / independent type cruises available at least. If you do go on a cruise, choose an ethical one or one that actually enables you to explore rather than go on a fixed itinerary with no free time outside of that. And take the opportunity to do that.

The idea of being cooped up with a bunch of people who think like this, would make me want to jump overboard.

Does that make me a travel snob? Probably? Do I care? No, I don't care what others think, I do care about how damaging cruises can be though.

Please... all of you who are likening a ferry to a cruise ship - there is no comparison! .

Red - "offensive, entitled and disrespectful? Gosh. Not all cruises are like this y'know. I don't go on the big cruise ships, I would not enjoy that.. We certainly know what country we are in and as I explained upthread, we don't go on organised tours, we use local guides. Plus I spend a lot of time researching where I am going and probably know a lot more than many people who holiday there. As for being entitled and disrespectful, maybe it depends on the cruise line but for me, no, just NO.

Just for your info - the cruise line we go on, they shop from the local markets in huge quantities. I went out with the chef - he went to approved sellers in a local market and bought every pineapple there was, every type of exotic fruit, more fish than they could supply, for the locals it was like Christmas. So please don't say they don't contribute to local economies. At every stop, they were out doing just that.