I don't want to hear about cruise ship holidays.

[CruisingBob]

My parents worked very hard, retired and like to go away on cruise ships.

For the last 15 years they have probably gone every nine months for at least a fortnight, often six weeks even did the epic round the world.

Some have been a bit miserable with norovirus and other flu type bugs. The round the world one lost it's novelty. On the whole they have really enjoyed them, the social side, the whistle stop tours, the food.

We are happy for them, their money, they worked hard, their choices.

But AIBU I don't want to hear any more about them, it's just making me angry.
I have two teens sharing a bedroom, we are working hard, our modest holiday plans were torn apart last year. I just want my kids back in school and free to see their friends.

Everytime I speak to my parents, cruises get mentioned. They've missed two during covid. First it was "wasn't it awful Australia refusing entry to the cruise ship" then worried about deposits, terms and conditions and refunds, then new dates being released, it just goes on and on.

I've said " look for a new type of holiday, you've had a good run, something different"

Their vaccination has just given them fresh fuel along with the relentless marketing from the cruise companies.

AIBU to just not want to hear anymore about bloody cruises?

Anyone would think holidays are the most important thing in the world.

@RubyandPearl

YANBU. The idea of being cooped up for days at a time with a load of Daily Mail reading coffin dodgers is frankly my idea of hell

Cooped up I doubt they put the watersides, basketball courts, the flow riders and the ice skating rinks on the ships for the OAPs. Although u have seen many use them and have a blast.

*i

Cruises are expensive and people who go on them usually love them for the ease of travel to multiple locations without the hassle of flights, and packing/unpacking

I have to fly to other countries go on a cruise and the longest flight taken was 17 hours each way. And packing and unpacking on a holiday doesn’t bother me as I’ve got it down to a fine art and I can even go on trains around Europe for a fortnight with about 10 kilos of luggage.

It would annoy me a bit too, cruises are my idea of hell, the risk of getting ill, being stuck on a boat with loads of other people, sea sickness and too much food and drink, it would feel like a floating prison to me 🤣🤣, I know it’s a great way of seeing lots of places but it doesn’t really interest me.

I guess it’s hard because you don’t want to sound like your not interested, they obviously enjoy it or they wouldn’t keep going. People like different things but I agree that listening to it must get really boring.

@CruisingBob I don't think you're being unreasonable or miserable or any of that stuff.
I remember phonecalls from my mum, after spending money and a great deal of effort on something which turned out badly, but ready to repeat the experience. It's disheartening and frustrating, particularly when you have your own life to battle through. I spent many times just worrying about her, giving my constructive advice which was ignored, and her getting disappointed again.

As an aside, if my children struggled for living space for their own family I would do what I was able to change that.

It seems your parents may be a bit deaf to others' experience and needs, which I think is normal as people get older. Not much you can do about it.

Perhaps ask your parents to stop talking about their cruise ship holidays, they have been on so many,that it must be quite boring to hear about them all the time.

It's nice enough to see Jane Macdonald on all her cruise ship programmes, and see life aboard, and all the interesting things she does, but from a general passenger, it would be quite boring to hear about I think.

RubyandPearl So you think only a certain type of person goes on a cruise ? Okaaaaay !!!

@Bythemillpond

DaphneduM

Not all “boomers” are in your position to have been able to take advantage of the beneficial economic climate and some of us still have teenage children living at home.

I think people forget that those born in the early 60s weren’t old enough to buy a house in the 70s and then be in a position to take advantage of the rise in house prices in the 80s
All we got was the inflated prices. A lot of my friends are still living in rented and have never bought.
When I left school my first rented place took 75% of my salary. Without extra evening and weekend jobs I would not have survived.

Yes, but the subject of this thread are people like OPS parents who HAVE clearly had those advantages and some - only some - are pretty crass about it and lack any sense of their own good fortune and are tone deaf to other peoples issues. I said in an earlier comment, there are lots of over 65s still struggling, still working, who could only dream of having problems like what to wear on a cruise. There are many more who are like @DaphneduM who manage to remain contributing and decent human beings post-retirement and I'm sure many who have lovely holidays and are also not so tone deaf with their children as the OPs seem to be. So a mix then. We are specifically talking about the first group of people here, not condemning ever boomer obviously

@Keepyourdistance000

Anyone would think holidays are the most important thing in the world.

I think one of the things clear from this thread is that for some - though I hope a minority of - retirees, they literally are. A few people mentioned how post-Covid, their parents have chosen to go on holidays first before coming to see their children and grand-children that they haven't seen in a year or more. I would find that very hurtful I must say.

I went on a cruise around the Whitsunday Islands and Great Barrier Reef a number of years ago. It was spring, so early season and the boat had fewer than half normal passenger number (about 24) but the same number of crew (12). Everyone was upgraded to make use of the best cabins, and we were spoiled rotten.
It was a small boat and we spent time deep water fishing off the stern and following humpback whales on the sonar. It was great.
Cocktail hour and dinner were lovely parties. One of the most interesting couples were a fab Aussie couple from Wagga Wagga who were farmers, never traveled anywhere further than their town, and were on the boat because they'd won it in a competition through the bush radio.station.
I would never want to go on anything bigger, for lots of reasons.

It would annoy me a bit too, cruises are my idea of hell, the risk of getting ill, being stuck on a boat with loads of other people, sea sickness and too much food and drink, it would feel like a floating prison to me 🤣🤣, I know it’s a great way of seeing lots of places but it doesn’t really interest me

I’ve never been ill on a cruise and it’s entirely possible to be in a part of the ship where there’s perhaps only 100 other people. You get what you pay for.

Sea sickness - I’ve never had it. Not even during a hurricane and I was sliding from the top of the bed to the bottom. It’s was quite funny.

Food and drink? No one is forced to eat or drink.

Floating prison? It doesn’t feel like that at all even as a solo traveller. I’m happy to go ashore and do my own thing then go back on board and do my own thing in the evening and if I don’t want to bother with people I don’t. Other times I will enjoy speaking and eating with people. In fact I met one of my now very close friends on a cruise and though we holiday together once a year we don’t cruise together as what we like out of a cruise are two very different things.

If posters don't fancy a cruise thats fine, but Im not sure that slagging off a cruise when you have never actually experienced one is "a bit off"

"My annoyance is directed at a more systemic level. Our young people's education thrown to the dogs and the economy shot ... for what? So vaccinated Boomers can push off on holiday".

I agree, and like you I think I'd find it hard to hold my tongue if someone was shoving it down my throat. And I would also think that at least some of the money spent on these kind of extravagant holidays would be best spent in the local economy, on local businesses and trying to get people's own countries and societies back on track. A 100 euro spent in a restaurant in rural Co Mayo would do a damn sight more good if we take everything into account than spent on Princess Cruises

@RubyandPearl That made me lol Thankyou for brightening my afternoon.

@MarieIVanArkleStinks

Our children's education has been compromised and our students vilified. They've lost out on their university experience and the economy is shot, along with a good many opportunities for the future.

I don't go with the 'WAAAH, my neighbour has been given the vaccine before MEEEE' whining or pointy-elbowism that's currently saturating these threads. Nor is it the decision of individuals as to when they receive the jabs: they take it when they are offered, which is all to the good.

My annoyance is directed at a more systemic level. Our young people's education thrown to the dogs and the economy shot ... for what? So vaccinated Boomers can push off on holiday.

This country's priorities are seriously skewed. In this event, the least they could fucking do is hold back from boasting about it, and for this reason alone I think I'd be pretty sharp with anyone who did this in the current climate. YANBU.

This has nothing to do with being vaccinated, we’re a couple of months away from the entire adult population being done anyway.

The economy is shot and the travel industry is one of the parts that’s been hit hardest. The Treasury wants us all to spend money to get it moving again. Surely people going on holiday is an excellent way of achieving that?

It’s not as if people who can afford holidays sitting at home is going to repair all the damage wrought by the last year.

@CruisingBob re luggage - have your parents not heard of luggage forwarding couriers? At the risk of hearing about them at great length, you might let them know.

Cruise ship holidays are for the brain dead

Charming

Though actually I believe the phrase is that they're for "The over fed, the newly wed and the nearly dead" ...

@NeedToGetOuttaHere

YABU I’ve been on 11 cruises and can’t see why that would bother someone.

What you and most of the other replies to this thread aren't grasping is that the OP has no objection to her parents going on cruises once they are allowed again. What she objects to is having their covid-related booking/cancellation woes as a recurring topic of every conversation for a year. She just wants them to stop boring her! Maybe they could even take an interest in how their daughter and grandchildren are coping with lockdown life and express sympathy for how difficult it is for the children.

Chortle. Don't forget aspirational MC!

Anne1958
I get sea sick on the boat to the Isle of Wight and being near 100 other people is my idea of hell. I get that others enjoy it but you also need to understand that it’s not for everyone, I’m sure my perfect holiday wouldn’t appeal to most people 🤣, my idea of a holiday is being in the middle of nowhere in a campervan or maybe a villa in the south of France.

Also - if I contracted Norovirus on a cruise I think I might buy another cabin.

In fact, I might buy several, so I didn't have to leave my room for the rest of the trip.

Spot on Puzzled!

My issue is that they basically very large, plush channel ferries.

Even when the UK is vaccinated, the rest of the world will mostly not be
If her parents are vaccinated, what's the problem?

From a cruiser's POV I'll tell you exactly what the problem is ... to recoup some of the money they've lost, the companies will probably insist we can only go onshore on one of their hideously pricey tours

They'll insist it's just too dangerous to mix with the locals on your own, but won't mind when it comes to dragging visitors into the inevitable shop which they take commission off