So we are home from our first cruise & I can honestly say I didn't enjoy it. Let me start off by saying that it was a 'low budget cruise' in comparison to what is out there because it was planned as a family reunion by my cousin. We had our kids plus my MIL & 70+ members of my family. The destinations were not places that I would have picked. Nassau Bahama's was a true disappointment-we were completly baggered by hair braiders, taxi drivers, street vendors, pot dealers-you could not take two steps without being asked to buy something, we saw several pickpockets in action. Paradise Island was very pretty & we had planned to spend the day at Atlantis until we found out that it was cost us $370 for 6 of us to use their water slide & pool. CocoCay is a private Island & it was nice & clean. Key West was nice but hot & we had the kids & our Mom's so we just walked around. The service on the cruise was excellent, the ship was really beautiful & clean, but we hated being corralled around like cattle. Most of the excursions were ridiculously priced for what they offered. The food was good & plentiful, but I was really grossed out by the number of truly obese people that ordered several entrees for dinner & then they could barely walk but took heaping plates back to their rooms. The shows were mediocre & the night life was pretty lame(mostly because three quarters of the guests were stuffing their faces at the midnight buffet). I guess we are not the cruising type-I'm so thankful that I have a few days to rest before I go back to work. We stayed in Florida & visited BIL's & families before the cruise which was a lot of fun. Aunt Flo decided to join me on the the first day of the cruise, I'm sure that didn't help my attitude! Between my mother & my MIL I was ready to jump overboard!!!! Rich went online last night & booked our anniversary trip for TWO to Sandals in Jamaica-I think we just need to get away alone! Does anybody else not like cruising?
jenny11.9
Posted:
Member since
Re: Does anyone else dislike cruises? Pics added
Well you may not have had a great time...but you looked fantastic! I have a dress just like the black and white one!
I have been on one cruise - three years ago. We went to Greece, Israel, Egypt, and Turkey. I didnt' like it either. I thought the food was awful. I am really easy going too - I just felt like I was in a cattle call the whole time. I didn't like the loudspeaker announcements, the room had single beds that we didn't even bother pushing together because it was so small in there (and we were in the higher end of cabins!), just in general not a great time. We did meet a lot of people, but I don't think I would do it again.
boosh78201
Posted:
Member since
Re: Does anyone else dislike cruises? Pics added
Im sorry you didnt have fun on your cruise. Me and DH went on a cruise about 2 years ago, and we had a blast. We went on the Royal Carribean Nordic Empress to Bermuda.
natasha
Posted:
Member since
Re: Does anyone else dislike cruises? Pics added
Sorry you didn't have great time. However, you looked totally fab. Hopefully, you will have a wonderful time at Sandals Mo Bay. We spent our HM there and had great time.
LisaT
Posted:
Member since
Re: Does anyone else dislike cruises? Pics added
great pictures and welcome back!
personally, I'm not a big cruise fan, though I've been on 7-8 of them. My grandafther used to take my sister and I every year. We've had one or two family reunions on board as well (though not nearly as big as yours)
I prefer being able to soak up the culture of one place and fully explore it. I find myself bored on the ship, especially at night since I'm not into the shows and don't really gamble. And there's only so much I can eat at once, so buffets don't do it for me.
Maybe it would be different with Al, but I don't think he'd like it since he needs to be so active all the time.
Enjoy Sandals!
dkga1026
Posted:
Member since
Re: Does anyone else dislike cruises? Pics added
We recently went on our first cruise with Carnival. I'm not sure if it was this particular cruiseline, but we did not really enjoy it and definitely will never cruise again. The boat was really dirty and the food was second rate at best. We had fun being together but there just wasn't enough to do on the boat to keep us occupied. The only good thing was the shows - they were excellent!
NovemberSue
Posted:
Member since
Re: Does anyone else dislike cruises? Pics added
We went to Bermuda on Carnival cruiseline in July. We had the best time. We would definately take another cruise.The ship was beautiful and very clean. The staff was really great and there were so many things to do. The food didn't impress me that much. I'm not sure if that is because Carnival is more known for being fun and having lots of different activities and isn't known for great food. Don't get me wrong,the food was good but I think it could have been much better.
Scoop
Posted:
Member since
Re: Does anyone else dislike cruises? Pics added
I'm not a fan of cruises either but my husband wanted to go. Hopefully, I won't get sick.
shamma
Posted:
Member since
Re: Does anyone else dislike cruises? Pics added
You look great and it looks like a good time was had by all. I could not tell by the peekshures.
Eidted to add, even tho it was low budget, I would not have know. YOu have the memories.
Hope you enjoy Jamaica.
My GF and I will be going on a cruise, I hope it is fun.
Samanthas Mom
Posted:
Member since
Re: Does anyone else dislike cruises? Pics added
Looks like you guys had a good time! the pics look nice
What-Now
Posted:
Member since
Re: Does anyone else dislike cruises? Pics added
This thread reminded me of my one and only time on the cruse it was carnival cruses Florida-Bermuda and the ship was full of very strange people! They were mostly from Mid-West and unfortunately not too worldly. At dinner we were sited with a few couples. They all turned out to be from the same area and talked about local farms and stores the whole time! One guy was really obsessed with getting a new truck and he kept on talking about it and constantly making remarks to his wife how his birthday is coming soon!
Also, at the time I was in a bi-racial relationship and me and my boyfriend were getting really strange looks from these people! Both of us had foreign accents, one had very light skin, another-very dark! They must have though we were the weirdest couple in the world! I though they were going to Lynch us or something! Actually, it was kind of funny! We were laughing about thoses people for a long time afterwards!
Jenn P
Posted:
Member since
Re: Does anyone else dislike cruises? Pics added
I've taken 3 cruises and had a blast every time. I do identify with some of the negative things that have been mentioned, however, there are ways around them.
1. 'The cruise excursions offered by the ship are expensive.' Don't take them! Be independent. We always do our own thing. Not only does it cost less, but there is no feeling of being 'herded.'
2. 'There's not enough time in each port.' I wouldn't take a cruise everywhere-I would stick to places where the time they give you is enough to see what you want to see. Most Caribbean islands are good for that. I would never cruise to Europe. There's just too much to see there and I'm fortunate enough to know that firsthand.
3. 'The dining room is too big, I feel lost in the crowd.' Don't eat there all the time. Any decent sized ship will have multiple alternatives. When you're in port, eat on the island!
4. 'There's not enough to do on the ship.' If this is a concern, choose your cruise line carefully. Carnival might be less upscale but out of all the cruiselines, they seem to offer the most activities. There is always something going on. Or, choose a more port intensive cruise. Plan it right and you will only have to spend a day or two at sea.
I'm not a travel agent. I used to work in the industry but not in a sales capacity. I didn't write this to convert any non cruisers, I really only wrote it to make anyone who might have their first cruise booked feel better about enjoying themselves.
