dlofting
Contributor
The title of this post speaks for itself. I not someone who thinks cruising would be fun, but maybe I'm missing something. What is it about cruising that you like or love?
What Do You Like About Cruises
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I like how they are they are arguably the most ecologically destructive things that humanity has ever constructed.
I like the conspicuous consumption that creates enormous amounts of waste. I like the black and grey-water disposal all over the reefs that have been dynamited to create berthing so that boats can disgorge thousands of consumers who buy a bunch of completely useless crap produced overseas, distributed by non-local middlemen, and sold by locals dependent on foreign interests.
I especially like fossil fuels burned by both the ships themselves, but also by the supply-chain that keeps the ships running.
Wait. I think I'm realising...
I don't like anything about the cruise industry.
I hope anyone and everyone who has anything to do with anything about the cruise industry accidentally sets themselves on fire.
I like the conspicuous consumption that creates enormous amounts of waste. I like the black and grey-water disposal all over the reefs that have been dynamited to create berthing so that boats can disgorge thousands of consumers who buy a bunch of completely useless crap produced overseas, distributed by non-local middlemen, and sold by locals dependent on foreign interests.
I especially like fossil fuels burned by both the ships themselves, but also by the supply-chain that keeps the ships running.
Wait. I think I'm realising...
I don't like anything about the cruise industry.
I hope anyone and everyone who has anything to do with anything about the cruise industry accidentally sets themselves on fire.
Nothing.
Scuba Lawyer
Contributor
Nothing whatsoever.
CycleCat
Contributor
I like when they leave.
My view of cruise ships is a floating Golden Corral with its endless human feeding troughs and guests who are fleeced into believing they "experienced" a place during an 8-hour stopover.
My view of cruise ships is a floating Golden Corral with its endless human feeding troughs and guests who are fleeced into believing they "experienced" a place during an 8-hour stopover.
OP
dlofting
Contributor
I know that some people are adamantly opposed to cruising, and that's fine, but I like to learn about other people, particularly those who think or see things differently than I do.
So, if you do enjoy cruising, I'd really appreciate your thoughts.
So, if you do enjoy cruising, I'd really appreciate your thoughts.
We never were really interested in cruise ships. We did quite a bit of sail cruising over the years and felt that chartering a sailboat on our own was a superior experience. Plus, of course, we don't really like crowds--drunken crowds, even less.
But, we've discovered that cruise ships can provide divers with some unique opportunities and it's sort of up to the individual as to what they experience. For example, this past winter, I was able to dive all over the Caribbean for a fraction of the cost of conventional air/hotel travel. I mean, we went all over. We never would have spent the money to travel individually to all those places. This enabled us to turn a long list of want-to-dive destinations into a short list of must-dive-again destinations. And, of course, seeing all those islands during wintertime instead of freezing back home was a big plus.
We'll cruise-dive again, but probably not a lot. We don't fit into the "cruising culture" at all. We're quiet people and much of ship life involves loudness and antics. But, one can somewhat control one's surroundings, if motivated to do so. If you're considering cruise-diving, picking a cruise line that caters to your lifestyle really helps. For us, we just treat the big ship like a giant bus that takes us to interesting places. When not diving or kayaking on some pretty island, we'll probably be found in some quiet corner reading books or joining the small audiences at the jazz venue. We leave the drunken chaos for others to enjoy.
I'll not debate the environmental impact of that industry, but hopefully the economic benefits for those small islands makes up for it. And, hopefully those small governments use those dollars and euros wisely.
So, there's good and bad to be found and it's kind of up to the cruise-diver as to what to experience the most. The complaint is that cruise-diving is crummy diving with a bunch of neophyte divers. But, check out the videos that I've posted in this forum and tell me that I haven't had a great time this winter. That's my take, your mileage may vary.
But, we've discovered that cruise ships can provide divers with some unique opportunities and it's sort of up to the individual as to what they experience. For example, this past winter, I was able to dive all over the Caribbean for a fraction of the cost of conventional air/hotel travel. I mean, we went all over. We never would have spent the money to travel individually to all those places. This enabled us to turn a long list of want-to-dive destinations into a short list of must-dive-again destinations. And, of course, seeing all those islands during wintertime instead of freezing back home was a big plus.
We'll cruise-dive again, but probably not a lot. We don't fit into the "cruising culture" at all. We're quiet people and much of ship life involves loudness and antics. But, one can somewhat control one's surroundings, if motivated to do so. If you're considering cruise-diving, picking a cruise line that caters to your lifestyle really helps. For us, we just treat the big ship like a giant bus that takes us to interesting places. When not diving or kayaking on some pretty island, we'll probably be found in some quiet corner reading books or joining the small audiences at the jazz venue. We leave the drunken chaos for others to enjoy.
I'll not debate the environmental impact of that industry, but hopefully the economic benefits for those small islands makes up for it. And, hopefully those small governments use those dollars and euros wisely.
So, there's good and bad to be found and it's kind of up to the cruise-diver as to what to experience the most. The complaint is that cruise-diving is crummy diving with a bunch of neophyte divers. But, check out the videos that I've posted in this forum and tell me that I haven't had a great time this winter. That's my take, your mileage may vary.
^^^ What @ ROUS said. Plus, no cruise is ever going to give you an in-depth experience in any location you visit. However, cruises do allow you to sample a very broad spectrum of locations, cultures, food, etc., in a very short time period, and at a very reasonable cost. We are currently on a 21 day cruise that gave me the opportunity to dive Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Grand Turk, St Maarten, St Vincent, Martinique, St Kitts, and St Thomas. I was not able to dive several of these because of a back muscle injury and a wonky ear, but did enjoy other activities each island offered. Several cruise stops in Curacao over the years, gave us the bug to spend 30 days there in 2021, and that trip was fantastic. Another misconception about cruise ship diving is the range of diver experience. I think a lot of SB members think cruise divers are all incompetent noobs, but that certainly has not been my experience. By comparison, during our 30 day stay on Curacao, I found the same broad spectrum of divers on Ocean Encounters and The Dive Bus trips as I do on cruise ships. On my dives at St Kitts a couple days ago, I found myself to be the fifth least experienced diver in a group of 16. From my perspective, all diving is good regardless of how you get there.
BigDaddyGlad
Contributor
From a diving perspective, cruising offers a great compromise when one's mate is a non-diver. There are lots of activities on the ship to keep a partner occupied while a diver is out exploring the local reefs. Cruising also allows for visits to multiple islands in a single trip. That's a big plus for me. A Southern Caribbean cruise to the ABC islands is, IMO, a diver's dream!
I also find, for my vacation dollar and of course dependent on cruise line, cruising offers a much more upscale experience service-wise than I would get at, say, an all-inclusive resort. I like the varied dining experiences on cruise ships, and I prefer not having to worry about pulling out my wallet once I get on-board.
The experience can vary wildly. The people on a 4-day Carnival sailing out of LA will be almost the exact opposite to the passengers on a 10-day cruise on Celebrity. It's critical to do some research and learn the demographics served by each cruise line and itinerary.
I also find, for my vacation dollar and of course dependent on cruise line, cruising offers a much more upscale experience service-wise than I would get at, say, an all-inclusive resort. I like the varied dining experiences on cruise ships, and I prefer not having to worry about pulling out my wallet once I get on-board.
The experience can vary wildly. The people on a 4-day Carnival sailing out of LA will be almost the exact opposite to the passengers on a 10-day cruise on Celebrity. It's critical to do some research and learn the demographics served by each cruise line and itinerary.
drrich2
Contributor
My little family loves them. Mostly Royal Caribbean cruises, all 'big ship' - my wife and I did a Celebrity cruise once. There's a lot to like.
1.) Mainstream 'family' cruise lines offer a good value for a decent price in a largely all-inclusive package with a wide range of entertainments (some included, some optional extra cost) appealing to young and old, and multiple dining venues.
2.) Cruising offers people who've never left the U.S. the option to get out and visit an 'appetizer sampler' of multiple foreign destinations with the security of the big 'mother ship,' and cruise line-organized guide-led excursions covering a wide variety of entertainments and desires. You don't have to research a foreign destination like some of us do when we plan a dive trip there.
3.) It's a pretty safe experience, unless you wander off in port on your own somewhere bad.
4.) The stateroom attendants and dining room staff provide excellent service, so you can enjoy casual or fine dining and never have to worry about putting away or washing dishes, making beds, etc... I suspect many women in particular enjoy that side of things, since they're often the one doing such at home.
5.) You can buy a photo package (I prefer digital) and get quality professional photography of your family in varied settings and backgrounds, and since there's often a couple of 'formal nights,' you might even get your family to dress up and get some 'nice' pictures (normally I regard suits as 'monkey suits,' but even I appreciate some of our photos - Royal Caribbean photographers even made me look in pictures, and that's no small feat).
6.) At least some ships have nurseries, and varied level kids' clubs. Some ships have water slides and other amusements kids really enjoy.
7.) Some of the production shows in the evenings are really good, and in some cases you can exposure your kids (and yourself) to Broadway-style plays and other diverse entertainments they might not get back home.
8.) Excursions offer diverse experiences. I've interacted with dolphins and manatees, held a sloth, ridden through rain forest canopy in an aerial container, parasailed, snorkeled, even scuba dove and more in part thanks to cruising.
9.) The ship itself is often comfortable, beautiful and has diverse (and often very weird) artwork scattered throughout.
10.) Don't underestimate the 'appetizer sampler' view of the varied ports. St. Thomas is mountainous but seems a bit dry, Curacao and Aruba are arid, St. Lucia is mountainous and very lush, you can get a first hand look at the topside without having to commit to a dedicated trip to that destination.
Cruising wouldn't be my choice for a solo dive trip, but for a family trip to enjoy and provide our kid enriching experiences in a conveniently packaged, easy to plan and execute form that's decently priced, it rocks.
Note: We're mainstream 'family cruise line' people who cruise Royal Caribbean big ships (Voyager, Freedom and Oasis-classes). Carnival and NCL would be similar from what I understand (as would Celebrity and Princess, though less kid-focused). Kiss 'budget-friendly' goodbye if you go with a Disney Cruise, and the 'luxury lines' (e.g.: Cunard, Silver Sea) I don't follow.
1.) Mainstream 'family' cruise lines offer a good value for a decent price in a largely all-inclusive package with a wide range of entertainments (some included, some optional extra cost) appealing to young and old, and multiple dining venues.
2.) Cruising offers people who've never left the U.S. the option to get out and visit an 'appetizer sampler' of multiple foreign destinations with the security of the big 'mother ship,' and cruise line-organized guide-led excursions covering a wide variety of entertainments and desires. You don't have to research a foreign destination like some of us do when we plan a dive trip there.
3.) It's a pretty safe experience, unless you wander off in port on your own somewhere bad.
4.) The stateroom attendants and dining room staff provide excellent service, so you can enjoy casual or fine dining and never have to worry about putting away or washing dishes, making beds, etc... I suspect many women in particular enjoy that side of things, since they're often the one doing such at home.
5.) You can buy a photo package (I prefer digital) and get quality professional photography of your family in varied settings and backgrounds, and since there's often a couple of 'formal nights,' you might even get your family to dress up and get some 'nice' pictures (normally I regard suits as 'monkey suits,' but even I appreciate some of our photos - Royal Caribbean photographers even made me look in pictures, and that's no small feat).
6.) At least some ships have nurseries, and varied level kids' clubs. Some ships have water slides and other amusements kids really enjoy.
7.) Some of the production shows in the evenings are really good, and in some cases you can exposure your kids (and yourself) to Broadway-style plays and other diverse entertainments they might not get back home.
8.) Excursions offer diverse experiences. I've interacted with dolphins and manatees, held a sloth, ridden through rain forest canopy in an aerial container, parasailed, snorkeled, even scuba dove and more in part thanks to cruising.
9.) The ship itself is often comfortable, beautiful and has diverse (and often very weird) artwork scattered throughout.
10.) Don't underestimate the 'appetizer sampler' view of the varied ports. St. Thomas is mountainous but seems a bit dry, Curacao and Aruba are arid, St. Lucia is mountainous and very lush, you can get a first hand look at the topside without having to commit to a dedicated trip to that destination.
Cruising wouldn't be my choice for a solo dive trip, but for a family trip to enjoy and provide our kid enriching experiences in a conveniently packaged, easy to plan and execute form that's decently priced, it rocks.
Note: We're mainstream 'family cruise line' people who cruise Royal Caribbean big ships (Voyager, Freedom and Oasis-classes). Carnival and NCL would be similar from what I understand (as would Celebrity and Princess, though less kid-focused). Kiss 'budget-friendly' goodbye if you go with a Disney Cruise, and the 'luxury lines' (e.g.: Cunard, Silver Sea) I don't follow.
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