About Cruising

I don’t know about you but it seems that the term “Cruising” comes with a set of connotations whether positive or negative depending on the individual. I have yet to make that determination. At this undisclosed age and much travel experience behind me I would guess that cruising is not for me, or at least not my first choice mode of travel.

Over the years I have been on five cruises in my life to include the one currently underway. Joe is on his 4th. I want to give it an honest evaluation and note conditions that make it favorable. Let’s start with why I booked this 5th cruise. The 1st cruise was due to a rained out camping honeymoon with the great guy on the lounger next to me now. The 2nd was a solution to get further south than Key West in winter to escape cold temps in DC. I thought, hmmm, floating hotel, room, board and less expensive than 4 nights in Florida, SOLD. Okay then comes #3. It was the option presented by three of my grade school besties to celebrate our November birthdays together. That was such fun. Shout out to Lori, Annie and Barbie. Cruise #4 was completely our choice to see parts of Alaska that can only be viewed from the sea. Really loved that Holland America experience. Cruise #5. Im on it now, by choice, 23 night transatlantic.

Let’s start at the beginning. Cruises offer what can be a very economical option to travel. There are many bloggers out there to offer you tips on that, I’ll just say it’s up to you, how much you spend. Make a plan and stick to it if budget is a concern. Crowds, you better like being in a crowd or even a herd if booking a ship travel. You are never alone. It starts the moment your taxi approaches the cruise terminal. Once you arrive you migrate into a herd to drop off luggage, get ushered through security and loaded onto the vessel. Can I get a mooooo? That being said, VALUE can be tremendous. On our current cruise we will get a taste of 13 cities including embarkation & debarkation locations. We have a cabin with a balcony, all you can eat meals and snacks, gym access, pool and loungers. The ship is loaded with community space options. We chose not to purchase the drink plan because we are trying to manage our health while onboard.

Laundry

Make a budget for your add on expenses and stick to it. Laundry is the only, hmmm what can we do about that issue to arise. We are lucky enough to have the balcony so we purchased the beach towel clips before leaving(6). Good for beach and pool but also perfect for hanging clothes out to dry on your balcony without waving goodbye when to wind picks up. Problem solved.

Drinks Package

Let us discuss the dreaded Drink Package dilemma. Do it or don’t do it? Also depends on the cruiser. For us we decided we could comfortably imbide in a couple glasses of wine or such each on a daily basis and still beat the drink package. I don’t think Id ever do it if not included with the purchase or for a cruise less than 7 days. Please remember they count the day you board as part of the number of days. So if the package is $50 pp pd then a 7 day cruise is $350 for the package, when at tops you are aboard 3 full days and if you depart into town at a port, well, that should solve it for you. Just my 2 cents. While in port yesterday in lovely Barbados we spent $28 for 3 drinks each, $56 plus gratuity. That did not even touch the spending on a drink package. Let’s face it. Going to do most my sampling in town vs the ships offerings. But then you say, Julie, what about the water and sodas? I say for that I will spring a couple bucks a day for the sodas but otherwise I find a very suitable option open 24/7 in the dining areas. The tap water onboard MSC Seaside has been delicious, they do not discourage use to fill your own reusable bottles either. I also brew tea and make iced tea to drink as an option. I don’t drink coffee but it’s available in the basic form. Juice and milk are also always on hand. Check with your ship before using this post on my first blog ever as gospel. I guess a good time to also disclaimer that boilerplate, at time of printing it is true but subject to change. Love intended here.

That’s Entertainment!

Onboard this MSC they operate theater differently from my experience with Holland America and Carnival cruise lines, the headliner theater holds about 25% of ships guest capacity. Tickets are free to shows and you reserve your seating in advance for 630pm or 9pm. This is a nice feature for planning your daily activity. You can book through screens located throughout the ship or on your free app. They have a resident cast that performs broadway style shows of singing and dancing. The ship brings aboard guest performers which can range from acrobatics, magicians and vocalists. I find them this far to be top notch.

Daily Activities

I cannot speak to these much as I really only attend shows and interpretive talks for the most part. There seems to be a very busy schedule of activities from dance lessons, crafts, trivia contests competitions on every deck space available. Id have to say that if you are bored then its probably your own making.

Excursions

Each cruise line appears to do them differently. MSC has a drawback in the excursion department as they only provide a limited description of the activity. This makes it impossible to plan other activities during your day in port. They only alert you to the start time of your excursion the night prior. Always be warned, when reading the description, if it reads 3hrs duration, that is from the time you meet as a group on the ship in the theater, group up and make your way as a group down the pier for transportation. We booked 2 excursions with MSC vs Viator or others because it appeared a better value but in reality it may not be a longer excursion after all. Maybe others can comment on this as well. Note excursions booked with the cruise line will guarantee your timely return to the ship. (insert ship fine print here, hahaha)

Am I old enough to ride this ride?

Who are typical cruisers, do I fit in? Yes it’s true that a majority of passengers are over 50, myself included. I can’t explain this other than they cater to every need, they are “accessible” and all inclusive from the moment you are dropped at the pier. Let face it, we have more time on our hands so a journey to Barcelona can take 3 weeks vs a 15 hour flight.

Cruise VS Voyage

I don’t know if this is an adequate title but I am now 13 days into our transatlantic cruise covering 13 ports of call, and 23 nights, and I have to say it is much different than a “standard” cruise from 4 nights through 7 or 8 nights. This voyage, if you will has taken on a different kind of feel, you have time to settle in, know the ship and amenities as well as time to enjoy them. You have time to get to know some staff and make friends with other cruisers. Shorter cruises do not always afford this in my limited experience.

Conclusion

I can see myself doing more of the voyage style, greater than 14 days, cruises that get you from one place to another in the form of transportation vs a return loop. I have not missed my home and possessions or any of the maintaining that goes along with it. I would love to hear any comments on your cruise experiences that can help us as newly retired couple that enjoy adventurous world travels.

Note, these are personal reflections, examples from our experiences and of course may differ from date of publishing and intended to help or entertain other readers.