Busting the myths around cruising

The age-old question that passes by many of those who are intrigued by the idea but have never pressed that book button....is cruising really for me?

I have been on many cruises now and they are each as rewarding and exciting as the previous one. I am sure that you will read how much I am a fan of cruising. Easy for me then to book my next cruise, as I have "taken the plunge" so to speak and am a well-established cruiser. But what about those first timers?

This blog aims to dispel some pretty common myths and questions that I have heard and been asked by many people.

1. "The idea of being stuck on a boat with over 2,000 people is not my idea of a holiday or a good time!"

Unless you are planning to be on a desert island with only monkeys for company, you will always be surrounded by people wherever you go on holiday. Do you think that your hotel resort is any different? I do understand the concern though (particularly as I wrote this post on a sea day).... a sea day with 2000 people who are each looking for that quiet and secluded spot away from other people. Yes, you do notice that there are more people around, but it isn't like a bazaar in Istanbul where you have to push your way through throngs of people. A ship is quite large, funnily enough, and there are enough spaces for everyone. Sure, it is very much dependent on the layout of the ship, but overall it isn't too bad. The other thing is, that unless you plan on doing a Transatlantic crossing, most cruises will only have 1 or 2 sea days per week of cruise. The focus are the port days and going out to explore the places. On many of the ships there are so many activities throughout the day that the crowds are well and truly dispersed.

2. "I get sea sick on the ferry so can't go on a cruise. It will be awful!"

Sunset in the Caribbean with a sailing cruise in the foreground.

I cannot really comment overly much on this one, as I am lucky enough not to have suffered with sea sickness. However, what I can say is that you really don't feel the movement. There are a couple of occasions that spring to mind which I want to highlight. One of the cruises which took us from New York to the Caribbean and back again ended up having wave swells of around 15-20 metres height. While you could see them from the window and you could feel it ever so slightly, the well-equipped Queen Mary 2 (Cunard cruise liner) was stabilised to reduce the effects. The number of rough sea crossings that we have had is pretty limited, and I have met fellow cruisers who have said that they get sea sick and have to take an anti-motion tablet if we are tendered (this is where the cruise ship is too large to dock right at port and therefore has to anchor a short distance from the shore. To get to the shore, we are then taken by tender boat). I had previously thought of recommending a short 3-4 night cruise as a trial run, but this very much depends on where you go and the time of the year. I would think for example that a mini cruise from Southampton or Tilbury in the UK over to the continent and back at this time of year might be a little on the rougher side anyway.

3. "I don't like dressing up and all that pomp and circumstance."

Just like there are various types of hotels and restaurants that you can go to to satisfy your tastes, there are plenty of cruise lines for everyone. From the very informal cruises where you can literally just turn up in a pyjama on New Years Eve (based on a NCL cruise back in 2005), to the beautifully elegant where you can dress up for dinner and have a number of formal evenings (based on Cunard line cruises). Most cruises will have at least one formal evening, known as the Captain's cocktail, where people will dress up in evening gowns for ladies and then suit and tie (or tuxedo) for the gentlemen. Typically this will happen on cruises over 6 days in length. Even on cruises where it is slightly more formal, there is the choice of going upstairs to the buffet which serves food every evening. The only requirement there is not to appear in a swimming costume and to be covered for more hygienic reasons. Quite logical if you ask me.

4. "I don't like being rushed. Cruising is stressful as you end up always clock watching!"

I am assuming that this is related to when you are in port rather than casually lounging on the ship. This is a mixed one. After 3 cruises where we booked various ship-led excursions to ensure that we would not miss out on the cruise sail time, we decided to save a lot of money and go native. The major risk with this though, is that if for some reason you are not back in time for all-aboard, then you could miss the ship and be semi-stranded. Typically you are in a location for a full day. I recommend that you aim to be off the ship in the morning to visit places further afield from the port, and then stay more local after lunch with an aim to be back on the ship 1-2 hours before ship sailing, then you will be absolutely fine. If though you are concerned about this side of the holiday, then book a couple of ship excursions to gain some confidence.

5. "You don't have enough time to explore around. I like being able to take my time."

Similar to the previous myth and comment, this is all about timings. Cruising is very much providing a taster to places that you wouldn't necessarily have thought of visting before. It is good way of learning where you should go for a longer holiday. You should therefore not see it as not having enough time to explore, but rather maximising the time that you are there with seeing as much as you can. Rome, let's say is a great example, docking in Civitavecchia which remains about 80 km. There is so much to see and do in Rome that you should do this on a long weekend or part of a longer tour, but if you were never bothered about seeing Rome, then this is a good taste to see if you should go back again in future. Earlier this year, Colombia and Costa Rica were on the cruise itinerary....because of those 3 days I spent in various locations, I know that I would like to return for a longer land-based tour.

6. "Cruising is expensive! I won't be able to afford it."

It is actually much more cost effective than you would think. Cruising sounds expensive and the perception that you are visiting at least 5 different places in a week long period could come across as requiring much money. But, if you take it down to the cost per day for essentially full board plus transport, you can start to have a more like-for-like comparison. Sure, it all depends on location and cruise line, but again it is all relative. A two week cruise in the Caribbean, including flights, could cost you around £1200 which works out less than £95/day. How much did your last holiday cost you?

7. "Cruising is boring. There's nothing to do between ports."

This could not be further from the truth! There is so much to do on a cruise that you almost won't be able to do everything. Each ship is different and has their own quirks but here is a quick taste of what you can get up to. You can choose to ... go for a walk along a promenade deck, go to an art gallery, watch a film in the cinema, go shopping, have a pampering session, go to the gym, attend an interesting seminar, go rock climbing, go to the library, play one of the many deck-games, learn how to waltz...... That's just during the day - for the evening entertainment you can go and see a West-End quality performance at the theatre, go to the many bars to listen to live music, ballroom dance on the sea and so much more. On top of that, there's the food to think about. You can eat practically 24/7 on these ships! Still think that you will get bored?

Are you thinking about going on a cruise? If you have any questions that you would like to know around cruising, please comment below or send me a message. Check out my upcoming blog on "Hints & Tips to maximise your cruising experience" coming soon.

#Cruising #Preholidayplanning #Tours