TO CRUISE OR NOT TO CRUISE…IS THAT A QUESTION?
Recently I was reading some of the cruise and travel message boards and found it extremely interesting to see how passionate people are regarding their travels. If you are an avid cruising advocate you know that the mostly hotly discussed subject is usually Carnival vs. RCI, HAL, Princess, Costa, Celebrity etc. You can be reading the quietest message board on the web but once the subject of cruise line preferences comes up it seems that five hundred readers suddenly appear and post their raves or gripes about all the different cruise lines.
Since the advent of the Internet and the availability of “reaching out” to others with the same interests as yours, with just the touch of a finger or a mouse we all have the ability to express our views. Often these views are expressed with vehemence, passion and sometimes unfortunately with downright rudeness. However, people speak out and that is a good thing since the more information available to all of us only makes us savvier travelers. First hand experiences, from fellow travelers, help us to make more informed decisions regarding our choices of travel.
However, I must say that with forty years of travel experience either with friends, relatives, The Crabby Old Guy and our five children (and now their spouses) and their friends, and our grandson, I have always opted for the most relaxing pace and vacation I could find. Sadly, my plans were often met with some resistance from “Crabby” and our crew. Some of you may consider me a coward but dragging half the world along with The Savvy Old Lady on planes, trains and automobiles never seemed to be my idea of a good time. Especially if this also included making dinner reservations, renting cars, hailing taxis and of course sending out a search party for the one missing child who took a detour on his own. Only a parent can appreciate the joy of asking five teenagers where they want to go for dinner or what their favorite destination for the year’s family vacation might be.
I can remember many years ago “Crabby” and I planned a vacation to Disneyworld with our then five young children and my mother (who was wheel chair bound) and her aide. As all nine of us were seated all over the plane preparing to depart to Orlando, Florida, an announcement came over the speakers stating that they were offering free air line tickets to those who were willing to give up their seats, since the airline had overbooked the flight. “Crabby” who was seated in seat 9A stood up and yelled to me in seat 27E “Should we all get off the plane and get a free flight to Disneyworld?” Believe me the man was lucky I was buckled in my seat and attached to two toddlers on either side of me or he would have been the proverbial “dead man walking”. Our ten day Disney vacation was memorable for all, particularly me. To this day I shudder when I think about each of those mornings when we woke up at eight AM went to breakfast and then lined up at the gates of the Magic Kingdom to be one of the first to enter the Park. You see “Crabby” had our days planned from dawn to dusk insuring that we would all get the most out of each day’s “FUN”. By the time we returned home everyone was exhilarated and refreshed, except for Mom, who couldn’t wait to send Dad back to work and the kids off to school.
Since the advent of the Internet and the availability of “reaching out” to others with the same interests as yours, with just the touch of a finger or a mouse we all have the ability to express our views. Often these views are expressed with vehemence, passion and sometimes unfortunately with downright rudeness. However, people speak out and that is a good thing since the more information available to all of us only makes us savvier travelers. First hand experiences, from fellow travelers, help us to make more informed decisions regarding our choices of travel.
However, I must say that with forty years of travel experience either with friends, relatives, The Crabby Old Guy and our five children (and now their spouses) and their friends, and our grandson, I have always opted for the most relaxing pace and vacation I could find. Sadly, my plans were often met with some resistance from “Crabby” and our crew. Some of you may consider me a coward but dragging half the world along with The Savvy Old Lady on planes, trains and automobiles never seemed to be my idea of a good time. Especially if this also included making dinner reservations, renting cars, hailing taxis and of course sending out a search party for the one missing child who took a detour on his own. Only a parent can appreciate the joy of asking five teenagers where they want to go for dinner or what their favorite destination for the year’s family vacation might be.
I can remember many years ago “Crabby” and I planned a vacation to Disneyworld with our then five young children and my mother (who was wheel chair bound) and her aide. As all nine of us were seated all over the plane preparing to depart to Orlando, Florida, an announcement came over the speakers stating that they were offering free air line tickets to those who were willing to give up their seats, since the airline had overbooked the flight. “Crabby” who was seated in seat 9A stood up and yelled to me in seat 27E “Should we all get off the plane and get a free flight to Disneyworld?” Believe me the man was lucky I was buckled in my seat and attached to two toddlers on either side of me or he would have been the proverbial “dead man walking”. Our ten day Disney vacation was memorable for all, particularly me. To this day I shudder when I think about each of those mornings when we woke up at eight AM went to breakfast and then lined up at the gates of the Magic Kingdom to be one of the first to enter the Park. You see “Crabby” had our days planned from dawn to dusk insuring that we would all get the most out of each day’s “FUN”. By the time we returned home everyone was exhilarated and refreshed, except for Mom, who couldn’t wait to send Dad back to work and the kids off to school.
As a firm believer in “Sanity Refreshers”, especially for Moms or stay-at-home Dads, The Savvy Old Lady usually had to be satisfied with spending fifteen minutes (on those rare occasions) in a locked bathroom repeating her Mantra “Peace! Solitude! Peace!” before one of her clan declared her MMIA (Mom Missing in Action) and started pounding on the bathroom door. However, that was until I discovered the joy of cruising for a family vacation. Yes, once on the ship the kids left for parts unknown but always with their walkie-talkies and Mom and Dad could be found by the Solarium pool either reading a book or enjoying a much needed siesta. Dinner reservations, vans for seven and heated exchanges over where to eat and what to do all happily disappeared. Each evening on board our cruise ship we all met for dinner and the conversation was always animated as we exchanged stories of our day’s adventures. On our days in port we all opted for fun excursions or leisurely hours on a beautiful beach.
About five years ago “Crabby” had scheduled a business meeting in Europe and decided that it would be nice if we all took the opportunity for a family European vacation after his meeting had finished. After an exasperating conversation with three of our teenage children (the other two were out of the house and on their own, well sorta) and no two of them agreeing on seeing the same country, The Savvy Old Lady decided it was time to book a Mediterranean cruise. Before the trip “Crabby” and I did our research and knew exactly what we wanted to see and do in each port of call and yes, the kids had some input but Mom and Dad had a good plan of action. There is no doubt in my mind that it was one of the most incredible vacations we have ever taken.
Now as most of you know there are two schools of thought among travelers when it comes to touring Europe and beyond. There are those who consider it sacrilegious to see Europe any way except on a land based tour and then there are others that prefer to do their homework, research exactly what they want to see and experience a sampling of each foreign port of call. Granted, with limited time in each port you may not experience the true flavor and culture of the area but in my mind it gives you enough exposure to decide what city and country you might want to come back to at a future time.
All too often due to financial constraints or family and work commitments, many people are limited to that one “magical” trip across the “big pond”. Although they might be limited to one or even two weeks on their dream vacation, they usually want to see as much as they can with as little hassle as possible. In my opinion, a cruise ship is a great option. You can say goodbye to renting cars, changing hotels, packing and unpacking, dinner reservations and relying on concierge services. Your choices are open at each port of call to either leisurely walk through a city or take advantage of a ship excursion. If you research thoroughly before your trip you can even reserve a private car and guide and visit those places that you want to see. When we were in Naples and Athens (and in most ports of call), we literally walked off the ship to discover a multitude of taxis waiting for passengers to tour their city. At first, “Crabby” was a bit hesitant and gave me the look that only a wife can interpret…”If we get kidnapped or mugged remember it was your idea!” Well, we’ve had some wonderful tours at a fraction of the cost of the ship’s excursions and we were able to spend as much or as little time as we wanted at each location. As corny as it may sound to some, we had to chuckle when after entering a cab in Naples the driver turned on a tape player and within seconds Dean Martin was singing “That’s Amore”. But after awhile we were all singing along and having a grand ole time while driving through the narrow, hilly and bustling streets of Naples.
When you consider the exchange rate of the Euro to the American dollar, being able to purchase airline tickets and cruise cabins with meals in US dollars is a considerable savings to Americans. Even the shore excursions are paid for in American dollars on most cruise lines. Today, there are so many cruise lines sailing all the seas and even river cruises that we are all so fortunate to be able to take advantage of seeing the world. Even if it’s just a sampling of a culture, a taste of honey, it’s definitely better than no honey at all.
Comments