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20 reasons why cruising is not for me

Our ship

For those that regularly read my blog know that I went on a 2 week vacation a few weeks ago. I went on my first cruise.

I love travelling and have done that all my life, but cruising never appealed to me. I had visions of being trapped on a boat, lots of lines and lots of crowds of people, bad weather and being sea sick. None of this appealed to me. But due to family commitments a cruise vacation came up and we all went.

I am glad I went because now I never have to wonder what cruising is like. I understand that there are all types of cruises, some really high-end where everything is included, including alcohol, bigger rooms, smaller ships, and good food. Then there are cheaper versions where everything is a little less luxurious.

I went on a Royal Caribbean cruise – which is more in the middle of the line class.

I also understand the appeal of cruising since you only have to unpack once, and get to see many different locations and you do not have to worry about planning anything since that is all done for you. The kids have a blast there are activities for them 24/7.  And if you have a large family it could be very economical.  There are lots of people that love cruising, is a huge industry.

Don’t get me wrong i still had a good time on my vacation, the Caribbean was great, beautiful beaches, and the weather was always sunny and in the 90s F.

View from our cabin – this is your view 99% of the time at sea

But I will not go on a cruise anytime soon, here are my 20 reasons why cruising is not for me:

  1. Sea Sick – I never got sea sick but one night it was rough and hard to sleep. I think it might have been first time cruiser bad weather anxiety.
  2. Not able to pick up the soap in the shower – The bathroom and shower is so small so if you drop your soap, you need to step out of the shower to pick it up.
  3. Getting Sick – I am not talking sea sick but getting “the cruise” sickness. I got it and trust me nobody wants to get it.
  4. Having to use Purell everywhere you go – Yes, there are Purell stands everywhere.
  5. Having to be at the pool at 9am to get a seat – I am not kidding
  6. Having to sit 5 inches from your neighbor in the pool – One of the worst things I know. I want some privacy.
  7. Screaming children and adults in the pool – It was just like spring break all over again.
  8. No culture – I left the US and never felt like I did.
  9. Docking at ports with 10,000 other people getting of cruise ships – Do I even have to say more?
  10. Only getting 6-8 hours at port – There were places I wanted to spend more time exploring, but had to get back to the ship.
  11. Lines & Crowds – Yes, there were lines and crowds, it is a big ship but there are still lines and crowds.
  12. Being on a ship with 4400 other people – That is a lot of people
  13. Average Food – Food was my biggest disappointed, I really thought it was going to be good – bland, boring, over cooked, nothing exciting, very disappointing.
  14. Getting Lost – The ship is very large, you do get lost.
  15. No way of communicating with anyone else on the ship – You could leave messages in your room, pay a $2.49/min cell phone charge or just give up.
  16. Average Shows – Yes, it is true. When you hear Simon Cowell say that someone should be on a cruise ship – that is what they sound like.
  17. Ports are boring – Most of the time a port where a cruise ship can anchor is not a place I want to hang around. To get to a place more exciting you have to travel further once on land.
  18. Pay for alcohol – If you like to have drinks during your vacation your bill can get large pretty fast.
  19. Expensive excursions – The cruise line doubles or triples local excursion trips.
  20. Sea legs – You feel like you are on a ship days after you get off.

Main Dining Room

One of the kids pool area – before everyone arrived

Tendering from the ship

Miami

Would love to hear from you, have you ever been on a cruise? Do you like cruising or not and why?

Year Ago: Banana Bread

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  1. I have been on a few cruises, and I have to agree with you. The only way I would take another cruise would be if someone else were to pay. I am not a fan!

    • Delishhh replied: — May 22nd, 2011 @ 8:26 pm

      Melissa – oh good i am not alone. I was wondering if i was going to be alone with this post. Thanks for coming by 🙂

  2. Wow, so sorry to hear the negatives you experienced. I don’t find very many of those to be the case and absolutely LOVE cruising. However, I have never (and will never) sail on Royal Caribbean…for MANY reasons. I would suggest you try a line with fewer children and better food, like Celebrity. A good friend of mine swears by Celebrity, although I have done ALL of my cruising on Princess (#6 coming up in November), and I totally love Princess.

    I can’t help you with the pool thing, as I do not ever swim or lay at a pool. I don’t even own a swimsuit, it’s just not my thing. But, Princess has adults-only pools which are located in quiet areas.

    Showers, only my first cruise did I experience the tiny shower. I book suites or mini-suites now. However, Celebrity’s new ships have bigger showers even in regular cabins (per my friend, who takes the lowest priced cabin with the best upgrade — he won’t pay for the cabins that we look for).

    Purell — I don’t use it, never have, never will. That stuff is not good for you, as it kills good AND bad germs, which lowers your resistance and leaves you more prone to becoming ill. It also dries out your skin something fierce. I am OCD about washing my hands and in 5 cruises I have never been sick, nor has my husband or my mom (who I went with on my 2 Alaska cruises, since hubby won’t fly). None of use is and nobody is going to force me to do so.

    Sea sick — Never had it happen, despite some rocky waters. We book “aft” cabins (balcony overlooking the ship’s wake) on one of the upper-most decks, which tends to be a bad spot for people who get sea sick (the best is as low as possible and as mid-ship as possible), and while I do get sea sick on small vessels, I have never gotten sea sick on a cruise ship. You can get a shot at the medical center and you will sleep for a few hours, but wake up feeling like a million bucks and it lasts for a few days. Someone on Cruise Critic mentioned it, and when my mom got sick I had her get the shot and it worked like a charm for her. It’s like $25 if you go during the “open” hours (vs. having to call in the doctor).

    Excursions — I rarely book a ship’s excursion. I do my own research and consult with cruising friends for tips on excellent excursions, and book them privately. Have had WONDERFUL success in many ports doing this. I suggest Cruise Critic forums, you will find TONS of info there.

    Lines & crowds — I honestly have rarely felt this way. Again, I don’t sail on RCCL, way too many reasons to list here, but have friends who have sailed on RCCL as well as Princess and Celebrity and they don’t feel the lines & crowds are nearly as bad on Princess & Celebrity. I can only speculate & relate what others have told me, but I’ve been pleased with Princess.

    Food — On all lines, food quality has gone down over the years, that is a fact (sadly). Per my one friend, who USED to sail often on RCCL (he sails 3-4x per year, used to do at least 1 on RCCL annually)…he refuses to ever sail on them again because of the last food experience, he said it was THAT bad.

    Side note, RCCL is long known for being more expensive for smaller cabins vs. other lines…AND for an atmosphere that is heavily geared toward kids. I have no interest in all the ice rinks, rock climbing walls, and whatever other similar features. I want a relaxing cruise without screaming kids — that just will NOT happen on RCCL unless you book a cruise that is longer than 7 days (the longer the cruise, the fewer kids you will find).

    Getting lost — Even on my first cruise, I have never gotten lost. I always carry the little pocket guide they give (on Princess, it is just a paper tri-fold thing) and I usually get familiar with the ship prior to sailing anyway. There are “tricks” on how to know where you are, such as on Princess, the carpet on Starboard side has a different color trim than the carpet on the Port side (one is blue, one is red). All I need to do is look down and know which side I am on, and then I know in which direction to head. I am very good with directions, though…so maybe I am the exception?

    Communication — Yeah, other than leaving messages (voice mail or Post-It notes on cabin doors), it can be tough. Some people use walkie talkies, but we travel just the 2 of us so it’s a non-issue for us.

    Sea Legs — LOL, it varies for everyone. My husband barely gets that at all, I get it a little longer, but find the more I cruise the less I notice it.

    I know I didn’t address everything on your list, but this is getting long. LOL Really sorry you were disappointed. I’d suggest trying Celebrity if you ever go again, perhaps even Princess (though Celebrity’s food is supposed to be a notch higher — per my friend who has sailed them all, and others who have recently sailed these lines).

    • Delishhh replied: — May 22nd, 2011 @ 8:57 pm

      Oh Mary – thank you for the AWESOME comments. – I didn’t have a BAD time it was just not my thing. I was trying to make a few of the reasons comical too – so hopefully it didn’t come out as all negative as it might have.
      I totally understand that the higher end cruise lines would have been better for me – for all the reason you mentioned. It’s like everything else in the world ‘you get what you pay for” right?
      Yeah I should have never used Purell. Also some great advice on ‘aft’ cabins. As far as excursion I never end up doing any ship excursion, but it was because I wasn’t really excited about the ports we were at, I just waned to look around, see the places and get some culture and eat local food.
      The lines and crowds – I was surprised, folks said you don’t feel it, but I did, going on and off the ship, the buffets, evening events and popular areas on the ship.
      On the getting lost subject, RCCL has little electronic maps everywhere so you always know where you are, but you constantly have to check – so it was more comical since the ship is so large.
      On the communication piece – we did have walki talkies – but they didn’t work all the time, I think you have to have higher end walki talkies for them to work through out the ship.
      Again, Mary your comments are great and I totally agree with you, next time, if I ever go again, I will do something a little higher end. Thanks again for writing here.

      • Mary replied: — May 22nd, 2011 @ 9:10 pm

        I understand, and yes I noticed some of the comments were meant to be comical. I know cruises are not for everyone, though. Maybe I would feel differently if the hubby would fly, but since he won’t, cruising is an excellent option for us — otherwise, we’d be stuck with driveable vacations (as it is, we drive 3 days getting to port in Ft. Lauderdale, and 3 days back).

        The times we did compare RCCL, the prices were higher than on Princess. Celebrity should not be too much more, especially if you are OK with low deck (and even interior) cabins. The closer you can get to the center of the ship, the less likely you are to become seasick. Most people tend to do better with an interior cabin, if they are prone to seasickness. I would always want to be able to get fresh air, though. I’ve always had a balcony for that reason. But yes, stay away from the far ends of the ship and the upper decks when booking a cabin, since you had gotten seasick.

        Right, the ports when you first get off the ship do tend to be geared toward shopping and not much else and therefore not very exciting. Some people like the beach and just get off & stay right there…but we always do excursions since we are not swimmers or sunbathers.

        Electronic maps, wow, that is cool. Princess only has placards on the walls. I can see how it can be confusing, though. Maybe I am just a lucky one to have good bearings. I know I have helped quite a few people find their way. I’m not shy about piping up and asking someone if they need help (when they have the “deer in headlights” look).

        Well, I hope if you try cruising again that you will like it better. But there are lots of vacation options out there and they’re not all for everyone. We all like different things. 🙂

  3. Oh my gosh! I’ve never been attracted to the idea of a cruise for the fear of all the things you just listed! Thanks for sharing! Too bad about the food. : (

  4. Have been on numerous cruises, but, like you, they just aren’t for me. I prefer to take a plane, get to my destination, and savor the culture/food/sights, etc.; really get to know the area. I agree that the time they allot to spend in ports are just too short.

    • Paul replied: — May 25th, 2011 @ 6:22 pm

      You’ve been on “numerous cruises” and they aren’t for you? So why take numerous cruises if it’s not your thing? If I try something once and don’t like it I simply don’t do it again.

      • Delishhh replied: — May 25th, 2011 @ 7:54 pm

        Paul – where did you read that i have been on numerous cruises? If you read the first line it says it was my first cruise. I will not be going again.

        • Paul replied: — May 26th, 2011 @ 4:55 am

          I was responding to Judith Beatty, the post just above my comment. Quote: “Have been on numerous cruises, but, like you, they just aren’t for me.”

          • Delishhh replied: — May 28th, 2011 @ 9:15 am

            Paul – sorry about that i missed that part. Thanks!

  5. OMG – I have had all of the same concerns you listed here in debating whether or not I would ever do a cruise. If I do ever do one, I may take Mary’s advice and sail on Celebrity.

  6. I’ve never been on a cruise and probably for some of the reasons you shared. I also have visions of pirates or fires or getting tossed overboard. Maybe none of which I should really worry about but that’s how it is. I sure as hell dont’ want to have to fight for a spot in the pool or by it.

    • Delishhh replied: — May 31st, 2011 @ 8:10 am

      Rachel – you are too funny, you watch too many movies. I think as long as you are not off the coast of Africa you are safe from pirates 🙂 The fight for a spot in the pool not my ideal vacation either 🙂

  7. Your 20 reasons are the same as mine. No Thank you!! I too went on a Caribbean cruise, not impressed at all!!

  8. Have to say it depends on where you’re cruising to and the cruise line. I’ve been on 5 cruises. Some short and some longer, but I would never go back to the Caribbean on a cruise again. I think you’re much better off going to an all inclusive or a particular resort you’ve always wanted to see.

    Our last cruise was 2 years ago and we did the Mediterranean. THAT was worth while. Having never been to Europe I wanted to see as much as I could and be able to decide where I wanted to return and spend more time. The ports were great, although it did require a train to get into Florence and Rome which limited your time there.

    But Venice!! Taking a water taxi from the ship to St. Mark’s square was amazing. We also had a day and a half there, so we were able to explore and enjoy it more. I will definitely go back to Venice!

    Split Croatia I wouldn’t visit again. Cannes was fun, and we had an excursion to Provence which was a mixed bag. Still, you got a feel for the area and could judge whether you would want to spend a week there. I wouldn’t.

    Barcelona was way too short. We flew in and out of there and didn’t have enough time to explore. I will definitely go back there and spend more time.

    The biggest surprise of the trip was Malta. We had a fabulous day in Valletta Malta, which we knew very little about. It was beautiful and bustling. I would visit again.

    I will never cruise with RCCL again. Being our 5th cruise we’d been on Carnival twice and enjoyed it, Norwegian once and it wasn’t bad, Dolphin cruise line was wonderful and the food was incredible, but they no longer exist. Royal Caribbean was the worst food I’ve ever experienced on a ship. Our wait staff was AWFUL. We complained, to no avail. Fortunately the day trips made it all worthwhile.

    I’m sorry you had health issues. I’ve never experienced sea sickness or cruise related illnesses. I don’t think Purell is a good idea anywhere. Showering can be a challenge, I’ll grant you that. I hope you’ll try one more time before condemning the whole industry. And pick an itinerary that really gets you excited.

    • Mary replied: — May 23rd, 2011 @ 7:13 am

      I totally agree here, Barbara — especially your comment about trying other cruise itineraries. I would say the same goes for ALASKA. I did it twice (combined with land trips pre-cruise, first time was 10 days and we went with a planned tour through Princess, second time was 3 days that I planned myself and rented a car). The Alaskan ports CAN be seen in the time allotted, in most cases (have to check each sailing date to be sure you don’t get an “odd” short day in a port). I very highly recommend Alaska cruises, preferably with land-based tour added. If anyone reading this plans for Alaska, I recommend Princess over any other line (2nd would be Holland America). They have the longest history there, and are granted MANY more slots into Glacier Bay (a must see, do not miss this) than any other cruise lines. Princess and HAL get preferential treatment in other ways as well, like having the best naturalists on board. Celebrity, with some of their ships, have had pod propulsion issues, and while I’d sail Celebrity in a heartbeat for any other itinerary, I would never sail them for Alaska.

      • Delishhh replied: — May 31st, 2011 @ 7:49 am

        Mary – Alaska is one of those cruises i think i just had to do since otherwise i would not be able to see what i want to see. And this information was great. Thank you for sharing this!

    • Delishhh replied: — May 31st, 2011 @ 8:07 am

      Barbara – I can see how Europe can be interesting for cruising, but since i am from there that doesn’t really interest me. But my FAVORITE vacation place in Europe is the northern Croatian coast. So sad to hear you didn’t like it. The people are so friendly, it is cheap and the food is just fabulous. But you need a car to get around and you drive up to the mountains find a little restaurant that has lamb grilling on a spit outside and have their homemade wine, eat lamb and their fabulous home grown tomatoes. Some of the best food i have had is there in Croatia and love it. Venice i do not like at all, smelly and tourist trap. Next time you go to Europe i recommend renting a car and driving around. Or just renting a local apartment in Paris and being a local – those are the best vacations. Cannes i am not a fan off, Barcelona is fabulous also a great place just to rent an apartment and be a local. I have never heard of Dolphin before, wonder if someone bought them up. I just do not like feeling like a tourist and cattle – so i think that is why cruising is not for me. I like to blend in with the locals if i am going to a big city, eat and drink what they do or just go somewhere secluded and relax if i am going to the beach. And with cruising you can’t get that.

      • jacqueline replied: — December 1st, 2011 @ 3:11 am

        Delishhh,

        I definitely agree with you. I lived in Europe for over a year and have visited quite a few countries there, but never by cruise. I would never do a cruise there, but it is easy for an American who is going quite far and it is already costly as it is to have an itenerary already planned out for you. On every other point though… I agree Venice is a tourist trap, and interesting to visit for a few hours just to see because minus all the overly touristy stores, and signs pointing where to go and the mass crowds EVERYWHERE (even off season when I went), it is a beautiful little city. And I haven’t visited the northern Croatian coast, just the little peninsula (PULA) and Rijeka, and I found Croatia to be lovely as you said kind people, beautiful countryside and very cheap. Cannes, I am not fond of at all, and Barcelona I loved I stayed with someone in an apartment for a week and it was amazing.

        All in all, cruises are nice for tourists, but can be a bit annoying for travelers. I enjoy it for that easy vacation. Sit by the pool, eat, check out some little toursity beach towns (carribean cruises), see some shows… basically eat drink be merry. But to really travel which I prefer- a cruise ship is not the best way. Most places can also be visited much cheaper than by a cruise (depending on your travel style of course).

        • Delishhh replied: — December 1st, 2011 @ 1:46 pm

          Jacqueline – thanks for stopping by and i completely agree with you. The only place i would concider doing a cruise again is Alaska – because some place you can only get by boat.

  9. Hi There,
    It was good fun to read your experiences of the cruise. I know even i’m sea sick at times and dont like to be there for very long….cheers !

  10. Oh my gosh, I was so interested to read this. My only experience of cruising has been from land… by which I mean, we have stayed on some beautiful Caribbean islands and noticed the total and unpleasant change on the day the cruise ship comes in.

    Normally beautiful, quaint towns are suddenly swamped by people… the locals change demeanor from friendly & helpful to just wanting to sell you stuff… the whole ambiance changes and not for the better. After a couple of times, we got wise, and always found out which days the ships docked, before trying to visit the capital cities of these islands. And you’re right, that the main port is rarely the most scenic spot, and even the beautiful excursion destinations are less appealing when 1000 people arrive at one time.

    Until we experienced these changes in places like St Lucia, Barbados and Antigua, I had always fancied cruising. But I can pretty much say now, I’ll never try it. Great post, thank you.

    • Delishhh replied: — May 31st, 2011 @ 7:42 am

      Pauline – Ohh yes – when we stopped in Grand Cayman there were 7 ships there at the same time during that day – i am sure average of 3000 people per ship. The city was a zoo. The only place i have experiences cruise ships in ports are Ft. Lauderdale and Seattle and since those cities are so large anyways they just blend in. But i can’t image Gran Caymond for example that only had 50,000 people on it and add another 21,000 people on top of that for a day. I don’t even understand why they don’t rotate days for ships to come in – maybe one ship a day instead of all of them on the same day.

  11. Hi Ewa! It was such an interesting post and I loved it. I’ve never been to a cruise for the exact same reasons I have with you. Some of friends asked us to go, but I would enjoy more of visiting places and eating at a local restaurant, and you know walk around and stuff. To me, hanging out on a beach/swimming pool is not my type of vacation and I get bored in 5 minutes. I can see why food is not superb because they had to cook for so many people and I feel like people on a cruise look for different kind of fun (drinking, relax by pool, non-stop eating, partying, etc). And your 20 reasons totally help me decide on our possible cruise option for the next 10 years at least. I’m not ready for all that. Recently Disney cruise came up but I’m sort of glad I passed. I rather want to take the kids to Disney World or something. Although the swimming pool for the kids seem like a fun place for my little kids, but I can find somewhere just like that. Thanks for a fun post. And I’ll be mentally “bookkeeping” this post in case someone ask me to go cruise with them. 😉

  12. I can relate to your feelings towards cruises.. I have never been on a cruise, but have never been in particular big fan of them…

  13. Great post. I used to think I wanted to go on a cruise. But my time and money is very precious to me and I had long since decided that being trapped on a ship at sea it not my idea of fun. When I read your 20 reasons, I shook my head yes to all of them. Thanks for sharing your experience.

  14. I have never been on a cruise, and honestly have no interest in going on one. All of your reasons in your list….sound like all of the reasons I have for not wanting to go. And people give me a hard time about my decision. Hmmm….

    Nope…give me peace and quite, serenity and seclusion. That sounds like vacation to me.

    • Delishhh replied: — May 31st, 2011 @ 7:34 am

      Conni – I am with yout – peace and quite, serenity and seclusion!!!! I also need some culture and good food! 🙂

  15. Oh goodness! This was the best and funniest post I have read in a long time! And, the most honest! LOL! You did a FABULOUS job of telling it like it is, and I’ve never even been on a cruise! But this is really what I would imagine it to be. I WOULD like to take a cruise sometime, but I think that the reality of a cruise is exactly what you wrote! You really were funny with your comments and I thoroughly enjoyed this post! Thanks for sharing your views. 😉
    Best,
    Gloria

    • Delishhh replied: — May 31st, 2011 @ 7:33 am

      Gloria – THANK YOU!!! I am glad you got it. I was trying to be funny – some folks just said sorry you didn’t have a good time.

  16. Like you we do not like cruise, all the port start to look the same, not time to explore the cities…and I can go on and on and on…unfortunately we were kind of being forced to go to a family trip…and guess what? On a cruise ship from NY to Canada…not only this, in one of the cheapest version of cruise…my husband’s mom is paying for it, so we did not have much to say…I am already preparing myself for this so I do not come home insane 🙂 Have a wonderful week ahead Ewa 🙂

    • Delishhh replied: — May 31st, 2011 @ 7:31 am

      Juliana – At least you are not paying for it. Bring a good book 🙂 But i am thinking NY to Canada during Christmas – might be some rough water 🙂 no?

  17. Its too bad you didn’t enjoy! We went on one 2 years ago and it was a much needed break. We went on Carnival and loved it. The only thing I didn’t love were the children who loved to budge you in line (of course, there are no parents right there to tell them to behave, and then if they were, they might not anyway). We are going on another on in December – before Christmas when it is cheaper and hopefully many children are still IN SCHOOL. Otherwise, I have no complaints. I didn’t mind paying for my drinks. When you have to consider they are trucking you around and feeing you all you want anytime you want, to have to pay for booze is not a big deal to me. However, that is my perspective. Everyone has a right to their own opinions and if you did not enjoy it, then it is just not for you. Have you done all inclusive vacations OFF a ship? We talk about doing that too but loved the cruise so much ended up doing it again this year.

    • Delishhh replied: — May 31st, 2011 @ 7:24 am

      Shelby – Yeah i have done an all inclusive in Spain and in Costa Rice – not for me. The problem is that you get what you pay for – so most of the time the food isn’t that great, it is crowded etc. I just think as i get older i need good food, culture, history and some space 🙂

  18. The idea of a cruise has never appealed to me and you’ve just confirmed many of the reasons why. I like to explore the culture; find a local bar, get to know the people.

    But I’ve sometimes wondered. Now I will wonder no more!

  19. I was lucky enough to go on a couple of cruises in the ’60s. The ships held only held about 400 – 500 people. I have fond memories of those cruises. I have no desire to join a group of 4400 people on a giant floating city!

  20. I have never been on a cruise, and never want to! I doubt I would even go if it was offered completely free – none of it sounds fun to me, and now reading your actual reasons, my ideas of why I wouldn’t enjoy are simply justified further!

    this was a fun post to read (the parts that were supposed to be…) and sorry about the real things like food and sickness. I would just feel trapped. Can one get claustrophobic on a huge boat?? 🙂

    • Delishhh replied: — May 31st, 2011 @ 7:22 am

      Kristina – Not claustrophic but i would say trapped, the first day on the boat we were just sailing and i felt trapped and wanted to get away from all the people but there was nowhere to go, only to your cabin.

  21. Disclaimer: my wife is in the travel business and specializes in cruising. She turned me on to cruising when we were dating and our honeymoon was a cruise from Seattle to Alaska and back.

    I’m sorry you had a disappointing cruise experience. I’ve cruised Royal Caribbean before, but not Freedom class. I had a great time. One thing that really didn’t disappoint me was the food. The food at set dining was always top notch. The waiter knew your name and preferences by the end of the first meal. If you went to the buffet (we called it “the trough”), the food was okay considering. Princess was even better in terms of food.

    I’ll admit that you’re not going to get much foreign culture on an American cruise ship sailing to the Caribbean, tho. The foods aren’t really traditional, and they’re geared toward the clients (the Riu chain of resorts have “Japanese” and “Italian” restaurants, but I imagine it’s like going to a Dominican or Aruban restaurant in Japan or Italy — I wouldn’t). Some resorts are geared more toward European clients, however, many of them don’t even sell to Americans because preferences are so dissimilar. I might recommend a resort (or cruise line) that caters to that different market if you’re looking for a different experience.

    But if you’re looking for real culture, an all-inclusive isn’t the way to go. I’ll stop here b/c I just wanted to comment on the food aspect.

  23. I have not been on a cruise and I am not a big fan. I just don’t like the feeling of “being trapped” on a vacation! Much rather to take a long flight to be somewhere exciting and where I can walk!

    • Delishhh replied: — May 31st, 2011 @ 7:19 am

      Ilke – Totally agree with you!

  24. I’ve been on many many cruises. The first one I went on was Carnival at age 16, and when I got off that ship, my list of 20 reasons I would never cruise again were a lot like yours.

    Then, for our honeymoon, it seemed the best option to take a cruise in the Mexican Riviera (Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo), and this time, it was my husband who was convinced we’d be the only people under the age of 65.

    We actually had such a good time he booked our next cruise before we ever got home. I’ll put it to you like this – cruising is a lot like Disney World. The first time most grown ups go, they don’t have the best time. But the 2nd and 3rd times, they get stuff figured out, and have the best time ever.

    I honestly think a lot of your experiences are down to the line you were on. My day job is with a large travel company. RC and Carnival are the two cruise lines I’ll give a miss every time, from my own experiences and that of our customers.

    My favorite is Princess, followed by Norwegian. Their food is excellent (unless you count the buffet, which is.. well.. buffet), and even at full capacity, I’ve never felt crowded on their ships. Their layouts are different, and I think it helps a lot with the crowding issue. The other thing that changes your experience is splurging for a balcony room. Even at the higher cost (we usually pay about $800 pp), the trip is still economical. And it makes a huge difference.

    The other thing I would suggest is doing an itinerary that isn’t quite so popular. The Caribbean accounts for like 70% of most lines’ business, so of course it’s always crazy crowded.

    Try the Mexican riviera, or Alaska, or Panama. You’ll have an entirely different experience.

    On our honeymoon, we made real connections in Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. We still email with some of the locals we met. It IS possible. But I also think of cruising as a taster for places I might want to fly to directly in future.

    For example, after a cruise, I know I never want to spend a significant amount of time in Honduras again. But I could spend weeks and weeks in Grand Cayman, and we’re looking to do just that for our vacation next year.

  25. Also, I forgot to mention – a way around the communication issues on ship is walkie talkies. Back in the day before cell phones lost that “roaming” crap, people had the same problem at Disney World. They solved it by using walkie talkies. And now that’s what people do on cruise ships. They select a channel and a sub channel, and hand out walkie talkies to each “room” of their party. A lot of walkie talkies have a “call” button now that rings like a phone, so we always do that when we cruise with my parents. It gives them time to find and pick it up. Or we use the inter-room phones and just leave a message about where we’ll be.

  26. I agree with everything you said. Especially the parts about uninspiring food and lack of culture. Thanks for sharing. I thought coming up with 20 things might be tough, but you did it!

  27. I’ve never had any desire to go on a cruise, especially one of the Caribbean sea. For me, I get terrible sea sickness and the fact that there is no culture is a major turn-off.
    When I travel I want to experience the people, the food, and the history.

    • Delishhh replied: — May 31st, 2011 @ 7:18 am

      Samantha – i am with you 🙂

  28. I understand your point, but I am one of the ones who LOVE LOVE LOVE cruisin. Maybe because I love the casino so much. But there is something special about waking up in a new location. And the rocking of the boat….puts me right to sleep. 🙂

  29. Cruises always sound really boring to me, and my aunt always told me to never go on one. She took a big cruise vacation in college and always regretted it. Never would have thought about some of the reasons you listed though. I’d really expect the food to be decent!

  30. Ewa,
    Thanks for a great summary. I’d sign on to almost all of the points, but the last one. “Sea legs” is sort of fun though, and the effects can linger for a few days back on dry land.

    I’ve been to ports when these massive ships drops off the “cattle” and it just turned me off totally from cruising (in that manner). Guess the cruises we “really” want are financially out of reach, so better travel under own power/directions.

  31. I went on a cruise about a year ago, and my experience was similar to yours. I had a good time overall, but cruising is not really my thing. I’d probably do it again at some point in the distant future, but it surely isn’t my #1 way to travel.

    One thing you didn’t mention which was a major con of cruising for my husband and me was the feeling of imperialism. All of our wait staff and room service people were from Southeast Asia. We felt like we’d been transported to colonial times. And we felt an excessive amount of guilt about how little they were getting paid considering how much they were working.

    • Delishhh replied: — May 31st, 2011 @ 7:17 am

      Sherry – thanks for stopping by. I have heard that depending which cruise line you go with the wait staff can be paid very little, or even having a hard time understanding them. The one we were on there were folks from all over the world – i think they said over 40 different countries. We talked to a few and many had been doing it for years. The are on for 8 months and then off for 4 months. So it’s not a great job schedule if you have a family but the ones that were single really seemed to enjoy it.

  32. Nice article. It seems that cruising is a subject that elicits many different opinions. As you know, my article about a tour on Celebrity’s Millennium ship got all kinds of comments — positive, negative and in-between. I haven’t been on a cruise yet, but I’m open to the idea. I know it wouldn’t be the way I’d want to travel all of the time, but for a change — maybe!

    It seems that there are so many options today: cruise lines, itineraries, classes of service, ship capacities, etc. that I don’t want to make a blanket judgement. I hear from a lot of people that Alaska cruises are great because you get to see a lot that most of us wouldn’t be able to see otherwise.

    • Delishhh replied: — May 28th, 2011 @ 9:14 am

      Cathy – I totally agree with you. I would do an Alaska cruise since there isn’t really another way to see that part. They are out of Seattle all the time so i see them go and everyone that has gone says it great. The food is not the best i hear but the ships are smaller too, so not as many people.

  33. I have never been on a cruise and never really wanted to for some of the reasons you have stated here…I see the perks as well but if I get to travel, I want to explore 🙂
    Glad you still had a nice vacation, but sorry about the down side.

  34. I’m sorry you didn’t LOVE your cruise, but at least now you know it’s not for you. I’ve only been on one cruise and can’t wait to go back. It was a Disney cruise and it was so much fun, even for adults, trust me. They have a separate pool just for adults, etc, so you don’t always feel like it’s family time with other people’s kids.

    • Delishhh replied: — May 31st, 2011 @ 7:13 am

      Victoria – Thanks for stopping by – on the cruise i was on they also had a pool for just adults – but again you site like sardines and your neighbor is 5 inches from you. I can see why folks love cruising just not my thing.

  35. Hahah I have a love/hate relationship with cruising! I love it because everything is all in one place, I don’t have to worry about coordinating with our enormous family, and, yes, I cruise Disney style all the way.

    But, like you, I get sea sick, sea legs, and the patch makes me feel like I’m sucking on sand! I get claustrophobic and I can’t stand being on a boat with 4,000 other passengers.

    What to do?!!! I’m a little cruised out right now too. Ask me again in a couple months and I’d probably say “I’m in!”. Ask me again when I get back from the cruise and I’ll say I’m never going on another cruise!

  36. I agree with just about everything here. fortunately, we had smooth sailing so no sea sickness and our vessel had 3500 ppl and it was there was relatively no long queues plus we had a spacious “serenity” area with bed size lounges away from the main deck craziness. and, I was pleasantly surprised that the cabin was well-appointed and much larger than I was anticipating.

    That said, I still prefer to be at a destination and exploring though if I do cruise again, I wouldn’t hesitate to choose the same ship (different ports)…Carnival Freedom.

  37. Good thing I didn’t see your comments until after I went on my first cruise. I only went because my husband really wanted to do the Seattle to Alaska cruise. We went on the Westerdam (Holland America Line), loved the ship and the experience. We were fortunate to have decent weather (altho’ the water was sloshing around in the toilet bowl while our ship was out on the North Pacific Ocean). Our cabin was on the 6th deck, aft and we had a decent sized verandah. We chose open dining (next time we’ll do the set dinner time…we got weary of introducing ourselves to new faces for all 3 meals each day). The food was quite good. I didn’t mind using the Purell and was glad it was there (we’d heard that one of the other ships cruising up there that week was having a problem with sick passengers). I didn’t expect to see Broadway quality entertainment & the singers were good. Our comedian (whom I’d seen on TV already) was funny and everyone liked him. I didn’t do many shore excursions as I wasn’t interested but my husband did and he enjoyed them. We didn’t get to see Hubbard glacier due to fog that refused to lift (altho’ we did see part of it as we were leaving). I was glad our ship’s crew were safety-minded & didn’t push in closer. It was wonderful sitting in the lounge at the bow watching the sun set at 9:45 PM. We don’t care for gambling so we avoided the casino area. Not many kids but those we saw were well behaved. The only disappointment (IMO) were the sloppily dressed passengers, schlepping into the very well appointed dining room in their baggy shorts, droopy t-shirts and flipflops. Thankfully they weren’t the majority of passengers. Great, hardworking crew, clean ship, fabulous scenery. Since we were first time cruisers, we asked everyone we met what their opinion was and almost all of them said the Westerdam was a great ship and they were impressed (a few said they missed the ice and vegetable sculptures from the old days of cruising). We have no desire to cruise in warm weather areas and are thinking about N. Europe and/or New England.

  38. I always thought a cruise would be fun but you bring up some very good points. Maybe I dont really want to spend my money that way after all! Food for thought!

  39. Disclaimer: my wife is in the travel business and specializes in cruising. As you know, my article about a tour on Celebrity’s Millennium ship got all kinds of comments — positive, negative and in-between. After a couple of times, we got wise, and always found out which days the ships docked, before trying to visit the capital cities of these islands. You are my only food magazine you know!

  40. I have been on a number of cruises and clearly the best was the Alaska one. Mostly because of the beautiful scenery and excellent land tours. It would be difficult to do those on your own.

    BUT, my last cruise to the Caribbean will be my last one. The worse part was that over 20% of the passengers got ill from a virus. When that happened, the buffet essentially closed and the dining room meals were limited.

    What I really disliked was all of the extra charges. On previous trips, classes like yoga, dance etc were free. On this cruise there was a charge for them (and the yoga class was terrible). You couldn’t have a massage without them trying to sale you
    every lotion and potion on their shelves. Of course, I didn’t buy anything, but I do not like to even be approached about the products. Forget the hard sale–it is enough for me to never want to cruise again.

    Regarding the food, many people confuse having a lot of food with good food. Sure there are a lot of choices at the buffet–but I don’t like buffet food, because it has been sitting around way too long.

    I went with a group of friends who grew up together and that part was a lot of fun. When we docked, we all decided that next year we would go to a nice resort and forget cruising.

  41. Great list, and good follow up comments.

    I have friends who are trying to convince me and my wife to cruise. My wife wants to go, but I think I lean more towards a destination trip.

    This list is convincing, and another list I saw had these two additional elements:

    • Dave replied: — January 25th, 2012 @ 9:03 am

      1) fake art auctions with fake art and fake bidders to drive up the bids.
      2) crime is hidden in international waters, and no one can enforce the law anyhow.

  42. I went on my first and last cruise over a year ago. Not for me I’m afraid. One of the worst things was the “sea day”, went to the pool after breakfast and not a sunlounger to be had. Half of them had towels over them but no one sat on them. Spent most of the day sitting in the shade or inside, not what I paid for!! Too many kids about, all in all it was like Butlins at sea. I like a bit of quiet and be able to sample local bars and restaurants, not have to dress up for dinner, for goodness sake, you’re meant to be on holiday!!!!

    • Delishhh replied: — September 17th, 2012 @ 6:10 pm

      Jackie – I was laughing reading your comment, this is exactly how i feel. I remember the “sea day” worst day on the cruise!! Thanks for stopping by!

  43. Your post says what I was trying to say here.

    http://occasionaltravels.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/i-took-a-cruise-i-didnt-like-it-apologies-to-ms-perry/

    I too came away from our cruise wondering why I hadn’t had the time of my life, and I wrote this post to break it down. You articulate a number of the reasons I was disappointed, and I do hope people read this ‘flipside’ post – there are far more articles raving about cruising than stating the negatives.

  44. I’ve never been on a cruise, but the points about it being crowded spoke to me… The “No culture – I left the US and never felt like I did.”-point seems very logical, but I don’t know that I’d expect that on a cruise anyway. Having to sit 5 inches from my neighbour at the pool though… count me out 😉

  45. I have been on Royal Carribean, it looks just like the pics you posted, and I did a google search specifically looking for people who dislike cruises like myself. I am surrounded by family and friends who are addicted to cruises and can’t understand why my husband and I will never go on another one, unless it’s free.
    My cruise went to Belize and Mexico, two hot places like the place I live in; FL.
    I think the worst part of it was my husband and I being seated at a table at dinner filled with other people, all of them talking about the excursions and asking if we went on one. No, we didn’t want to spend the money. When we said no, their faces fell in disappointment and we were ignored for the rest of the meal because we had nothing to add to the conversation about excursions. Needless to say, we skipped dinner and snacked at the buffet.
    Don’t get me started about the hot tub…always packed with people all day and night, and there was multiple tubs on board.
    Family members are positive that we would have had a better time if we went with a group of people, but I doubt it. We would have still spent all our time at the casino 😉
    We had our honeymoon in a cold climate in New England and rented a converted carriage house and rented an SUV and drove around town freely. I prefer my vacation with a “come and go as you please” feel.

  46. I loved this piece. I just came back from the cruise from hell. It was my first, and will be my last, cruise. First we had 3 sea days in a row. There is nothing to do on a sea day that I cannot do at home. I get mani/pedi, massage, facials, shopping cheaper and better where I live. My housekeeper keeps my condo cleaner than my room steward. I can relax on my own balcony, read all I want, and sit and sun at my own pool all at home. I eat at the best restaurants in the metropolitan city where I live and restaurants here offer incredibly better food and service than on the ship. I can do arts/crafts at specialty stores in town if i wish and I see current movies here too. I go to the symphony, see plays and musicals, enjoy comedians, etc all with famous name stars. Ports days were a joke. The time in ports were so short than it was not even a “sampling” of what could be seen or experienced. The excursions were crowded and often boring with less than educated tour guides–I can get better info on Wikipedia! I fell on a crowded gangway with people rushing and shoving and the ship’s doctor sent me to a hospital, never cleaning my wounds, x-rays showed nothing broken, and he prescribed medication. No one from ship checked on me or followed up – not once. I could not get anyone in upper executive level on ship to speak to me about their lack of crowd control. Security staff just wanted me to make a report and were extremely rude. They tried to intimidate me when I responded to the question “Who was to blame?” by saying the cruise line because of lack of crowd control and orderly departure of over 200 people for an excursion. Passengers who were seasoned cruisers noted that the captain and upper crew were only seen one time in 10 days — during the champagne reception for all passengers on Christmas eve. Maitre De never stopped at any table, etc. There is literally no recourse against cruise lines as they fly under flags of and are incorporated in small foreign islands or lands to avoid following USA health, safety, and labor laws … and to avoid being held responsible for their negligence.

    • Delishhh replied: — January 3rd, 2014 @ 7:24 pm

      FMR – I am with you. Just a few more reasons not to go on a cruise. Nice to know there are others out there that feel this way. Thanks for stopping by.

  47. Thank you so much for this sarcastic yet honest post. My husband and I have discussed a family vacation on a cruise ship time and time again but I just couldn’t convince myself that this was something I wanted to do. We are now trying to plan our first ever, child free, vacation with just the 2 of us. Everyone is saying cruise cruise cruise… So my husband and I were looking into a cruise vacation… Luckily we came across your post bc everything you mentioned is everything that we don’t want to experience. I want to have at least 6-7″ between myself and the person next to me at the pool. 😉
    Seriously though, I want to relax, not set my alarm to get a good spot by the pool and I definitely don’t want to step out of the shower to pick up the soap. I’m sure there are some really great cruises out there but I think I will go by your 20 reasons not to rather than someone’s 21 reasons why I should.
    Thanks again.

  48. Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning this write-up and
    also the rest of the site is really good.

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  53. I hate cruising, too, but not for any of the reasons you say.

    I feel the big attraction of cruising is that it’s “relaxing.” I hate relaxing. I can do that at home. When I’m on vacation, I want to go, go, go.

    I hate the sun, pools, and beaches. If God wanted humans to be outdoors, he would have put a roof over it.

    I’ve been on one cruise, and, if you’re like me, and don’t like sun, pools, and beaches, the only other activities were gambling, which I don’t do, or boring shows. I don’t like shows. If I wanted to watch someone sing and dance, I’d do it on the TV.

  56. With airfare prices dropping, the whole ‘cruising is a bargain’ argument is losing its credibility. Combine sites that make it easy to find a reputable locally owned hotel, guest house, etc, and find a deal on a car rental, and you can get a real experience for less than the price of a cruise, albeit just in one location.

    If something’s not fun, you can leave. If something’s fun, you don’t need to check the time. Eat with the locals; drink with the locals. Food and drinks are better and cheaper at places that don’t sell merchandise. Go to a beach away from the tourists. If you’re driving and something on the side of the road looks interesting, by all means, stop and take a look.

  57. I just cannot see a value going on a cruise. With all the negative publicity, it just not the type of vacation that would attract me. Furthermore, it is like being an accidental tourist only seeing the fringe of the world.
    I prefer to go to countries rent a scooter or car and go inland and visit those places tourist seldom go. That for me is much more interesting than a cruise. Yes travelling is a hassle about packing and unpacking, booking hotels, transportation, etc., but that is part of the job of travelling. So happy trails to all. Cruise people and those non-cruisers.

  58. jodan Nash ? October 27, 2015 @ 5:37 pm

    I just cannot see a value going on a cruise. With all the negative publicity, it just not the type of vacation that would attract me. Furthermore, it is like being an accidental tourist only seeing the fringe of the world.
    I prefer to go to countries rent a scooter or car and go inland and visit those places tourist seldom go. That for me is much more interesting than a cruise. Yes travelling is a hassle about packing and unpacking, booking hotels, transportation, etc., but that is part of the joy of travelling. So happy trails to all. Cruise people and those non-cruisers.

  60. I agree with this 5 year old post! I just went on my first in early March and experienced all of the same issues. No more cruising for me. It was a Royal Caribbean ship. While staff was extremely nice and cordial, seas were rough, lots of people, and not impressed with the food. Now I know why I never went on a cruise before and will never go on another one. Not for me.

  61. These days, I wouldn’t travel to Central America or Mexico any other way. I don’t mind the canned excursions, I like the idea of being whisked (with kids) here and back to the ship, lots of others around me who speak English and also have to get where I am going. It feels safe and I would never book a trip down there on my own. I keep myself entertained during the sea days doing little craftsy things. . . some people work on quilts, others play board games or read.

  62. I agree with you 100%, Delishhh. I went on a cruise with my mom and I had a terrible time, I will never go back. My family likes to go and I wish they would just give it up, there are plenty of interesting sights to see in the USA instead. Hopefully one day they will realize that.

  63. I’m just back from my first and last ever cruise. I can’t fault the ship the crew or the places we visited (glimpsed) but I DETESTED every second of it.
    The cruise was Venice – thank god we stayed there for 2 days before the cruise – and then the Eastern Med.
    Cruising is like forced “amusement” in a bad version of Vegas (no, I didn’t like there either) mixed with a prison of horrible people with bad manners. It’s just evil and I honestly don’t understand how anyone could like it.
    I’ve never drank as much gin in my entire life, but it was the only way to dull the interminable torture of it all.

  64. I have been on two cruises and I was about to book one with my family for March break. Thankfully I found your blog post and I must say I agree with much of what you say. Over time I had forgotten the negatives.

    In my opinion life is just too short for cruising holiday. There are so many “real” travel experiences both relaxing and adventurous awaiting us all.

    >It’s a “canned” experience and you are viewed as little more than a revenue stream by the crew.
    >Folks are herded on and off the ship and in and out of the dining rooms with little time to truly absorb the ports of call you are visiting. While the ship is at sea you are a “captured market” forced to over-pay for virtually everything.
    >Cruising has become much more expensive and tipping has been rendered virtually meaningless for good service with auto-gratuity.

  65. Lady, you’re a pretentious fool – my wife and I cruised 20 times before we had kids on ALL the many cruise lines – have cruised with the kids at least 10 times recently, Disney etc …every one a great time !!! It’s an incredible value – we consider it a fabulous floating hotel that takes you to places you’d pay 4 or 5 more times the $ to get to for the expense. I’d love to know how and where you think you could go for the value – your opinions are very misleading – I encourage everyone I know to try it and they all come back saying what a great time they had and would definitely do it again. My advise to you would be NOT to drop your soap in the shower and learn a little patience when standing in line with your fellow travelers.

  66. I agree Cruises are the absolute worst way to see any place you want to see. 8 Hours in London, ya that should cover it. Now if you going to a small island, 8 hours maybe enough, cruising to tropical places is a good idea but through Europe or something, was the worst idea. I literally have to go back now to see anything.

  67. I love your post, thought I was the only sour-puss. After the year and a half paying for the first class/30th anniversary second honeymoon, I was dreadfully disappointed. Every point that you bring up in your list of 20 exactly matches why I didn’t like our Alaskan cruise. While I did enjoy the stops/ports, and seeing the glaciers and whales, I felt terribly trapped on the vessel, almost like a cow in a big herd of cattle the whole time.

    My husband and I would love to fly up to Alaska again–perhaps to Juneau, for fishing and such–but cruising, never again.

  68. Thank you for being honest and real. I’ve been on at least 5 cruises and all of your points plus even more is why I won’t go another one. I can’t stand large crowds and being on a floating mediocre restaurant. I went to Alaska so save your money and time. Rain, rain and more rain with heavy cloud cover during the month of June in tiny villages. Dull and astronomically expensive excursions. I took an NCL cruise to Grand Cayman and they couldn’t dock there due to high winds. All they had to do was dock on the other side of the island away from the prevailing winds. I have eaten only in the up-charged restaurants and the food is still mediocre. I don’t eat buffet food on cruises or on land because it sits for so long and can grow bacteria. Again, thank you for being real about cruises.

  69. Going on my 6th cruise so far. I agree with your overall comments but continue to cruise. I don’t think you can get more bang for your buck than with a cruise. Yes, the crowds can be annoying but i always find a nice quiet area away from everyone to soak up the fresh sea air. Also, i eat at times where their are less diners. At the ports, the best thing you can do is use the local taxi service to take you to a private beach or hotel with amenities to have a great relaxing time. No one is forcing you to be with the crowd. It’s all what you make of it. I don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s great to book in advance and have it all paid off so in the dead of winter you have a wonderful getaway to look forward to.

  70. Thank you! I’ve cruised twice. My family loves it, I can’t stand it. Waste, crowds, income inequality, rigid schedules, and the feeling you never left Miami. No thanks. I’d rather actually GO somewhere.

  71. Fantastic Point!! I appreciate your ideas. You have shared here excellent ideas why cruising is not for me. It’s helpful ideas for us. Thanks for sharing this great article.

  72. Im 62 and know we would hate it. My wife doesnt eat much and cant do stairs. She hates small talk with stangers. Floating malls are what these ships seem like. We dont sit and sun bath. The 10k people at a port seals it for me. No way! Hate bad shows, do they allow smoking in the casinos?

  73. At the end of the day it comes down to your willfulness to be opened minded and your attitude.

    If you’re looking at all the negatives and compiling your expectations of not being met it will definitely give off a mediocre experience.

    I went on my very first cruise with Symphony of the Seas with a cheery attitude and openness about everything. I set my standards to neutral and was enthusiastic and appreciated every little thing they included on and off the ship. I.E. the decor, effort, service, environment, and features.

    Attitude during your vacation is the key to a mediocre/bad experience or an amazing curious/explorative experience.

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