Can anyone please list the Pros & Cons of cruising? I know this is kind of a silly question, but my husband and I only have been on one 3 day bahama cruise.<BR><BR>We are thinking about a Southern Cruise with the new large Royal Caribbean ship Adventures of the Sea<BR><BR>or a Western Caribbean that hits 4 ports.<BR><BR>We would like to hit a port every day and only have one day of sailing though.<BR><BR>Any suggestions other than Southern?<BR><BR>Thanks

HI<BR><BR>I THINK THAT FOR US, THE PROS ARE<BR><BR>-DON'T HAVE TO BUDGET MONEY FOR FOOD, ALL INCLUDED<BR><BR>-DON'T FEEL BORED THAT YOU ARE STUCK IN THE SAME PLACE FOR A WEEK<BR><BR>-GET TO VISIT 3 0R 4 WONDERFUL PLACES VERSUS ONE LAND TRIP<BR><BR>-GET CATERED TOO CONSTANTLY AND ARE ALWAYS WAITED ON<BR><BR>-BETTER CHANCE OF MEETING NEW PEOPLE<BR><BR>-DON'T HAVE TO WALK TO BARS OR RESTAURANTS OR PAY TAXIS (EXCEPT AT PORTS)<BR><BR>THE CONS WOULD BE:<BR><BR>-NOT A LOT OF TIME IN EACH PORT (BUT YOU SEE 3 OR 4, VERSUS ONE ON A LAND TRIO)<BR><BR>-DRINKS ON BOARD CAN BE COSTLY, AS WELL AS CASINO<BR><BR>-FORMAL NIGHT ( WE LOVE IT, SOME DO NOT)<BR><BR>-SMALL POOLS<BR><BR>-CABINS ARE MUCH SMALLER THAN HOTEL ROOM<BR><BR>FOR US, THESE CONS ARE NOT IMPORTANT, THEY ARE JUST THE LITTLE THINGS. THE GOOD OUTWEIGHS THE BAD BY FAR!!!<BR><BR>HAVE A GOOD TIME!

In addition to those mentioned above, the pros are 1) only unpack once even though you are visiting lots of islands 2) get a chance to see places you may want to visit on another vacation 3) it can be as active or as relaxing as YOU choose 4) since it includes transportation, meals, entertainment and a variety of activities, it's a good value for your vacation dollar 5) the smell of ocean air and the gentle rocking of the ship lulls you right to sleep! The cons are 1) sometimes feel like you're being herded through because you seem to spend a lot of time standing in line!

Cons:<BR> You will see little or nothing of the destinations. Very little usable time in ports for anything other than a quick tour and some shoping.<BR>The days you are in port, so are about 1000 others so having much quiet leasure time to explore is impossible.<BR><BR>Unless you go out to lunch while in port, you will get NO local cuisine. Where's the jerk chicken? Where's the fresh local produce or fish?? Why are we having German night in the dining room while in Barbados?? And mediocre at that.<BR><BR>Public space, particularly the pool decks are very limited and if you do get lucky and get a lounge chair, you literally have to climb over people to get to it.<BR><BR>Drinks are expensive and getting a bottle on board for personal use is impossible. This is absolutely true on the cruise I took.<BR><BR>No matter what they tell you about ship stabalizers,there is motion and many have motion sickness in spite of patches, pills or bracelets.<BR><BR>Third rate entertainment and the tightest casinos known to humanity.<BR><BR>I know I'll get jumped all over by the cruisers who will try to deny/defend my personal observations but try to understand...........cruising is not for everyone!!<BR><BR><BR><BR>

iknowofwha-<BR><BR>So I take it you don't enjoy cruising

PROS:<BR>- lots of free food on ship<BR>- no planning required, just do one of the ship's excursions and you have a stress free environment (this is the biggest reason).<BR>- great value for your money. Where else can you get transportation, hotel, all the food you can eat and entertainment for about $100 per day? (this price assumes you get the cheap interior cabins)<BR><BR><BR>CONS:<BR>- seasickness at times depending on YOU and depending on how rough the seas are.<BR>- double the flights if you do not live near a port city.

We just cruised for the first time and my husband loved it. I enjoyed it but would not want to do it again. Cons, there was a lot of motion on the ship so I always kind of felt off balance, I don't really enjoy mountains of so-so tasting food that I have to stand in line for, got tired of eating at the same time every night and being told what I had to wear, and of activities being so strictly structured time wise. By the end I kind of felt like I was being herded around and found it hard to find a place just for some quiet time. In my opinion, if you've been on one cruise you've been on them all. They are all pretty much the same. And no, I was not on Carnival. My husband loved it because he didn't have to drive anywhere, pick a restaurant, take a lot of luggage, carry cash, or spend time doing things with me when he would rather be off doing his own thing. One good thing about it is you can both pursue your own interests and meet up later. I wanted to try it to see what all the fuss was about. To me it seems like kind of a lazy way to vacation, leaving all the decisions like meals, activities and ports visited to the cruise lines. I think I'm more proactive about my vacations. But I totally understand those who enjoy it.

Actually, there are lots of cruise lines that have no set dining times, a casual dress code, and/or very few structured activities. You have to pick and choose what suits you best. You can't really lump Carnival, Silversea, Windjammer, Lindblad, and everything else in between together and say that they are all the same.

Pros: Food & entertainment free.<BR>Cons: Your confined to the ship, ship's activities, no privacy at dinner. You are assigned to a table with other guests you don't know. Cabins are small.<BR>We also went on a cruise to the Bahamas, this was our 1 and only cruise. Plus it was on Carnival.(blah!)<BR>Jennifer, I'm curious which line did you cruise on?

Take note at Lila's use of the "your" instead of "you're" as well as the other syntax errors in her response. She is a typical Carnival cruiser. No surprises here.

what's the matter Susan? getting sick of the ugliness of Aruba? Go back to the caribbean board where you belong.

Lila, I was on Celebrity's Horizon. I agree with Patty. I was referring to the midlevel type of cruising such as Holland, Celebrity, Princess, Carnival etc. Although I know some are better than others, at that general price range, I think you pretty much get the same basic cruise experience. But the staff on the Horizon was excellent and I would give them an A+. Every one from our room attendant to the cruise director was a complete professional and excellent at their job. The effort that each put into what they did is what made the trip memorable for me.

Pros: you can eat healthy meals or not- choice is yours. You can walk 10 miles a day, take the steps, use the gym. No excuses for "not having enough time".<BR>You can leave a show and not feel bad because of ticket price.You can run back to your room at any time to freshen makeup, change, etc. You feel safe. You have more opportunities to make friends . You can drink like a fish and don't have to drive.And nobody cares.Cons: It's not the best way to experience the culture. However, when I do Caribbean, those aren't the islands I particularly want to spend much time on anyway. I took the 7 day Voyager and loved it. Read some reviews on cruisecritic.com The Adventurer will blow you away compared to those ratty 3-4 day Bahama cruises. One negative I heard, though, is that there is a large Spanish-speaking throng since it docks in PR.

This is directed to Msspell. YOU ARE A LOOSSERRRRRRRRRR!!!! Now get back to your summer school work, and finish that English paper!!!

On a cruise you can do what you want, when you want.<BR><BR>Paul

pros: relaxing, great food, watching the water go by, only unpack once, safe for solo ladies, meeting a variety of new people - including Spanish speakers<BR><BR>cons: having to go home afterwards

I'll second that con Jo. That last morning getting up early to hear "get outta here' is the pits.<BR><BR>Paul