What do you think about cruise ships?

[thebattlewalrus]

Wife and I went on one when she and a friend graduated college. It was okay... didn't like the crowded of it and overall vegas feel. Personally we won't likely do one again, we did like going with the 8 people in our group. Not sure it would be fun it was just the two of us. Port days seemed too short, got off the ship, went to check a few things out and had to head back. I suppose that would depend on the cruse line though.

[CheapScholar]

I wouldn’t say cruise prices are cheap because it’s hurricane season.  The ships are pretty good at avoiding storms.  Prices are cheap because of demand which is because many people have jobs that prevent them from traveling outside traditional American summer vacation periods.  Add to the fact that many cruisers are families with kids in school.  Peak hurricane season is usually August - October.  You can get good deals on cruises then, but can probably do even better in early December or January - March if you can make the time.  If you have kids, you can get a good value during spring break sometimes, but you’ll notice those prices can inflate as well if it’s a common spring break week.

[I'm a red panda]

Hurricane deals are definitely a thing
Even if the ships avoid storms, you might miss all your ports, and may or may not get makeup ports. They price accordingly. Some ships have a lot of rocking where shows get canceled and lots of passengers are sick, and on rare occasions cruises are canceled. The lines know they have to discount prices during hurricane season

[CheapScholar]

One of my best friends has been a travel agent for over 15 years and focuses on cruises.  Typically, according to him, the best deals are NOT hurricane season but rather early December because many people cannot get off work that time, most families are absolutely broke from Christmas shopping, and many are planning on traveling and burning vacation days around Christmas itself.  Not to mention many just traveled for Thanksgiving.  Just sharing what he always says.  I monitor NCL like a hawk and I’ve found this mostly true.  Probably not worth splitting hairs over, as you can get mega deals on cruises in both September and early December. 

[Johnez]

^Seems like the perfect time to take a crusise really. Hey fam, instead of everyone buying a bunch of useless crap to wrap up and then open, why not go on a cruise and see a bunch of cool places? Less mess and money, none of the holiday stress and madness. I'm kinda starting to do that on a smaller scale with birthdays right now, would rather go some place cool or watch a show we all enjoy then buy something a person might not like.

[CheapScholar]

^ I guess if you homeschool or don’t mind pulling your kids from school for a week.  My wife would never let us pull our 4th grader for a week. 

[Matz_70]

I liked our cruise in the Galapagos on a 12 people sailing boat.
I would consider using a larger cruising ship for transport is the cost was very low.
Other than I prefer to do my own thing rather than being on a schedule with 10,000 others.

[partgypsy]

I did a cruise when I was in HS with my family and loved it. But- it would be considered a SMALL ship nowadays (the Carla C.), it went to ports  these big ships couldn't go to now, and it had a European flavor (evening buffet with authentic Italian food, a fresh basket of tropical fruit every day in the cabin, the food was so good)...

As far as current mega ships, if it was an incredible deal or someone was helping pay for it I would totally go, and enjoy myself (because there is so much to do, you just do what you like best).

If I was spending my hard earned coin would prefer to do one of those European river cruises, or a sailboat cruise between the Greek Islands : )

[ender]

I am surprised how many people here seem to like cruises.

To me, the are a pinnacle in hedonistic consumption. They seem to be the example MMM himself uses as a picture in one of the [popular articles on this subject](http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/22/what-is-hedonic-adaptation-and-how-can-it-turn-you-into-a-sukka/).

[partgypsy]

I think the main thing I dislike about modern day cruises, is that that they can only go to a limited number of ports (ones that are big/deep enough for the ship to go to) they then dump a ton of people into that port so they kind of become tourist-trappy, but yet there is not enough time in one place to do anything in-depth.

If you go, have reasonable expectations, that you are not going to really be "seeing" the place you visit. Best to pick maybe one activity, getting away from the port to a cultural, natural interest, and do that. Because the ports all look the same and are sad in the same way.   

[JetBlast]

If you go, have reasonable expectations, that you are not going to really be "seeing" the place you visit. Best to pick maybe one activity, getting away from the port to a cultural, natural interest, and do that.

Exactly right. Unless you are on a cruise line like Windstar with very small vessels, ports will be limited and towns overrun when the floating resorts show up. On the day we docked in Juneau there were four ships totaling a capacity of over 11,000 passengers.

But I didn’t really go to see Juneau, or Sitka, or Ketchikan. I went to get away from normal life for a week and have a carefree time with my wife. All we had to worry about was getting back to the boat on time. Sailing Glacier Bay was nice too. Maybe we’ll go back to those towns some other time to really get a feel for them without thousands of tourists.

[I'm a red panda]

I think the main thing I dislike about modern day cruises, is that that they can only go to a limited number of ports (ones that are big/deep enough for the ship to go to) they then dump a ton of people into that port so they kind of become tourist-trappy, but yet there is not enough time in one place to do anything in-depth.

If you go, have reasonable expectations, that you are not going to really be "seeing" the place you visit. Best to pick maybe one activity, getting away from the port to a cultural, natural interest, and do that. Because the ports all look the same and are sad in the same way.

We scuba dive most cruises. My last time in Cozumel, instead of in town with tens of thousands of people, I was on Palancar Bricks with only 8 people in view.

[TomTX]

What do I think?  I think being stuck on a ship with a few thousand people out on the  ocean sounds like the worst kind of hell.

Oh, please. You didn't even mention the pirate zombie attacks or being on fire!

[calimom]

I am surprised how many people here seem to like cruises.

To me, the are a pinnacle in hedonistic consumption. They seem to be the example MMM himself uses as a picture in one of the [popular articles on this subject](http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/22/what-is-hedonic-adaptation-and-how-can-it-turn-you-into-a-sukka/).

I feel about cruises the same way I feel about Las Vegas or Disney - ok for other people but I'd rather spend my hard earned money elsewhere. That said, some friends took what sounds like a cool Inland Passage cruise over the summer. Naturalist and historian on board and great port adventures.

[LifePhaseTwo]

DH and I have been on several RCL cruises, and enjoyed them a lot. They were very economical as well. We even got married on a cruise - they did all the planning, we just showed up, got married on the ship while it was in the port and then sailed away on our honeymoon. No muss, no fuss, no wedding guests! We hosted a dinner for friends and family after we returned home. It was totally our style - cost-effective and low stress.

[Linea_Norway]

I am surprised how many people here seem to like cruises.

To me, the are a pinnacle in hedonistic consumption. They seem to be the example MMM himself uses as a picture in one of the [popular articles on this subject](http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/22/what-is-hedonic-adaptation-and-how-can-it-turn-you-into-a-sukka/).

That is why I keep camping in a tent in the summer vacations as long as I enjoy it. Then at least I don't get used to more luxurious vacations.

[SnackDog]

If you choose your itinerary and cruise line well, there is nothing not to like. Wake up every morning in another fabulous location, free breakfast, jump ship and run around all day, back on board at sunset for fabulous dinner and a show. Rinse repeat.   Beats the heck out of airplanes and hotels. In locations like Alaska, Norway, European rivers, SE Asia, etc it can be fabulous. We have done the Canary Islands, Thailand-Singapore-Malaysia and parts of Europe.  Lots of European cruises are just fancy ferries in disguise. You can bring your car.  Never been sick.  I have friends who cruise several times per year including one lady who does the really cheap re-positioning cruises from Alaska to Mexico for like $20/night.

[Johnez]

DH and I have been on several RCL cruises, and enjoyed them a lot. They were very economical as well. We even got married on a cruise - they did all the planning, we just showed up, got married on the ship while it was in the port and then sailed away on our honeymoon. No muss, no fuss, no wedding guests! We hosted a dinner for friends and family after we returned home. It was totally our style - cost-effective and low stress.

This sounds awesome. Me and my lady have small dysfunctional families and not too many friends. Drawing up a guest list is depressing really, but damn we want to have a kick-ass time. Wish I thought of this before expanding the family, d'oh!

[Just Joe]

I'll repeat what others have said. Its like being on a floating mall. Not excited about crowds, shopping, the food, or what it does to the port cities when 3000 people disembark. No unlike the resort or amusement park experience which can feel like visiting a movie set.

That said my family took a cruise back in the 80s on a smallish ship whose name I forget. Small ship and just maybe 400 people onboard. Pretty laid back.

DW and I like to explore and travel by land seems to afford us more time to explore (days) than a ship vacation would allow due to its schedule. I really enjoyed Venice, Italy many years ago. I don't think it would be nearly as fun arriving by mega-ship.

When we explore we want to seek out the places that the locals go, eat in the places that seldom host tourists, and hopefully experience the local vibe more than the tourist based version. We've accomplished this by car but the itinerary is never as polished as a resort/cruise ship vacation which appeals to us but might cause anxiety for others.

[OurTown]

We've been a couple of times and we both liked it.  I would not go every year though; maybe once a decade is enough for me.