Cruise Vacations: The Pros and Cons

Stuck on a boat for a week? What if the sea air doesn’t agree with me? What will I do the whole time? Those were some of the questions I had for myself whenever I would consider taking a cruise.

The good news is that, while these questions are valid, it may not really be an issue at all.

Read on and see my responses to these issues. It may ease your mind or confirm that this really isn’t for you and save you some time. It’s definitely an experience I would suggest to most people and repeatedly take upon for myself.

Why a Cruise?

Plane, Train, Bus, Automobile… and Cruises?

When planning a vacation, there are many options, especially if you’re on the mainland. Commonly, vacations tend to involve flying to a destination to explore.

I’ve thought about taking a cruise for so many years, but never took it as a serious option. I felt like cruises spent too much time on the journey. I would much rather get to the destination ASAP to have maximum exploring time.

What Changed My Mind

During an idea session with some friends on our annual Girlfriend Getaway, one girl suggested a cruise. Since she was experienced with the cruise experience, we left all the planning up to her. Frankly, I said yes because it meant I didn’t have to do anything except show up.

Need ideas for a Girlfriend Getaway? Check out my post on San Clemente for some recommendations.

I had a GREAT time. Better than I thought. A lot of the details in cruising really vibed well with me. It put me at ease. Ever since then, should anyone mention a cruise, I’m already on board – no pun intended.

Here are some quick pros and cons as you consider this option. If the cons don’t deter you, I suggest looking into it a little deeper. Read a few more blogs and watch some videos. Contact an agent or broker if you feel unsure about taking the plunge on your own.

Pros

Easy planning and booking

One of the best things for me when taking a cruise was that it was a one-stop shop.

Once I made the choice of how much I was willing to spend, chose my room type and location, and decided on any optional add-ons, my whole vacation was ready.

For traditional vacations, it feels like there are so many details to cover. Picking a location. Looking for flights based on the airport distance. Booking a place to stay. You may even rent a car. Plus, the additional research and booking of attractions and restaurants. Not to mention coordinating your itinerary.

On a cruise, once you book – your travel, stay, meals and entertainment are reserved. Just prepare your documents, pack up your stuff, and make sure to arrive on time for the easiest vacation ever!

Unlimited entertainment and meals

For food, certain kiosks are open 24 hours. Some cruises offer room service at no extra cost. During business hours, you can visit restaurants as many times as you want, whenever you feel like it.

There are plenty of activities you simply just show up to. Karaoke nights, dance clubs, bingo, and the casino. Not to mention comedy shows, movie nights, and yoga classes.

It depends on your cruise line, so make sure to check for details.

Always being close to “home”, no transport required

Cruises will have “port days” where they dock at a location and provide you tours for an extra charge. You are not required to take part in this and sometimes, opting out can be a blessing.

Onboard port days, the ship is your oyster. Most people will have left early to join their tours. You can sleep in and have most of the ship with the few who stayed behind.

This allows you to take advantage of empty locations. You can spend a quiet day at the variety of pools, enjoying the gym, or the library. Spas and salons also tend to hold special deals for these slow days.

All of these things… are steps away from your room. This takes away the worry of travel time or method.

Should you get dressed or go in pyjamas? What time would you need to leave to beat rush hour? Or get to the station early enough not to miss your train? It’s all so easy because these places travel WITH you.

It’s a money-saver

My partner and I are relatively simple travellers. We want a place to stay, great views, food to enjoy, and a simple getaway. So, we chose not to book any tours, add-ons, or packages. We also chose a basic suite with a window.

By not purchasing extras, you could probably save yourself a good 50% of your travel costs.

For a 7-day North American West Coast cruise, it cost us a total of $1200 for two people. Likely, our next additional expense will just be the tip added at the end of the cruise.

Compare to a traditional trip, the $1200 may just cover your flight and hotel, if at all.

It’s both extremely relaxing and stimulating

You can spend hours at the pool, getting some sun. When you get hungry, walk yourself over to the burger joint, buffet, or taco stand and dine al fresco. Then, go to the library and read a book.

Done relaxing? Go to your room and prepare for dinner. After that, spend the rest of your night at the casino, sing along at the piano bar or karaoke, then dance your ass off at the club.

You can have the best of both worlds without leaving your immediate vicinity.

Need help on your luggage? Here’s a guide on what to pack for your cruise.

Meet new people… or none at all.

One of the things about cruising that often gave me anxiety was the group seating arrangement with other guests.

If you are a very social person, a cruise is a great way to meet a lot of people. There are just a myriad of opportunities from cruise activities to chatting it up with someone interesting you walked by.

However, if you feel like just hanging out with your group, it’s very doable. It actually wasn’t as awkward as I thought to have a shared dining experience. I’ve ended up in tables where half didn’t even speak to their own party because they were on their phones. Just feel out your table, but you won’t be forced to interact if you don’t want to.

Traveling solo? Here is a guide on cruises with solo cabins.

Cons

Seasickness

I get seasick. Ocean adventures are my dream, but it comes with an ugly price. I’ve joined shark cage tours, snorkel tours, glass-bottom boats, and yacht tours only to came back as grey as the ghosts of Christmas past.

With that said, I was amazingly perfectly fine on the cruise. As a precaution, I took a Dramamine on boarding day, one hour before we start our journey. I then found that I didn’t need it at all for the remainder of the trip.

I’ve read that choosing a room mid-ship and closer to the upper levels will also help. I was in the lower mid-ship levels and still incredibly relaxed.

Feeling “trapped” onboard

If you don’t feel like spending the whole trip onboard, you have options. Tours and excursions will get a little escape from the ship. You can also just take yourself off the ship independently and shop around the area or have a meal.

Just make sure you return to the ship with plenty of time before they leave! Double-check your timezone!

Dates and hours are not flexible

While it may seem like this is untrue because cruises are available with a variety of lengths, leaving at a variety of dates, it’s not doable for everyone.

The issue here that I came across was that many cruises begin on Fridays or Mondays. For most people, that’s just a simple adjustment of what day to request on your vacation form. However, not all businesses are as flexible.

My partner’s place of business has a strict policy of considering week long vacations on a Sunday – Sunday break down. This prevented us from cruises because it would either be leaving to soon or returning too late.

Food options may get boring

I actually cannot imagine this happening because there’s always something we can have repeatedly. However, I did think it was possible before I actually tried cruises.

There are plenty of options open almost all day into the late hours. Burgers, pizzas, tacos, salads, fruits, and carbs come in large supply.

Aside from that, the dinners served at the formal dining areas have a different menu every night. Additionally, the premium restaurants you can add on are available.

Being stuck with the same people

This could be a problem for some, but not one I experienced in a consistently disturbing way.

There may be times you don’t like your neighbours because you are a casual cruiser who wants to relax. Your neighbours might be a party group, a bachelorette party, or just rowdy teenagers.

There are a few ways around this. I would suggest packing yourself some earplugs as a precaution. Sometimes you do hear other passengers walking and talking outside, but I haven’t come across instances that were bothersome.

…And then, sometimes a fellow passenger falls in love with you. This happened to a friend of mine. Take safety precautions, as you would on dry land. We all made sure she was never alone should he happen to appear when uninvited, which was often. We still had loads of fun and all went home safe.

The Ongoing Sales Pitches

On a cruise, you can feel like a celebrity, and not always in a good way. You will be subjected to some paparazzi moments as all sorts of photos will be taken of you.

Some of these moments happen at obvious places, like when you’re boarding and in front of Glamour Shots backdrops. Most people will just happily take the photo without a second thought. You’re not obligated to take or purchase these photos.

Most awkward for me was at evening dining when, on Carnival Cruises, a pirate appeared behind you for a photo-op, as you eat. He will stop at every group with a photographer in tow, trying to get at least one photo of each passenger.

Take comfort in the fact that they won’t spend too much time trying to convince you because this is a numbers game. The more guests they have photos of, the higher likelihood that someone will purchase a photo. You can definitely say “no, thanks.”

To Cruise or Not to Cruise?

iscovering the world of cruises has exponentially opened up my travel options and how I experience the world.

A cruise is the idea of “It’s not the destination, but the journey” brought to life. I used to be so focused on arriving at my destination, but cruising taught me to enjoy the time it takes to arrive and using it to experience the sky, the stars, and the food and entertainment I can squeeze in between.

If you are in California, I would highly suggest taking one of the cheap weekend Carnival Cruises to literally test the waters. If you are hesitant to cruise with a bunch of party animals, book the colder off-seasons and pack yourself a jacket for a night under the stars.