Thinking of taking a cruise?

Then check this out:
 

 
and this:
 

OK that settled it.  Besides which I would rather spend my money visiting in the good old USA.  Maybe a Roodfood Trip.

This was not a standard luxury cruise, but an adventure cruise to the Antarctic.  They did get a little more adventure than they expected. 

Maybe it was a fancy Worlds Deadliest Catch, boat!

plb


This was not a standard luxury cruise, but an adventure cruise to the Antarctic.  They did get a little more adventure than they expected. 

 
That's true of the first video although I would really doubt they expected anything like this.  The second video is a different ship though I think (but I'm not sure) in the same part of the world (the Southern Ocean).  Not sure if it was also an Antarctic cruise or not.
 
Truth be told, having spent a year at an Antarctic research station back in the 1970s (and visited both the South Pole and the Polar Plateau), I'm not all that impressed with the level of "adventure" modern cruisers get on visiting Antarctica.  Barring unexpected bad weather, as here, they usually head to the Antarctic Peninsula (the part sticking out toward South America) in a modern ship with all conveniences and, hopefully, food even a Roadfooder would approve of.  On arrival, they get to see some ice bergs probably, and a land of barren rock with patches of snow and a limited selection of wildlife (sea birds, maybe some penguins but probably not the well-known Adelles and Emperors that live mostly further south, possibly a seal or 2).  Personally, the most interesting part of most of these cruises for me would be not Antarctica but Tierra del Fuego where many of them begin and end.
 
Still, this area has the roughest seas with some of the largest waves in the world and if they get "lucky", they can have an experience like this.
 
 
 
 

Meh.  I mean, sure, I might well have a coronary if I was on a cruise and something like that happened.  But then, I could post a boatload of YouTube clips/pics/news stories of planes and cars crashing, too.  Whenever you decide to travel in a mechanical conveyance of any kind, there's going to be some risk to life and limb involved.

Cool clips, though.

A new incident:

More than two dozen passengers on a Royal Caribbean ship in the Mediterranean were injured over the weekend when the vessel hit unusually rough weather.
The 2,100-passenger Brilliance of the Seas was on its way to Alexandria, Egypt, when large waves and heavy winds caused the ship to sway sharply, knocking over furniture and passengers . . . .

Source:  http://travel.usatoday.co...ed-passengers/134625/1
 
I spent 26 years in the navy.  Personally, I understand about rough weather.  But from the reactions of passengers quoted in the media, not everybody taking a cruise does.  It's one of the things to consider.

We sailed from Rome to Alexandria, Egypt just last October. Seas were fairly calm the whole way with about 4 foot waves. I sailed the North Atlantic numerous times when in the Navy and encountered some rough seas but nothing like those cruise ships.

Us chickens like to cruise in the Caribbean.  Preferably the Southern Caribbean.  It's like a lake!  

To me a cruise is staying in a floating hotel...ok, a luxury hotel,but a hotel....a vacation is enjoying the sites....too much ocean time, not enough site-seeing. Fly me to Europe and let me soak in Italy or France or England non stop...but that's just me!!!

leethebard


To me a cruise is staying in a floating hotel...ok, a luxury hotel,but a hotel....a vacation is enjoying the sites....too much ocean time, not enough site-seeing. Fly me to Europe and let me soak in Italy or France or England non stop...but that's just me!!!

 
I think it has a lot to do with the "spa" tradition--like going someplace to "take the waters" for a week or 2.  That wasn't about seeing new sites but being pampered for a period of time, which I think is also what the better cruises are about.  But I can't explain the bargain basement cruises.
 
Then there are the "round the world" sort of cruises which are, indeed, probably the most relaxed and stress-free way of seeing a large chunk of the planet if you can afford it.

BT
Thinking of taking a cruise?
 
No.
 
 

Here's a 107 day world cruise for you.
 
Princess World Cruise

107 days of sleeping in the same room...and eating in the same restaurant...and some touring thrown in.........the siteseeing would be the saving grace...but the slow cruising would take valuable siteseeing time away from me!!!

As shown in my thread on cruising the Canal for Roadfood, it's just what you make of it. First of all, for 15 days I did not need to pack or unpack. I could eat street tacos for lunch on a side street in Mexico and foie gras with rack of lamb for dinner. And I did it for less money than if I had driven to a city 100 miles away, stayed at Motel 6 and had breakfast, lunch and dinner at Denny's. And is driving on a highway safer than a cruise ship? Stuff happens!

leethebard


107 days of sleeping in the same room...and eating in the same restaurant...and some touring thrown in.........the siteseeing would be the saving grace...but the slow cruising would take valuable siteseeing time away from me!!!

 
Well, in San Francisco I've been sleeping in the same room for 30 years now.  Eating in a lot of the same restaurants (including the main one in my dining room too) for most of that time as well.  But most larger cruise ships have more than one place you can eat with varying degrees of formality.  And the round the world cruises often give you plenty of time in port to sample the local food (and catch the local intestinal critters) plus when it's time to move on you don't have to fight your way to the airport (and back into the next town) or deal with airport security in foreign countries.

EdSails
 

I could eat street tacos for lunch on a side street in Mexico and foie gras with rack of lamb for dinner.

On what cruise line did you have foie gras with rack of lamb?  Was it in the main dining room, or a specialty restaurant on board?  We have been on a few but never had that level of food.   

BT

leethebard


107 days of sleeping in the same room...and eating in the same restaurant...and some touring thrown in.........the siteseeing would be the saving grace...but the slow cruising would take valuable siteseeing time away from me!!!

Well, in San Francisco I've been sleeping in the same room for 30 years now.  Eating in a lot of the same restaurants (including the main one in my dining room too) for most of that time as well.  But most larger cruise ships have more than one place you can eat with varying degrees of formality.  And the round the world cruises often give you plenty of time in port to sample the local food (and catch the local intestinal critters) plus when it's time to move on you don't have to fight your way to the airport (and back into the next town) or deal with airport security in foreign countries.

Yeah...and that's called every day life......not expensive vacation I'm paying for...to me travel is traveling and seeing new sites every day,every hour..not floating on an expensive hotel!

plb

EdSails
 

I could eat street tacos for lunch on a side street in Mexico and foie gras with rack of lamb for dinner.

On what cruise line did you have foie gras with rack of lamb?  Was it in the main dining room, or a specialty restaurant on board?  We have been on a few but never had that level of food.   

Interesting you should ask. I had my first taste of foie gras on board the Star Princess cruise ship last October. Rack of lamb was available but I did not order it. Ships have several levels of eating experience from the fast food burger and pizza to well appointed buffets to anytime sit down restaurant seating to preferred restaurant seating to specialty dining (a steakhouse and also an Italian seafood house specialty). They had 9 different dining rooms, a pastry shop, an ice cream parlor, lost count of the number of bars, and anytime room service. Most days we lunched in cities when in ports. We over nighted in Cairo, Egypt once so had dinner, breakfast and lunch. Snacked on street cart fare in Istanbul (simet) and Rome (various stuff). Got my authentic Neapolitan Margherita pizza in Naples. In total I had a half dozen meals at least in Rome. I couldn't complain about the variety of food and quality on board ship but I did look forward to exploring local fare in port.
 
On board is much more than a fancy hotel unless you are maybe comparing to Las Vegas. They usually have a casino, movie house, a couple of theaters with nightly live entertainment, shops, seminars and classes, fitness centers, sport centers, and the usual array of swimming pools and decks. I will not take a cruise unless I have a private outdoor deck with my cabin. The only thing that sucked was the satellite internet. It was too slow and expensive.
 
You mostly cruise overnight and spend your days in port. It is kind of interesting to wake up in a different country every morning. You can sign up for tours and excursions or you can just strike out on your own. We chartered a private overnight tour in Egypt so avoided the big cruise bus. Other than Rome and Cairo we did not partake any nightlife except on board ship but there was plenty to do. We had just a couple of days when we were at sea all day. I actually did not mind. it was very relaxing.

I've taken an Alaskan cruise as well and there is so much to do. Up close to calving glaciers in Glacier Bay NP is awesome. You can only get there by cruise ship. Port excursions on air boats, kayaks and helicopters were also great.

plb

EdSails
 

I could eat street tacos for lunch on a side street in Mexico and foie gras with rack of lamb for dinner.

On what cruise line did you have foie gras with rack of lamb?  Was it in the main dining room, or a specialty restaurant on board?  We have been on a few but never had that level of food.   

 
Hint.  The first thing you do on a cruise is "duke" the matra di' and restaurant manager.  You will eat far better than anyone else.  On my last cruise, we never opened a menu.  We would come to our table and find a platter of king crab sliced open and ready to eat.  Or a platter of Italian cured meats and sausage.  And things only got better from there.
 
But I really only eat dinner on the ship.  Next month I am taking a 10 day cruise, visiting eight islands.  Like Ed I will be eating and drinking on the islands, away from the crowds.  Days at sea are boring as heck for me.  I don't like crowded pools or laying in the sun, or bingo, or casinos, or art auctions........... 

plb

EdSails
 

I could eat street tacos for lunch on a side street in Mexico and foie gras with rack of lamb for dinner.

On what cruise line did you have foie gras with rack of lamb?  Was it in the main dining room, or a specialty restaurant on board?  We have been on a few but never had that level of food.   

 
The Island Princess, with Princess Cruises. In the main dining room. If you only eat in the buffets, you certainly won't find that level of food------and not all cruise lines have it either.
 

I wish I had a picture of the lamb and the foie gras, but for some reason I didn't take pictures of my food on the trip. Guess I was too busy eating!

joerogo

But I really only eat dinner on the ship.  Next month I am taking a 10 day cruise, visiting eight islands.  Like Ed I will be eating and drinking on the islands, away from the crowds.  Days at sea are boring as heck for me.  I don't like crowded pools or laying in the sun, or bingo, or casinos, or art auctions........... 

 
On my 15 days going thru the Canal, I never stepped in the casino once. I spent an hour at the crowded pool one day only because I had joined a friend for a while. I did go to some lectures and lots of shows. That's the nice thing with a cruise----you can do whatever you want. Wish I could join you, Joe!
I do recommend the Canal if you want a different experience than just "sea days". The scenery is amazing and it's unlike any place you will ever see on a cruise ship. The whole transit is narrated and it certainly will not be a "boring" sea day for you.

 
Davydd,
Sounds like you had a nice time on the Star Princess. I've found that overall Princess has better food (at least in the main dining room) than the other cruise lines. I always opt for the traditional dining for my dinners as well as my breakfasts. My first night, I requested to have escargot with my next night's dinner. It showed up promptly as my first appetizer the next night-------just what I wanted. Personally, I prefer the smaller ships myself, but the Star is still in an acceptable range. Like you, I enjoy the sea days. They are relaxing and I've found there is nothing better than to sit in the library or the bar, watching the ever-changing ocean and looking for the occasional dolphin or other sealife.
Finally, the option of dress is certainly there. As those who know me know, I do tend to dress very casually most of the time. But the options on Princess (and some of the other better cruise lines)  just create an extra layer to the dining experience on the formal nights. I can don my tuxedo, sip my Bombay Sapphire Martini, and imagine for a little while I'm enjoying the life of a well-to-do passenger on the Queen Mary, the Normandie, or the Olympic in the '20's and '30's. For a while at least, I can walk the Promenade Deck and enjoy the life of a gentleman in the Golden Age of the Passenger Liners.

I didn't take pictures of the cruise ship food because we ate mostly at the anytime seating with different strangers every night and I seldom ever take pictures of buffet food even on land.

More cruise troubles.  Carnival arrived late in Tampa because of rough seas and Royal Caribbean had trouble in the Mediterranean.
 
EdSails, I agree with you on the food quality on Princess.  
 
I have had some fun days at sea, but not many.  It's adult ADD, I need to be kept busy.  
 
Next month I am going on Celebrity.  Mainly because I love the islands we are visiting.

MikeinRI


BT
Thinking of taking a cruise?

No.
 
 

I'm with you...hadn't occurred to me...To quote my late father: "Why the hell would I want to be trapped on a boat with a thousand people I have no interest in knowing?"