Quote Originally Posted by tgull View Post
Quote Originally Posted by Dan Druff View Post

Reminds me of my conversations with people about cruising.

They tell me that they hate cruising. I ask about their cabin situation, they tell me they stuffed a family of 4 into an inside cabin. I ask about the food, and they tell me they didn't eat at any specialty restaurants. I ask about the shore excursions, and they tell me they took a shitty ship-run tour because they didn't feel like arranging a private one with locals. I ask why they gambled in the casino with horrible odds and rules, and they say "because I was bored". I ask if they bought the internet while onboard, and they said no, they just felt compelled to disconnect from the world, even though they were bored during sea days. I ask if they followed my advice as to when to purchase the cruise. They tell me that they bought way in advance and were afraid my advice would lead them to miss the cruise. Well, yeah, no wonder you had a shitty time.
Cruises are tough if you are not used to them. The shows and comedians are really blah, but whatever they are free so you do them. I do like the internet package and getting a $9 coffee and parking in a corner away from everyone for a couple hours. The casino is fun at the all day at sea, craps is pretty cool. Fuck I won $900 in an afternoon a couple weeks ago like in 90 minutes. Table was on fire. LOL, I rolled once and tossed a 7 and got booed but it was fun.

Not sure if I will get a balcony again. We had it, and I went out there like once. Really a waste of money.

Did like the steakhouse on board. First time in many years I got lamb chops.
Surprised you think balcony is a waste of money.

Having my own balcony is my favorite thing about cruising. Very nice to bring some food (or just a Coke) out to the balcony, sit there, and look at either the scenery or the open ocean. I find it very relaxing, especially if it's warm outside.

Also, if there's things to see, it's brutal to have to fight with huge crowds of people on the top of the ship. It's so much of a better experience to have your own private space.

You are correct that cruising can suck if you aren't experienced with what it is and isn't. You're also right that a lot of the shows range between mediocre and shitty. Too many people do cruises believing it to be a memorable life experience where it will be nonstop fun. In reality, cruising's best feature is convenience. You can get to a lot of places within a short time, with no packing/unpacking, including those which are difficult to visit (such as islands). Food is always available. Basically you get to just sit there for a week and everything you need is provided. And if you do things correctly, it can be a GREAT deal, but most people are stupid about it and don't spend efficiently. I used to get people really angry on cruise forums when I broke the news to them that their year-in-advance cruise purchase netted them a horrible deal. Wasn't trying to troll, it was more like tough love. When I got burnt out on cruising for awhile, I said fuck it and posted a guide on how to get the cheapest prices. Lots of people thanked me for that. Gave away a lot of my secrets.