3 Cruising Myths Debunked with Mundane Ecstasy

Cruise Day 14: Right now, D and I are probably sitting in an airport, waiting to hop our flight back to Germany. I hate the end of vacations. I especially hate waiting in airports at the end of vacations. Nothing like slapping you back to reality with a crowded Italian airport and a screaming toddler within earshot of your not-so-comfy coach seat. It's a far way to fall from a luxurious cruise ship, I'll tell you that! Nevertheless, now that our vacation has ended, I'm ready to get back to Germany and close out our last few weeks here. There are appointments to keep, an apartment to vacate, and one last festival to attend before we mosey on. A bittersweet German farewell, for sure. But before we close the book on all things cruise-related, check out the 3 myths my blog friend, Alys, has thoughtfully shared with you guys today! I couldn't have said it all better myself. Educate the masses, Alys!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

G’day! I’m Alys and I blog over at Mundane Ecstasy all the way over in Sydneytown (though we don’t really call it that any more). What a pleasure it is to be joining you all and contributing a little something about a road less travelled of my own.

In 2012, we had the nightmare pleasure of organising our wedding and honeymoon to the USA in 6 short months. Note this wasn’t a shot gun wedding, we had just been together for 6 years and I had never wanted a long engagement. Planning a month long international holiday is hard work--planning to leave on that holiday two days after our wedding was mental. In all of the planning we knew we were going to want a week of lazing about by the water and that is when my husband had the genius idea to take a cruise around the Caribbean.

We were so excited about the cruise, but I was blown away by how negative people were about the idea. Since that first cruise, we have been on two more with another one planned for Italy in the not to distant future. We ignored the Negative Nellys and I am so glad we did. Our friends now know us as cruisers, so much that we cannot talk about a holiday without people asking where the cruise will be. Noticing that a certain blogger is enjoying her own cruising adventure, I wanted to take a moment to talk about why you should get on that boat.

Myth 1: cruise ships are full of old people

Completely untrue. Cruising really is for all ages and that is reflected in the passenger list. On the honeymoon cruise, we were one of 200 honeymooning couples on-board. Around that there were couples celebrating all sorts of anniversaries (we met an amazing Texan couple celebrating their 30th anniversary with friends) or just travelling together. Cruising also makes an excellent family vacation. What parent wouldn’t prefer to show their children the world without having to deal with airports and on the at sea days let their children play with other kids whilst the parents laze by the pool? There were definitely retirees, older single travellers and couples, but they partied like they were 25, so don’t let that distract you. Cruise ships are melting pots of cultures and ages and the cruise lines plan for that, so there are activities across the ship to appeal no matter what sort of cruising experience you want to have. This is particularly true for the giant ships that leave Florida for the Caribbean.

Myth 2: You spend the whole time sea sick

This one depends on where you cruise from. The water of the Caribbean is perfect, there were barely any waves and we just glided along barely aware we were even on the water. The same is true of the waters off the coast of Singapore. That water is again quite protected, so it was very calm. Leaving from Sydney Harbour was a very different situation. The demand for cruise ships is different in Australia with less passengers cruise lines inevitably send smaller ships. In addition, Australia is about two sea days from the Pacific Islands (compared to the one day at sea on our Caribbean/Asian cruises) and you have probably already figured out where this is headed. Each of us was sea sick on the first night as we headed out into open ocean and we got ill again when the ship sailed around a cyclone (yes there is a story there). So it is possible to spend some time seasick, but it isn’t the norm.

Myth 3: Cruises are expensive

This looks true on the surface, but dig a little deeper and you will get a very pleasant surprise. When I first got a price for a cruise, I nearly ruled it out. It looked like it was taking up way more of our budget than I was willing to spend for a week. On encouragement from the husband, we looked more closely at what that money actually bought. Simply put, in addition to your cabin and transport you receive three meals a day, incredible service, loads of activities (we watched “Brave” under the stars in the Caribbean drinking margaritas) and free room service. I should point out that the cruise line we sailed with did have a tipping culture, which as an Australian did add to the cost. In Australia, we tip because the service warrants it, but on the cruise ship the tip was included in the bill. Drinks, other than the basics, are additional but you can often get deals to pre-pay those which makes them cheaper. Overall though you get a lot for your money, more than if you chose to fly between each destination.

For us cruising is a simple, fairly painless way to see the world. I often describe it as your hotel taking you around the world and one of the best parts is unpacking on day one and then a week later packing up again having seen a few countries in the meantime. The flexibility of cruise ships is really what has made them a staple in our holiday plans. When we are in our 80s, I am sure we will still be sailing the world, drinking a pina colada under the stars.

You can read more from Alys and connect with her here!
BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | PINTEREST