What’s not to love about cruising & some common misconceptions

I wanted to start this blog off by confirming, that cruising has something for EVERYONE. It is a much loved holiday, of this little family. We have sailed lots of nautical miles over our 10 cruises and visited some beautiful locations while cruising. While I enjoy any holiday, a cruise holds a special little place in my heart and it would be rare for us to not have your next cruise booked.

We began our first cruising adventure back in 2008 with a 7-day Hawaiian cruise on NCL’s Pride of America. In hindsight, this was the best introduction to cruising we could have had. It stopped nearly every day. So we got a little taste of what cruising was like, while still combining that with getting to see the Islands of Hawaii.

So after our first cruise, we came back home eager to repeat the experience with our family, which we have done many times over since. Cruising is fast becoming top of the travel wish list for many people. Over the space of ten years, the number of people travelling on cruises has nearly doubled to 30 million passengers. So let me see if I can clear up some misconceptions around what a cruise is, so you can get on-board this holiday trend.

Cruising is for those 65 and up…….

Now I must admit I was guilty of thinking this little misconception myself. While there certainly are plenty of older people cruising. There is now a great mix of young adults, families with kids, couples with no kids and also older generations as well. In fact the average age of a cruise passenger is now 46 years, this is down from 56 years in 2002.

I have most definitely noticed a trend towards group holidays on cruises now. Such a good holiday for multiple generations to come together and create memories as a family. There are so many different activities to do on a cruise ship, these types of holidays really can suit all generations. Nan can still do her bingo, the teenagers can hang out on the basketball court and the parents can relax in the adult-only spa. Win win for everyone.

Cruises are expensive…..

Like any product/service/holiday in the world, there are plenty of higher-priced products. Of course, there are very expensive all-inclusive cruises. On which a cruise on one of these opulent ships won’t give you much change from $20,000. But there are plenty of fantastic lower-priced options to be found. In my eyes, cruises represent one of the best value family holidays around.

Our preferred cruise line is Royal Caribbean. We have cruised with a few other lines, such as Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), but we keep coming back to Royal because of the outstanding service and value that they provide. This blog post is not sponsored in any way by Royal, just our own personal experiences over the years.

Let’s take a look at what your cruise quote generally includes:

– All of your meals from the buffet to the dining room and other offerings like pizza, hot dogs and burger bars

– Non-alcoholic drinks. Generally, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks are not included but that is dependant on the cruise line and booking specials

– Nightly entertainment which includes popular stage shows, entertainers and live music

– Kids club and teen activities to keep the kids busy

– Pools and spas (hot tubs) most ships will have an adult only area where you can enjoy your swim with a little less noise

– Depending on which ship you choose things such as a flow rider, ice skating rink, indoor skydiving, rock climbing, dodgem cars, escape rooms, mini-golf, water slides. So many fun options

Cruise ships fell like really large floating hotel/resorts. They will take you around the world, stopping at amazing destinations. Some of which you may not otherwise ever have gotten to see. If you are travelling over holiday periods, a very popular itinerary or on a newer cruise ship then expect to pay a little more during these periods.

The food is not great…..

I often wonder how can they possibly cook 5-star meals in those cramped galley kitchens, serving thousands of meals a day. Over the years though, I have been truly surprised at the quality of food that is produced every single day. Ovation of the Seas chefs create more than 12,000 meals per day, it is a mammoth task and I think they do a wonderful job.

These days cruise lines take their food very seriously, and it shows. I have had so many great tasting dishes on my days at sea. To have such top quality cuisine included in the price, in my eyes makes cruising even better value.

Most cruise lines these days will have other dining options with their specialty restaurants. They will usually charge a little extra like a cover charge. The menus will generally be based around different cuisines. Such as Japanese, Italian and so on. While I have thoroughly enjoyed those restaurants, we still mostly spend our time in the nightly dining room.

We make friends with our wait staff and our family really enjoys seeing our waiters and servers every night. This to us is part of what makes the cruise dining experience. Our kids love it as well and form great bonds with our wait staff over the length of a cruise. So I will generally only opt for these extra cost restaurants on a special occasion, usually minus the kids.

I will get seasick…..

This I often hear as one of the main reasons that keep those with queasy stomachs away from cruising. My answer is always, you probably won’t. I totally understand the fear though. I am someone that also suffers from motion sickness but I have never been physically sick on any of our cruises. A little queasy from time to time, but that is rare. I use a few precautions which I think helps quite a bit.

 My number one top tip is 100% ginger tablets from the vitamin section of most pharmacies. I take these pretty regularly throughout a cruise. Mornings and nights every day. This for me seems to be the number one thing that works for me as an affordable preventative everyday measure.

When it really gets rough (which thankfully is pretty rare) I also love a product called Motioneaze. It is a US-based essential oil product that you dab behind your ears and this works well. I have purchased this off Amazon, for my Australian based readers.

Cruise ships are pretty big these days with lots of added engineering. This is to give passengers the smoothest ride they can. Modern cruises ships utilise the latest technology to minimize the rocking and rolling motion of a vessel. This does help quite considerably the chances of your being adversely affected on your voyage.

Every now and again we have sailed into some pretty large swells. The kind where the staff put out conveniently located little white bags around the ship. This can make those prone to seasickness start to feel a little nervous and start reaching for the seasickness tablets. But I really want to assure you that this has occurred in maybe 4 days out of the many many days we have spent at sea. I just kept up my above routine and was fine, I couldn’t walk in a straight line down the corridor. But I didn’t need to grab any bags. So just be pre-prepared with your preferred remedies on the off chance you get some big swell.

I will be bored, there is nothing to do…….

Every day aboard a cruise ship, you will get a newsletter delivered straight to your cabin, this has all of the activities you could do for the day. With plenty of choices for kids and adults alike.

Activities such as movies, trivia, games, bingo, art classes, exercise classes, wine tastings, liqueur tastings, dancing classes, sports competitions and not to mention all the great stage shows and live music. Or you may just prefer a chair by the pool in the sunshine. The above list is by no means extensive but I hope you get the gist of what I am saying. I don’t think you will be bored with so many options available to today’s cruiser. 

 For those travelling with kids, like us, they also have wonderful kid’s clubs. This gives parents a chance to spend some quality time alone, while your children are entertained and cared for by the energetic youth staff. 

My children have loved this over the years and made many friends on a cruise. Some days I only see them when we have got together for mealtimes. I love knowing they are having a great time themselves and cruising really gives Brett & I quality time alone at different points of the day. 

On a cruise, you can do as little or as much as you like and that is why I love cruising. It can be enjoyed by everyone.

So if you have never considered a cruise then I say pop that on your holiday bucket list. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. They are one of the best family holidays out there.

Try something different and remember we are all, Happier on Holiday!