Don't listen to that old curmudgeon Bwana. You have to take it all in perspective. You know me, my favorite vacation is what I call "adventure travel"! THOSE are the trips I'd take with my SEAL buddy, then we'd do things and go places not a whole lot of people have ever done or gone. It is NOT recommended for the "inexperienced" traveler though. It's also an escape from TOURISTS. I enjoy being a traveler ... NOT a tourist. (yes, there's a big difference)
Now, I also LOVE cruises, but they're just like movies. How many times has someone told you they saw a GREAT movie, then when you watched it, you thought it sucked? Most around here like full-sized trucks, I prefer mid-sized. I like milk chocolate, Lynn prefers dark chocolate. I'm not real fond of traveling Europe, I prefer Asia. Some people like country living, others you couldn't drag away from the city life with a Mack truck! I think you get my point.
Back to cruises. There's the vacation "with kids". That's a whole 'nuther ballgame and varies wildly depending on their ages. Example, the LAST thing I (personally) would do, is go on a Disney cruise. BUT, if you have younger kids, they'd have a blast and there's also plenty of adult activities to be had. Lynn and I love to eat out and there are a bazillion options on a cruise. We tend to take cruises where the buffet is NOT like a pig trough, but even then, if you're an Okie snob, there are usually 10 or so "specialty restaurants" (extra charge) on-board.
Regarding food, Lynn used to be in the business and serviced the cruise industry at one time. Some cruises buy the cheapest crap the broker can supply them, others are mid-range and others are high end with their food purchases. Example, Carnival has shit for food. They cater to the younger, party crowd and the emphasis is on liquor sales, not food. If you're a party boy and want to live on hot dogs, that's the way to go, plus you'll have more of the eye-candy P-hole likes by the pool. If you have money to burn or just want a very pleasant, top-notch experience to impress the wife, you can go with Crystal or Oceania.
You can relax in your cabin, hang out by the pool (where they always have a grill going, hamburgers, dogs, fries, drinks ... that sort of stuff), or just hang out on one of the many decks and watch the world go by. While at sea, you can catch a movie in the theater or attend the many shows going on. From the library to the tennis court, there's usually something for everybody. On some ships, you can actually shoot skeet from the stern. When you hit your ports, you can take excursions ... from museums to zip-lines, lying on the beach next to a beach beach bar listening to Jimmy Buffett to Reggae. Just get away from the port unless you like shopping in endless souvenir shops.
One thing I enjoy about cruising is that most everything is covered by the price of admission. Your hotel room (cabin) is paid for the duration of your trip. That means you unpack when you check in and pack when you check out. You can visit 6-8 different countries if you want and your transportation is paid for ... (try flying to all of those countries!). Your meals are covered ... we usually hit the buffet for breakfast and lunch, then go to the dining room for dinner. I'm not sure of the line P-hole is referring to, but the only dress code at dinner is long pants (I wear nice jeans ... no holes, etc) and a button down shirt. I used to always take a suit for formal night, but our line relaxed that requirement and did away with the mandatory tie and jacket. About the only change I make on formal night is I wear dress shoes instead of tennis shoes and I trade my jeans for Dockers. On steak and lobster night, I have my waiter skip the steak and just bring me three lobsters! (there's no limit, you eat whatever you want on a cruise ... again, covered by the price of admission). If you want to skip the dining room and eat in your shorts and Cabellas t-shirt, you can still hit the buffet or the grill anytime you want. Add up what you'd normally pay for all of those meals, transportation, shows/movies, etc. and hotel room with free HBO, Showtime plus a zillion others and a cruise is actually dirt cheap in the long run!
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Originally Posted by BarryBobPosthole
