Never Say Never
I’ve never thought of myself as a cruise person. I know plenty of people who *love* them, but they seem really crowded to me, and I’m not thrilled with the idea of being on a tight schedule when in port. One exception I might make would be an Alaskan cruise, because the opportunity to see so many little towns along the southeast, without having to pack and unpack, is really appealing, and being on a ship and seeing the fjords and wildlife of that region would be amazing.
My cousin Carey and her family enjoy cruises, and have been on several. They’ve been to Alaska a couple of times, and to Mexico, and probably other places that I don’t remember. My cousin Kim, Carey’s sister, Kim’s husband, their 3 kids, and the eldest daughter’s boyfriend are going on a cruise from Los Angeles to Baja in June. Carey and her wife were supposed to go along, but Carey’s wife decided she didn’t want to. This is the same wife who didn’t want to go to France in 2022, which was my big gain there as well, since we stayed in their timeshares there. So since Carey had already purchased the cruise and could not get her money back, she asked me if I wanted to come, on her dime. Being me, I couldn’t just be gracious and excited and say, “Oh, goodness, what a wonderful and generous offer, let me think about it and let you know!” Instead I thought, “Oh big ships with a ton of people…hot June weather…I’m not sure.” And I expressed these doubts. Carey knows me, though, and remembers that it took me a while to get on board with the France trip as well, so she wasn’t offended.
So I thought about it, how much I enjoy travel, how I want to do more of that when possible, and decided ‘what the hell.’ So, I’m dusting off my passport and cruising to Mexico next month!
It’s a 6 day cruise, and you spend the vast majority of that time on the ship. There are 1.5 days in Cabo San Lucas, and 1 day in Encinitas. Ted and I have a friend who goes on these cruises to Mexico all of the time, so I messaged him and said, “What do you and your wife do when you’re in Cabo or Encinitas?” He said in Cabo, they go to Sammy Hagar’s bar and have a drink, and in Encinitas, they stay on the ship because it’s less crowded. Oh. I guess they’re no help. So, we have an excursion planned on a catamaran with snorkeling one day in Cabo, which sounds FABULOUS, I love snorkeling. No other plans yet. In my mind, I’m picturing ship time including going to some of the shows in the evening, spending some time on the deck with a good book, going to the gym and keeping up with my strength and yoga, and I’m not sure what else. There are a ton of activities, but I’m not sure how busy I want to be. Time will tell.
Cruising friends…what do you like to do on a cruise?
45 Comments
AC
I am no help. I’ve never been on one and don’t want to be, except maybe Alaska, like you.
J
An Alaska cruise does sound beautiful, right?
Elisabeth
I’ve never done a cruise BUT I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS. I can’t wait to follow along vicaruously. YOLO, Julie. Gold stars for saying yes. I predict you’re going to have a fabulous time <3
J
Thanks Elisabeth! I appreciate the gold stars.
nance
Oh, I do pretty much everything on the ship that offers free champagne. An art auction with free champagne? YES. Crew dance party with free champagne? YES. Pastry and fruit/veg carving demo with free champagne? YES.
Actually, that last one may not have had free champagne, but we went to it anyway because it was raining a bit and we wanted something to do.
But hey, if someone offers me a free trip, I’m taking it. You’ll have fun!
J
Good thinking Nance, I’ll watch for free champagne!
Allison
Yay for seizing the moment! I’ve been on one cruise, with my sister’s family and my parents when the kids were about aged 6 to 10. It was a lot of fun because we were all together – the shows were great fun and it was nice that there was usually one when you wanted to see one. There was also a first-run Disney movies theatre which the kids loved. There was one day of turbulence when everyone barfed, and this makes me wary of cruises – you can so easily lose part of your vacation to feeling crummy, but I guess that could happen anywhere. I don’t have a big desire to go on another one except Alaskan, like you said, but if someone offered me a free spot? In a heartbeat! Bring numerous books and have a wonderful time!
J
Thanks Allison! Books and anti nausea medcation sound like a good idea!
Michelle G.
Oh, how fun!!! I’ve never been on a cruise, but I will enjoy following along with yours – if you share it! I hope you do! I have a friend who loves cruises, and her advice is to bring along some motion sickness medicine. You may not need it, but it’s nice to have access to it asap if you do. But I don’t have personal experience with this – your cousin probably has all the best advice for you.
J
Thanks Michelle! I will definitely share. Not sure whether that will be while I’m there or when I get back, but either way there will be at least a couple of photos.
Margaret
I’m like you and hesitant about cruises for the same reasons. I also get seasick and although it’s a huge ship, I still worry about feeling nauseated. My friend and I were signed up for an Alaska cruise (neither one of us had been to southern Alaska) for July 2020 but you probably know what happened there. I’m glad you’ve decided to go for it! Plus, it will be great blogging fodder!! Lots of fun people watching, I bet.
J
Stupid COVID ruined so many plans, didn’t it? Sigh.
K @ TS
I have never been on a cruise but if I got offered one for free i would surely say yes!! I also predict you are going to have a great time.
J
Thanks Kyria! I’m looking forward to it.
Diane
Oh fun! I think if offered any kind of travel for free I would probably say “yes”.
I’ve only been on one cruise and it was a Nile cruise in Egypt, which was cool, but I think very different an experience from what you’re doing. It sounds like a good mix of relaxing and adventure!
J
Oh, a Nile cruise sounds fascinating. But yeah, VERY different.
Ally Bean
I’ve never been on a cruise, nor wanted to go on one. However the way you’re doing it might be more my style than flying to Europe to tak a cruise. I look forward to your reading about your experiences. Maybe you’ll change my mind about cruises.
J
Ally, even if I don’t change your mind about cruises, at least you’ll get the skinny.
Birchie
Yay! My prediction is that you’ll have a blast. I’ve never done a cruise, but I am not opposed. If I was to go on one, Alaska would probably be top of the list.
J
Thanks Birchie!
ernie
I’ve never been on a cruise. They sound great – or they look great in ads. I have no true aversion to them, but taking all of our people, well that’s silly, right? Sounds so pricey. We’re more ‘let’s go somewhere we can sleep in tents and eat food from our cooler’ type people. Maybe some day? I think you made the right choice. I’m excited for you and can’t wait to hear all about it.
J
Thanks Ernie, yeah, taking all of your people would be spendy!
Suzanne
I consider myself firmly in the Not A Cruise Person camp, but I suppose a good way to try a cruise would be to get a free opportunity to do so! It’s nice, too, that it’s only a short cruise. I’m excited for you and I hope you have a fabulous time!
J
Thanks Suzanne!
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Hi Jules,
Great post! The theme of “Never Say Never” really resonates. It’s so true how life often surprises us and leads us down paths we never expected or even swore against. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this – it’s a good reminder to stay open to possibilities and embrace the unexpected turns life takes!
J
Thank you!
Nicole MacPherson
I’m not a cruise gal but boy, I have friends who LOVE it! I hope you have a blast!
J
Thanks Nicole! I don’t consider myself a cruise gal either. Let’s see if this changes my mind!
PocoBrat
Have so much fun, J!
I think I would have a good time on a cruise, but A would never–I guess I don’t have a way of checking if my instincts are right.
Sun and sea and food on demand… how could one go wrong?!
J
Well, you have a way to check for yourself, which is to go. Best not to test it with A though, if you suspect that would not be enjoyed. I’m hoping for fun, sun, sea, and food on demand!
Jenny
Oh my gosh. I know exactly what I would do- turn this into a 6 day “reading retreat.” ON A CRUISE SHIP! It sounds like heaven to me. I would wake up, go to the gym, then settle down with my stack of books, obviously in a comfy lounge chair. Then I would read, read, read, taking breaks here and there for any little activities that wounded fun.
I know- this probably sounds so boring to most people, and I would be wasting money paying for a cruise to do this- except that in this scenario, I would also be getting the cruise for free, like you.
Anyway, I’ll bet you have fun. It will be an interesting experience, and I want to hear all about it!
Btw- in a previous post you talked about how you blogged every day in April, and how much easier it is to come up with blog fodder when you’re doing it all the time. I know just what you mean! I get on a roll like that too, and I want to blog every day. Then I stop and suddenly I can’t think of a thing to say, ha.
J
Doesn’t that sound like heaven? Reading in the fresh ocean air? This is a family cruise, so I will definitely not have the option of reading all day, every day. But I’m going to bring a few books and hope for at least a few hours on at least a few days.
Rebecca Jo
I get sick on little river boats – I know I’d die on a cruise LOL
J
I’ll be bringing some anti nausea medication, just in case! Hoping for no problems.
Stephany
YEESSSSSSSSSSS
I will be VERY firm in my opinion that cruises are a GREAT PLACE for introverts and extroverts alike. You can make the cruise as busy or as low-key as you want. There are PLENTY of places to get away from the crowds. I always love finding the little nooks and crannies on a cruise ship where there aren’t a lot of people. I am not the girl living it up on the lido deck, I’ll tell you that! But there is always SO MUCH TO DO every day – lots of events and trivia and bingo (<– but this has gotten EXPENSIVE recently) and even some great workout options, like yoga if you're up for that. And there's a spa! Girl, if you're getting yourself a free cruise, BOOK YOURSELF SOME TIME AT THE SPA. There is nothing like it! And there's also quiet areas of the ship, especially inside – they have a library, little window seats where you can enjoy the view without dealing with the heat (although you'll enjoy the ocean breeze so you won't feel the heat AS much as you think). And there is nothing like being rocked to sleep on a cruise ship. I get the best sleep of my life.
I have a stomach of steel so I haven't dealt with any seasickness, but definitely bring some patches just in case!
And I don't have any tips for the locations you're going to be – I've never been but Cruise Critic can help you parse through your options (but that place is WILD, so be forewarned lol).
If you have any specific questions/concerns, send them my way! I looooooooove cruising and it was the only way I vacationed for most of my 20s lol.
J
Oh, I was hoping you would chime in! Yay! Yeah, I’m hoping for down time to just relax, but also looking forward to family time. I think it’s going to be fun.
Good tip regarding the spa…I may need to get a massage at least…
Alexandra
I’ve never done a dedicated cruise, but did cross from Italy to Greece way back when on a cruise ship. Not quite the same. These days they offer so much to do I do’t doubt you’ll have plenty to keep you occupied morning, noon, and night!
J
Yeah, back before the Chunnul from UK to France, we took a boat from UK to Holland and then another from France to UK. Totally not the same! I’m sure we will be as busy as we want to be. 🙂
Lisa's Yarns
I’ve never done a cruise and like you, it’s not something I would seek out. But a free cruise? I would probably not say no to that! I hope you have a fabulous time.
I would be open to an Alaskan cruise as I’ve heard great things about them. And I would be open to a riverboat cruise in Europe. My parents are doing one on the Rhone or the Rhine next spring. They did a Viking cruise from Barcelona to London this past winter and loved it so much that they purchased another cruise for a year+ later.
J
Those European riverboat cruises seem really lovely. I think I might take one, though I would want to spend more time in Paris at least, so maybe I’d spend a week there first…or at the end, either way. A girl can dream, right?
Melissa
Like you I’m not keen on cruising for the reasons you mention, although ditto on the Alaskan cruise. I get seasick though so I’m not sure it would be feasible. Good on you for taking up the offer. I’m sure you’ll have a blast. I’d just make the most of everything there is on offer.
J
I’ve never been seasick, but I’ve never been out at sea either. I have some Bonine and some wrist bands, hopefully that will be enough.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
What a great oportunity to experience this – on someone esles dime of all things – and stepping out of your comofrt zone. I am not help either.
Only my parents just came back from a cruise and my mom hated it because of the otehr 6000 people. The excursions where fun though. She that there are just no silent areas anywhere on such a huge ship. Maybe if you are prepared for that its not as surprising.
I am looking forward hearing your story.
J
I hope the ship we are on will have quiet places, I’m counting on it. If need be I’ll go hide in my room with a book! I’m sorry to hear your mom hated it, that’s sad.
M
Oh, pick me-pick me! LOL I’ve been on a dozen or so cruises! Actually, we just came back from a 35-day one — from San Diego to several Hawaiian islands (including overnights in some) and then to Tahiti and other French Polynesian islands (also overnight in some) then back to San Diego. In August last year, we did the Alaska cruise with a bunch of friends. So fun!
My husband loves cruising — loves being on the water. He finds it peaceful to be in the back of the ship and staring out to sea, watching the wake made by the ships propellers. I enjoy it as well — specially the no-chores involved but still have wonderful meals and pampering within your fingertips! LOL But your experience will probably depend on which cruise line you’re going on how hectic and how “can’t get away from other people” it’ll get. Some cruise lines are meant for “fun-fun-fun” while some are more low-key. We like the low-key ones. LOL
I think you meant Ensenada and not Encinitas? It took me a while to think of where the ship might dock in Encinitas since it’a our neighboring city in the San Diego county and it doesn’t have a cruise ship dock/terminal! LOL Anyway, I hope that you have a wonderful first cruise! I think you’ll be just fine — you’re going into it with open mind. All activities are optional so you can be as busy or as lazy you want. We enjoy the evening production shows and we enjoy the music in some of the music areas — dancing with friends is so much fun!!
I’m so excited to read about your experience!