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I am now less than two weeks away from my planned Alaska cruise (set to leave on June 9) so it's got me thinking and I just wanted to put my thoughts on this out there now in case there are any insights or other words 'o wisdom that anyone would like to share with me on this topic. Thus, I have selected the location for this entry as Alaska > At Sea not because I'm currently in that location, but because that is what I will spend the next bit writing about.
I also should probably apologize in advance as I fear what follows may be peppered with sarcasm... It is not my intention to offend any big-time cruisers out there, but please understand that I am just a major cruise skeptic trying to work through my issues - and this is the best way I know how outside of appearing on "Dr. Phil".
So, I've titled this entry "Why Cruise Ships Scare Me" and no, the answer isn't because I've watched Titanic one-too-many times (although I probably have). My fears are not of the ship-sinks-and-I-drown variety; rather they are rooted in the fact that a cruise
Cabin Location
Got our cabin assignment the other day. I'm told this is a good location...ship to me embodies everything I despise about standard tourism - e.g. crowds, noise, and obnoxious Americans in loud Don Juan shirts snapping pictures at everything that moves to name a few. "Tourist" is a 4-letter word in my travel circles.
Whenever I travel, I always strive to fit in as much as possible - partly because tourists are always targets for unsavory people who do dark deeds, but also because part of the fun for me is getting to truly experience a place in its raw and naked form. I love to see the natural character of the places I go - to visit the dives where the locals hang-out and discover the out-of-the-way places that haven't been mutilated by the outside world...or at least not yet. In other words, I prefer to be a "traveller" as opposed to a "tourist".
If you know me at all (or have at least followed my travels), you will notice that I tend to gravitate towards doing very non-touristy types of trips. This is not to say that I don't go to touristy places, but I usually try to go in an un-touristy way... For example, I'll often times do my traveling in the "off" season (e.g. Rome is a lot less crowded in March than it is in July), or if I do go somewhere during peak tourist time, it's because I'm doing an off-the-beaten-track route (e.g. sailing on a small boat around the Greek Isles...or Thailand, as the case may be).
I do love being on the water - almost more than anything. If I could own a boat and live on a canal or a bay somewhere, believe me I would. But since that's not so much an option right now, I have to at least give myself a good aquatic fix every so often and do a boat trip. While a cruise technically qualifies given that it is, in fact, a ship, I don't really consider it to be in the same species as the ones I'm used to.
The first sailing trip I went on was in Greece. One of the things that appealed to me about that trip was something from the website of the company which stated, "It's like camping on the water." This sounded like heaven to me. Conversely, I've heard a cruise ship described as, "A resort on the water." Not that I have a problem with resorts...I've thoroughly enjoyed my time on business trips at places like The Four Seasons in Boston or The Ritz Carlton Montego Bay, but let's just say that when it comes to planning my own vacations, I usually opt for things more like the eco-lodge I stayed at in the Amazon last year.
I also have always thought that cruise ships have quite a racket going on. I mean, they claim to be "all-inclusive" but that's a total crock. Here is just a short list of the things that are NOT included in my "all-inclusive" cruise:
Shore Excursions - If you want to go ashore and do any of the cool things they have that you can sign up for in each port of call, you have to pay...and they're not cheap! I flipped through a bunch and the ones I was interested in were no less than $100 a pop for a 3-4 hour excursion. Now granted, some may be worth it - like riding a zipline through the forest which I've always wanted to do, but I'm not sure that even that is worth $165 additional. (FYI - I have actually chosen my shore excursions at this time and they include a photo safari and salmon bake in Juneau, a hike & bike in Sitka, a fjord water journey in Ketchikan, and a tour of the gardens of Victoria).
Drinks - This includes alcohol and other drinks (like soda). I'm not a soda drinker, so that's not a problem. I'm assuming water is complimentary...but probably not bottled. At meals, milk, juice, and coffee (THANK GOD!) are included. Drinks not included are not only pricey, but carry an automatic 15%!g(MISSING)ratuity charge. And given how much I do enjoy drinking on vacation, I can see how one might quickly rack up quite a tab...
Laundry - This wouldn't be something I'd be concerned with since I typically take enough with me to wear on a trip, however now that I apparently need to take some sort of evening gown, I will most likely need to get it dry cleaned since it will be a wrinkled mess by the time I get on the ship...that is, unless Jel can help me get it sorted out before taking me to the dock! 😊
Internet - Not that I really expected this to be free, but what a bummer that it's just so expensive! Thus, I think I can safely say that you will probably not be receiving any blog entries from me while onboard ship or at sea. Rather, I will wait until we reach a port and will find myself an Internet cafe where I can take care of business.
I realize that one could argue, "Well sure, and yet it IS all-inclusive compared to going somewhere and actually staying at a resort - after all, you'd be paying for your drinks AND food if you did that." And while this is true, my point of reference is less that of the resort vs. cruise and more cruise vs. sailing trip. I've been on two long sailing trips now and, let me tell you, all I've paid outside of the trip cost on my other sailing trips has been for food eaten at restaurants off the boat (which are dirt cheap in places like Greece and Thailand). Oh, and there's tipping, of course. Everything else has been completely inclusive - drinks (alcohol & otherwise, food...everything!)
I also am nervous about "cruise ship life" as I interpret it to be based on what I've heard from others and what I've read online. Thankfully the former stereotypes associated with the people who go cruising no longer is entirely true to life. It used to be almost a taboo activity unless you were a retiree or newly-wed - if you don't believe me, just go rent "Out to Sea" with Jack Lemmon & Walter Matthau which really encapsulates this. Today cruising seems to attract a much younger set which is good, but there are still some strange customs that live on.
For instance, they have a dress code and I don't think I've followed a "dress code" since high school! I guess if you want to get technical, my office does have a dress code, but that's work. This is vacation.
I understand the desire to discourage, say, overweight men showing up for dinner wearing nothing more than their Speedo (because who really wants to eat looking at that?) but do they have to go so far to the other extreme? So now I not only have to take along some work clothes to cover the attire for informal nights, but I have to figure out some way to take an gown along too! Yuck. On top of which, T-shirts aren't "allowed" in public places during evening hours. What?! Are you kidding me?! When I'm on vacation, I virtually LIVE in T-shirts and tanks so I need to give some serious thought to what I'm going to wear on this cruise since the "dress code" may have killed about 75%!o(MISSING)f my vacation wardrobe. I have had friends from work who have done a lot of cruises it's not as strict as it sounds - and the optimist in me really wants them to be right!
One way I've tried to combat my hesitancy about the cruise ship, I had decided to spring for a nicer cabin with a balcony (instead of ending up stuck down in the hull with the rudder or something). I figured if end up really adverse to the cruise ship but have a room I like, it might off-set it.
My cabin-mate (or suite-mate, if you will) is a woman named Lisa. She's from GA and we've exchanged a few emails now trying to get acquainted some. She's been on cruises before - and this is her second Alaska cruise - so I'm gleaning a lot of info and tips from her during this oh-so-very-vital pre-cruise time.
When I lived in Alaska, I saw a TON of cruise ships. Typically they would dock in the Seward harbor and then tourists would pour off of the ship into the town like an alien invasion. As someone familiar with what it's like to be an invadee, I do not wish to become one of the invaders - and yet here I sit with my booking number in hand. Sigh.
So I think that's everything about taking a cruise that could potentially keep me up at night. In the end, I'm not afraid that I'll regret the trip as I am a natural optimist... Rather, I'm just afraid that I might not enjoy it as much as I would enjoy, say, a hiking trip through the French Alps. On that topic, in order to balance this trip somewhat, on the heels of returning I'll be leaving again over the first weekend of July for a 4-day backpacking/camping trip in Glacier National Park, Montana which is for sure my kind of thing.
Comments from the peanut gallery are welcome at this time.
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Veronica Lodge
Vicki
you'll be suprised
I noticed your title, and thought I would send you a quick note... I was of the same mind set until I took a four day cruise from Vancouver to Ketchikan a few years ago. I am active and like to explore so thought I would be bored silly - was pleasantly suprised. The stop is Ketchikan was nothing really - it is just a tourist port - but what I really enjoyed was the activities on board. I played tennis, hoolahooped, ran, swam, danced, ate, golfed, listened to love music...you name it. I was so exhausted by the time we returned I was ready to be home. Cultural it isn't...In fact the whole think is a little 'LV meets ST' but if you appreciate it for what it is you'll have a good time. I would suggest following the dress code about the evening formal wear (I didn't and should have). The evening is all about glamour...think Love Boat! Have a great trip...and in the mean time, if you know of any women looking for a travel partner for the southern US states in August please let me know!