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I have a much different take than most of this thread: cruise ships let people pretend to "travel" without actually traveling. You don't have to find a hotel (n

I have a much different take than most of this thread: cruise ships let people pretend to "travel" without actually traveling. You don't have to find a hotel (not that that's ever been hard, and now with the Internet it's trivial), and you don't have to research what there is to do and arrange it (ditto). They're for people too lazy to travel. The absolute last thing I want is to be regimented into groups with 2,000 other people. And, by the way, catch their diseases, which is something that happened to cruise passengers even before the pandemic. I found, when I went to Alaska, absolutely everyone asked, "Oh, did you go on a cruise?" No, I flew and rented a car. You should try it.

2OEH8eoCRo0 3y ago
Have you been on one? I haven't but I've been to liberty ports while in the USMC and it was fantastic. I kept thinking how much more fun things would be if I were a civilian!
- AlbertCory 3y ago
  I did a Windjammer Cruise in the 80's. Only 150 or so on board.
brightball 3y ago
Funny you mention that. My family has never been on a cruise before but we have an upcoming Alaska cruise next month. Interested to see what the hype is about. Some friends of our love cruises and don’t particularly care about “travel” they just enjoy the cruise experience.
- saulpw 3y ago
  It's good for intergenerational vacations. 7 y/o and 70 y/o can both enjoy various aspects of the giant boat and wandering around some tourist town and everyone has their own space to return to.
fasthands9 3y ago
I've only taken one cruise in my life but this seems like a weird requirement. Someone from 100 years ago may call you booking a hotel not real travel because it doesnt require you befriend a local or get a local guide. Cruise people would say you still have to book the cruise, which is only marginally easier than booking a hotel + flight.
- AlotOfReading 3y ago
  Tourism attracts a lot of gatekeeping about the "real" way to travel. It's practically an immutable law of the universe that hostels have to have at least one person in the common rooms doing pointless gatekeeping at all times.
  - AlbertCory 3y ago
    I suppose the "real" way to travel is to hitchhike into town and get by with no money. Bonus points if it's a conflict zone, like eastern Ukraine. No thanks on that one.
nouveaux 3y ago
As someone who likes to rent a car in a foreign country and drive to random places to get a feel for local culture, I also like cruises because...I like being on a floating hotel for a vacation too. Floating around in the middle of the ocean is a great feeling. I also know how to plan a land vacation. I'm not sure why some have such a disdain for other people's vacation choice. I don't care to lay on a beach or be at a pool for most of my vacation but to each their own.
xboxnolifes 3y ago
It's not about travel, it's about vacation. For a lot of people, their vacations are about the only time they can truly be "lazy". People pay money to not need to think.
- vpastore 3y ago
  [dead]
mlyle 3y ago
I've done plenty of travel, typically in the form of setting up camp in a given city for a couple weeks and getting to deeply know that place. I've also enjoyed "pretending to travel." Yes, you only get a shallow dip/view of each place. But you kick back and enjoy luxury on a premium line. It's been nice with kids, too, where there's been good childcare built in and logistics are simpler. Cruises have been about 25% of my vacation travel days but I am grateful for the experience. Different people like different things and different people have different circumstances. Best not to be too judgy. (Now, cities may rationally choose they would prefer not to have cruise tourism-- that's a separate matter).
- vpastore 3y ago
  > couple weeks > deeply know that place. Lol
  - mlyle 3y ago
    Sigh-- people who read comments and don't take the time to understand them in the spirit they're written. Though since every comment of yours is down in the weeds or flagged, I'll still indulge you by explaining: Sure; it's not spending months or more (which I've done a couple of times). But most people tend to spend a couple days in one city on another continent and then move on to the next one; hitting 4-5 cities in a week and a half. If I'm taking a short trip, it tends to be longer than most people's idea of a short trip. Even so, we tend to go to one or two cities and surrounding area.
xyzelement 3y ago
You are so cool, can we hang out? Kidding aside, while I am also not interested in cruising, I can see how it might be a good option for the aged or large families. I have gone on one cruise many years ago and while it was too boring for me, I came back super relaxed because of how bored I was. So I can see why someone may be into it.

2OEH8eoCRo0 3y ago

Have you been on one? I haven't but I've been to liberty ports while in the USMC and it was fantastic. I kept thinking how much more fun things would be if I were a civilian!

AlbertCory 3y ago
I did a Windjammer Cruise in the 80's. Only 150 or so on board.

brightball 3y ago

Funny you mention that. My family has never been on a cruise before but we have an upcoming Alaska cruise next month. Interested to see what the hype is about. Some friends of our love cruises and don’t particularly care about “travel” they just enjoy the cruise experience.

saulpw 3y ago
It's good for intergenerational vacations. 7 y/o and 70 y/o can both enjoy various aspects of the giant boat and wandering around some tourist town and everyone has their own space to return to.

fasthands9 3y ago

I've only taken one cruise in my life but this seems like a weird requirement. Someone from 100 years ago may call you booking a hotel not real travel because it doesnt require you befriend a local or get a local guide. Cruise people would say you still have to book the cruise, which is only marginally easier than booking a hotel + flight.

AlotOfReading 3y ago
Tourism attracts a lot of gatekeeping about the "real" way to travel. It's practically an immutable law of the universe that hostels have to have at least one person in the common rooms doing pointless gatekeeping at all times.
- AlbertCory 3y ago
  I suppose the "real" way to travel is to hitchhike into town and get by with no money. Bonus points if it's a conflict zone, like eastern Ukraine. No thanks on that one.

nouveaux 3y ago

As someone who likes to rent a car in a foreign country and drive to random places to get a feel for local culture, I also like cruises because...I like being on a floating hotel for a vacation too. Floating around in the middle of the ocean is a great feeling. I also know how to plan a land vacation. I'm not sure why some have such a disdain for other people's vacation choice. I don't care to lay on a beach or be at a pool for most of my vacation but to each their own.

xboxnolifes 3y ago

It's not about travel, it's about vacation. For a lot of people, their vacations are about the only time they can truly be "lazy". People pay money to not need to think.

vpastore 3y ago
[dead]

mlyle 3y ago

I've done plenty of travel, typically in the form of setting up camp in a given city for a couple weeks and getting to deeply know that place. I've also enjoyed "pretending to travel." Yes, you only get a shallow dip/view of each place. But you kick back and enjoy luxury on a premium line. It's been nice with kids, too, where there's been good childcare built in and logistics are simpler. Cruises have been about 25% of my vacation travel days but I am grateful for the experience. Different people like different things and different people have different circumstances. Best not to be too judgy. (Now, cities may rationally choose they would prefer not to have cruise tourism-- that's a separate matter).

vpastore 3y ago
> couple weeks > deeply know that place. Lol
- mlyle 3y ago
  Sigh-- people who read comments and don't take the time to understand them in the spirit they're written. Though since every comment of yours is down in the weeds or flagged, I'll still indulge you by explaining: Sure; it's not spending months or more (which I've done a couple of times). But most people tend to spend a couple days in one city on another continent and then move on to the next one; hitting 4-5 cities in a week and a half. If I'm taking a short trip, it tends to be longer than most people's idea of a short trip. Even so, we tend to go to one or two cities and surrounding area.

xyzelement 3y ago

You are so cool, can we hang out? Kidding aside, while I am also not interested in cruising, I can see how it might be a good option for the aged or large families. I have gone on one cruise many years ago and while it was too boring for me, I came back super relaxed because of how bored I was. So I can see why someone may be into it.