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Another Reason I Don't Like Cruises

Panina

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I have been on a few cruises, not my favorite type of vacation but I did enjoyed them. I also prefer a smaller ship. Illnesses can happen anywhere, its the risk of leaving home.
 

WinniWoman

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I have been on a few cruises, not my favorite type of vacation but I did enjoyed them. I also prefer a smaller ship. Illnesses can happen anywhere, its the risk of leaving home.

Yes- of course. But you are "confined" at sea with this crowd of people in the middle of an ocean. Not for me.
 

Passepartout

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Not to make too much of this, but 167 people with 'gastric distress' out of 9,000 guests and crew isn't exactly like 'everybody was sick'. And being kept in port is not being 'confined at sea in the middle of the ocean'. The cause of Norovirus, it's normal progression and treatment is well known. Any time thousands of people are in close proximity to one another, and it really only takes one person with poor bathroom hygiene then using door handles, hand rails, serving utensils at the buffet etc. to spread it.

The nice thing, Mary Ann, is that nobody is forcing you to take a cruise vacation. You don't have to lose sleep over this.

Jim
 

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My fear of cruise ships (no doubt totally without merit) is for a major terrorist event on one of them...

George
Any soft target has merit.
 

Passepartout

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My fear of cruise ships (no doubt totally without merit) is for a major terrorist event on one of them...
There is close to airport security for guests checking in and boarding at cruise terminals. Bags are scanned. Hand baggage is scanned and passengers pass through metal detectors at each port stop. No firearms are allowed and knives over a couple of inches are confiscated and returned to the passengers as they depart the ship at the end of the cruise. I have difficulty comprehending just what a terrorist would hope to accomplish on a cruise ship.

I think the 'fear without merit' comment is appropriate.
 

CalGalTraveler

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The precautions are excellent but that would not stop pirates. While I might take a small barge canal cruise in Europe, or a Panama Canal cruise, or local ferries in Italy or Greece, I would not take an organized cruise in the Mediterranean for this reason.
 
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Egret1986

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The nice thing, Mary Ann, is that nobody is forcing you to take a cruise vacation. You don't have to lose sleep over this.

Jim

I don't believe that was the point of her post. MaryAnn will be just fine, Jim.

Her title says it all. "Another reason I don't like cruises." Sounds like she doesn't like cruises and she was simply sharing another reason why she doesn't like them. This is a community where most of us feel we can share.

If you like cruises, great! Your post seems like you have to defend this. It's just her personal reason among many why she doesn't like them.

What's going on, Jim? :shrug:
 

Talent312

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I would not take an organized cruise in the Mediterranean for this reason...

We did a 12N (7 port) cruise Mediterranean cruise last Summer.
RCL Vision of the Seas. No pirates/hijackers, or even any illness.

A taxi strike at embarkation in Barcelona was interesting.
We had to take our luggage on the subway, instead. <shrug>

The vast majority of cruises are totally w/o incident of any sort.
.
 

TravelTime

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I wonder if this is more common now due to the mega-mega cruise ships? I never used to hear about mass outbreaks of illness in the past.
 

CalGalTraveler

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We did a 12N (7 port) cruise Mediterranean cruise last Summer.
RCL Vision of the Seas. No pirates/hijackers, or even any illness.

A taxi strike at embarkation in Barcelona was interesting.
We had to take our luggage on the subway, instead. <shrug>

The vast majority of cruises are totally w/o incident of any sort.
.

No doubt it must have been fabulous - trip of a lifetime. And I know there have been no incidents. However the worry would still be in the back of my mind. But that's just me.
 

Passepartout

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The vast majority of cruises are totally w/o incident of any sort.
We have been averaging between one and three cruises a year for a long time- and it isn't easy since neither of us care much for the Caribbean (ducking). We started as many do, paying particular attention to the ports of call. Then after a lot of those, and realizing that a cruise is really a lousy way to get much of a 'feel' for a place in a 6 hour port stop- especially with thousands of other passengers, all wanting some kind of 'genuine' experience, we looked at combining a cruise with a timeshare stay. It's hard to coordinate these, but when they work, it's great.

Lately we tried river cruising, small ship cruising, trans-Atlantic and Pacific, where really, it's about the cruise and enjoying the many activities, food and amenities of the ship.

Honestly, terrorism has never even once entered our minds. There is more concern about a taxi, bus or train strike interrupting plans and adding inconvenience. Some lines (we feel) do a better job of sanitation, and those get more of our business, while those with a record of maintenance problems better taken care of before they become issues do not.

Each to their own.

Jim
 

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geist1223

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Something we do not worry about because Patti gets Sea sick standing on a Dock.
 

Passepartout

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We have no desire to ever go on a cruise and likely never will. Not due to terrorism fears, illness, whatever, just not what we like.
How would you know without trying it?
 

Steve Fatula

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How would you know without trying it?

Some things you just know, we are not water people, don't care much to see it, be in it, on top of it, whatever. But we do drink it at least! We are land people. I suppose I could say I don't know I wouldn't like jumping off a bridge without trying it, but, I think I know not a good idea. :) I was posting merely to agree with the OP.

And we really do not like being around so many people. That's why we don't do cities. More privacy please.

But that's ok, it's obviously not for everyone and we know several people who take quite a few cruises every year and they love it. I am convincing one of them to go with us to Palm Desert in 2020, they never ever go on land! Opposite of us.
 
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Talent312

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For the first 45 years of my life, I could not imagine that I'd enjoy cruising. I found that, while not a substitute for "being there," it does have some nice attributes. We average about one a year.

Aside from Florida, we've sailed from Boston, Copenhagen & Vancouver, and Barcelona. At distant embarkations, we always add at least a few days pre- or post-cruise to try to get a better taste of the location.
 
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The precautions are excellent but that would not stop pirates. While I might take a small barge canal cruise in Europe, or a Panama Canal cruise, or local ferries in Italy or Greece, I would not take an organized cruise in the Mediterranean for this reason.

Not many pirates in the Mediterranean. Where do you think they'll be based?
 

dioxide45

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There is close to airport security for guests checking in and boarding at cruise terminals. Bags are scanned. Hand baggage is scanned and passengers pass through metal detectors at each port stop. No firearms are allowed and knives over a couple of inches are confiscated and returned to the passengers as they depart the ship at the end of the cruise. I have difficulty comprehending just what a terrorist would hope to accomplish on a cruise ship.

I think the 'fear without merit' comment is appropriate.
The problem is that once at sea, they are an open target.
 

TravelTime

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We have been averaging between one and three cruises a year for a long time- and it isn't easy since neither of us care much for the Caribbean (ducking). We started as many do, paying particular attention to the ports of call. Then after a lot of those, and realizing that a cruise is really a lousy way to get much of a 'feel' for a place in a 6 hour port stop- especially with thousands of other passengers, all wanting some kind of 'genuine' experience, we looked at combining a cruise with a timeshare stay. It's hard to coordinate these, but when they work, it's great.

Lately we tried river cruising, small ship cruising, trans-Atlantic and Pacific, where really, it's about the cruise and enjoying the many activities, food and amenities of the ship.

Honestly, terrorism has never even once entered our minds. There is more concern about a taxi, bus or train strike interrupting plans and adding inconvenience. Some lines (we feel) do a better job of sanitation, and those get more of our business, while those with a record of maintenance problems better taken care of before they become issues do not.

Each to their own.

Jim

We are thinking of a river cruise on the Danube River one day. I am interested in the pros and cons of the various river cruise lines. What are your thoughts?
 

TravelTime

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But that's ok, it's obviously not for everyone and we know several people who take quite a few cruises every year and they love it. I am convincing one of them to go with us to Palm Desert in 2020, they never ever go on land! Opposite of us.

Ha, ha, LOL. I think it is fine that you are a land person and not a water person. We are all different. I am a big time water person. I joke that I should have been a mermaid! LOL
 

TravelTime

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I do not think about terrorism when cruising, but we have tended to go on small cruise lines or sailing catamarans. However, I have thought of terrorism and pirates on the coast of Africa. I do not think I would do a cruise in that area since there are pirate warnings. Many people do it so it is probably fine but the idea is scary.
 

Steve Fatula

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Ha, ha, LOL. I think it is fine that you are a land person and not a water person. We are all different. I am a big time water person. I joke that I should have been a mermaid! LOL

It's also why we couldn't care less about views. I would never buy an oceanfront, or pay $1 more for the view.
 
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