Should I take a cruise?

Princess ship The Sapphire

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

Have you ever taken a cruise? The ships today are huge, floating hotels, with every luxury imaginable. And the food is endless. You could eat 24 hours a day, although I don't recommend it. Cruises can be very enjoyable. And for those who think they will get seasick, you have to remember that these things are so large that you really don't feel much motion, unless you really get into rough seas. And there is always the patch, ask your doctor about it before you leave home, if you are afraid you might get seasick.

When we took our first cruise, it was a repositioning* cruise from Acapulco to San Diego. My husband had spent 26 years in the Navy and wasn't sure he really wanted to go on a cruise, but I booked it and he went. He now loves cruising. Of course, it is nothing like his Navy experience.

Cruising, like everything, has it's pro's and con's. If you are taking a cruise because you have always wanted to see a place, just remember that you only stop in each port of call for a few hours. You really aren't going to really have time to see a destination, but you will get a feel for it. If you love what you saw, you can always go back and spend more time there. Where cruising really has the advantage, is that you can go to several destinations without packing and unpacking. And certain destinations are ideal for cruising. Alaska is one of those places, because you actually sail up the inside passage and you can see scenery and glaciers as you go. If you only went to Alaska by land, you would miss these views. Ideally, if you do Alaska, you should do a cruise/land combination. Denali National Park is certainly worth the trip and for that you have to be on land.

Glacier Bay, Alaska, glacier is calfing

While on any cruise, you will find so many activities to keep you busy. There is something for everyone. There are art auctions, bingo, shows, cooking demonstrations (sometimes with famous chefs), dance lessons, spa treatments, activities to keep the kids busy (if you have those), and of course shore excursions to sign up for in every port. Quite often there are guest lecturers, depending on your destination. On our Alaska trip Libby Riddles - the first woman to win the Iditarod, came on board with a couple of sled dogs. She was very interesting to listen to.

My next few posting I plan to talk some more about cruises, including small ship cruises, tall ship and river cruises.

*For those who don't know what a repositioning cruise is: The cruise lines move the ships to different locations for different seasons. They prefer to move the ships full of people, so they quite often offer bargains for those cruises. In the case of our cruise the ship was being moved from the Panama Canal to do the Alaska run during the summer months. We caught one leg of that journey – from Acapulco to San Diego.