I hear a lot of folks say they would never take a cruise. The reasons I most frequently hear are,  “there isn’t anything to do”, “it’s just a bunch of drunk people”, “too many screaming kids” of “I’ll be sea sick”.  

As someone who has taken over 10 cruises over the years, let me give you another perspective. Cruising is a great way to get an overview of a number of destinations in a short time. Then you can decide if you want to go back and take a land-based vacation at that island, city, country, etc.

Are there screaming kids? Yep, mostly by the pool screaming in excitement, but you can avoid them, if they bother you, by simply moving a deck higher away from the pool (many ships have adult-only pools).

Are there a bunch of drunk people? Sometimes, again mostly by the pool or in the bars/lounges late in the evening. If that bothers you, there are many places on a ship you can go to remove yourself from those situations.  

Where can you go? Well, there are a pretty large number of things you can do on a ship. There is generally at least one show each evening, a disco/dance club, and numerous bars/lounges. But there are also a lot of other things going on at any given time on a ship. Trivia games, bocce ball, miniature golf, cruise crafts, a full gym, lectures, and a myriad of other activities. Not to mention there is usually a library, computer lounge, and game room if you want a quiet activity.

Oh, by the way, during the day most of the lounges are open for use even if the bars are closed, so you have a quiet place indoors to read a book, knit, play cards, or whatever you fancy doing. Also, if you want to try your luck, every cruise ship has a full-size, full service casino.

Is there a chance you may get sea sick? Of course. But if you’ve never been on a cruise you don’t truly know if that will happen, but there are a number of over-the-counter medications that you can bring with you or buy on board that will take care of the symptoms.  Where and when you choose to cruise also affects your chance of getting sea sick. The Caribbean in the winter months is usually pretty calm, and the Mediterranean is a good choice as well. The Atlantic tends to be a bit rockier, and cruising during hurricane season (June through November) can, but not always, mean rougher seas. But hey, some people like the motion of the ocean.

So give cruising a try, you might find you love it, or you might find you don’t like it so much, but in either event it is an experience and a memory with your family, which is what vacation is all about in my book.