Reasons I Did Not Enjoy Going on My First Cruise, Won't Do It Again
I recently went on my first cruise and I'm not sure this type of travel is for me.
There wasn't enough time to spend in each port and I was overwhelmed by the crowds.
The scheduled entertainment was impressive, but it wasn't something I loved.
Morning Brew Insider recommends waking up with, a daily newsletter. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app Email address By clicking “Sign Up,” you also agree to marketing emails from both Insider and Morning Brew; and you accept Insider’s Terms and Privacy Policy Click here for Morning Brew’s privacy policy.
In the summer, I finally embarked on my first cruise — Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas.
My family and close family friends had spent about two years planning our long-awaited Spanish Flair cruise that included nine nights around Spain and Portugal.
It was a really fun holiday with great company and I enjoyed visiting the ports and cities that were on our itinerary, but I found the experience to be very overwhelming and stressful.
Here are some of the reasons cruising isn't for me.
The ship was too crowded and busy for my liking
On some days of the trip, I felt a bit like a sardine in a can on the bustling ship with thousands of passengers.
After two years of lockdowns and school exams, I was so excited to use our sea days to sit by the pool, read my book and have a relaxing swim. It quickly became clear that this would be very hard to do — in order to find a free chair you had to either wake up early to save a seat or walk around until you could pounce on one.
Saving a seat was very frowned upon and I saw crew members shutting down anyone who was trying to hold a chair for more than half an hour. Sometimes we'd walk laps around the decks to find an empty chair only to end up nestled amongst another family or on the top deck where we'd deal with intense winds.
Fortunately, our saving grace some days was the adults-only pool for those 16 and up. It felt a lot more serene and it was usually more possible to snag a couple of free seats next to each other — or at least in the same vicinity rather than on different decks. Still, families with kids were left to try to snag chairs elsewhere.
The adults-only pool was one of my only escapes on board. Heather Nicholls
The same sort of crowd problems occurred when we tried to go to onboard bars and attend shows. We found ourselves having to arrive at least 30 minutes early to most events to make sure that we could get seats with our group.
Our cruise was during peak season in the summer when many families are on vacation because kids are off from school, so I'm sure this had an impact on how crowded I thought everything felt. The ship may have been a little quieter at other times of the year or if we'd sailed on a ship that was smaller and not targeted toward families.
There was so much scheduled fun and it left me feeling overwhelmed
The many activities and entertainment on cruises often attract people to them — and this ship's schedule was jam-packed.
Since we'd waited two years for our cruise, we felt as though we had to try everything. There was never an hour of the day where there wasn't a show, game, or exercise class to attend.
To be fair, the entertainment we did see was amazing. I loved the live performances, especially the tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons starring Ryan Malloy, who starred in "Jersey Boys" on London's West End.
Sure, we could've attended fewer activities. But since it was our first cruising experience — and it wasn't cheap — we felt pressured to make the most of the cruise and everything it had to offer.
On other family vacations I feel like my group was able to spend more laid-back time together. Heather Nicholls
I've also realized that scheduled fun is not my vibe. On past family vacations, my group spent a lot of time disconnected from our phones, playing games together, and having interesting conversations. The number of activities and performances on the ship didn't really allow for this laid-back fun and it was something I really felt the loss of.
If I went on another cruise, I wouldn't spend as much time on the onboard entertainment. Instead, I'd seek out quieter parts of the ship. One of my most cherished moments is when my sister and I had a nearly empty swimming pool to ourselves, as most of the ship's occupants were either at dinner or heading to a show.
There wasn't enough time to properly immerse myself in the cities and ports
I'd never traveled anywhere in Spain or Portugal before so I was really excited for the stops on our cruise. After a little bit, I also found myself craving some time on dry land and away from the hustle and bustle of the ship.
Our voyage began in Southampton and we visited Vigo, Lisbon, Seville (Cadiz), Bilbao, and La Coruna. We skipped excursions and instead made our own schedules so we could see the things that were important to us.
I fell in love with many of the places we visited, especially Lisbon with its brightly colored houses, tram network, and delicious cherry liqueur. Vigo was quaint and historical and Cadiz was a fascinating insight into a part of the world I had never explored before.
But we never stayed in one place too long and the cruise ship left the port at a certain time each day. We spent a lot of time on land checking our watches to make sure that we had enough time to get back to the boat before it left.
A time limit and our worry about getting left behind made it difficult to properly immerse ourselves in local culture and live in the moment.
Still, cruising has its perks and I get why some people enjoy them
Experiencing any type of travel for the first time involves a bit of trial and error. Cruising was new to me and I didn't know exactly how it would feel and what I would and wouldn't enjoy going into it.
I know now that cruises may not be my ideal vacation, but I can see why some people love them.
My sister and dad, who are nervous travelers, were huge fans of the cruise — they found the planned activities and itineraries to be perfect stress relievers. They also enjoyed having a more permanent place to call home during the duration of the trip instead of checking into a new hotel at each new stop.
Although my cruise experience wasn't perfect, I will still admit I was blown away by the incredible food, dazzling formal nights, and fantastic crew members on board.
Source: Insider
