The overall concept of this blog is for me to learn simple living to find financial freedom. Now, going on a cruise obviously costs money. However, on my list of ‘Things that I Love,’ I have listed travel as one of those love things.
I LOVE to travel!!!
Travel is something that makes the year more enjoyable for me. I like the special memories. But sometimes traveling, especially traveling overseas, can seem like a lot of hassle and planning.
The reason why I decided to blog about cruising is because there are elements about going on a cruise that are in line with simple living. In this blog post I am going to run through my pros and cons of cruising in regard to cruising on P&O, Carnival, or Royal Caribbean (I have only travelled on these three cruise lines). Our most recent trip last year was with Royal Caribbean, which was our first cruise with children.
Pros for cruising:
- Meals are all-inclusive. (There are some specialty restaurants, but the main dining and buffets are free). This is a massive perk for those who don’t like/want to cook (me).
- Daily room service cleaning – aahhh not having to clean on holidays. Yes please.
- Hassle-free travel – once you are on the ship, you just need to remember to take your daypacks at the stop-offs. No need to pack up my luggage until the end of the trip.
- Free entertainment – the ships have lots of entertainment options.
- Bands, shows, movies, kids games, dancing, trivia. I just need to find the right location and read the schedule.
- Multiple places to visit – most cruises stop at different locations. Not having to drive/fly/commute is quite lovely. I like waking up in a different location on a cruise ship.
- Formal nights – who loves wearing pretty clothes. ME!
- Cruising in groups – cruising seems to work well for group travel. (I want to try this one day)
- Pools – deck chairs – Relaxing in the sun. Yes!
- Price – most things are included. (Note: check that gratuities are included in the price!) Usually cruising works out to be fairly good value for money overall for food, accommodation, and entertainment. (But cocktails and alcohol are super expensive!)
Cons for cruising:
- Crowds – cruise ships are filled with people. If you don’t like crowds (me), cruise ships can seem quite overwhelming. (I’m quite introverted and usually prefer smaller groups to large crowds). However, there are ways to avoid the crowds on the ship. For example,
- Eat at the sit-down dining instead of at the buffet
- Read in the library. It’s quiet, with comfy chairs
- Go to the adults-only areas. Usually, those spots are quieter. This wasn’t an option for me, since I have children.
- Choose less popular activities or at less popular times
- With multiple stops at locations for usually only a few hours, you really only get a sample of a location, not a true experience. Getting on and off the boat can take a lot of time, as well. Plus, the crowds!
- Lack of nature – cruise ships tend not to have a lot of plants on board. Aside from the day trips and the ocean outside, there is not a lot of nature to enjoy – compared to going to a beach or mountain resort.
- No internet/super expensive internet – I put this one in the con list, but actually, it was a pro for me because I truly enjoyed a digital detox.
- No in-room babysitting – this was a massive disappointment for me. Pre-COVID there was in-room babysitting, but most cruise lines seem to have gotten rid of this offering nowadays. It can be tricky to enjoy all the activities if you have young kids who need to go to bed early. (There are still kids clubs, but it was tricky for us with a young one who goes to bed early)
- I don’t like the casino aspect. But we just avoided that area.
- Booked out activities – because there are thousands of people on the cruise, some activities booked out quickly. We needed to be more organised that what I would have liked for a relaxing holiday.
- Toddlers who are not toilet trained cannot go in the pools on the ship – this was super disappointing for me (this was the case on our Royal Caribbean cruise last year). I get the reasoning for this decision, but my (original) plan was to spend most of our time in the pool. The reality was that my toddler could only go in a rather small toddler pool. But, my older children weren’t allowed to go in the toddler pool, which meant supervising three kids was incredibly hard. It was a two-parent job.
- Most activities are aimed at kids aged 5+ (re Royal Caribbean). For example, bumper cars were only for children 5+.
Overall, personally, I like cruising for the simple fact that I only have to book the cruise and show up; then it is relatively hassle-free. Not having to worry about food and activities is important for me. I did enjoy the break from cooking and cleaning. However, I wouldn’t pick cruising for every single holiday.
NOTE: How you travel is a very personal choice. These pros and cons are only my thoughts. Make your own decisions based on what works for you and your personal circumstances! Also, if you are considering a cruise, do make sure to check what that specific cruise is offering, as it may be different from my above comments.
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