But......
It was great to not have to keep packing and repacking and to wake up in a different location each morning. At some point over dinner, you might suddenly become aware - if you were looking out the window - that we were moving. The food was very, very good. But so are many restaurants that I have eaten at. I was not interested in shopping so the luxury shops on the Promenade deck held no appeal for me, though we did wander through the nightly 'sidewalk sales' and try to find something.... There was also nightly entertainment to keep us amused. And a variety of places to sit yourself down with drinks and new friends. There was a seemingly neverending gallery of sculptures and artwork on all the floors and even on the last day, I found a landing with a piece of art I am sure I had not seen before and wondered how is that possible? The ship was huge and even with all those people on board, it did not feel overly crowded. And it still took a bit of thinking to remember which stairwells and which elevators to take! And which direction the cabin was in. Next time, definitely get a balcony. If only for that extra bit of fresh air.
The most disappointing part, for both Xup and myself, was the dining. We wanted to share a table and the first two/three nights were great for meeting new people, even if one or two were the same people. Then it all fell apart and we ended up eating on our own and once (because of our different shore excursion plans) we each ate by ourselves.
Definitely the best part was the pre planning and the anticipation. It all feels a little sad to not have that anymore.
And to not have someone coming in to make up the beds and clean the WC. And leave bottles of water.
Then there were the animals....
I came home to a healthy pet turtle though it was hard to tell if he missed me.
But, I heard today that Lonesome George (who I wrote about here) has passed on at an relatively young age of 100 or so years. He was the last of his kind and will be sorely missed in the Galapagos.
I hear ya! The best parts of a cruise are the food and the towel sculptures and someone else cleaning up after you, for sure! The worst parts are having to stick to their schedules and nickel-and-diming you to death. When DD and I were on our cruise down the Nile in Egypt, they even charged us for bottles of water at mealtimes! The food was included in the price of the cruise, but not one single beverage!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear more!
yes, all beverages were quite a bit extra. they were really pushing the bottled water (thank goodness the first waiter explained the prices, some others though it was free). the shuttles were expensive, too - the last one was $15.
DeleteNever have cruised. I'd love to do that sometime. Cute and clever folding. It must have been a kick to have a new surprise each day. I read about Lonesome George this morning. I'd never have known about him with seeing your post. Must admit, I was surprised to read of his death so soon after I read your post. Sad.
ReplyDeleteI was a little disappointed that we only got 4 sculptures for 8 nights. I also missed the class on learning how to make them.
DeleteI'd be having Titanic nightmares.
ReplyDeleteI thought I might beforehand, but no. you forget you are on a ship unless you are up on the pool decks.
DeleteHmm, sounds rather better than my life at the moment...
ReplyDeleteit is a great escape!
DeleteYou do make a cruise sound appealing despite the drawbacks. I suppose the little luxuries sound good to me. The limted scheduling in port would be a problem to me too. I would want lots of time there. But overal a cruise sounds good.
ReplyDeletethat is me - always looking on both sides!
Deletethere is something about spending time in a place to become familiar with it that makes it more worthwhile, to me.
I too am a bit skeptical about cruises which is why I am curious to read more about your experience. But, my word, those animals are charming.
ReplyDeletenow that it is over, I am thinking it wasn't that bad....
Deleteit did make your evenings easier to plan if you are the sort who need something to do. Mostly by then, I was tired from all the fresh air and sightseeing.
I want towel animals!
ReplyDeleteI hated the one cruise I took and vowed to never go again, but I think I'd go somewhere now just for the towel animals.
oh yeah, NOW I hear from people who did not enjoy their cruise........
DeleteI had the same experience - liked it but it won't change the way I travel in the future. I have taken two cruises. One was on a id-sized cruise ship in Greece and Turkey. I enjoyed it, but not my favorite way to travel. And the other was a 100-passenger barefoot cruise on a big sailing ship. I really did like that and was sorry to hear they went out of business.
ReplyDeleteI've never been on a cruise, somehow it never much appealed to me. But like Geewits, I want towel animals!
ReplyDelete