If you have never cruised before, there is some huge misconceptions about cruising that I get questioned on every time I book a new cruiser so I thought I would put together my list of top misconceptions. Some of these are great, some are not great, and some depend on your perspective and preference. Either way, I feel it is my job as a travel agent to ultimately give you the truth about what you can and should expect. Good and bad. So here we go.... in no paticular order...
- It's all included and everything is free. Come on... you know better than that. Nothing is free. Or at least not everything. Let's start with the most obvious, gambling (including Bingo) isn't free. All ships excluding the Hawaii cruises have casinos on them. Good luck, but they aren't free. Gratuities for the wait staff, room stewards and bartenders, not free. Drinks... not free, although you can buy drink packages that make them free (except Hawaii). Specialty dining restaurants which are on just about all ships now, not free. Shore excursions off the ship, also not free. The good news is, that's about it. Everything else is included. All of the entertainment, most the activities, your stateroom, most dining options are all included in the price of the cruise. If you compare it dollar for dollar to a land vacation it is still the best deal by far.
- I am going to gain a ton of weight. Not true. Yes, there is food available constantly and a lot of it is fabulous, but between the walking you do on the ship and the distraction of so many other activities available, you probably won't be eating as much as you think.
- All cruise lines are basically the same. 15 years ago this statement would have been true but it couldn't be more false now. Every cruise line has found their nitch and market and they stick to it. It's honestly why cruise lines still prefer you book through a travel agent that can guide you to the right cruise line and ship. I can almost guarantee you that if you talk to someone that didn't like their cruise, they booked it themselves or booked it from a "travel factory" that didn't care what they wanted.
- There are too many kids or there won't be any kids for my kids to play with. True and false. If you pick the cruise yourself or have a really bad travel agent, then yes, this could be true, but if you get on the ship that fits what you are looking for, this is absolutely false. Find a travel agent that knows all of the cruise lines, which cater to families and which don't, and also listens to what you are looking for and you will be fine.
- I'm going to get sea sick! I stopped trying to convince people about this one. Honestly, if you think you are going to get sea sick, then yes, you probably will. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you are really concerned about it, take a short 2 or 3 day cruise and check it out. But please try it without the patch first. I know more people that have gotten sick from the patch than have actually gotten sea sick. You can also choose a larger ship because you aren't going to feel the movement as much on a larger ship. Or, take a river cruise. It's on still water. Bottom line, if you are convinced it's going to happen, then I'm not going to try and talk you into it but on today's ships it is pretty rare.
- I am going to be bored. Once again, this is a true and false answer. It really depends on you. My brother has taken a couple cruises with us and all he really enjoys is the gambling and eating. He won't even try the shows or other activities so he spends a lot of time in his cabin. Cruising isn't for him and I stopped inviting him. My nephew is very similar to him as far as not being interested in the cruise activities, but he will just start talking to people and within a couple days he knows everyone on the ship and that is what he enjoys. So for him, even though he doesn't do any of the activities, he enjoys the cruise experience. Then there is me and my sister who will try anything at least once and love the huge variety of activities you get to experience on a cruise. My point is, it just depends on you. All I can say is try it. If you don't want to commit to a full cruise, try one of the shorter ones first and go from there.
