So, I guess Chuck Coleman is a "glass half empty" kind of guy? People can make top ten "this organization stinks" lists about any organization, chairty, school, state, church, website, club, etc. Wow, if all these things were true for everybody all the time there are a growing number of suckers who sign up each year to cruise, OR just may be the majority of people have a great time, just may be.
it appears to me that this is a copyrighted article (unfortunately you don't name a source). If it is available on the internet somewhere, please replace the article in your posting with a link to the article for copyright reasons. If that's not possible, I'm afraid the posting has to be removed completely.
I'm sure this article would result in fairly interesting discussions here, but then we must respect the copyright. Thanks for your kind understanding!
Okay... this looks like one of my postings- only shorter! Hopefully the OP credits his source because it would be fun to parse this one.
Let me just say this: ALL TRUE! All true. Can anyone argue these points????
But the key is "we lost five days of our lives." How were those five days a LOSS? Every time I go on a cruise people ask "to where?" and I literally can never remember. On the last one I said "Mexican Riviera" until the week before we left (it was Western Caribbean). Now if they had asked "which ship?" they would have gotten a lecture on azipods, height requirements for water slides, quad cabins and what consitutes a rollaway, the order of launching of Fantasy class ships, etc.
All a matter of perspective... the rest is all true. I wonder how many people actually use spa treatments, BTW.
This is a very interesting article, well written and well researched. I believe though that the writer of the article is missing the point.
The cruise industry created a means of travel that millions of persons have found and continue to find very attractive in terms of costs for transportation, food, entertainment, and aesthetics. But cruise lines are part of a big and very competitive business and as such they exist to make money. The fact that cruising is a big business should not be overlooked by anyone who is interested in cruising. The cruise industry, like any other business, will try to wring every last dollar that they can. If cruise lines want to charge for premium coffees or ice cream they will do so, but you do not have to buy. The cruise industry is also very smart, such as developing air-sea programs. I make our own air arrangements and ground transportation but there are people who want this done in a package and do not have the time or skills to figure out flight schedules and ground arrangements. This includes many elderly persons or those who do not travel a lot.
Cruise ships are also extremely complex mechanically and there will be breakdowns just as there are with your home appliances, autos, computers, furnaces, water heaters, and so on.
Having been on 14 cruises and will go on two more in 2006, I am aware that cruises do have their risks in terms of missed ports, mechanical breakdowns, and health risks. And that the marketing of cruises is sometimes overstated in terms of food quality and service. I also believe that generally the cruise industry should invest more in the customer service side of their business.
Cruising is not for everyone but for me I would rather go on a cruise than any other type of vacation.
I’m new to cruise vacations. In fact I have never been on a cruise. My family of 6 will take our first cruise in December 2006. I have concerns, mainly because it’s new to us. I have read several negative reviews of cruises, but overwhelmingly the responses are positive. My feeling is this: There is a risk to any vacation. There are no guarantees that everyday will be sunny or that all your expectations will be exceeded. In my vacation experience there has to be a little effort and patience on the part of the traveler to make a vacation a success. In my world, as long as I have the same number of kids at the end of the vacation as I did in the beginning (No More, No Less), I consider it a success.
You could substitute any vacation resort name, hotel, amusement park, or airline where you see the words “CRUISE LINE” in the points listed above, and it will still be accurate. Ultimately it’s the traveler’s responsibility to do research and to understand what they are getting into. There are health hazards, hidden costs, unwelcome surprises, and yes even discourteous service personnel everywhere. To think the cruise industry is exempt from these inconveniences is very naive. Even with all the possible negatives that could occur on cruise, I challenge anyone to develop an equal itinerary at the value a cruise line offers.
I think any vacation that one goes on will have faults. Life is not perfect. It is what each person makes of their vacation and life that counts. I would rather look at the positive's of vacations and life than the negatives. One thing about negatives they make good stories to tell the world. I will continue to go on vacations, cruises, etc. and keep a positive attitude because life is to short. Stay positive and have wonderful vacations.
You are an excellent writer. I for one will gladly answer any questions that you may have on cruises, and by December of 2006 my wife and I will have been on 16 cruises.
I suggest that you do not hesitate to ask questions or raise concerns that you may have on any aspect of your cruise. There is a wealth of knowledge about cruises on this board and respondents will gladly help you.
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