On Being a Cruiser

We've been cruising. Now we're back to tell what it's like to be a cruiser.

The Vision of the Seas parked alongside Cabo San Lucas

On deciding to cruise: I am not a cruiser by nature. Only the 'relatively' low price and the spirit of Debby's retirement getaway bash got me out of the starting blocks. But I am a gamer who will take it on and see if there is some way to make it fit. Tough fit, but it was fun and only a few snafus.

On price: Debby chose a 14-day transition cruise to keep the cost down. Our ship was repositioning from the west coast to the Caribbean. This had the double advantage of getting us a Panama Canal transit experience, and getting us a reasonable rate. We chose an inside cabin to further reduce cost, consumed almost no alcohol to further reduce cost, never went near the casino to further reduce cost, didn't do much clothes cleaning to further reduce cost, and found nothing irresistible in the shops, which further reduced costs.

On inside cabins: We were only in the cabin to sleep and refresh. The cabin was roomy and comfortable. The only negative was being permanently in the dark, which made getting up in the morning more difficult. Our cabin attendant, from Trinidad, was extremely friendly and courteous. She made towel sculptures for us.

On packing: We packed about right, with two wheeled suitcases, two soft carry-on bags, and a soft clothes bag. I brought too many socks, but made do with two pair jeans, one cargo shorts, one pair dress slacks, a suit, a few colored tees, four shirts with collars, and three pairs shoes. Carrying the duffels around, loaded with heavy camera gear, became hard on my aging hands, so small wheeled carry-ons are on my list for future travel.

On eating: I seldom put myself in all-you-can-eat situations (for self-preservation). But cruisers live by all-you-can-eat, so I gained 8 pounds on the trip. I'm dealing with that now. The food was quite good with few exceptions. I learned early to avoid the sandwiches at lunch - all bread and no beef. Our dinner table began with five couples but dwindled to three. The remaining six of us were quite compatible: a retired couple from downstate Illinois, our age, and a Hungarian couple living in Montreal who were a few years older. Our Indian waiter and Mexican assistant were very well trained and courteous. The waiter taught us some cool table tricks that I will try some day to reproduce. We took most of our meals in the main dining room, and took irregular snacks in the informal buffet restaurant up top. Fortunately, I didn't discover the bread pudding with vanilla sauce buffet tray until the next to last day; else, I can't imagine what I might weigh now. Both Debby and I were seduced by the fresh baked raisin bread every day. Self-denial is not our strong point, but we work on it only when we're not cruising.

Dining companions

Captain's Reception Dress-up

Our usual dining garb for the more formal at-sea nights

On entertainment: There was a show in the theater every night: song and dance, comedy and sometimes movies. The ship's band was quite listenable, and the dancers were great. The singers were ok. The comedy varied from one very funny ventriloquist to less funny, and there was even a juggling act. I was not pre-enthused to see any of these shows, but went anyway and mostly enjoyed myself. There were dance lessons in the morning and afternoon. We took a couple, merengue and swing. I learned about sudoku from one of our dinner companions and spent an average of 45 minutes a day on the daily puzzle. I also worked the puzzles in the airline magazine on the way home. I am not a game/puzzle person, but this was an enjoyable way to kill dead time, of which there is some on a cruise. Debby killed dead time by knitting. She had learned how just before the cruise, and found many knitters on board, some obviously very into it, who were happy to give help when memory failed. She completed two scarves by trip's end.
One knitter we met made whole animals and their clothes by knitting.

On facilities: There were two pools and some saunas, but because I experienced a minor leg wound on the second day, we stayed out of these. We stayed out of the casino (no craps) and mostly out of the shops. There were a variety of lounges and decks with chairs, so relaxation was always facilitated. We preferred the quiet of deck 5 on the port (non-smoking) side. There was continuous calypso music in the main pool area, but the bass was amped so much that it became a turn-off to be near that area. There were dedicated kids areas. Normally, 500-600 passengers are teens or younger on this class ship, but our cruise had only 32. The main theater was very well equipped.

Debby at the Deck 5 railing

There was a 35' rock climbing wall at the rear. At Debby's encouragement I went for it, but shrewdly chose the easiest red route. Glad for that, since my aging fingers were feeling fatigue at the top. Other than that, it was as easy as climbing a ladder.

Aside: Debby didn't have too hard a sell to get me to try. I wasn't a total novice, so my interest was piqued. 35 years ago, under the tutelage of my mountaineering/sailing friend Charlie Haas, I had climbed both at Tahquitz Rock and Mt. Whitney. Charlie was a great talent, good teacher, and a seriously free spirit. As a mid-1950s Yosemite climber, he had his name in an old book I once saw for a new route up El Cap. He was also a fearless free climber, and he told me he once did a free dive to 90' off Palos Verdes, to me an equally impressive feat. I could barely get that deep with scuba gear.

My handler lowered me in a sling (like a beached whale, perhaps you are thinking?).

On ports of call: There are separate posts of our days spent in various stops along the way.

Overall: Many sun-worshiping passengers seem to relish the leisurely inactivity of a ship, the casino slots and blackjack, the endless food, afternoon bingo, and the endless shopping opportunities for souvenirs and the like. For us, the best part was the shore time and the opportunity to meet some new people. That is easier on a ship than when touring by one's self, if one gets lucky with assigned table mates as we did. Beyond that, cruising was nice as a change of pace. Although my future vacation preference will remain single-destination-oriented and free of scheduling constraints, I am sure we will do another cruise if we see an interesting and affordable one. We are now both more experienced in what to look for.

The view, looking aft, from Deck 10 down on the Pool Deck, and up to Deck 11 (in the round).