What is it About Cruising that Makes Us Love it So?

And miss it so!

“Cruise Fans Yearn to Ship Out,” declared a recent Wall Street Journal headline. “Landlubbers who wrote this industry off for dead just don’t get it…it seems hard-core cruise goers can’t wait to climb back aboard,” the article went on to say.

And then the WSJ handed us a responsibility as big as the ships we sail in:  it’s the “hard-core cruise goers” who are going keep the industry afloat.

Now, back to my question: why do we love cruising so?

Could it be because of the view? The ocean’s gradations of blue, the Technicolor sunsets or vast unbroken horizon?

Saying "Bon Voyage" to Ft. Lauderdale under an ever-changing sky

Maybe it’s the dancing in the piazza or bodega, or outdoors under the stars.

 

"YMCA" on the Royal Princess

Or, melting into a massage, sharing secrets at The Marriage Game or gambling the night away.

 

Healing on Harmony of the Seas

It could be the island hopping, each day bringing a different vibe—from the peaceful Mahogany Bay to the frenetic streets of Aruba to the fanciful Curaçao skyline.

Colorful Curacao

Perhaps it’s nabbing front-row seats at “Mamma Mia,” then hitting a comedy club, followed by jazz—without paying a cent or stepping outside.

Then, it could be all about the food. Whether it comes to our door or we actually have to walk to it, the food is there whenever we want it. From burgers to bruschetta, fries to fajitas and cupcakes to mousse cakes.

Sweet sampling from Harmony of the Seas

For many, it’s the sunning, drinking, grooving to music and people-watching at the pool from sun up to sun down, topping it off with a hot tub dip.

 

Fun in the sun on Allure of the Seas

Or, is it the chance to do flip-flops 24/7? And unpack just once.

No wonder we can’t wait to climb that gangway. And we’re willing to do it even if it means wearing face masks, keeping our distance, taking our temperature and getting served in the buffet.

If we’re being charged with keeping the industry going, we’ll do it with the passion only a veteran cruiser can understand. So, dear reader, the time has come for us to do the only decent thing—book our next cruise!

Sweet Slumbers: How to Sleep Well on Your Cruise

"Bed, bed! I couldn't go to bed
My head's too light to try to set it down
Sleep, sleep! I couldn't sleep tonight
Not for all the jewels in the crown…”

 – “My Fair Lady,” Alan Jay Lerner / Frederick Loewe

Having trouble sleeping on a vacation seems counterintuitive, right? But there are plenty of reasons the z’s may elude you.

You’re excited, keyed up. Maybe you’re up late, dancing the night away.

Or you know you’ve got to be the first off the ship at 8 a.m. to make your excursion.

Whatever the reason, if you find it a challenge to get the nods you need, I’m here to help with a few tips:

Head rest. Celebrity’s Concierge and Aqua Class, and Disney’s Concierge level offer a pillow menu. Don’t want to spring for the upgraded rooms? Bring your own pillow. We do. Always.

Get thin. You’re going to the Caribbean and yet your bed has a heavy blanket. The first thing we ask the room steward for when we get onboard is a thin one.

Hit the gym. The experts say exercise is great for a good night sleep. Just don’t do it too close to turning in, or it will have the opposite effect, says WebMD.

Sweat then wet. A how-to-sleep-better wheel left in our room on the Royal Princess says that taking a hot shower 90 minutes before bed can help you relax. You might turn on the TV while you’re on the Royal, too—its “Sleep Channel” has ocean sounds “proven to help lull you to sleep.”

Star light, sleep tight. We’ve gotten into the habit of sitting on the balcony before bed. Something about the quiet, the darkness and the stars bring us back down after an adrenalin-rush day.

Turn up the noise. Every night, we plug in the noise machine. With the outlets clear across the room, we need a long extension cord and have to be creative in where we string it. But it’s invaluable for blocking out noise—even most PA announcements.

Light up your throne. If you do get insomnia, having a portable reading light you can bring into the bathroom or over to the desk chair can help you read until you get sleepy.

Stay inside. Someone recently wrote on a cruisecritic forum that not knowing whether the sun had come up caused her to sleep one day until 1 p.m. An inside cabin can keep you in the dark—and deliver a great night sleep.

Darken the night. If you have a balcony room, keep the curtains closed tight to keep out the light. Duct tape—or even towel clips—can do the trick.

But, you may ask, is it really that important to get a lot of shut-eye on your cruise? Well, you don’t want to sleepwalk through it all. And then when it’s over, you may just feel like you dreamed the whole thing.

Musing’s Top Tip: Check out this section of Princess’ website to see what else the cruise provides onboard to give you the best sleep experience. And if you want to reproduce it at home, you can even buy their award-winning beds. Carnival too allows you to recreate your experience when you get home with their bedding.

Musing’s Top Tip Too: Like these tips and quips? Find more at Musing About Cruising on Facebook and Instagram!

Classic Cruising: Review of the Royal Princess

That Princess picked Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, to christen the Royal Princess in 2013

reflects what the cruise line delivers—a classic cruise experience.

 

You won’t find zip-lines, go-karts or tattoo parlors on this ship. But what you will find are excellent shows, varied food, elegant décor and a laid back, relaxing vibe that helps you, says Princess, “come back new.”

Eating

The MDR. The main dining room food was, well, main dining room food. The Norman Love desserts were a standout, but the rest was a mixed bag.

The buffet. Horizon Court was truly the most expansive I’ve seen on a cruise ship. There were very good roasts, many vegetable choices, multiple salad bars, and premium foods like mussels, calamari, shrimp and salmon, a big variety of cheeses (brie! Gorgonzola! Goat cheese! Edam! Stilton!), terrific fresh rolls and focaccia, smoked fish, prosciutto and quiches, as well as a few Asian dishes, for foodies like me. There were also typical buffet foods, from fried chicken to meatloaf to lasagna.

Theme nights were fun—German, Italian, Brazilian and American. While not everything is terrific, it’s hard to imagine not finding something to like.

The specialty restaurants. At Crown Grill, the service matched the food—both were outstanding. The 8 ounce filet mignon was fork tender and flavorful, and the molten chocolate cake was deliciously decadent. My travel companion had the sampler plate—four mini versions of their desserts—and I was jealous.

The nibbling. There’s also a 24-hour International Café with good quality sandwiches, quiches and desserts, and pizza thought to be the best at sea.

Watching

The shows. Princess has upped its game significantly on its production shows and two in particular were terrific. “Encore” had a romantic, old-world set with tunes both familiar and new, with a bit of opera thrown in. But the best was “The Secret Silk,” which featured a sweet story, amazingly elaborate and colorful costumes, constantly changing interesting sets with an Asian theme and unique puppetry. All showcased Broadway quality singers.

The movies. Movies Under the Stars (MUTS) is like a drive-in without the car (but with better audio!). This trip, they were showing “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again,” among others. Snuggle up under their red plaid blanket on a padded lounger, load up on free popcorn and you’ve got yourself a different way to do the night.

The fountains. While some complain that the fountains take up precious pool space, they are fun to watch. The water spurts out every which way, in color and to music, with the movie screen doing something or other in the background.

Playing

The Royal Princess has some great activities, such as an inexpensive wine tasting ($9.50), interesting lecture by a ship officer on navigation (here’s a tidbit: life boat capacity on the ship well exceeds the capacity of passengers plus crew), galley tour and behind-the-scenes event by the production show staff. These last two events were offered free—there’s often a charge on other cruise lines.

You’ll also find the usual cruise events—game shows, contests, bingo, ice sculpture demo, karaoke, dance lessons—as well as the spa, casino, etc.

And then…Princess’ mini-suite can cost not much more than a balcony if you time your trip right…Horizon Court buffet is well staffed with waiters who will bring beverages such as orange juice, coffee and water to your table…The buffet is open with a full dinner until 11 p.m.…the balloon drop on the second formal night in the ship's stunning piazza was a colorful and lively party combining bopping to music with balloon popping…music around the ship varied from steel drums to solo guitar…there was a wedding chapel tailor-made for vow renewals…

In fact, there’s quite a lot to like about Princess. And it’s why we find ourselves on the line again and again.

Musing's Top Tip: For more quips and tips, visit us on Facebook and Instagram!

Cruising on $10 a Day

Well, now that I’ve gotten your attention, I’ll own up. This posting is not about how you can cruise for $10 a day. Sorry, that will run you somewhat more.

What it is about is what you can still get for $10—more or less—once you get onboard.

Though we spend thousands to climb that plank to paradise, we still count our pennies, do we not?

So, take comfort in knowing there are still some things that $10 will buy:

Malt shop on the sea. For $6.95 at Johnny Rockets, which is on 13 or so of Royal Caribbean’s ships, you can get burgers, shakes and fries, as well as the oh-so-lovely nostalgic experience of peeling your thighs off vinyl seats.

Some nostalgia with your fries on Oasis of the Seas

Bottoms up. Thankfully, drinks on a ship are still under that magic number. But they are getting awfully close. They ran, on average, about $8.95 for a tropical drink recently on the Regal Princess. The drink of the day will run you less, and so will beer.

That’s a novelty. The gift shop has goodies galore. Mind you, not much can be had for $10 or less, but you can still pick up magnets, a deck of cards or a tee shirt. If you’re really lucky, while you’re on your Caribbean cruise, you might even get something on Alaska, since the ships love to tempt you with low prices on stuff from places you haven’t been.

The bargain bazaar. Otherwise known as the $10 Sale. There’s at least one a cruise and sometimes more. You’ll get what you pay for, but it’s fun just the same. Hats and wraps, watches and chains, piles of stuff for picking through. But be prepared for a crunch of cruisers. Look for the sale in the ship newsletter or ask the shop sales folks.

 

Piles for the picking on the Regal Princess

Sidewalk sales. Just about every day, one of the ship’s shops has something or other out there where you see. And it comes with a big sale sign.  We’ve actually picked up simple glass figures for about $10, which made for inexpensive souvenirs. Mostly, these sales are promoted in the ship’s newsletter, but sometimes you just stumble on them.

Bets on the house. You can quickly blow $10 (alas, as well as substantially more) in the casino, but there’s always that chance…

Ways to blow $10 on the Regal Princess

It may only take just one. Speaking of gambling, you can usually get a single Bingo card for $10. But if you want to improve your chances, you’ll need to shell out more.

Going through Downton Abbey withdrawal? Bring back the memories with the Royal Afternoon Tea on the Royal or Regal Princess, where $10 will get you tea, nibbles and prime viewing for all the action in the piazza. Just don’t forget to sip, not slurp, if you want to impress Lady Mary.

 

Tea in Regal style

Scoop it up. If you’d rather spend your dough on sweets, you’ve got lots of choices. There’s a Ben and Jerry’s on most Royal Caribbean ships, where scoops range from about $2.50 to $4. Then there are the gelato cafes, like the one on the Regal Princess, at about $2.75 for three scoops.

 

Gelato on the Constellation

Wash, pay and wear. Spilled red wine on your jacket? The chocolate cake missed your mouth and ended up in your lap? Celebrity will wipe it clean it for you. To laundry a jacket, it will cost $8 and for pants, $7. Dry cleaning will run you a few bucks more.

Bedside manner. Royal Caribbean’s room service continental breakfast is free, but getting something more substantial will cost you $7.95. Carnival’s room service is free, but there’s a charge for its expanded in-room options. Celebrity’s service is free, but food between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. comes with a $4.95 fee. 

So what will Alexander Hamilton get you? From tee shirts to tea cups, burgers to beers and cones to cleaning—in short, more than you might think.