Why You Should Never Go On A Cruise
When planning a vacation a cruise may seem like a good choice. For starters, you get to see several countries/cities and ports all in a short space of time, without having to make costly travel arrangements to visit each one individually.
However, cruises are not all they’re cracked up to be. You make a very big trade-off when you decide to take a cruise over traveling the regular way.
Here are some reasons why going on a cruise is a bad idea.
Motion Sickness
People have said that on a cruise you cannot feel the boat move. That is not entirely true. Motion sickness is common at sea, even on large ships. This can give you a headache and nausea.
Some people are more prone to this than others, of course. If you haven’t been on a long boat ride before, it’s very possible that you don’t know your tolerance level. You could easily get motion sickness and ruin your entire trip.
Higher risk of food poisoning
Cruise ships are known for food poisoning. There are many options of food available and cross-contamination is common. Food poisoning can lead to pain, cramping, and vomiting. This is not something that is fun to deal with anytime, especially on a ship.
Cruise ships are crowded
The average cruise ship carries roughly 3,000 passengers, though larger vessels can carry over twice that amount. That’s a lot of people!
This could prove problematic when you’re trying to use the many recreational facilities onboard, such as the pools, golf courses, spas etc. You might even have difficulty getting into the good restaurants or, having spent the day on an excursion, getting back on the ship.
Although cruise ships are humongous, there’s still only a limited amount of space and facilities, a problem you simply wouldn’t run in to on a regular holiday.
Cruises are expensive
Depending on where you’re traveling to, which cruise line you use, and which cabin you choose, you could be looking at, on average, around $150 per person, per night. And this doesn’t always include things like food and drink.
When choosing your onboard accommodation, your cheapest option is an inside cabin, which has no windows and views of the sea. Compare that to a fancy 4-star hotel with beautiful views of the city.
Limited time at each stop
Excursions usually last just the day, with most of the time spent on the ship, traveling to the next destination. This means that you won’t really have enough time to explore the city or country you’re visiting.
There will be many local events that you never get to see, due to your trip being cut short because you needed to board the ship in time. You end up missing out on the true essence and culture of most places.
If that’s the case, what’s the point in traveling there at all?
Your dietary requirements might not be accommodated
On a ship, there are many people from all over who have different dietary requirements. This creates an impossible situation for chefs to cater to everyone with specific needs.
Although there will be a wide range of cuisines to choose from, the options will always be more limited than they would be in a regular, onshore restaurant.
If you have food allergies, for instance, replacing the regular meals that might set off your allergies might not always be possible. This issue would easily be solved by visiting one of the hundreds of other restaurants on land, a luxury you won’t have on a ship.
No provisions for serious illnesses
Anything could happen while at sea, in the middle of a seemingly endless ocean. You might fall seriously ill and need emergency medical assistance. Though there would be a doctor onboard, there’s only so much he can do with his limited equipment.
You would need to wait until you reach the nearest port before you were able to go to a hospital, and that could be days away.
Your cellphone service won’t work
Although you can use your cellphone while at sea, you can only do so by connecting to the ship’s mobile service, which isn’t cheap, and is usually not included in the cruise cost.
You could wait until you reach port to make calls, but even this might leave you with a hefty cellular bill, due to roaming charges.
Limited or expensive Internet
The Internet is not as accessible on a cruise ship as it would be at home. The only way to access the web is by using the pay-per-minute/pay-per-mb WiFi, but these connections can be expensive and slow.
If you’re someone who can’t go a day without hopping online and checking your email or social media accounts, then cruising might not be for you.
Limited entertainment
A day on a ship, after a while, could start to feel like an eternity, especially if you’re on a long cruise. As you’ll be spending most of your cruise time on the ship as opposed to ashore, the monotony is bound to kick in.
Sure, there are loads of activities onboard, but once you’ve done them a couple of times, the novelty will wear off.
The same faces
Cruise ships are like little, traveling communities in and of themselves. On long-haul cruises, you’ll get well-acquainted with the other passengers to the point of becoming like a family.
For some, this is a nightmare! You’ll be trapped with the same faces day in and out, without any means of escape (besides jumping overboard).
If you’re not a big talker who enjoys making small talk with new people, then life could be difficult for you at sea.
Cruises are terrible for the environment
Cruise ships are a major contributor to CO² emissions. If you’re looking for an eco-friendly holiday, then you won’t find it with a cruise!
Studies show that cruises emit four times more CO² per passenger than planes do. Read about it in this article Cruise Ship Pollution: A Tale of Titanic Tyranny by Geeky Explorer.
So, on average the cruise industry contributes around 0.2% of total global carbon dioxide emissions.
In a time when everyone’s trying to cut back on their CO² emissions and save the planet, going on a cruise would be a little selfish.
Conclusion – Is going on a cruise worth it?
Cruises can definitely be a fun and unique way to travel, but do the positives really outweigh the negatives? From the exorbitant prices, lack of personal space and high CO² emissions, you might be better off hopping on a plane and traveling more conventionally.
If it’s the water you seek, a nice beachfront resort will allow you to enjoy the sea with more space to move around, and fewer risks.