Why I love to cruise

Why I love to cruise.   When people ask me about my next vacation the answer is usually a cruise and I get the reply of - geez you take so many cruises don’t you get tired of it?  That got me thinking maybe I should write about why I love to cruise so much. I know many people hear the word cruise and they think of a week long booze fest filled with frosty drinks and sunny beaches, but that isn’t the only kind of cruise.  One of great things about cruising is that there are so many possibilities. There are long cruises, short cruise, big ships, small ships, themed cruises, luxury cruise, adventure cruises, and they go to places all around the world. The variety is great but that isn’t my favorite reason for cruising.  

When I was boarding my most recent cruise on Holland America I noticed they are celebrating 145 years of cruising and that made me realize what I love most is the nostalgia!  Hundreds of years ago boarding a ship was the only way to explore and find new places. Then the big steamships became the way to travel to these new places and then cruising became a form of vacation.  I love that feeling when you board a cruise ship and you feel like you have stepped back in time. I can imagine what it was like back then and how excited someone must have been to cross the Atlantic for the first time!  You can board a ship and be taken to places you never imagined you would go. You can disconnect from everything and just enjoy the simple things like sitting on a deck chair reading a book as the waves go by. You can watch the sunset over the ocean or you can sail above the arctic circle, like I did recently, and get see places where the sun doesn’t set at all.  You get to feel what it is like to watch a new port come into view and see the town getting ready to welcome new visitors. You really get to see things that you could only do from onboard a ship.

There is always a wonderful crew ready to take care of things for you.  You unpack once and get to visit multiple places all in one vacation. You can dine in a fancy dining room and dress up as formal as you would like or be casual and grab a quick bite from the buffet or not even leave your room and have room service delivered.  Cruising started out as a mode of transportation but grew into a way to combine getting somewhere along with a relaxing vacation. The mega ships of today have become a destination unto themselves where you might not even care where it goes because you just want to enjoy the ship.   No matter what type of cruise you choose you will always have that that moment of nostalgia as you pull away from the dock and wave good-bye to those onshore as you set off on your ocean voyage.

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