Cruises- Pros and Cons
By celticeagle
@celticeagle (189793)
Boise, Idaho
September 10, 2016 7:26am CST
I have always wanted to take a cruise. Mediterrarean, Jamaiccan, or other such places do sound good. The river ones sound nice too. About 12 million people take cruises every year and most have a great time.
But, after seeing stories on the news about missing people, mechanical issues, and assaults I really wonder sometimes. I like to do my home work and find the positve and negative in a given situation. I just read an article on MSN that turned me cold.
Such things as mold, bed bugs, food poisoning, mental issues, allergies and germs, weather, medical staff that are not licensed, other passengers that are unruly or dangerous, some security staff may not be fully trained, and passengers are enjoying their vacation and may not be on the alert. All of these things can plague a cruise.
Cruise lines don't have to secure crime scenes if something happens so your ability to get justice if something bad does happen is not that great. Cruiselines don't have to and are not responsible for things we take for granted on land. And, laws may not be like our own but are those of the waters the cruise line is in at the time.
I think that anyone planning to take a cruise needs to look at the pros and cons, be aware and take heed of things that could put them in harmsway. It is smart to be on the defensive and not take things for granted. A huge ship with about 3500 passengers and staff can be a large responsibility to keep everything going smoothly and everyone safe.
Have you ever taken a cruise? Were there any issues that were less than pleasant? Would you go again?
10 people like this
11 responses
@celticeagle (189793)
• Boise, Idaho
10 Sep 16
That is a plus in the right direction.
3 people like this
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
10 Sep 16
All these problems that you mention happen in gambling ships only.
They do not happen in the kind of cruise you want to take.
You can check out a forum dedicated to all the cruise travelers - cruisecritic
All cruise ships have a refurbishment schedule where they are taken off to the shipyard for a major overhaul.
If you are terrified of infrastructure problem, you can take a new ship or an old ship that just have the refurbishment done.
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@celticeagle (189793)
• Boise, Idaho
10 Sep 16
And there are records so you can be assured of any or all of that. Right?
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@celticeagle (189793)
• Boise, Idaho
10 Sep 16
@AbbyGreenhill .....That's for sure. I've probably seen all the stories and they have me wondering.
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@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
10 Sep 16
Do you watch the news LOL - there have been lots of problems with cruise ships the last year or so.
2 people like this
@marguicha (230334)
• Chile
10 Sep 16
I can´t imagine a big ship (more of a transatlantic ship) with bed bugs. I believe problems like the ones you mention are for other sort of ships, not the ones I´d choose.
My only objection to those cruises is that I might want to stay at a certasin place more time that the ship allows their passengers.
I have friends that love cruises. For me, they are too expensive at this moment.
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@celticeagle (189793)
• Boise, Idaho
10 Sep 16
@marguicha .....Mine haven't been for cruise either.
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@celticeagle (189793)
• Boise, Idaho
10 Sep 16
Yes, too expensive for me as well. A person can dream though I suppose.
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@marguicha (230334)
• Chile
10 Sep 16
@celticeagle I love to dream! And I can make some dreams come true by saving every penny. Not for a cruise though.
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@FourWalls (86575)
• United States
10 Sep 16
I've never taken a cruise. One of my best friends, on the other hand, takes one every year. She's never had a problem. The only kind of cruise I would like to take would be a music cruise. There's an Americana cruise in early 2017, and a bluegrass cruise every year.
I would think that problems are relatively rare, for a number of reasons. First, criminals can't just walk on the boat the way they can walk down your street. They have to pay $900 to get on the boat, too. Two, some smaller cruise lines may have issues with employees, but the mega-cruise companies like Carnival won't risk a lawsuit by having people who haven't been checked out and trained.
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@celticeagle (189793)
• Boise, Idaho
11 Sep 16
@scheng1 .....And, I would hope that the more experienced crew members would be in good ratio to those without.
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@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
11 Sep 16
@FourWalls I agree that they have very good training for the crew.
When I was on board MV Mariner of the Seas, I asked the crew members about their training.
They said that they had to train full time for several months before they were allowed to work onboard.
And all of them are degree holders!
It is a bit of an overkill to hire degree holders to sweep the floor and chop onions and do all the work that does not need qualification.
The crew members said that the reason for the high qualification is to train them from bottom to take on more and more responsibilities.
2 people like this
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
10 Sep 16
I don't/won't fly - therefore I don't/won't cruise either - I am afraid of somethings and drowning at sea is one of them LOL or crashing into the sea in a plane.
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@celticeagle (189793)
• Boise, Idaho
10 Sep 16
I have those same fears. I haven't flown since the late 70's. Water scares me so I doubt I will be doing any cruising.
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@FourWalls (86575)
• United States
10 Sep 16
Right there with you. I have a medical excuse -- I have an ear problem that explodes in high altitudes (sometimes getting on a step ladder makes it worse 
), so that keeps me off a plane. However, I remember a joke that Gallagher (the "sledge-o-matic" comedian) said: "I went to the airline counter and said, 'I'm going to Cleveland. Send this bag to Denver and this bag to San Francisco.' The woman at the counter said, 'We can't do that!' I said, 'Why not? You did it last week!'" I do like to arrive where I'm going with my luggage -- and with it intact, and not having to wait an hour or a day or a week for someone to find it.
With all of the security and things that you have to go through these days I can actually drive to Chicago faster than I could fly: it's a 4 1/2 hour drive, while you'd have to leave for the airport at least two hours in advance to get there, park, check in (haggle over the charge per bag), and go through security.
And, of course, there's still the problem that you never know when the pilot or the co-pilot is going to decide to commit mass murder by flying the plane into a building or into the ocean....
), so that keeps me off a plane. However, I remember a joke that Gallagher (the "sledge-o-matic" comedian) said: "I went to the airline counter and said, 'I'm going to Cleveland. Send this bag to Denver and this bag to San Francisco.' The woman at the counter said, 'We can't do that!' I said, 'Why not? You did it last week!'" I do like to arrive where I'm going with my luggage -- and with it intact, and not having to wait an hour or a day or a week for someone to find it.
With all of the security and things that you have to go through these days I can actually drive to Chicago faster than I could fly: it's a 4 1/2 hour drive, while you'd have to leave for the airport at least two hours in advance to get there, park, check in (haggle over the charge per bag), and go through security.
And, of course, there's still the problem that you never know when the pilot or the co-pilot is going to decide to commit mass murder by flying the plane into a building or into the ocean....
@LeaPea2417 (40020)
• Toccoa, Georgia
10 Sep 16
I have taken 3 Cruises in my life and the only minor problem was having to take sea sick pills on the first Cruise because of choppy water. The pills helped a lot to feeling normal. Each Cruise was very nice, great food and great Cruise ship Stewards. And the sites were good too.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (189793)
• Boise, Idaho
10 Sep 16
It's good to hear that you had a positive experience each time. Could you tell me if you used the same cruise line and which one it was?
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
11 Sep 16
I didnt know those cons, but they dont surprise me. I would guess treating it like any trip into a foreign country would be helpful. Dont take valuables you dont need (ie actual real jewelry and stuff, leave that at home, if you need any take walmart cheapies), keep money on your person not in your room, never go off alone, stay with the group, etc
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@celticeagle (189793)
• Boise, Idaho
11 Sep 16
That being true and a good idea but, what is the fun of traveling when you can't wear your best jewelry and such? Puts a real damper on it for me.
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@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
13 Sep 16
@celticeagle I suppose if you had really nice stuff you could have cheap copies made
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@PainsOnSlate (21845)
• Canada
17 Sep 16
I just got back from a cruise and I've been on several others. This one was to Alaska, the others were in warmer areas during the winters. I think you are fooling yourself by reading the negatives. I have always enjoyed my trips, this last ship was beautiful but not my favorite only because of minor issues. The food was wonderful, the entertainment was great and our room was spotless and the views were fabulous. The staff is huge and well trained, I've never had a problem with security or roudyness, or any of the things you talked about.
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@celticeagle (189793)
• Boise, Idaho
17 Sep 16
That's great to hear. Thanks for sharing this.
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@celticeagle (189793)
• Boise, Idaho
15 Sep 16
@just4him ......Well, good luck getting it booked. I'd like to go on that last TCM cruise or one like that.
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@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
15 Sep 16
@celticeagle I will. Though it will most likely be two years before I can book the cruise I want as the one I wanted was sold out already for 2017.
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