Both are common statements we’ve heard from friends at home or people we meet on our travels. Some people will eagerly say “oh, we are cruise people, we love cruises” and then there are those who will just as readily say “we’re just NOT cruise people”. The commonality here is that both of these statements seem to carry a little bit of bewilderment that the other group even exists (and what could they possibly be thinking?!). On a positive note, most people love the vacation path they’ve chosen, but that perhaps also makes them a little dubious about the opposite point of view. When asked if we are “cruise people” our answer honestly depends on where we are. If we are engaged in one of the many interesting conversations with the friendly people we meet on a cruise when the question is posed ,we generally become enthusiastic cruisers with only a passing mention of having actually visited tropical locations directly (which our cruise companions seem to find intriguing in a confused sort of way). The prevailing feeling among the passengers seems to be that traveling overnight in some of these countries would be too “risky” or not advised by the powers that be.
On the other hand if we are in a tropical location (where we meet lots of fascinating travelers from all over the world) we make no mention of ever having been on a cruise. If we ever mention that we have visited any certain tropical locale, we are content to have our companion believe we traveled there on our own and not on a given cruise ship. It’s hard to say exactly why we do this, perhaps it’s a feeling among “adventurous” travelers that cruises are inherently uncool and too “safe”. And I easily admit that adventure has been largely commercialized right out of cruises. Add to that the irritation that many of these travelers feel when they are visiting a quiet tropical village and it becomes overrun with tourists for the 8 hours a cruise ship is in port. The changes seen in a sleepy fishing village on the Carribean when a cruise ship first comes to town are not all positive. The ones who benefit from the boost to the economy are not always the local residents who need it most. The cruise industry has created problems for the countries they visit but they have also provided opportunities that would not have existed otherwise. Both groups have valid arguments and we don’t necessarily disagree with either point of view.
The bottom line for us is that there is no other practical way for us to visit so many different islands/ countries as on a cruise. The cruise on which we will embark next week in Puerto Rico will take us to Saint Thomas, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts, and Saint Marteen. We have visited only one of these places before, and I can’t wait to see the others. I think of it as a kind of screening process for places we may want to visit individually in the future. At each place we have planned a dive, a snorkel, kayak trip, beach trip, sightseeing or exploration of one of the towns. We could have more unique experiences in one week than in a month at any given location. And the value for your vacation dollar just can’t be beat since all food, lodging, and entertainment is included in the price. Of course there is nothing quite like staying in a small cabin on the beach and deciding at our leisure whether to spend the day starfish hunting in the kayak or walking the 4 minutes to the local bakery for a treat. Which is why we are staying several extra days in Old San Juan after the cruise ends. We can’t wait to see the old town and hike the waterfalls of El Yunque park and paddle through the lagoon famous for bioluminescent creatures at dusk.
I guess you can see I sway back and forth easily. Really, I have not yet found a reason to limit myself to either travel method. If I can gaze daily at the turquoise waters of the Carribean then I am not so picky how I got there. What we have happily chosen as a limit (for now) is that our final destination be in the Carribean, because we haven’t been able to get enough of it’s beauty. But who knows what the future holds, the world is a big place, and it gets bigger the more you open your mind to the limitless possibilities.
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Gina, Tell your hubby Hi for me. I followed you all on your blog during your Belize trip. First of all, neither my wife (Tina) or me find cruses exciting. We prefer to pace things at our own pace and on cruises you drop into the tourist spots, which are not indicative of where you might want to settle in or live, which is our quest. For instance, on your next cruise you’re going to have a stop in St Thomas. BUT to us, having lived in St Croix for a month like you guys did in Belize, St Croix (the other Virgin Island) is a place where you could settle in, cheaper and more sociably. I say they carefully because we’re not after a social scene, but we do want to fit it. That said, some cruises do stop at St Croix. However, they stop at Fredriksted instead of Christiansted. Fredriksted is less conducive culturally to citizens from the states than Christiansted is, which has a 25% population of expatriates. Secondly, we have a 3.5 year old and a 1 year old (despite my age of 61; Tina is 37) and we travel with them. Cruises would not be conducive for them. You have a beautiful family and I hope to meet you guys someday on our ventures. Blessings to you and yours. We are going to try Belize for a month soon. Please let me know what your OVERALL feeling is, via a PM, now that it has all had time to sink in. Thank and blessings again. — Alan Freeman