If you’re reading this, you’ve probably seen commercials or ads for different cruise lines out there. It’s never really been on your radar or it has and you’ve talked yourself out of going on a cruise for one reason or another. Well, I’m going to go through some of the reasons I’ve heard before and see if I can change your mind.

Here are some reasons why people don’t cruise:

• They can’t swim.

Fun fact: I can’t swim. I’m actually kind of terrified whenever I enter the deep end of a pool. That being said I’ve been on about 9 cruises and everything has been fine. The views are everything!

If anything were to happen (though highly unlikely), there are a good amount of life boats and there are life jackets on the ship.

If you’re still concerned, take some swimming lessons. I’m planning on doing that soon!

• There’s nothing to do on the ship/it’s boring.

There’s plenty to do on a cruise ship depending on what ship and cruise line you choose. This is why choosing your cruise line and ship is very important. It has to match your vibe.

For instance, Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas is an older ship, so it has less thrills than Royal’s Wonder or Icon of the Seas, which are a couple of their newer ships.

The first cruise I paid for myself was on Radiance of the Seas. Even though it was older, it wasn’t bad. There was still a lot of things to do that were fun like rock climbing, mini golf, trivia, scavenger hunts, and competitions.

But, if you’re expecting the same thrills that you’re seeing on the commercials, make sure you do your research and aim for a cruise on a newer ship.

Tip: The itinerary offered may be a little tricky because you might want to go to a certain place but the newer ships don’t go there. That’s where you’ll have to choose between ship or itinerary. We’ll get more into that in a later post.

• There’s nothing to do at the port/I can’t afford an excursion at every port.

Research the ports of call (or hire a travel advisor, like me, to research for you)! Ports of call are the places you’ll be visiting on your cruise. Research is so important because if you’re not researching, you’re not going to know what there is to do at the port.

There are excursions that you can participate in that come at an additional cost. That may not be what you want to do, at least not at every single port depending on how many stops you have.

If you’re not doing an excursion, you could walk around, see if there’s a beach nearby or a museum. You could go to a local restaurant that might be popular among tourists and locals alike. You could even go shopping.

Look at your excursion options first. If you don’t see anything you like (or don’t want to pay for), then research what to do at that point.

• I don’t have a passport.

You know the good thing about most cruise lines? You don’t need a passport! You can provide your birth certificate (for U.S. Citizens for cruises sailing out of the States).

That being said, I think it’s easier with a passport. Keep in mind for cruise lines like Virgin Voyages, they only accept passports; there’s no going around it for them. But for all the other cruise lines as far as I know, you can go on with your birth certificate.

• It’s too expensive.

On the contrary, I think cruising is a pretty cost effective vacation. Now, if you’re going on a Disney cruise, yes, that’s a little pricey, but other cruise lines like Carnival, some Royal Caribbean cruises, MSC, and Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), are affordable.

Let’s do a price comparison (prices as of February 11^th, 2024):

Bahamas for Two People Oct. 25th-Oct. 27th, 2024
Items	Hotel: Grand Hyatt Baha Mar 1 King Bed, Balcony Oceanview room	Cruise: Norwegian Cruise Line (Ship: Norwegian Jade), Balcony Room
Flight from Atlanta (Delta)	$628 = $1,256 for two people (Bahamas – Basic Economy)	$486.20 = $972.40 for two people (Miami, FL – Main (Basic was sold out))
Accommodation	$1,243.44 (includes taxes and resort fee)	$862 (includes taxes, fees, and $16 gratuity per person per day)
Food	$30 x 6+ meals a day per person = $360 for two people	Included (if adding drink package: $109 per person per day = $436 for two people)
Activities/Excursions	Varies	Varies
Total	$2,859.44 for two people	$2,270.40 (including drink package) for two people

So a cruise is nearly $590 cheaper for the basics.

I’ll admit things can add up for a cruise if you want to add a Wi-Fi package or specialty dining – this is “fancier” food than what’s already included. Adding these things are optional (along with the drink package) but even with them added it would equal about the same.

Just keep in mind, both of these trips could be cheaper or more expensive based on airline, hotel, room type, cruise line, and/or cruise cabin.

The next two reasons are – for lack of a better word – reasonable, but I still wanted to bring them up.

• It’s bad for the environment.

This is understandable. A lot waste can be produced from a cruise ship. However, many cruise lines are finding ways to make it more sustainable and safe for the environment by improving how the process waste and the engines they use to power the ship. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) provides more information.

• I don’t want to be stuck on the ship/I feel claustrophobic.

I’ll be honest, it’s hard for me to make a counter argument to this one. You could try shorter cruises like a 2 or 3-night so you aren’t on as long. You also could try river cruises where you can constantly see land but river cruise ships are smaller than a standard ocean cruise ship so it may not help the claustrophobic feeling.

Another option is to try to work through it with some mental coping mechanisms. However, if you really feel uncomfortable, don’t put yourself through that stress. I love cruising but I’d hate to put someone in a stressful situation when they’re supposed to be having fun on vacation.

I’ve shared the reasons people aren’t cruising and some counter arguments. You may still not be convinced yet. I’ll share some reason why you should try cruising.

Why You Should Go on a Cruise

• See multiple destinations for the price of one trip.

One of the things that I love about cruising is the itinerary options. You have the ability to travel to multiple islands, cities, and/or countries all while keeping the same room for one price. It’s very convenient.

Some people use cruises to go to different places, just to see if they like it, then they may plan a longer land trip going back to that place. Cruising is a perfect way to see more of the world.

• Floating hotel with free food.

On top of having the ability to visit multiple locations, there’s free food in the main dining and buffet for the cruises. You could upgrade to a Specialty Dinning package if you want to try the “fancier” restaurants they have.

There are cruise lines like Disney and Virgin Voyages where they still have a buffet of sorts but instead of a main dining room, they have multiple restaurants you can rotate through during your cruise that’s free.

• Meeting new people (or keep to yourself).

If you’re at a hotel, you may see someone in passing on your way back from your latest activity but there’s little chance you’ll see them again. Cruising is a slightly different.

Off the bat, when you eat in the main dining room, if you don’t choose to eat by yourself/with your party only, they will assign you a table with another party and they will be your tablemates for the cruise. Seeing them night after night, you may have a friendship grow.

Maybe you choose not to share tables and eat with just the people in your cabin or you skip main dining and go to the buffet, specialty dinner, or use room service. You’ll still have a chance to meet new people because you’ll start recognizing faces as you see them more often, since the ship is only so big. You could make friends on excursions or at something like trivia, too.

You’re all on one ship in the ocean so it’s likely to see them often.

• Experience new things.

Cruises are a fun way to experience new things whether it’s taking the cruise itself, visiting a new place, trying new food, or doing some you’ve never done before.

My manager from my day job went on her first cruise recently and she did ziplining for the first time and loved it.

My dad went walking up a volcano for the first time on a cruise. My mom did mini-golf, rock climbing, and laser tag on our last cruise for the first time.

I had my first sip of wine on a cruise back in high school (I may or may not have been at the drinking age for France at that time, shhh).

• The Sunset/Sunrise on the ocean!

This may be biased for me but I absolutely love watching the sun rise over the horizon or descend in the ocean. I always try to wake up early to watch the sunrise on cruises. Seeing it out over a body water just hits different.

I hope some things on this has made you reconsider going on a cruise (at least a little but). They are a really good time especially if you choose the cruise line and ship that fits you.

We’ll talk a little more about that later but next week, I’ll share my tips for first time cruisers. Happy future cruising, overthinkers!