Ever Been On A Cruise?

Wife and I went on a cruise in August 2008. Only other cruise I'd ever been on was a Westpac Cruise on a U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer out of San Diego in Dec. 1968. But, most of my Navy career was onboard Destroyers in both San Diego and Long Beach. Anyway, she convinced me, before we got any older that we should go. We had to fly out of Charlotte, NC to Orlando, FL and take a bus to Cape Carnival, where the Carnival Sensation was to come in. Our Port Itinerary was messed up due to a hurricane in the Atlantic, but we did go to Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas. Nassau was very nice and we relaxed on Blackbeard's Island. Freeport had been hit by some of the outer bands of the hurricane with a lot of seaweed on the white sandy beach.
The food onboard was great as well as the Shows, but did go back to our cabin and watch America's Got Talent. My wife went in the onboard pool, but didn't know that it was pretty cold and saltwater.

If we ever went on another cruise, it would be a Classic Rock or Oldies cruise. But, doubt that will happen.

 

My first cruise was on the old Queen Elizabeth in 1967, one of her last voyages. It was a taste of the "old way" of cruising, very elegant but like an aging old queen, getting a bit shabby.

The next one was some 30 years later. Boy, had cruising changed. I've been on a few since.

I do like cruising. I love all the eating, the shows, and just sitting and watching the ocean go by. Most of all, I love sailing into port.

My last cruise was not as much fun as usual, though. The Spousal Equivalent got deathly ill, was convulsing with a high fever and spent most of the cruise in the in the infirmary, on IVs. I was terrified that the doctor was going to insist on putting him ashore at the first stop (Bahamas) but he assured me that they would take care of him on the ship. And they did.....very well and very kindly. They ran every imaginable test on him, including a chest x-ray, pumped him full of antibiotics and fluids, and the entire bill came to less than $600. Had I taken him to the emergency room, it would have probably been $30,000...or more.... Everyone was so kind and helpful. It turned out that he had a thrombosed tonsil.

I'm trying to talk him into another one but he's leery.

 

Yes, on Norwegian. Service was fabulous but too many people. Some kept trying to intrude on our decks, etc. and it caused some consternation. I read most of the time. My son had a terrific time, especially at the pools with the girls.

 

I wouldn't want to go on one of the mega ships they have today. My wife and I went on a short cruise to the Bahamas In 2006. It was an old ship, built in 1953 and I loved it. We were really lucky too because the ship accommodates 1200 passengers we went on labor day and there were only 206 passengers. No crowds and we had plenty of food and great service.

 

I was on a Disney cruise once. Never again. What seemed like several thousand rugrats, all with runny noses (it was the height of flu season) were touching everything. And, of course, about three days after getting off the ship, I came down with "the plague" and was off work for a week. It was free, but I would have paid not to go.

Even if I was immune to every germ in the world, I wouldn't go on another Disney cruise.

 

I was on three 3 month Carib Cruises and one 6 month Med cruise. Small ship close quarters,first two weeks food was great,after that not so much, went to lesser known ports and beaches, not much time in the tourist centers.
Ships were LST's. Flat bottomed rough riding.

Never have been on a passenger cruise though. May try it some day, but no great desire.

 

I have been on 12 different cruises but have avoided the big 1,000 plus ships. 10 to 500 passengers has been my limit and from 14 to 21 days.

 

This was more of a sail than cruise.


I did not have a BLOG in 1991 or I would have posted this marvelous trip earlier.

This 12 day trip on the “R. Tucker Thompson” was the fulfillment of a young boys dream for me. Despite not knowing anything about sailing I had always wanted to get on a sailing ship of some kind, just wear a bathing suit, visit small, tropical islands, eat fish, drink coconut milk and visit with the natives. Diane and I did that and much more.

We met the R. Tucker captain and crew at the dock in Vava'u after spending several days at Tonga's capital city of Nuku'alofa, where Tonga's king has his palace. Yes, Tonga had and still has a king, and a big one at that. Our time is Nuku'alofa was spent scuba diving and getting checked out by the local Padi Dive Master. He happened to be from San Jose, California, was divorced and now married to a young Tongan woman. He trained the entire 60 man Tongan Navy in scuba diving.



Our crew on the R. Tucker consisted of four people and nine international passengers.

We all became quite friendly and understanding of one another and modesty was tossed aside due to the fact that the ship had one head (toilet/shower) for crew and guests. The captain had his own head but did not share. Toileting and showering could be done simultaneously. Our cook did a fantastic job with the meals which were usually served up on deck weather permitting and it usually permitted. Although it was not required to crew, most of the passengers took a four hour turn at the wheel after a bit of instruction of how to keep the ship on course. We sailed from one end of the Tonga Chain to the other stopping off to dive, explore, swim and barter with the natives. We traded T shirts and cans of beef for woven baskets and carvings. Diane, as a RN-Certified Nurse Midwife enjoyed spending time with the mothers and babies and inquiring about birthing.

Diane and I were not married when we made this trip, but it was this trip that inspired me to ask her to marry me, and we were married the following year 1992.

I have made many wonderful trips with great memories, but this Tonga Trip tops them all.

 

I was aboard the massive USS troopship General Hugh P. Gaffey, which was bringing me back to the States from a 1-year Army deployment in South Korea in September 1962. I served as a Comm. Center Technician in the Seoul 8th Army HQ Unit...very easy duty.

Hal

 

I went to Korea from San Francisco on the USS troopship Edwin D. Patrick 1963. Stopped at Honolulu on the way and then on to Yokohama, Japan, then by air to Korea.

 

Hi! I was not on a big cruise ship, but on a 8-9 ppl. sailing trip! OMG, You have to try that!! If you want, I can tell you about that! Imagine, that you leave the port with plenty of food (and drinks ) to be on the sea for a whole week, in the nature, diving, swimming, snorkeling, those fishes and the blue water, and the beaches and bays, only the group of yours... Sunset, stars in the night sky. OMG, I could go on and on.
Have you ever experienced something like this?

 

Don't you have to work on those sailing cruises? Like raising the sails, etc?

 

You can help the crew but work is not required. Standing a watch is pretty easy.