This is not so much about travel

[kcowan]

We always have our doors open and are used to sleeping with ambient light PLUS we are in our Blow That Dough phase. So we would only accept an upgraded suite.

We have been on 3 cruises and always had a balcony. We also always have breakfast in bed.

[Nemo2]

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Originally Posted by kcowan We also always have breakfast in bed.

Breakfast in bed? One more thing that we'd find irritating.

[NW-Bound]

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Originally Posted by Nemo2 I obviously don't know what your exposure was, but if it was drifting around the Caribbean going from one T-shirt shops & cab drivers island to another, each indistinguishable from the previous/next one, then I'd have to concur...

In a Caribbean cruise 20 years ago, we shared the dinner table with a family of a doctor from Shreveport. They liked the itinerary so much that they took the same 1-week cruise every year. Would not even try something else. How 'bout that?

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Originally Posted by kcowan We always have our doors open and are used to sleeping with ambient light PLUS we are in our Blow That Dough phase. So we would only accept an upgraded suite. We have been on 3 cruises and always had a balcony. We also always have breakfast in bed.

A balcony is OK, even when we do not use it. It helps the claustrophobic feel, but then a window would work too. Just not a must-have.

About breakfast in bed, we never have that in our life, cruise or not. We prefer to go out eat at a table. And as clumsy as I am, I would spill OJ or coffee all over the bed and make a mess.

[Nemo2]

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Originally Posted by NW-Bound In a Caribbean cruise 20 years ago, we shared the dinner table with a family of a doctor from Shreveport. They liked the itinerary so much that they took the same 1-week cruise every year. Would not even try something else. How 'bout that?

Reminds me of the old saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over.......

[NW-Bound]

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Originally Posted by Nemo2 Reminds me of the old saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over.......

... and expecting a different result.

You left out that last part.

But here, they expect and get the same result every time. Total bliss.

[NW-Bound]

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Originally Posted by dixonge Speaking of balconies, those are going to start disappearing. 98% of passengers don't use them...

Another reason we did not use our balcony in the last cruise was that it was boring looking out at the water when the ship was moving.

And then, as we came into port, we wanted to see the town and the dock, and the balcony would face the wrong way. Or the view is so limited that it was far better to go up on the top deck to watch.

Balconies are OK, and I like to have one if it does not cost too much. Just not as must have.

[Nemo2]

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Originally Posted by NW-Bound ... and expecting a different result. You left out that last part. But here, they expect and get the same result every time. Total bliss.

The last part was omitted deliberately, since they weren't expecting a different result.

Circa 1998, when my late wife and I were fulltime RVing, we drove from Parker, AZ, to Yuma with another couple who were looking for people they knew......pulled into this huge RV park and asked the first people we saw where they might possibly be......apropos of nothing one of them commented that "He and his wife had been coming to this same park every winter for 15 years.."

Simultaneously the four of us in our truck blurted out "WHY?"

I see a connection here.

[NW-Bound]

Some people find their comfort zone, and do not want to try something different. We all have that, just to different degrees.

I know I can never be a perpetual traveler, although I like to travel. After a trip, I want to come back to my familiar spot to relax, and to scheme for another excursion.

The family that I met did not even bother to try a different cruise, while I do not want to take cruises end-to-end even to different destinations.

On the same cruise, the dining waiter told us about an elderly woman from NYC who came to the ship each year in an expensive suite, and stayed for a month (4 consecutive end-to-end trips). She was well known by the crew, and one evening when she did not feel well to come to dinner, the captain of the ship came for a visit to see how she was doing.

[kcowan]

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Originally Posted by NW-Bound A balcony is OK, even when we do not use it. It helps the claustrophobic feel, but then a window would work too. Just not a must-have.

You get windows that open?

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About breakfast in bed, we never have that in our life, cruise or not. We prefer to go out eat at a table. And as clumsy as I am, I would spill OJ or coffee all over the bed and make a mess.

Well I agree with you but my bride seems to have a bit of Yoko Ono's spirit in her! And it is included in any cruise. That makes her want to cruise in spite of the regimentation.

[NW-Bound]

And speaking of RV'ing, I saw blogs of full-timers who never ventured very far. One goes up and down the California coast, never reaching into Oregon. Another stayed around the Texas Gulf Coast, and never ventured far either.

In contrast, I have gone quite a bit farther to some corners of the country. And there are still more to explore.

[NW-Bound]

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Originally Posted by kcowan You get windows that open?

No. Just a view of the outside helps.

[Moemg]

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Originally Posted by Nemo2 Reminds me of the old saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over.......

Yes but you do basically the same thing every year just different countries .A trans Atlantic followed by exploring a country and staying in an air B&B.So maybe that is your comfort zone ?

[Nemo2]

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Originally Posted by Moemg Yes but you do basically the same thing every year just different countries .A trans Atlantic followed by exploring a country and staying in an air B&B.So maybe that is your comfort zone ?

Oh yeah....I'm certainly not suggesting that we're prototypical, nor would we want most others to emulate us. Rather, we both find the priority differences between people to be very interesting, and oftentimes amusing.....as we're sure they do with ours.

It's like being unlettered Margaret Meads.

(Besides which...we contemplated walking across the Atlantic but friends said it was considered inadvisable. )

[redduck]

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Originally Posted by redduck ____________ Disclaimer: My Posts are for my amusement only. I just violated your disclaimer: I found your post amusing. Now what happens?

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Originally Posted by NW-Bound Why, you have to pay him now, of course.

The Duchess agreed to send Eagle a check from her share of the refund.

[NW-Bound]

Nice!

All these years, I, and some other posters too I am sure, keep hoping that some readers would find our posts entertaining, and send some money.

Has not happened yet. That Eagle guy is really lucky. Or perhaps his post was exceptional (but I failed to see it, being simply envious).

[redduck]

^ ^ ^
I keep getting private messages from forum members asking me to send them money if I find their posts entertaining. So far this year I'm out about $3,200. Luckily for me those dividends keep rolling in.

[mystang52]

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Originally Posted by SheitlQueen That's my thought. I always buy the cheapest cabins I can because other than to go to sleep I am never in them.

DW and I take a cruise every year, and I am adamant about getting an inside cabin. We just don't spend much time in the cabin, DW, though, wants that ambient light and open door to the outside. Me adamant vs DW's wishes. Care to wager who wins?

[Unpaintedhuffhines]

I cannot imagine staying in an inside cabin. Yes, I get the fact that you aren't there much, but if I'd probably pay $500 to NOT go on a cruise and stay home versus staying in an inside cabin (no, not offering to pay other people .

On the other hand, I've only been on one cruise in my life (Royal Caribbean as I recall, so I think kind of low end). Last one I'll ever go on in my life. Couldn't deal with the crowds - if you weren't up at 6AM, no way in heck you were going to get a deck chair near the pool, and the idea of wearing a suit on vacation - heck no!

Not my cup of tea.

[dixonge]

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Originally Posted by Nemo2 I obviously don't know what your exposure was, but if it was drifting around the Caribbean going from one T-shirt shops & cab drivers island to another, each indistinguishable from the previous/next one, then I'd have to concur. Likewise the 'Adult Sleepover' types where people play dress up, overeat/drink - but if you're going to/from someplace you wanted to visit it sure beats flying.

We flew to Vancouver, then did a 7-day one-way to Alaska. We agreed to just fly all the way next time (assuming we ever return). Plenty of t-shirt/gift shop stops. And don't forget the inimitable ever-present zip-lines. But we were there for the wildlife and got plenty of that.

[Souschef]

I am NOT bragging, but in the course of my life, I have been on 45 cruises, from an 8 passenger river barge to the mid size cruise ships.
Actually, after our first cruise experience in a "high density" ship with crappy food, I am surprised we ever cruised again.
The discussions of inside vs. balcony IMO is like Ford vs. Chevrolet, or in my case, high wing vs. low wing light aircraft. It is really YMMV.
Our longest cruise was 32 days, from Buenos Aires to LA. If we had to be in an inside cabin for that cruise, we would be both taken off in straight jackets. BUT, that is just us. We opted for a mini suite to "Blow that Dough"