Hi –
I’ve never done a full world cruise, but have done a few 23-27 day world cruise ‘segments’ (e.g., Singapore to Dubai), as well as other non-world cruise longer cruises, and will be going on another 'segment' in the Spring of 2013 (Dubai to Venice, or what we’re affectionately calling the “Arab Spring Cruise”). (Never could do anything longer because I have been working).
Others have posted about the lack of authenticity of the travel experience in a cruise, primarily because of the inability to “really get to know a place.” I guess I have a less radical view, and agree with other posters about evaluating the benefits of cruising on its own terms, rather than expecting it to meet some ‘ideal’ of what travel should be. With that lens, I actually find cruising has a lot going for it.
Note that this is coming from someone who has literally spent years as a ‘traveler’ over my life on all parts of the spectrum. On the ‘cheap end’ this has included numerous multi-month trips hitchhiking, camping out and/or hippie backpacking on a few dollars a day in Central/South America, Africa, and Asia; a two month long biking/camping trip in Japan; working low wage jobs to make my way in Switzerland and Senegal; serving as Peace Corps volunteer for 3.5 years in Ecuador; renting a room in a slum in Ecuador during my doctoral research; and illegally squatting in an apartment in Paris for several months. In more recent years, I’ve done more of the ‘expensive’ end travel with my professional work in developing countries -- modern hotels in capital cities, peppered with less glamorous digs in rural field visits.
But all through this time, I have also done a lot of cruising, because this was one of the opportunities to do family trips with my parents and brother (in fact, our parents brought us on our first cruise when we were 8 years old and the only kids on the boat!). It wasn’t the only type of vacation we ever took by any means, but it was one, and as my parents aged, and now as my mother is in her 80s, it is the only kind of international trip she wants to take.
Because I have had a juxtapositions of all these different types of travel experiences, often within the same year, I have resisted any inclination to ‘judge’ one type of travel as better than another. They are just different, and each has its own pros and cons. I think several of the other posters here have pointed out many of the reasons people cruise, including the convenience, pampering, and ability to ‘sample’ different locations. I have found the following to be the main considerations with respect to cruising specifically:
· Who you’re with: I find that overwhelmingly what I value about the cruises is the memories made with my family. You spend a lot of time together on a cruise, much of it literally just hanging out (on those long days at sea), and that time is really a gift when you don’t live with someone full time.
· Where you’re going: Because we’ve done so much cruising, and have an interest in unusual – and new – destinations, it is a constant quest to find an interesting itinerary which isn’t something we’ve done before. The World Cruises (or cruise segments) are actually among the most interesting itineraries you will find out there, so that is a strong selling point in my opinion. No, you aren’t going to ‘go native’ with a day or so in any of these ports, but on the other hand, are you likely to ever take a dedicated three week trip to Qatar or Togo? Probably not…. And for some destinations (like Antarctica, for example), ships are one of the best/only ways to visit any of the research stations, etc.). So I look at it as a way to complement and expand upon other ‘deeper’ traveling I do.
· What kind of ‘fun’ you like: The longer cruises all have a lot of days at sea where you are not in port, and I have to say these are a delight when you are working and this trip is your ‘vacation’, just because they are as relaxing and restful as you want to make them. (Maybe this is less of an issue for the FIREd, because one’s whole life can be quite relaxing!). In terms of how you spend your time, if you are the type that is sufficiently entertained being able to read, chat with travel companions, watch movies, play board games, etc. you will be quite content…. others want/need more entertainment and interaction, and every decent cruise line has plenty of activities going on to keep folks occupied as well. So you can be as active as you like.
When you are in port, I have to say that it’s impressive the range of different activity types that are now offered in the cruise-sponsored tours, including outdoorsy/physical adventure all the way to traditional bus tours, and/or the opportunity to explore on your own. I’ve done everything from paragliding to attending concerts – so it’s really anything goes (do note, however, that this is one of the biggest additional expenses you will incur beyond the cruise cost – it can add up to thousands of dollars on a very long cruise with a lot of ports of call). Do these constitute more than a ‘dabbling’ in the destination? No, of course not, but that doesn’t mean they still aren’t interesting and fun trips.
· What your expectations are for comfort and ease of travel: As others have posted, there is nothing easier than just unpacking once, always having fancy food prepared for you 24-7, and basically not having to take care of any life details while you’re on the boat. Particularly as my parents aged, overland travel became more strenuous for them, especially when traveling to the more exotic places they always wanted to visit. So the ease of having things very organized for you really has been a selling point. I don’t need all that luxury necessarily in all my traveling, but it’s nice and contributes to the relaxation/stress reudction factor.
· The ‘buffet’ issue: I know people fear the overeating/overindulgence factor, but I have to say that especially for longer cruises, you definitely have enough time to get over that ‘binge’ phase, and probably won’t find it that hard to revert to a more normal pattern of eating/exercising, etc. Cruise lines have also come an enormous way in providing numerous healthy eating options, catering to special diets, and also they have completely stopped ‘pushing’ people to eat more than they want to in the dining room. There is also a lot more time and opportunity to exercise. In fact, when taking cruises as a vacation from a stressed out work life, I found that I was much better in taking care of myself than when at home!
· The cost: If you go for cheap interior cabins (which we always do, since we don’t spend much time in the cabin anyway, and it’s not the place we want to put our money), cruises can be among the most reasonable vacation costs you can have. What is not included in the quoted price are: (a) the daily tips -- ~$10-13/day per person; (b) the tours in port, which as mentioned above can add up; and (c) drinks (sodas, specialty coffees, and alcohol). We spend the standard amount on (a), a medium amount on (b), and virtually nothing on (c) – so it ends up being reasonable. We also have been able to use a lot of my accumulated frequent flier miles to cover the airfares, which has saved a bunch over the years, but of course won’t last much longer as I leave my job…..
The Bottom Line: Now that I am about to FIRE, I certainly wouldn’t hesitate for a second to go from the 23-27 day range up to a 45 day cruise or so. I’m not sure I would do the full 107 cruise at once, however, mainly because I think it would be more ‘special’ to break it up a bit – I love the anticipation before going, and breaking up the home routine with periodic events like this. At the other extreme, I have found that 1 week cruises are not enough, 2 weeks is the absolute minimum – otherwise you’re just getting settled in an in the groove when you have to pack up and go home, especially if it’s a cruise than involves long international flights to begin them.
And none of this is to say that cruising would be the only kind of traveling I like or will ever do! I will continue to go camping, or do road trips visiting friends in the US, or take international trips that are a bit more Lonely Planet than Condé Nast…… but these are completely different experiences, and comparing them with cruises would be a bit of an apples and oranges exercise. I guess the question that people have to answer is how to spend their limited travel budget, and that of course is a highly individual choice. I personally would never be ‘all or nothing’ on anything now that I have experienced so much of the spectrum – I just get different things out of all these different kinds of travel, and probably always will. And I also would encourage people to find the positive in whatever type of travel option you are considering -- you might be surprised at the positives that each offers.
Birchwood, let us know if you do take the plunge – I’d love to hear how the 107 day experience is!
P.S. BTW, we’re leaving in a few weeks for a 24 day cruise down the coast of South America (Caribbean, Devil’s Island, etc.), up the Amazon to Manaus, and back. Looking forward to it!!!