Considering Going on a Cruise?
Thinking about a cruise but feeling hesitant? You’re not alone. While cruising is one of the most relaxing and exciting ways to explore new destinations and soak in that fresh ocean breeze, far too many people cancel their dream trip before it even begins, because of myths that simply aren’t true.
From seasickness fears to wallet-draining costs, these common cruise misconceptions are keeping travelers from setting sail. Let’s bust the biggest cruise myths holding you back - so you can book that trip with confidence.
Cruises Are For Old People
Stop us if this sounds familiar: “Going on a cruise is only fun for pensioners.” While you may not have heard that exact statement worded in just the same way, it’s a sentiment that many people share, albeit a wholly misguided one. In fact, cruises welcome all people, and make for a great way to spend your vacation or honeymoon.
Seasickness
Seasickness is just a part of sea-life; everyone knows that, right? On the contrary, seasickness only really occurs when a ship is constantly rocking. This may be the case for old-timey skiffs and pirate ships, but cruises have stabilisers that help keep the vessel stable, even in rough weather.
Terrible Food
Most people think of cruise ships as if they were floating hotels - the beds are serviceable enough, but the food is terrible. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Dining on a cruise ship is more like going to a fancy restaurant than a McDonald’s, and many cruises feature their own specialty items.
Boredom
Cruise ships aren’t just glorified boats: they come with a full guest-oriented experience curated to provide high levels of entertainment and relaxation in equal measure. If you aren’t exploring a new port on land, your cruise will have an abundance of other activities for you to enjoy, curtailing your potential boredom entirely.
New Friends
Of course, one reason as to why many are reluctant to go on a cruise is the prospect of having to spend time with a bunch of strangers in a confined space for a prolonged period of time. Ah, the joys of social anxiety. Fortunately, there’s no need to interact with anybody if you don’t want to - you will have your room to yourself, and can even dine separately from everyone else if you choose to.
Shared Bathrooms
Visiting a public toilet on land is bad enough, but using a shared toilet on a cruise ship? Now, that’s seasickness. Fortunately, those comparisons between cruise ships and hotels hold some water here (no pun intended) - just like a hotel, every cabin in a cruise ship has its own bathroom and basic facilities.
Port Time
Part of the reason you’d want to go on a cruise ship is the opportunity to visit new places and ports, but many people assume that these visits are not long enough to fully enjoy a new locale. The truth is that most cruises will dock for 8 hours at minimum, while some stay for a full two days before departing again.
Extra Payments
Some cruises are expensive, no doubt about that, but many people assume that your food, entertainment, and housing costs extra when in reality this just isn’t the case. Sure, some items may cost more, but in general, most tickets will cover all your necessities plus a bit more.
Healthy Food
When you imagine a cruise restaurant, you may wonder as to the variety offered by their menu. After all, it’s not like they can just get fresh ingredients whenever they want! However, you’ll be happy to know that cruise ships offer plenty of options when it comes to your choice of meal, including some exceptionally healthy courses.
Getting Lost
Cruise ships are huge and it’s easy to imagine yourself getting lost amongst the numberless halls and decks. Rest assured, however, that making your way around a cruise ship is easy as pie since most ships offer a paper map once you board with several other maps plastered on the walls for your convenience.
Formal Wear
It may surprise you to learn that the average cruise experience is completely different from the events of Titanic. The ship isn’t sinking, and everyone’s dressed normally. Indeed, even when meeting the captain, there’s no need to go out of your way to dress formally. Heck, you don’t even need to meet the captain at all!
Independent Activities
If you enjoy your solitude and keeping yourself busy, you may be reluctant to engage in the group activities many cruises offer. Fortunately, you’re allowed to do your thing at your leisure; eat, sleep, drink, and play when you want. You don’t even need to get off the ship when visiting another port!
Aggressive Marketing
Cruises have a reputation for the aggressive sales pitches many of its crew will take part in. While some cruise lines struggle with this issue, the fact is that most cruise crews are disciplined, only offering you a product or service upon your explicit request.
Lines and Crowds
Having to deal with large crowds and long lines everyday is bad enough, and the last thing anyone wants is to have to deal with them on a cruise as well. Fortunately, most cruise ship staff are excellent at dealing with people, and so you’re unlikely to wait around for long. Plus, crowds are almost non-existent if you choose to sail at the right time of year.
Rude People
We’ve all had our fair share of dealings with arrogant and obnoxious people, but some believe that these personalities seem to congregate on cruise ships. This isn’t the case - rude people are no more abundant on a cruise than anywhere else, and for the most part, everybody just wants to have a good time and not rub anyone else the wrong way.
Culture
As mentioned, part of the cruise experience includes visiting foreign lands and ports, but many people believe that the experience is superficial at best. While you may not get to learn all the strange nooks and corners of the places you visit, the breadth of your experience is up to you. Some cruises even host local entertainers to give you an even better sense of a place’s culture.
Eco-Friendliness
The environmental issues brought about and exacerbated by cars, planes, and - yes - even cruise ships are hard to avoid, and many people rightly have a moral aversion to the excessive waste and damage these forms of transport cause. While there’s no getting around it, the fact is that cruise lines tend to be better than most at cleaning up their act.
Underpaid Staff
Working on a cruise ship is a tough gig - you’re away from home for months at a time and are expected to work long hours with very little downtime. There are benefits as well, however, not least of which includes not needing to pay for food and accommodation, and the opportunity to visit new places. As well, for many crew members, the pay is better than they would receive in their home countries.
Expensive Tickets
Even if you don’t believe any of the myths we’ve already discussed, you may still be reluctant to go on a cruise ship for one simple reason: money! Fortunately, cruise lines are so diverse that they are able to cater to people from all financial brackets. You may even end up paying less for a cruise than you would staying at a hotel!
Claustrophobia
Does being trapped inside a tiny cabin aboard a small vessel sound unappealing to you? It does to us as well! However, your conceptions of the cruise ship experience - including the size of the vessel - may be misinformed. These vessels are huge! They’re more like floating shopping centers than floating houses.
Dressing Up
When you picture the typical cruise experience, you probably imagine a whole bunch of tuxedos and fancy dresses. In reality, most people dress casual for every activity, and that includes dinner at the ship restaurant. If you don’t have to go formal to meet the captain, you certainly don’t have to when eating either!
Internet
We use the Internet everyday, from checking our emails to posting on Instagram, to reading this very post, and it’s tough to imagine how much different our lives would be if we suddenly stopped our Internet usage all at once for a prolonged period of time. Luckily, cruises have their own WiFi nowadays, which you are able to take advantage of at an extra cost.
Uncomfortable Cabins
Cruises aren’t too different from hotels, but you may notice that the cabins tend to be smaller than the average hotel room. Rest assured, however, that these are specially designed to accommodate your every need while remaining as compact as possible.
Early Mornings
Getting up early every morning to get to work on time isn’t fun, and most people assume that early mornings are the norm on cruises as well, especially those that offer excursions. Luckily, these excursions are totally optional, and you can choose to partake whenever you want, or catch a few extra winks in bed.
Fitness
If you have a daily workout routine, you may be worried that you won’t be able to maintain your fitness levels on a cruise. In reality, most cruises nowadays have onboard gyms that you can take advantage of, free of charge.
Drinking and Partying
Cheap cruises are popular with college students who want a quick getaway where they can drink and party all they want. However, most cruises actively discourage this behaviour, and it’s unlikely that you’ll have to deal with it while onboard.
Privacy
Sharing a small space with a large group of people can be a nightmare, but you’ll be happy to know that cruise ships still offer plenty of privacy to those who enjoy their own company. In addition to your own cabin, there are quiet decks and balconies that you can take advantage of to spend some time with yourself.
Cheesy Entertainment
The entertainment on a cruise varies from one ship to the next, but no matter what ship line you're on, there will be something. Most ships will have live music of some kind, in addition to a variety of other activities to keep you engaged. Others even host Broadway-style musicals.
Sleep
The idea of sleeping on a moving vessel may seem impossible, but in reality, sleeping on a cruise ship comes pretty easily. Your cabin is private and the stabilisers ensure that you don’t experience any turbulence that may prevent you from getting a good night’s rest.
Activities
Some believe that cruises don’t offer any activities that may stimulate them. Remember though that these cruises require your patronage to be successful - they will cater to a wide range of interests to suit just about anyone.
Sickness
Norovirus is enough to scare away many people from going on a cruise, but the reality is that it’s no more likely for an outbreak to occur on a ship than a hotel, restaurant, or other public area. The virus is simply more likely to be reported because health officials on cruises are constantly looking for any traces of the disease.
Diets
Anybody with severe food allergies or dietary preferences dreads going to a restaurant with no food to cater to their needs. However, cruise restaurants feature extensive menus and are required to list any potential allergens in their meals, meaning you can rest assured that the food is saf.
Cruises Are The Same
If you’ve been on a cruise before, you’ve been on them all, or so some may believe. In reality, every cruise is different, right down to their sizes. Some cater to a wide range of people (up to 7600) while others accommodate a smaller patronage of about 600.
Cleanliness
Some people believe that cruises are cesspools of dirt and disease. In reality, cruises are strictly monitored by health officials and professionals, and made to adhere to strict guidelines to ensure the safety of everyone onboard. Cruise passengers will be able to see cleaners in various areas throughout their cruise.
Sinking
Modern cruises are not the Titanic. They are engineered with safety in mind, and feature state-of-the-art technology to ensure that accidents never happen. The ships are sturdy and safe, so you can rest assured that you won’t need to keep a wooden door at hand in case you need to float to safety.
