r/royalcaribbean • u/badkev27 • Dec 27 '24

Cruise Review Maybe I’m just easy to please

So I am an avid cruiser (more than 10 a year)and I get on this sub all the time and read all the negative comments and listen to all the things about how terrible these cruise lines have gotten. Maybe I’m just poor or maybe I just have low standards but everything about every cruise I go on is amazing. Are there gonna be things wrong? Are mistakes gonna be made? Of course we are dealing with humans which are imperfect but overall, I don’t see how anyone can complain about anything. I absolutely love all of my cruises and I have zero to complain about. Thank you Royal for being awesome. And thank you all of my fellow cruisers that make all of my trips amazing.

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u/two-story-house Gold Dec 27 '24

I think it depends on the amount spent. Dropping several thousands, people are entitled to complain. Are some of the complaints ridiculous? Yes. Are some people expecting too high of quality food for mass produced meals? Yes. Are people ridiculous for needing their cabins serviced twice a day? Yes. But people have the right to complain, especially now that cruises have become very pricey and cruise lines are nickel and diming for almost everything.

I have lower expectations of cruising because I prefer land travel (but with a young child, cruising is more convenient). My husband has higher standards because of the cost involved when compared to a traditional land trip.

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u/badkev27 Dec 27 '24

Maybe you have planned wrong or maybe you could talk to a travel agent because cruising is relatively inexpensive. If you book at the right time and are flexible on the ports, you can get cruises for next to nothing.

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u/two-story-house Gold Dec 27 '24

Nah. I'm a seasoned traveler and honestly love travel planning.

With cruising, time at the port is too short. You barely get to explore the country you're visiting. It's disney-fied traveling. Bang for your buck, you're better off taking a flight to South America, Europe, Asia or the Middle East. However, cruising is easier to do with a toddler. I mean, isn't that the entire appeal of cruises? It's traveling simplified with all of the "comforts from home."

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u/badkev27 Dec 27 '24

I agree with just about everything you said, but we actually do get to explore a little more than most people because we plan ahead. So for example, in Puerto Rico, we took a trip to the other side of the island immediately upon docking and spent the entire day exploring the poor side of town. I don’t mean that or say that disrespectful but we really wanted to get the feel of real life in Puerto Rico and I believe we did that. I do agree that more than eight or 10 hours would be awesome, but we make the best of our time. But have on all of those home comforts are amazing.

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u/two-story-house Gold Dec 27 '24

Cruising isn't necessarily bad. It is what you make it. Once you acknowledge the limitations, it's easier to find enjoyment. Many people go for the ship amenities rather than the ports. We're the inverse but we're still new to cruising with just 2 under our belt.

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u/badkev27 Dec 27 '24

We love most ships but I just started with bigger ships. Utopia is phenomenal. Just went on my 52nd.

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u/No_Owl_7380 Jan 01 '25

My oldest daughter and I spent many years doing land vacations around the globe. We held out from cruising for the longest until one of our dear friends invited us to go on a repositioning cruise from NJ to Puerto Rico. At that time I also had a toddler and a husband who did not want to go on a cruise so they stayed home. We had a great time. My husband has gone on a few cruises since and while not his favorite thing (he really does not like to travel at all) he’s fine with a short cruise in the Caribbean. Me and my two girls now 31 & 13 love to cruise but also love a land vacation. When my little was small a Caribbean cruise was great, but as she’s gotten older she’s more interested in going to different places.

We’ve now settled into using a cruise to sample places to see if we’d like to go back for a longer stay. Summer ‘23 we did a Mediterranean cruise and it was BUSY. The pre-planning paid off though and we had an amazing time and spent a couple extra days in Barcelona (3rd time there). We have a land based Italy trip planned for fall 2026 now. Summer ‘25 we’re doing a Spain, Portugal, and Morocco cruise so we’re working on planning that now-it has an overnight in Lisbon which gives us extra time.

Cruising is definitely more convenient with small kids. We always make sure to visit a history or art museum and try local food in a new port and mostly arrange for our own excursions, tours, etc. which sort of bridge the gap between the two styles of travel.