Cruising Myth vs Fact, Round Two

One of my post popular blog posts last year looked at cruising myth vs fact. Despite debunking many of the reasons people had given me for not taking cruises, some of you are still were skeptical (just read the comments section!). So, here we are with cruising myth vs fact, round two.

Myth: The only place to go on a cruise is the Caribbean, Mexico or Alaska.
Fact: What do Asia, Hawaii, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Egypt & Antarctica all have in common? You can cruise to all these destinations!

While the majority of our cruises have been in the Caribbean (I’m a sucker for warm weather & snorkeling, what can I say?) there are vastly more exotic destinations that you can head to on your next cruise vacation. All the major lines now run cruises in Asia, with port stops in China, Japan, India, & everywhere in-between. In my opinion, cruising is one of the best (& definitely one of the most cost effective) ways to see Europe & the Middle East. Who doesn’t have an Antarctica or a  Galapagos cruise on their bucket list?

Myth: Okay, so even if I do go to an interesting port, it’s going to be insanely crowded.
Fact (through example): Charlotte Amelie, St. Thomas is a cruise port staple. There can be as many as five ships in port at the same time, plus the giant Allure of the Seas (which has its own dock). But if you play your cards right, you have an an entire beach almost to yourself.

A little advanced planning can work wonders when you’re heading out on a cruise, especially in the Caribbean. When you’re planning your day in port, check cruise ship schedules to see who else might be in port with you (websites like Virgin Islands now collects the information). Last time we were in St. Thomas, we were in good company with four other ships, so we decided to take the ferry to tranquil St. John. With a little extra effort, we had a secluded beach to enjoy for the day.

Myth: I get super nauseous every time I fly/am a passenger in a car/ride the train, so there’s no way I won’t get seasick.
Fact: It’s different for everyone & different on every ship.

For instance: I got pretty sea sick on the ferry ride from St. Thomas to St. John – something that has never happened to me before. On our last cruise, the seas were so calm that there were times that B & I actually asked each other “Is the ship still moving?” If you didn’t look out the window, especially at night, it was so smooth you didn’t even know you were on a ship.

We’ve also cruises with tropical weather, where the seas were so rough they had to close the pools & you literally had to hold onto the railings to walk. But those motions were so exaggerated that I didn’t feel sick.

There are many over the counter (& prescription) things you can do: patches, wristbands, etc. – you see these all over the ship. I’d say that if you want to try cruising, but are prone to sea sickness, to choose a large ship (they handle the seas better & are more modern, which means the horizontal stabilizers are more advanced), choose a cabin in the middle of the ship, on a lower deck (think of it like a bobbing cork).

Myth: I might not get sea sick, but I’m definitely going to get norovirus (aka the cruise ship virus!)
Fact: There were eight instances in all of 2014. Does it happen? Sure. But you can help yourself out by washing your hands a bunch – especially before eating – & liberally using the hand sanitizer which is all over the ship. If you’re not feeling well, do yourself & your fellow passengers a favor & head down to the medical facility for a free check up. Worse comes worse, you’re going to be spending a lot of time on your balcony for a few days – which is definitely better than getting an entire ship sick.

So… what do you think? Are you convinced? Any other myths I can bust on cruising? Bring ’em on in the comments section! Otherwise, get out there & enjoy your cruise!