As the cruise industry continues to grow at a feverish pace, some of the old myths, misunderstandings, and urban legends about cruises just won’t seem to die. While most of these myths are passed around by those who have never cruised, here are the most common myths about cruising.
Cruising is dangerous – Contrary to naysayers, cruising remains one of the safest ways to take a vacation. I am often reminded from non-cruisers about some of the past incidents that happened on cruise ships years ago.
The fact is this. If cruising was dangerous, there wouldn’t be 26 million people boarding a cruise ship this year. Cruise lines have a record number of cruise ships on order. It just goes to show how safe cruising really is.
I’ll be stuck on a ship and be bored – This is one of the biggest misconceptions among those who have never taken a cruise. I have to admit that it was also a concern of mine before I took my first cruise. I specifically choose a cruise with a port stop every single day so I wouldn’t be “bored” all day on a cruise ship. I quickly found out that I was wrong.
The great thing about a cruise is that you have so many options to choose from each day that you will often have a hard time squeezing everything in. However, some choose to do nothing all day except kick back and relax. The choice is yours and you will have more than a fair share of options to choose from.
Only for newlywed and nearly dead – This old myth about cruising definitely does not apply today. Cruise lines are gearing more of the ships and activities towards families than ever before. This is evident with the water parks/water slides, rock climbing walls, children’s themed areas (Dreamworks, Lego, Dr. Seuss etc), ropes courses, and now even go-karts being added to cruise ships.
A cruise is geared for those of all ages and there is something for everyone. It is important to note that some cruise lines and ships are geared toward older passengers and others to younger passengers. This is where a travel agent can be beneficial in choosing the right cruise line and ship for you. However on nearly every cruise, you will find passengers ranging from toddlers to those who are in their 80’s enjoying retirement.
Cruising is expensive – Most cruises on the major cruise lines are priced between $50-$150 per day per person. Cruises to the Bahamas are often priced less than $40 per day per person.
With 5 night cruises to the Bahamas/Caribbean as low as $279 a person, a cruise offers by far the best “bang for the buck” out of all vacations you can take. When adjusted for inflation, there has never been a cheaper time to take a cruise than in 2018.
I’ll get sick on a cruise – Thanks to the news media calling norovirus the “cruise ship sickness”, there is a common misconception that if you take a cruise, you will get sick. The two most common worries are norovirus and seasickness.
Norovirus tends to spread quickly in areas where there are numerous people in a confined space. This can be in schools, hospitals, dorm rooms, and cruise ships. The only reason you hear about norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships is because cruise lines have to report to the CDC when 3% of the passengers come down with the illness. Schools, hospitals, college dormitories etc. do not have to report outbreaks which means you never hear about them, although they have far more outbreaks than cruise ships.
All ships built in the last several years have stabilizers that help limit rocking to keep the ship as stable as possible. The stabilizers along with the sheer size of modern ships keep seasickness to a minimum. Those who are most prone to motion sickness can wear an acupressure ban/seasickness patch, or take Dramamine or Bonine.
However for the majority of passengers, the fear of getting seasick on a cruise will quickly subside. When sailing in the calm waters of the Caribbean, the cruise ships are so smooth that you will often forget that you are on a ship.
