Wendy and I came to cruising rather late – 1997 to be precise.
 
I had always resisted cruises mainly because I saw in my minds eye a guy in a uniform, looking like a car salesman of the 60s, who would insist that I be a good sport and play deck tennis, guess when we crossed the equator then take my place at the bingo game. I knew that I would want to deck him.
 
In 1997 I was asked to lead a tour of the Mediterranean. “Talk show host leads tour etc” – and because the price was right, (free) we decided to do it. The cruise was out of Athens and finished in Dover and I had a marvelous time. The uniformed nuisance was there but likely sensing my antagonism, left me alone so I could spend my day reading, working on my laptop and, in season, drinking. The trip whetted our appetite for more and we’ve been cruising for approximately 3 times every 2 years ever since - and man oh man, have we seen lots of neat places. We’ve been in the Mediterranean 3 or 4 times including Egypt and Israel. We’ve been to Istanbul, Ephesus, the Greek Islands, the Riviera, Spain and Gibraltar. We’ve  done Holland America’s wind sailors (smaller cruise ships with sails that are mostly for show) both in Tahiti and the Med, the Baltic, South America three times, Australia, New Zealand and the Far East, crossed the Atlantic three times the Pacific twice and we’ve been to the Falklands. And on it goes. What are the ships like?
 
Except for size, they’re all much the same. They have a buffet known usually as the Lido for breakfast and lunch (and dinner if you prefer) a dining room, usually at least one more restaurant, a library and lots of room to read and sleep in the outdoors. There are Bridge groups, a casino, and lectures on interesting topics. There are cocktail lounges, some with piano, usually a string quartet and even Karaoke. There is an internet café of course. The entertainment is from fair to excellent – on one cruise we saw Circle de Soleil. If you desire outdoor solitude get a verandah. These days an affordable upgrade to a verandah is nearly always available.
 
There usually two dining times and unless you ask to be seated alone you will join 3 or 4 other couples which arrangement will continue in the days following. Perhaps we’ve been lucky, but if grumpy old Rafe who was clearly meant to be a hermit, with his Wendy as hermitess, of course, can like these dinners, so can you!
 
Is it crowded?
 
The larger the ship, thus more people, simply means more facilities on board. We’ve been on all sizes and have never felt hemmed in and with me bordering on agoraphobia that’s saying something!
 
What the cruise ship offers then is a hotel with free meals which lets it stand up to other means of having a vacation. Think of it, unpack and pack just once, no worry about where to stay that night, no driving and entertainment always at hand. If you examine the options carefully you will see that it is comparatively cheap.
 
What are the downsides?
 
The big one is the excursion when you get into port. These can cost a small fortune and before you sign on use your Google to get the full list. Wendy have decided, long ago, that we don’t need another vineyard, glassblower or cigar manufacturer; we’ve seen all manner of beautiful valleys, large trees and restaurants geared to getting tourists in and out quickly. We tend, then, to do tours of the city which are still pretty pricey. What we often do is join another couple and share a taxi – you’d be surprised at how much you see and learn from cabbies for $100. There is, invariably, a taxi rank at the pier. Often the city centre is within walking distance and you can do it yourself. Obviously reading up on the city makes personal exploration easier.
 
Some would consider several days at sea to be a “downer” though Wendy and I can’t have enough of them. As a collector of books that never get read, the “at sea” days are heaven sent. There are, of course, plenty of trips that have little or no time “at sea” including those in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Baltic and the homegrown Alaska cruise.
 
If you have a yearn to try a cruise but don’t want to spend a lot of money finding out if you really are a cruiser there are plenty of shorter cruiser – the Caribbean and Alaska come to mind. Because Wendy and I are both by birth “wet coasters”, we have not done the Alaska run but all who have seem to love it. It’s reasonable and you don’t have plane fare to contend with.
 
Speaking of plane fares, some cruises include it but with others you can take their way or do it yourself probably on points. If it’s not included and we don’t have enough points we take the cruise company’s suggestions because the price is usually right and you are still under the Cruise Company’s umbrella if some reason planes are delayed and connections missed.
 
Another downer, obviously, is that stops at interesting cities are very short. You can only, at best, get a taste. On the other hand, from a practical point of view, you’re not likely to visit these places on your own. Wendy and I often stay on in the final destination. We did that with Rio de Janiero last year and with Bangkok this year.
 
To cruise or not to cruise?
 
Pick your spot then compute the cost to include shore excursions. If the figures work, by all means cruise. Chances are, like Wendy and me, you’ll be hooked.