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Exploding some myths about cruising...

#1) You can't feel the movement on such a big ship.
Ha! And again I say, ha! We haven't had any less than "Moderate Seas" since we sailed, which is 4-7.5 foot waves.

#2) The corollary to #1 - you won't get seasick on such a big ship because you can't feel the movement anyway.
MAJOR HA! I don't think I'm a wimp when it comes to physical pain. I live with it daily. But I don't like nausea. I don't take a lot of pain meds because the nausea is worse to me than having the pain.

And I can't recall ever suffering from motion sickness. So I came on a cruise to discover it! Me and a whole lot of other people. The clinic was doing a booming business handing out pills for seasickness.

I'm taking ginger capsules for seasickness. I'm wearing wrist bands for seasickness. I'm taking pills for seasickness. Guess what? I'm still seasick.

#3) You get a decent sized cabin which could accommodate 3 people. Just look at the pictures - it looks like a fair sized room!
If 3 people are going to be in the room, one is going to hang from the ceiling, and you have to take turns walking around. The beds are luxury camp cots. Nice enough, but very narrow. About half a twin sized bed. Don't turn over too vigorously at night or you will find yourself on the floor!

Also, do NOT grin while in the bathroom or you will chip the enamel off your teeth.

#4) Once you pay your fare, cruising is free.
Fat chance. Even at the bare minimum, you have to pay a mandatory "service fee", which goes to all the workers. This takes the place of tipping, so there is some merit to it, but still.

Then if you want anything to drink besides water, milk, juice or tea, and this at the restaurants, you have to pay. There is a fridge in each room stocked with all kinds of booze and some soft drinks. Of course they keep track and you pay for everything you use. So if you want to drink anything while in your room, you pay. Including water.

If you want to use the internet, you pay.
If you want to use ship to shore phone service, you pay.
If you want to go on a shore excursion, you pay.
If you want to eat something besides the buffet day after day, you pay.

Get the picture?

Oh yeah, and you're going to pay for those too! They take bunches, and sooner or later you're going to succumb and buy one ....

Other things you don't think about...

You're going to walk. A LOT. Everything is at least 1/3 a ship away. And usually up or down. The staterooms are a rabbit warren of confusion. Learning to get from your room to a restaurant is a lab experiment. The cheese is at the restaurant, and all the little mice must figure out how to get through the maze from their room to the food.

Cruise ships are big malls with a captive audience. There are jewelry shops every where you look. And all kinds of other shops too!

Cruising is an experience. There are a lot of negative things I didn't consider, but every so often a moment of pure joy pops up through the miasma of nausea, like when the scenery changes to something wonderful (skies and sea get boring after a while).

Stay tuned. I'll have to wait for a fuller reporting when I get back, but I'll post more as time and connections allow.

And be kind and pray for me that the nausea goes away....

2 comments:

I hope the rest of the cruise goes alot better. Being seasick knocks you off your feet. I will pray you can get ahead of it and stay ahead of it.

 

Not sure when you'll read this, but hopefully, by the time you do, your nausea problem will have disappeared! I was empathising with you, remembering back to all seven months of my preganancy, and always feeling as though I was going to puke. I tried the seabands too! So, I know how nausea can be soo not fun. I'd tell ya to take Dramamene (sp?), but who wants to be TIRED on vacation?! Hopefully things will start looking up a bit more as you reach Alaska, and you'll have some fabulous shore excursion stories to tell! LOVE YOU!