My Honest Pros & Cons Of Cruising On Large Ships
Call this the year of cruises for me. I haven’t stayed on a ship since 2005 when I went on a spring break cruise with my parents and sister in high school.
And yet, 20 years later…I just went on a “spring break” cruise with my parents and sister. Seriously, though, this year I went from zero cruises in 20 years to 2 (okay, minus a small cruise in Halong Bay during our honeymoon).
To be fair, the Galapagos cruise back in January was a tiny ship of about 16 guests. A far different cry from a 3,000+ guest large cruise ship. And they notably had a lot of differences.
Now after this trip, I can honestly say, these larger ships are not for me. This isn’t to hate on cruises or anyone who takes them (they’re literally my parents’ favorite way to travel), and this isn’t going to bash on large cruise ships.
But they’re just not my style. Did I have fun? Of course! And I saw SO much during my time on the cruise. But let’s talk about some pros/cons of cruising so you can decide whether you want to take a cruise soon.
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Pros of Cruising
Okay, let’s start with the positives (because there are quite a few!). Let’s talk about it.
1. It is a Great Way to See a Lot in a Little Amount of Time.
If you’re an American like myself, you probably are well aware of the very few days off work we get in a year.
Unlike those we see backpacking for 3 months from Australia or Europeans on their month-long August jaunt, we’re lucky to get 2 weeks off work a year. So we try to make those count.
This is why cruising can be a really good thing. That’s because you can see a TON of places in a short amount of time.
On our 11-day cruise, we got to visit Koper, Slovenia, Split and Dubrovnik in Croatia, Kotor, Montenegro, Corfu, Greece, Valetta, Malta, Sicily, Pompeii from Naples, Florence, Nice, and ended in Rome.
In total, we were in 7 countries in just 11 days! And we even spent time in Venice and Rome at the beginning/end of the trip.
It was cool to see so much during a shorter time. Plus, if you are undecided on where to vacation, this is a great way to “sample” places and choose where you may want to come back and spend more time later.
We all fell in love with Sicily and said we have to come back.
2. You Don’t Have to Move Your Luggage.
I will say, as much as I love hopping around to various destinations in Europe, it was nice to keep my suitcase in one place for several days.
I let it stay open on our couch and didn’t have to worry about constantly packing/repacking all the time. Honestly, this was so great and much easier, because our transportation was our hotel.
3. Great For Those With Limited Mobility.
While the destinations we visited didn’t always have great infrastructure for those with limited mobility, the cruise ship offers a quite a bit.
Between the fact that you don’t have to move your stuff every few days and there are elevators around the ship, it made things much easier for my mom who has knee issues. I can definitely see the draw in a cruise ship to 1) see a lot in a little amount of time and 2) not have to worry about getting around because the boat does a lot of it for you.
4. Great For Solo Travelers.
We actually met some solo travelers on the boat, and they loved cruising!
Because let’s be honest, after the age of 25, you’re easily the oldest person at a hostel. Hostels are a great way to meet people in your early 20s because you’re going on free walking tours, sharing a kitchen, sharing rooms, etc., so you naturally meet other travelers and make fast friends. But after 25, you’re the oldest one there usually and you just don’t relate to those in their early 20s as much (speaking from experience here).
Enter cruising. This is another great way to meet people on excursions, at bars on the ship, at dinner, etc. There are so many events and things happening on the cruise that you can meet people and make friends like you would at a hostel but without staying at a hostel.
5. So Many Activities On the Ship.
Between the many restaurants, bars, shows, dance parties, live music, and other entertainment options, there is always something going on the ship.
While we didn’t have any days at sea, it’s hard to get bored on a day at sea because you could go to the pool, shop, gamble at the casino, bar hop on board, and just explore the ship. There is always something going on.
6. Good For Families.
This is also a great option for families. This is because these larger ships tend to have kids clubs and other things for kids like their own pools, arcade, games, club, etc.
If you have kids, they have so many chances to have fun and make friends!
Cons of Cruising
Okay, let’s get into the cons of cruising.
1. It Doesn’t Always Contribute to the Local Economy.
Some stops were right at your destination, like Split. We walked off the boat, went on a tour by a local, ate lunch, got gelato, and even shopped at an outdoor market nearby.
The thousands of people going off the ship likely contributed to Split’s economy that day by exploring and eating off the boat.
However, in places like “Florence,” the stop was actually in Livorno, which is 1.5 hours from Florence. So rather than contributing to Livorno’s local economy, most of us (ourselves included) went to Florence, where we did explore, visit a museum, eat, etc.
Sure, cruise ships may or may not slightly contribute to local economies, but because we’re only in a spot for like a few hours, it doesn’t do much other than flood the city.
Whereas actually staying in a hotel, paying the hotel tourism tax, eating more, doing more in the city, etc. does have a more significant impact to the local economy than cruising.
2. So MANY Hidden Costs.
Okay, this may be a large cruise ship thing. Because I just got a brochure in the mail from a smaller, river cruise company that said they don’t have all these hidden costs.
But, if we’re discussing large cruise ships, the hidden costs are a little ridiculous. We booked the “Free At Sea” package with Norwegian Cruise Line, and while that included 2 specialty restaurant nights, if you wanted to eat anywhere that wasn’t their main dining rooms, buffet, or the Irish pub, you had to pay extra for specialty dining.
And with 11 days on a ship, the free spots got a little old after a while.
Then, there is the service charge for room service. Paying for a latte (yes, only coffee and tea were included in our beverage packages, no specialty coffee drinks). Paying for nicer wines. Paying for photography that they try to sell you.
And what drove me the most nuts was how they wanted you to buy water bottles. They had a water package. I just refilled my water at the water station at the buffet. But, because they don’t like you directly filling your bottle there, you had to fill up cups at the buffet and funnel it into your bottle.
It’s hard to not feel a little nickel and dimed on these ships. I would rather pay a higher price up front for an actual all-inclusive experience than a cheaper price with SO many things added on.
3. Not Enough Time at a Destination.
This was the toughest part. While I appreciated being able to see a lot in a little amount of time, the issue with that is you really don’t get to dive into a place.
Some spots we really only had like 5 hours. That isn’t enough time to really see a destination, enjoy its food, and learn more about its culture at all.
Sure, it’s better than nothing, but I wish we had more time in each spot to really explore it more and better understand it.
4. It’s Just Too Many People.
Guys, we were on a smaller boat of about 3,000 people. But it was still 3,000 people. Elevators were always a mess (I mostly just took the stairs instead). There were lines everywhere, and illness spreads so quickly on board.
Thankfully, we didn’t have any norovirus incidents or any COVID/flu outbreaks. But, I was still a little sniffly at the end. It happens when there are a lot of people sharing buffets and space together constantly.
As a bit of a germaphobe, I didn’t love the amount of people on board.
5. Ports Aren’t Always Next to the Town They Advertise.
This I mentioned a bit above. For us, we started our trip in Venice. However, large cruise ships no longer dock in Venice. They dock in Trieste.
This is a 2-hour train ride from Venice and is next to Slovenia.
The same with Florence being advertised. It’s inland and about 1.5 hours from Livorno, where we docked. So while our excursion was “Florence On Your Own,” and was 9 hours long, between getting there and back, we only had about 5 hours in the city to explore.
I get it that not every port in a destination that is popular, but it is good to know this ahead of time if you’re thinking about cruising anytime soon.
Okay, there it is. These were my pros/cons of large cruise ships. I don’t want to complain too much. I really had a great time exploring this area of Europe (especially Montenegro, Slovenia, and Croatia!).
And it was a great way to see a lot and it was even more special to spend this amount of time with my parents.
But at the end of the day, cruising just wasn’t for me. It’s no big deal. And if you enjoy cruising then go for it! There are a lot of pros for it!
I’d still love to try a smaller ship river cruise or something too! I feel like that may have a completely different feel.
But overall, these are my honest thoughts about cruising! What are your thoughts?