Husband is reluctant to cruise...

[ready4mouse]

So, my hubby is really not looking forward to our cruise. We have a 4-night Bahamas cruise on the Dream, followed by 4 nights at WDW.

He LOVES going to WDW and we try and make sure we get there once a year...the cruise will be our first, but for some reason, he is not excited. Last night he said he can't wait for that part to be over so he can get to the "real" vacation.

He has never been on any cruise before, so he thinks he'll feel trapped and stuck on the boat.

I'm looking for some encouraging stories from people that weren't too excited to go but ended up loving it...please tell me they're out there!

 

[MagicMe]

OMG!! This was my youngest son completely.

I originally booked him and his old girlfriend for a cruise (with his brother/wife and myself and my mom) in 2008. Unfortunately, he broke up with his girlfriend prior to the cruise and didn't want to go alone as a solo so we canceled his cabin. Fast forward to 2011 and I booked the exact same itinerary (4 day cruise/4 days WDW) for myself, my oldest and his wife and the youngest (we're talking 30) and his new girlfriend.

Listened for months about "nothing to do on a ship", "I'm going to be so bored", etc. etc. Even with his older brother trying to tell him there is plenty to do, he just whined and complained and said the same thing as your husband - only going because they were going to have four days at WDW after.

I did book us all for the sea lion encounter which did interest him so that helped.

Now even before we were half way through the cruise he was eating his words and totally admitting it!!!! He loved it. He especially loved the attention to detail on a Disney cruise like when we were coming back from Nassau in the light rain how the CM's met us on the ramp with warm hot towels to put around our necks - he noticed immediately that the ship docked across from us got none of that!

He works nights so he has to adjust his schedule prior to going on any vacation but he loved getting up early to see the sun rise up on the top deck. He loved the on-demand movies in the cabins. And they really fell in love with CC.

He's now saving and planning for a 7-day Fantasy cruise!!!

 

[cgolf]

So, my hubby is really not looking forward to our cruise. We have a 4-night Bahamas cruise on the Dream, followed by 4 nights at WDW.

He LOVES going to WDW and we try and make sure we get there once a year...the cruise will be our first, but for some reason, he is not excited. Last night he said he can't wait for that part to be over so he can get to the "real" vacation.

He has never been on any cruise before, so he thinks he'll feel trapped and stuck on the boat.

I'm looking for some encouraging stories from people that weren't too excited to go but ended up loving it...please tell me they're out there!

I was that guy 5 years or so ago, and can't wait for our 8th cruise this January. I am also pushing DW to do a cruise for my 40th in december either on DCL or another line.

I thought I would feel trapped and be bored out of my mind, which never happened. Actually I found myself to be busy as much as I wanted, and the downtime is soo peaceful being out in the middle of nowhere with nothing better to do then shut the brain down and relax for a while. It is very thereputic for me with my high stress job to be completly unplugged from the outside world.

cgolf

 

[skylynx]

When my DH booked our first cruise, a 4-day Bahamian trip like yours, I wasn't sure I'd like cruising, either. I tended to think about the cruises my parents had gone on which in the re-telling seemed less than thrilling and defined by bingo and Love Boat-era lounge music. Still, I figured if I'd like any cruise, I'd like a Disney cruise.

15 Disney cruises later, I can tell you I froth at the mouth to get on those ships, and make a point booking our next two cruises the first day they let you do on-board booking ('cause the lines get really long towards the end of the cruise when cruise evangelism sets in for a lot of folks).

If you and your DH love the theming and music and characters and the special touches of Walt Disney World, the cruise is all that along with destinations that float to you. And if the two of you enjoy tropical beaches, your day at Castaway Cay will be unlikely to disappoint. Get off the ship early, ride the tram out to Serenity Bay and snag yourself a hammock. One look at the Navigator should show you there's more to do than any mortal couple could ever have time for. There's casual dining, formal dining, walk-up ice cream, hamburger, hot dog, and pizza stations. Great shows in the theaters and adult nightlife if you like it, uncrowded upper decks in the evening if you don't.

Your mileage may vary, but I think you'd have to work pretty hard to be bored on a Disney cruise. I mean, there's an ocean out there! And stars to watch at night, flying fish off the bow, the lights of other ships, the sound of the waves and the wind....There's music and movies and trivia games and many, many places to get comfortably horizontal with or without an adult beverage (and, in my case, my headphones and Zune loaded with 70's tunes!) My kids are grown now but I love to watch little kids interact with the characters.

Even if your DH ends up not falling in love with cruising, he'll probably still find things about it he really enjoys, like unbroken romantic time with you, and won't be just enduring it waiting for the roller coaster part to begin. Four days is NOT a long time-but a good test of the waters.

Let us know how it works out. Dimes to dollars you'll get off the ship with a 7-day booked for next year!

 

[shandrananette]

We only got my dad to go on the first cruise because he loves his grandson very much. He loves Disneyland and whined and complained about being trapped on a ship endlessly. Like PP said, within hours he had completely changed his tune and we'd rebooked for cruise number 2. (Side note, he said the same thing about Hawaii, but substitute "island" for "ship". Apparently he likes being proved wrong, because he ate his words on that, too).

 

[darkwing818]

I was that guy 5 years or so ago, and can't wait for our 8th cruise this January. I am also pushing DW to do a cruise for my 40th in december either on DCL or another line.

I thought I would feel trapped and be bored out of my mind, which never happened. Actually I found myself to be busy as much as I wanted, and the downtime is soo peaceful being out in the middle of nowhere with nothing better to do then shut the brain down and relax for a while. It is very thereputic for me with my high stress job to be completly unplugged from the outside world.

cgolf

I was that guy 12 years ago !! So now 10 cruises later (& 4 more scheduled) I think, I actually look forward more to the cruise than our time at WDW, which we still do before & after our Disney cruise .

 

[CamColt]

When DH and I got married in 1995 he wanted to go on a cruise for our honeymoon and I wanted to go to Hawaii. I didn't think I would like the idea of a tiny room and being stuck on a ship. He convinced me to do the cruise by also booking a WDW trip after the cruise.

Well, even though this was on the Big Red Boat, we both fell in love with cruising on that trip. 12 DCL's and 2 NCL's later (with 2 more DCL booked) I am so glad I was talked into giving a cruising a try...although I still want to get to Hawaii.

 

[missyp]

So, my hubby is really not looking forward to our cruise. We have a 4-night Bahamas cruise on the Dream, followed by 4 nights at WDW.

He LOVES going to WDW and we try and make sure we get there once a year...the cruise will be our first, but for some reason, he is not excited. Last night he said he can't wait for that part to be over so he can get to the "real" vacation.

He has never been on any cruise before, so he thinks he'll feel trapped and stuck on the boat.

I'm looking for some encouraging stories from people that weren't too excited to go but ended up loving it...please tell me they're out there!

My husband was not having any part of any cruise. He is an out doorsy kind of guy that thought being trapped on a boat wasn't for him. Unfortunately I ended up with breast cancer. To celebrate being cancer free he wanted to take me wherever I wanted to go and therefore..... we went on a DISNEY CRUISE!!! Well he is hooked!! He loves it and we booked a second cruise shortly after we returned. He said he never felt so relaxed.

 

[LyndaC]

My brother resisted cruising for years. Then last year, after he booked a trip to Las Vegas for his honeymoon, he and his fiance were visiting us as I was finishing up booking a DCL Alaska cruise out of Vancouver for 2 days after their upcoming wedding. It was the first sailing of the season, and it wasn't booking well, so there were IGT, OGT and VGT rates. The bride was really interested and excited about our cruise, so they booked it too (IGT) and he fully expected to not enjoy it, but to do what she wanted for their honeymoon.

It was perfect, they both fell in love with cruising, and it proved to us that this is the perfect way to have a family vacation, you come and go as you please, meeting for dinner and then spending as much or as little time together as you want.

 

[Moxin]

That was me in 1998. A 4 day cruise on the Magic cured me. Have never done anything shorter than a 7 day since!!!

I bet money he's hooked after!

 

[delo4]

Well we had kind of the same problem. My husband thought he might like cruising , but I was pretty convinced he was going to be bored. I thought he was going to lose his mind being on a ship,for 7 days. My mom who cruised with us thought for sure my husband would not enjoy himself and would not find enough to do.

Well, we are going on DCL cruise #24 in December, so,he proved us all wrong!!!

 

[Four Swampers]

So, my hubby is really not looking forward to our cruise. We have a 4-night Bahamas cruise on the Dream, followed by 4 nights at WDW.

He LOVES going to WDW and we try and make sure we get there once a year...the cruise will be our first, but for some reason, he is not excited. Last night he said he can't wait for that part to be over so he can get to the "real" vacation.

He has never been on any cruise before, so he thinks he'll feel trapped and stuck on the boat.

I'm looking for some encouraging stories from people that weren't too excited to go but ended up loving it...please tell me they're out there!

I cruised on a different line 14 years ago. I did not care for it too much: not bad, just not terribly fun. I decided I did not need to cruise ever again.

Then, four years ago, DCL had a last minute deal on an inside cabin on a three night Bahamas cruise on the Wonder. I knew I would hate that, especially the "boring" day at Disney's private island. I booked the trip anyway, because I thought my girls would enjoy it. Halfway through the cruise, I couldn't wait to go again.

Since then, my daughters have been on a total of seven DCL cruises, I have been on eight (one with just my wife, no kids), and my wife has been on eleven (including 2 with her best friend and one "Moms' Trip" with nine friends). We'll be on the Magic in two months, along with my wife's best friend and her family.

By the way, Castaway Cay was NOT boring. I had a blast, and I don't like to sit on a beach. So I did not sit on the beach. We snorkeled, rode bikes, did the stingray adventure, had an awesome lunch.

Frankly, you should be afraid that your husband will love it so much that he will spend all of your money on repeat DCL cruises. That's what I do!

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

So, my hubby is really not looking forward to our cruise. ...............

He has never been on any cruise before, so he thinks he'll feel trapped and stuck on the boat.

I'm looking for some encouraging stories from people that weren't too excited to go but ended up loving it...please tell me they're out there!

I too am that guy. When my wife brought up a cruise I thought that it was going to be too long, too boring, too crowded, etc.

So I agreed with one exception, we had to spend some time in the parks before the cruise. And that is what we did for the first couple of cruises.

Well; now I'm hooked on cruising. We still spend at least one night at one of the WDW resorts before the cruise but we don't go into any of the parks. For me the longer the cruise with the most sea days is the best.

Can't guarantee your husband will feel the same way after your cruise but I highly suggest trying it at least once. He too may love cruising DCL

 

[insureman]

That was me 8 years ago. My wife set up the land/sea package up with a TA and I didn't want anything to do it. The WDW part was OK but after spending 4 years on a haze gray ship in the Navy I was having mid-watch flashbacks remembering all those boring hours. Now after 13 cruises I'm one of the nuts on this board and can't think of a better vacation.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

Fun thread!

Add my husband to the list who didn't like the idea of being on a ship for 7 days. "What is there to DO?" Neither of us had ever cruised before, but my sister and her family had cruised Princess and told us how wonderful cruising was (unpacking once, warm Caribbean waters, nonstop food.)

I was finally able to convince him for us to take our (then) 7 year-old DD over spring break 2002. This is when airlines and DCL were still trying to lure passengers/customers back, after 9/11. We got a super-great deal on both, (airfare and cruise.) As we were walking down the gangway before we boarded, my husband said, "Well, here goes. I'm actually going to do this." (Not so enthusiastically.) Less than 24 hours later, we were at the future booking desk (HIS suggestion.) We'll be on our 12th Disney cruise in February, and have taken 8 other cruises on Carnival. Disney, of course is our favorite.

 

[mickeynut1]

So, my hubby is really not looking forward to our cruise. We have a 4-night Bahamas cruise on the Dream, followed by 4 nights at WDW.

He LOVES going to WDW and we try and make sure we get there once a year...the cruise will be our first, but for some reason, he is not excited. Last night he said he can't wait for that part to be over so he can get to the "real" vacation.

He has never been on any cruise before, so he thinks he'll feel trapped and stuck on the boat.

I'm looking for some encouraging stories from people that weren't too excited to go but ended up loving it...please tell me they're out there!

My DH and I have cruised in the past and are taking our first DCL cruise in December with our two DSs who have never cruised. Our oldest is hesitant, but is becoming more open to the idea as it gets closer. With that said, I felt exactly like your DH when we were planning our first cruise (many, many years ago). I assumed it was going to be boring with no where to escape to if we wanted to. Well, my views totally changed the minute we walked onto the ship. There is so much to do on cruise ships and you can do everything, nothing, or something in between. The food alone is worth it as you can eat anything you want anytime you want......and the food is amazing. My feelings of being stuck on a boat with no where to go quickly vanished and I am so glad I tried cruising because it really is a great vacation. We love WDW, so I can only imagine how much we are going to love cruising with Disney. I think your DH will have a great time once he gets on the ship .

 

[eblong]

My wife dragged me (well, at least worked hard to comvince me) on our first cruise - a 7 day Western Caribbean, for our Anniversary. It didn't take me long to get the fever. We depart on our 14th this Saturday, have 2 more booked and will book another when we get on board for this cruise.

I absolutely love the longer cruises. We've only done a couple cruises that were less than 7 days, and I even consider a 7-day cruise to be a short one. The 3 & 4 day cruises seem to be over as soon as they start and have a very hectic pace comared to the 7+ day cruises.

Admitted, the folks on the DisBoards DCL forum tend to be a bit fanatical, but - then again - we've found something to be fanatical about.

 

[TChrist05]

My DW wanted nothing to do with a Disney cruise. All those screaming kids....yada yada yada....so she finally agreed. Well, we have done 31 cruises so far and two more this year. Needless to say we spend a load of money on cruising but still spend at least 4 days at WDW before each cruise.

 

[LivinADream]

Yeah just over 2 years ago that was me too. We went on the Dream 4 day to see if we might like it. Well found out quickly 4 days just not enough so last Oct we did a 7 day on the Fantasy and the only thing that really sucked was getting off the ship knowing that we had to wait till Nov 30th this year because we booked another 7 day while on board. Now I'm just hoping ill be good to go by then because I'm sitting here in the hospital writing this, had a total hip replacement yesterday. Dr says should be good to go by Thanksgiving so hoping for a little Pixie dust everything works out.

 

[TinkGirl]

I was really worried that my husband and kids (20, 18, and 16) would not enjoy a cruise. Husband, especially does not like to sit. We were completely blown away with our Dream cruise in July. We rebooked onboard. I have to say we enjoyed it as much if not more than our DVC trips to WDW.