Is a 15 day cruise too much for frist time cruisers??

[ALK$Disney]

Hello,

We booked our first ever cruise for next year's 15-day Hawaii. My family and I have never been on a cruise, heck I have never been on a boat..well the steamboat at Disneyland, but I am sure that does not count.

Is a 15 day cruise a bit too much for us? We really don't know what to expect and how our bodies will react being at sea for such a long time. Either way, we will find out because we are booked to go.

 

[woody73]

With so many sea days, it's hard to predict the sea conditions.

If anyone in your group is prone to motion sickness, he or she might prefer to start with a shorter cruise.

Woody

 

[firstcruise]

It all depends on the people going and what they like/don't like to do. For me 15 days is the most amount that I could do. We were on the PC repo in January and after 3 days on the boat was ready to get off at a port. I like to stretch my legs and move around at times, yet walking deck 4 just wasn't cutting it after 3 days. Needed some firm ground.

Can't say I'd do a 15 day cruise for my first time, but I know you will have fun for 15 days!

 

[joksten2000]

I enjoy sea days but remember you'll have about 11 sea days on this cruise. That's why when we decided to go to Hawaii they point was to see the most of the islands we could. So we decided to sail on the Rhapsody of the Seas. The cruise started in Vancouver and ended in Hawaii. So we had 5 sea days and 7 days in the islands. Since the cruise ended in the islands we were able to stay a couple extra days. If we were on a trans Atlantic we'd look forward to sea days, but how many times are you going to be able to see Hawaii?

 

[mtmbyck]

I don't normally get motion sick and yet I have been on ships that have made me sick. If you have sea days, it will no doubt bother one of your family so best to be prepared and take the motions pills at the start. Do you have a cabin with a balcony? For me 7 days is the most I would venture. Even when you stop at a port every day, you do get sea legs on land.

Don't let anyone tell you big ships have stabilizers and you don't feel the motion. Not true. You will feel the motion although it might not bother your family.

 

[gismo1554]

OK giving my other half's position here.

We did a 14 night cruise last year, first cruise for him not for me. He enjoyed it which shocked me a little lol as the week before he was having major issues with the idea of 5 straight sea days and all the formality of it. According to him, the positives definately outweighed the negatives (mainly not seeing land lol) and he would do it again (doing a 4 day this year just to go on the Dream).

Truth is though, if the weather had been bad for those 5 sea days I'm not sure how he would have coped. He spent 1 day feeling ropey and that was when we were in the med (bit of choppy water).

It really is kind of a personal choice. Definately try the Sea bands and take some pills for the first couple of days as it will allow you to kind of settle into it. Try and eat regularly even if you feel queasy as honestly it can help. I found an inside room better than an outside room on our last cruise but its personal choice.

 

[Brooklyn]

My first cruise was the 14 night transatlantic. We loved it so much that by the time I sail on this hawaii cruise it will be cruise #12. We LOVE LOVE LOVE the long cruises. We are so excited to see Hawaii but equally excited for the sea days! DCL packs the sea days with so much to do that we tend to leave disappointed that we missed some things! The added entertainment, menus and activities are also great. DCL goes out of their way on these long cruises. Sea conditions can def be rough to and from Hawaii but we also had a very rough day in the Med last year. You just never know. So excited for this Hawaii cruise!!!

 

[lbgraves]

It will spoil you so that when you do a 7 night cruise it will seem way too short.

 

[MagicMe]

It will spoil you so that when you do a 7 night cruise it will seem way too short.

this was my thoughts exactly. You will be very spoiled!!!

 

[sayhello]

Boy, that's hard to say. What I will say is that if you don't like it, or have a bad reaction to being on the ship, you have a LONG time until you hit land. I took the 11-night Med cruise, and the only thing that saved me was spending all day on shore before having to get back on the ship. Even that wasn't quite enough, and I spent most of the cruise feeling really "off". I really wasn't able to enjoy all the ship had to offer because I was just feeling so lousy for the whole trip.

That's not to say it wasn't a fabulous vacation, but it made me really appreciate land tours even more...

Sayhello

 

[ibouncetoo]

I see you are in Long Beach...any chance you can grab a weekend Encenada cruise on a last minute sale to test the waters, so to speak?

.

 

[Evan&Kimberly]

In my honest opinion, I think 15 days is to long for a first time cruiser especially the Hawaii cruise you will have so many sea days and you just don’t know how you will adapt. I love to cruise and if I could spend my life living on a cruise ship I I would. Many of us on these boards love to cruise but there are many that have cruised before and didn’t enjoy it for numerous reasons. I think that you should definitely try a 3 or 4 day cruise to sea how you do at sea. Good luck and happy cruising

 

[drparoo]

Personally, I think you'll be fine, but I'm pretty easy.

 

[NancyIL]

Boy, that's hard to say. What I will say is that if you don't like it, or have a bad reaction to being on the ship, you have a LONG time until you hit land. I took the 11-night Med cruise, and the only thing that saved me was spending all day on shore before having to get back on the ship. Even that wasn't quite enough, and I spent most of the cruise feeling really "off". I really wasn't able to enjoy all the ship had to offer because I was just feeling so lousy for the whole trip.

That's not to say it wasn't a fabulous vacation, but it made me really appreciate land tours even more...

Sayhello

I agree that for the person who doesn't feel well, 15 days will seem like an eternity. With only 4 days in port in Hawaii plus a few hours in Ensenada, there's not much time to enjoy being on land.

I would take a shorter cruise first to make sure you like cruising before investing the time and money to cruise to Hawaii.

 

[sayhello]

I agree that for the person who doesn't feel well, 15 days will seem like an eternity. With only 4 days in port in Hawaii plus a few hours in Ensenada, there's not much time to enjoy being on land.

I would take a shorter cruise first to make sure you like cruising before investing the time and money to cruise to Hawaii.

I totally agree. The good thing is, they have plenty of time to do that before the paid in full date for this cruise, and, living in Long Beach, plenty of opportunity.

Sayhello

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

DW and I enjoy the days at sea. There has always been plenty of activities for us to do; we've never been bored. We did the Wonder Panama Canal cruise with many sea days; but no more than two in a row. DW is pron to motion sickness and we both use the 24 hour Dramimine. Starting the night before the cruise, just before turning in for the night. Neither of us have been sick.

If you are hesitant at all; maybe you should start out with a shorter cruise. With as many sea days in a row both getting there and back, with so few days on shore maybe starting out with a shorter cruise wouldn't be such a bad idea.

 

[Melcatfish]

DH & I took our first cruise for our honeymoon and it was 14 nights. I had a couple of times when the rough seas made me a little nauseous but I took some motion sickness pills and was fine. We loved it and have cruised several times since and it has become our vacation of choice. It never occurred to me when I booked my honeymoon that a long cruise wasn't a good option for newbies - I think it will work out fine so long as you go prepared with appropriate motion sickness remedies should you need them.

Mel
x

 

[Anal Annie]

While I personally would love to have a 14 or 15 night cruise I WOULDN'T want THAT many sea days in a row. We like to cruise for the ports and I think a couple of sea days in a row but sprinkled throughout the cruise would be best. I agree with others who've suggested that you "test" out cruising before you commit to paying off the balance.


(PS) I thought the Med was supposed to be pretty calm?! I don't remember reading about any rough seas before. Where have I been?! We had some rough seas in the Pacific on the Mexican Riviera cruise back in '05. Can anybody compare the Med to that?!

 

[BlondeJungleBookFan]

My sister and I took a 14 day Hawaii cruise.
I travel all the time and had cruised before and everything is an adventure for me....but... my sister had never flown, been on a cruise or even seen the ocean before.

So, I called her and asked her your question. (She's in her early 60's)

Was 14 days too long for your first cruise now that we're back?
No, everything was so new to me, I had nothing to compare it to.
I enjoyed all the days at sea en route to Hawaii. It got me used to the ship.

I know you get a little motion sickness in the car, how did you feel on the ship?
As you know, the first day or so out of LA was a little rough, and I felt it, but never got sick. I took the Bonine you gave me and was fine and not
worried after that. Didn't take Bonine again until the day we cruised back into LA

Would you do it again as your first cruise?
SURE! the trip and experience was the best. Now, I'm spoiled! the little 4 day we took was way too short.

She also said, that not knowing the difference between port and sea days, she loved spending time on the way back exploring the ship even more.
The cruise she went on later, she said she missed the sea days, as it was port intensive and she felt rushed. She never got to explore the ship much.

 

[gofenmom]

My first cruise was on the Disney Magic -15 days on the EBPC cruise. Jumping in with both feet. I loved the entire cruise, especially the sea days. So I am looking forward to the cruise to Hawaii.