“My favorite is when the ship docks somewhere I’ve already visited,” she said. “One time, we were on a ship that docked in Rome. I’ve been there a million times. So everyone else gets out, and it’s just me and my husband on the ship. It’s the perfect antidote to New York life.”
The article is about couples who would rather live on cruise ships. For the pointer I thank the excellent Samir Varma.
1) It must be awesome living at sea, like a pirate. A cousin of mine spent months on a cruise.
2) In a certain, it is like seasteading, allowing one to circumvent land goverment’s red tape and high costs.
3 ) The most confusing part is the article nearby talking about Trump and Shatner – until now, I assumed they were the same person.
I don’t know if I could do it or would want to do it. Too many people in too small a area. I don’t drink or gamble and from what I can tell that is 90% of the entertainment on a cruise ship. I don’t like crowds and prefer hiking in the woods over being in large groups of people. A cruise would be a nightmare.
I do not drink or gamble, but they said something about extracurricular activities. If those guys have enough internet access to work remotely and if I can bring with me a few books, I think I can thrive. People can be acoided most of time, I believe.
The only cruise that I’ve done was a 4 or 5 day river cruise through the Three Gorges area of the Yangtze River. It was fun and scenic, but also confirmed what I’d suspected: cruise trips are not a way that I want to travel in general. There was no gambling on this ship and not a lot of drinking. So meals were a major highlight of each day.
My explanation is that being trapped on a ship puts one into a type of sensory deprivation. Big cruise ships have various activities such as gambling, lounge acts, etc. This river cruise ship had very good scenery to look at. But by virtue of being on the same darned boat all the time (except for shore trips), it’s still essentially a sensory deprivation tank, relieved by the meals which are highlights simply due to providing sensory stimulation.
It’s easy to hook up with people if you go on the right kind of cruise. Alcohol flows freely and your room is not even a car ride away. It’s also easier to commit crimes due to the complexities of maritime law, if that’s what you’re into.
I was on a cruise once where a poor woman died in an accident- alcohol was likely involved. They stored her body below deck, cleaned up the blood, and the cruise proceeded normally. I doubt most people even knew someone had died; I found out through a friend who had witnessed it along with a few other people.
Are there cruises for law-abiding teetotalers? It seems an umderserved niche.
Certainly. They call it the “Navy”.
I doubt there is any fun.
That’s what I thought, too. But there are different cruise lines. Avoid the mass market lines like RCI and Carnival. Avold the 7NC. Choose smaller ships.
Senegal roses closes barns at twelve then strange and smart, these things are deer to me.
I did spend a week on a 101′ old wooden schooner a few years back. I enjoyed it. We were all “crew”. The Captain and first mate were professionals but everyone else was the crew. There were about 20 of us and we stood watch raised and lowered the sails sang the shanties, dropped anchor, cooked the food and swabbed the deck. One of the best vacations I ever took. I would do that again but I never thought it was a cruise.
air in the wind, I gotta go I don’t wanna but I gotta go
~~~~ “It’s the perfect antidote to New York life.”
Yes, being trapped on a boat with thousands of strangers is the perfect getaway from NYC crowds, noise, and high-density living
Well, she said it’s when everyone else gets off the boat.
… a small portion of the cruise, time-wise. maybe she could book a cabin when the ship is in drydock
I’d totally do it if I could.
I don’t like crowds either, but those who think that cruise ships are cramped and crowded have probably never been on a large cruise ship. Either that or they are autistics who live in Iowa corn fields.
My last cruise was 16 years ago. I was always amazed at how there were 2000 guests on the ship plus crew, yet the place felt lightly populated. The ships are even larger today.
… average cruise ship cabin is less than half the size of average hotel room; noise is a big problem unless you choose cabins carefully and can afford$ to be picky. If you only want to flop into some bed at 1 A.M each night…
maybe a chaise lounge by the pool will do. a cruise 16 years ago doesn’t indicate much of an experience base in cruises
Good follow-up read: https://story.californiasunday.com/below-deck.
The ship can’t dock IN Rome. It docks at Civitavecchia, technically part of Rome but 60 km from the center of the city.
I call cruise ships sea prison. But to each his own.
I think the “Walmarts of the Sea” is a good name for them. After you see 300 lbs people lining up to pile mediocre food onto their plates from the buffet, you’ll understand why.
Including the couple featured first in that article. It’s a wonder the ship doesn’t sink!
The lengthening of ownership is afterall a time honored tradition. To have and to hold the dings on minething is a lot like cat whiskers. The cat that goes through the third door owns the world and inhereits the winds.
Interesting sentence to ponder when you consider that Rome doesn’t have a port.
While Cowen’s friend Peter Thiel may consider cruise ships (and his seasteading big adventure) as an escape from oppressive government, I think of Ship of Fools. What I didn’t know (until I googled ship of fools) is that the novel on which Ship of Fools was based by Katherine Anne Porter was in turn based on Book VI of Plato’s Republic. Seafaring has always captured the imagination of creative but probably crazy people, Thiel among them. Ahoy, Matey!
Thread Winner!
I would go stark raving insane if I ever spent more than a day or two on a cruise ship, but my in-laws (who are very close to retirement age) love it and go on a cruise every chance they get. My wife and I are seriously looking into floating retirement homes, which are starting to exist.
A submarine attack could sink your home.
Mar-a-Lago is drowning. https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/5/18/15601016/trump-climate-change-mar-a-lago-sea-level-rise
Mar-a-Lago is three feet above sea level, so he’s got to worry about 300 years from now – if they do absolutely nothing to adjust for the rise. I’m sure that’s top on the list to do.
Only three feet?
Didn’t Albert Gore, Jr., imply that sea levels would rise five feet by next year?
I hope the Trumps have good insurance coferege … or whatever the hell word Trump uses for this.
Hawaii, Honololu, Hioo
This is a risk on land too. Submarine-launched missiles hit land targets all the time. In fact, that’s how Trump bombed Syria!
But submarines are at their best when they try to enforce trade blockades. Brazilian ships were sunk by German submarines in the 1940s. I would hate to have my home mistaken for an enemy ship and sunk. None of my land-based neighbours is a known terrorist so I do not fear being collateral damage of the war on terroriism one way or another. Yep, it can help the same way one can die at an airplane accident if the airplane hits one’s house. It is possible, but, statistically speaking, not boarding a plane lowers one’s chances of dying due to an airplane accident. Likewise, not boarding a ship is the first step to not be attacked by submarines.
I’ve found that the quality of the major cruise lines has declined significantly over the past 5-10 years. Reduced staffing, more paid services, limited buffet hours, fewer shows, etc…
Ten years ago the buffet was open 24/7 and would run extra deserts at night. Now you are lucky if its open for three 3-4 hour periods each day.
How the heck does a person get his or her between-meal meals, then, in such a narrow window? Sheesh.
You have to grease the wheels.
4 17 13
Vaishnava Jana To David and Goliath
135 131 266 4 (26)2 13/13 one people
a,a,a,a a, a, a 4 135 131 5 45/54
262 9
But Nick, who drew blood first?
Giving new meaning to “Escape from New York”.
“Call me Plissken”
“I thought you were dead”
Then again, “If anything’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen out there..”
Hoosier, think hoosier
Went on a cruise for first time last year. Can’t think of anything more depressing than staying on the ship while it was in dock. I couldn’t wait to get off that thing.
I’m kinda digging
the new cryptic commenters
but Haikus are best
Syllables correct
But formatting could use work
Line breaks are your friend
Blast. That didn’t work.
From the looks of morbidly obese Samantha Martin and her husband Andre Neyrey, access to an unlimited buffet is not doing them any good.
I was on a US Navy ammo ship for WestPac 83. I was the only civilian (GS-12), with almost nothing to do while underweigh. It was like a cruise except no scenery apart from when approaching ports. It was great. You learn to appreciate small things. Seeing a flying fish jump is a major event. (It’s similar to being in hospital, in that sense). I recommend both.