These Real-Life Pictures From Cruise Ships Made People Think Twice Before Booking A Trip
If you’ve ever been on a cruise before, you know that they can be a blast. Cruise ships are continuing to improve their attractions and entertainment in order to give passengers the best possible experience on the water.
Boarding A Ship – What We Think It’s Like
But, sometimes the advertising can be misleading, you might be shown things that are not really true. There’s no arguing that some ships are enormous and luxurious beyond your wildest dreams. But, others can be small and claustrophobic, with lackluster entertainment that doesn’t live up to the high expectations you’ve set. This article explores all the truths behind going on a cruise, so prepare yourself.
Boarding The Ship – What It’s Really Like
The reality is, you have to wait in line for about an hour just staring at the cruise ship that you’ve been dreaming about for months. It’s basically like dangling an ice cream cone in front of a three-year-old’s face. The entire process takes even longer than airport boarding and it exhausts you up so much that you start losing excitement to finally be on board. Yes, you heard it right, the boarding process takes a painstakingly long time.
The Pool Area – What We Think It’s Like
The pool area is usually one of the biggest selling points of a cruise ship. Much like the hot tub, when you envision yourself at the pool on your cruise ship, you think of it much like a private pool on a beach with water slides. It’s almost like a water park on the top of your cruise ship and you’re the only person having to wait in line. But, that’s not the case, the picture is not really as rosy as it is shown.
The Pool Area – What It’s Really Like
Instead, you have to realize that everyone else is thinking exactly like you. The pool is the number one place for all vacationers. It’s always extremely jam-packed and the pools are always smaller than you think they are. Some ships have multiple pools so you don’t have everyone surrounding one area and give everyone the opportunity to swim, but still, it’s never going to live up to your expectations.
The Bathroom – What It’s Really Like
Again, if you’ve never been on a cruise ship, you’re probably pretty confused as to what to expect with your bathroom. You probably differ back to what you know hotel bathrooms usually look like and then you get a picture in your head. Will there be marble countertops? Maybe a jacuzzi tub so that you can at least live out your hot tub dreams that you expected to have on the rooftop?
Ocean Sightseeing – What We Think It’s Like
This is a huge hit for the older demographic who go on cruises. You think that when you’re sailing the ocean blue, you’re going to see dolphin pod after dolphin pod. You see yourself at a Sea World but in the wild. There are people who think that cruise ships travel on populated areas of the ocean like it’s some sort of whale watching tour that could entertain them. They couldn’t be more wrong.
Ocean Sightseeing – What It’s Really Like
If you’re being realistic about sightseeing on a cruise ship, you should probably get used to open water with literally nothing in view. People forget that the ocean is massive and there aren’t planted exotic ocean creatures doing acrobats for cruise ship passengers every hour of every day. So, you need to get used to the ocean, water, more ocean, more water, and pretty much nothing else.
Employee Life – What We Think It’s Life
The thought of getting paid to live on a cruise ship sounds amazing and of course, very exciting. You get to interact with people who are mostly ecstatic to see you, AND you get to see lots of beautiful destinations along the way. It’s kind of like a glorified flight attendant. On the outside, working on a cruise ship is luxurious and something of a dream. But, it’s really not all that it’s cracked up to be.
While working on a cruise ship might be enjoyable, it is still a profession with its own set of obstacles. Jobs on cruise ships are generally boring and require a great deal of manual effort. Most of the time, you’re serving food or cleaning cabins for lengthy periods of time without ever setting foot on land. Not to add that there is a crew hierarchy that may make living onboard unpleasant if you don’t fit in.
Employee Life – What It’s Really Like
First of all, if you thought that the bedrooms for the guests were jail cells, you haven’t seen the employee rooms. They’re even smaller and people are often sleeping on bunk beds because the rooms are so tiny. They have to work long hours and don’t even get to explore the different destinations that the ship ends up docking at. Working on the ship is in no way an easy task, neither is it luxurious.
While working and living onboard, crew members must adhere to rigorous rules of conduct. This can include things like curfews and alcohol restrictions, as well as the fact that they aren’t permitted to leave the ship during port visits so they can be accessible in an emergency. They even have strict diet plans as the cruise authorities have to make sure they remain active and efficient enough to serve the passengers during the and night.
Destinations – What It’s Really Like
A lot of people forget that when an island gets frequented by cruise ships every day, they also take on a lot of pollution from the boats. Not every island is going to be beautiful and scenic, some would be very dry and nothing that would make the eye happy. If you’re going to book a cruise, make sure that you research the islands that the boat will be taking you to, since you need to prepare mentally as to what you should be expecting.
The Hot Tub – What We Think It’s Like
What could be better than a rooftop hot tub on a cruise ship? You envision steam rising up from the water that floats through the glare of the neon lights. You can relax by yourself with an infinite amount of legroom to stretch out. You can basically do a water aerobics class as you watch the other vacationers on the deck mingling with each other, this can be a fun and healthy activity at the same time.
The Hot Tub – What It’s Really Like
Going into the cruise ship hot tub is about as anti-climactic as watching the fourth Harry Potter movie. Do you know that legroom that you were hoping for? Yeah, you can kiss that goodbye, you might get very little space in a hot tub than you expect. You might even have to sit with your legs folded. There are several such things you will have to compromise on a cruise ship. Some don’t find it worth it at all!
The hot tubs become a game of “how many people can we squish into this thing before one of us gets too claustrophobic?” So, if you’re planning on going on a cruise because of your love of rooftop hot tubs, prepare to be disappointed. You’ll enjoy the same view as you would from any rooftop bar or balcony, with the exception that you’ll have to carry a swimming suit and cope with the inconvenience of sitting on a wet seat.
The Music – What We Think It’s Like
Sometimes when you get onto a cruise ship, you will be surprised by the musical acts that come along for the ride. Entertainment is a big part of the evening itinerary and cruise companies will spend a lot of money to get famous acts onboard. Some of the most famous people in the world have played cruise ships, including Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, and Madonna.
The Music – What It’s Really Like
If this is any indication of what you can expect your cruise ship entertainment to look like, you’re in for the ride of your life. It’s important to look into what performers are on your cruise ship before you even book because you don’t want to be stuck with a lousy act for the week. You want to make sure that the entertainment on your cruise ship is up to par and that you have paid for something worthy.
This is especially vital if the event is a special one, such as a birthday or anniversary, and you want everything to go well and don’t want something to go opposite to your expectation. If the entertainment isn’t up to par, you may always ask the cruise operator for a refund. This guy is certainly not Taylor Swift or Madonna, but I guess he’s trying his best to give the audience his best and entertain them to the fullest.
Seasickness – What You Think It’s Like
If you’ve never been on a cruise, or a boat for that matter, you might not know what seasickness feels like. Whether you’re on a ferry, cruise ship, dingy, or sailboat, there’s always a possibility that you will get sick. Seasickness can produce a variety of symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, and dehydration. This condition is caused by more than just the swinging of the boat; wind, heat, humidity, and even motion sickness can all play a role.
If you’ve ever been on a boat or ship, you’re more likely to become seasick than if you’ve never been on the ocean. It’s easy to think that sailing on a cruise ship is simple when you’re booking online, but it’s not until you get out on the open water that you realize how bad it can really be. The atmosphere is unknown to your body and it is common that it might make you feel sick so be prepared for it.
