The Joys of Cruising
What’s so good about being stuck on a boat in the middle of nowhere?
To many people’s surprise: A lot, actually.
Most of my friends know me as a cruise fanatic, and I completely understand why. With VIP membership in not one but two cruise lines, and a solid streak of 7 cruises in 7 years, you could say my family and I are pretty addicted 🤙
To the uninitiated, you may be wondering, what exactly does a cruise entail? Yes, you live on a ship for several days, and get off at certain ports-of-call to explore for a couple of hours. What else?
Some standard features you’ll see in all cruise ships include:
- Your staterooms (from interior cabins with no view to full palace suites),
- A combination of all-inclusive casual buffet and fine-dining options, and some specialty restaurants that require additional fees,
- Plenty of bars for drinks,
- An art gallery and photo viewing area (with plenty of professional portrait opportunities throughout your cruise!),
- A massive theatre for nightly Broadway-style performances,
- A library,
- Nightclubs,
- A gym and spa (often close to one another, offering personal training and cosmetic services too!),
- A conference center (for the rare company retreats),
- A medical center,
- An arcade and game room,
- Plenty of pools and hot tubs!
- A kids center (often multiples — differentiated by age group) and an adults-only relaxation zone,
- Outdoor movie screens,
- Ice cream!
- Outdoor activities — from mini golf to rock climbing to jogging tracks,
- Plenty of entertainment — from trivia to movie screenings to pool parties and bar music,
- Fun experiences in smaller tender boats (deployed when port waters are too shallow to accommodate the gigantic cruise ships),
- And a “Promenade” — a central hub where shops are located and many key events take place, including welcome parties and special celebrations!
And these are just the standard features of every ship! Most ships also have their own unique “selling points”, from ice skating rinks, to water slides and roller coasters, to flying or surfing simulators, to even a bionic bar!
Does it sound too good to be true? To some, yes. Cruising really doesn’t have the best of reputations, but I will try my best here to clarify some popular negative misconceptions about cruising.
Addressing some of the basic ones first:
- Fear of seasickness? Don’t worry! The ships are so large that you’ll barely feel any rocking, and generally most seas are quite calm. I’ve only felt seasick once in my 7 cruises — and that was only because we crossed open seas in a storm. Otherwise, the straits and smaller oceans are all fine!
- Ships are boring? You’ll run out of things to do? Somewhat true, especially for the longer cruises — but cruises aren’t meant to be high octane action all day everyday! Take the quiet time to move away from toxic hustle culture. Do some reading, journaling or people-watching instead! Nourish your mind and soul, and get comfortable with the idea of doing absolutely nothing ❤️
- On a similar note: No wi-fi on board? Untrue! There are wi-fi packages that you can purchase if you really need the connection. If not, you can just use the cruise ship’s dedicated app for anything you’ll need on the ship. But then again, I never buy the wi-fi packages. They can be pretty pricey, and I’d rather disconnect and ~nourish my mind and soul~ instead :) Use the cruise as an excuse to avoid all responsibilities and commitments — Trust me, it’s a great form of (forced) self-care.
- Cruises are expensive? Or full of snobby rich folks? Untrue! In reality, there are a wide variety of cruises for one to choose from — from honeymoon cruises, to casual family cruises, to high-end Victorian-style cruises. They all vary greatly in price points (and I’ll share some discount hacks later on this post too ;)) So don’t be too intimidated by the idea of cruising!
I do agree with some criticism though, especially on how cruising is not the most environmentally friendly of travel options, and tends to generate quite a bit of pollution and food waste. (However, when calculated on a per capita basis, it’s actually not that bad, especially if we look at the newer, more environmentally-friendly ships).
I also somewhat agree with is how cruises tend to go to more touristy areas, often at the expense of local lifestyles and our cultural immersion. The touch-and-go nature of their tours and stops tend to privilege reductionist and commercialized forms of entertainment and tours — such as short visits to “cultural villages” or clubbing streets. That’s why one recommendation I would suggest to all cruise go-ers is to really minimize the number of established tours you go on! We can easily deal with this issue by deciding to instead travel on foot and soak in the sights at your own pace, and interact more with locals on a more intimate, one-to-one level. This could even help signal to cruise and tour operators that maybe programmes should be adjusted to be more culturally sensitive in the future!
And I would like to make a converse argument for the cultural richness of cruises too — instead of the more famous cities, cruises can bring you to otherwise hidden or inaccessible gems too! Coastal regions are often snuffed at by regular travelers who would prefer the more concentrated and bustling cities, but you may end up falling in love with a small remote port and experience more genuine, local interactions by opting for a cruise instead!
Furthermore, you can never expect one holiday to have everything. It’s just that in this instance, cruises focus more on quantity than quality. And that’s honestly fair. One thing I like about it is how that ensures that we get to have a taste of what each country has to offer, and if we end up falling in love with a place, we can then, in future holidays that aren’t cruises, choose to return specifically to that area and explore it to its fullest. In fact, cruising was what opened my eyes to what is now my favorite Southeast Asian country to travel to — Vietnam! The food is amazing, everything is cheap, the history is rich, and the locals are some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met! And I’m forever grateful to my cruising experiences for making me realize this.
You also get to experience loads of diversity on board too — in the form of the hundreds of staff working on each ship, originating from every possible corner of the globe! The staff on board are always so fun to talk to, and cruises, to me, have the most top-notch service I’ve ever experienced. I never fail to feel special every time I sail :”)
So then, how else can you maximize your cruise experience, besides making friends and experiencing local life? Book either very early or very late — to enjoy early bird or clearance discounts! Then you can’t complain that cruises are expensive anymore — I’ve managed to secure multiple cruises where it amounted to only about SGD100–150, including food, rooms, entertainment and everything else!
But then, you may be concerned about the room selection available. To that, I say just get the cheapest interior room!!! There is really no need for a balcony stateroom or suite. You can enjoy the breeze and quiet on the top deck, and you’ll rarely spend time lying in bed when there’s so many events happening around the clock! Getting a small room also ensures that you are motivated to stay out of your room and make your money’s worth by experiencing everything that the ship has to offer.
And on making your money’s worth, make sure to check in bright and early! Be the first few people at the terminal on boarding day — not just to avoid the later crowds, but also to get first dibs and extra time on all the activities, food and facilities on board! Boarding at 10am instead of 4pm gives you a whopping 6 extra hours to enjoy a free breakfast, free lunch and free pool and activity access with absolutely no queues! (It’s also a great time to try out more intimidating activities like the Flowrider without a million eyes watching you struggle to surf!)
Another hack is to go on cruises during special occasions — especially if you’re a repeat cruiser that wants to spice things up. While these cruises do tend to be more expensive and sell out much faster, the experiences on board are usually much more unique and worth the extra money! For example, I went for a New Year’s cruise, which ended up including lots of new programmes and perks — from a countdown and balloon drop at the Promenade, to lobsters being offered to all guests for dinner (with no extra charge, disregarding the extra bit you spent booking the cruise)! These little additions can make even the most seasoned cruisers feel all tickled and warm inside :)
Other small tips that I may suggest to first-time cruisers about to take their first plunge:
- ALWAYS go on cruises with friends! I’ve always enjoyed cruises with friends more than family because of the crazy shenanigans everyone will get up to together, and it’s a great chance for everyone to disconnect and have genuine, intimate conversations with one another to deepen your friendship
- Read the packing list carefully and bring the right adaptors! Conversely, you can bring USB-end cables and charge your electronic devices through your stateroom television
- Take note of the sail off timings at each port — and be sure to catch the last tender boat if tenders are needed, if not the cruise WILL leave without you (I have actually seen it happen before and it’s not pretty)
- Try to always be early! This ensures you get the best seats for shows, you avoid the rush hour crowds, and you don’t run into tour groups in the ports (which can create long snaking queues before sail-off)
All in all, cruising is something that I recommend everyone try, at least once. The experience of being out in the open sea, away from the hustle and bustle of city life, just enjoying time to yourself — these are all wonderful ways to wind down and live life more slowly and meaningfully. Even if you eventually realize after your cruise that maybe this format isn’t for you, at least you got to try it at least once, and have an interesting travel story to share at your next dinner party :)
