Cuise Within a Cruise

The day before we were scheduled to leave on our cruise we received a phone call telling us that the trip had been cancelled! The “Norwegian Dawn” had experienced engine problems and we were offered passage instead aboard Royal Caribbean’s “Navigator of the Seas” with stops at Cozumel and Belize leaving a day later. The price was the same but the destinations different. However, since we hadn’t planned on taking shore excursions anyway, it really didn’t matter and we were thrilled just to be able to experience a week of relative luxury at a bargain price.

Our “inside” stateroom was wonderful! At the price we were paying we had expected cramped quarters next to the engine room. Instead we found ourselves encsonced in a spacious suite complete with kingsized bed, two sofas, coffee table TV, dresser, 3 piece bath and large bay window overlooking the shopping promenade 4 floors below. The cuisine was excellent. Virtually everything was available 24/7 including lobster at one sitting. Speaking of sitting, that is what we did most days--with novels and sudukos in hand. There were trivia competitions, ice skating shows, movies and some really good floor shows but for most of the passengers it was non-stop spend, spend, spend--for all drinks, trinkets, photographs, art, shore excursions and of course casino games. One crew member told us that more than half the profit from these ships comes not from original booking fees but from passengers spending money in the shopping concourse alone.

We had a wonderfully relaxing week aboard this boat but have decided that cruising in definitely not for us. When all is said and done, what we actually experienced was a week aboard a giant floating shopping mall/condo complex with virtually all activities taking place inside the humongous unit. And for most of the passengers on board there wasn’t really any reason for the ship ever to leave the port. It could’ve stayed all week tied up in Miami and there would’ve been virtually little change in the experience of its guests. Yes, there were shore excursions--with hordes of other passengers. But most of the people either stayed onboard or ventured on-shore only as far as the souvenir shops dockside. We’d rather experience life and culture on an island in our own way--one on one--as we’ve done in the past than as part of the cruising assembly line scenario along with a cast of thousands.