Baby Boomers,
OK, folks, we are at the halfway point of my list of Crazy Cruise Tips to help you, the most interesting Baby Boomer in the world, ensure your next cruise vacation is the most enjoyable ever.
Today, my newest tip focuses on making your time on the cruise ship more peaceful and more pleasurable. I know....what happened to being innovative and different and changing the world? Well, we can't be "world changers" all of the time. Even Confucius, Buddha and Albert Einstein took a break once in a while to focus on the little things that make life pleasurable.
I think Confucius said it best when it comes to cruise ship vacations:
"Life on a ship is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."
"The superior man is modest in his speech, exceeds in his actions and always travels to the right."
"What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others unless they are holding up the line."
OK, so sue me for changing a few words here and there but even if you don't like any of my other advisements on cruise vacations my "Crazy" advice today should be a "no brainer" because it involves no apparent risk or added effort to follow. Basically, it's not that crazy.
Like I have mentioned before, to some people, these are some of the most important keys to a good, refreshing vacation right?..........Low risk and low effort.
CRAZY CRUISE TIP #5
Choose the Best Cabin for You
Choosing a cruise ship cabin can be fun but challenging at the same time. This is a complicated decision that deserves a little bit of homework to insure it's the best one you can make.
You are probably saying to yourself right now: "Who cares what cabin you have when you are on vacation?" They are all the same...cramped and sweaty.
Most of your time is spent outside the cabin. In most cases, you sleep there, hang your clothes there, potty there and hide your booze there...that's it.
Well, let me tell you something. Although you may not spend an enormous amount of time in your cabin, you want the time you do spend there to add to the enjoyment of your cruise and not take away from it.
Many factors will come into your decision. Before booking your cabin, ask yourselves these questions:
Do you tend to get seasick?
Do you need to see where you are going?
Do you have a tendency to get claustrophobic?
Do you prefer quiet time by yourself or would you rather be hanging with the crowd around the pool areas?
Do you like to get around quickly?
Despite the fact that some cruise lines offer as many as 20 or more "categories" per ship, it's helpful to remember that there are essentially only four types of cabins on any cruise vessel:
Inside: no window, in an inside corridor
Outside: window or porthole with a view to the outside
Balcony: includes a verandah that allows you to step outside without going up to a public deck
Suite: a larger cabin, often with separate living and sleeping areas, and a wide variety of extra amenities and perks
The "real estate" that your stateroom occupies, no matter the type, can either make you seasick or keep you up all night with noise -- or it can lull you like a baby and provide exquisite views of your surroundings.
That's why doing your homework is important.
Two things that should be considered very important to your decisions are:
Stability: If you tend to get seasick, cabin location is really important.
It's a question of engineering, really.
The lower and more central you are in a ship, the less roll and sway you will feel.
Even if you choose a balconied stateroom, choose the lowest level and the most mid-ship one you can find.
Noise: For some reason, most cruise lines assign their highest level of cabins to the highest decks, usually just below the Lido Deck (most likely because if you have a window or balcony, you have a more sweeping vista).
Still, it's the Lido Deck that often causes the most noise problems, so if you don't want to hear scraping chairs at the crack of dawn or raucous pool parties until the wee hours, go down a level.
In fact, when it comes to noise, the best bet is to select a cabin that is both above and below other cabins.
Other pitfalls include service areas adjacent to or above your stateroom; show lounges or bars adjacent to, above or below your stateroom; and service entries across from your cabin.
Other cabins that can be problematic are those that are low and aft (because of their proximity to engine noise, vibration and anchor) or low and forward (bow thrusters).
I like absolute quiet when I sleep, I prefer to see where I are going when on the high seas and definitely did not want to test the waters (that's another cruise pun) to see if I'm truly susceptible to becoming seasick so I chose an outside cabin on the lowest deck near the middle of the ship.
I am also a "cheap ass" and I didn't plan on being in my cabin much. Yes, I sleep there, hang my clothes there, potty there and definitely hide my booze there.
Our cabin experience was nearly flawless.
First, it was incredibly inexpensive. That makes up for a lot of the little annoyances that come with cruise ship travel.
Almost every night we experienced peaceful, quiet sleeping conditions.
In fact, a couple of the nights the seas were a rough but our cabin location reduced the ship movement to a gentle rhythmic swaying which actually added to our sleeping enjoyment.
The window was nice because we could look out when we wanted and being so close to the water gave us an idea of how fast we were moving. An added benefit to being in a lower cabin was being able to see flying fish streaking by every now and then.
We were located on the lowest ship deck (#1) close to the elevators and across from a laundry.
We came and went quickly (important when loading up on your smuggled booze to take back to the pools) and even did a few loads of clothes which was convenient.
We never heard elevator or laundry noises.
Except for noises the first night in the deck below that sounded like a giant piece of machinery (forklift maybe?) was rolling back and forth we were extremely happy with our choice.
So, do your homework folks and ask yourselves the important questions from above.
Don't take a chance on letting your cabin mess up your cruise vacation because you will have to live with it all week.
So, what do you think of my "Crazy Cruise Tip #5?"
Choosing your cabin wisely is more important than you would think, right?
If you found today's blog helpful, interesting, or even funny, I bet your friends would too.
It's easy to tell them about it.
Forward it on to them or just email them my blog link at www.survive55.com.
The more Baby Boomers we can help, the better place we make this world !!!