Cruise Travel Common Fears
Cruise Travel – Addressing Those Common Fears
When people first find out how much I enjoy cruise travel holidays they often start talking about their cruise fears. Many people are scared of boats, being out at sea for extended periods of time, and missing the boat after a day of exploring ashore. So here’s my reassuring answers to some of the most common cruise travel fears…
‘I don’t like boats’
If you don’t like ‘boats’ then firstly you need to realise that large, modern cruise ships are in a totally different league to normal ‘boats.’ The chances are if you decide to go on a cruise travel holiday in the Mediterranean in summer for example, you’ll barely feel like you’re even on a ship. They effortlessly glide through the water and have very effective stabilisers that constantly work to keep the ship level. On most of my cruise holidays I’ve barely felt the ship rock, if at all. It mostly feels like you’re sitting in a very large hotel, rather than on a moving ship. Sure, there are some times when you might sail into some bad weather and have to put up with a little bit of a rocky ship but modern ships are so large that it would take something very very serious to do any damage to them. I promise!
‘What if I’m late back to my cruise ship?’
This is one that I know a lot of people have major anxiety over. If you chose to take a cruise line organised shore excursion then if your group is late back to the ship from an excursion then the ship will wait for you. I’ve been on ships that have waited in Civitavecchia for a coach full of passengers who were stuck in traffic on the return from Rome. However, if you decide to explore ashore independently and are delayed on your return the ship isn’t obligated to wait for you. I’ve been on 13 different cruise travel holidays and have only taken about 5 shore excursions, preferring instead to discover new places without following a tour guide waving a colourful umbrella. I’ve never been late back to a ship. I always make sure I know what time the ship requires passengers to be back on board, and never wait to get the last train or bus that will get me back in time. Better safe than sorry! Also, always make sure you have the contact phone number for your ship, so if you are going to be late back you can let them know immediately.
‘I don’t like the thought of being so far from land’ OR ‘What if the ship sinks?’
I’ve put these two together because the answer is really the same for both of them – cruising is undoubtedly one of the safest ways to travel. Being at sea is actually one of my favourite places in the world. I love the feeling of being at sea and not being able to see any land around for miles. It’s so relaxing. Cruising is statistically safer than flying and driving. Actually cruising is supposedly 8 times safer than crossing the street in New York!! With statistics like that to reassure you, there’s surely no rational reason to be afraid.
‘What if I get seasick?’
As I’ve already said, the majority of the time you’ll barely feel a large ship moving, so you’re unlikely to get seasick at all. If you do encounter some bad weather and a rocking ship then I won’t lie to you, you might get seasick. There are seasickness tablets, bracelets and patches to wear behind your ear that you can pack, which all reputedly help combat seasickness. The only way you’ll really know if you’ll suffer from seasickness is to take a cruise and find out. That’s where short cruise intineraries over a weekend are perfect. From the UK you can sail to Amsterdam or Bruges for the weekend, this would allow you to find out if cruise travel holidays are for you or not, without committing to a weeks holiday.
Do you have any of these cruise travel fears? Do you have any more worries about cruise travel holidays? I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below…
Emma shares all of her travel adventures, tips and advice on her two websites Emma’s Travel Tales and Emma On Board, as well as writing for a number of other online publications. She has also partnered with many large companies and tourism boards around the world. She’s busy making memories around the world…
I’m Emma, a twenty-something Scottish girl who’s obsessed with travel.
I’ve been to 38 countries so far and had some incredible adventures around the world.
My passion for travel and writing led me to create my person blog Emma’s Travel Tales.