Why Do So Many People Book the Wrong Cruise?

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Hey traveler, welcome back to Talk Travel to Me. I'm your host Kristy Ouellette. And this week I'm answering the question, why do so many people book the wrong cruise? And how to make sure you get it right. Let's talk about it. I'm going to give you the answer to the first part of the question right here, right now. Which will make my editor, my husband happy because he's always like, I don't know what the answer to this question is. There are two main reasons that so many people book the wrong cruise. The first one is that they choose a cruise based on price or location alone. And this is really easy to do because if you see ads on social media or in your email sometimes from the mass marketplaces, they're going to say like, hey, seven night cruise. for just $4.99. Okay, first of all, it's never $4.99, never ever in the history because there's all kinds of added things. But that gets people's attention. They think like, oh, I could go on vacation with my partner for $1,000. How, well, that's awesome, right? Like I said, it doesn't happen. But also the other thing is people will say, I live in New England, I live in New Hampshire, and a lot of people are like, oh, I want to cruise out of Boston. Well, yes, you don't have to worry about flights if you're cruising out of Boston. But Boston is only large enough to handle smaller ships and they go to a limited number of itineraries. And it is not going to be the ideal experience, especially for a first time cruiser. But lots of people will be like, oh, I don't want to fly, so I'm going to do it out of Boston. Or you could go cruising out of Portland, Maine sometimes as well. And again, old ships because it's a smaller port and people will choose for that alone. And that's how a lot of people get stuck in the wrong cruise. I. got to tell you about a sailing that I did. In fact, the only one out of my sailing career that I absolutely hated and never want to do again was a sailing from Boston. It was on the Norwegian Pearl, which is a old ship. It 2006, it came out, it's small, and it was going from Boston to Bermuda. Now, one of the challenges in that area is the seas are naturally rough going from the Atlantic towards Bermuda and back. There's something about the science there. I'm not a scientist. I'm not going to try to tell you exactly why, but it's notoriously a rough area. But then we also had a Nor'easter hit right as we were leaving Bermuda to come back to Boston. That made us stuck out in the harbor dealing with high winds and fog for a long, long time. But also the majority of the ship was closed throughout the voyage because it has. most of the things that that ship has to do are all located outside. So you weren't playing basketball in the middle of a Nor'easter. You couldn't use the pools. They actually closed them all because the water. was like so violently slapping in and out of the pools. I actually have videos, so I'm going to share it on our socials. And so you couldn't do any of the things. Forget the rock wall. There's no way. The ship actually felt like a toy ship in like a bathtub, and it was just bouncing around everywhere. I don't get motion sickness. I don't ever take motion sickness medicine, no matter what cruise ship I've been on, except for that one. So that just tells you it was. it was rough. Now, inside they had a four lane bowling alley, but only one lane was actually working. Sometimes there were plenty of bars. So if you were looking to indulge in that side of life, there was. that was great opportunity for that. There were quite a few kind of quiet hidden spots that you could relax with a book. So there was, you know, there's some good things, some not so good things about it. But for me, for my match, never again, never again. The only redeeming quality from that ship was actually the thermal spa. And that was gorgeous. But I digress. The other main. reason that people book the wrong cruise is because they listen to the recommendations of someone who doesn't truly understand or care how they enjoy traveling. So this is like when you're sitting around, you're talking with coworkers or you're talking to friends, neighbors, maybe family members even. And they're telling you about their fabulous experience on the Carnival Vista. And you're listening to it and you're thinking, wow, they really enjoyed themselves. And you're like, OK, maybe I want to do that. And then you go and look and hey, look, it's four ninety nine. And so you fall into that trap. But what you didn't stop to consider is how does your neighbor or that person on social media like to vacation? Did they also enjoy the things that I want? For example, you might be somebody that really wants a culinary experience. You're a foodie. You enjoy like Michelin star restaurants and trying really exotic things. Guy's Burger and fries is what people go on Carnival for. Right. They love that. They also really love those sexy man parties like the contest that they have at the pool, like stuff like that. And hey, I'm not here. to yuck anybody's yum. But if that's not your bag, you're going to get on that ship and think this is going to be great. And then you're going to be mortified. Right. There's no Michelin stars at any restaurant on a carnival ship. Now, I would probably rather eat at Guy's Bar and Bar Guy's Burger and fries than a Michelin star because I'm picky with food. But that's where it comes into being such a personal thing. I had clients, gosh, maybe three or four years ago. It was right after Covid and when the ships were really getting back to it. And they came to me and said they wanted to do a Virgin voyage. They were that's the only one they wanted to talk about. They were like, do you book that? And I was like, yeah, absolutely. Now, I happen to know that both members of this couple were newly sober. And while you can absolutely be sober on a Virgin voyage, it is a little more alcohol focused, alcohol first than some of the other cruise lines. In fact, the Korean style barbecue, they basically force you to do a drinking game. And I'm. not a big indulger in that. I have anything against it. I will on occasion. But I felt uncomfortable at that restaurant because just the pure fact that I felt like the server at the table was really pushing it. And I was really not not there for that. So I talked to them a little bit, asked what it was about Virgin, and they kept telling me that their sister-in-law had just come back from it and had all these wonderful things to say about it. And that they had a really great time at the Scarlet Night, which is the red night party that they have, which is a whole lot of fun, even if you're not a partier. But they were telling me all these things and none of it involved the alcohol. And I kept thinking, they've told me before that they're newly sober. I understand that that's been something they've divulged to me and I need to figure out a way on how to say this. So I heard them ask a couple of questions and then I said, I need to give you a little bit of information and then whatever you decide I'm. here for. But I just want to be sure that you understand the scene on Virgin. We shake for champagne with the phone and they bring it to you. You know, they do have mocktails, but not nearly as much as most other cruise lines at this point. And then I explained the whole thing at Gunbae, which is the Korean barbecue on board. And I was on a Zoom with them and the husband first turned a little green. And I said, you know, as someone that that does drink occasionally, I felt a lot of pressure. So I just want to make sure that we are upfront about that. I can make a note that you are sober and that you're not interested in any of that. But I got to tell you, they don't read the notes as well as they should. And I just want you to be aware. They both looked at each other and went, never mind, we don't want to do that. Maybe in a couple of years we'll do that. And I hope they do. Right. They actually ended up on a celebrity cruise and it was the perfect fit for. them. But they not having that little bit of information. And I'm sure they went back to the sister, sister-in-law and said, like, what the hey, like, what are you doing? But it probably didn't occur to her because if you're not somebody that is in sobriety or familiar with the struggles, you may not have even thought about that. Right. All right. If you've ever been on a cruise and loved it. Hi, me. You've also met people who think that cruising is the absolute worst type of vacation they've ever been on. And those people almost have never actually been on a cruise ship. But they've seen the horror stories on TikTok. They've watched documentaries on Netflix and they've heard other people talk. And they know they want no part of it. I was recently talking with a group of friends and one friend admitted that she thought that a cruise sounded like her own personal brand of hell. She's absolutely someone who loves fun, thrives in creative environments and but definitely prefers that small, more intimate group rather than being in a massive sea of people. And when she was telling this, saying this to the group, I immediately got this vision of the New Year's Eve celebration that Royal Caribbean does on the first night of every one of their sailings. And the mass of people, I cannot even tell you, even when we're talking about one of their smaller ships. But like everybody gets together in the main hall and they drop balloons and they've got music going. And it is a lot as someone who actually enjoys a busy cruise. And so I was thinking as she was talking, I'm like, that's what she's got in her head. That's really what she thinks it is. Now, I didn't say anything in the moment, but Liz, if you're listening, you might get a different take here. My goal is never to convince someone who doesn't want to cruise that they have to cruise. But if you happen to see things a little differently after I answer the last part of today's questions, maybe that's a good thing for everybody involved. How are we going to get it right? So first, I'm going to just say it. You need to work with a professional travel agent. And I'm not just saying this because I am one, but we have. we as professional travel advisors have completed comprehensive training. And most of us have extensive experience on a wide variety of cruise ships. Personally, I've sailed on Carnival, Norwegian, Virgin, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and of course, Disney. But I've also spent countless hours participating in training for MSC, Celebrity, Cunard, Holland America, Silversea, Viking, Ocean and River Cruises and a whole bunch more. This isn't about my resume, so I'm going to slow my roll there. But here's why that matters to you as you're listening to this and contemplating potentially taking a cruise vacation. When I sail with a client and they want to consider a cruise, I know what questions to ask them to help uncover the type of cruise that would feel like a perfect fit. One thing to know here is that as cruise lines have different personalities and vibes, the ships and classes of ships within them also makes a huge difference here. So we're not just going to test out the vibe for the cruise line. We're going to look at individual ships. Perfect example is the Oasis class on Royal Caribbean is a nice midsize ship. It's got a. lot of amenities. I personally happen to love Central Park. My husband and I love to go there at night after dinner, have a drink and watch like the guitarist or the saxophonist. Is that what you call that? A saxophonist? Anyway, we like to go watch that in this very small, intimate groups of people that are just there twinkling lights in the trees, fresh air coming in. It's fabulous. It's a very different vibe, though, for, let's say, the older ships with Royal Caribbean, the Vision class, like Grandeur of the Seas, which is the oldest one in these fleet for Royal Caribbean. That's going to feel so completely different. So the vibe that you're looking for in your vacation isn't just about the cruise line. And that's an important distinction. Budget and travel, like the distance from your home to the port, it is always a consideration for most people anyway, right? Like I haven't met a single person yet that's like, I have an unlimited budget and I will spend as much as you want me to spend on a magnificent vacation. Even people that have really healthy budgets aren't saying that to me. But that's. never my first question. It's not even close to my first question. Instead, and these are questions, by the way, that you should ask yourself even before you talk to me, because you'll know this is coming. My favorite question to ask first is, how do you want to feel during this vacation? What's the vibe you're going for? Do you want to be mostly relaxed, quiet, pampered? Or do you want to be active in trying all the things like running from trivia game to karaoke? You want to climb rock walls and take surf lessons and conquer water slides? Maybe you're even like my husband and you want to walk the plank out over the ocean? Yeah, I'll post that too. Are nightclubs and casinos something you want to enjoy on your trip? And by the way, none of this is a judgment call on me. I'm not sitting here thinking, oh boy, you want to go gamble on that cruise. It's your vacation. If you want to go gamble, go gamble. But there are people that are definitely looking for a specific experience. And so that is always the first question. And then as people are talking, I'm crossing things off my list. I'm making notes, putting lots of question marks towards other things. You know, so like if someone says like, I'm really looking for something with phenomenal food and a real quiet, laid back atmosphere. I'm not a partier. I don't mind a casino, but it's not something I would necessarily be looking to spend a lot of time in. But yeah, the idea of like a loud DJ party by the pool every day and, you know, in sexiest man contests and stuff like that, that's a turn off. I'm crossing off Carnival. I'm maybe putting a question mark next to Norwegian because there's a little bit of wiggle room in there. But I'm also circling celebrity. I'm circling Oceania. I'm circling Virgin maybe. And I'm kind of like going through that that mentalist as they're saying things that they are liking as far as a vibe and not. I also like to ask, do you view the ship as the main destination itself or are you primarily looking at it as a comfortable floating hotel transporting you between port stops? That is huge. I had a family that I had booked so many. Disney vacations and universal vacations over the years. And last year they came to me and they said, we want to try our first cruise. And they brought me the ship in the itinerary and everything that they wanted. And I thought, that is not that is not what I would do with teenage boys. Like I would not pick that ship. It's kind of boring. It's not a lot of stuff going on. And so I don't say it quite like that, of course. But so I started asking questions and I realized that their focus was not the ship at all. It was that they wanted to go to southern Caribbean. They wanted to go to Puerto Rico because they'd never been there and they weren't going to do a few days before the cruise. They were going to board the ship in Puerto Rico, do some southern Caribbean and then come back. And it ended up being perfect for them. So that question is always super, super important for me. I actually look as the ship as the main destination itself. There are times that where I'm going makes a big difference. Like I will soon be. cruising in Alaska and taking the Disney Wonder to Alaska. I chose that for the ship and for the port. I had actually done an Alaska cruise back in 2022 with Royal and I loved Alaska. The ship that I was on was not a match. It was not a match. And guess what? I chose it based on the price, which sometimes we do. Right. But if that's what we're doing, we're doing it with an understanding that that's how we're doing it. Right. OK. I'm also asking things like how important is quick, easy navigation to you? Do you mind walking long corridors and using tech to manage your reservations? Or do you prefer a more intuitive ship layout that's like everything is easy and easy to find and manage? My husband and I laugh all the time because we love mega ships. Right out in front, I'll tell you, I love the mega ships. The But the idea of getting lost on a cruise ship does not annoy me. I understand that it's going to take me two days, maybe three to be really confident on one of those mega ships. But that's fine by me because. I am literally just making my way and it doesn't doesn't stress me out. I like being able to go onto the app and plan the things that I want to do without having to talk to individual people or that sort of thing. And I like being able to choose from dozens and dozens of activities or doing nothing at all. Now, my husband is my editor, and if he cuts that out, we're going to. you'll never hear this, I guess. But he loves to relax and do almost nothing. I'm the one that's running from one side of the ship to the other from a Disney trivia or my favorite memory ever was meeting Mama Kelsey on the Utopia of the Seas at Taylor Swift sing-along trivia. Yes, it's true. If you want to hear it, let me know. Just ask. I'll tell you. Show you the pictures. But everybody's vibe is a little bit different that way. Right. Right. So a big ship can stress you out. Maybe you want it to be a more compact, easy ship to get around. Virgin ships are great like that. So how do you handle choices? Do you like? that dozens and dozens of choices or would you rather have it be much more laid out and this is just where you're going next? Right. I also want to know what your ideal evening looks like. Are you looking for Broadway scale productions? The Wizard of Oz on Icon of the Seas. My gosh. And the shows on the Disney cruise ships. Unbelievable. Absolutely like out of this world stellar. Do you want to watch high diving spectacles so that you watch people jump from like really, really hot not jump. They don't jump. They dive in Aqua shows on Royal Caribbean. Or would you prefer like a slow multi-course dinner with live acoustic music and a nightcap out on deck? Like is that more you're looking for? Another major question that I always ask is how do you prefer to dress on your vacation? Do you want total informality with flexible dress and drop in dining and that sort of thing? Or do you like the idea of dressing up for traditional main dining room seatings? I know for my dad, he is not going to get a suit on or tie. He does not care who you. are. You could be the Queen of England and he is not doing it. So when we book him on cruises, we have to make sure that that is going to be in line with that. He really wants to wear his polo shirt and his shorts. And if he can't, I got a lot of explaining about why it's worth not doing that. And then again, usually my last question for people is what are your biggest concerns about this vacation? And that will bring a lot of information out as well. The more open ended thing. People will tell me they're worried about motion sickness. And so if they've talked to me about a cruise from New York to Bermuda and then they mentioned motion sickness, I'm going to have a conversation about that. If they have they think they want a little tiny ship and their motion sickness is a concern, we're going to talk about that too, because the newer and bigger of the ship, the least amount of motion you're going to feel when combined with the right geographical area. Perfect example for that would be the Caribbean. The Caribbean is usually smooth as glass, but not always. So we talk about all those different specifics because I want to make sure that if you are like up at night worried about motion sickness, we're going to have a conversation about the realities of what it looks like. And just because you get sick on a tire swing, let's say, does not mean that you're going to get sick on a cruise ship. You could get sick on a whale watching boat, which a dear friend of ours that had this happen. She was so green. I felt so bad for her and then had no issues whatsoever on a Caribbean cruise and a Mediterranean cruise. She never felt anything. So one of these things is not like the other. It reminds me of that Sesame Street thing. But it's important to be able to have that conversation with somebody who knows and who will tell you the truth about that. And yes, that's me. So another thing that comes up, depending on who we're looking at just real quick, is if you're traveling with a group or a family, what are those non-negotiable or concerns for those people as well? Those are kind of. just the basic questions I'm asking to get a feeling from whittling you down from like 35, 40 different possibilities for cruise lines and getting you into a reasonable bucket of things that could work really, really well for you. One of my favorite things is when someone will come to me and they're like, OK, I definitely don't want Royal Caribbean. I don't want water slides. I don't want the screaming teenagers at all hours of the night, that sort of thing. Or they don't want a lot of kids around. Virgin Voyages is the only cruise line that does not allow children, period. So if you match a bunch of other things, Virgin could be your answer because you won't see a kid anywhere. But there are also cruise lines where kids are not incentivized to show up. Parents don't typically book family cruises for children on Celebrity because those ships are built for quiet relaxation, upscale lounging, not high energy amusement rides type things. They don't have water slides or water parks. They have peaceful pools and hot tubs and just like an overall calm and relaxing vibe. You won't find a high powered DJ working the. deck on a Caribbean at a Celebrity cruise. So what we learned today is we know exactly why people end up on the wrong ship. We understand the draw and the appeal of a cheap vacation, especially one that's like everything is included. And you're like, I can eat, sleep and go to the casino and I'm only going to be spending $1,000 unless you count the casino. And then we also know that when you're talking to friends and family, they're talking about their experience. And unless they know you really well and care that you may not like the things that they like, they're not going to steer you in the right direction. And that's why working with someone like us, someone that is trained to do that is going to be the answer to your prayers to make sure that you do not end up wasting money. Because, hey, let's be real. You could spend $1,000 and hate your vacation or you could spend maybe $2,500 and love it. Before you go, I want to make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss next week's episode. We'll be talking Royal Caribbean's brand new ship, the largest at. sea. It's called Legend of the Seas and it is the third member of the fleet's icon class. We're going to put the newest and largest ship afloat under the microscope so you can decide if it's your dream trip or a total sensory overload. So until next time, give yourself a break from the routine, stop settling for someone else's idea of a great getaway. And whenever you're ready to plan your next escape, come Talk Travel to Me.

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