Will you ever go back to land-based holiday again?

[WAVES 125]

Hello Forum

My husband's Uncle has just come back from their 1st cruise on Ventura and has since said he will never do a land holiday again!! so my question is would you go back to land based or have you well and truly got the cruise bug?

[Jaczs 701]

I love a mix of both, cruising is great but not the most relaxing holiday where as a stay for us is a real chill out with the beach and sea ready to hop into when ever we want.

[sammy sun 1084]

Oooh tough question as I'd imagine this will split quite a few people down the middle. I shall park myself firmly on the fence with this because I see the appeal to both. I agree with Jaczs that while cruising is fantastic, it can be quite busy, especially when doing a port intensive sailing. I love that and the concept of waking up in a new destination each day is why I keep going back because I love to explore new places but sometimes you can feel as though you need a few days to recover afterwards! That's often why I like to see a few sea days mixed in between ports to enjoy some relaxation time too. 

I've never done a Caribbean cruise and I can imagine that to be very relaxing so hopefully one day I will get that in my diary and I may answer this question differently but for the time being, I do like both options.

There is nothing like a cruise that's for sure and as much as I love land-based holidays too, it will never stop me wanting to cruise each year as I love being at sea. That said, I'm very much looking forward to my time in Portugal again this year for a really laid-back week to relax and enjoy a slower pace.

[sinbad10 753]

We only do one land based holiday a year and that is Austria in January for the obvious reason that we go the same village and hotel and have done for over 25yrs. All our other holidays for the rest of the year are cruises primarily with Princess and Cunard but open to any good offers.

[Ahoy 170]

Love both but sometimes theres nothing better than a land based holiday just to chill out, roll on 4 weeks for me!

[Land Ahoy 797]

Hi  As with many of the responders I enjoy both land based holidays and ocean cruises.  I also love river cruising which I consider to be somewhere in between the two types of vacations.  

[sammy sun 1084]

42 minutes ago, Ahoy said:

Love both but sometimes theres nothing better than a land based holiday just to chill out, roll on 4 weeks for me!

Where are you off to Ahoy? 

[nikos 65]

i like both - chilling on a nice beach on an all inclusive package & also sailing the seven seas exploring lots of new destinations in one holiday!

[Ahoy 170]

51 minutes ago, sammy sun said:

Where are you off to Ahoy? 

Cyprus 4 weeks on Saturday!! can't wait!

[loz6 136]

I don't think I could choose between the two I enjoy both for different reasons.

[sammy sun 1084]

46 minutes ago, Ahoy said:

Cyprus 4 weeks on Saturday!! can't wait!

Very nice, I hope you have a lovely time. I haven't been to Cyprus since 2008. We had a great time and I'd certainly go back.

[louise 22]

we enjoy land based as well as cruise holidays so try to vary it a bit

[smtcan 274]

It depends on the destination.  We did a few Caribbean cruises, but have now decided that an all inclusive resort suits us better because it is more relaxing.   For more distant destinations we combine a week or so on land with a cruise, although when we wanted to visit China we decided that the cruise we were thinking of didn't really show us the places we wanted to see, so we replaced it with three weeks on land.

[jinky 96]

I feel I`ve nearly done with cruising. First few were great and some destinations lend themselves to getting a flavour of places just spending a day there. I have to say though that my favourite holidays have all been land based touring holidays where you can interact more with locals and really get to know the culture ,people, food and way of life  much more than the taster sessions a cruise offers. I`d still love to do the Alaska cruise and another fjord cruise taking me further north with a chance of the Northern Lights but other trips I have in mind to Australia / New Zealand , southern India and the like will have to be land trips to do all I want to do.

 

[sammy sun 1084]

I think cruising offers a unique opportunity to sample many different destinations in one holiday but the keyword there is "sample". A cruise can only offer a taste of the destinations you visit as there isn't always enough time to really capture a good idea of what each port has to offer. This isn't me criticizing as there's only so much a cruise can offer and most cruise lines do it exceptionally well. It's the ideal holiday for those looking to see new places but struggle with annual leave limitations from work. I fit into that bracket so if i want to go off exploring and see different places but still have a lovely ship to come back to each evening then I opt for a cruise as there really is nothing quite like it.

If I wanted to explore a particular place in more detail, I wouldn't choose a cruise for it as there's some things that only land-based trips can provide.

There are merits to both.

[tigerlilly 97]

We like to do both. Cruises are our preference however somtimes a nice all inclusive two week fly n flop is a welcome change! x

Edited April 6, 2017 by tigerlilly

[CRUISINGSTAR 1]

Mostly cruise, what is a better way to visit so many places in a short amount of time!

[Oldworldtraveller 2217]

Great question with some interesting answers.

Last month my wife and I went on holiday and we booked a land based holiday in Morocco. The hotel was situated on the beach, 3 swimming pools in lush gardens, great food and a room that was as good as most ships suites. There was entertainment in the evenings and the all inclusive drinks were well known brands served by happy bar staff using shiny glasses. Excursions at realistic prices as opposed to the inflated prices of ships tours. But, yes there is a but and a big one, I certainly missed visiting different places each morning, the attentive waiters at meal times, the comaraderie of ships passengers and the variety of activities that ships offer. For me nothing can match a good cruise experience and by day 8 I was ready to come home unlike on ships when I never want to leave. Roll on June when I am back on a ship.

 

[KeithnRita 688]

Since I'm now semi-retired we like a mixture of both. April 27 we leave for Port Canaveral, FL for a 7 day cruise on the Carnival Magic and afterwards we will spend 3 weeks at our timeshare in Siesta Key, FL just relaxing on the beach during the day and partying at night.

[DavidH 591]

Enjoy cruising but it only offers a snapshot of the places visited.  To experience some of the amazing places in this world, only a land based visit will do the job (e.g. visiting the Red Centre of Australia).

We've travelled pretty extensively over the years but our favourite form of holiday is still to hitch up the caravan and head across the channel with just a vague idea of where we want to spend the next few weeks.

DavidH

[Rum+Sun 96]

one of each a year at least!

[Tally 390]

I don’t actually find cruising relaxing. I was never a fan of flying, but I do miss the land holidays abroad we used to have. I’ve really enjoyed our cruises mainly booked for the itineraries, and I’ve been to places I’d probably never have been to if it wasn’t on a ship. This year I wanted a break from cruising and we are holidaying a little closer to home.  I have booked another now for 2018 but with Cunard not P&O. I thought a change of company might bring my enthusiasm for cruising back again. 

[Nick 30]

It's cruising  for us 

We did try a couple of land based holidays in Cyprus and then again in Kefalonia but really the evening entertainment, food, comfort of cruise wins hands down for us everytime.

[Nimrod 34]

Although we have quite a few weekend breaks on land, as we can only manage one main holiday a year, it has to be a cruise every time. There are so many places I still want to see and things I want to do. At 67 I hate to think I'm wasting a precious minute so love the fact that for me a cruise has it all. Between ports I can relax watching my beloved sea, but when night comes I can socialise with like minded people over an enjoyable dinner, go to a live show and still be the last one in the bar! Not for me the early night, even if I have an all day tour the next day! I totally agree with your Uncle, Waves. I have been to numerous lovely hotels in beautiful locations but once that cruise bug has truly bitten no hotel can give you that feeling of anticipation in your stomach as you board your ship nor that  utter depression as you wait to disembark at the end. For those that don't get that feeling maybe that bug has not bitten yet or perhaps they have not found the right ship, but once you have got it there is no cure!!  

[Countrygirl 231]

My first choice has to be cruising, I like nothing better than a drive to Southampton and seeing the ship that will be home for a week or 2 or if I am lucky 3. But this year we decided to try something else and thought land based would be a good idea. So looking at the brochure from Saga we looked at Croatia, having spent a day in Hvar on our last cruise we fell in love with place. Well we ended up booking a weeks holiday and yes we are on a boat, fly to Dubrovnik and sail around the islands. The boat can take only 32 guests so it will be like sailing into port on your own private yacht. We are taking our main holiday in September on Arcadia to USA and Canada, I just love being on the water.