First time Cruise: Best way to Book
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 1999
Programs: FB Silver going for Gold
Posts: 21,752
The Med can be surprisingly rough too, especially in the wider and bigger western portion.
I did talk to a TA today whose specialty is Oceanic cruises..... he gave me some pointers and helped pinpoint a location on the ship for a cabin to mitigate sea sickness....but I think we have opted to fly as originally planned and try a shorter cruise another year.
From where you're located, I'd try a short repo cruise between Vancouver and southern California. Waters are generally calm.
#17
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Hawai'i Nei
Programs: Au: UA, Marriott, Hilton; GE
Posts: 7,093
While at some level I think you're missing out on a wonderful experience I also agree that starting out with a 24-day cruise as your first cruise maybe isn't a good idea. Twenty plus years ago my wife and I took a 4-day "try it, you'll like it" cruise... I'd suggest you try something a little shorter and closer to home as a first cruise sampler.
Aside from the length of the cruise, the other variable to consider is what kind of cruise experience do you want. Each cruise line is different, and you might research the different lines and compare them to your vacation temperament.
Bon voyage!
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: AA
Posts: 14,658
On my first transatlantic sailing, which was structured to only ever have 2 sea days in a row but due to a missed port ended up with 4, as we watched people kiss the ground as they disembarked after that 4th sea day, my sailing mate admitted that it was too much for her too. It wasn't the motion of the ocean (which wasn't bad - we missed the port so we could avoid the bad seas), but rather the fact that after a certain amount of days she got anxious as she wasn't used to so many days in a row of doing relatively nothing. And it wasn't just the sea days - after a certain amount of time she was just ready to be back in the real world. Funnily enough, now that she's retired, her attitude is completely changed and now it's the longer the better.
#19
Join Date: May 2011
Location: San Antonio, TX
Programs: AA EXP, DL Silver, Global Entry
Posts: 1,862
On my first transatlantic sailing, which was structured to only ever have 2 sea days in a row but due to a missed port ended up with 4, as we watched people kiss the ground as they disembarked after that 4th sea day, my sailing mate admitted that it was too much for her too. It wasn't the motion of the ocean (which wasn't bad - we missed the port so we could avoid the bad seas), but rather the fact that after a certain amount of days she got anxious as she wasn't used to so many days in a row of doing relatively nothing. And it wasn't just the sea days - after a certain amount of time she was just ready to be back in the real world. Funnily enough, now that she's retired, her attitude is completely changed and now it's the longer the better.