Cruising

My cruising days are finished. The last two cruises I and my wife have taken have ended with both of us getting sick. The recent cruise involved us contacting Influenza A which has taken nearly three weeks to shake off. There is very little incentive or enjoyment for us to continue cruising.

We’ve always cruised with the Princess line as it suits our age group with most other passengers having the same interests as us. The food has always been excellent with plenty of variety, but that’s about as far as the accolades go. Looking back on our cruising history, I think we’ve turned a blind eye to the many negatives and only seen the good parts through rose coloured glasses. In effect, the magic has well and truly worn off.

Since the Covid scam, things have tightened up all round with Princess, and I’d imagine, with the other cruise lines. Prices are higher for everything and staff shortages and amentities seem to be cut to a minimum. You can’t blame the shipping lines as the cost of everything has skyrocketed. Travel insurance, the biggest ripoff known to man, costs as much or more than the price of the cruise itself.

On reflection, we’ve always taken an inside cabin to allow us to spend our money on the more important aspects of the cruise, like port visits and spending onshore. But as an inside cabin has that going for it, over two weeks of living in cramped conditions with a tiny bathroom to negotiate, the gloss wears off after a few days. To put it plainly, shitting in cramped spaces does give one the shits.