Anti-Cruiser Goes on a Cruise

Last year, I wrote about taking a cruise that “I don’t want to be locked up in a germ-infested-travel-prison.” However, I found myself stuck when American Airlines cancelled all flights from Phoenix to Vancouver, Canada. How would I make it to Canadian Thanksgiving? I could fly to Seattle and take the Amtrak Cascades, but it wasn’t running yet. Then I found Holland America’s 1-Day Pacific Coastal Cruise onboard the Eurodam. So, we set sail.

Does a 1-day cruise count? Am I still a cruise-virgin? All the venues and restaurants were open. The ship was mostly full. I am going to count the experience. We boarded at noon, set sail at 4 p.m. and arrived in Vancouver at 7 a.m, for around $150 each all taxes, alcohol and extras included. Cheaper than our normal hotel expense.

Final thoughts. The excitement of the fellow passengers is hard to ignore, cruise people love to set sail. The energy on the deck as we sailed away was impressive. The crew was awesome and customer service was unreal. Furthermore, a vaccination requirement was still in place easing my germ concern. The buffet was gone in place of quick service, which I greatly preferred and will factor into future cruise decisions. Now, the bad – the bars did not stay open past 10 p.m. The food was very good but would I get bored after 2 days? The passengers were friendly, but does the charm wear off longer at sea? The environmental and economic impact of cruising not to be ignored.

My mind wasn’t changed, but, cruising does have an ace up its sleeve – Alaska. There are no real roads. It is a place cruising intersects from a logistics perspective that is hard to ignore. You can probably only do Alaska properly on a cruise and affordably. We will see what the future holds.