My Parents: Landlubbers turned Cruisers

My parents will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary this fall and to mark the occasion, they are going on a Caribbean cruise.  It will be their 5th cruise and first time taking a Holland America cruise. After years of begging and pleading my case, I’m glad my parents are now cruisers.

Parents have cruised on Princess Cruises' Sapphire Princess

My dad admitted to me recently how scared he was before their first cruise.  He didn’t know what to expect and although he saw pictures and heard stories from the cruises I went on, he still couldn’t fully grasp the concept.  I’ll never forget the first phone call I received when they embarked and found their cabin.  The tone was one of shock, trying to take it all in.  An hour or so later, I received my second call from them and they already sounded so relaxed after going to the buffet and walking around the Lido Deck wondering why they didn’t take a cruise before.

New adventure awaits my parents on Holland America Line (Photo Credit: Holland America Line)

A new adventure awaits my parents as they will be visiting new ports and trying a new cruise company.  I wait with a lot of anticipation for their trip to arrive. I enjoy hearing my mom ask open-ended questions about things she’s wondering about the ship that she’ll soon find out for herself.  “What will be on the room service menu?”  “I wonder what the entertainment will be like?” are just a few of her questions.  She keeps saying that she’s going on Holland.  I nicely explained that she can use “HAL Cruise” for short.

ms Eurodam Atruim (Photo Credit: Holland American Line

Listening to her questions is why I enjoy traveling so much, the exploring aspect.  Whether it’s exploring a new hotel or cruise ship to learning about a different culture, there’s so much that awaits them. I love that after 40 years of marriage, they still have a lot of excitement and good times ahead of them.

Are you loyal to one cruise line?  Do you enjoy trying different hotels or cruises?

FreshCruiser Tip: Sometimes people need a nudge to try a new way of vacationing.  If you think a friend or family member would enjoy a cruise, don’t be afraid to give them a little push.  Encourage them to start with a 3-4 day cruise to get their feet wet!