Fun New Year’s Resolutions

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Lose weight. Exercise more. Earn more. De-clutter. Repair those broken things around the house. The typical New Year’s resolutions rarely involve anything fun; they usually amount to drudgery. It’s no wonder that so many people quickly abandon their resolutions. So what are the alternatives? Scrap your boring resolutions right now and replace them with these fun cruising resolutions.

Don’t scrap your exercise resolutions. There’s a gym on the ship.

Try your first cruise.
I haven’t forgotten my initial feelings about cruising. Certain that I would be herded around, following an intense schedule, which would include daily bingo, I never had any desire to cruise. I enjoy my freedom and free time and didn’t want anybody telling me what I should do during the day. And being confined on a ship with a thousand or more other cruisers. No thanks. But then I had a chance to sail on the now defunct Renaissance Cruise Lines in French Polynesia no less. I decided I could have an itinerary, I would sit through bingo and be a part of the big crowd on the ship. I could suck it up and suffer through this.

Much to my surprise my impressions didn’t mirror reality at all. I could play bingo if and when I wanted. I could set my own schedule. And those 1000 other guests really weren’t all that noticeable. I got hooked.

Others have delayed cruising because they worried that they would get sea sick. Ships are more stable these days and there are medications, patches, pressure bands and herbals like ginger that decrease the likelihood of getting sea sick. In addition to the prophylactic treatments, several other factors can reduce your chance of sea sickness:

Choose a lower, midship cabin. There isn’t as much motion here.

Choose an itinerary without a lot of sea days. Since most ships sail during the night, you will be lying down for a good part of the trip, which helps a bit.

Choose an itinerary that cruises amongst islands, which offer some buffering from the sea. A Caribbean itinerary, is a much better choice than a North Sea itinerary for someone who suffers from seasickness.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the medications available. Be sure to take them at the first sign of sea sickness. The medications may not help at all if you wait until you are in the throngs of seasickness to take them.

If you are on deck – and remember to stay low and amidships- look at the horizon.

If somebody near you is getting sick, get away. The power of suggestion and the smell of vomit can take you totally over the edge.

If your seasickness memories are from you childhood, keep in mind that children are more likely to experience seasickness than adults. You have likely grown out of that.

If you have tried medications, accupressure and all the products to prevent seasickness and still get sick, then you should definitely chose another vacation option.

If you worry about seasickness, think you will be bored or have another reason i for not cruising, consider taking a 2 or 3 day cruise just to try it out. Several cruise lines and ports offer these shorter options, which are often a very good value as well. You may find yourself wishing that you had booked a longer cruise.

Next resolution: Try a different cruise line.

Sail Away