Is cruising addictive?

In my capacity as a cruise booking agent I have the pleasure of dealing with many seasoned cruisers. It’s great for me as many of my customers know some of the ships inside out and I gain great feedback which helps me advise other customers with the first-hand information I’ve gained. As much as I would love to be able to try out every single ship and itinerary, alas that is never going to happen.

I have to say though I did raise an eyebrow when I saw the report of the couple who were about to embark on their 100th cruise on board the same ship! Click here to read the full story. Bernard & Janice Caffary from Florida have been on close to 200 cruises in total. Their favourite ship is the Carnival Sensation (which is the one they are sailing on for the 100th time). They have done another 42 cruises on other Carnival ships and have 24 cruises planned in the next year alone. This must be bordering on addiction? Maybe I say this with a tinge of envy as if I had the time and money I couldn’t think of anything I would rather be doing than sailing around exotic places, eating fantastic food and being pampered by attentive staff.

There is definitely something about a cruise holiday that makes you want to go back for more. It is very rare I book first-time cruisers who don’t express an interest in taking another cruise holiday. Personally I love a land holiday almost as much as I love cruising. My theory is that there is a big old world out there waiting for me to visit and cruises are great to get a taster of lots of destinations in one trip and this helps me decide where I may want to return to for a longer visit. A good example of this is my last cruise which took me to Dubrovnik for the day. I immediately fell in love with the place and plan to go back for a longer holiday in the near future.

But if I don’t take a cruise holiday for a while I get pangs. It is almost like having withdrawal symptoms. I yearn for a stroll around the deck, feeling the sea breeze and watching the sunset. I miss having a little flutter in the casino and watching the ‘high-rollers’ both winning & losing big. I crave for the excitement of waking up somewhere new every morning. And mostly I want to get back on board a ship and meet new friends – both fellow passengers and the crew.

So actually my conclusion is that there is something in the theory about cruise holidays being addictive. I certainly have the bug. And although I may never reach the dizzy heights of 200 cruise holidays I will certainly give it a good go!