The total relaxation.
Meeting new friends.
Going on deck at night and being almost mesmerised by the clarity of the stars.
Revisiting the smaller islands and seeing new ones.
Singing Karaoke until either my companion or the cruise director wrest the microphone from me.

Cruising to me however has some downsides.Here is a list of some of the things that make me happy to get home.

To get out the frypan and make an honest to goodness grilled cheese sandwich.
To make a fresh pot of really strong, really hot coffee.
To sleep in a queensize bed without my feet sticking out the bottom.
To step into a really strong shower with lots and lots of water.
To use a toilet that makes comforting swishing noises instead of violent eruptions.

My only soution to this problem is going away for a week or at most ten days, so you leave happy to go home but still enjoying your vacation, making sure you don't get sick of it and resign yourself to agoraphobia.

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My favourite is a good strong cup of tea made with boiling water.

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Ok, that's a little extreme for you coffee people, but I like it hot and brisk.

Also, I pour a little bit of milk right in the center of the brewed tea, then stir.

...we all have our rituals.

The frying pan made grilled cheese also appeals but bacon, sausage, eggs (over) with leftover mashed potatoes, nicely fried, toast and coffee is a much looked forward to Sunday breakfast.

Agree with all your plusses - I can't sing for toffee so rule that one out!

Guess we're all 'plebs' in our own way.

Another interesting thread I've come across...

Ugh... Cruise ship coffee has got to be the worst thing... Except for cruise ship iced tea!

Seriously, the coffee on Royal Caribbean lately is the one consumable item that is really good. Not only is it the "Seattle's Best" brand (I guess this is supposed to be good, don't ask me, I know nothing about coffee) but it actually tastes like coffee!

I imagine that the taste of coffee is dictated as much by the water as the bean, and so perhaps the coffee was good for a change because all of the water I tasted on Voyager of the Seas was significantly better than on any other cruise ship I've sailed. It surpassed any tap water I've tasted, and was comparable to non-mineral bottled water. The stuff was certainly as clear looking, and tasting, as could be, and nothing on the ship had any dicernable taste that I could see from the water it was washed and/or cooked in or made with.

And, for those who must ask, when I drink coffee (or tea) it is decaf. I do not drink beverages with caffeine.

I don't think I've seen many 14 year olds drinking coffee, even decaf...tea yes, coffee no. How old were you when you started drinking coffee? I was in my early 20s and it is an aquired taste. I take it you don't drink regular Coke or Mountain Doo.

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Originally posted by WhiteStar:
I don't think I've seen many 14 year olds drinking coffee, even decaf...tea yes, coffee no. How old were you when you started drinking coffee? I was in my early 20s and it is an aquired taste. I take it you don't drink regular Coke or Mountain Doo.

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A long time ago. At family celebrations my Italian-American grandmother gave it to me in milk. Her and my grandfather grew up drinking real coffee (and stronger than most people drink it) but in milk. They gave me decaf in skim milk of course, bowing to modern sensibilities .

I don't drink it much, mind you, but I do on cruises because it's free and tastes much better than their lousy iced tea . And normally I can't drink tap water - I never had and now I can't get used to it. Where I live you wouldn't want to drink the stuff that comes out of the taps, sometimes it lookes like tea it's so filthy.

I can hardly tell the difference between instant coffee or brewed coffee but since I saw them brewing it I know it was brewed.

I don't drink much soda at all... Never had it as a little kid so I never got a taste for it, and that's fine with me as it's expensive and certainly doesn't have many health benefits...

I drink lots of water, or orange juice watered down with carbonated water. In the summer maybe decaf iced tea.

I guess it's all a matter of what you're used to.

Happy Cruising,
Cruiseny

[ 08-05-2002: Message edited by: Cruiseny ]