Family cruises are fun. There’s something for everyone. Good way to get together-Enjoy!

My mom took our whole family on a cruise for her 70th birthday and while I’m so grateful and glad we went I hope I never go on a cruise again.

You can have essentially the same experience getting drunk in a Golden Corral.

Don't watch the poop cruise documentary on Netflix then

Well, at least you do. Find it fascinating, I mean to say.

am jealous. would love an all you can eat, all you can drink cruise somewhere. enjoy

Details of all kinds, please

Are you all wearing those family reunion tee shirts and posing for group photos on a staircase?

have fun

I’m not gonna be the one person reminding you about COVID and that we’re in a new wave and cruises are Petri dishes. Oops. But seriously, hope you can stay safe.

Growing up we never went on a vacation as a family. As adult I went with my mom her second husband and a friend of theirs. We went to Disneyland. Since I was maybe 26 I just went to Disneyland with them one day and the rest of the trip I did my own thing and saw a LA friend.

Did you watch the “Poop Cruise” documentary before you left?

You need to watch Train Wreck: Poop Cruise before you go.

I watched that, and it completely validated my decision never to go on a cruise.

Same. Never.

I only have to see the name of the documentary to know that I don't want to go on a cruise. Not sure I could stand watching it.

It was BAD BAD.

That is what I assumed. Now I know FOR SURE to not watch it. 🤮

It was horrendous 🥺

Swore to never cruise (my 'fascinated with disasters at sea' phase was VERY long), then a friend asked me to the @jococruise.bsky.social and it was fabulous. I started writing a new book on the cruise! I loved it! You might too. Then I came home sicker than I've ever been, for an entire month. So.

Enjoy

😬..you reeeally get to know and understand the term "captive audience" .. you can still have fun tho. 🥂 Cheers mate

A people-watcher’s paradise. For the first 3 days.

keep washing those hands!

Buoy family reunion. I’ll leave.

I recommend doing a cannonball in the adults only pool

We need to know about the Jamelle cruise fashion

Theres a poo cruise doc on Netflix right now.

Did you go for a room with a balcony? That makes the cruise really pleasant

Hooo boy

No escape

Second that. 😄

Or hooo boule

I went on a cruise once, paid for by a friend, and I absolutely HATED it.

No escape!

Hooo boy, indeed! So, you're planning to write a David Brooks-style column about your cruise experience? That's a unique topic! Did you discover any profound insights or just a lot of buffets?

I have never ever wanted to go on a cruise

I've only been on one, 3-day cruise out of LA several years ago. Never booked another one. Although, I might consider a small canal cruise in France that would visit charming little villages. That might work!

There's also that Gary Shteyngart's Atlantic article where he cries himself to sleep on a bohemoth cruise ship. That was fascinating too

Take a plate of the fruit tart cookies back to your room. You’ll be craving them later when the buffet is closed.

i only did one for three days when i was 17 and never again, but i loved being able to eat all day long whatever i wanted for no extra charge. buffets of sushi. ordering multiple entrees at dinner. i was a human trash compactor

I like cruises. A reunion on a ship is a great idea.

The first thought that came to my mind was the Poop Cruise.

I dreaded going on a cruise but I ended up loving it and would do it again

Bring prophylactic antibiotics 🤣

If your family gets along, it should be amazing. Being on a cruise tends to bring out the madness in people

Beware the dysentery…

Be nice.

And norovirus

Always my first thought when a cruise is mentioned.

I will never get the term "poop cruise" out of my head. Floating petri dishes.

😬

Tip: Stay on the boat when everyone gets off at ports of call. It will be the only peace you will find.

I've never experienced the floating petri dish mode of vacationing. Seems an odd choice 🤔 My only family reunion as yet was in my teens at a rented girls summer camp... wasn't the worst. Montana in beautiful!

Buffet and drinks 24/7 is truly the American gift to the world.

I’ve never been on one & hope to keep that streak going lol, but I sincerely hope you have a wonderful time with your family. You deserve it !!

I totally agree. It is fascinating. Have fun!

Stay safe! The damn things are petri dishes

Stock up on wet wipes and hand sanitizer! 😜🤮

I just got back from my first ever cruise. I did notice there were a lot of Black family cruise reunions with their matching t-shirts. Had a great time hanging out (and getting drunk) with a lot of folks on said reunions.

I just returned from a cruise gifted to my wife and me as a honeymoon gift. I felt very odd during the whole thing while grateful for the things I got to see. A very... bourgeois experience to say the least.

There's also an urbanism angle. I just did my first cruise recently and I'm convinced part of why it's so enjoyable is that you don't have to go far. You can walk everywhere. So it's that thing where Americans get a taste of urbanism and really like it, but loathe the idea when they get home.

It is nice having so much in walking distance, letting kids run free, and no cars

I’m always happier when the world has no cars.

Same reason people love Disneyland.

I think it's so silly when people claim that their home's mass transit system is just "too unsafe" for them to use but Disney world's peoplemover is just a great attraction.

I remember loving the Monorail at DW as a kid, so when I took my own kid to Disneyland I made sure to hop on that people mover to really soak in the nostalgia. As a 44 year old urban dweller it just felt like... public transit?

Cause that's what it is!! And then people go home and whine about how the bus or light rail or what have you is "unsafe" which is utter nonsense

That’s the thing. It is “just public transit”, but in the one scenario non-urbanites will try it out without freaking out about the presence of poor people.

They like the people mover because they don't have to share it with "the poors" who are trying to get to work. Same reason tech bros want to reinvent the bus but more expensive.

Have you read David Foster Wallace’s brilliant essay, A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again…

You must have a very sane, easy-going family. I'm imagining being trapped with my crazy siblings on a cruise ship for a week and trembling at the thought.

Ask an employee to take you down to the Crew Bar.

As a former cruise ship employee I second this

there is actually something to write about the popularity of cruises with middle-income black americans.

I was just on one and noticed a lot of African Americans.

One of my favorite pieces is "Something Supposedly Fun I'll Never Do Again" by David Foster Wallace. I'm waiting for your own take. 🍿

I just learned something - never having been on a cruise I always imagined them being lily-white, with lots of blue hair and brown loafers

There are classes of cruise ship, and the smaller fancier ones (regent, seven seas, Oceania, Viking), are what you describe. According to the cruise forums, even if they permit kids and offer kid entertainment, there are very few rooms for more than two people, and fellow cruisers side-eye children.

Which cameras did you bring?

mamiya 6 and my digital leica. also a little pocket camera.

I've watched so many videos about cruises and I never understand why people like them. Its like going to a city, but more expensive.

It's the same as an all-inclusive resort that travels to different places. It's about not having to care about paying for anything, unless you want to, for the entire trip. (always tip staff though)

But you have to pay upfront, and a lot more than if you, say, got on an international flight and went to Europe or Asia, and then hopped on a train to travel to different cities within the country. I went to Malaysia and stayed for a week for around $1,200 a few years ago.

lots of people are willing to pay a premium to not have to penny pinch their whole trip. i’d bet that if you spent the same time in malaysia and didn’t think about traveling and eating and sightseeing cheaply, it would have easily outstripped the cost of an equivalent cruise

You have no clue how cheap things are in Malaysia. Its not about penny pinching, its just generally cheap to do whatever you want. Its true for a lot of cities.

sure but what are you going to do? how are you sure that the things you sign up for are safe and not a scam? what foods are ok to eat? what beaches are actually nice for tourists? where can i go where they’ll know english? i’m sure you enjoy figuring out that stuff, but lots of people don’t…

so if they went to malaysia they would be paying for a resort / tour group which suddenly becomes comparable to a cruise

google? But I guess thats the difference between travel vs a cruise. A unique adventure vs a corporate mandated schedule of activities.

i mean yes, that’s my point. i get that *you* like to have a unique adventure, but lots of people want a schedule of activities that the whole family is sure to enjoy, and they’re not wrong for preferring that

$1300 is what it costs to fly my SO and I to Paris, and that's the cheapest option. It's $1800 to fly to Japan. Meanwhile I can get a 3 night cruise for $600, fly to Florida for $300 round trip, pay $400 to never need to pay for a drink the whole time. Your math isn't mathing.

3 nights is kinda short for a cruise. Aren't most cruises around a week?

It's whatever you want. The point is that for just about the cost of flights alone to Europe or Asia, I can have an entire vacation on a cruise.

It's also about not having to think about and plan stuff. I hate planning travel and think about costs along the way, and a cruise pretty much eliminates that element of things.

Not many travel options that give you a mostly all inclusive vacation to some nice places for 2500 per person.

If you don't write it, I will. Inspired after working with retirement aged black Americans in St. Louis Fascinating

I’d love to read that.

You need to have a matching set of tshirts! That’s the rule!

The Caribbean cruise we went on last month had more Black Americans onboard than I had seen on any prior cruise in the last ten years.

It’s a great value. You can do as much or as little as you want. The quality and variety of food is pretty decent. The big con is that it’s terrible for the environment. And let’s not forget the risk of norovirus, falling overboard, being stranded at sea due to fire or engine failure.

-tugs your arm, whispers- and poop cruise

We watched that last week. Worst way to extend your vacation imaginable.

I actually haven’t watched but got a friend’s summary. Did you feel like it was worth it?

Certainly seems popular among middle income people generally in the NoVA region.

-Get the premium drink package, it's usually worth it -The pool bar staff are awesome to chat with, but not always well-versed in mixology -Photos from the formal night(s) make for great gifts!

-Walk around the buffet before getting in line, it's not always the same offerings in different areas -Bring a bottle to fill up for water, they usually charge for the large bottles, but they have water stations you can use for free

i don’t recall asking for advice?

Just passing along some tips!

I’d love to read that.

Please do your own take on DFW’s “Shipping Out”

Buffets with pools. I want to go on one so bad.

Not a fan of cruising but they are good for multigenerational gatherings. How many and what's age range?

I’ve been on 8. I’m West Indian though.

My dad’s whole side of the family are the ‘cruise’ side of the family except for my dad. It’s kind of sad. They are all bonding on these cruises and we aren’t there but my dad is vehemently anti-cruise (I’m kinda glad about that as I really don’t want to go on a cruise.)

I’m a bit of a germaphobe but ironically like cruises LOL I like it because when I was on call for work all the time, no one could reach me in the middle of the sea.

I love the sea…I would probably love it in some way…I imagine a floating mall. I love HOTELS a lot. I could live happily going from hotel to hotel, even mostly Holiday Inn. But I just know I would be having constant apocalyptic thoughts about the decadence. Like I do when I go to Vegas.

Oh wow I would like THAT

As long as it's not Carnival or Disney it's usually not too bad on the ick side

True. Though Carnival is the only line I’ve been on that has single deck blackjack.

Really? Did you win?

I don’t want to brag, but blackjack is the one good thing I’m good at LOL

Can you count cards?

Not really. Most use an auto shuffling shoe so it makes it difficult to keep track. I just manage my chips well and memorized the basic strategy chart.

3, but im bi racial

Noticed this with my family too. I've thought that it's because it's a relatively low cost way to way to travel / see the world.

Because I feel like travel in general is kind of having a moment.

Will be interested to hear about your experience. My wife & I have done several which allowed us to travel to places we might have not been able to visit otherwise

I've noticed this on my cruises. Multigenerational black families cruising together, having a blast.

PLEASE do not reproduce the apparently obligatory journalistic maneuver of pretending to go in with an open mind only to end up ridiculing cruising and cruise passengers. It's getting tiresome.

I’m terrified to go on a cruise.

Just returned. So fun. But I’m terrified to fly. So there’s that.

That sounds fascinating.

Ok but: is there a family reunion t shirt

Yea, sumn sumn sumn...slave ships brought us here, sumn sumn...carnival cruises from Miami. It really writes itself.

"A Supposedly Fun Thing We Do a Lot, Actually"?

Fair winds and fallow seas

Please.

I hope you write it. I’ve never been on a cruise myself but have always been fascinated. I remember lurking on gorgeous pics of the extremely stylish Virgin Voyages cruise line in March 2020 and being tempted. But, you know, March 2020. Would love to hear your perspective on the experience!

As someone who enjoys cruising in no small part for the people watching, I insist you write this piece.

Well the middle-income white version has already been written

David Brooks did a completely ghoulish version, with no family, for the Times Magazine, if I remember right. I think Jamelle should pitch The Atlantic if he hasn't already.

I'd read that article

youtube.com/shorts/cVulQ...

I remember going on a cruise for my family reunion back in 2019, great memories. Have fun!

Would be interested in that! I understand why some don’t like them bc it isn’t “authentic travel” and it would be limiting if that was your only experience with travel but it’s really nice to have a shared experience and be able to easily do your own thing. Also so much is taken care of for you.

When you come back can you review Superman for us

You gonna write about the Carnival debacle?

Need to see a Cruise/Disney venn diagram. Very high overlap, I would imagine.

Do NOT watch Poop Cruise on Netflix. Or maybe do, so you’re prepared for the worst 😳

I would be interested in reading. My children’s Godparents (middle income Black Americans) invited us all on their family reunion cruise for next year so it would hit close to home.

would love up hear your cruise takes

I'd read that

All my father talks about from his Alaska cruise experiences is that you can get food/beverage 24 h a day ;)

My dad, too. Glacier tour by seaplane? Okay, I guess. MOUNTAIN of smoked salmon available at the buffet whenever he wanted? Priceless memory.

Those of us who never had a functioning family wonder what this is like.

Can you post a pic?

No way out except over, are you a good swimmer?

Any seasickness or is it not so bad on a huge ship?

But what happens if the potato salad gets wet?!?!

YES PLEASE DO WRITE a thinkpiece on cruised lol (as someone myself who ((GASP!!) LOVES cruises)

How many people?

Must Read: www.hachettebookgroup.com/wp-content/u...

Family cruises are great because you don’t have to worry about anyone - when you are the family organizer it’s great to tell everyone else you. do. you. See you for dinner!

Check out the Tin House essay "You Don't See the Other Person Looking Back" by Michael Lowenthal about blind, gay folks on a cruise. Brilliant. *TH is extinct but Google could be your friend.

Have a wonderful time!

First participant with a “buoy” pun should win a prize.

Mom worked for a cruiseline. I got married on a ship(it was free)I’ve been on 3cruises. The neutron bomb would be of great use.The ports of call are interesting, but never long enough.The food is nice.24hr room svc is amazing.It’s the knuckle dragging,mouth breathing trog passengers that ruin it.

Wash your hands frequently!

I washed and sanitized my hands all the time and still got norovirus. Carriers that think they have recovered can still shed the virus. Good luck, have fun.

www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip... tyler gets the misplaced attention but he got the attention because it was so hilarious *for the many aunties in attendance*

Agree. Only went once and was totally fascinated-took notes constantly.

IMO cruises are the ideal family reunion venue, I would never go on one with a small group but for a big group they're literally perfect

Don't touch anything on the cruise ship and never put your hands near your face and you'll be fine.

noro, though.

Noro is awful.

and so freaking contagious

Yeah if you like being stuck in a Petrie Dish for days or weeks at a time.... But hey, infinite buffet, fun & games, a floating water park, nightly entertainment, dramamine!

As long as no one walks the plank ... Arg! 🏴‍☠️

Was this on purpose or did it happen by accident? Because maybe accidental cruises are a thing.

I love a good cruise. Have fun!

Is it one of those boats with movie theaters and water parks and such?

The experience varies widely depending on itinerary, expectations, the cruise line, other guests, and who you go with.

Oh, Bouie!

Cruises vary widely, depending on the cruise line. Hope you have a great time!

Isn’t it, though!

A family reunion with no escape route? That’s a bold move.

You can always walk into the sea

Also a bold move.

did you watch Poop Cruise first?

Watching it rn

🤣🤣🤣🤣

If only there weren’t so many people…

I'm an atheist, but if I'm wrong and I'm destined for hell, an eternal cruise would be it 😳

One fun thing to be prepared for is going on your first* cruise and finding out you get seasick *only

The All You Can Drink option is not a good deal if you're planning to write or actually be sentient at any time.

I just watched the poop cruise documentary and I wish you luck

red bags😫

I hate even the thought of a cruise!

Hope the ship doesn’t break down in the middle of the ocean and raw sewage is pouring through the cabins. Sorry but those incidents have made me never want to go on a cruise.

“Just Add Water: Bouies at Sea.”

Good luck on the floating peach tree dish family adventure!

If I may offer one piece of perhaps obvious advice: don’t buy any art on board!

Would enjoy reading your reflections on cruise life.

And read the David Foster Wallace piece.

THIS!! harpers.org/wp-content/u...

Thank you!

Man, I'd really hate to be stuck at a reunion with my family where I could only escape by swimming

We, my husband I cruised on US Naval vessels. We have little to no interest. Minus Alaska, because I like small planes even less.

Sometimes the only way to travel is as the family’s anthropologist and hope for the best.

You never have to make a decision that’s the beauty of it

A supposedly fun thing I’ll never do again…

Cramped quarters, large amounts of alcohol practically pressed on you, and family? Mmmmm. 😆

Oh my gosh jamelle please start hoarding the immodium now. In case

Where will you go?

Make sure you lead the conga line dance!

you are keeping norovirus from extinction

I’ve never been on a cruise and am deeply curious. Everyone seems to either love them or hate them, with little in between. Looking forward to hearing the reviews

Do you like the hotel more than the attractions? Do you like guided tours and managed experiences? Do you have low culinary expectations? Cruising may be for you! Having said that though it's still not the worst option for a large group who wants to vacation together.

It depends on what you want to get out of your vacation; if your idea of vacation is mostly just expending as little energy as possible (which, fair enough) you’ll probably love it. If you like *doing things* or gaining new experiences, you’ll find it extremely claustrophobic

I have a bunch of outdoor industry friends that work higher end ones on smaller boats that offer a much more active and interesting experience, but those tend to be much more expensive than the giant floating casino ships

Ohh would you mind sharing some of the good smaller boats?

The bouie buoy vacation

Gonna need to see your cruise attire

Watch Poop Cruise on Netflix LOL Seriously, wash your hands often and have fun!

It sounds fun and interesting all at the same time

We need daily updates

How many have jumped into the water to swim back to shore?

I wasn't sure I'd like it when we went on one. But the unpacking once and seeing multiple places was really nice.

I suppose if you book private quarters for large gatherings, it could work. My experience has been cruises trigger my ADD and I don’t like wading through a bunch of strangers to find my family members to yell over loud music and ambient noise to talk to people I could’ve stayed home to talk to.

I am a staunch cruise defender

Have a wonderful time!

The online reaction to cruises is so interesting. Anyone says the word “cruise” and the replies are flooded with dozens of “petri dish” and “that sounds horrible” responses, mostly from people who have never been on one. And yet the vast majority of people who actually try cruising do it again…