One ship, two different vacation styles—and no airports, ever again
Celebrity Reflection just waiting for us
When people hear that we cruise several times a year, they usually respond with a version of the same question: “Don’t you get bored?”
Um, no, because if there’s one thing we’ve learned as a couple in our 70s, it’s that cruising is the one vacation that gives us both what we want, without compromise, hassle, or stress. That’s why when you look at Champagne Living, you notice a lot of articles on cruising, especially lately. Because my stick-in-the-mud, stay-at-home husband, well….They say that opposites attract, and my husband (Mr S) and I are complete opposites, especially when it comes to travel. So, while I used to go off on my own to explore all over the world, my husband would stay home with the dog, and the TV (and I think he made best friends with the Grubhub and Uber Eats drivers because I would see the charges as I was trying to get along with my high school French in the Loire Valley).
While I’m getting ready to whale watch in Alaska (Norwegian Bliss)
We Are SO Different From Each Other
We have different styles from everything from how we dress, what we enjoy eating, what we read and watch on TV, etc. So, we’re not the kind of couple who travel in lockstep. In fact, we’re opposites when it comes to what we enjoy on vacation. I love activity. Give me a wine tasting, a shore excursion, or a colorful marketplace, or even a great glass of wine in the Sky Lounge, and I’m in heaven. My husband? Not so much. He prefers a good book, a quiet spot with a view, and a steady routine —preferably one that doesn’t involve airports, dragging suitcases, or fast-paced sightseeing.
For years, this difference made planning trips kind of tricky. I always wanted him to travel with me. But finding a destination or travel style that we both enjoyed equally? That was another story. Then we took our first cruise together, and everything changed.
My husband could be sitting in the sports bar (MSC World America)
One Ship, Endless Options
The thing that makes cruising so magical for couples like us is how much it offers under one roof (or on every deck, I should say).
Every day, we wake up docked in a new place—an island, a historic city, or a sleepy little port town we’ve never heard of. I can hop off and explore, take a cooking class with locals, or shop in the open-air markets. My husband? He can stay onboard, find a shady lounger, grab a cappuccino, and enjoy the peaceful emptiness of the ship while everyone else is out exploring.
And neither of us has to sacrifice anything. We meet up later in the day—sometimes in the dining room, but often the buffet, because we like to sample everything and share our stories. He tells me about the seagull that tried to steal his croissant, and I tell him about the Sicilian grandmother who taught me to make cannoli. We laugh, I sip wine, he drinks a Bloody Mary, and we agree: this is the life.
Where else can you both go on completely different vacations while staying together the whole time?
No Flying = No Stress
Another reason we love cruising: my husband hates flying.
Not dislikes—hates. At 6’1″ and a former college football player, the cramped seats, the long lines, the security hassle, the delays, and the noise are just not his idea of a good time. And honestly, after dealing with enough lost luggage and uncomfortable red-eyes over the years, I understand (although I do still tell the story of sleeping on the floor in the Bangkok airport with pride that I did that in my 60s – alone).
Plus, we live in Florida, and the beauty of that is that we’re just a short drive away from five cruise ports. We can wake up at home, have a leisurely breakfast, and be on board by lunchtime, without ever stepping foot in an airport. It’s the most stress-free travel day you can imagine.
No checking bags, no taking off our shoes, no gate changes or sprinting across terminals. We roll our suitcases from the car and hand them off to a smiling porter, and the next time we see them, they’re in our stateroom. It doesn’t get easier than that.
Balcony Cabin MSC World America
One Time Packing, One Time Unpacking
I’m the queen of doing those multi-city trips where you change hotels every few days. I find it fun, but exhausting, especially the part where you live out of a suitcase and forget where you packed your socks (or in my case, it’s usually my PJs).
Cruising solved that for us in the best way. You pack once. You unpack once. And then you get to travel to multiple destinations without touching your suitcase again.
Our clothes go neatly into drawers and closets, our shoes line up under our clothes, and our toiletries stay right where we need them. No more repacking, no more juggling hotel check-out times, no more hauling bags up cobblestone streets or hailing cabs in a language we don’t speak.
Every time we open the curtains in the morning, there’s something new to see, and we never have to move our stuff. It’s like taking your hotel room with you around the world.
Celebrity Xcel
Built-In Romance
At this stage in life, we’re not looking for wild parties or packed sightseeing schedules. We want connection, beauty, and the kind of quiet moments that make you look at each other and say, “This is nice.”
Cruising gives us that, and then some.
We’re not the slow-dance under the stars on the Lido Deck type, but we have had candlelit dinners with ocean views. We’ve watched the sun rise over the Caribbean while sipping coffee in our robes on our balcony. There’s something deeply romantic about being at sea. Maybe it’s the movement of the water, or the way everything feels slightly removed from real life.
On land, you’re always doing something. On a ship, you’re just being. And that’s where we reconnect most.
Caught in the act of a dancercise class on the Scarlet Lady
It’s Also Just…Fun
People sometimes think cruises are for people who can’t handle “real” travel. I’d argue the opposite: cruising is for people who are smart about how they spend their energy.
There’s so much to do onboard if you want to be entertained. We’ve played mini golf, learned to salsa dance (well, that would’ve been me), watched Broadway-quality shows, tried martini flights, and even attended presentations about pirates and rum in the Caribbean. And when we don’t feel like doing anything at all? That’s okay too.
It’s the kind of trip where you can make it as active or as relaxed as you want, day by day, even hour by hour.
A drink & a laugh – Celebrity Cruises
Shared and Separate Joys
The biggest reason cruising works so well for us as a couple in our 70s is that it gives us the freedom to do our own thing, without actually being apart.
He can have his quiet mornings with coffee and ocean views. I can rush off to the morning fitness class or meet new people at a wine tasting group. We meet back at the stateroom, tell each other everything, and plan what we’ll do together that evening.
It’s like having two vacations in one. We each get what we love, and we get to experience it together.
Final Boarding Call
At this stage of life, we know what we like, and more importantly, we know what we don’t. We’re not interested in long airport days, stressful planning, or vacations that leave us more tired than when we left.
Cruising is easy. It’s joyful. It’s flexible. It gives us the chance to explore the world together and enjoy our own rhythms and routines. It’s a travel style that lets us keep going, keep connecting, and keep making memories without the fuss.
So no, we don’t get bored on cruises. We get excited. Every time.
And we already have our next one (make that three) booked.
