Hey everyone! I’m a course 2 beginner and I have a 7 day cruise coming up. Im bringing my acoustic (bought a hard case just for the occasion). Am I being extra? I can’t imagine not putting my hands on my baby for 7 days as well as stifling my learning process. Anyone else relate?
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Each to their own. I play my guitar every day but I wouldn’t take it on holiday with me. Something extra to lug around, even with a hard case could get damaged etc I’d take the time off and get home and be even more motivated to play. You won’t forget how to play in 7 days
Not saying you’re wrong to take yours, just I wouldn’t take mine.
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Hi Carol…
A year and a half ago, my wife and I went on holiday for 5 days in a house in my country, which was the first time since I started playing the guitar…in the houses around us there were families of my in-laws, so the guitar went in the car to relax between all the family gatherings during the day and evening to clear my mind a little…so each on his own and in different situations, but if I would fly or take a boat for a week with just my wife, then I would have left my guitar at home…
If it makes you happy …
Have a great week and I wish you a lot of fun 
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Not to the cruise. I never go anywhere. Side benefit of being kinda poor ya know.
Great idea getting a case for your guitar. While I don’t go anywhere with my guitar, they for sure reside in a case unless I’m using them. It just seems like the proper thing to do for keeping your guitar in fine, playable condition. Besides, now ya got a case for it that you can use whether your cruisin or just playing at home.
Your guitar is now safe.
Have fun on your cruise.
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I can certainly relate. Cannot imagine going 7 days without playing at all. That said, I don’t take guitar on vacation. Similar to what Roger said, if its like a small family vacation local that is something maybe but traveling is another thing. The time off may be more valuable than you realize, creating a sense of desire that will bolster your practice when you return and stave off the slump period. Also, just the way the brain works an occasional rest will help solidify some of the skills you are learning.
There are also things you can do to ‘practice’ while traveling without having an actual guitar. Personally, I carry a squishy foam rubber ball (probably cost less than $1) that I use to build muscle in my fretting hand (mostly for barre chords and lead). I use this on normal days too, not just while travelling. You can also mentally work through chord shapes in your mind and walkthrough scale patterns (either in your head or on paper). You can do a LOT of music theory practice without a guitar handy. You are certainly not crazy for wanting to keep the train going, but just wanted to offer some alternatives.
In my case, my wife and kids are much more welcoming of the break than I am. If I brought the guitar to another country, they probably would make sure it never came home in one piece 
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you sure the cruise allows instruments of any kind? my wife has actually looked at this and it’s not terribly common. a lot of them explicitly don’t want instruments.
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Great idea about the squishy ball for hand strength. I will be getting a couple! Keeping one at work!
I checked. Carnival does allow instruments, but they say if they get complaints they could confiscate it until the end of the cruise. I will practice quietly.
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Fortunately , that used to be quite normal. It made the story a lot more interesting for the storytellers that the orchestra continued to play while the boat sank. 
(or not ,I heard it to many times 
)
Greetings
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Oh yeah, music theory is a good idea. I didn’t even think about that!
Thank you! I will keep my guitar in its case all the time when not in use.
This has me dying! And look- you make a good point!!
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How big is your cabin? I could barely fit my 2 suitcases in my room. There would definitely not been any room for a guitar case. I went cheap with an inside cabin though. 
For the sake of a week, MHO, take some time out and take a break from the playing. Over and above the mental pressure of practice, folk forget the physical intensity of keeping a routine going. So my view is based on the sports concepts of taking a rest to allow your body to adapt to what you have been doing, which usually pay huge dividends. You’ll come back refreshed and eager to get going again, which will act as a springboard to your next level of development.
0.02 Euros gratis.
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For me, it depends on the vacation. I have taken my guitar with me before because I wanted to be able to play for relaxation. My playing also generated a few good interactions with others.
That being said, I leave the guitar at home more often than I bring it. If I am flying, which I rarely do for vacation, it stays home because I don’t want to pay the extra fee to take it along or to risk damage.
I am pondering taking it along on my next vacation where we will be driving through the heart of Blues country. I’m still pretty weak when it comes to playing the Blues but it is the genre I listen to the most and most want to get good at. What better way to wrap up a day in Blues country than playing a little guitar.
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I take my travel guitar with me when my wife and I go traveling in the UK and Europe in our caravan. I’ve taken my guitar when we’ve rented a detached holiday cottage. But that is in our own space.
I wouldn’t dream of taking a guitar onto a cruise ship or to a holiday apartment or hotel. Can you imagine being the person in the next door cabin/room trying to enjoy a holiday and the guy through the (very thin) wall from you is thumping away repetitively trying to change from F to Dm.
Enjoy your holiday. 7 days is nothing. Your callouses won’t even notice. Put your headphones on and listen to your favourite music. Read an autobiography by a rock star. You’ll come back raring to go! 
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End of last year my wife and I had 11 days at a quiet little resort on the south coast of fiji, I took the acoustic in a hard case and sat quietly in our beautiful beach front Bure during the hottest part of each day and got some practice in. Well wrapped in bubble wrap and checked in as oversized luggage it traveled there and back without any problem. You pay your money and you take your chances.
I’m with Gordon @sairfingers
I have travelled with guitars in-country where it’s easy to throw in the back of the car, and I have travelled with guitars overseas where it’s a complete PITA.
I would always consider taking a guitar with me on a national trip (in fact I’m heading to Scotland tomorrow for the weekend and will be taking an electric guitar and my Katana Go and IEMs) but I would only ever consider overseas travel with a guitar if I was going for a few months or more.
I don’t know if you’ve done a cruise before. I haven’t, but my parents have and my daughter has and, from their feedback, I am convinced it is not the right place to take a guitar, especially for a 7 day cruise.
If you have a significant amount of spare time you want to fill (and I would question why you would) then do some artist studies and lots of listening. The advantage of that is that it’s also stress relieving, which holidays are supposed to be, whilst dealing with taking a guitar with you on a cruise is more likely to induce stress than anything else.
Cheers,
Keith
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For me it wouldn’t be much of a holiday if I couldn’t take along a guitar. I used to take my daily play acoustic guitar in a hard case, now I’m fortunate to have a Journey carbon fibre travel guitar
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Speaking of the blues, I want to take the next Blues Immersion class which starts in July. I have to get through course 3 by then. I’m only halfway through 2.
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