We have discussed a cruise holiday next year. We can't afford a very posh one but we'd like a mixture of relaxing and adventure. We thought a cruise might allow us to see several places in one go.
We are late 20s/early 30s, I am a bit worried we might be on a ship with mostly pensioners? Does it matter? We would like to go during the Easter holidays so weather is also a consideration. We want to start TTC next year as well so we can't really go anywhere with the Zika virus.
With all those restrictions, we have found two cruises we like the look off.
The first one is with Thomson (or now Marella), Spirit of Iberia. It's on the Celebration. Ports are: Malaga, Lisbon, Portimao, Cádiz/Seville, Casablanca and Gibraltar.
The other one is with P&O, on the Oceana. Ports are: Malta, Heraklion, Ephesus, Mykonos, Athens.
Which cruise sounds better to experience cruisers? Is either ship significantly better?
I have only cruised with P&O and on every occasion there was a mix of people on the boat from young children to the much more mature end of the range. Id put myself somewhere in the middle. Cruises during school holidays tend to have more children than those outside but its still a wider range than people might think.
Friend have just come back from being on a Thomson cruise and really enjoyed it. They tend to be slightly smaller boats.
Both your choices look good to me. either one will be great fun and very relaxing. Enjoy
Don't do it !!!!! Boats rock and sink!!! Have you not seen Titanic??? Joking aside ...I can ferry across the Mersey and hug a toilet ....I'm not a good boat person. Have an amazing time ... PIL have just got really into cruising and recently sat at the Captain's table, they were so proud..... It all sounds and looks from the photos AMAZING...... just a shame po at time we took the ferry to France I made DH walk circuits of the boat ...it's not gonna work for me!!! yes a bit green...with envy and then vomit
Have you looked at celebrity, do they have anything at that time?
IMO celebrity cruises are quite a bit better than P&O &, surprisingly, often cheaper.
Thomson is lower standard than p&O.
We like mid ship cabins best to minimise movement, as close to the centre of the ship as possible. Also check what is above and below your room to minimise noise.
Having done a few, (12) its all about looking for the best deal and the itinerary that suits you best, Firstly do your Home work on the locations and the actual place you will dock at They will tell you Rome but dock at Civitavecchia which is at least an hours drive away about 80Km. One of your itinerys mentions Athens, Athens is inland! You will dock a Piaraus ( Spelling) so you have to plan how to get to the places you want to see. Plan your days look at the ports on cruise critc and you can find cheaper ways do do the trips, we did a £600 trip for 6 people for £100 including lunch by planning and using local transport. Celebrity I can't fault them but its more difficult to get a good cheap deal. Cunard They give the image of Top class but are not, really on par with Royal Caribbean Royal Caribbean Good value but read the reviews as they have some very different ships. Thompson Good value although best to shop around as we paid a small amount more this year and went on Celebrity, shios are old and some times worn but staff and food is excellent, check the itinerary carefully as they often go to see excellent smaller ports whilst the big ships can't dock as they are too big. P&O A bit too holiday camp for me entertainment was very good possibly the best but service was poor food ok. Look at the places, then pick the cruise line. If you plan all shore excursions your self you can save a fortune, some places you can just get off and walk about. Here is a typical example Katacolon you can walk in to the town, get the Happy train ( little kids type train to the Winery and the beach for a fraction of the Ships tour cost. www.katakolon.org/tourist-fun-train.html
Celebrity is the best of the larger cruise ships. Cunard can be fabulous,but depends on which class you sail on. RCI is ok if you like lots of people and very large ships. I would personally avoid P&O/Thomson/Costa/Carnival, as there is far better quality to be had.
We’ve always gone Cunard with a range of kids from 18 months to 14 years and we’ve always had an amazing time. They love it. Going again at Easter to France and Spain, can’t wait!
I have been on P&O and RC. The P&O was an adults only cruise. I preferred it to RC, a smaller ship, a bit more formal in the evenings, the formal nights on RC were largely ignored, good ports and food. We went to the speciality restaurants which were better on RC. P&O also has a self serve laundry which RC doesn't the laundry service was quite expensive. We got an outside cabin which cost a bit more but on a low floor so not too much was worth the extra £. As people have said, plan the excursions yourself and if you plan to treat yourself to a massage or anything book early if you want it on a sea day. Have an amazing time!
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