To wonder why everyone raves about cruises?

Agreed. I want to be able to look my children in the eye and say I tried really hard to do my bit to protect the planet

Not been yet but we’re considering it as our next ‘big’ holiday. We tend to do one big and one small holiday per year. Next year’s big holiday is sorted so maybe 2026 will be the year and we’re considering the Fjiords.

@6strings1was that one of the older ships? I've been on a few P&O and been surprised recently at the differences between the ships. For example, food much more interesting and varied on Arvia than Aurora. But also the vibe was different with a much wider age range on Arvia.

Choose a smaller ship if you're destination focused and a larger one if you're activity focused.

Good advice.

Love a cruise. We did Royal Caribbean and NCL with the kids and we've done Seabourn as a couple. Food is great and loads of different entertainment and bars. Can it get crowded? Yes, in the buffet which we generally avoid. The advice I would give people is not to take the cruise excursions. There are loads of experienced independent guides in every town who are well used to getting you back to your ship on time. It's a much more personal experience. And there's lots of ports where you can just walk into town. Choose a smaller ship if you're destination focused and a larger one if you're activity focused. As with all things it's horses for courses. I'm not a fan of a beach holiday. I get bored. In general though I don't ridicule those who enjoy them. We all work hard for our holiday. We should be allowed to enjoy whatever we choose.

But @Marinade you are choosing to surround yourself with 'people like that' on this thread. Like me.

Why? Are you hoping that if you throw enough sneers and insults around, call people Sue, Tony and Rita, and use enough words from your thesaurus that mean ugly and hideous, we will all agree with you in the end?

One one cruise I went to an acting workshop run by actors from the RSC. On another I got chatting to a violinist who played the Brahms violin concerto in the atrium. She trained at the RCM and freelances occasionally at Covent Garden. Really low key!

The fact that elaborate descriptions of people's cruising experiences is provided but the horrendous environmental impact is glossed over tells me a lot about the kind of people who justify their choices to go on cruises and give little regard to the wider detrimental effects.

It comes across as selfish and ignorant. I do not surround myself with people in my life who are like this; I distance myself from anyone with these characteristics as I cannot stand them.

You do realise that being angry is a perfectly justifiable response to things that are unfair/unjust. I can tell that your level of inertia about it is because you simply don't care enough and hence why would you feel angry or concerned?

Why are posts making you have this reaction? It's a thread on the topic so it's likely you'll find some descriptions. I take it no one is making you go on a cruise soon

Says the person who refers to people with differing opinions as 'haters'. Even my 14 year old has dropped this phrase.

The endless descriptions of your cruise experiences and the horrible ship you posted as some sort of shining emblem of luxury cruising tells me a lot.

You have no idea what you are talking about. You sound 12 yourself.

Being rammed into a boat with other people listening to 'low key' cabaret whilst talking about their cruise package, the variety and quality of the buffet, and the plethora of destinations they have 'cruised into' sounds like a snore fest.

And 'haters' - are you 12? 😆

I fully acknowledge that some of the bigger shops are hideous and I wouldn't want to go on them. But they aren't all like that, which some haters don't seem to want to acknowledge either.

When the locals do not want them the cruise ships are nothing more than an unwelcome imposition on the ports they enter: hence they do not become part of the fabric of the port however many times you like to say it.

And my point is I cannot converse with someone who seems unable to acknowlege that these ships are ugly because they are so intent on making a point. It says to me that their level of discernment and judgement is so far apart from my own that I do not want to continue the discussion with them. I can choose who I enter into discourse with on this thread.

Not all cruise lines are the same. We've done the PO& O. The line we go with now is bottom end of luxury, buffets are excellent, as are speciality dining options, entertainment is low key but high quality (no theatre or casino on board, just cabaret lounge, nightclub and piano bar)?, ship is in port for at least a day and occasionally overnight.

The in-laws are utterly utterly obsessed with cruises. We have been roped along on two P&O cruises with them (big birthday celebrations which they have generously paid for). I can appreciate they are the sort of holiday which could suit older people or those who are less mobile. The range of facilities on-board are better than your standard all-inclusive, but without the hassle of planes and transfers etc (unless a fly cruise).

We found the experience quite stifling e.g. be back to the ship at this time (or it leaves you), eat at this time, put your luggage out at this time. Being in port for such a short period of time was also incredibly frustrating. Literally only about 4 hours in some cases. We spent most of the time in queues to attractions, or heading back to the ship (to allow good time for delays).

Food was sub-par (compared to our expectations following all the rave reviews) and probably equivalent to "vintage inn" pub quality food. It all seemed to be meat and two veg options, apart from the speciality restaurants. The buffet was very repetitive and although looked huge, was just repeated across multiple stations. It was standard "all inclusive" quality (with a heavy emphasis on roast dinners) and nothing special. Both me and DH felt very uncomfortable with how the staff are paid and treated. 99% of the staff (apart from the entertainment staff) were from India, Philippines, Sri Lanka etc and we felt they were probably not being treated very well compared to other staff members. It had a bit of a Downton Abbey (but less cheery) vibe which we found very very uncomfortable.

We also found the "sea days" very boring and although it looked like a plethora of activities were scheduled, many of them were thinly veiled sales pitches e.g. "explore skin care with x products" or "explore jewellery with x products". We spent time reading, walking round the ship, watching movies or planning our next meal. We were on a cold north sea cruise, so swimming in the pools or sunbathing wasn't that appealing. The spa looked lovely, but very expensive.

So yeah, we will probably get roped along again...it is difficult to say no when it is for big occassions and someone is generously paying. We enjoy spending time with family etc, but we found ourselves a bit flummoxed as to what the fuss is about.

On the other hand air b and b's etc don't belch out cast plumes of pollutants....

Oh I wasn't meaning that the best way to see the fjords isn't from the water, just that it's far far more magical from a small sailing boat

"Locals" aren't happy in tourist resorts when there are a lot of AI hotels - where tourists barely leave the hotel and don't use local bars, restaurants, cafes, taxis, etc.

The reality is that tourism is a double edged sword in lots of places. The places need tourism to spend the money for the benefit of the local economy, but too much tourism causes strain on local amenities such as housing for locals.

At least cruise ship tourism doesn't impact on local housing problems as the cruise passengers aren't staying in properties rented out under Air BNB or bought as holiday lets.

To be fair I don't want to go a cruise with the miseries and know alls on here. So thank you for going with elsewhere.

Had amazing views of the Christ the Redeemer statue when sailing into Rio. And sailing into/out of New York is pretty spectacular.

This is a myth, you can have a table just for your party size 1,2, 4 etc.

The sad thing is, noone seeing the world from a hulking great cruise ship is seeing that place at its best.

I disagree.

Sailing up and down the Fjords allows you to see the wonderful landscape and waterfalls.

The views in Glacier Bay are only really accessible by boat (small or large). Being on a ship silently pirouetting in front of a glacier is an experience not to be missed.

Transiting the Panama Canal has amazing views of how the locks work and of the rainforest. Remember container ships use the Canal as well and are huge.

I can see small towns are different and agree with ports that limit the number/frequency of cruise ships.

It would be boring if we all liked the same things. Some of us like cruise ships others don’t. I’ve done land based self drive tours which I loved but I also love cruise holidays too.

Fair enough. It's good if there are ways to manage sea travel that are more responsible, as this can be a good accessible option for some travelers.

That article is about the world’s biggest ships that carry thousands. The ones we go on carry about 600.

“Ship operated excursions” still use local coaches, local guides, local restaurants if there is a meal included on the excursions. And pay entrance fees to local attractions.

We always have lunch off the ship if we are in port and not doing an excursion.