To wonder why everyone raves about cruises?

Only thing I didn't like was the "servants" feel to all the staff, who can't do enough for you and seem happy enough but it does feel very like min wage Downton Abbey, especially uncomfortable because they aren't white and I don't like people waiting on me hand and foot in general, especially as some passengers seem to treat them like shit.

Also environmental issues and wastage of things like food are a big problem.

Exactly this. These are my issues with cruising too. I have been on two. One was a free Baltic cruise, twenty years ago (when I briefly worked as a travel agent). The other was about ten years ago when I’d had a large inheritance and was a bit mad with grief and wanted to treat the kids. There were aspects of both trips that I enjoyed, but overall I don’t want to do it again because of the environmental impact.

I have been on a few cruises. Post Covid I think there has been a real decline in what you get now. I still really the concept and waking up somewhere new everyday is the best.
I think really it's the other passengers. I'll talk to anyone so not a snob in that sense but some of the guests are really mind boggling. There is a lot of seriously obese people endlessly eating everywhere round the ship.

@halava TBH I think cruise companies are stitching themselves up here. They've all got numerous package add on with increasingly complicated rules and pricing. I mean essentially they are all the same idea but it's a bit stressful if you don't know what speciality dining is for example or why you might want it given the amount of included food options.

Princess have the medallion which replaces the cruise card ( it's how you buy things on board). It's great but you do have to download multiple apps and have a smart phone and check your account everyday to make sure it's just your drinks because it follows you round and can randomly add on other orders.

The cruise ship in Japan during covid where noone could get off decided it for me. No thanks.

Spent two weeks cruising the Caribbean last Christmas with NCL. Was lucky enough to upgrade to the Haven which is described as a ship within a ship. The difference was night and day. If you can, get the best suite you can, upgrade everything. I was very seasick but the ship provided extremely effective tablets free of charge, not available in the UK. Do as much research as you can and choose your cruiseline carefully. I personally would not recommend NCL.

Not sure what the point of this thread is. You've already made it clear you don't like it see the point in cruises yet you create a thread to watch and enjoy people arguing back and forth?

Some people like AI holidays, some don't, some like adventurous holidays some prefer city holidays, live and let live and move on.

No cruise line forces you to sit with other people in the dining rooms. You can ask for a table for 2 no issue at all. You may have to wait a bit longer (if on anytime dining) but that's it. There is no enforced fun, you can attend what you want, when you want.

We have always got sun loungers, no issue.

I have done 8 cruises and love them. I do occasionally get sea sick but take medication with me and that stops it. You can get medication from the medical centre on board but that will cost you a lot more. Get a couple of boxes from the chemist before you go and it will save you a lot of money if you did need them. It has never stopped me wanting to cruise though and I always sleep really well due to the gentle movement of the boat. Kind of rocks you to sleep.

My favourite cruise line was Royal Carribean, but we have cruised p&o, princess and cunard as well and they have all been great. Cunard was a little bit too formal for us sometimes so we did eat in the buffet a few more nights than we normally would, but the itinerary was one we wanted to do and the price was amazing.

Agreed, I didn't speak to anyone outside of my group the whole time.

Agree. Never.

You most definitely can have an opinion on cruises without having ever stepped on one... The world of the tinterweb opens up many many avenues of enquiry and scrutiny on cruising and many other topics. Plus you can speak to people and see programmes about them. My mother in law loves them but they are not for everyone. The entertainment to which you refer sounds dreadful to me.

It was Norwegian Cruise Line. If you book I suggest looking at the land packages and not just selecting the default option. The rest of my family chose the default and missed out on the waterfall so definitely look through the options and choose what works for you.

We did a cruise because we wanted to see whether it was for us. You can't slag them off if you haven't done one. DP was keener than me, I'm not great with travel sickness and I could see the whole thing benig wrecked if I was throwing up all the time. That was the main reason we went on the Queen Mary 2, the last true ocean going liner and supposedly the most stable. Good news: Force seven winds crossing to Norway, but not seasick. Not so good news: although reviews said you'd never know it was moving, I found that was rubbish, the ship did move arouond and there was always a vibration from the engines,but itwasn't the problem I expected (and as fellow sufferers know, once you expect to get sick, you likely will).

So putting that aside, the experience on the whole was great. Mealtimes are when crowds can be a problem, breakfast in particular. If we were to go again we would be smarter about when we ate.The evening meals in the assigned retaurant were fantastic, although I agree if you were unlucky with who you were sat with it could be a pain,although you could eat in other locations.

Best thing was probably the extertainment. Soul singers, Shakespeare readings, Michel Roux cookery demonstrations, MAx Hastings gave a talk. Couldn't fault it, really.

I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, and I would enjoy it more the second time if only because we would know the system better.

"The 218 cruise ships operating in Europe last year emitted more than four times more sulphur oxides than all the continent’s cars combined, according to the NGO Transport & Environment (T&E). Sulphur dioxide causes respiratory and cardiovascular problems and its pollution is a key component of acid rain."

www.theguardian.com/travel/2023/oct/19/europe-ports-bear-brunt-of-cruise-ship-pollution

Yes we get that, it is not particularly informative or novel to acknowledge that people enjoy different types of holiday.

I reluctantly went to accommodate my brother and SIL and DH. I was right as I absolutely hated it . The A1 aspect of it appealed to the others but as I don't drink completely wasted on me . Hated the forced jovility of the entertainment and the boorish behaviour of the guests . Uncomfortable with the attitude towards staff.
But for me , the port days were great . I had researched well and chose tours that maximised the time available. No other way would I have been able to experience this much.
So I guess the main conclusion is that obviously lots of people really enjoy them but others not so much.

For those saying about not wanting to meet lots of different people and keeping themselves to themselves, that's perfectly possible on cruises. They're huge so you can always find somewhere to sit on your own. In restaurants, you have the choice and don't need to sit on big tables with other people - they have tables for 4, 2 and even just one, so you just need to tell them your preference (though probably not for the breakfast buffet at busy times when you will have to share a table (or take a tray back to your room!).

Well the thought of them doesn't appeal to me one tiny little bit, for many of the reasons you list. I will never, ever go on one, however luxurious. However, I do have the imagination to understand why other people (especially those who are more outgoing than me) might like them.

We have family members who love them. They like visiting warm sunny places but really hate flying. They can afford a nice cabin with a balcony. The pics of the food they send looks lovely, but I like to sample more basic local ingredients on holiday so I think I might find it a bit samey after a while. They like meeting new people and going to shows, discos etc in the evening, I'm not remotely interested. A chacun son goût, as the French say.

I went with Virgin, no kids, no buffet, no loud announcements, and really enjoyed it.
The pool was shite but most the ports had beach options so had the choice to swim then if wanted to.
There was organised 'fun' but it was avoidable and there was plenty of low key stuff with bands and musicians in the bars in the evenings.
Lots of spots to just curl up with my kindle and get some sun while avoiding the more crowded areas.
Food was surprisingly good too with loads of non beige options available alongside pizza, burgers and all day breakfast.

@Biggirlnow enjoying cruises doesn't mean you don't like other types of trip too. Frankly I love most types of holiday and have done some very adventurous things!

I disagree. We have cruised many times (all P and O so far) and have never had any issue keeping ourselves to ourselves.

I can see that the route up the coast line of Norway would be best experienced perhaps on a boat. But the Hurtigruten is more like a commercial vessel isn't it going up and down transporting goods etc? Is it a nice experience overall?

@halava ring a specialist cruise agent and they'll happily talk you through it all. There are several, I always book with Bolsover Cruise Club, they're brilliant.

I did a cruise once and hated it. Barely got to see anything of the places we visited and all the markets etc ramped up the prices when ships were in port.

I think they are for unadventurous travellers or the kind of people who like staying in the hotel complex on holiday.

Also, you definitely can get sea sick on cruise ships. I have seen it.

The biggest downside is other people

LOL. Then I guess a cruise is not for you because you cannot get away from them.

I love meeting new people and having a chat and hearing their life story, or what makes them tick.

The best couple we have done were Singapore to Brisbane and up the coast of Norway on the Hurtigruten - not sure if that really counts as a cruise ship

@35andThriving

If you go on the marrela tui ones everything is included....flights...food...drinks...tips.... So you just book like a normal holiday. Its also an all english ship. There aren't any rules...you don't have to eat with random people and people dress up some don't.
Each cruise line has a list of ports it goes to and sea days. You picck the cruise based on where you want to ggo.
The marrela ships only have one sea day in a week and the rest are ports. When booking it tells you what ports and what times your there.
On the ship every night you get given an information sheet and it tells you everything that's happening on the ship that day.. where its happening. Also info on port...times ect.
It's really an easy holiday....I think the only stressful bit is deciding what to do in each port...ut again you can book trips with the ship or go on your own.