To wonder why everyone raves about cruises?

Not at all consistent with the conversation I had about this. I would not want to go to Rome for one day which involves 1.5 hours of travelling to get there and back from the port. Sounds hideous to me.

Biggest benefit is avoiding airports by choosing cruises that start in UK ports!

They may have huge numbers of people on them, but they're huge so you can easily spread out, usually multiple bars/lounges, multiple restaurants, several areas on deck, etc.

Breakfast buffet time can be manic, but you can easily avoid the busiest times by getting up a bit earlier, having breakfast delivered to your room, using a different restaurant for breakfast, or staying in bed and waiting till the rush has passed. Breakfast buffet is usually served between around 6am to 11am, so lots of opportunity to go at a less busy time.

Waking up in a different town/city/country every morning is amazing. You have choice of a "proper" day trip/tour, or just leaving the ship to walk around the town, or staying on board to enjoy the almost deserted ship. Lots of different options for leaving the ship - the cruise firm put on maybe a dozen different excursions on each shore day, or you can usually get shuttle buses from the dockside to the town/city centre, or get a hop on/hop off bus tour of the city, or even a taxi, if it's too far to walk.

Usually excellent entertainment too, either shows in the theatre, or cabaret singer in a bar, or organised sports/games by the entertainment team, usually a disco/club.

Basically, if you can think of a posh hotel right in the middle of a vibrant town/city centre, then that's what a cruise is.

Biggest benefit is avoiding airports by choosing cruises that start in UK ports!

They may have huge numbers of people on them, but they're huge so you can easily spread out, usually multiple bars/lounges, multiple restaurants, several areas on deck, etc.

Breakfast buffet time can be manic, but you can easily avoid the busiest times by getting up a bit earlier, having breakfast delivered to your room, using a different restaurant for breakfast, or staying in bed and waiting till the rush has passed. Breakfast buffet is usually served between around 6am to 11am, so lots of opportunity to go at a less busy time.

Waking up in a different town/city/country every morning is amazing. You have choice of a "proper" day trip/tour, or just leaving the ship to walk around the town, or staying on board to enjoy the almost deserted ship. Lots of different options for leaving the ship - the cruise firm put on maybe a dozen different excursions on each shore day, or you can usually get shuttle buses from the dockside to the town/city centre, or get a hop on/hop off bus tour of the city, or even a taxi, if it's too far to walk.

Usually excellent entertainment too, either shows in the theatre, or cabaret singer in a bar, or organised sports/games by the entertainment team, usually a disco/club.

Basically, if you can think of a posh hotel right in the middle of a vibrant town/city centre, then that's what a cruise is.

You can get off in the port at anytime and do your own thing. You'd be crazy to do Rome from the cruise port unless you honestly believe you will never have the opportunity to do it again.

I've done Rome from a cruise port and it was easy 🤷🏼‍♀️ walked to the train station from the ship, got on a train. It took 45 mins and cost about 5e. In Rome for 9.30am, saw pretty much all the sights, inc a guided tour of the coliseum, had a nice lunch. Back on ship by 6pm for dinner.

I've never been on a cruise but it does appeal to me. I love watching Trek Trendy on YouTube for an insight into the posher ones.

None of that sounds appealing to me. I don't want to spend hours looking out at the sea. I like holidays that are a mixture of relaxing on the beach, swimming in the sea and visting places. We visited the South of France this year and had a great time visiting Monaco, Eze, Nice etc from our base in Antibes. I like being able to wonder around the town and do local things if I have had a tiring day. I want to eat in local restaurants and not on the cruise ship with tons of people.

And I like the sea more than the hotel pools so I know I would not enjoy the pool on those cruise ships. They look way too small and intimate for the number of people on board. A floating petri dish as it was described above. Just not my thing at all. But holidays are very personal and we are all different in terms of what we find enjoyable.

I wouldn't mind trying it out for once, but I have been absolutely overwhelmed and confused about all the different cruise lines, packages, tipping, age groups, destinations, rules, sea days, port days that I just can't do it.

The boring journey is usually overnight when you're asleep! You may get a couple of sea days and I'm not a fan of them but we suck it up and try and chill out.

I love cruises, I've been on several. Waking up somewhere new each day without having to keep packing your bag is fab. I've never had bad food or service on a cruise, even the cheapo Thomson ones we went on a few years ago. We don't bother with the expensive excursions, we do research before we go and use public transport to go off and see the sights. We've also booked private tours for cheaper than the ship excursions, and been picked up at the ship.

If you want a quiet spot you can find one (the pool area tends to be busy but there are usually bars/lounges around the ship that open out on to quieter decks)

I absolutely love cruising. Generally go with Cunard, which tends to offer classier entertainment and good food. Access to lots of live music, from Irish folk bands to cocktail pianist to classical harpist and string quartet. Interesting classes, I've particularly enjoyed drama classes and astronomy sessions, but might be tempted in the future by fencing or water colour. Dancing not really for me (mobility impaired - and the crew are wonderful with disabled passengers).

As much company as I want, and no more than I want. Good food. A taster of a number of interesting ports of call, with wonderfully relaxing sea days in between. There is something so therapeutic about relaxing on the promenade deck, in the shade, watching the sea pass by, whilst reading a good book. Excellent medical team on board in case of problems (they can get a chest xray reported by a radiologist faster than I can in a hospital on land). And an absolute attitude of once you're on board, any problem is theirs to sort, not yours.

The ships generally travel well, and the worst I've ever been affected was skipping dessert. That was in a force 10 Arctic storm. Never caught norovirus, though I have had a couple of colds. Love formal nights, with an excuse to get dressed up and pratt about in a posh frock: only time of the year I can be bothered with a full face of makeup.

Hmmm, think I need to book my next one.

Gorgeous cabin with balcony looking out to sea.

Fabulous food.

Top notch entertainment.

Interesting ports.

The awesome engineering spectacle of a huge ship.

As relaxing or energetic as you like.

Gorgeous bars.

Fabulous service.

As much luggage as you like and no airport hassle if going from the UK.

Just easy, so easy and so relaxing.

Socialising if you want it.

Can be incredible value for money if you get a good deal.

LOVE LOVE LOVE cruises!

Why do you think sea days would be dreadful? I found them a lovely change - long breakfast, a walk around to see what was going on, a game of something on the sports deck, coffee break looking out to sea, relax in a quiet corner with my book before lunch. Then some sunbathing time, cocktail before an afternoon tea. Time for a massage before getting ready for dinner (I hate dressing up so always went casual - not an issue these days). Lovely meal before drinks on the deck (don’t usually go to the entertainment unless it’s something which particularly interests us). I always slept well on sea days.

I can’t really think of anything worse. DH is ex Navy and it would be a busman’s holiday. I think they are marmite… and agree with most of the negative comments above.

I love cruising go with my parents. We go with marella so everything is included. They have a sit down restaurant for breakfast and evening meal...so no need to got o the buffet. The entertainment is none stop...quiz...crafts....bands...disco...fitness classes.
And on a one week trip they go to 6 ports. With regards to rushing as meantioned it depends how you plan. The point is to see the high lights of the city and return if you miss it. We did rome from the port and just did the colluesum and the fountains. This year athenes I think a day was enough. Normally in port 7-7 so that's plenty of time. Also visited some places would never go otherwise. Corsica I had never heard of people cruise stop.
The only downside I would say is the pool...way too small for all the people and hard to find a sun bed. But if you want this kind of holiday I think a cruise might be a waste.

Perfect response.

We paid £5k for a cruise at half term and had the best time (Fjords). IMO a million times better value than sitting in a generic hotel stuffed full of people and eating generic AI food.

But would I judge people who chose that holiday instead of mine? No!

I’ve recently booked my first ever cruise. Well it’s actually my first abroad holiday ever!

I couldn’t decide where to go on holiday between Croatia and Slovenia and I thought Montenegro looked good too. Then I saw a Marella (Tui) cruise that went to all three as well as Italy.

It was actually after seeing them described as ‘Butlins at sea’ that sealed it for me. We have been to Butlins nearly every year since then DC were little because you can do as much or as little as you like. We figured a cruise would be just like that but with the opportunity to have a taster of these gorgeous countries.
We hope to have more holidays abroad in the future and this gives us a chance to see different places we might want to return to.

I’m really excited even though it’s still 11 months away.

Been on several and enjoyed them especially the no fly ones. Don’t need to share tables these days if you don’t want to, opt to eat in restaurants rather than buffet if you prefer. Entertainment is not compulsory! Always found a quiet spot for sunbathing or had a balcony. Staff in hotels are doing it for the money too, not just on cruises. Yes, it’s not the way to do an in-depth trip to a city like Rome but it’s such an easy holiday especially for us oldies.

How’s that cheap? I spend a month in Canaries every year for under 1k including flights (£70 return in March).

It's 20 years since I went on a cruise but I loved it. I really enjoyed going to several different countries in a week without all the usual hassles of travelling, and the food was amazing. The entertainment wouldn't really be my bag, but tbf the cast were all very talented. I will definitely do another one when I can afford it.

Nope, you would still have to pay me a lot of money to go on a cruise. DH fancied trying one for his 60th but he would have had to go on his own 😊

Lady GreenKnight and I love cruising and you don’t have to be cheek by jowl with you fellow passengers. Most people are very respectful of your privacy and there is lots going on so you can eat do your own thing. If you have not experienced it you are not in a position to comment. If you have and didn’t like it, then you are entitled to your opinion.

I have. It depends what mobility issues I.e. are you a wheelchair user or just limited how far you can walk? I use a walking stick or Rollator.

Despite loving cruises…..I wouldn’t necessarily recommend a Tui/Marella cruise for a first time. They are a bit “Butlins at seas” which I personally don’t mind but I imagine others would. We usually do a cheap and cheerful Tui cruise in November or February to break up the winter months and do “proper” cruises the rest of the time ie P&O, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Cunard.

I imagine the part on the ship would be hell for me. I find the ocean creeps me out anyway. Also any form of ‘organised entertainment’ sends a shiver down my spine.
i have always thought I might try a river cruise one day, especially if there is good scenery to look at whilst moving.

I've done 2 sea cruises, one good, one terrible (Tui/Marella).

I've also done c.15 river cruises - 2 more later this month.
Totally different experience. 2 were disappointing, the rest were great.
Food is better, you're off the boat on an excursion every day, they don't appeal to families with kids (bonus for me).

I have done a lot of travelling and a lot of different types of holidays but had never been on a cruise until 2 years ago. It was the best trip I've ever been on. Been on 2 more since.

Positives

• No flying required for lots of cruises. Checking in for a cruise is so much easier the airport faff. Your holiday starts the second you get onboard.

• Food is top quality. Much better than anything I've had in 5 star all inclusives. They generally cater really well for dietary needs. Lots of options for vegetarian, vegan and special gluten free menus too. If you have special requirements you can discuss the next day's options the night before and they can arrange adaptations to the menu.

• Entertainment. Good range of evening shows if you want to go. If not, there'll be quizzes or pianists etc on in other places on the ship. Also quiet places if you just want a drink and to read.

• Daytime activities. I never found days at sea boring. Lectures, music, dance classes, craft classes, card games, quizzes, table tennis, shuffleboard, ukulele lessons, book clubs. I spent a lot of time very happily staring out to sea and the scenery. Depending on where you're going you might be lucky enough to spot whales or dolphins.

• Destinations. Great way to have a taster of several places. If you love it, go back on a longer trip. Some destinations are easier to seen by cruise, i.e Norway's fjords, Greenland.

• Service. Staff are excellent. Within a few days the bar staff knew our names and could usually guess what we were going to want to drink. Waiting staff and cabin stewards were also very nice. I felt like royalty .

Negatives.

• Rooms. Your cabin will generally be smaller than a room you might get at a hotel but you won't be in it all that much usually.

• Can be confusing to first time cruisers. Each cruise line is different. Some cruise lines don't charge gratuities, some add them on to your onboard bill as an optional charge though it is usually expected you pay them. Some include drinks, some offer drinks packages at an extra charge. Some offer packages that include gratuity and drinks plus other things such as WiFi. There's also a lot of different room types to choose from.

• Dress code. Most cruise lines have some kind of dress code for the main restaurant. Some more strict than others. If you don't want to dress up, there is usually a buffet restaurant you can go to instead and dress casually. You can find info on cruise line website. I don't go glam and I have never felt out of place, even on the fanciest nights.

I've only been on small ships so can't comment on what the big, new ones are like. I would recommend a smaller ship for 1st time cruisers.

Most people I know who have cruises have absolutely loved it and become semi-addicted, or in the odd case, hated it and said never again. I think it depends which cruise line you go for and what kind of holiday you enjoy.