To wonder why everyone raves about cruises?

Thing is there is a big variation between cruise lines. My mum loves a cruise but you’d never get her back on MSC.

I don’t think any align with me at all, hence my dislike. But this is a gift for someone else so it doesn’t really matter what I think. I’ll just never step foot on one again.

Splendida. Yacht club is incredible - the service is superb but it’s too much for me. Ultimately, I think I’m not a cruiser, horses for courses

About 7. We tried everything from the exclusive yacht club one to the buffet. It’s nowhere near what you would get in a local restaurant. We had incredible tapas in a Barcelona restaurant the day before we set sail. Our last truly good meal. Cruises are not for foodies, they just can’t be at those numbers.

Yeah, I think she didnt research but it's also partly the overselling and the marketing so she made assumptions. She isn't a seasoned cruiser. I'm sure she did many things wrong!

There were some children in my coach tour BTW. It definitely did have its disadvantages and I woukdnt repeat it necessarily but I think my scenery was spectacular. I'm not sure it's true that the best views of the fjords are from the water. You should see my photo of Geirangerfjord from above!

I'm sure you did see more. It's not a competition though, a coach tour sounds like hell to me but I've got young children that would need entertaining on a coach. Each to their own.

We have booked another cruise to go back again as we loved Norway so much (on a different itinerary to visit some other places and fjords.) As to how much of the fjords you see I don't know which cruise your mum did but we had days worth of beautiful scenery. I think this is where it is really important to do your research on the itinerary as well as what times the ship docks and leaves port.

I do understand why some people don't like cruises though. As I said before, they're quite a marmite thing. It's good we are all different.

I can't imagine much worse than going to Dubai on holiday like a PP suggested. My friend went last year and it seemed to mainly be sitting in air conditioned bars, shopping or swimming. Not for me (which is a good thing because the pools on cruise ships are usually tiny! 🤣)

MSC food is vile. Even tomato soup was like inedible dishwater. Cruises can be great but pick a line that aligns with how you like to holiday.

I just went on a bus tour of Norway and saw loads of fjords the ships can't get down and visited towns such as Lillehammer.

Conversely, MIL just came back from a Norway cruise and said she was disappointed at how little fjord scenery they saw as all the sailing was at night.

It sounds to me like I saw more of Norway?

No different to a hotel. I have never been ill on a cruise but have had norovirus twice at hotels.

Indeed. I was so excited to be visiting Acapulo. Awful place. So disappointed. Glad I wasn't there for a week.

Bigger cruise ships are more like floating holiday resorts, smaller ones are more like floating hotels. I much the latter, not interested in resort ships.

I am off on my 3rd cruise in September with 3 friends. We started with a mini cruise to see if we liked it and we did . Last year we did the Canaries, Madeira, Lisbon and Cadiz. This September we are doing a Baltic cruise. So far we have done only P&O from Southampton. A friend has done a Caribbean and transatlantic.

We find it relaxing Sea days we take part in activities or chill out and we tend to self organise days ashore. We love the main dining Rooms and gala nights. All our families are over 18 and Cruising is some me time

What type of holiday would you choose instead

My idea of hell quite frankly.

I get that not all cruise ships are ‘huge’, but surely they are all, essentially floating hotels, in that you sleep there, mostly, for the duration of your holiday, and eat there as a default if you’re not off the ship?

Not all cruises are huge floating hotels.

Yeah, I see that, I suppose. But unless you do also enjoy the floating hotel experience of being on the ship, it seems to me that it would be a rather inefficient way of ‘test-driving’ a location? I mean, I don’t think I’d go on a Caribbean cruise just to see whether I wanted to go on holiday to St Lucia.

Agree. And the thought of all those people confined together. No wonder bugs and sickness are rife 🤮

A cruise an be a great tester for a location - if you like it you can then plan a holiday to that area.

I'm not interested in going to Dubai at all.

Island hopping around the Caribbean was amazing though and a great way of experiencing multiple Caribbean islands. Did we experience as much in one place as we would've done if we had stayed for a week in the same place? Of course not but it was always so much fun waking up in a new place almost every day.

Because the idea of spending only a single day, or a day and a night, in somewhere you’re interested enough in to have travelled a long distance to is crazy to me. I entirely get why people with limited mobility or energy compromised by illness, age etc would find cruises good for what they need, but I would class other cruisers as like people who go to Dubai on holiday, because what they go on holiday for is not a new place.

Loved our Caribbean cruise. Not sure how it would've been possible to be bored.

We also had full days at each stop, some cruises do overnights as well. We had plenty of time to explore and also did some excursions too.

Having breakfast on deck with a gorgeous view set out before you. And sunsets at sea are something else entirely.

I found it so relaxing. E.g a cruise to the Norwegian fjords. The best way to see them is from the water. Just sit with a drink and take in the amazing views.

Get on at Southampton and you are immediately on holiday. No hassle of airports, much quicker to board and get through security and it was way, way easier than flying with young children. I think we arrived at Southampton at 12pm and by 1pm we were having lunch and a glass of fizz.

Well I just really love travelling by sea. The leisurelyness is what appeals. We’re all different.