Would we like a cruise???

You could try a Disney four night one from the UK perhaps, Disney dining is a very high standard. I know you mentioned you don’t like shows but your DC may like to go to one and they aren’t too long.
The adult pools are lovely, like a boutique hotel.

I'm not sure the style and cost of these is very family friendly though I'm sure they're delightful if you can afford it!

You mentioned that you don’t like to pay extra for food, what are your thought on paying for drinks/buying a drinks package £50-£80 per person per day)?

I believe you, InveterateWineDrinker; I've seen the same myself, though sadly only on ships with a massive majority of Brits - which is why, convenient as it is, I avoid sailing from Southampton

As always this really is where research is so important; happily there's a ship for everyone, and long may it be so

There are a few reviewers on YouTube. Worth a watch.

Things to consider:

Where would you like to cruise? Europe, Caribbean, Antarctic? Although cruises try to stay out of bad weather it can happen.

How many sea days are there? Personally I would not want too many, but that's my preference.

Which company to use, a lot of the lines belong to bigger companies. With a 6 year old I would think one with a kids club would be useful.

What do you want on the ship? Some have a flo-rider, some have roller coasters, some have roller skating. All have at least one pool, but they tend not to be that big.

What sort of evening entertainment do you want? It might be just a singer, it might bee a full Broadway show. How is your little one in the evening, could they cope with some entertainment?

You need proper cruise insurance, being taken off by helicopter isn't cheap.

What sort of dinner experience do you want. Some people just use the buffet, most ships have speciality dining that costs more.

Also the ships have different rules about how they seat you, some will seat you on the same table every day, others will put you with other people or give you a set time to eat.

With a 6 year old I would check if room service is included, that way you can have a drink in your room / on the balcony when the little one is asleep.

Cruises can and do change itinerary due to things like rough seas, or ports closing to cruise ship so don't set your heart on seeing a particular place.

How are your language skills? Most cruises operate in English, but not all. There is a German line where very little is written in English. Costa give all announcements in 5 languages, would that drive you insane?

Yes I love P&O but hate Butlins.

I'm on a P&O cruise now and it is nothing l like that. Everyone else is polite and respectful.

I've learned that BoB Day is best spent eating light starchy food , lots of water , coffee ( I don't drink alcohol anyway) and get up early for breakfast .
Stay about the middle of the ship with a book .

Not in the cabin ( or "StateRoom" as they call them ) the feeling of bleurgh is worse .
The last cruise we did was a 1 week then a 2 week back-to-back , so FOUR BoB Days
I was hoping I'd be cured

We were invited on a cruise with other family members for a big birthday. We were a bit reluctant, as we'd never fancied one for the reasons many on here have cited, but it wasn't something we could refuse without causing offence, so we put our best foot forward and went.

We bloody loved it! We went on Celebrity Apex from Southampton and have been twice since on Celebrity Edge to other destinations! The food is out of this world (even just the buffet). Our DS had the absolute time of his life at the teen club, hanging out with teens from all over the world - we barely saw him, even meals he ate with his new friends. It's just incredibly relaxing. We don't drink so a typical evening (after eating dinner, watching a show) was lying in the solarium, people watching/reading then walking the promenade to get our steps in, then heading back to the buffet for midnight snacking (we're really rather boring!). No cabin fever, no food poisoning, no overcrowding, just a really chilled, enjoyable holiday with as much or as little to do as you want.

We did it three years running, as it was the perfect holiday for DS (being an only child) but now he's 18 and holidaying with friends, I don't know if the pull of the cruise is sufficient to overcome our concerns about the environmental impact (which is HUGE). Reluctantly, I don't think we will do big cruise ships again.

I have read the whole thread, and have been on 4 short cruises in the last two years, and I am not sure it is right for you and your 6yo, not without a fair bit of research at least, and a bit of DIY gusto given the budget, which is probably low if you want summer holidays, drinks package etc.. If you don't mind sorting your own travel with budget airlines, I was about to suggest that you look at SEASCANNER and choose something that is in the med, a couple of days long (this is defo doable with full drinks package for around £100 pp per night for an internal room) just to see if you like the experience of being on the ship, fly there and back (different airports) with a bit of a holiday at either end. But the entire experience takes some organising and given what you normally like to do (i.e. fly then relax with everything sorted with AI type facilities) then this is not for you. My experience from 4 short cruises say It can, of course, be marvellous, I had a wonderful time going from Zadar in Crotia to Venice in Italy in September (1 night, MSC with full drinks package for £57) but of the three cruises since, we have had bad weather at points on two of them and although I am not travel-sickly, it put a dampener on things. Also if the cruise is advertising "Marseille" as either the start point, or a point en-route, have a re-think, the embark and disembark is dreadful, and there are not many nice things that anyone can say about the town. Or Genoa, or Hamburg (closed on Sunday and miles out) come to that. Rome is not Rome. Bruges is not Bruges etc...so defo do your research. Longer trips are easier, have good ports to disembark and have a wander around, but generally you have to know what you are after. CRUISECRITIC is quite a good forum to ask questions on the forums. Hope this helps. x

There is something for everyone. Nice quiet cocktail bars , Broadway shows, coffee shops , quiet reading areas , cinemas, casinos , you pick and choose what you want to do. Anything or nothing I love waking up somewhere different every day

@MrsPatrickDempsey precisely none- you couldn’t pay me enough to go on a cruise. Seeing them belch smoke and decant 1000s of people into my hometown where they don’t spend much money but clutter up the streets being herded about is enough to put me off.

@Dabralor How many cruises have you been on?

Not all cruises are on cruise ships! Have you ever thought about small ship cruises? Honestly, I’ve done a big cruise ship and had fun but it’s not my thing. DH and I love small boat trips.

I haven’t used these guys (https://adventuresmithexplorations.com/cruises/ships/ ) so buyer beware and all that but they specialize in small boat sailing.

I have sailed with these guys and they are wonderful mostly Caribbean but they have added a boat in Greece I think (https://www.islandwindjammers.com/default.aspx )

No, the other passengers really were that hideous. That type of cruise regularly features on the Daily Fail, and the cruise forums on the internet generally come to the same conclusion.

Christ almighty, what a hideous way to talk about other people, ALL of them no less - except you of course!

What an unpleasant post

Worst bit is the Bay of Biscay
DH spent a number of years in the Navy and is adamant he won’t have me sailing over the Bay of Biscay, even time-served sailors dread it @70isaLimitNotaTarget

I thought that - until I did it!

DH and I are going on a Royal Caribbean cruise in June , not sailed with them before
Then a P&O holiday later this year . I've been on a couple of P&O short cruises (one for Christmas Markets ) .
I much prefer Princess, it's livelier, quite a mix of age groups , lots to do .
We use the buffet for breakfast and lunch and restaurant dining for dinner . We don't use the Speciality restaurants as they tend to be meat/fish and we don't eat that

I like the dressing up ( and formal night)
Meeting people
Having a go at the Karaoke
DH plans excursions but some we'll do the Cruise booked ones . People do get left behind .
Last cruise we were 45 minutes late back to the ship but as it was a Cruise Excursion they had to wait for us .
Some cruisers ignore the basic etiquette like wear some bloody clothes , I don;t want to see anyone's belly in the buffet , if you want to eat in your bikini go to the pool bars . Or put some cover on
Worst bit is the Bay of Biscay
I cannot fly so this is my only alternative

Shows how personal it is, you couldn’t pay me to go on Princess again but I have 3 p and o booked. I found standards much lower on Princess