Have you ever been on a cruise?

[Afternooninthepark]

And what was your experience/thoughts on it?
I hate flying but really would like my kids to experience some holidays abroad (we usually always stick to the U.K.).
I am wondering if a family cruise from somewhere like Southampton to the med would be a good experience?
My dc are 13 and 11.
I’m wondering if they may get bored though?
And (a weird question I know) but do you feel like you are actually on the water? Do you get that weird wobbly feeling when back on land? (I’ve only ever been on small boats before!)

Yes I was 16 and really bored because there was nobody else my age around. If your kids get on though I’m sure they will love it.

No because my cousin who has worked on three major lines, Holland and America, P and O and Cunard over a career spanning thirty years has really successfully managed to put me off.

He was chief engineer on some amazing ships but has seen many cutbacks resulting in a threat to safety.
99.9 per cent of cruises will be awesome with no problems..but he said .towards the end of his career that as lots of the old style captains were being replaced by guys in their 30s with not the experience.
He quoted a captain in his 60s when they were experiencing some very rough seas, ignoring the advice of the pilots in which staff and passengers would’ve most likely drowned if he’d taken their advice instead they limped into port but with no loss of life.

My autistic son loves cruising, too.

Oh and I was a whisker away from booking a Norwegian fjord cruise with Hurtigruten. They are only small ships ( Mail and ferry ) shops and can get in easily to places where larger ships maybe cannot.
My ( female) cousin was posting these amazing photos. Picture postcard style.
Then out of the blue I got a txt from her husband saying ominously...ask sue about her last night on the ship.

Couldn’t get hold of her, so I hung fire before booking.
Omg when I did. From Tromso to Kirkenes they hit a terrible storm and theirs was the only ship out.

The communal areas were deserted. Everyone went to their cabins. One minute they were at the top of a wave and a second later they were at the bottom. They were in the artic circle, so lots of snow and hail pelting them.
She got flung out of bed and really hurt her hip and shoulder.
After they disembarked at Kirkenes to fly home, the ship turned around and went back into it.
That would have been us because whilst their cruisewas a week ...ours was going to be 12 days

With hindsight she said she wished they’d got off at Tromso..the ship heads out into more open water at that point.

I’m just a wuss I think.