Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Do you get jealous of people who go on cruises

849 replies

Sportslady44 · 19/02/2022 16:37

Feeling very envious today. Friend is about to set off on a cruise for 14nights.

Cant stop thinking about it and them.

Can you put me off please?

Tell me some downsides of cruises.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
catmothertes1 · 19/02/2022 20:42

I could go on one if I wanted to but just cannot imagine ever ever wanting to!

Squidlydoo · 19/02/2022 20:42

I love a cruise…. Quite surprised at the vitriol TBH especially from people who have never tried it!

Having said that, there are other holidays and each to their own! You wouldn’t catch me in a tent!

ExtraOnion · 19/02/2022 20:47

I’ve done 7 cruises … never caught any sort of bug. Even pre-Covid, there was staff at the doors of every restaurant, making sure you anti-bacced your hands.

The first one we went on, DD was about 5 .. and it was just amazing for kids. Kids club was really well equipped, they had 3 sessions a day, twice in the holiday they came and picked her up from rye cabin and they all went to breakfast together, they had their own “gala night” when they ate with the Captain and had VIP seats for the show, they also had a movie night .. she loved it (and it was nice to be able to have dinner on our own a couple of times). It’s also really safe for children.

Cabins have always been really nice, and well looked after by the Cabin Steward.

There may be a lot of people, but you can choose to get as involved (or not) as you like …. I never had any problem finding a quiet corner to read my book and have a coffee.

Been to some amazing places as well : Pompeii, Ephesus, The Dead Sea, The Hermitage St Petersburg, The Tivoli Gardens, Catherines Palace St Petersburg, Barcelona, Rome, Athens, Tangier, Gibraltar .. too many places to list … my favourite was St Petersburg though.

Food has always been amazing … plenty of fresh food and plenty of choice.

Entertaining wise .. it’s not compulsory, join in or not .. some stuff we do, some we don’t. Love being on deck at night, with DD, watching a movie .. snuggled under a blanket with a hot chocolate. Oh, and wine tasting !

I’ve also never bought anything from a shop on a cruise ship .. I don’t even go to the shops - again, not compulsory

I’ve met some really fascinating people as well ..of all ages.. lots of younger people go now. I’m delighted that lots of complainers off this thread will “never go on a cruise” .. imagine being sat at a table with a misery like that

shrumps · 19/02/2022 20:48

Not jealous no, not my thing. Nice for them though. Don't worry about it?

BeenHereForAges · 19/02/2022 20:49

Haven't read all the responses (first page was funny enough!) But no, I have never ever ever been jealous of anyone going on a cruise.
When I think of cruises I think of mysterious deaths/disappearances and people collectively getting the shits.

Workingclassvegan · 19/02/2022 20:51

I loved the cruise we took for my 30th. I felt a-bit guilty about then being environmentally unfriendly but any holiday abroad ultimately will be so.. I say save up if you can and book one. You won’t regret it.

lightisnotwhite · 19/02/2022 21:16

Erm I’ve done a couple as they are pretty cheap for what you get. More appealing than AI stuck in a resort.

However the cheap ones are pretty much just like floating Butlins quite honestly.
The best thing are the places you visit. To those saying you can’t do a place in 6 or 7 hours of course not. But why go to Pisa for a week when you only want to see the tower? Or Monaco.
You can go somewhere and know it’s somewhere you want to go back to. Or not.

What I want to know is why nursing homes are so expensive when you can cruise, have all your needs met, a doctor at your beck and mercy and have really good food for half the price.

SolidGoldBrassiere · 19/02/2022 21:22

@ExtraOnion I have been to most of those places, and they didn't involve being trapped on a boat with a load of strangers, thank God.

Windstartingup · 19/02/2022 21:29

More appealing than AI stuck in a resort.

Couldn't bear that either . My ideal holiday is backpacking in South America or SE Asia without an itinerary. Cruise just sounds grim, far too passive and the words 'activity' or 'entertainment' just make me want to run for the hills

Liondolphin · 19/02/2022 21:34

Sportslady44

what about all the good things though lol the entertainment, the being at sea, the different countries!!!

All of the positives you mention are negatives in my eyes. The entertainment will be awful, the sea will be choppy and make me sick and you get such a short amount of time anywhere you may as well have not bothered!

You couldn’t pay me to go on a cruise!

Crazykatie · 19/02/2022 21:36

Not jealous, sympathetic, cruises are not my thing, there are far more interesting ways to travel

Bullandbush · 19/02/2022 21:37

I’ve done a few cruises.
For me the best bit is getting up early , grabbing a coffee and sitting on deck to see where we are.
The ship’s guests are mostly still in bed.
The crew are taking on stores and it’s usually warm and light, people on the port are chattering/shouting in a different language and I take it all in.
I look at the view, the architecture and it's fascinating,

I’ve had days going round Beirut, Jerusalem, floated in the Dead Sea, Rome, Pisa, Nice, Barcelona, Corsica and lots of beach places too.
You can do a lot in a day and if you love the place you can go book a holiday to go back.

I admit the evening entertainment is not the best but if you’re with good friends and family there are quiet bars to sit in.

Cruise ships are also brilliant for people with special needs. Adults who need a bit more supervision can enjoy a lot of freedom on a cruise and the crew are really good at catering to their needs.

Sapphireskies · 19/02/2022 21:40

No I don't. You are stuck on a ship for days on end, and possibly seasick. On the other side you may not be seasick and may find it fun. It's just not my cup of tea to be honest.

Sapphireskies · 19/02/2022 21:40

No I don't. You are stuck on a ship for days on end, and possibly seasick. On the other side you may not be seasick and may find it fun. It's just not my cup of tea to be honest.

lightisnotwhite · 19/02/2022 21:46

@Windstartingup

More appealing than AI stuck in a resort.

Couldn't bear that either . My ideal holiday is backpacking in South America or SE Asia without an itinerary. Cruise just sounds grim, far too passive and the words 'activity' or 'entertainment' just make me want to run for the hills

Since when do you have to do one type of holiday?

I’ve done wild camping, normal camping, glam camping , I’ve gone on my own to have an adventure in Nepal. I’ve done a road trip in the States with friends. I’ve done romantic in New York
I go to France to watch rugby and I’ve been to South Africa three times to visit in laws. Amongst a million other holidays.

I was dreading the P&O dinner where you sit with strangers. But my son who 12 was starving. He’s shy, I hate people. We were sat with 3 other couples. It was the best night out I’ve had in a long time. We were all dreading it as it happens but the random nature of sitting eating with strangers who were as new to it as you was brilliant fun. My son mentions it as a highlight.
I agree that holidays are about doing something different.

BiscuitLover3678 · 19/02/2022 21:52

At least on a resort on land you can escape!

SirGawain · 19/02/2022 21:53

There is so much crap be written on this tread it doesn't sound like any of you have actually been on a cruise. Many people, including me, love them. Whilst they are not cheap they are great value and certainly beat a fortnight in a grotty hotel in the Costa Del Muckhole.

Liamgallaghersparka · 19/02/2022 21:55

Oh my God no, I always think of the people on cruises that come down with norovirus then it spreads through the whole ship. I'd rather stick pins in my eyes.

Classica · 19/02/2022 21:56

If only there were other holiday options other than 1) cruise or 2) fortnight in a grotty hotel in the Costa Del Muckhole.

Scianel · 19/02/2022 22:16

I would hate having to rush back to the ship. When we were in Lisbon we watched all the cruisers queueing up at passport control to re-embark at around 7pm just as we were enjoying drinks and planning where to have dinner.

Also I do quite a lot of long ferry crossings and I find them absolute torture, and cruises just look like very tarted up ferry journeys to me.

Wakemeuuuup · 19/02/2022 22:17

Nope

ChampionOfTheSun · 19/02/2022 22:21

We went on a cruise for our honeymoon, we went to Norway. Pros: food was fantastic, saw quite a few different places (some I'd go back to others, not so bothered about), we quite liked dressing up for fancy dinners, entertainment wasn't bad, service was really good. Facilities good too, nice gym and pools. Our cruise wasn't hugely busy and we had a separate table for dinner, we didn't talk to many people apart from the odd hello etc. The excursions were amazing and the scenery is breathtaking. I also liked being able to do all my washing before we left so I didn't have to do it when we got home. Grin The Fjords are truly magical and I would go back but in Summer next time. Cons: we went late November/early December and the crossing was AWFUL (there was a couple we spoke to who'd been on hundreds of cruises and said it was by a long way the worst they'd ever been on). I've never been seasick before but I was then. Our cabin was really small and didn't have a window and having never been I didn't realise these things (plus the location of the room on the ship) could make the seasickness worse, lesson learned. The drinks weren't included and were quite expensive, we spent a huge amount on drinks over the two weeks. We spent more days at sea than at Port in the end which wasn't amazing - I think due to the weather the itinerary changed a few times - as there were only so many films you can watch and games of scrabble you can play. If the room hadn't made my seasickness worse I'd have spent more time in our room!
So it's a mixed bag here Blush

CounsellorTroi · 19/02/2022 22:26

Done 7 cruises, never had norovirus, never been seasick. Sailed out of New York, up the river Tagus into Lisbon, down the River Plate and to Rio and back. Sailed out of Montevideo sipping wine after an Uruguayan carnival evening. Some bloody fabulous memories.

Bouledeneige · 19/02/2022 22:35

Doesn't appeal to me at all. Trapped. Tiny swimming pool, people marking their deck chair with towels, crappy entertainment, visits to ports plus an hour or two ( no chance to really enjoy the real places you're supposed to be visiting). Shopping mall at sea.

gingerhills · 19/02/2022 22:53

I'd hate to go on a cruise. Where's the adventure? You are stuck with the same people, in the same place, with the same restaurants, with bland entertainment and a view of water. When you do dock, you don't have time to explore anywhere. I read of a cruise that spend s half a day in Budapest. What's the point of that? You need a week there at least, to even begin to get a feel for what a brilliant city it is.