To cruise or not to cruise

[Summerslam]

Would you? Assuming you had the money and could afford it, does the idea of floating around the Mediterranean or Caribbean, for a week or two, appeal?

I've heard so many differing opinions. Personally, I think I'd like it. Just me and DH, on an adults only cruise.

What do you you think? Relaxing holiday visiting different places with no effort? Or akin to a sojourn on a prison ship, trapped with passengers you can't escape from?

I went on my first one aged 22 with my bf and parents, I didn’t think I’d like it like others I thought they were for old people but I loved it . I’ve done 3 now all Caribbean with P&O, Riyal Caribbean and NCL

They are a great way of see the islands without committing to a full holiday there.

Excursions are varied from cultural to active to simple beach trips or full island tours

Do some research before you go (cruise critic forum is great) and do your own beach trips/excursions, I now know the islands well enough to know which ones I’d do my own taxi to the beach and which ones I book an excursion

Dining options are great …self serve buffet, romantic meal for 2 in a speciality dining, sat with a group of randoms in the main restaurant have been fun and some of the best nights or even room service.

Confession I’ve never been to the shows!! Always spent time doing something else

the kids club is fantastic much better than any 5 star hotels I’ve been to

Ive done inside cabin and balcony, if you have loads of ports and not many at sea days save the extra and go inside.

lots to do on an at sea day. Pool, spa, movie, bingo, casino, talks on art/jewellery, Q&A with the captain, dancing, cooking presentations, live music etc etc

theres loads more but let’s just say we’ve booked our 4th for our honeymoon ☺️

"You’ll get a lot of people on here who have never been on a cruise telling you how awful cruises are though."

Yup. I was one of those! Then DH dragged me onto one and I absolutely loved it. Now I'm completely hooked.

As PP say, you can treat them as you like. You can have a suite and private dining or an allocated table where you meet the same people every night, or turn up, as you would at a restaurant, or use the buffet. You can always find a quiet corner, or throw yourself into all the activities, or something in between.

In port, some people stay onboard and have a whole ship to themselves, some go on organised tours, some head for the nearest bar and drink themselves horizontal (popular in Caribbean ports and great fun to watch them being helped back on board!), some arrange their own sightseeing, some wonder around the port, some take public transport to explore further affield.

It's possible, but I should think hard, not to meet anybody on a cruise, so I don't think it would suit the sort of people you see on MN who can't bear to spend a minute in the company of anyone who has different views to theirs - all sorts of different people cruise.

I've never caught norovirus on a cruise.

I've only done a 4 night Europe cruise but I loved every second. We went with Celebrity - the food was amazing, service exceptional. The ship was so massive and so much entertainment and events that I could easily imagine spending a month on board without being bored.

Personally for a long cruise I would only choose a balcony cabin though. Other than a quick coffee we didn't actually use ours much, but that was only 4 nights. I'd imagine that with a longer cruise there would be more times you'd want to sit and relax with a drink and a book and of not want to be stuck in a cabin for that.

These threads always make me laugh though, they're always packed with posts saying how they're awful, tacky, like butlins etc - and clearly from those who've never been near a cruise ship! I love butlins with the kids, it has it's place - but I can assure you it's nothing like my experience on a ship!

I love cruising but do notice the difference now I have a little one.

Agree that you really do need a balcony. If LO goes to bed early, you can sit outside with a drink and still enjoy your evening.

I love the ability to get off the ship for a few hours in a new country and explore. I also like exploring the sh

Always thought it would be a nightmare. Was invited on a free cruise by my in-laws and although I was actually dreading being on a cruise ship and sharing a cabin with two under 5s but it was absolutely brilliant. We ended up going on another two cruises after that.

I would whole heatedly recommend for parents with young toddlers desperate for some downtime and luxury as the kids clubs and night nurseries are fantastic.

Wouldn't bother now as there are so many other experiences we can enjoy as a family now the kids are teenagers.

Never ever , like being stuck on a floating prison !

I thought I would hate it and my DH booked one. I was not happy.

I bloody loved it. 8th cruise next week

Have travelled the world in many ways and have in recent years done 3 adult only luxury cruises. Loved them - not the gigantic ships - smaller ones. No way do you feel 'stuck with others' anymore than you would in a hotel on land. The great thing was knowing everything was just perfect every time and you didn't have to think about anything apart from relaxing.

Can't relate to some of the cruise experiences related in here. Tips, alcohol and trips were included in the price. No restaurants had to be queued up for and you could even book a table if you wanted to - lots of specialist restaurants to choose from. No grabbing of poolside beds either - enough for everyone.
I guess you get the experience you pay for, like most holidays.

Ah yes, said by someone that’s never been!

I can assure you we’ve done all those things, we’ve eaten at loads of lovely local restaurants, nowadays cruises often stay for the evening or even overnight. We’ve also seen some fantastic countryside and local villages/markets by organising our own taxis into the local area which was pretty easy - monasteries, ruins, you name it, many of these are offered on cruise organised tours, although we don’t like those so we just go off and do them ourselves. Not sure what you mean by sport either? We’ve enjoyed many, many water sports, waterfall hiking, kayaking etc. its bloody great. That’s the joy of cruising, you can pretty much do exactly what you want whilst being taken from place to place in luxury!

Also, there is a VAST array of different ships in all different levels of budget and formality. Do your research and pick what appeals to you OP, perhaps if you give us an idea of what you’re hoping for in a cruise we can suggest some lines/itineraries?

Exactly what Ieant by people who loke cruises assuming it's only because someone hasn't beenon a cruise. Some of are just antisocial buggers who want to avoid lots of other people. Lots of people might have hated my last camping holiday but I won't assume it's just because they've never slept in a rooftop tent listening to lions.

It's because people have so many misconceptions. Their idea of a cruise is not much like the reality.

We're pretty antisocial people. We may get chatting to someone one day on a trip, or in a bar if we end up sharing a table with someone, but more often than not it's just the 2 of us. We are even so antisocial as to contact the cruise line beforehand to ask for a table for 2 in the dining room!

The misconception of forced fun and enjoyment and being "crammed in like sardines" with everyone else couldn't be farther from the truth.

As you can tell from the attached pictures, we manage to find a lot of peace and quiet!

We find it more peaceful than a European package holiday. You can't see on to your neighbour's balcony and randomly, despite so many people having balconies you rarely hear anyone else out there. Unless you're in port, there's no-one wandering past your balcony and there's no hustle and bustle outside your balcony, like there often is in Spain, for example.

But nothing anyone has ever said to try and convince me I'd like a cruise has made it sound like anything other than my idea of hell. Non stop food and drink, no thanks. Pool, nope. Why should I spend my precious leave on something that people who love it make sound unattractive when there are so many things I know I want to do? You love cruises, great for you but please respect other people's likes and dislikes.

I live within walking distance of a major cruise terminal. If we wanted to, we could take advantage of last minute deals and head off.
Never done it.

Some reasons why in increasing order:
Expensive drinks packages for all travellers in one cabin (the water in the taps is not safe to drink), tipping policies, high prices for mediocre restaurants, motorway station style free buffets, only cruise authorised tours during Covid, hit-and-run tourism, entitled passengers, average age 50+ and most importantly staff exploitation.

@countrygirl99 I don’t think anyone is trying to persuade you. It just answering the Op whilst countering mis conceptions.
Even if you really hate Butlins type places and the people that go there you can pick a European cruise ship like MSC (so half the ship are Europeans) and don’t join in with the cheesy entertainment or crowding round the pool. MSC let people join/ leave at any port so it doesn’t feel like you are trapped with Dave and Carol the entire time.

Even on a ship with 5000 people in the school holidays we still found an outside deck that literally no one was ever on. We read a book and chatted and watched the sea go by. You could have a wine ( as much as you wanted ) or something non alcoholic or nothing. No one forces you to eat or drink or join in or stay on the ship or leave the ship.
We had a lady who was clearly anorexic on our trip who was having a brilliant time. The fact you have so much choice of food and could eat whenever meant she felt under no pressure. None of the anxiety of eating in a restaurant on holiday.

The big advantage is that you are travelling. A hotel balcony can have a nice view but on a cruise every balcony has different beautiful view everyday. Cap Ferret, Lisbon and Palma are stunning from the sea,. And watching the sea itself is just beautiful.

the water in the taps is not safe to drink) that is complete crap 😂 the water on every cruise ship is thoroughly filtered to WHO safe to drink standard and very regularly tested.

We’ve been seen on several and they were really nice, apart from one where I had an accident (cruise companies fault). We always wanted a balcony so you can get away from the crowds if you want to. The trips on land were very well organised too, with the people leading them very well Informed. I would go again, money permitting, but avoid Tui. That was where I had the accident!

@Sgtmajormummy The water in the taps on MSC is safe to drink. It also tastes fine. Fill your water bottles up to your hearts content.

The price for the cheapest alcoholic drinks package is £58 per day per cabin. That’s unlimited still and sparkling bottled water, hit drinks, sodas, cocktails both alcoholic and non alcoholic , beer and wine. So if you have soft slushy drinks all day, wine with lunch, and a two or threee cocktails in the evening you’re quids in.
There are cheaper ones of you don’t drink alcohol.
Or pay as you go along, plenty do that .

Cruisers definitely aren’t all old

The staff are exploited though I’ll give you that. God knows how they work so hard and keep smiling.

I love cruises as well as well as lots of other types of holidays. I’ve been on 14, I love the sunsets and the changing views. I’ve recently got into the spas and really enjoy the heated loungers watching the ocean.
I am not a buffet fan so completely avoid those. It’s so nice being able to have peace and quiet when you want it and also have access to entertainment. I prefer the evenings on the cruise ships to most other types of holidays I’ve been on. I really enjoy live music so having it going on around the shop really suits me.
I avoid the cruise lines where you have to dress up although I’m don’t mind it for a couple of evenings a week. Earlier this year I went on a Bahamas and Virgin Island cruise on an NCL trip and it was such fun, I went to places I’d never have got to otherwise. I recently went on a Baltic one and that was really interesting and the climate was perfect for me. That was with NCL too, there were a few families but mainly adults of all ages.
I am going on my first river cruise next week so that will a new experience.

Environmentally disastrous. I couldn't live with that.

This post made me happy just reading it!

I have never been on a cruise. There’s a lot I think I won’t like about it but I’m really interested in the idea. Your post is selling it to me. I’d also be fascinated by the logistics etc

If you're sailing in a hot part of the world, is it the norm to sunbathe on loungers? And if so, are there issues with availability, sunbed hoggers etc?

Mine and other posters comments aren't here to try and turn those that aren't interested in cruising into being in favour it, but are there to correct the wrong misconceptions about cruising.

The water in the taps is perfectly safe to drink.

There are also plenty of free drinks to be had in terms of water and squash and tea and coffee in the buffet restaurant.

There's even free ice cream on the pool deck on RCI.

You could, if you didn't drink alcohol, go a whole holiday without spending any money on board and you wouldn't go hungry or die of thirst.

The main dining room is included in your fare. It's not a case of expensive restaurant or buffet. You can have a high quality three course meal served in a luxury restaurant. The buffet food quality is far, far higher than a motorway service station. It's better than most package holiday hotel buffets I've ever had.

I've spent 55 nights on cruise ships and I have never once stepped foot in a swimming pool on board.

I was also only 32 when I went on my first cruise and while there weren't many 20-something's on the cruise, you weren't constantly being knocked over my mobility scooters and walking sticks either.

Cruise worker conditions could definitely be much better (and they are already better than they were), but you see staff working for the industry for years and years because, ultimately, they are paid better than they would be in their own home countries.

As to the sunlounger question, yes, there will always be sunbed hoggers wherever you go in the world, but I've found cruise ships police it better. Pool attendants see an empty seat, put a clock on it and on their next round if a certain time period has passed they remove all the stuff from the seats and put them behind their desk for someone to do the walk of shame later. I'm not one to lounge in the sun but on the couple of times we've wanted to we've always found a bed. You can't be picky about location, but the same can be said for a land based holiday.

Me and DH always felt we'd like to try a cruise - maybe a week round the Med combined with a land-based hotel for a week. We ended up on our first cruise flying to New Orleans, two weeks round the Caribbean, flying home from Barbados.

We absolutely loved it.

Loved being able to dip in and out of islands and identifying places we'd like to go back to (and some we wouldn't). Loved the ship, dressing for dinner in the evening if we wanted to, but just heading to the informal buffet for dinner and a quick drink if we didn't. There was no pressure. We go with P&O as they still do formal nights which we enjoy but again, there is no pressure to partake if you don't want to.

We've done several since, and are off for a week to Spain and Portugal early next year with the big one - a month to Canada and the USA - to celebrate both of our big 'O' birthdays and our Silver Wedding next September. We have an overnight stop in Boston which is on our wedding anniversary, and also two nights and 3 days in NYC so no worries about flights, jetlag, or extra luggage costs if I get overexcited in NY!

There's plenty to do onboard, and you can be as sociable as you like. I've never had a problem finding a quiet spot for a read or just to watch the sea. There's plenty of onboard entertainment, but no-one is forcing you to take part - it's just there if you want it.

Going from Southampton is great - no problems with the amount of luggage you take, no sitting at the airport with flight delays crammed into a packed terminal (now that is hell).

Plenty of the ports that we have been to are easy to explore on your own - again there is no obligation to join a tour. We often just get off and wander, find somewhere nice for lunch, and enjoy it. Get back on board and it's interesting having a chat with others, especially over dinner, discussing where you have been, what the tour was like etc. You get plenty of recommendations and tips that way.

Each to their own, but as a holiday it suits us.