Would we like a cruise???

[Givenup2026]

I’m currently in bed with a never ending flu/cold while my husband is skiing in Switzerland… Anyway! We’ve been thinking of going on a cruise but we’re unsure for different reasons (my husband thinks it might make him feel a bit claustrophobic) whereas I don’t like tributes bands nor musicals…. So we think we might end up getting bored or with cabin fever.

We also have a 6yo, so it has to be kid friendly.

So given that’s the case, do you think we’d enjoy it? And any you would recommend?
Ty!

I guess the AIBU is pondering going when we’re both hesitating.

If you like a high end AI, you’ll be all good with a mid range cruise line!

Pay the extra for a room with a balcony. P&O are very “middle of the road” but have a very good range of destinations in Europe.

I would say Marella, MSC and definitely Costa are below their standard.

Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean slightly above.

Then you have your Cunard and your super high end stuff like Azamara, Seabourn etc. None of which I’d take a 6 year old on.

My personal favourite is Royal Caribbean. For the money, what you get on the ship is incredible and we find on the bigger ships, there’s much more variety of things to do in the evening. For example, Anthem of the Seas is my favourite ever ships- the pool are is split between an adult only solarium style, a normal outdoor pool and a kids splash area. It had a whole indoor gaming area with table tennis, laser tag, go karts etc- this was great in the evenings as usually very quite.

Evenings there was a theatre with your usual selection of musicals (including a full length production of We Will Rock You!), singers, circus acts etc. At the other end of the ship was a super high tech lounge that doubled up a place for quizzes/game show style entertainment but also had a phenomenal laser driven cabaret. In the middle of the ship was a pub that did pub quiz/kareoke/live solo singer type entertainment. Our favourite was the piano bar with just a single pianist taking requests night after night. There was also a night club and evening kids stuff.

Basically it was take your pic with things of varying different vibes in different areas of the ship, which really spread out the different “crowds”- the drinking crowd were usually in one area, the quiet adults in another, families elsewhere. They really catered to all tastes. Similar concept again with the restaurants. Everything from a casual grab and go pizza place, to a huuuge buffet, formal dining room etc!

It also sounds like the ports are important to you- pick one that has a high ratio of port days to sea days and you definitely won’t get bored.

One of my most interesting itineraries was a mix of Turkish and Greek ports, with only one day at sea.

It sounds like you want hot, but a good “first timers” cruise with lots of interesting things to see and do is Norway. It’s generally Day 1- Board in Southampton, Day 2, Sea Day, Days 3-6 in port and then one more sea day back in Southampton. As you’re in the fjords, the scenery is always amazing and the ports really vary- Stavanger is a popular town, Bergen is a full city but you usually also get a few that are a village deep into the fjords with amazing scenery and the chance to see glaciers/snow capped mountains.

I’d avoid Citivechhia (may have spelt that wrong!) for Rome, Venice (they hate cruise ships!) and anything that says Paris or Amsterdam as they are known for being absolutely miles away!

Anthem has my favourite pool set up too.

I guess it depends?? Is the travel from port to attraction 45mins or less, then yeah we’d go exploring.

Do we have to pay tons on top? Then probably not.

We watched two different reviews of two different cruises that went to Italy and the whole excursion thing seemed like hell on earth to me.

I’ve only ever been to Venice and I think I’d find it quite depressing to explore Italy that way.

Definitely don’t do a bank holiday 2-3 day cruise with P&O. We went on one, then stayed on for another slighter longer cruise. The difference in clientele and so how the cruise felt was remarkable! We’ve also been on a P&O cruise to the Norwegian fjords. That was a week long one and was lovely.
We’ve also done Royal Caribbean cruises round the Mediterranean - very very American but service was great and fantastic facilities for children. In-laws have done loads of Cunard and that’s very much for your older guest. Avoid MSC and the smaller travel agent led ones too.

You get what you pay for with cruises.

Also a bit more context in case it helps with the recommendations!

A few years ago we went to Eurocamps because everybody recommended them, and even though I had my reservations we gave them a try.

We did two, and hated both! Sanguli (I think it’s called) was the most awful experience ever. I came back so frustrated, that I swear I was the closest I’ve ever been to depression for a few months.

One of the reasons I work so hard is to enjoy my holidays, and that was a massive letdown.

Yea by short I actually mean 2-4 nights!

A budget of 3K might still be pushing it in the school holidays for the higher end cruise lines, and it also limits the choice of cruises available to you. But if you just want a taster cruise on one of the midrange lines like Royal Caribbean, Princess or NCL, then you should be able to find something in your price range.

Check on a website such as Vivavoyage - you can search by destination, length of cruise, dates etc to see what's available. Bear in mind though that the prices may not include drinks, tips, excursions etc. Best to read each description carefully to see exactly what is and isn't included - don't just look at the base price.

I’d stay stick with the all inclusives you enjoy and maybe review it when your DC gets older .

As an example, there's a 5 night cruise with Princess out of Civitavecchia (Rome) on 10th April, for three people in one cabin, coming in at £1800 with basic drinks package, or £2100 for the upgraded drinks package/speciality dining etc. Still don't know if it includes champagne and lobster though!

But if you sail out of Civitavecchia, you can fly into Rome a couple of days before, and explore the city before heading by train along to the port - very simple to do.

I was very wary of cruising, fearing a floating Butlins or floating old folks home - but thankfully it’s nothing of the sort. I’ve been on two, just about to go on my third, and the fourth is already booked. The ship is simply a very nice floating hotel, the pool is at the top rather than the bottom and there’s a whole cross section of people.

But the best bit is seeing a different place every day, there are some fabulous itineraries and your accommodation floats along with you. We’ve done MSC and Royal Caribbean (both were really good), we set sail on P&O next week and our next cruise is with Marella.

Top tip - make sure you get a cabin with a balcony, After dinner, we sit on our balcony with a bottle of wine, I read my kindle and DH watches out for pirates! 😃

The cruises we have done there are generally plenty of ports where you can easily wander in and have an explore. We only tend to do one excursion each trip. Some days we will stay on board because DS loves the quietness to explore the ship.

Like many naysayers, I thought I would never go on a cruise...then I cruised Iceland last year and it was life changing!!! I'm going to Alaska this summer!

It's crucial to pick the cruise line carefully: we were on Celebrity: Hugh end, older crowd, not loads of kids, very elegant.

And pick your location: I would never cruise the med or the Caribbean having seen the videos..

Oh and on our ship there was a quiet space called The Hideaway, people reading, knitting....and an actual Library...it was so peaceful. I absolutely loved it.

More info about who you go with and where you go please!

Not on E class unfortunately. On celebrity e class unless we’ve got a proper balcony (sunset veranda) we only sail in suites. Entry level or guarantee suite as I’m never that bothered as long as I have a proper balcony.

Iceland and Alaska are on my to do list. I think when ds turns 18 it will be easier!

Alaska is amazing!

Pick your cruise line very carefully. Join the Facebook groups for different ones. There is such a massive difference in quality and experience. Have cruised many times with P&O but they have really gone downhill lately and we now tend to do Princess or Cunard.

@Superhansrantowindsorinteresting! We’ve done several on P&O, Princess and Cunard and overall find them very similar.

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

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

I thought that - until I did it!

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

We came back from that dreadful Eurocamps holiday via a Santander ferry. All the DC were sick and crying. NEVER AGAIN

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

What an unpleasant post

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.