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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Never cruised, would love to, but scared to book ahead....

54 replies

triplets · 18/08/2013 00:13

We have spent weeks trying to get a last minute cruise as we truly need a holiday, no luck! We have 15yr old triplets so need two cabins, it seems that the three berth cabins are snapped up a year up front! We cannot get insurance to cover my dh, he has cancer though is currently in remission. We haven`t been on a proper holiday since 2007, only w/end breaks, and were really looking forward to getting away somewhere exciting............no luck. We are tempted to book 2 cabins for next year, but I get so scared the cancer will return and we will have to cancel and lose our money. What would you do?

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Original poster
triplets · 22/08/2013 08:57

:) Thank you both..........feel quite excited :)

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WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 22/08/2013 09:00

Cabins - ours were low down midship promenade cabins, with a view over the central atrium of the ship. Interconnecting limits your choices a bit. I didn't want balconies as I have a fear of heights, but a window would have been good to see the weather in the mornings and the views. We were quite near the lifts which was very handy.

Tabby - do you cruise with DCs? We are looking at Aurora next year and have DCs (9 and7), wondering if it will live up to RCI for them.

Doilooklikeatourist · 22/08/2013 09:22

Room tips , ( from our experience )

We had mid ship cabins on the 8 th floor .
The middle of the ship is meant to be more steady , but we did feel quite a lot of movement in the Channel and the Bay of Biscay .
and the scary storm in the south of France

The front doors were adapted to go into both cabins ( can't quite remember how , ) and the balconies connected too .
I loooooved the balcony , but DD refused to go on it !

Nice having a big glass of wine looking at the sea ...

We kept the curtains open one night as we were sailing along the coast of Spain , and we could see the lights and big landmarks .

We were on Celebrity Eclipse too , we booked early seating dining and were allocated a table by the window which was wonderful ( saw whales and dolphins as we were eating ! )

Original poster
triplets · 22/08/2013 09:43

Generally what time is early/late dining..........does it mean you are only allowed to eat in those times I the evening? Do you have to nominate each day where you want to eat Confused

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WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 22/08/2013 09:53

On RCI you can opt for either fixed time dining (which I think was 6 or 8.30) or My Time dining, when you can book daily at 15 min intervals from 5.45 to 7.15 or 8 til 9 (or thereabouts). Or just turn up in those times and maybe wait. We did My Time and booked in the mornings, our cabin was close to the dining room so easy to pop in. There is also a massive buffet restaurant you can use any time, and one or two specialty restaurants which you may need to book. You aren't committed to the main dining room, if you decide to use the buffet you don't have to cancel the main one. The main dining rooms have different dress codes on different evenings, formal, casual and smart casual, if you want to avoid formal for instance, just go to the buffet instead. They send a newsletter to your cabin every night with everything that is happening the next day, including dress codes. The theatre shows in the evening are usually on twice to fit round the two seating times.

SmallFarAway · 22/08/2013 10:03

I was on Celebrity Eclipse last year....fabulous ship, isn't it?

Sailing P&O Ventura this time as now have a 14 month old and P&O seemed the most baby friendly.

Fluffy1234 · 22/08/2013 10:33

Just to add a point but you are hardly in the cabin as there is so much to do on board and in the ports. We've done 5 cruises as a family with 4 different cruise lines each time with different cabin combinations and have come to the conclusion booking a balcony isn't worth it for us as it just doesn't get used enough. I wouldn't book a cabin without a window again so would probably stick to ones with a window. Interconnecting are good as during the day you can have the door open and they feel nice and spacious and you can nip next door and use the other bathroom etc. I've booked the later dining and also my time/any time dining and prefer the flexibility of any time/my time. I've not done the early dinner sitting as I think it would be too much of a rush after a long excursion. Although for a family with younger children or if you enjoy pottering around the ports as opposed to longer trips it's a good option. So pleased for you Triplets xxx

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 22/08/2013 10:42

Yes, agree you don't spend much time in the cabin, but we found we were popping in and out frequently for changes of clothes, getting swimming gear after breakfast, fetching a book etc so handy being near the lifts. Two interconnecting bathrooms is handy as well, DH used the DCs one in the mornings to shave in while I used ours to do my contact lenses etc, plus having the door open made the whole thing feel more spacious.

Fluffy1234 · 22/08/2013 11:25

Plus being near the lifts is super convenient for popping up to get a few sneaky snacks!

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 22/08/2013 12:07

Someone told me to pack bigger clothes for the second week and they were right, I put on half a stone in a fortnight.

Doilooklikeatourist · 22/08/2013 13:58

We actually liked the early dining ( I think it was 6-30 )
But then we didn't book any excursions ( as they are pricey )
We would eat together , the children wouldn't have dessert with us , but the teenagers all got together in the buffet restaurant on the top deck and had ice creams / cake up there .
After dinner , DH and I would go to the theatre and watch the show .
We don't do late nights ! So it suited us .

Celebrity Eclipse has a brilliant teenage club , from treasure hunts and midnight pool parties to a tour of the bridge and staff members giving talks about a career at sea .

Original poster
triplets · 22/08/2013 14:05

Can you specifically ask to be near a lift?

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Original poster
triplets · 22/08/2013 14:23

P&O add £350 each for a fly/cruise is it worth trying to book that yourself?

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WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 22/08/2013 18:53

Although we were on My Time dining we ate early most nights because we started doing a quiz evening at 8, also the DCs were keen to get into kids club as soon as the evening session started. I liked the flexibility of My Time though.

As for cabin positions near lifts, yes you can ask, on the RCI website there are detailed deck plans for the ships so you can see where you are.

Not sure about fly/cruise as we boarded directly in Southampton.

Tabby1963 · 22/08/2013 19:34

whoknowswherethetimegoes re: your question. We've always cruised with the kids since they were babies and their favourite cruises were always on Aurora, the kids club (according to them) is the best, the clubs are all at the back on deck 8, right by the family pool area.

Now they are adults and have their own lives. We hope that one day they will cruise with us again.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 23/08/2013 23:03

Thanks Tabby - it's on our shortlist for next year. Hope your DCs do decide to go with you again one day, it seems like the perfect hoiiday for extended families. We holiday with my parents for one week a year, in a cottage, only started once we had our own DCs, it's quite different frrom holidaying by ourselves but works well.

Doilooklikeatourist · 24/08/2013 10:31

We asked not to be near a lift , and resolved to never use a lift , always the stairs .
Our cabins were 8th floor , sun deck 12th floor , restaurant and theatre 3rd and 4th floor .
Lots of stairs . No weight gain !
I know that wouldn't suit everybody though ,

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 24/08/2013 10:45

Still better to be near the lifts though as that's where the stairs are (or were on our ship). We resolved to use the stairs too, and did where it was only up or down 3 or 4 decks, but mostly we were going at least 5 and it took ages. I don't think that minor amount of added exercise would have made any difference to my weight gain TBH, it was all down to eating and drinking far more than usual!

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 08/09/2013 11:47

Triplets - are you still around, was wondering if you got anything booked?

Original poster
triplets · 07/12/2013 23:12

Hello yes Im still around! No we didnt book but really really want to now as y/day my dh got an all clear ct scan and wont be scanned again until next May :) So oncologist is saying "GO". Was wondering about a cruise in Easter hols but would the Med be warm enough? Dont want to spend a fortune if I can`t sit out on the deck in the sunshine!

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JanetAndRoy · 07/12/2013 23:27

Oh I really want to go on a cruise now!!

Original poster
triplets · 15/05/2014 17:41

Here I am again! Feel like I can finally try to book a cruise as dh got an all clear ct again today and oncologist is very happy with him and is talking about scanning once a year :) So we have a free summer coming up, can anyone help me find a cruise for 5 that won`t break the bank, is it possible? Thank you :)

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Original poster
triplets · 15/05/2014 17:51

Here I am again! We never did get a holiday, but are looking very hopeful now. Just had another all clear ct result today, and oncologist is now saying she will not scan for a year! So we are def going to book a proper holiday this summer and a cruise if we can get one is a possibility. Also my two boys may well be leaving home this Sept, one has applied to go to Harrogate Army College and the other to the Royal Marines Band Service, fingers xd for them. So a lovely holiday together would be so nice as we havent had more than a short break since 2008. Time to start looking! :)

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Original poster
triplets · 15/05/2014 17:53

whoops thought the first one didn`t post Blush

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Sushiqueen · 18/05/2014 07:35

Have a look at cruisedeals.co.uk We found a good cruise through them and got money off the price quoted by the cruise line plus OBC. They were really helpful when I spoke to them (they phoned me back so didn't have to okay for the call)

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