First time cruisers

[bossyrossy]

As first time cruisers we would like suggestions as to what type of ship/cruise line would be best for us.
What we don’t want:
Too many senior citizens,
Too many children,
Second rate entertainment e.g. cabaret, would prefer good cinema or bar piano,
Casinos,
Large ships,
Party ships
Long haul flights.
What we do want:
Small ship,
Lectures on ports of call,
Interesting ports of call,
Tips included,
Good food i.e. fresh local food,
Warm, sunny weather,
Calm seas - husband gets sea sick
All suggestions gratefully received.

Most importantly, what is your budget? How many people? Duration?

Thomson ship, Adriatic itinerary

A river cruise, we love Viking though can err on elderly side and tips not included but is left to your discretion

Thanks for the replies. The Thomson cruise visits interesting places but the ship is not for us. A river cruise sounds a bit tame. Price range around £1,000 pp all inclusive for about 8 days. There are two of us. We would prefer a small ship, no casino, no cabaret, lectures on places of interest and good local fresh food.

Celebrity...I know the name sounds tacky but it is anything but. Fits all your requirements apart from the ship being large...kind of unavoidable with a cruise.
Food was absolutely out of this world, very few children although quite a few oldies (again, you would be pushed to avoid this). We are in our late 20's and still had a great time and made friends.
Entertainment was great, shops and art gallery on board. Sails from southhampton if you want to avoid flights altogether. Was the most relaxing and enjoyable holiday iv ever been on.

Our first (and only!!) cruise was on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth, ticked all the boxes but turns out I get seasick even in a huge ship, in calm seas, so be warned!!

“At sea” days were the worst, try to find one with as few of these as you can......

P&o have 2 small adult only ships that do lovely itineraries. You should probably avoid the bay of biscay unless it's the height of the summer re sickness as smaller ships are much worse for feeling ill.
How about a fly cruise around Greek islands etc?

I am watching with interest. Never been on a cruise, and want the same things you mention. Friends of ours went on Celebrity to Russia this year and had a fabulous time. I have been considering it. Don't fancy being cooped up in hamster cage though, and all that queuing for meals and noise. i'm talking myself out of it...

I think it was Eddie Izzard who once said
“Cruises are like prison with the added chance of drowning”!

FTR I really want to go on one 😕
But seems a lot to pay for a hol you’ve never tried before and may either love or hate

We love Fred Olsen but you might not if you don’t want to be in the company of golden oldies! We did the Amazon in February, really interesting ports and talks, plus like minded passengers. Small ships, good food but cheesy entertainment. We stick with the piano bar for preference.

I don’t know of any ships other than Thomson (now Marella) where tips are included. (You don’t actually tip in person, for those who wondered, but an amount is added to your cabin account at the end of your cruise to be shared amongst the cabin and restaurant staff. From memory our last gratuities bill was £4 per person, per night)

Stugeron is the stuff to take if you find you get seasick.

Have you looked at CMV? Their ships are older, smaller and don't have children's facilities so are generally adults only? The ships are Astor, Astoria, Colombia, Magellan and I think there might be one more

Viking also do sea cruises, Scandinavian type decor, clean, modern, excellent service, food and drink.

Thomson (Tui) is fab. We have been three times with them.

I used to work on cruise ships and I would suggest celebrity or p&o, royal Caribbean is great but very family friendly so depending on the time of year and itinerary you may find there are too many children. Avoid carnival!

Oh and princess cruises is meant to be really good too!

We thought we’d like a cruise, certainly the idea of one but then went for a ship visit around the Queen Elizabeth and had lunch on board, neither of us could wait to get off as so claustrophobic and too ornate.
You can do these days from Southampton for £50 each was a good way to see the ship

Have done 3 Tui cruises (now called Marella, used to be Thomsons). Most recent Dec 2017. Very good value and their itineraries are great BUT more smokers than I have ever encountered elsewhere and we felt too much of the deck was smoker-friendly, making large areas no go for us. No complaints about the service but the food was uninspiring. Very good overall for cheap and cheerful, not so much special occasion.

Cruise and Maritime are a newish cruise line building up their reputation so some great offers and interesting destinations.

I think with cruising you just have to try it to really know what suits you. There are a lot of misconceptions around. People worry about being confined to the ship. The reality is that ships mostly sail at night while you sleep and are usually docked during the day so you are off exploring as you would be from a hotel. The occasional sea day between distant ports can be a lovely way of catching your breath, reading or watching the sea and associated wildlife doing their thing.

Maybe re-think river cruises? They have a lot of the features you have asked for and fewer of the ones you say you don't want. Will cost you more though.

I'm happy to be corrected but from your wish list local fresh food might be difficult. Our one complaint has been that you would not necessarily know what part of the world you are in from the food on a cruise ship. Doesn't mean it isn't delicious and well prepared, but it may not be very "local". However there is nothing to stop you sampling the local cuisine, as we have, when ashore.