What to expect on a cruise?

[Lavendersquare]

I've never particularly wanted to go on a cruise but DH has found what looks like a very good deal and thinks we should give it a go. The price includes all food but not drinks, so that's an unknown, but other than that what are people's experiences? The pros and the cons?

What cruise line is it and where to?

I love them so no cons from me - the pros are -
-waking up somewhere different each morning without having to keep packing/unpacking !

• service and food and entertainment are by and large excellent and way better than most hotels
• good air conditioning- i love getting dressed up at night and everywhere stays nice and cool- i find on holiday usually i end up feeling hot and sweaty again

Theres so many more, its my favourite type of holiday!

@PenguinLove1 thanks for your comments, it's a P&O cruise around the Canary Islands, there's a flight included to pick up the ship. DS 19 and DD 15 would be coming as well so the theatre style shows and the gym would be big hits with them although if there's no Wi-Fi they will struggle!

I LOVR a cruise. Walking up every day somewhere different is wonderful

Enjoy

I love a cruise .. but we always get a drinks package ( have been on Celebrity and that included the fancy coffee and fresh Oj as well as cocktails and wine by the glass )

so … which cruise line and which itinerary?

I haven't cruised with P&O, but have done other cruises. It's worth looking into the cost of the drinks package. Remember, on pretty much all cruises you are on board in the evening.
I didn't know whether tips are included so you may need to factor that in.
Look into the price of the excursions and if you could do them yourself (for considerably less!) I like to use the Big Red Bus or equivalent for trips - its hop on / hop off (whilst listening to an audio description) and you can then see the sites independently, for as long as you wish. Just make sure you're not late returning, or the ship will leave without you - I've seen it. If you have a day at sea, make sure you look into what's on if you fancy entertainment and book anything (such as the spa) in advance. If you want to attend the cocktail party / whatever the heck it's called for your cruise, check on the clothing advice. I've seen people turned away (entitled much?) in t shirts and shorts and wondering why.
Don't be afraid to have a day on board when you're docked if you don't fancy that destination. It's actually very peaceful and quiet on board those days.
Have a scout around and find the quiet decks where you can go, have a drink and possibly a snooze!
Have a great time.

The pros:
You only have to unpack and pack once, and you get to see a lot of different places.
It’s a very relaxing way to travel as you don’t have to worry about transport or accommodation. As soon as you board it is all taken care of. Pretty much everything you need is in one place.
The food is amazing.
There’s so much to do - you’ll never get bored and everybody in your group will manage to find things they enjoy.

The cons:
Excursions are normally quite short and almost never include onshore nightlife. You can only ever scratch the surface of each location.
You may end up spending more than you thought you would - costs can quickly add up.
They’re not good if you’re on a diet!
Wifi is usually a bit hit-and-miss (and expensive).
You’re sharing a ship with hundreds of other people. The restaurants will sometimes be very busy and the queues on and off a ship can also be a little testing.
You might feel seasick on board.

Some people love them, some people hate them. You’ll never know until you try it, so I’d give it a go.

P and O is good for those ages

Drinks package will probably be worth it, if you buy the unlimited drinks for you and your husband/partner the kids will get the unlimited soft drinks for free.

I like that teens can have some freedom as its safe and nowhere they can go and get lost etc so you can relax while they explore the ship and join in activities, theres always loads going on

You can also buy a wifi package, its a bit pricey but if stops the moaning it can be worth it!

Thanks for all the comments, I do appreciate hearing how much you all love a cruise.

I think we will take the plunge, it's a great price, only a week and will be a good way to try it out.

You won't regret it.
We love cruises
Pros
All of it but especially:
The food is like a good 5* hotel
A selection of restaurants
No mosquitoes at night - I get bit to death on normal holidays
We have seen dolphins several times
A lot of good entertainment
A different holiday every day
Only con is if you can't dock for whatever reasons - only happened once out of loads of cruises.

The only con I can think of is that they are incredibly addictive.

We’re doing a cruise on Azura in February, it’s our first time cruising.

we’ve enough on board spend for the drinks package so we’ll probably pay for that.

My parents are p and o veterans and have never had complaints even post covid.

But we’ve paid less for our holiday than a 4 star all inclusive in Tenerife.

We had a great time on a cruise. We didn't get an all inclusive drinks deal. We like wine with dinner and a cocktail but did not drink enough to make it cost effective. The drinks when we went were pretty standard pub price. We did norway cruise and had a great time!

There are a couple of people on YouTube who give good advice.

Emma Cruises - fairly young woman who does cheap cruises. Has a thing about cookies.

Tips for travelers - a more mature gentleman who has a thing for afternoon tea and cruises in more luxurious settings.

I'm slights addicted to both, even though I would never go on one (I don't like being on water, I would never sleep).

Tips for travelers has lots of information about drinks packages, when to upgrade your cabin, which cabins to pick ie not underneath the disco. One the upgrade, you can be offered an upgrade but although your cabin will be 'better' you might have a view of a life boat, or be right at the front or back which experience most movement.

Will you be in one cabin? If not try to get connecting doors.

Things like spa treatments are cheaper when the ship is in port.

One thing I would check (because water!) is whether the ship can dock in port or whether you have to make the trip by small boat.

Enjoy yourselves. Oh and get 'cruise insurance'.

We did some cruises when DC were teens so they could meet other teens. DS at 19 will be an adult. We much prefer to spend longer in an area. You are 100% packaged on a cruise and excursions are ridiculously expensive and short. People eat a lot. Food is only ok. Prefer to find my own restaurants now. The ships are huge so even seeing the same people again can be a challenge. We have done a couple of expedition cruises since and a couple of small boat ones. We won’t be going back on a cruise ship.

I also love a cruise. We go all inclusive.