First time Cruise - Watched Like Father - Harmony of the Seas?

[lazytownie]

I watched the Netflix film Like Father which is set on Royal Carribbean cruise ship Harmony of the Seas www.imdb.com/title/tt7170950/ . It is one of those MASSIVE 6000 odd passenger ships with water slides and stuff

Before I saw this I had a horror fear of cruises having seen stuff like this https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11218443/Shocking-video-shows-man-brutally-pummel-woman-mass-brawl-Carnival-Cruise-ship.html

I'd always thought cruises were sort of like Butlins on Sea - very down market, over crowded with people who like to read the Sun, get very drunk and brawl.

The film made it all look quite cool and fun - even allowing for the fact it was a film.

Has anyone who has been on cruises give me some pointers?

I am very much a preferrer of elegant and style, I'd rather stay at a classic 5 star grande dame hotel than the newest modernist opening for example. I really don't like crowds which has always put me off big cruise ships.

I imagine it's a real scrum to get on and off for day trips or at bars and stuff.

Are there any cruises of style and elegance? Are there ways to do a big ship in a quiter way - eg. off season?

Help me be in a film style cruise!

Some cruises are like butlins at sea… so are some land based package holidays. Basically it’s just masses of people eating, drinking, swimming, sunbathing, having fun etc, all the stuff people generally do on holiday regardless of what newspaper they read.
But you cannot generalise and need to find the right cruise for you - small ship v big ship, modern v traditional, cheap and cheerful v spendy. Even within the same cruise lines there is lots of variation depending on what ship or itinerary you choose. If you want to go Royal Caribbean then yes they are cool but if you don’t have kids in tow then definitely avoid school holidays and they will be busy, and the big ships with lots of fun amenities tend to be the ones with the most passengers but to some people that’s part of the fun.

ooh thanks@CoolShoeshine any tips for finding out which would be more luxury smaller stylish boutique cruises.

I did google but there seem masses and it's hard to work out what is pr puff.

As pp have said there are a wide range of cruises.

In my experience P & O and Royal Caribbean are British and US versions of the same level
but very different experiences. You can always find quiet bars, things to do away from the crowds.

A step up are Cunard and the equivalent Celebrity and possibly Viking. I’ve not done Celebrity but love Cunard it’s a lovely way to travel.

My dream would be what are classed as six star cruises, smaller ships e.g. Silversea, Regent Seven Seas, Azamara, Seabourne.

There are also what I would call expedition cruises that can be more basic through to luxury but go to amazing places e.g Antarctica e.g. hurtegruten, Viking plus some of the six star lines.

There are loads of different lines I haven’t mentioned and I’m sure other posters will come on with their experiences.

YouTube is your friend, there are 100s if not 1000s of videos from passionate travellers sharing their views on ships and ports. They do ship walk arounds, cabin reviews ports etc. You also get a view of the wide range of people who cruise. My advice pick a destination/itinerary and do your research. Examples are Tips for Travellers, Emma Cruises, Visit with us but their are loads.

Do not try a 2-4 night booze cruise as this will give a false experience.

I always recommend a 7 day cruise to the Fjords as a first cruise in late May/June. You sail out of Southampton and you benefit from the long hours of daylight.

thanks @Foreversearch

That's really useful especially about My dream would be what are classed as six star cruises, smaller ships e.g. Silversea, Regent Seven Seas, Azamara, Seabourne.

The problem for me as a total novice is that the amount of information is overwhelming and very skewed. I watched a walk through of Harmony ot Seas and it all looked really nice and empty but I suppose it must have been filmed at the crack of dawn.

I think it's only really recommendations from people or short cut guidance that is the way through to start with.

Everyone is saying everything is the best!

I very much want something quieter and less down market. Sort of White Star Line with elegant cocktail bars and champagne and style.

I have never been able to afford the six star cruises but Cunard definitely has a champagne bar, ballroom dancing, interesting speakers etc

If you want a true taste of old school glamour then the Queen Mary 2 transatlantic is the one I would recommend. QM2 is the only Liner the others are cruise ships.

What Forever said.

My first trip was with RC which was too brash for me. I dislike P&O Ventura and Azura as they are starting to look their age. I loved Britannia each time Iweng on her. Arcadia was surprisingly good fun, a bit shabby around the edges, but aimed at a much older demographic than me.

My most recent trip was on Cunard Queen Victoria and I felt do much more relaxed. I woul love to do the transatlantic on QM2 for their literary festival or RSC trips.

I'm going on P&O Iona next year. It's unlikely to be my favourite ship, but I'm going with my DD after our post A level trip for the naming ceremony was cancelled in 2020 & we are finally able to go together.

We have friends who well travelled. They prefer Cunard with its emphasis on elegance and service. They have lots of educational lectures on sea days and different levels of service. We tend to like a little more luxury and like to travel with Saga. Benefits inc transport from home to dock, one class facilities, inc drinks and gratuities, library. It all depends what you want to do. If you take into account all the included stuff it isn't really much more expensive

Lots of good advice above. I agree the itinerary and time of year could be key to finding a classier experience. Something like a Norwegian Fjord cruise, or a cruise to Iceland would not attract the same clientele as a Mediterranean cruise.

I recently cruises the Norwegian Fjords with P&O Iona. The ship is massive, but absolutely stunning. There is a huge atrium area that was very chilled - just people reading newspapers with a coffee in hand enjoying the views. The ship was only at half capacity at the time, so felt very spacious. There is a jazz bar onboard, a small cinema & casino, library. We ate in the main dining room each night as we enjoy table service rather than buffets. And any bars you are in, you sit down & the waiter will come to your table to serve you - no queuing at bars etc.

Getting on & off the ship tends to be calm & not a scramble. There is absolutely no pushing or shoving. Just folk patiently waiting to disembark.

That being said, I do recall a few years ago getting off a ship in Cozumel next to a Celebrity cruise that had sailed from Galveston. Apparently their ship had got into bad weather & they were at sea for 3 days. Passengers had clearly been taking advantage of the alcohol onboard & one woman was sitting on the ground with blood pouring from her head from falling down drunk. On the way back, someone fell into the water between the ship & the dock & was being fished out by lifeguards!!

So choose wisely!

We have done a few cruises and Regent Seven Seas was excellent for the luxury.
P&O and Royal Caribbean are other lines we have used and they are both much bigger and therefore busier although they do offer more facilities.
Carnival was the line we liked least. Very much hyper all over the ship. Bit too much for us 😁
All of our cruises have been in the Eastern or Western Med and we have seen so many lovely places.

Watching with interest! Going on my first cruise in a couple of weeks, me and my DS13... does anyone have experience of MSC cruises? I've heard mixed reviews but we're looking forward to the break together nonetheless 🥰 Not going during school holidays so hoping it won't be totally packed with children!

I do recall a few years ago getting off a ship in Cozumel next to a Celebrity cruise that had sailed from Galveston. Apparently their ship had got into bad weather & they were at sea for 3 days. Passengers had clearly been taking advantage of the alcohol onboard & one woman was sitting on the ground with blood pouring from her head from falling down drunk. On the way back, someone fell into the water between the ship & the dock & was being fished out by lifeguards!!

this is my cruise fear. I think it's what I thought all cruises would be like.

I want to be more

https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/mundy.assets.d3r.com/images/landscape_half/44444-queen-mary-2-champagne-bar-formal-night.jpg

I'd been sceptical about cruises til we spotted a good deal with Fred Olsen and gave it a go. It was really nice a relatively small boat, not at all rowdy or like you describe. Lots of quiet places to sit and have a drink or read a book and it was pretty relaxing overall.
From my limited knowledge Cunard seem to do what you are after, but they are pricey so maybe have a look at Fred Olsen. Although they have a reputation for being for an older crowd, we are mid 30s and were probably average age on the particular cruise we were on.

Yes we did a 3 month with Fred Olsen and found it rather good. Their demographic on the long cruises are definitely the older person, but lots between 55 and 65.

We had 11 formal nights which are fun if you like dressing up.

I 've also been interested in a cruise. But, not sure where to go and who with. Have been watching utube. There's a girl that goes on different types and then does a video. Maybe have a look? Is called 'Emma cruises'.

Meggymoo we’ve just come home from a MSC cruse around New Zealand and Australia, the crew were fantastic, it was only half full , so lots of room . Don’t expect any level of help from the uk help desk before you go . Utterly useless. But this doesn’t reflect on the level of service onboard. Look up the ports you’re going to and book trips independently . They are geared to cruses and will be less than half the cost of trips booked onboard. I’d advise against doing this from the boat as internet will be patchy and expensive. Enjoy !

We've been on a few different cruises and none of them have felt like Butlins. Even the larger ships don't feel busy because there are so many different venues and activities on board.
Fred Olsen have smaller ships and have a reputation for older passengers which means there are less DCs. The general ambience is more genteel than some of the bigger lines. Although some of the larger cruise lines offer adult-only cruises which might suit you too.
Destinations impact on clientele too.

I’d recommend booking via a specialist cruise travel agent. We’ve just booked our first cruise via the the cruise village. It was really useful to go through likes / dislikes with someone who knows the ships and itineraries really well. We don’t go til July but I’m really happy we’ve picked the right option for us.

I've been on cruises years ago. I don't fancy it now - except maybe one of the smaller ones like Hurtigruten. I've seen photos of people I know on cruises - hundreds of people in evening dress crammed together in a silent disco (made me think back to times in my 20s when the worst clubs had stupid dress codes to make them seem classy, but were actually just tacky). And one someone I know went on where they did a quiz where people were asked to make their "sex noise" on stage.
Grim. Not even Butlins on Sea.

I have only done Royal Caribbean and only a couple of times. I was expecting a scrum for getting on and off and it wasn't like that. Muster on the first afternoon and everyone finding tables for dinner on the first night were busy but after that people spread out. You could always find somewhere quiet to look out at the views. There are lots of fun things to do. The people who work on the ships are really friendly and you feel well looked after by for example your waiter who stays with you for the whole holiday if you have set dining times or just whoever works at any place where you spend a bit of time. The actual ship looks classy in some areas but the area around the pool for example doesn't really (I don't know just a bit fake maybe and this is an area that gets crowded) and you could argue that some of the areas are a bit brash rather than classy.

I think smaller ships would probably be what your are looking for but it depends if you want to have lots of choices of where to eat or whether you are looking for on board activities. Smaller ships can probably get into prettier destinations and then you might also feel more sense of community with the other passengers as well.

Another option is to go for a suite on a larger ship and then you would get access to the suite lounge and restaurant and lots of other perks.

Look at Cunard if elegance and old word charm is your thing. Much quieter pace, think interesting talks rather than all out party in the daytime, afternoon tea daily then a selector of music genres in the evening finishing up in the nightclub with a live band playing music from across the decades. They have cheap taster cruises out of Southampton in the autumn usually, my first one was just 2 nights. The ships are not as flashy as the newer American ones, but feel like an old school hotel - the old chip of paint but impeccable service, good linen and toiletries and a set sit down meal each night

I travelled transatlantic into New York on the Queen Mary 2 which really was like stepping back in time, amazing. We even did ballroom dance lessons! They can book you a hotel (though we found our own) and will book you a return flight on the day of your choosing, far cheaper usually than booking it yourself

Look at Cruise Critic. Part of it is the route but mainly the company. Avoid Carnival like the plague, we're talking beer at breakfast - ugh, I couldn't wait to get off. Celebrity good, the med cruises have a lot of Americans.

The restaurant which is in Like Father is Coastal Kitchen which is the suite only restaurant on Harmony of the Seas.

We've done Queen Mary 2 transatlantic crossing with the literary festival. It is just that 7 days crossing so no stops.
There were a couple of children and some people who were on as part of a much longer cruise but many of our fellow travellers were people who had never been on a cruise before but booked for the literary festival. Hence there was probably a much wider demographic than usual but we met people from all across the world and all ages but the largest group would be people from U.K. mid 50s .
Lots to do ,apart from the festival , swimming in a pool on a covered deck in November mid Atlantic was great!
Quite formal , I gather , compared to other cruises, you didn't need to dress up at night to dine, you could go to a buffet, but most chose to, it's part of the charm .
The thing I didn't realise was the authors were squirrelled away they ate in the same places , had cabins on same floors , so I got to chat with Prue Leith , had lunch with Lionel Shriver , saw Ed Balls at midnight karaoke , discussed wood burners with Rachel Johnson's husband and bought a ton of books . The cruise was worth going to for the talks by the spy guys , Simon Winchester and Alexander McCall Smith on their own.
Needless to say we've booked for this year and are leaving space in luggage for more books! There was a good deal for booking onboard and after years of camping holidays we are treating ourselves.