Talk to me about cruises

[everyonebutme]

We're a couple in our late 50s/60 and considering a cruise but there are so many when you start looking! So, what's the best cruise you've been on? Who did you book with and where did you go? We definitely don't want something huge or the really top end of the budget (well we would be can't afford it) so considering something a little smaller (even a river cruise). What else should we consider when booking as even the packages can be a little confusing? Thank you.

I've been on a couple of cruises.
The best one was P&O, flew to Italy, went down to Pisa, down the leg of Italy, then to Naples, Venice, Montenegro and Croatia (Dubrovnik) then back to Venice and flew home.
7 nights, absolutely perfect, it was a couple of years ago.
I've also been on an American line but I didn't enjoy that as much as it was all blow up palm trees, strange cocktails, a bit of a party boat.
The P&O was much nicer, more refined 😉 (I'm far from posh😁) there were people from all walks of life.
It was a really nice change to go on holiday (I'm usually a sweaty mess on holiday) and be able to watch a show, go to the captains dinner, do things we don't usually do on holiday.
I saw more places than I thought I'd ever see and I absolutely loved Venice (it didn't smell) it was beautiful, sat by a canal having a glass of wine watching the gondola's go past, fab!
I'd definitely recommend P&O

Watching with interest!

I absolutely love cruising. Waking up to a new place every morning is so nice! The first time we went was with P&O but we found the food wasn't great and we had a very hefty bar bill at the end of it! So since then we've been with Marella twice and they were superb - the food was much nicer and to be all inclusive was brilliant, no bar bill to worry about! Going again in October.

We love cruising. To start, and this is just my opinion, work out where you would like to see first. Any particular places such as greece or spain and then any particular cities. Then work out if you want a port intensive cruise or, more days at sea. Then look and research cruise lines that cover that. Join cruise critic for information.

Our last cruise was port intensive which we like and included Portofiono and Barcelona. We werent fussed for Barcelona but the DC were desperate to do the Nou Camp. Ive always wanted to see Portofino. Once you work out ports, it helps with cruiselines.

Do you want to go from Southampton? That will narrow it down a bit. If you are happy to do a fly cruise the world is your oyster!

We have cruised on Royal Caribbean, P&O, Princess and Cunard. Our favourite was Royal Carribean but we have younger kids, and that is more catered for them. When we have cruised alone we have loved P&O and Princess. We had an amazing cruise with Cunard but the formality of it and having to dress up formally every night got a bit boring after a busy day on port in 40 degree weather.

I have been on 27 cruises!! My first was in 1992 on P&Os Canberra when I was 9 years old and my 28th I will be going on this Friday on Britannia! My favourite cruise line is Princess, they just have the edge on P&O in my opinion although they are a bit more expensive obviously all the same parent company! My favourite destinations are the fjords, the Northern tip of Norway and mostly Alaskan cruises.

I have no real world advice but one thing I will say is have a look at YouTube for advice, there are several bloggers that I find quite interesting to watch. Emma cruises, tips for travellers, travel blog Jamie and the ship life guy. They show the various cruise lines and ships and seem to give a pretty good idea of what to expect, they all have different vibes by the look of it. Never actually been on a cruise but since turning 50 I seem to be developing a curiosity…

I'd start with what are your must haves, must not haves, can tolerate.

How do you feel about children? You would not avoid them on Disney but other lines are adult only.

Do you like getting dressed up for dinner or prefer to be in jeans / shorts at all times.

What sort of things do you want to experience? A Caribbean cruise is lots of sea, sun, beaches, a river cruise through Europe gives you more chance to experience culture. Alaska is another thing altogether.

What sort of entertainment do you want to see in the evening?

What sort of things do you want to do in the day Quizzes, lectures or zumba? Go carts, roller coaster or gym?

How many sea days do you want?

Are you bothered by the languages spoken? You will find people who speak English on all cruises but on something like Costa you might be in the minority if you don't speak Italian.

What sort of cabin do you want? Are you OK in a room with no windows? Do you want a balcony?

Is there anything you would be devastated to miss? Cruise ships sail where the calm water is so sometimes miss ports or change them.

I would hate to go on a cruise but I'm fainted by a couple of YouTubeers who do cruise and film their experiences.

If you are wanting to cut down the expense you consider a 'repositioning cruise'. The same ships that cruise around the Caribbean in winter are the same ones that cruise about the med in Summer, obviously the ships have to get from one 'home' port to another. They have multiple days at sea as they cross the Atlantic.

I am not a very experienced cruiser though went on a short Bahamas cruise decades ago and a Mediterranean cruise a few years ago with my mother and sister. My favourite part of the cruising itself (other than the fabulous port cities) was the live classic rock cover band that my sister and I enjoyed every night. DH has always snubbed the cruise idea honestly and we couldn't have afforded it as a family holiday but the kids are now grown and my health these days can be limiting.

While I'm not sure that a generic cruise is what I'd enjoy as a holiday with my cruise-virgin DH, after several years of receiving advertising targeted at me, I have now booked for next month on a five day blues music cruise in the Mediterranean with a couple of lovely stops. I know that I will love all the amazing entertainment as some of my favourites are playing and the whole lineup is a real treat for me. I can enjoy live music all day and night (with others with similar musical interests) and also have a cabin with bathroom and shower and all the other amenities. I am so excited!

First thing is to decide on budget and itinerary.

I use Vivavoyage to put in destination and month, and it gives all the options with most of the major cruise lines.

We like NCL, fairly young vibe compared to some other lines, which we like and it means you get people of all ages (we're in our 50s). It's not formal, no need to dress up for dinner unless you want to, most people wear smart casual for dinner.

We love the larger ships, as the entertainment seems to be better - Broadway style shows in the theatre, rock/tribute bands etc in the smaller venues. Plenty of bars, and plenty of quiet areas if you feel like a bit of peace and quiet.
Not too many kids if you travel out of the school holidays (check when they are for the country you depart from). For us, they also give the best value for money, as they can include a drinks package/speciality dining package - drinks can really add up on a cruise.

We have cruised a lot with many different lines, we love it.

I agree that it is the desired vibe you need to determine to work out which line to try first.

Lively or calm? Lots of facilities / activities or wouldn't use them anyway? Mainly Brits or more international? Budget or luxury? Formal or informal? What sort of hotel / holiday resort would you choose - choosing a ship is similar.

Pretty much all lines go to pretty much all destinations so choosing that is second. Warm or cold? Fly or no fly?

We like to sail with Celebrity or smaller lines & I love the Caribbean for a good, solid cruise but also loved visiting places I wouldn't have ever done a land trip to e.g. Alaska, South America, Russia (not possible now).

Some good advice first regarding where you want to go and want to see then work from there.

We have done 3 cruises with P and O and really enjoyed them, we have another next year. We got a drinks package last time, we worked out if we had 6 drinks a day then it paid for itself. It depends how much you drink, but its relatively easy to hit the number if you have costa coffee and a couple of glasses of wine during the day.

Lots of people don't even get off the ship, they use the cruise itself as a holiday without seeing the local sights, but we would rather get off. We found that we could get similar excursions to those offered by P and O an awful lot cheaper in port, so don't do the ones offered by them.

P and O also do adults only cruises on their smaller ships if that's what you would prefer. My Dm also really likes Ambassdor Cruises from Tilbury, they are much smaller and tend to be an older clientele although they do have family ones as well.

I cant really help as I have never been on a cruise but do have the Norwegian fjords booked for 3 weeks time with P&O. Never done anything like this before Im scared and excited at the same time.

We did that one last year. Absolutely amazing!

I prefer river cruises (RC), you're off on trips every day. Sea cruises (SC) always have boring days at sea.
On the other hand, SC have far more entertainment (not always good) & facilities, but RC are more low-key, & frequently feature local folklore troupes.
I've done 2 SC, & c.15 RC. I can recommend Avalon, Viking, Emerald, Riviera - for quality of boats & food. Drinks are often included, or can be purchased as a package.
I don't recommend Croisi Europe & Saga. Both have tiny cabins, & serve poor quality food.

Look at the programme cruising with Jane McDonald to get a feel of different cruise lines. She has done a great range of trips .

I absolutely agree with the advice to spend some time watching TV. Jane Mcdonald and Susan Calman are great but the YouTube give you the bad as well as the good. I like Emma cruises, tips for travellers, cruise with Ben and David, grounded life cruises and cruise with Paul and Carol. That is a mixture of singles and couples aged from 30s to 60s so cover a range of locations and cruise lines.

We found that we could get similar excursions to those offered by P and O an awful lot cheaper in port, so don't do the ones offered by them

We went with Sky Princess last year )France. Italy , Spain,Gibaltra) we did the booked tours but loads of people did their own itineries .
Obviously cheaper but bear in mind if you're booked via your tour operator and you are late returning , the ship will wait for you .
If you're going independant it will not wait .

We went on a P&O short cruise , less glamorous .

Food in the buffet is good but also try the resturants - many are included , you might need to book . You pay extra for steak/seafood specialist ones

Entertainment is good and varied , but the chance to relax on a SeaDay is sooo nice

Formal Nights are full on black tie and gowns if you want to (and many people did ) but otherwise smart /casual

YY to watch the YouTube videos ..

I've been in a few and they do vary. Budget is number one - you can pay from about £700 to a 5 figure sum for a week!

For assumption I'm assuming you will want an outside cabin (cheaper to have no window) then you need to think about what you want included - some lines eg Marella (TUI) include everything essential in the price eg connecting flights, transfers, most drinks on board, tips as well as entertainment and all food, whereas on many lines you pay extra for drinks, tips and the price is often cruise only (so unless Southampton to Southampton you need to add flights).

Next thinking is itinerary, hot, cold, sightseeing or just relaxing? You need to budget for trips as they aren't included but particularly in the med you can often walk or take public transport on port days, I've never taken a tour, but you can't miss departure!

So as for lines - they rank from very expensive eg silversea to traditional style eg Cunard, Holland America, to cheaper eg p&o, Marella, American style with huge ships eg royal Caribbean and specialty brands like saga, Disney aimed more at certain demographics.

Can you tell it's my favourite subject ...

For a first time how about a fjords cruise at of Southampton? Lots of competition means there's great deals, unless you are huge drinkers don't worry about ai (Cunard though allows you to bring your own drink aboard for your cabin!) book 3 months out or less for the best prices. I've just booked late September for less than half price.

I was also 9 in 1992 on Canberra... loved it!

I have been on p&o, and many marella cruises personally I prefer marella for a whole host of reasons.

You will love it. I was very mu u a reluctant cruiser now we got on 2/3a year. I love waking up somewhere different every day

We cruise every year and been with lots of companies and on big and small ships. Loved every one. You really can't go wrong with a cruise.

I did a Viking all inclusive trip down the Rhine a while back which was great. With a river cruise there is always something to see. The food was good and so was the alcohol (veuve cliquot for the champagne) and I met some great people and had a blast. Really comfortable cabins too. I would highly recommend it though it isn’t cheap, but we probably drank our monies worth!

Good point about the ship waiting. We don't tend to go for excursions that stray too far from the port, so stick with local bus tours etc as they give a good idea of the local area.