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Holidays

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

If we like AL would we like a cruise?

23 replies

Wheretogonexf · 20/08/2023 09:34

So I always thought all inclusive in a large resort would be a nightmare but having discovered we actually really enjoyed it. The convenience with 9yo and a teen was brilliant. The food was good quality and it wasn't at all rowdy like I'd imagined. The dc didn't want to leave the hotel as they were just happy using the pool, gym, eating drinking, joining in the a few games.

Looking to do something similar but a bit different next year. Teen will be 15. Thinking of a med cruise but reading into it the port days can be long and tiring and the ships crowded.

Any advice or experiences welcome.

OP posts:
peasblue · 20/08/2023 09:48

I don't know OP, but I am of the assumption that as we enjoyed AI we will like a cruise. We loved the AI holidays we did, and equally love exploring new places, so a cruise seems a great way of doing both? Cruises seem to be getting really popular amongst my family and friends, I didn't know anyone who did them under 50 growing up, but now loads of my friends do. We are planning one in 2025 and possibly 2026 if we enjoy the first!

Sorry I can't give any actual experience, I await the replies with interest!

PinkPondQueen · 20/08/2023 10:01

Never done AI hotels but from what i've read unless you're paying top notch the quality of food and drinks in particular isn't great - whereas AI with Marella cruises is absolutely brilliant value for money imo. Branded drinks and a large variety of restaurants to choose from. We love Marella! Plus they have some really great itineraries.

You can make it as busy or as relaxing as you want. Taking the organised excursions can mean a long day but you don't have to -you can arrange your own excursions to do at your own pace.

lastseasonstop · 20/08/2023 10:06

We cruise. We have been on big ships and smaller ships and they never feel busy or over crowded. Occasionally if it’s a sea day, the pool areas can be busy but we’ve never waited on a sun bed. There is no getting up at 6 am to put your towels down either. There are a lot of activities on board. You won’t see your teen. We don’t see ours. In fact they inhale the buffet at dinner time and go off again. That means we get time to sit in the dining room and have dinner together. It works well for us. We particularly enjoy the outdoor cinema at night.

Port days aren’t long and tiring. Not sure where you’re reading that to be honest. You don’t have to get off the ship. If you do, you can go on an organised tour by the cruise line or head off by yourselves. The only time we’ve ever done an organised tour was into Rome for the day. We just head off by ourselves. I suppose a port day could be tiring if you’re off hiking for 8 hours but for us they aren’t. It’s nice to get off, see a different town, learn something, have a wander, spend in the local community and get back onboard at the end of the day. It can be as busy and tiring as you like but it doesn’t have to be. It just needs a bit of research and planning.

We always book a port intensive cruise. We aren’t that fond of sea days but I recommend deciding what ports you’d like to see and then your cruise line. Cruise critic will help here. Their forums are good.

As a fan, we won’t do a two week resort type beach holiday again. We like being able to visit towns and cities, albeit briefly. It gives us the best of both worlds rather than sitting on a sun lounger all day.

Im happy to answer any other questions you might have.

hopeishere · 20/08/2023 10:10

We did a cruise when ours were about 8/10. We didn't find the port days long. We did our own thing each time. Like a pp says you don't have to get off in port if you don't want. We generally did a full slot off the ship in port apart from one day when we went back for lunch - it was much quieter so I can see why you'd stay onboard!

Fivemoreminutes1 · 20/08/2023 13:04

Whether or not a cruise ship feels crowded depends on the time of year and how many people on board, but even ships with 5,000+ passenger capacities are designed to handle crowds and spread people throughout the ship. Embarkation day always feels crowded, but after that you can quickly learn the busiest and quietest times and places onboard. One of the best ways to avoid crowds is to book a suite. Yes, it costs more but is sooooo worth the price as you can always retreat to your own balcony and have room service brought in for dinner! At the very least, book a balcony stateroom. Retreating to your own balcony at the end of a busy day in port with a nice glass of wine and room service is priceless.

Zipps · 20/08/2023 22:15

We've been on loads of cruises and they are just about our favourite kind of holiday. Port days such as Rome can be long because you are so far away from the City. Most other port days are as long as you want. We love the fact that you get to see lots of different sights and so many things to do but also lots of time to escape and relax with beach days. You can always find quiet places to chill on a cruise.

TheBitterBoy · 20/08/2023 22:24

Can I ask how much do you notice the movement of the ship? I do suffer from seasickness, but cruises sound so great otherwise!

ErrolTheDragon · 20/08/2023 22:29

TheBitterBoy · 20/08/2023 22:24

Can I ask how much do you notice the movement of the ship? I do suffer from seasickness, but cruises sound so great otherwise!

That probably depends quite a bit where you're cruising.
We've just done our first one ever, to the Norwegian fjords. Unfortunately crossing the North Sea we had gale force winds - heck yes we felt the movement! We weren't sick (lots of people were, I believe) but found it nearly impossible to sleep. Inside the fjords it was calm though.
May depend on the size and design of the boat too of course.

Janedoe82 · 20/08/2023 22:35

I have been on a few cruises and took my daughters who are teens on wonder of the seas last year. It was ok. It was crowded and food was ok- but not as good as the five star all inclusives I have been to for less money.
pros were good entertainment but that’s about it.

2catsand2kids · 21/08/2023 07:56

We like AI (but are very careful about which ones we choose and tend to go for 5 star ones only), but did not particularly enjoy the only cruise we’ve been on (and wouldn’t go on one again, except maybe a small river cruise without my kids when we’re older). I enjoyed seeing all the different places, but found the ship too busy and noisy. I did love our room though, the food was surprisingly good and my kids thought it was brilliant.

nbee84 · 21/08/2023 09:37

We did many years of ai holidays when our children were growing up. Always chose really carefully and chose ones with multiple restaurants so we didn't have to eat in the same buffet restaurant for 3 meals a day every day, though for the majority of the holidays the buffet restaurants were fantastic.

We did a Med cruise for the first time this year, just the 2 of us, no children. Overall we had a good holiday - lovely ship (5,000 passengers), comfortable balcony cabin, lots of different bars (champagne bar was our favourite 😁) - always somewhere quiet to be found.

However, we won't be rushing to do another. Unfortunately the 2 buffets on this ship were not very good - food not hot, only 1 omlette station that always had a large queue, juice machines often ran out and were slow to be replenished, busy and required a lot of walking around to find a free table. I think we were unlucky as I've spoken to others that have cruised and raved about the buffets. We enjoyed the dining room and the food in there was good but the times were limited - breakfast 7:30 - 9, lunch 12 - 1 and our dinner slot was 8pm and you had to be seated by 8:15. From our previous holidays we've been used to eating whenever we wanted. There were 4 different speciality restaurants but these were at an additional cost whereas on our ai's we would be able to eat in these once per week as part of our package. We did eat at one and it was about €75 for the meal.

The holiday cost us about 50% more than our ai's. I'm used to just paying for the holiday and knowing that additional spends are minimal. There are lots of costs to add on with going in to port - trips, whether ship ones or solo add up over the week. Large ships tend to dock away from the centre so you've either got a 40min walk to 6 to the place (and 40mins back after all your walking around to sightsee) or you've got to pay for taxis. We wanted to get off to visit each port as we felt what was the point of going somewhere to sit on the ship and not see it, so in that respect the holiday was quite busy. Our kids wouldn't have been particularly happy with that, on our ai's we would have one or two days out and they were sometimes met with resistance! I think you may be ok leaving a teenager on board if they didn't want to join you, but not the younger one.

There was always somewhere quiet to find a seat or a sun lounger but not anywhere near the pools (3 on our ship) as they were always busy.

hazelnutlatte · 21/08/2023 09:51

We are just back from a cruise with kids - we really enjoyed it and would go again if we can find one sensibly priced! The buffet was fab although busy at times, loads of choice and good quality food. We didn't bother with the main restaurant much as we are veggie and the choice was a bit limited there. The ship was busy but the entertainment staff do a great job of having multiple things going on at a time so the crowds are spread out, and there is always somewhere quiet to sit. If yoy wanted to go to a particular show you would need to get there early though as they do fill up. The pools and hot tubs would get busy in the afternoons but would be much quieter in the mornings and evenings so we would use them then.
Price wise, we paid £3.5k for a family of 4 in August including an Al inclusive drinks package - I think this compares well to AI resort prices in school holiday times. Next year prices are looking higher though!
We did a princess cruise this time and I'd also recommend royal caribbean. Would definitely not recommend the MSC Virtuosa- we did a 3 day cruise and never again! Packed in like sardines, impossible to get a drink at a bar or a seat anywhere!

budgiegirl · 21/08/2023 10:05

I think you probably would enjoy it, but pick your ship carefully.
Smaller ships may not have enough for kids to do, unless they are happy to join the kids club - in which case, they'll have a blast. Larger ships tend to have lots of activities/entertainment without having to use the kids club. My teens spent the whole time playing mini-golf, shuffle board, giant chess, table tennis, going on the water slides and the ropes course, watching films on the top deck. They never even got to the kids club, and didn't miss it. There's usually a gym, and possibly a sauna, but often this is for older teens and adults only, so you'd need to check that.

My teenagers absolutely loved the two cruises we took them on. We've also been on quite a few on our own, without the kids.

We prefer NCL, on the larger ships if the kids are with us. There's plenty to do, and it's usually not a problem to find a quiet spot to relax in the sun or shade.

Cruise ships aren't particularly good for swimming, the pool are usually quite small and can get crowded, but they're fine for a quick dip. But loungers by the pool are very difficult to get. We mostly swam in the stops we made, as some ports had swimming pools, or we went to the beach.

Food is usually good to great, at least as good as all-inclusive in my experience, and you usually have the choice of table service restaurant or buffet every day, sometimes for breakfast and lunch too. The buffet can get busy, but we rarely use it, preferring most of our meals in the main or speciality restaurants. Whenever we've done an AI hotel, restaurants have been limited to one or twice a week, with the buffet the rest of the time, so cruises are better for us in that respect. We also like NCL in this respect, as there's no set dining times, and you can have your own table. We get up to 4 visits in a week to the speciality restaurants included in the package.

With regard to drinks, you'd need to check if these are included, can be added on as a package, or bought as you go. It can make quite a difference, depending on how much you are likely to drink. Also check if gratuities/service charges are included, or are in addition, as these can also add up.

Port stops can be as long or as short as you want. Some ports can be quite far from the main town, but it's usually not difficult to grab a taxi or shuttle bus. And many ports are close enough that you can walk.

Overall, we love cruises, and getting off the ship to a different port/city each day can be great. There are some wonderful views too as you arrive/leave each port, or sail along the coast.

Fiekcjdiwldnfjri · 21/08/2023 10:06

Absolutely yes!!

TyneTeas · 21/08/2023 10:08

We are considering Cruises and I have found this site helpful

https://emmacruises.com/

Loads of YouTube stuff about the different cruise lines and you get a good overview to work out which will suit you best

Emma Cruises – Cruise Tips, Tours and Reviews

As Seen On: Products and Services Get Inspired to Travel By far the most common question on my YouTube videos is ‘where did you get that background map?!’. Get yours …

https://emmacruises.com

RosemaryDill · 21/08/2023 15:39

We did Marella cruises with teens. Yes it's like AI but even better. I liked Marella because they are AI and unpretentious. Some cruises don't include drinks and snacks or tips.
The food was as good as 5* AI and a choice of buffet or restaurant.

The port days can be very tiring but are not compulsory. You don't have to do organised tours you can just get off the boat for a wander. Or you can go to a beach. The organised tours tend to be early start and long days.
We did a Med cruise, then Adriatic, then another med.

BackToWhereItAllBegan · 21/08/2023 19:48

@TheBitterBoy I had the same experience as @ErrolTheDragon. The only time I've been sea sick was in the North Sea while making our way to the Baltic.
I've had no problems at all in the Mediterranean or the Caribbean and once we got to the Baltic it was smooth sailing!

Chewbecca · 21/08/2023 21:23

Yes - it’s like AI but you are regularly delivered to a new place to explore- fabulous. Our teen DC loved it, dinner and port outings with us and free to eat / drink / mingle / bum around the cabin as much as liked the rest of the time.

I’d definitely recommend researching your ship / line very carefully before choosing though, they vary as much as AI resorts do.

marmaladeandpeanutbutter · 21/08/2023 21:31

We have thought about them, but I'm worried about the potential for infection- illness seems to spread very fast on them when one person is unwell.

NCTDN · 21/08/2023 21:44

I've only done one but would highly recommend Marella. It doesn't claim to be fancy but everything is included so no worrying about bills at the end. Entertainment was fantastic, food in the restaurant was great (buffet when we tried it wasn't but I'm not a buffet person) and we got to see lots of different places.

RosemaryDill · 22/08/2023 09:53

marmaladeandpeanutbutter · 21/08/2023 21:31

We have thought about them, but I'm worried about the potential for infection- illness seems to spread very fast on them when one person is unwell.

Yes, we haven't been since covid, mainly because there was a period where they basically off loaded passengers who were ill in the next port. I am a bit paranoid as immune suppressed and get ill quite easily.
However it was always a thing on cruises that infection is a threat and they go to great lengths on hygeine. I always felt the ships were cleaner than any hotel. I remember DS2 commenting on our return that it was a shame all toilets didn't have tissues on the door so no-one touched the handles😂

marmaladeandpeanutbutter · 22/08/2023 22:22

@RosemaryDill thank you. That's interesting

miniegg3 · 22/08/2023 22:26

I love cruises! We do the odd heap land based hokiday too, but our main holidays are cruises. Ds has been cruising since he was a baby, with kids it's important to research the ships and what they for children. Our most recent was a royal caribbean big ship and it would be amazing for kids, smaller cruise ships will have a lot less

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