Cruises, best places to book? Tips/advice?

[Paynefully]

Me and DH would like to book a cruise for our honeymoon, we’re looking at going next May.
Except I have no idea what I’m looking for; how to know what I’m booking.

Whats the best website to book through, is there such a thing as all inclusive cruises? We don’t want to fly so we’re only looking at cruises that set sail from UK.

any advice or tips are much appreciated! Thanks :)

Marella (tui) are all inclusive. I really like them too been on several

I don't think Marella sail from any UK ports unfortunately.

You can add drinks packages on which is then like being all inclusive. We like Royal Caribbean, but have done P&O too from Southampton which was great.

I would look at Iglu - you can do a search for the period you want and from U.K. ports. Fred Olsen mainly attracts an older crowd so maybe Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity or P&O to start with. Then on to the website Cruisecritic to find out more about the individual ships from people who've been on them recently. The Norwegian Fjords is quite a romantic place to visit and there are regular cruises there from about April to October.

I also find Iglu really useful for finding cruises. A dedicated cruise travel agent can be really helpful - they often have access to deals etc. not generally open to the public.

We just returned from our first cruise. We went to a local travel agent and they recommended some options. We went with P&O and for a fly cruise. It was the best holiday ever, loved it.

Sailing from the UK, obviously you are more likely to have cooler weather initially and more sea days but I loved our sea days.

I was told I would hardly know I was on a ship but that is crap, you could definitely feel movement and we had one night of really choppy seas which was weird. Take sea sickness pills with you, hopefully you won’t need them.

We paid as we went for drinks and spent £470, £250 of that was on board credit and that did include a specialty restaurant meal so good value.

My only other tip is don’t get carried away and book too many excursions as we did! We had 3 consecutive long days and were knackered and it really wasn’t necessary.

We have just booked another week early next year with p and o so definitely converts to cruising.

Igloo.com are a cheap fares consolidated - great for last minutes deals. It was a tip from someone I know who works in the industry and I got an unbelievable deal on wonder of the seas (royal Caribbean) last October half term.

£800 with flights included!

Ah misspelled iglu.com

Thanks all! Going to have a good look tonight.. we were looking at the Norwegian Fjords 🤭

We just got back from a Norwegian Fjords cruise with P&O and it was amazing. We went on Iona and she really is a beautiful ship and only a couple of years old so everything is lovely and new.

We had a balcony cabin (highly recommended for the Fjords so you can sit out under a blanket and watch the stunning scenery with a cuppa in the morning) and it was superb. Honestly one of the best holidays I've had.

If you see a cruise you like then price up with several travel agents and also directly with the company.
We did the Norwegian Fjords last year with Celebrity. After pricing up with them, Iglu (we have used them before) and various other agents we booked with Viva Voyage.
Various companies sail from the UK. Most from Southampton but some sail from Tilbury, Dover Newcastle etc ( they tend to be smaller ships).
Some will give you the option to prepay tips and include Wi-Fi and drinks etc and they don’t all go to the same ports.

Cruise nation and Planet Cruise are both good agents. They tend to do better deals than booking directly ( although Norwegian Cruise Line was the exception when I got a quote directly ).

I’d spend a few days looking at cruise review videos mGary Bembridge does good ones on the Fjords. Drinks packages make a difference as essentially it’s a free bar and obviously Norway is not a cheap country to eat and drink in unlike the Med. Watch out for gratuities. MSC include them in the price and Norwegian Cruise Line include them in the package as do some others.

Sorry to jump in but we are going on Saturday! Could you feel much motion? Any choppy days?

Edited to add that was supposed to be a reply to the Iona cruise!

We did the Norwegian Fjords about 8 years ago and stunning scenery. I think we did that one with P&O and sailed from Tilbury docks. They give you a blanket definitely worth paying a bit extra for a cabin with a private balcony. We're off on a cruise at the end of October, staying 2 nights in Venice the boarding ship at Trieste, then 12 days visiting lots of places and disembarking in Rome. Staying overnight then flying home the following evening. I find cruises are good value for money and the evening entertainment is fabulous. They offer speciality dining and drinks and internet packages.

I have done the Norwegian fiords on Iona last summer, and felt absolutely no movement. My friend has just returned from the fiords on Princess and, once again, all totally smooth.
I have been on the Hurtigruten Explorer ships in December all the way to the top of Norway. That can be choppy.
Have a wonderful holiday!

I’d also look at Royal Caribbean to the Fjords from Southampton. There is a possibility you may get a better package than P&O for things like wifi, drinks etc. I think MSC are also going from Southampton but I’ve not sailed them before. Id stay completely away from Marella. Sorry to the poster above who recommended them but it’s Butlins at Sea. There are better cruises to go on, particularly for your honeymoon.

I would also recommend Plant Cruise to have a look. Cruise Critic forums also have an enormous amount of information and you can find the thread for your specific cruise once you’ve booked.

That's a lovely itinerary. Be sure to be up on deck when you sail between Messina and Naples as you'll have a great view of the volcano Stromboli 😍

Iglu are great for sales..... if something goes wrong then they are appalling. Just Google search their after sales service, a lot of complaints especially after covid when they hung on to people's money and refused to give it back.

Look at P&O, Princess and Royal Carribean for the Fjords.

Try seascanner.co.uk for deals. Also cruisecritic.co.uk for reviews and tips

Yes, we've just done this, the captain announced the night before what time we would be passing Stromboli, it was at sunrise and luckily on our side of the ship so we watched it from the balcony. Stunning sight.

As well as Cruise Critic once you have booked look for FB groups for your ship and sailing, full of useful info.

I’ve just booked our first ever cruise last night 😃 we go with p&o in Jan to Spain, Portugal and Canaries on Iona. Various friends have been on Iona and really enjoyed it-the latest just getting back from the fjords over the weekend and they had a brilliant time.
I was recommended cruise dot co dot uk (typing in case it gets deleted!) and they shaved off a few pounds from the best deal that I could find from Seascanner. I’ve booked us a deluxe balcony room and I’m counting down already.

Friemds have said if you’re not big drinkers the drink package wasn’t necessary. You can pre book and get 10% off but if one gets it the other has to. Soft drinks and mocktails approx £3-5, beer and wine well priced. Water fillers around the shop so we’ll payg as I don’t drink alcohol and my husband will only have a bit during the evenings.
have been advised the entertainment of s brilliant, Gary Barlow works with them currently on it and the lady last night told me the shows are very popular so to book on the app as soon as you can.
Ive also been advised magnetic hooks are great for more space as jackets etc can go on those, freeing up wardrobe space.
Good luck booking and getting a good deal-we have £640 onboard spend and friend going in two weeks got their deal at £800 onboard spend!

I couldn't feel any movement on Iona. Sometimes I didn't even realise we'd left dock! It was a very smooth sailing...although I did suffer from sea legs when I got back for a couple of days!

Gary Bembridge’s channel on YT is called Tips For Travellers.
The guy seems to spend his life on cruises!

@Hawkerslife thats good to know, friends said the same and they were back last Saturday from the fjords. They could sometimes feel a slight sway but nothing else. We’ll be driving back up to Yorkshire when we disembark-I imagine we’ll need a few tea stops to get used to being back on land, and doing things for ourselves 😁
I absolutely cannot wait, everyone who I know who cruises gets the big and say it’s like being in your own little bubble!