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Original poster

Any cruise experts who could advise?

82 replies

Iamwaiting · 10/02/2024 14:38

Hello,
Growing up with my parents we cruised all the time and I LOVED them. However I haven't been on one for 25 years, so I could do with some advice as my knowledge is seriously out of date!

Next year it's my 40th and I REALLY want to go on a cruise. My husband has never cruised before and hates the idea, but has agreed to try. My daughter will be almost 7.

It would be end July / early august. Ideally a one week cruise with a one week stay after somewhere. Definitely warm, and lots of stops (I never liked the days at sea.) I'm thinking not too big a ship due to grumpy husband 😂

Budget of £10,000 to include everything.

Where would you go and what cruise liners please?

OP posts:
Rumpoleoftheballet · 11/02/2024 06:31

Iamwaiting · 10/02/2024 20:12

FWIW @Rafting2022 it's because I have recently lost both parents and my mum asked for me to spend some money on myself before she died. So thanks for that.

I'm sorry for your loss and hope whichever cruise you do, you have an amazing time.

cactihurt · 11/02/2024 09:37

TLDR: look for a smaller (less than 3000), newer (after 2012 ish) on princess/ NCL / celebrity / RCI with AI add on.

I've done a few cruises on most lines now. I've done good and bad princess, fabulous MSC yacht club, terrible Marella and good PO and Royal Caribbean and NCL (Norwegian)

I think you'd like a med cruise followed by a week on an island.

The Marella cruise was shockingly bad and the ship was so old and dated. So I'd avoid Marella even if there cruise stay packages are easy. Disclaimer:I may have been unlucky and some people love Marella and only go on them.

The newer ships tend to be nicer but are also bigger. I think you would like MSC yacht club which is different from regular MSC as it's an exclusive area. Also it's all properly all inclusive.

I like the newer ships and try and factors that in but it's not always possible so this year we went to Alaska from San Francisco as it fit with our plans but the ship was old/ we still had the best time!!

I also recommend the lines with a daily or trip surcharge for drinks WiFi and gratuity NCL it's "free at sea" princess it's "princess plus" so all drinks paid for plus other things as drinks are very expensive on board even soft drinks and water. I think celebrity don't too.

Also you could try a luxury cruise brand like AZAMARA which have small more modern ships with less "fun"

I've loved all my cruise but I think the NCL med was the best ship experience and Alaska for the adventure.

There are good travel agents out there - cruise nation does good smart packages
We are doing 2 nights Venice 10'day cruise and 2 nights Barcelona, but they are really busy and take forever to answer the phone. Cruise kings did our Alaska package bespoke.

I'd also find and ship itinerary then look at the ship on you tube- there are some great cruise vloggers on there.

HotDogHotDiggityDog · 11/02/2024 09:58

cactihurt · 11/02/2024 09:37

TLDR: look for a smaller (less than 3000), newer (after 2012 ish) on princess/ NCL / celebrity / RCI with AI add on.

I've done a few cruises on most lines now. I've done good and bad princess, fabulous MSC yacht club, terrible Marella and good PO and Royal Caribbean and NCL (Norwegian)

I think you'd like a med cruise followed by a week on an island.

The Marella cruise was shockingly bad and the ship was so old and dated. So I'd avoid Marella even if there cruise stay packages are easy. Disclaimer:I may have been unlucky and some people love Marella and only go on them.

The newer ships tend to be nicer but are also bigger. I think you would like MSC yacht club which is different from regular MSC as it's an exclusive area. Also it's all properly all inclusive.

I like the newer ships and try and factors that in but it's not always possible so this year we went to Alaska from San Francisco as it fit with our plans but the ship was old/ we still had the best time!!

I also recommend the lines with a daily or trip surcharge for drinks WiFi and gratuity NCL it's "free at sea" princess it's "princess plus" so all drinks paid for plus other things as drinks are very expensive on board even soft drinks and water. I think celebrity don't too.

Also you could try a luxury cruise brand like AZAMARA which have small more modern ships with less "fun"

I've loved all my cruise but I think the NCL med was the best ship experience and Alaska for the adventure.

There are good travel agents out there - cruise nation does good smart packages
We are doing 2 nights Venice 10'day cruise and 2 nights Barcelona, but they are really busy and take forever to answer the phone. Cruise kings did our Alaska package bespoke.

I'd also find and ship itinerary then look at the ship on you tube- there are some great cruise vloggers on there.

I think it depends on when you were last on a marella ship, the older ones certainly were dated but the majority they have purchased over recent years have all been ex royal Caribbean ships which they have then also refurbished. The only ones that they have in their fleet now were all purchased and refurbed 2016 onwards. Marella Voyager was new last year.

I think a lot of people think back to the days when they had the Island Explorer ship which was very basic and and sold as a budget cruise. Things have certainly moved on since then!

There are so many different opinions on cruising, I would second the suggestion of going in to see a travel agent and they can show you different ships and itineraries. Most agents have price parity with companies such as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity meaning it is exactly the same price to book it yourself on the website or book it through them in a store. That way you won't be paying any more but will get plenty of help and advice.

mitogoshi · 11/02/2024 10:14

Cruise and stay packages are great! We did one with Marella recently and it was absolutely seamless, everything taken care of. Look and see if any itineraries on their newest ship Voyager appeal, it was only fully refurbished last year. Their offering is oriented towards British and Irish customers and their child provision is good I'm told (we went in term time without children so I haven't personally experienced it). I've been on multiple cruise lines including far posher but I do like the simplicity of Marellas ai offering plus their trips are economical compared to others

mitogoshi · 11/02/2024 10:16

The huge advantage with Marella is that they have the full TUI organisation at their disposal, so different to pure cruiselines.

Btw we did the canaries cruise and stay and have just booked the Caribbean

Chewbecca · 11/02/2024 12:17

Agree that Alaska would also be a great destination for cruise & stay in the summer if your budget allows. Vancouver is a fab city. Oceania is a gorgeous line that runs a kids club on some summer Alaska sailings.

L0bstersLass · 11/02/2024 12:45

Holland America is lovely. Not very child oriented but there is a kids club.
Mostly American guests but in the Med there is a greater proportion than usual of European travellers.
Service is excellent, cabins are lovely, the spa is fab.
I'd highly recommend a Med Cruise with them.
Ships are not too big.
We were parked up next to a Carnival ship in Puerto Rico last year and that ship looked massive next to ours and I realise I'm going to sound like a massive snob, but the people getting on that ship didn't look or sound like our kind of people either.
Holland America used to be quite formal but it has now relaxed it's requirements - there used to be 2 -3 formal nights per cruise that involved black tie, but now a shirt and chinos is fine.

This website has a selection of menus, and the daily "when and where" progammes - https://rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/

budgiegirl · 11/02/2024 17:42

In terms of vibe, fairly relaxed to middle. Definitely not formal - DH would hate that.
Kids club would be lovely with a show in the evening. Not bothered about all the flumes etc as I'd prefer us to be off the boat most of the day as much as possible

We like NCL, as we don't really do formal! There's no need to dress up for dinner unless you want to, and plenty of people do. But plenty don't as well ! There are no formal nights.
The vibe is relaxed, but with lovely dining rooms, bars, atrium etc. There's no set dining times, you just show up for dinner when you want to - there may be a small wait, but it's never too bad. No need to share tables unless you want to.

For kids, there are kids clubs, and on the larger ships there are other activities too. I know you said that you don't want larger ships, but the evening shows tend to be a bit better on larger ships, in my experience. More likely to have Broadway types of shows, where as smaller ships are a bit more 'hotel' like.

Chewbecca · 11/02/2024 18:49

L0bstersLass · 11/02/2024 12:45

Holland America is lovely. Not very child oriented but there is a kids club.
Mostly American guests but in the Med there is a greater proportion than usual of European travellers.
Service is excellent, cabins are lovely, the spa is fab.
I'd highly recommend a Med Cruise with them.
Ships are not too big.
We were parked up next to a Carnival ship in Puerto Rico last year and that ship looked massive next to ours and I realise I'm going to sound like a massive snob, but the people getting on that ship didn't look or sound like our kind of people either.
Holland America used to be quite formal but it has now relaxed it's requirements - there used to be 2 -3 formal nights per cruise that involved black tie, but now a shirt and chinos is fine.

This website has a selection of menus, and the daily "when and where" progammes - https://rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/

We like Holland a lot too, like the ships and gentle atmosphere but I don't tend to recommend them as I always think others won't! Usually a lot of older people and entertainment is a bit weak. Doesn't bother us.

cactihurt · 11/02/2024 19:40

The first Marella was so bad we complained and got compensation

The second (we foolishly booked it before we went on the first) was acceptable but not amazing the cheese sandwiches were still processed cheese slices Envy

mitogoshi · 11/02/2024 20:02

@cactihurt to be fair I didn't try cheese sandwiches, not when they had smoked salmon every afternoon tea!

Original poster
Iamwaiting · 11/02/2024 22:44

So much to think about! @budgiegirl my favourite ever cruise I went on as a kid was NCL in Alaska so I'm definitely going to have a look at them thanks.

OP posts:
cactihurt · 12/02/2024 09:29

We are going back to NCL this year and their free at sea is great. It is/was £99 for seven day cruise and get WiFi/tips/drinks/port excursion discount and two free specialty restaurants.

Ship was realxed and not stuffy but also fun family (although they have a rep for being party ships I didn't get this vibe)

ThirdStorm · 12/02/2024 10:08

I did the Greek islands with Celestyal a few years ago and it was brilliant. I've done a few now and this was good. Good food, good destinations, decent excursions (I think 2-3 were included), friendly staff.

Fatherx · 12/02/2024 11:02

Iamwaiting · 10/02/2024 14:38

Hello,
Growing up with my parents we cruised all the time and I LOVED them. However I haven't been on one for 25 years, so I could do with some advice as my knowledge is seriously out of date!

Next year it's my 40th and I REALLY want to go on a cruise. My husband has never cruised before and hates the idea, but has agreed to try. My daughter will be almost 7.

It would be end July / early august. Ideally a one week cruise with a one week stay after somewhere. Definitely warm, and lots of stops (I never liked the days at sea.) I'm thinking not too big a ship due to grumpy husband 😂

Budget of £10,000 to include everything.

Where would you go and what cruise liners please?

I'm 44 and have 2 young kids and I will heartily recommend Royal Caribbean.
I'd love to do the 14 night med beach cruise from Southampton, you'll get the both of worlds of a summer beach holiday and the comfort (and air con) of a brilliant ship with amazing food and entertainment.
I'd also recommend flying to Rome and cruising on Odyssey of the Seas around the Greek Isles. It's a beautiful, Caribbean-feel ship.
Maybe watch Cruise1st TV on Sky for a few days, you might see something you like and book with them, but I can't recommend Royal Caribbean enough. This'll be our 4th holiday in a row with them and we cannot wait.

cordeliachaseatemyhandbag · 12/02/2024 11:12

I'd do a week in the Caribbean and a week in Florida.

If you are only ever going to do one cruise in your life it has to be the Caribbean surely?

dailyduel · 12/02/2024 11:51

Someone asked what was Butlins at Sea.

Well, we found the ship grubby. We also didn’t rate the food much at all and the drinks potentially watered down and poor cocktails.

Men in football shirts fighting, kids ran feral. People gorging themselves on food and despite being asked not to throwing food at seagulls which attracted them more. Men eating in the buffet bare foot and with no top on and then abusing staff asking them to get some clothing on.

perhaps the phrase Butlins at sea is the wrong phrase to use but it was honestly such an awful week

Awful people, awful food, grubby ship.

There are much better cruise lines.

TallulahBetty · 12/02/2024 11:53

NCL?

cactihurt · 12/02/2024 12:13

dailyduel · 12/02/2024 11:51

Someone asked what was Butlins at Sea.

Well, we found the ship grubby. We also didn’t rate the food much at all and the drinks potentially watered down and poor cocktails.

Men in football shirts fighting, kids ran feral. People gorging themselves on food and despite being asked not to throwing food at seagulls which attracted them more. Men eating in the buffet bare foot and with no top on and then abusing staff asking them to get some clothing on.

perhaps the phrase Butlins at sea is the wrong phrase to use but it was honestly such an awful week

Awful people, awful food, grubby ship.

There are much better cruise lines.

My experience was the same

dailyduel · 12/02/2024 12:43

cactihurt · 12/02/2024 12:13

My experience was the same

Show quote history

We were sailing out of Nice and watching the sunset. There was a fight over chips and who got the fresh batch. Full on men fighting over whose kids got the chips. Swearing. Shouting, screaming kids and then blood. Both families disembarked from the ship.

Chewbecca · 12/02/2024 13:17

Florida / Caribbean is great in winter but not in summer, too sweaty and why would you when European weather is perfect in summer? Likewise Alaska is summer only. Gotta go to places at the right times IMO!
For NCL, see if you can stretch to the Haven.

Chanxex · 12/02/2024 14:22

cactihurt · 12/02/2024 12:13

My experience was the same

Show quote history

Our experience couldn’t have been further from this. We went on Celebrity, quite American but defintely high end and proper 5* standard and service.

Lordofmyflies · 12/02/2024 15:44

If you want to go in the summer for 1 week cruise and 1 week stay, I'd be looking at Celebrity or Princess somewhere in Europe.

Caribbean and Florida will be ropey that time of year and flights will eat up your budget. Disney cruise line is very good, but super expensive - £7500 for inside cabin for a week in Europe in July. P&O were ok when I went with them last year but Celebrity definitely have the edge in terms of comfort and luxury.

Celebrity may have a cruise around Italy or the Greek isles which means you could flop on a greek island or somewhere lovely in Italy after the cruise.

Kazzyhoward · 12/02/2024 16:02

Have a look at MSC. They're a good "middle of the road" for quality etc. Meals are "smart casual" rather than ties and dresses. Mostly very modern/new ships. Food quality is good enough - huge buffets all day or dining rooms for evening meal if that's your thing, with a pretty good varied menu. Plenty of entertainment during the day and an evening show in the theatre. Our first was with MSC around the Baltic (Russia, Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen) and we're now hooked. I seem to recall that they do one or two from Southamption or Portsmouth, otherwise it's a flight to a starting port, but some of them let you join and leave on different days which helps with flights etc.