To cruise or not to cruise!

[HighlandCow78]

Trying to plan a long overdue summer holiday for DD (will be 21) and I next year. DD is a city break lover and prefers her holidays to be very active with lots of sightseeing. Meanwhile… I am happy to do a bit of a this but am more of a relaxing + sunbathing by the pool/beach type person.

Have never tried a cruise but I’m keen to have a go and see what the fuss is about. Looks very cost effective and it seems like a good way of getting the best of both worlds for the two of us. Time to relax but also a new destination to explore each day. I’ve mainly been looking at Norwegian’s newer ships (which look gorgeous) on a Mediterranean route. The 12 day Portugal, Spain, France + Italy trip on the Norwegian Viva appeals to us both but very open to other suggestions

Your own pros & cons of cruising are very much appreciated!!

I love it. Time off the ship everyday in a different location then some downtime too.

I book based on who gives the the port intensive itinerary that appeals. Sometimes Royal Caribbean, sometimes Celebrity etc. I am not fond of lots of sea days when cruising.

I agree go for a port intensive cruise starting and ending in the Med. A new place to explore each day but no packing or unpacking.

Love them, pretty much for the reasons you've said, I think of it as a lazy person's busy holiday!

If you can avoid peak leave during the school holidays, I would, it can get very busy.

Pros - cruises are great - good food, good entertainment, lots to do, spaces to relax and do nothing. Plenty to see - especially on port intensive Med cruises.

Cons - can get busy in certain areas (buffet at peak times, next to pool, some bars etc) and there can be some queuing - especially on first and last day, and if tendering (getting off the ship via a smaller boat). Ports may require some pre-planning/research to get the best from them. Be aware that tips (service charges) may not included in the base price, but will be added to your account on the ship ($20 pp per day on Norwegian), although they can be removed at your request. But all these cons are easily managed if you seek out quieter areas, and take your sense of humour.

We love cruises, particularly Norwegian. It's very good value with the free at sea package. Tips - try not to cruise during school holidays if you don't have to, get the 'free at sea' package if you are likely to have more than one or two drinks per day, go to the main dining rooms for lunch on embarkation day (staff will try to direct you to the buffet, but it's chaos on the first lunchtime, and much quieter in the dining rooms).

A lazy person’s busy holiday is my exact thinking 🤣 Thank you for this!

I love a cruise but much prefer the P&O ones.
Captain's dinner, waving a flag to Land of Hope and Glory when leaving port, what can I say, I loved it 😂
Beware of hidden charges and if you like a drink buy a drinks package, on one cruise we ran up a £350 bill in under a week and we're not massive drinkers, all the cokes and orange juices soon add up.
You can get on and off at all the stops but as a pp said the trips can be expensive so I'd look into taxis or public transport.
On the days you spend at sea you can just relax but it's busy so grab a sunbed early.
There's entertainment every night and food galore.
We used to go to bed then get up again to go for supper 😁
I think you'd like it but then I think everyone would.
I'd also recommend spending a bit more and getting an outside cabin with a balcony, it'll be worth it.

Any more opinions on the best cruise line to go with? Norwegian looks great and some friends have recommended it, haven’t really looked any others as I’m not sure what I’m actually looking for when comparing companies!

For your first cruise it doesn't really matter - you are sure to enjoy it. You will meet seasoned cruisers who will tell you which cruise lines they prefer and why. Price is a good indication. A drinks package is a good idea as someone else has mentioned. Find out if it also includes gratuities/tips. They are probably the biggest grey area for me. And keep an eagle eye on your in board account so nothing is charged that you didn't ask for or buy. Also avoid school holidays. Apart from that, it's the perfect holiday.

For your first cruise it doesn't really matter - you are sure to enjoy it

I agree with this. As I said upthread, we love Norwegian, due to the relaxed atmosphere (eat when you want, simple dress code, no formal clothes unless you want to etc), but others may love the dressing up, table sharing etc.

Cruise Critic can be a great place to get more information, but watch you don't get too bogged down in the finer details, or you'll drive yourself crazy.

We've done them for this exact reason, some family members love sightseeing, some love relaxing by the pool, some love entertainment, some would rather chill in a quiet bar. The Cruise Critic forum is a great place for info on cruise lines, ships, ports and there are often FB groups for ships and specific cruises which can be really helpful.

We did one 2 years ago for my 50th. Myself. My other half and my daughter who was then 15. Sailed from Cyprus and stopped in Italy, Croatia x 2, Montenegro and Slovenia. It was fantastic. We organised daily sightseeing walks and had some amazing food and such a lovely time

I’m going in my first cruise next month, OP. P&O Iona to Norway.

Not sure if cruising is for me but everyone I know who’s been on a cruise has loved it so hoping it’ll be fun. I’m not an “organised fun” type of person and don’t really like crowds so hoping we can do things at our own pace.

It’s only for a week so figure if we love it, we can cruise again in the future and if it’s not for us at least it’s only a week and there’ll be other holidays!

I'm also heading on my first cruise in a few weeks, with my mother (should be interesting!!). We're going with Cunard to the Norwegian Fjords - might see you there HappyHeader.

I'm looking forward to lounging by the pool, or sitting on our balcony watching the beautiful views, and stuffing my face at the buffet.

Thanks for the information about daily gratuities, I wasn't aware of that. I'm hoping to stick the all inclusive food and drink, otherwise the cost adds up.

I’m on a cruise right now so my vote is definitely cruise!!

Have only been on one and loved it. Going to bed and waking up at a new place every day was the best part. Booked for another then covid put a stop to it. We will def go again.

We’ll need a secret MN handshake 😉

Loads of great advice above. Do look on cruise critic dot com dot uk. You can search h by cruise line, by ship and ports. Lots of suggestions on how to DIY at ports. I live a good hop on hop off. Or maps of the city centre and just wander. I'd suggest one sea day after every 2 or 3 busy days but for a week port intensive is good. I've not done NCL, but Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are my favourites. Cunard is good if you like dressing up for the evenings. P&O are good too. Lots of choice. Enjoy!

I've been on lots of cruise holidays but really prefer the NL cruises. They have whippy ice cream.macjinrs from lunchtime you can help yourself and I'm addicted to it. I have one of these ice creams everyday I'm on board ship. It's nice to wake up in a different country everyday. You get to explore lots of different places. I found the evening entertainment is very good on NL. They have a Burn the Floor show with lots of ballroom dancing. You need to book your evening entertainment the moment you get on the ship because there are far more people than spaces for the entertainment. You can book ahead for the week. On NL the free alcohol package is cheaper than on other cruises. You do have to tip though on some cruises you don't.