First cruise as a couple - suggestions with good food - short d

[Chocolatey1234]

Any recommendations for a first cruise newly empty nesters (destinations, duration, cruise liner, package), with good food (one of us is also gluten intolerant). I am thinking not too full on and manic so would do adults only or outside of main school holiday period and high summer temperatures.

Any recommendations please? What cabin is best I am thinking maybe a small window would feel less claustrophobic. Also how big are the beds are they standard doubles or king?

Or anything to avoid and why. Visited a travel agent and she was pushing us down a very expensive cruise route saying one company is like travel lodge/premier inn etc.

Also please mention in comments if it is full on dressing up at all meals or some meals or how dressed up (is it evening dress black tie for men or just smart casual) on an evening.

Thanks

We’ve cruised with and without children mainly with P&O from Southampton, we go for a mid deck balcony cabin where the beds are super king size, but yes there are outside cabins where you get a window to let light in. With regards to dressing up, most cruises have 1 or 2 formal nights per week, but there are other venues to eat if you don’t want to. Yes there are outside formal nights can be black tie, or just a jacket and tie, other evenings it’s smart casual. The 2 newest ships Iona and Arvia only have one formal night each week. P&O have 2 adult only ships Arcadia and Aurora, both are older, smaller ships. We tend to pick the ship depending on itinerary and dates, so start with that.

Thank you for this.

Do all rooms have a similarly large bed. Also any destinations that you would recommend for a first cruise please? Southampton is a mammoth trek for us to get to so would a fly cruise work better or what are the positives or negatives of a fly cruise compared to Southampton Departure please?

Highly recommend Hurtigruten from Bergen to Kirkenes and back (Norway). I went in April and it was wonderful.

Not technically a cruise as it's a coastal ferry but very comfortable with excellent food and lots of information given about the country, culture, etc. Comfortable cabin.

After a lot of research I've just booked a week's cruise with P&O. It's a fly cruise from Valletta in June as we didn't fancy sailing from Southampton. We've booked a mid deck balcony cabin which comes with a Queen size bed. The customer service has been excellent so far. The itinerary wasn't that important to us as it's more important to see if we will actually enjoy the cruising. We'll see...

Fly cruises do benefit from getting to sunshine quicker. Friends of mine are doing a fly cruise to Malta they do fly from regional airports, are chartered flights just for the cruise, there are 2 different itineraries this summer, 7 day cruises. We are close to Southampton and haven’t flown for years.

I'm not keen on heat and we did the Norwegian fjords for our first cruise.

Sailed from Southampton with P&O.

We’ve booked our first cruise in August with Marella (Tui). Adults only on Explorer 2 for one week around the Adriatic.
We know it’s not the most premium line but reviews look good, it’s all inclusive and the additional premium dining options look really good too.
Not sure how big the bed is going to be, but the balcony cabin we’ve booked looks spacious.

I recommend looking at YouTube review videos of cruise lines you’re interested in, and they’ll be room reviews to give you ideas of size of each room. I’ve regularly fallen down YouTube video rabbit holes and have become kind of obsessed 😄

Viking?
not the cheapest, but all cabins have balconies, includes all dining options, excursions in each port and no formal nights if you don’t like that kind of thing. Also no under 18s.

Thanks what age bracket is Viking Cruises aimed at please. I will be late 50’s and DH is 60?

That sounds ideal for us I will look it up. I was thinking maybe mid to late May or early June before the temperatures sore too much.

Quite keen on Croatia, Italy, Portugal and Greece. But as you say its about finding out whether cruising is a good fit for you. Some people say don’t go one with too many days at sea as it can be boring and others say its better if you don’t land somewhere different every day as can be too hectic.

focus is on the over 55s.

I'd recommend trying a 7 nighter on a smaller ship (anything less is too short and risks being a booze cruise, especially if sailing out of the UK). Croatia / Italy area is a gorgeous destination for cruising in May / June / September/ October. I would go for Azamara or Oceania.

Oh and beds are always big and dress code varies by line. Neither Azamara or Oceania have formal nights, no suits needed.

Anyone river cruised?

I don't think I'd fancy being on a huge ship and I dread being sea sick! They look very nice, calm and "for a certain age cohort" which would be me!

Having said that, the ferry along the coast in Norway sounds good, but there are no direct flights for me to Bergen and Oslo is a trek and half from there...

I've river cruised too. We liked it but...

The demographic on our river cruise was older than most ocean cruises we have taken. Tours are usually included so it is very much up on the morning, out on a tour, back for lunch, out on another tour. Too many coach trips for my liking.
Also there are frequently issues with water levels being too low or too high so you need to be prepared for changes.

An ocean cruise can be anything you want if to be!

It depends how much you want to spend. We stick to Regent, Silversea or Seabourn. In the main they are adult only, balcony only suites and smaller ships (max 800ish guests). Generally, very good, sometimes excellent food and good inclusive wine.
They do have formal nights but these are optional and people dress in everything from evening gowns (on special occasions) to trousers and a top.
I am younger than you but we’ve been going for 10 years but I’ve never felt out of place because of my age (although I was once mistaken for staff 🤣🤣)
You can get some very good last minute deals.

16 so far !

I've done 2 sea cruises, first was OK, but too many boring sea days; 2nd was awful .

Every cabin on a river boat has a large outside window, & frequently some form of balcony. They carry 100-200 passengers, so the atmosphere is very different to a liner.

The age group tends to be older, & I've never seen a child .

@Buildingthefuture which companies ships are these please?

DH knows someone who cruises a lot a couple of years older than him who always opts for Fred Olsen but mega bucks and most are either very early in the season or late.

@Buildingthefuture oh my word these are way out of budget. But thank you.

Fred is charming, traditional but it definitely has an elderly clientele.

I think it's depends on who you talk to re sea days. My SiL loves them as there's so much to do, in her words.
There are some good Facebook groups on cruises so might be worth looking at those.
Good luck and hope you enjoy whatever you decide to do.

I think it’s good advice above to have a think about what part of the world you want to visit & narrow it down from there. For port days do you want to flop on a beach or would you rather go sightseeing around a city? Or maybe a mixture of both?

Cruising has definitely changed over the years and is not as formal as it used to be. Most week long cruises will have 1 formal night where you can get dressed up, but even on these nights you will still see a mix of tuxedos/evening dresses and jeans/tshirts in many areas of the ship.

In terms of rooms my preference is an inside cabin on a low floor. I like my room pitch black & the low floor helps with less movement for me. Depending on what ship you are on the bed can be twin beds pushed together or a king.

I do like P&O best of all the ships I have been on so far. Their entertainment, food, drinks, quizzes etc are excellent imo. The last TUI cruise I was on put me off for life, the food, drinks & entertainment were dire, even though I find they have excellent itineraries & can be good value for money (flights, transfers, drinks & tips included as a package makes it hassle free).

And if you book early you can get some cracking deals. I’m off to Croatia & Italy soon for a week and it cost less than £800!

I do like the idea of Croatia and Italy !

Been on celebrity and regent

check out the ships and destinations and thr ages of them.

Go on cruise critic and check out the boards.

Contact a cruise specialists such as Bolsolver - I find them really good at getting to what you actually want.

I rarely do ships excursions with celebrity and do my own. On regent they are included in the fare so do those.

Sometimes the cost of the more expensive lines isn’t that much really when you factor in, included drinks, WiFi, excursions, specialty dining, tips… our last regent cruise was cheaper than the celebrity cruise when we calculated all the included stuff that we’d usually pay more for.

We’ve booked a Saga cruise to Norway. It’s not cheap but it’s got everything we could want, plus they pick you up from your door and take you to Dover or Portsmouth, that’s included in the price. It’s all inclusive so there are no extra charges apart from the spa and hairdressers. All the cabins have a balcony. It’s our first cruise and I joined a Facebook group for Saga to pick up some hints and tips.
Good luck op.