First Cruise & clueless!

[Fingerscrossed22]

Hi all,
We are considering our first cruise holiday with our Dc (Ages 21,17,10,8 and 3)

There is so much info out there at mo that I'm feeling quite overwhelmed!!
Any info/reccomendations would be v.much appreciated!
Southampton is where we are likely to go from as don't really want to add in flights!

Many thanks

Take a look at the website cruise critic. Helpful info about ships, ports, cruise lines etc and forums for general chat as well as specific questions. Really useful as a starting point.

Norway?

Where do you want to cruise to? From southampton, you can go to the fjords in Norway and spain?

I always post this on new cruisers threads, my advice is do not take 23 pairs of shoes on a 5 night cruise, you ( I ) only wear 3 pairs,

Cruise critic is your friend.

Budget, destination, do you want informal or more formal. Big, medium, or small ship. Range of options.

Ive cruised with Disney, celebrity and Regent seven seas. I’ve liked different aspects of all of them.

Depends what you want.

Agree with pp you won’t need as many clothes or shoes as you think!

I did a last minute cruise when I needed a break last year and enjoyed it although first time I had eve holidayed alone
I went on a small boat and feel that was better for me. Feedback from friends with p&o is you either love it or hate it.
Iglu cruise is good for pricing etc

I have also done Cunard to New York's and that was fab

im assuming you’re thinking of one week. So from Southampton you can go south and do France, Northern Spain and Portugal, or the other way is nothern Europe, or Norway/denmark. Most cruises are variations on these itineries.

Think about how important it is to have a balcony - seasoned cruisers say “get the worst cabin on the best ship” but then it’s also lovely to be able to escape to watch the world go by, and have fresh air if you’re sharing with others.

look at Vacationstogo.com for massive bargains but don’t forget that because it’s American, they add a gratuity at the end, which skews the prices.

We are going on our 2nd cruise with our teens who will be 16 & 18 at the time. Our first was a Disney cruise when they were little which was great. Very well run ship, great shows though food was mediocre.

If you want to have fun activities for your younger kids you probably want to look at P&O, NCL or Royal Caribbean. They’d be great for teens as well. As our kids are older, we don’t need the water slides so we’re trying Princess. Celebrity is probably better for adults though someone else may know more about them. I’d personally avoid Carnival and MSC.

My extended family have been on all the major cruise lines and overall you can't beat P&O for value for money, family friendly, choice of ships, and choice of destinations from Southampton.

Going from Southampton is so blissfully easy, you can take as much luggage as you like.

For 7 people you'll need 2 cabins. If you can afford it 2 adjacent balcony cabins are great because the balcony divider can be opened so there are in effect connecting cabins without being official connecting cabins with an inside door (not many official connecting cabins).

A cheaper option is a balcony cabin with an inside cabin across the corridor.

Personally I think a balcony is worth it because just looking out to sea is amazing, others say it's only for sleeping, lots of deck space so don't bother.

I recommend talking to a specialist cruise agent, we use Bolsover who are brilliant, they can check exactly what cabins are available and also shave a bit off the official price. They also answer the phone quickly and are great if you've got a query. I've heard of many frustrations trying to book direct.

To get adjacent cabins you'll need to do 'select' fare not saver as with a saver you could end up with 2 cabins at opposite ends of the ship. However with select you'll get various perks and on board spending money which often makes it barely more expensive.

I'd go for Iona or Arvia as they are new and sparkling. The ships themselves are so amazing with the wow factor.

Whatever you do you'll have an amazing time.

Watch some of the cruise vlogs on you tube from Cruise with Ben and David, Travel Blog Jamie and Brogan Tate. There are so, so many cruise vlogs out there but between these three you’ll get a good flavour of what the different lines have to offer. If there’s a particular cruise you’re interested in try searching for the ship and destination on you tube and you’ll probably find vlogs for the exact cruise you’re considering.

I'd definitely consider Norway as it's an easy 7 day itinerary. Depending on your budget and dc you'll need 2 or 3 cabins, balconies are great but don't dismiss the inside ones or a mix. P &o is a good option as the price includes tips and all food but not drinks. Another consideration is what you'll do in ports, the ship trips will be £££ so we just do our own thing

I agree Norway is lovely in fact breathtaking, and the ports are so easy. Bergen is a great city. But the weather is unreliable - pretty similar to here. Depending on budget, 2 weeks to the med or canaries is just brilliant as you have 2 or 3 sea days either end to enjoy the ship and relax. And good weather. Can also practise your languages if that interests you.

Re balcony cabins on all ships check about being 'obstructed' which are often a bargain, could mean a whole lifeboat blocking your view or just the tiniest pole from machinery. Also on Arvia and Iona some balcony cabins are right next to the promenade deck with no privacy and causing a lot of controversy.