Cruise recommendations

[Fullofquestions1]

Thinking of booking a cruise for our next holiday, as this will be our first cruise was thinking of western Mediterranean one so fairly short just incase we don’t enjoy it.

Has anyone got a recommendations? Does which ship we go on matter?

Cruise line matters massively.

Are you taking kids? What sort of atmosphere do you like? Do you like dressing up in fancy clothes for dinner? Do you want a fly cruise or to sail from Southampton?

Mediterranean is a good choice, lots of lovely ports and usually a calm sea. Who will you be travelling with?

I am doing the same!! Looked at Tui and P&O so far as the dates work perfectly. I'm looking at mid-Mediterranean.

Any opinions/tips welcome.

It will just be DH and me, we would prefer more a relaxed atmosphere. Wouldn’t mind occasional fancier meal but it’s not really us.

The ones I had looked at were flying from Manchester which I think we would work best for us.

Don't go on Cunard then with your criteria. It is a lot more formal than most cruise lines and every night feels like formal night! We did one great cruise with Cunard, but after 4 days I was so fed up with dressing up every evening. It felt like a chore after an exhausting day off ship.

With your requirements (I am excluding the top of the range luxury lines as I don't know your budget) I would look at Princess, Virgin or Celebrity.

P&O are OK and I have done 3 cruises with them, the fly cruises with them are better and most of them include the flight in the price of the cruise. A lot of other lines don't so keep that in mind when pricing up.

We always go with p&o from Southampton on the Arvia which is their newest boat

Fjords!!

@LuckysDadsHat i had only looked at Tui and the Marella Voyager wasn’t sure who else to look at so that’s really helpful thank you.

@MoreChocPls that’s on the list, I have read if you time it right you may see northern lights. I think it’s September so want to do some more research about that first but it definitely the next one I would do.

We did marella 2.5 years ago. The Adriatic cruise. Quite informal but they did have some good restaurants on there too. We stopped off and did guided walks in 5 places. We enjoyed it so much. It was for my 50th so we upgraded. It was out first cruise and we really enjoyed it. Would definitely recommend as a starter for cruising. We have booked a belated honeymoon cruise and stay around Cyprus this year where we will stop off in Greece and Turkey etc. Then stay in paphos for a week.

We’ve done 2 Celebrity cruises (Greece/croatia/venice) and Norwegian Fjords and are doing another this year - Greece/turkey.

Service is fantastic (think they have the highest staff/passenger ratio)

Also did the Adriatic with marella and loved it. It was our first cruise and we were on the explorer 2 which was adults only. As a teacher it was bliss!

I think there’s lot of snobbery on mn regarding cruise companies though. No one seems to like marella if they’ve done several cruises but irl lots of people say they’re very comparable. Having the drinks package included was well worth the money and the evening entertainment was amazing.

I've done most of the cruise lines and I do still return to Marella. You don't pay for any extras (except trips if you don't want to do them independently) they work out really good value. Not massive ships either. Not perfect by any means but still up there as as an all round favourite

I think Marella is a good introduction to cruising as a lot is included. Their Adriatic cruise is lovely but not Western Med. If you've not been to Rome, Florence, Barcelona, etc. then I'd recommend starting there but definitely not July/August and to choose a balcony cabin (Look at deck plans and avoid any below/near bars, theatre, kitchens, etc).

We’ve not done Tui but have been with MSC, P and O, Costa and NCL. All European cruises - all great!

We have just booked our first cruise.. 7 nights.. me and DH. Chose P&O from Malta in June 2026. Can’t wait

Our first cruise was Norway. We cruised as a means to see the fjords in their majesty and to eat and drink affordably. We went for 2 weeks to the North Cape. We arranged our own tour itineraries. We didn't care if the ship wasn't all that.

We had a lovely time. We were with Fred Olsen. It was a smaller ship compared with many. We had great food, a few bars to choose from and we walked the promenade deck after dinner. We enjoyed some of the entertainment and the talks on the next port of call. Whilst a lot were elderly, age is just a number, and a lot were very energetic and young at heart.

I would cruise again with the same approach. Especially Norway.

@Feelingstrange2did you (& were you) feel much younger than most though ?

Yep.

We took small children too.

But did it matter. Not to us it didn't. I wasn't on holiday with them I was with my family. The boat had very little organised entertainment for the children but they gravitated to other children and had a fun time playing what was set up for them. And they made friends with the staff and were invited to the bridge by the captain. Really treated but very different from the larger ship kids clubs (which mytwo wouldn't have much liked anyway).

My friend was raving about Marella for her and her kids, she’s been on 4 now. Seem to hit the right spot.

We did western med with Royal Caribbean and it was great. You did need to do your research though about the facilities on the ship and the ports. We’re looking to book this year and are looking at RC again or Norwegian.

You want a celebrity cruise. Very luxurious

We've been on several Marella cruises, including the Mediterranean. The Western Med generally in Spain, France and Italy. For us, that was flying to Palma, then stops in France, Italy. They generally have two itineraries going, so you pick the places you really want to see. The ships are medium-sized - plenty to do on board, but small-enough to get into most ports without using tenders.

Marella is an all-British clientele, so the entertainment and food will be catered likewise. It can be as relaxed or as formal as you like. We tend to be on the more formal side, and there are plenty of people like us. Likewise, if sunbathing on the pool deck and eating at the buffet is your thing, you'll be in good company too.

Celebrity is fantastic. It’s quite luxurious but informal. I loved it