Help me plan our first cruise

[Justlurking8]

Hello,

I need some help please. I would like to take my 80 year old on a cruise. Just the 2 of us. It’s always been on her bucket list, she loves being on a boat/water.

We’ve never been on one. They’re so expensive, I want to get it right. This might be the only cruise we do.

There are so many options!!! So far I’ve narrowed it down to Tui (as gratuities are included & I want to know upfront how much it’ll cost). Thinking about a week or so in Sept/Oct, when it’s not too hot.

1. Iconic islands (Greece)
2. Norwegian fjords
3. River cruise eg Danube

My mum loves nature/animals. Neither of us are interested in sunbathing/pools. Entertainment isn’t really important. I think we need a room with a balcony to enjoy the views. She’s in good health, but can’t walk for ages, and hilly areas are challenging.

Would one of these options be better than the others? Are there other factors we need to consider? Ideally around 3K but would pay more for the best experience.

Am grateful for any tips/advice you’d like to share. Thanks!

Don’t limit yourself to TUI. I believe Marella, Fred Olsen and P&O also include gratuities in the base fare.

I've never booked a cruise, but am also really tempted and from looking at it, P&O seem to have some amazing deals

When I read Tui I think of families and lots of kids running about. I might be wrong but I would consider an adult only cruise. Maybe P&O?

Also, think about where you will board. If you can get on and off at Southampton, for example, you can start your holiday straight away with less faff (compared to flying).

There are lots of useful videos on YouTube.

Take a look at Saga. Currently on a cruise in the fjords. They pick you up from your home and take you back when your cruise is over. All cabins are balcony. Everything is included in the price. I won’t cruise with anyone else. Saga are brilliant at what they do.

If you haven’t already done this get yourself on you tube- cruise vlogging is a HUGE thing and you will find all of the cruises and ships and cruise lines vlogged to death on there. You can search up by individual cruises you’re thinking of going on and you’ll see the whole thing in real time and you can judge if it’s for you or not. Particularly recommend Travel Blog Jamie for p and o / Tui / Fred Olsen cruises and Cruise with Ben and David for anything royal Caribbean. Brogan Tate and JjExtra have also done some great p and o vlogs. Just search for all of these content creators by name.

There are some good youtubers about cruises, and what is different about different operators and lines. I like Emma Cruises, for example, and there’re others.

Tui is great. Book an adult only one. The entertainment is good , food is "British"style largely if that's important to you. Staff are super helpful compared with other lines. Try to avoid ports with tenders if her mobility isn't great as they can be tricky to navigate

We’ve just come back from our first cruise! I am really missing it! We went in P&O Ventura to Spain, Portugal and France for a week. While we were on board, we have booked another two cruises as we loved it so much! The food was excellent and it was lovely to have to dress for dinner rather than turn up with shorts and t shirt. We had 2 formal nights where the majority of people wore something a bit more special and it varied from ballgowns, cocktail dresses to trousers and a nice top. There are places on ship where you can eat if you don’t want to dress up. We went for a week because we weren’t sure if we would like it so didn’t want to commit to anything longer if we hated it and wanted to go home! There is something for everyone and it is entirely up to you if you want to do any of the activities - I did ballroom dancing, dance fit, line dancing, quizzes, gym and also took advantage of the fabulous entertainment. Go and have a chat with your local travel agent as there are loads of deals about but I can definitely recommend the incredible service we had from all the P&O staff on board ship!

23rd September for one week on P and O Iona will come in at just over £3k for the two of you in a balcony cabin all inclusive to the Fjords.

I go with TUI all the time, twice a year most years, and I would definitely recommend it, especially adults only, but that's personal preference.
They really know how to cater to older people (although we are not in this age category but many/most passengers are).
Definitely get balcony cabin if in your price range.
Great time of the year too as not as hot. We normally cruise March/April/May or October.
You will both love it, cruising is addictive.

If you consider river cruises, bear in mind that many of the boats aren't suitable for people with limited mobility (even SAGA, who ask specifically, if you book one of their river cruises, if any passenger would find steep steps or crossing gangways from one boat to another challenging).

I've done 34 sea cruises (Celebrity, Azamara, Cunard, Regent, Oceania, MSC, Viking, SAGA) and we obviously love it. Prices vary massively - largely because the product (especially food and crew-to-guest ratio) improves massively as the price goes up - but even the (comparatively) cheaper ones offer a really good balance of food, service and entertainment. My BiL and his wife like P & O especially. Someone mentioned SAGA - who seem very expensive, but absolutely everything - including a shore excursion in every post, drinks, gratuities, speciality restaurants, chauffeured car from home to port and back - is included. Their Norway cruises might be worth a look for you.

Do come back with any questions after you've done more research, OP. We usually book via the same agent (I'm happy to share the name and specific person via DM), although some you have to book with directly (e.g. SAGA, whose phone agents are so lovely and can answer any questions).

If you want to plan for all costs have a look at Princess and their Princess plus option. It includes tips, drinks and wifi.
I think they really hit the spot with the ambiance. The ships are gorgeous and whilst there is a lot to do, it’s not in your face. I think one consideration is whether you want to fly or not. Itineraries from Southampton are limited a bit but there are some nice ones depending on how long you want to go for. Sky Princess is based in Southampton for most of the year and it’s a lovely ship.

I can only speak about River Cruise, but I'd highly recommend trying one of them, but possibly not early autumn this year. The river levels are so low, the ships can't always get all the way to their destination and passengers are either bused to the next destination or miss out all together.
We've always been ok, but friends encountered this last month.

Placemarking, lots of fab info here!

It depends whether you want to fly or not as I think Marella (Tui) only do fly-cruises. If you live in the south of the country P&O do many destinations from Southampton (and you can get a coach down there organised by P&O from just about anywhere in the country) and companies like Fred Olsen sail direct from the north of England or Scotland I believe.

The Norwegian Fjords are beautiful and not too hot (unlike Mediterranean destinations in summer). Invest in a Balcony cabin if you can - worth it for the views. Have a great time :-)

First get a quote for travel insurance.

You may already have it packaged with a bank account. The standalone price can be eye-watering. Don’t book until you have done this!

Marella are good as everything is included - drinks, flights, gratuities. P&O don’t include drinks but the on-board prices are similar to UK pub prices. you can find menus online. Don’t be tempted to add a drinks package, it’s rarely worth it.

Those two are mainly British clientele and so the food and entertainments reflects this. Ships are generally accessible, but you will need to check if you want to take a mobility aid, as they limit passenger numbers due to evacuation procedures, even if you don’t need an accessible cabin.

I did a 1 week fly cruise with Tui Marella earlier this year and it was super. Flew to Cyprus, coach to port, onto the boat, several stops where I could get off or not, do excursions or not. Boat comfortable, with reasonable entertainment and good food. At the end, returned on a coach to the airport and luggage was bonded so I didn't need to wheel the suitcase. Travelled with a wheelchair user and we found that easy with plenty of access. I'd highly recommend.

I haven’t sailed with Fred Olsen but a friend who goes with an 80yo swears by it. It’s one of the more traditional lines. Depends on what atmosphere you enjoy in the evening.

Marella is Tui.

Personally, I think Princess is the best but are more expensive.
P&O can include Gratuities and other deals but are not the ‘luxury’ line they once were which is a shame because they used to be superb. However, since it will be your first cruise you’ll not ‘miss’ the things that P&O used to have/do.

marella is TUI and I do recommend, nearly everything is included, food is good, choice of louder or low key entertainment each night - very like a 4 star ai hotel offering standards wise. The boats aren’t huge so often can dock closer to town. Another option is p&o, everything except drinks are included, and they are pub prices, similar level of service to Marella onboard. Can’t comment on Fred Olson or saga but I know people who rate them. Cunard is classy but tips are extra

I'm going to the fiords next month and highly recommend. I'm not sure you'll get availability for this year though. Fred Olsen are worth considering for the fiords and first timers, smaller ships. Get a balcony if you can run to it. Only a day at sea either way. Ship excursions are expensive but worthwhile. They are graded by how strenuous they are. So an easy excursion will mainly be a coach tour. Evening shows are a must too.

I’m going with Marella later this year because I just can’t beat it weighing everything up, and I like their Italian restaurant menu (included)

Emma’s cruises are good for information and YouTube videos. Not tried her booking services but it might be worth a go, no more expensive than booking direct but will get more personalised advice. emmacruises.com/

Check what is included - Fred Olsen can look more expensive but include more so work out the same.

If you live within reasonable drive to Southampton then cruises that start and end there are very easy.

The Yacht club on MSC is very good.

Just got back from a Royal Caribbean cruise, would highly recommend it. You can choose to pay the gratuities at the time of booking or at the end of the cruise, either way it is clear exactly how much it is so you can factor the cost in.