Cruises - Who's been on one?

[AndrewA123]

Well, after being engaged for a number of years my partner and I are getting married in March 2011. We're thinking of a 10-14 night cruise in the Med for our honeymoon.

Has anyone any experience of med cruises?

if so what did you think?
would you go again?
Did you leave from the UK or fly an meet the ship elsewhere ?
Who did you go with?

It's still only one of a few ideas, but I think its the most likely one so far.

Any thoughts would be great. Thanks

 

[feek]

Congratulations on your pending marriage ( need a photographer?) A good man to ask is Hashcake ( Darran) I know he is a man of leisure and taste and has experienced a number of cruises. He will know all the answers Rob

 

[Natalie_B]

Me ! We went on our honeymoon round the med and it was nice but there was nobody our age really (27 and 37)

The food was great entertainment good and all in all some fantastic trips. We went with Royal Carribean

would you go again? - Yes is a family friendly one as we now have a little nipper
Did you leave from the UK or fly an meet the ship elsewhere ? - flew to Barcelona
Who did you go with? - Hubby Royal Carribean

 

[kherb]

Congrats, love cruisng, wake up every morning in a different place, went on first MED cruise 2 years ago Island Escape, enjoyed it that much booked as soon as we got home for the following year, can't wait for Aug as off again .

 

[candlestick]

Who came up with the suggestion!!!!??? Life insurance with on new husband.....an accidental trip......screams of 'man overboard'....a nice new house in the country.....pension for life......

Congratulations anyway!!!

 

[Rovers_Andy]

i worked on one for 3 months if that counts

Flying out to the ship depends on what company you go with and obviously where you go, you wont join in the UK for a Caribean or Alaskan Cruise, but you probably will for a mediteranean or Baltic cruise.

Flights should be included in the cost of your tickets

 

[hashcake]

Congratulations on your pending marriage ( need a photographer?) A good man to ask is Hashcake ( Darran) I know he is a man of leisure and taste and has experienced a number of cruises. He will know all the answers Rob

Cheers Rob :razz:

We did our first cruise in Sept 2008.
It was a Med cruise from Southampton with Royal Caribbean.
We enjoyed it so much that in March 2009, we used the same company again and did a cruise from Miami that took in central America and the Caribbean.
We like that one so much that with the same company yet again, we are doing Alaska in August.

I like having a taste of different countries and being able to take photos from various places is a bonus I enjoy.
It all depends on the itinerary but you might not see land for a few days.
There are various activities onboard the ships and too be honest, apart from a couple of the shows, the rest were naff in my opinion.
They organise various activities during the day and some are ok.
If you like a drink they will tend to have various bars but the prices tend to similar to hotels.
We like taking the land tours when the ships dock as it’s a good way to learn about the various countries and a chance to take in some culture

Although it adds to the cost we always book a cabin with a balcony as it’s nice to be able to chill and have breakfast or evening drinks.
Food wise, well there will plenty, the norm is a buffet and the main dining room and you can have your meals in either.
There will probably be specialty restaurants that you have to pay for in addition but with Royal Caribbean, their Portofino’s is worth every extra penny you pay.

There is a miss conception that cruises are only for old people and yes, although you will see quite a few, we’ve met many young couples and a fair few honeymooners as well.
One word of advice, do not book a cruise when the kids are on school holidays.
Cruises are becoming quite popular with British and America families and although you won’t find a cruise ship filled with chavs, you want some peace and quiet

Have a look at my flickr and you will see that I have collections from our cruises and it will give you a basic idea.
We like taking the land tours when the ships dock as it’s a good way to learn about the various countries and a chance to take in some culture.

Oh one more thing, avoid Carnival cruises as they've earned the nickname 'the party ships' as American college kids tend to book them in their breaks and unless you want to 'get down with the kid's, don't bother

 

[AndrewA123]

Thanks all for the advice and P. taking (I wouldn't expect anything less of you all )

ROB: Yes, I'll check out your website and add you to the (not so) short list we've already got.

NATALIE: We're alread prepared for being the "younger" generation on the cruise, but at least that way were not going to be tripping over kids every 5 mins, just zimmer frames

KHERB: Waking up somewhere new each day and not being responsible for getting there is what I find most appealing about it. Let someone else take the strain this time

CANDLESTICK: Thanks mate, it was actually my suggestion

ANDY: That counts for me, It will be a med cruise on 2 counts the first being cost and the second being that neither of us handle extreme heat too well. a The med should be ok in march for us

DARRAN: Now that is an answer!!!! I'll plod through it now, Cheers

Edit: Cheers Darran, that has pretty much covered all my aims. I'd love to do alaska, but think thats probably for another time. I've picked up 9 brochures at lunch time and will scan them over the next few evenings. Oh, and I'll avoid Carnival

 

[feek]

I knew you'd come up trumps Darren, although when you say-it's not all old people, I know your better half is young, but you knocking on 75 is a bit stretching the term:shrug:. Rob

 

[Yv]

We have done two cruises, one round the Med, one the Caribbean and I cannot recommend them highly enough. We carefully avoided the really high end ships as dressing for dinner wasn't something we wanted to bother with every single night, so went for a more relaxed atmosphere where such glamour was optional.
I can confirm that the range of people on board was everything from honeymooners, through couples with kids of all ages, and right through to retirees with time on their hands and the grey pound to spend, it was brilliant, boht times.

Waking up and discovering a new location every day is a great way of sampling loads of places but with the luxury of returning to the same bedroom every night, not living out of a suitcase for a couple of weeks. You can get a good idea of a place and perhaps decide you want a longer visit there at a later date. The activities both on and off ship tend to be many and varied and something for everyone from the very active to the very inactive and again, totally optional, if you want to spend the day by the pool, you can. Of course in most places yu will also have a new beach to visit every day too

GO FOR IT!! If the OH and I ever do bother tying the knot, I know the honeymoon we are having and it includes a large ship and a suite of rooms

 

[SK617]

hmm, this thread has made me have a thought, has anyone taken young kids on one of these?
my nipper is 3, oceanvillage seem to have plenty to do, any thoughts?

 

[AndrewA123]

Thanks Yvonne, looks like my mind is made up, hopefully Eleanor's too once she sees this thread later.

As I said, I've 9 brochures to go through for ideas so..... off to thumb the now.

Cheers

 

[AndrewA123]

hmm, this thread has made me have a thought, has anyone taken young kids on one of these?
my nipper is 3, oceanvillage seem to have plenty to do, any thoughts?

I do have one, can you avoid March 2011 please

 

[hashcake]

We have done two cruises, one round the Med, one the Caribbean and I cannot recommend them highly enough. We carefully avoided the really high end ships as dressing for dinner wasn't something we wanted to bother with every single night, so went for a more relaxed atmosphere where such glamour was optional.

Royal Caribbean tend to a couple of formal nights depending on the length of the cruise.
I've seen people on formal nights without a tux but smartly dressed and I couldn't be bothered to take my tux on the last cruise.
I did dress smartly and couldn't care less what other passengers thought.
The crew never said a word and besides, I wouldn't wear jeans / shorts or a t-shirt on a formal night and with the amount we pay cos we like an aft cabin, sod them

 

[hashcake]

Thanks Yvonne, looks like my mind is made up, hopefully Eleanor's too once she sees this thread later.

As I said, I've 9 brochures to go through for ideas so..... off to thumb the now.

Cheers

Andrew there is a cruise form if you do a google.
My mrs is very active on there and I'm sure she'd be happy to give you any advice.

 

[hashcake]

I knew you'd come up trumps Darren, although when you say-it's not all old people, I know your better half is young, but you knocking on 75 is a bit stretching the term:shrug:. Rob

Right that's it, you owe me a latte asap and a large one at that!

 

[Yv]

hmm, this thread has made me have a thought, has anyone taken young kids on one of these?
my nipper is 3, oceanvillage seem to have plenty to do, any thoughts?

do it!! First time we went, went with my sister and her 3 enfant terrible - youngest was 4 at the time, he LOVED it, as did the other 2! On Ocean Village too. Though be quick, its their last season this year. Some of the other P&O ships will be pretty much taking over the mantle as it were, albeit slightly more formal in places [Azura and ventura I think, could be wrong though] and like Darren, I would also consider Royal Caribbean for our next trip on the high seas.

I really fancy a Baltic cruise, but Yves geza strangley does not....something about wanting the warm caribbean sun if he is paying out that much money

For what its worth btw, kids on cruise ships are a bit less conspicuous than perhaps you would expect. They provide so much entertainment for them, by way of kids clubs and what have you, that they are kept very occupied. I am not saying you wont see them, but they intrude far less than you might expect in what is ultimately a confined space.

 

[taz]

congratulations!

I'll give you my experience but I don't want to put you off.

For our 20th anniversary I took my wife on the Saga Rose (she wasn't old enough but I was JUST) around the Canaries, starting and finishing in Southampton.

We left Friday evening and by Saturday PM as we were crossing the Bay of Biscay I got seasick. Then my wife got sick. We got back to the land of the living about Monday lunchtime.

It wasn't just the up and down motion crossing the Bay, oh no. We encountered the residue of a hurricane from the Caribbean which came across us so we had a corkscrew motion. Now the Saga Rose is not a huge ship so it was obviously worse but we heard that passengers on the QE2 also suffered. But then again, that wasn't a huge ship either.

During my time contemplating the ceiling of the cabin, I said never again and let me off in Tenerife and I'll go home. It was that bad (for me anyway). Quite a few others suffered, but they were old people (Saga remember).

Anyway we didn't get off and I actually enjoyed the rest of the cruise and would go again.

Stick to a big ship and you'll be fine, especially in the Med.

If you do a fly cruise you will have the benefit of missing the Bay and you'll spend more time actually seeing more countries.

Downside is you won't be able to take so many clothes. If it's relaxed cruising that's OK, but if you like to dress up and be more formal then you may have excess baggage.

Just my two ha'porth.

 

[ladysue]

I have had a couple of cruises. The first was 30+ years ago to the med with P and O, with my husband, parents and small son. It was so luxurious. We had been used to camping holidays before so it was lovely being waited on. I had my second cruise about 5 years ago, soon after my partner died. Although I felt a bit lonely cause I was still grieving it was a lovely ship (P and O Oriana) and the food and service were lovely. I went to the Canaries and they were very interesting.Cruising seems expensive but when you consider that all the entertainment, travel and food is provided it isnt a bad buy. My first cruise I was only 24 but I didnt feel too young. P and O do a ship that is no children. I think it is Arcadia- you could choose that if you didnt want kids around. There were not many on the cruises I went on anyway but they werent in school holdays. As for dressing up for the evening, I enjoyed that. It was lovely to be able to wear clothes that I wouldnt usually wear. However there was no pressure to wear very dressy things, just smart would be fine.

Congratulations and have a lovely time whatever you choose.

Oh and I agree with Taz the big ships are much better in rough weather. Both P and O ships I went on were fine. My parents have cruised with P and O every year for years- they love them and are still spending my inheritence on them. Good for them I say.

 

[Rovers_Andy]

hmm, this thread has made me have a thought, has anyone taken young kids on one of these?
my nipper is 3, oceanvillage seem to have plenty to do, any thoughts?

Oceanvillage tend to aim for the 18-30 pish heeeds mate

 

[scraggs]

I have done 2 cruises, just make sure you do a bit of research into the company because from my experience it appears certain cruise lines aim for certain age groups, I was unfortunate to pick to pick a company that were really more aimed at the older market and my first cruise ultimately turned into a nightmare. I went on a christmas cruise around the med and it turned out there were 4 people around my age on the entire ship. at 10 oclock at night everyone was in bed , as an apology I got offered a a free cruise around the med on the same ship for my son and me during school holidays even then it was a majority of old people, although at least they tried to make the entertainment more geared towards younger people on the second trip.
So just for my opinion although my first cruise was bad (food was poor aswell) the second was far better but I would never cruise with Olsen lines again unless I was about 70+.
My mum however has done loads of cruises with P&O and has always commented on what lively ships they are for all age groups
All the cruises we have all been on have left from southampton.

 

[AndrewA123]

Thanks all, Certainly plenty to consider.

Looking through the brochures I have so far It appears that very few list Cruises in March/April, I'll pop in to the Travel Agents this weekend and speak to them regarding availability in these months. It may be the brochures aren't covering that period, as a couple of cruise operators websites do list March cruises.

Once again, Thanks to everyone for their comments good or bad and their suggestions. Without you guy's I'd still have been thinking about it, NOW however its time to look seriously, our minds have been made up.

 

[desantnik]

Like the Big Yin once said "prison with a chance of drowning" - no thanks.

 

[SK617]

Oceanvillage tend to aim for the 18-30 pish heeeds mate

Hmmm, cheers for the heads up, although I'm only just outside that age bracket (the wife is still in it) we are after more of a family cruise, dont want a bored 4 yr old on the rampage!

 

[Yv]

Oceanvillage tend to aim for the 18-30 pish heeeds mate

if they do, thay are doing a VERY bad job of it! they aim for families, thats their whole point of existence! I have been on their ships twice, my sister 4 times now [only once at the same time as me] and my parents twice and you know why - because we wanted someting relaxed and kid friendly but none of us want the kind of 'yoof' drunken slobbishness 18-30 rubbish you get at the popular land resorts and we have never seen it! :nono:

 

[Rovers_Andy]

if they do, thay are doing a VERY bad job of it! they aim for families, thats their whole point of existence! I have been on their ships twice, my sister 4 times now [only once at the same time as me] and my parents twice and you know why - because we wanted someting relaxed and kid friendly but none of us want the kind of 'yoof' drunken slobbishness 18-30 rubbish you get at the popular land resorts and we have never seen it! :nono:

Ahh ok then maybe thats just the crew they target