cruise

I too love Fred Olsen cruises.
They are a bit " retirement home on sea", but I'm now a retired older person myself and the activities and quizzes and so on suit me.
A plus is that you have an excellent choice of excursions at each port, from very active to just pottering about, depending on your abilities and mood.
Food is good too & the ships are a moderate size.

Thx Arthur. Re Caribbean, the OP did say "not too far, so Europe, maybe somewhere where we can wear t-shirts in December, just for a week or so".

West Indies would indeed be nice and warm, sunny too, unless you're jinxed and meet a Hurricane? BUT -- it can be a culture shock (you get to see the 3rd World), and many of the Caribbean cruises would involves starting and ending in Port Lauderdale, so you'd have to get though the wretched USA Home Security, and occasionally massive airport queues.

PLUS -- depending if the gestapo hired by the geriatric orange baboon decides if you're a potential immigrant or terrorist, you may not get in the country at all, quite an expensive business? Best NOT try to visit USA until they return to some form of established sanity and elect someone the rest of us can get along with?

Oh, yes, lots of possible cruise bookers, massive amounts of advice, see IGLU for a booker, or SAILAWAZE (plenty more), and Cruise.co. UK for advice galore.

Do beware some short cruises, which can be 'party' outings that time of year, 3 nights or so up and down the Channel.

My boss and I used to snootily criticise our colleague who regularly went on cruises. That was until P&O did an amazing deal on a Caribbean cruise which we really enjoyed. He had an interior view which he regretted so we splashed out on a balcony which was FANTASTIC!!! We’re looking at going on a smaller boat next time and would love a Silver Seas clipper.

Basgetti we’ve done Hurtigruten. Flew to Trömso and picked up the cruise there in February 9 years ago. We travelled right over the top of Scandinavia arriving finally at Kirkenes, a few kms from the Russian border. A highlight was visiting the Sami people and going reindeer sledging. It was truly bitter inland. The weather was superb with sparkling sunshineand the snow was pristine. We were disappointed to only see the Northern lights faintly for a couple of minutes. Prices are eye watering both on and off the ship. I thought breakfast was better than dinner though they were included in the price but I’d do it again.

Dawn62 - Caribbean is best for good weather at Christmas but we did fly to Barbados. Some friends did a Saga cruise across the Atlantic for Christmas just gone. Only 8 days in the Caribbean on a month long cruise. The crossing was very rough going out. No thanks!

I would recommend an adult only cruise, unless you are travelling with children, which you can get with various cruise lines. The Canaries is the best for weather in the winter, nice in the day, colder at evening. Unless you wanted to fly to the Caribbean which warm all day long, no likelihood of hurricanes in December. The Bay of Biscay can be rough during the winter however ships stabilisers do ease the issue. Informal dressing is accepted on most ships however during formal nights you are generally requested to use the buffet. Best of luck with whatever you choose and I hope that you enjoy.

Mediterranean, Greek Islands. Whilst some of the Norwegian Fiord cruises can be informal, not teeshirt sitting on deck weather in December but sheltered. For me any time on the North Sea is a non starter even in summer!

Avoid the Bay of Biscay ... the ship I was on was so unsteady I fell against a bannister and damaged my arm ... I got bandages and large plasters in a Port of Call .... avoiding the cost of seeing the ship's Doctor , as they charge a lot for an appointment and any medication.

emilie

Cruise? Prison with the added danger of drowning.

Always someone a naysayer, may I ask have you have ever been on a cruise emilie? Many of us have and they are actually a super way to see a lot of the area you choose to visit, in very comfortable luxurious conditions if you so choose.

Dawn, at 65 I would avoid an adult only over Christmas as it can be filled with a lot of very many elderly people with carers having a festive treat holiday. Be selective by visiting cruise forums. Children on cruise have clubs and are not in general too much of a problem in my experience. However a Christmas adult only with P&O was the opposite with some very entitled, rude and pushy older people.

dogsmother

Dawn, at 65 I would avoid an adult only over Christmas as it can be filled with a lot of very many elderly people with carers having a festive treat holiday. Be selective by visiting cruise forums. Children on cruise have clubs and are not in general too much of a problem in my experience. However a Christmas adult only with P&O was the opposite with some very entitled, rude and pushy older people.

I had a lovely 4 weeks on an adults only P&O cruise at Christmas. However, there was one man though of about 60, who was always intoxicated and was known as the ‘Groper’ to everyone as he was constantly doing just that to women including a crew compère which I witnessed. Everyone thought it was hysterically funny. I never encountered him myself.

Cruising around the Canaries. Warm all year

Silvershadow

We are first time cruisers, going to Norway in May. We were wondering whether we need to pack fleeces and rainwear. Or will it be warm?

Goodness, I’d certainly be packing warm things! And waterproofs.
We visited a friend in Stockholm in early May a few years ago - it snowed on our first day!

We went on our first cruise with Saga in June 2023 to the Norwegian fjords and there was a heat wave! Glorious sunshine for the whole week. There was an unlimited luggage allowance so we packed for warm and cool weather.

Around Christmas, Fred Olsen do a cruise to the Cape verde Islands where it will certainly be warm enough for shorts and T shirts and to get a tan. I enjoyed Cape Verde on each occasion I have visited, but one hears a lot of mixed reports of late. On the way to Cape Verde, Fred Olsen visits the Canary Islands ... think it was Tenerife when I went ... as well as Madeira, with a stop in Lisbon before the final stretch home. One member of the group suggested going down the Nile. Also a good option but must admit that every time I went I got a runny tummy despite precautions. Aswan is lovely in Dec/Jan but not as lovely by March.

I’m fortunate to be going on a fly cruise to the Canaries in March. I’ve never cruised in that area before and am really looking forward to it. I’d like to ask those who’ve been whether they experienced any rough sea travelling between the islands.

aonk you will be sailing between the islands during the evenings and overnight, and not at any great speed as they're not far apart.
You'll probably feel the swell but it shouldn't be too bad.
If you're worried about sea sickness take some Stugeron tablets with you, apparently they're really effective!

If it's any help, we were on the transatlantic crossing in November, setting off from Gibraltar.
Instead of going straight across to Antigua, the captain took us further south and round the Canaries as the winds were lighter and the seas calmer there!

We love Marella Tui Cruises ( x thompson) been on three .latest was july 2025.
My freind did a Marella Cruise to Canaries 2024 had calm seas beautiful weather.
Gteat atmosphere,ships arent huge,and staff are amazeing.Great Entertainment.
Look at some of the Cruise Bloggers on You Tube.
NAMY DOES CRUISEING do a lot of cruises on Marella Ships they give great videos of the ship and what to expect.
Have a wonderfull time with whatever line you decide to cruise with.

I should add my freinds cruise was to Canaries early December 25. Not 2024.

Viking - not big vessels so no crowds and peaceful travel. Great catering and service. Regent Seven Seas for bigger journeys.

The only cruise lines worth going on Viking and Silverseas. Pricey but not many people on board - otherwise a total nightmare. Do dress up! makes it special and more fun. you can wear t-shirts and jeans any time you are cleaning your house. Cruise is a wonderful time to relax and enjoy the luxury.

We did the Canaries cruise over Christmas 2025 with Marella.
Our first time cruising and we enjoyed most of it.
We flew to Tenerife and visited Lanzarote, La Palma, Madeira and Gran Canaria.
We had a lovely balcony cabin, the staff were all lovely and the food was on the whole better than expected.
The downside was that we found it very noisy. It was an adults only cruise, mainly people of a certain age, and the music at times was too loud and unnecessary.
Would we cruise again, probably but not with Marella.

We have cruised several times, some adult only and some family. Don’t be put off by the adult only ships, they aren’t all frequented by old maids and their carer.

Remember, to get anywhere on a ship in the Mediterranean or the Canaries you will have to fly to the departure point IF you don’t want to sail across the Bay of Biscay. We’ve sailed this in all seasons and had both calm and choppy crossings. It’s not predictable that summer months will always be calm in the Atlantic, the oceans are a beautiful yet unpredictable force of nature. We were in the BOB in November, one day we sailed in a force 7 only to wake up the following morning to a mill pond!

Cruising does not have to be all about dinner jackets and cocktail dresses……on formal nights there is the option to dine in the buffet where there is no requirement for such dressing up.

Why not discuss this at length with the family? Throw some ideas around between you.

aonk

I went to Norway on a cruise in late May 3 years ago. The weather was variable with a couple of very wet days but it was fairly warm. I suggest you take a mixture of clothes. Definitely rain jackets and fleeces with shirts and light jumpers as well. If your trip starts in the UK you can take as much luggage as you wish. I did pack a couple of summer items but only wore them on the ship.

Thanks for your advice.

Witzend

Silvershadow

We are first time cruisers, going to Norway in May. We were wondering whether we need to pack fleeces and rainwear. Or will it be warm?

Goodness, I’d certainly be packing warm things! And waterproofs.
We visited a friend in Stockholm in early May a few years ago - it snowed on our first day!

You’ll need more than a fleece. On some of the excursions you will encounter snow. Think cold, then think freezing.

When we were in Norway, in Tromso., a Norwegian spoke to us in English. I asked how he knew we were British. He said “You have very many clothes on. “