Let’s talk about cruise travel with NCL - £300 voucher to be won

We would love to go on a cruise but there is so much differing information from the retailers and people we know who have been. "Watch out for the addons , get a drinks package - don't get a drinks package , pack this - don't pack that , excursions are a rip off - the excursions are good value" etc.
I want simple to understand cost and information.

I've never been on a sea cruise because I'm put of by the thought of dressing formally and also worry about outbreak food poisoning which seem to happen fairly frequently. I also hear that tipping is more it less compulsory so adds hugely to the cost. I also worry about the impact the huge liners have on the environment I saw a programe about the impact they had on Venice but brought nothing positive to the city because the people on the cruise didn't even spend anything while they were there) I would like reassurance about these points before I booked anything.
I have been on a river cruise on a smaller boat which I loved. I especially liked being able to move between places without constant packing my case.

First cruise was QM2 to Hamburg with my girls and their partners. Docked in the wrong part, did not know until we were guided to buses for the 40 minute drive into the city which was closed for the Triathlon ?
Second cruise was Queen Victoria on my own. Knew about the quizzes from the previous trip and the Horlicks and cookies at 11 pm ? Did not get to Bruges due to atrocious weather. Croisieurope for the Douro River was very different. Children are free with each paying adult, quizzes with a bottle of Port for the most points over the week. Food on all 3 cruises were amazing x P&O with Ventura in October. Follow the P&O Facebook pages to find out all the details. Who knew that there is a Raspberry Creme Brulee Cocktail ?

I have been on a few cruises - when choosing a new one, I take into account the destinations and prefer a shorter cruise (7 or 10 days). I also prefer the gratuities and wifi to be included in the price. An all inclusive drinks package would also be good.

I really enjoy going on a cruise, seeing new places, chatting with new people and being thoroughly looked after from start to finish of the holiday - fed, watered and entertained. What's not to like? You can do as much or as little as you want - -on sea days or otherwise. We don't tend to go on organised trips and prefer to explore new locations by ourselves at our own pace.

We have been very lucky so far and have not suffered any seasickness - apparently green apples or ginger biscuits are meant to calm one's tummy when the sea is somewhat rough.

Lots of places still to visit.

I am disabled and need a 3-wheeler walker to walk with.
Does NCL cater for disabled people?
What about getting on and off the ship plus suitcase?
I would love to go on a cruise and see many different places.

We love cruising and I guess over time we have now done six or seven. Our first ‘toe in the water’ cruise was to the Caribbean. Since then we have cruised The Canary Islands, the Baltic, the Mediterranean, we have cruised out to South Africa and back again (different years) via lots of exotic destinations. In 2012 we cruised around the World on P&O’s Oriana, taking in no less than 31 different destinations.

Cruising can be a very cost-effective way to travel. It’s one big all-inclusive holiday – accommodation, all your meals, Broadway standard shows, the latest movies, classes in just about everything you could name, dancing every night, free use of the gym and a cabin steward to attend to your every need. What more could you ask for?

Top tips:
•We always have an inside cabin. At the end of the day you only sleep in it and get changed in it. There are so many beautiful spots around the ship where you can sit and admire the view.
•Research your destinations. There are times when you’ll be better off with an organized excursion, but if you’re fit and healthy and can walk and organize your own excursion, then do it. You will save yourself a lot of money.
•Don’t wait until you’re old! There seems to be this misconception that cruising is for old people and is a very ‘sedentary’ form of holidaying. It’s for all ages and it is what you make it. You can be as lazy or as energetic as you like.
•Pace yourself where food is concerned. If you have a full English every morning and consistently pile your plate high with food, then yes, you will put on weight. Just eat normally and enjoy the wonderful food. On the World cruise we spent over 3 months at sea, came back fitter, healthier and lighter by using the gym every day, hiking, biking, swimming and walking whenever possible.

Would I book another cruise tomorrow (funds permitting)? In a heartbeat!

I'd love a cruise. I want to see whales and cretaceans in their natural environment.

We have crossed the Atlantic twice on the Queen Mary 2, to visit our daughter, son-in-law and baby grandson, who live in New York.
This is by far the best way to travel there, as it is a holiday in itself, with comfortable accommodation, wonderful food and terrific entertainment. You can be busy all of the time, or just chill out and do your own thing.
On our last trip, in July, we went to a series of talks by the ex-hostage, John McCarthy, saw several really professional shows in the huge theatre, including some excellent lady singers and the funniest comedian I have ever seen. We went to dances and afternoon tea in the ballroom played table tennis and borrowed books from the library. We watched Wimbledon live in our comfortable stateroom and I went to a watercolour art class every afternoon. There was always something to do and everything was included in the price, except the materials for the art class.
We enjoyed dressing smartly for dinner and dressing up for the two Gala evenings and the Roaring Twenties night. I appreciate that this might not suit people who prefer to dress casually at all times, but it is nice to make an effort from time to time.
It wasn’t cheap, but the value for money was astounding and when you take off what you would have paid for the return flight, it wasn’t even that much more expensive.
We haven’t been on a cruise where you travel from place to place and get off and visit them, but I imagine that the experience would be very similar to the QM2.
You would have to be very careful choosing your cruise line as some are more casual and relaxed, but the QM2 suited us fine and there was always something interesting .to do.
I am allergic to onions and the waiter gave me the next day’s menu every night so that I could choose whatever I fancied and the chef would make it for me without onions. We had the same table every evening, but, at breakfast and lunch, you could sit on your own or share a table. We always shared and met some very interesting people.
One last thing- generally, I am not a very good sailor, but the QM2 is so big, with such efficient stabilisers, that you hardly feel any movement at all and I never felt the slightest bit queasy.

I get seasick if I travel on a ferry in stormy weather but have been told it is not the same on a cruise. I have always been wary about booking a cruise holiday for this reason, but am willing to give it a try.

A cruise is something I have dreamed of for as long as I can remember.What a brilliant thing to go to sleep in one place and wake up somewhere entirely different.There are so many places I would love to see,but have never had the opportunity or the money to do any of them.The nearest to abroad I've been to is Anglesey or the Isle of White.Ah well,I can always dream!

I have not been on a cruise, a number of things have put us off including motion sickness, the formality of some cruises (I'm not one for dressing up) and the days at sea. Also we love to explore and, although there is some appeal to ticking off a few places on the same trip, wonder whether the stops would be long enough to explore properly. We have wondered whether a river cruise may be more suitable - calmer, better views etc. Perhaps we should give one a try.

Can thoroughly recommend NCL. Have been on 3 cruises with them and couldn't praise them enough. Spacious , comfortable and clean cabins. Staff friendly and helpful. Excursions well organised. Freestyle dining was great. We didnt always have to dress up . Food was varied , well prepared and presented. If you have never cruised before this is a good cruise line to do your maiden one with

I've only done one ocean cruise ( which I suspect was hardly typical of what is under consideration here), up and down the coast of Norway from Bergen to Kirkenes and back with Hurtigruten. That was wonderful as it visited small ports where one could walk into the town and see how the locals live. I also much enjoyed the extensive fish dishes availale at all mealtimes.

I really enjoy river cruising when one can get off the boat every day and easily visit the surrounding town/countryside. I also like watching the surrounding pass as the boat cruises, In that respect the Hurtigruten cruise was rather similar as it stayed close to the coast of Norway so it was really like a river cruise with one "bank" missing!

We have cruised with quite a few cruises lines and have felt that in nearly all cases you get what you pay for and choose to spend more for a certain cabin standard and the accompanying ‘privileges’. I have noticed a lot of the comments from those who have not cruised mention they do not fancy it due to the number of passengers and the idea that they will constantly be surrounded by crowds. Whilst we have always booked a cabin with a balcony, where we like to sit and read whilst at sea, this is not because we feel surrounded by people, in fact quite the contrary. We are happy to socialise with people at breakfast and lunch but prefer to dine alone, especially in the speciality restaurants. We are happy to dress up in the evening, though if it’s not required, then that’s ok also. Together we’ve seen some of the most amazing sights in the world that we wouldnt have got to otherwise and already we are amazed how many we have covered my husband travelled a lot for work and swore he’d never go on a cruise, but reluctantly agreed to go on our first as I desperately wanted to see the Fjords and Iceland. He couldn’t get over the fact, that within hours of leaving home in Devon, we were having a glass of bubbles with our lunch and were on our way. He found the whole experience totally relaxing. Such a surprise! So pick your destinations, open your mind and try it - you might be pleasantly surprised.

The only cruise I've been on is the Nile Cruise, and I really enjoyed it - we went one August, and nobody in their right mind does a Nile Cruise in the August heat, so the boat was only half full, which was brilliant. I would hate to go on one of these huge cruise ships which you see in Venice, Taormina, and various other places. I also think these aren't good for local tourism as those on board don't really support local economies by buying meals or rooms in local hotels and with the 'all inclusive' itineraries, some people don't even buy a drink in a local bar. We've seen this quite a lot. The locals often despise them. These factors would put me off regular cruising.

Been on the early morning, late coming back day trips over to Calais from Dover for many years long time ago, then decided to book for a 5 day cruise to Bruges and France which was lovely but due to a storm we had to miss one place, and few years before that we got a coach deal up to Hull to pick up cruise ship over to Norway which was wonderful and loved the place, think i would like to go back at some stage if finances will allow, the food on board was wonderful, some lovely gateaux, but the return trip was horrendous and everyone stayed in their cabins, and literally no one turned up for breakfast the last morning, as being so damn seasick. Oh well, but it was October time, so would rebook in the summertime.

* Emptynester* Your last statement ' open your mind' is exactly what people should do. So some people hate cruising, others are worried about crowds, sea sickness and illness.
Until you have tried it you cannot judge. My DH came up with all the above excuses especially the crowds But I persuaded him to go on a short cruise with all the family for our 50th wedding anniversary. He absolutely loved it and we have been on several since. Looking forward to the next, already booked

going on a cruise is on my wishlist. my parents used to do it and they loved it. the idea of waking up each morning somewhere new is great

Have never been on a cruise but quite like the idea of a river cruise.I was put off cruises when an aquaintance told me of her experiences. She would go on ocean cruises every year on her own.She would come back and say she had met lots of people and had their contact details.They all wanted her to tell them which cruise and date she would go on next so that they could meet up.They were actually planning on avoiding her as none of them ever turned up again on any of her cruises.It made me worry about being stuck on a cruise ship with her or someone like her.

I have found cruising to be the most relaxing and enjoyable type of holiday. Once on the ship all my worries seem to fade away. It is most definitely the most civilised way to travel and can be as quiet or busy as you want. If you don’t try it, you won’t know what you’re missing.

I love cruising. I often wondered if I would as I'm terrified of water, but I know now it's fine. I love the visiting of different places/countries. You find out where you'd like to go and visit for longer. I LOVE the food - but don't think about dieting! Everyone is friendly and happy and it's a super holiday. I'd go twice a year of I had the money, but unfortunately I can't afford that. I can't think of anything bad about it - apart from the fact that it ends ?

I went on a European cruise last year and it was amazing but got land sickness when i returned home....who even knew that was a thing ?

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We always said that we were not cruise people but when we wanted to visit the Antarctic it seemed like the only option. Well we loved it. We met lots of lovely people and visited lots of amazing places. We have since been to other not easy to get to places such as The Arctic, The Amazon and the Fjords and have thoroughly enjoyed them all. The wonderful staff on board and the different people you meet in the countries you visit make it a truly lifetime memory.

We have been on 15 ocean cruises. We opt for the casual style cruises . We love waking up somewhere different every day . We love having a balcony where we can relax in the lovely sea air although we have done many in the inside cabins as well. You can switch the tv on to see the weather on the deck camera . We enjoy the shows and the singers on board . We love chatting to the staff who are usually from interesting other cultures and live to tell us about where they’re from . If you have any health needs you can be assured that there’s a ship doctor and nurses on board . Just go for it !