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

I really love cruises. It's so relaxing to have everything done for you. We have been on two cruises and really enjoyed the opportunity to eat what we want and drink what we want whenever we choose. There is excellent entertainment in the evening and you just can't beat going to bed in one place and waking up in a brand new place, all ready to be explored.

I love cruising. My main grumble is that disabled customers are not sufficiently catered for.
Not enough accessible suites or cabins.
Very few trips that are suitable for wheelchair or scooter users
I have cruised mainly with Princess and Cunard

Never been on a cruise, we are early 60 s and worried it will be a bit ‘twee’ for us. We like 70s music but mainly punk and rock so worried it will be a lot of sixties songs entertainment with the odd bit of abba

I think there should be plenty of shows and entertainment on board , with stop offs on the journey to explore other cities.

Love cruise holidays..one of the best things is being able to do what I want and meeting up with the OH for meals....plan using Daily Times the evening before. Take magnets to keep papers and receipts all together...enjoy dressing for dinner...sleep well by the movements of the ship.
Fab....

I would like to go on a cruise! But the idea of queuing for everything is not my idea of fun.
I like to try different things in life, I will try this in the near future.

We have taken a long weekend cruise a few years ago but found 4 days on a ship to be enough for us. Although we may consider a river cruise in the future.

We went to Liverpool to board our ship to the Fjords for 10 nights it was my first cruise and I loved it, Everything on the ship was great from the meals right down to the entertainment we loved that we could get off the ship and wonder around different towns Norway is a beautiful place and I would love to go again but I really want to go to Iceland an Alaska. I would say to anyone who is not sure about going on a cruise to book and go do not think twice because Cruise holiday are full of different adventures every single day.

We have never been on a cruise. I love to be out in the open, exploring, so am not sure if so might feel too confined? However, I love the idea of being on the open sea. I still think I would need regular stops along the way.

I'm coming around to the idea of cruising, following various friends who've enjoyed a cruise both with and without children. I do worry that a teenager would be lost without wifi and of course if one person is upset it affects everyone.

NCL was the cruise line we first cruised with.. A trip up the inside passage to Alaska. We were hooked for life. Many cruises have been taken since. Advantages are only unpack once, lovely meals, meet friends for life. A new place to visit nearly every day .
would certainly recommend.

I've only done one cruise and have to say "Never again!" It was planned as a relaxing holiday for me and my mum who was almost 90 and past flying, but missed the sun. So we planned to go to the Canaries with Fred Olsen from Newcastle. Disaster stalked us. On the first night mum fell when she got up to go to the loo and the ship jerked suddenly. Luckily she wasn't badly hurt but the crew were so unsympathetic, refusing to give us a wheelchair, although mum was nervous about walking anywhere, and threatening to disembark us. Eventually they agreed to give us a wheelchair for meals but a crew member had to bring it, push it, and take it away! We enjoyed a few days in the Canary sun but were stuck in a Force 9 gale outside Lisbon, while miscellaneous objects flew about in our cabin and we felt violently ill. As we returned across the North Sea the Air sea rescue helicopter air lifted off a passenger who had had a heart attack. Quite spectacular. Not an experience I want to repeat.

We love cruising, just about to go on a trip to the fjords, can't wait! My top tip for those who worry about seasickness is to invest in a wristband which sends a little electric shock up into your hand. This works like magic for me. The one I use is called a "relief band" . There are probably other makes available. Mine is borrowed from my sibling, we pass it around the family to whoever is going on the next cruise. My other tip is not to take too many clothes, other people don't notice what you're wearing. Must learn to take my own advice one day!

NCL asks: How can cruise companies make it your perfect holiday at sea?
I've been on only one cruise. That was with Hurtigruten. I believe they got it about right.
Briefly, I travelled on the 12 day classic round voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes and back, stopping at different ports on each leg of the journey. This was in December. Highlights were seeing the Northern Lights, optional shore excursions such as husky dog sledding, midnight concert in the Arctic Cathedral and on board talks and presentations. The food was excellent, locally sourced and picked up at stops en route. The dinner menus provided details of the family firms supported in this way. Ships were small, from approx. 200-300 cabins max. Crew were Scandinavian. There was a no tipping policy. Hurtigruten's declared aim is to operate on the smallest footprint possible. The company has recently made history by becoming the first operator to remove all single use plastics from their ships.
Those are the kind of green credentials that get my vote.
My only negative, and it's one that all cruise ships would do well to address, is the lack of availability/increased cost of single cabins. There are a lot of single travellers. Ignore us at your peril

I've experienced a short cruise to the Bahamas from Florida a few years ago. In our case the accomodation was fairly basic but adequate, the food was fabulous and entertainment adequate for a long weekend.
I'd love to cruise again. I like the idea of visiting lots of different places while having a base to return to and not continually packing and unpacking like on a coach tour. I'm trying to decide if I'm brave enough to holiday alone when I retire or whether I'll need to find someone to go with.

I went on a cruise years ago( for honeymoon) and loved every minute of it! Would love to cruise again now im alone with my 2 youngest 'kids' at home-(20&16 yrs) I'd love to share the experience with them as we've been quite a few places on holidays.they love to travel.as do i.

I've been on a river cruise which I loved but it was over far too quickly.
I would love to do a longer sea cruise but they are expensive and I often hear people say they didn't do certain trips as they cost too much.
What I would like is that the full cost of trips and visits while on the cruise could be given in order to assess the full cost of the cruise from the off. This saves the disappointment if someone has to budget further along the way and maybe miss out.

I'd love to go on a cruise, the whole experience really appeals to me but I'd love to know why as a single traveller I'd pay so much more?
Even with companies who say they cater for this group, the difference in cost is often so much more.

I like the idea of travelling round but do not like the idea of complete days at sea or the high cost of shore excursions

I've never been on one so can't comment

I love cruising! Wherever in the world you go, you can rest assured once back on board you are going to have good food, good entertainment and a friendly and attentive crew. When packing I always put an outfit (suitable for the climate we are going to) in my hand luggage so that I can change whilst waiting for my main case to be delivered to the room. Last cruise we were on the large balcony had a hammock. Very comfy! Looking forward so much to our next cruise.

I've liked the idea of a cruise since the children reached adulthood and now want more time to relax instead of driving to several destinations only to spend a few nights there before heading off to the next place. It's time to savour the holiday instead of being tired out from it. Just a few things make me hesitate one being over crowding the other being when you hear about lots of people falling ill and being confined to their cabins.

I have cruised a few times and have mixed experiences I prefer river cruising. One cruise I went on was like a floating Butlins and was a little tacky. It is exciting visiting lots of places If you are considering it, do your research and make sure you choose one that suits your taste go on the most expensive you can afford in my experience these are the best.

I'd love to go on a cruise, ive heard so many wonderful things. The idea of waking up somewhere new each morning and visiting places otherwise out of reach would be amazing. Not to mention the fine dining and relaxing.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201908/medium-374079-f7d47038-2a48-4d54-88ce-7669b7564876.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201908/medium-655883-69e5becd-5503-4261-ac77-3442d5b94b51.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201908/medium-522423-b5c914cd-9480-4e24-a6ed-7a4763762871.jpeg

Its a year today since my daughter and I went on our first cruise to Norway. We spent a super special 4 days making some wonderful memories, knowing that this would be our last trip together due to the birth of her first baby.

Things I wish I’d known include the tipping system, I had sleepless anxious nights about this and how I was going to cope without my husband. Also I was ridiculously worried about the various dress codes; nothing I read online seemed to help at all.

My biggest tip would be book the best cabin you can afford as an outside window is so important; the views are just stunning to wake up to.