To cruise or not to cruise?

GillT we had no problem taking our own wine on board. No smuggling involved as we declared them and the cabin steward provided glasses and a corkscrew.
This was P&O. Maybe different companies have different policies or security may have been upped recently.

numberplease how will they know if they are better off than you unless you tell them ? So what if they have been on 50 cruises, you have I'm sure done other things. Does it actually matter what they think, you will probably never see them again. We have certainly never found this to be the case. Most cruisers will be just ordinary decent people.
as I said above nobody tells you what to do, the choices are yours. Enjoy.

I also don't like cruises for environmental reasons. The post about sailing into Venice made me think, I couldn't do it, The damage these ships do to the lagoon habitat is terrible. There are also a number of places where the locals hate cruise ships because only the authorities benefit through the port fees. Local small businesses suffer. If you must cruise please consider these things when booking.

I do cruise but I am concerned about the non-British staff. Is this slave labour? The ships being registered in the Caribbean means they don't have to pay the minimum wage. The crew work long hours and are away from their family for months at a time .They have to be always cheerful and smart. I try to picture a possible time in the future when the cruisers are all Chinese and Westerners were the crew . How would we feel? I sometimes feel like a hypocrite

number; just be yourself and, if people don't like you it's their problem and their loss. And, if anyone does act snooty just think of the Harry Enfield 'considerably richer that y'au sketches', have a chuckle to yourself and tell us about it .

www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8Kum8OUTuk

...and imagine them naked as well....

I think cruising is a bit plebby.

Why?

I would, hastily, add that it must be ideal for disabled people!

It could be a bit like an over-priced Butlins on water.

Isn't it more interesting to plan and arrange your own travel itinerary?

I agree with LesleyC it was not for me, I could not fault the service or the food, but the entertainment left me cold, the photographers at every exit point were overpowering.And to be honest we/I did not find much to interest us.
Also I had issues with people not using the hand gel before getting food at the buffet and loading plates as if each meal was their last.

Number they are people just like me and you! I've met plumbers (probably a lot richer than me given what they charge) gardeners, judges, tv personalities, some lovely like George Mcgavery, some really obnoxious, widows, widowers ( very few), shop assistants, in fact people from all walks of life! It's all part of the fun.

I enjoy river cruising and 8 days is enough for me. No dressing up for Dinner smart casual is fine and no set seating so you can sit anywhere you like and have different companions for every meal.

We had a group of Cockney gypsies whom the crew found very difficult to understand but I don't think they were short of a penny or two. They certainly did not dress up.

Number don't worry about dressing up. If they have a formal night and you don't want to go you just go to another dining room. And my cleaning lady has booked her next cruise in the summer,my hairdresser and his partner are in the Canaries at the moment,my BIL who had lots of gold braid on him when he was in the navy has just come back from Caribbean. Everyone has a ate to tell. I met one lady who travelled on her own because her DH wouldn't leave his steam engines he was rebuilding . The crew are also very interesting if they have time to talk. A microcosm on the world.

Cockney gypsies, Greenfinch? Are there such things? True cockneys are born within the sound of Bow Bells, like my lovely grandad, and he certainly wasn't a gypsy as generations of his family were all born and lived in the area and never strayed elsewhere.

Cruising? Not for us. I am put off by the words 'inclusive of tips'. What if I don't want to tip - will I get a refund? I would also object to being told what to wear - all that 'dress for dinner' outdated nonsense.

I sign to say I don't want to pay the gratuities and that's it!

Galen - I didn't know you could do that, I thought it was all inclusive. I knew a rather rich couple once who loved cruising. He told me the cost did include tips but that they always tipped extra if they felt they had specially good service from a crew member. His wife added 'Well, we do, but only £100 or so'. Blimey. They travelled with two large trunks (not cases) so they could take several changes of evening clothes. Bloomin' 'eck.

NotToo Maybe not Cockney then but they spoke with a "London"accent and supported West 'Am.

You dont have to dress up for dinner every night, some cruise lines have formal nights, but there are plenty of other places to eat if you dont wish to join in. Dressing for dinner is smart casual, what I would call polite to be honest; I dont wish to eat dinner next to someone sweating in a pair of shorts and flip flops. DH wears chinos and a short sleeved shirt/polo shirt and on a warm cruise I wear linen trousers and a top, really no different from what I would wear going out to dinner here. Tips are generally added to your account each day, but as Galen says, you always have the option to make your own arrangements.

The only thing I don`t agree with about our upcoming cruise is not being given a choice regarding tipping. They add £5 per person per night to be paid at the end of the holiday. What if we don`t want to tip for any reason?

Ive never cruised because:
1. the cost- its a definite high-end, all-inclusive price, however much value you say it might be, I probably look to self-catering hols as cost is in my control and truthfully I doubt I could afford it
2.Alcohol costs are included and so paid for in the price, but neither DH or I drink! Seems a waste of money for us.
3. DH gets travelsick/seasick on a ferry crossing (or public transport) and has to lie down in a cabin, even on a day trip to France! lol. Although he does acknowledge that the engine and slight sway of the boat makes him sleep very well!
4. As I use a mobility scooter Id worry about getting that on and off the boat to use for sight-seeing. But I love the idea of a new city a day, organised tours or by ourselves, and new scenery so is a big temptation. Would love to go to the Fiords, see the Northern Lights or St Petersburg, or somewhere warmer like canaries or even Caribbean!
But if I won the Lottery I might join the Cruise Community, you never know

I have only skimmed some of the replies, but that has given me plenty to comment on. I don't know what rate of pay the crew on my Saga or Cunard ships get, but I always found them to be happy, cheerful and willing to help. On Cunard we were in Britannia Club and the Restaurant staff there could not be faulted and it was not just out in for our benefit. Our waiter has been with the company over 10 years, is married with 3 kids and regularly sees his family during the cruise, they come out to see him. The staff in the Britannia restaurant were surly and not very helpful, however.
If you don't want to have tips automatically added to your bill, don't,cruise with that company, not all add the tips automatically.
We found that we rarely saw the same people, other than in the Restaurant, but then, only if they were dining at the same time. We had a table for 2 so did not,have to share and we could dine when we liked on Cunard. On Saga, it is all Freedom Dining, again we were on a table for 2. There are so many people around and so much to do and so many different places to go, you are not with the same people all the time.
We have enjoyed the cruises we have been on, including round Norway, with Hurtigruten. My best advice is to read the information very carefully and make sure you go with a,company you trust and who provides the level of service you want and is going to somewhere you want to go.

You do not have to pay the inclusive tips. Read the small print and you can opt out as Galen says.
Not all cruises include alcohol in the price pamhill again check the small print. A lot even give you on board spending money as an incentive to travel with them.
I agree price is a big factor, but I think cruises are value for money when you compare with a fortnight's all inclusive holiday in a 5 star hotel, which is essentially what they are except in a different place every day.

Cruises have never interested me, but after reading Diana Melly's Strictly Ballroom courtesy of Gransnet I do feel that if we ever win the lottery I could be tempted to cross the Atlantic on the QE II