Views on a cruise

I love Cruises, wish I could afford to go more often. Waking up in a new place with no need to unpack and travelling in luxury....bliss!

I always hated the thought of going on a cruise. However my husband developed a fear of flying in his fifties and eventually we decided if we were going to have any foreign holidays that didn't involve cars or trains we would have to cruise.

We have now been on 4 and have a 5 booked! I wasn't looking forward to enforced jollity etc but you can join in as much or little as you like.

We chose small ships rather than those huge things and were surprised that even after a three week cruise we were still meeting people for the first time!

I enjoyed the cruise I went on but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't gone alone (sister in law had to drop out at the last minute).

Whilst everyone was friendly and I was rarely sitting alone - it would have been nice to have someone to discuss the day with (and not appear to be a "Billy no-mates" !)

Being terrified of the sea and also being seasick it's my idea of hell Have friends who have been on loads of cruises though and have another booked at the end of the year. Each to their own.

Not for me/us I'm afraid. I would find it too frustrating not to be able to do my own thing- the idea of 1000s of people being dropped off at a part to all head for the same cafés, restaurants and shops- and then have to be back on ship at a certain time, when I'd want to climb up and behind, turn left or right and explore, no!

But now we know of the massive environmental damage those massive ships cause- I just could not anyhow.

A river cruise for a few days perhaps - with a small boat perhaps one day.

We've been on one cruise, but it's spoilt me for any other kind of holiday.

I loved it.

We only went for eight days, how I wish it could have been longer.

We went with one of the smaller cruise lines, and sailed from Tilbury to the Norwegian Fjords, then back again. Everything was magical.

I've never really wanted to go on a cruise - we like to get away from people, not be crowded together with them. And seeing the hoardes of bewildered tourists drifting around Kirkwall hasn't encouraged me to try it.

However, DS has been and says he doesn't find it difficult to find a quiet spot. He's off to cruise the Norwegian fjords soon, having seen them from the landward side with us as a child. I think it would be interesting to get the alternate view.

Given my preference for being away from people, I wonder if I'd be happier on a very small cruise or would find that it was more difficult to get time to myself.

I've only done one proper cruise and I cant say I really enjoyed it- we found it horribly expensive. I realise it can be done less expensively but that would involve going on a much larger ship than the one we went on - too many people for us. DH was stir crazy!!

We love cruises. Mostly on smaller ships though. We're not interested in casinos, pubs and noisy shows. Have never felt crowded or herded about. Always lots of lovely quiet spaces. DH enjoys talks but I like reading and watching the sea slip by. There's company at mealtimes if you want to chat to new people.
Yes they're expensive but costed per person per day it's fine especially given the sheer quality of the ships we prefer.

Where’s Galen? She’s our cruise expert.?

Absolutely love it. We were concerned about the amount of people on our first cruise, but there is so much to do, and so many places to sit quietly, if you wish, that people were no problem at all. Every body, staff and passengers were friendly. There are lots of excursions to take, and things to do on board, but there is absolutely no pressure to do anything. Superb food, lovely cabins. Great. Do have a balcony cabin if you can. It makes all the difference.

We did a six week cruise on retirement and absolutely loved it. We have also done river cruises which we enjoyed even more as there is more freedom, a younger set of people and a party atmosphere (just before Christmas). We have 2 more booked for next year. I loved seeing the more exotic places without having to worry about food hygiene and toilets; some of these are a real eye opener around the world.
I think of sea cruises as like window shopping, you can always go back to the places you really love.
I enjoyed ths lectures too, while Mr R is quite happy reading on the balcony.

Brillian , Amazing , Wonderful ,Fantastic.
I have done over 30 ,some on my own ,the best way to travel .
Sailing from Southampton is a breeze.
I eWorld suggest P & O for the first cruise .

I too loved waking up in places I would never get to,I was however really seasick ( it is so bad) but a visit from the ships doctor who have me an injection sorted me out in less than 5 mins.

We love it. It is easy to find a quiet spot although we do prefer to have our own balcony. We rarely go on organised ship's tours which are expensive. We also hate being herded around and told what time to get back to various spots. With research before we have managed to get local transport/buses to places we want to visit and spend as long as we want there. It is a great way to see places and decide if you want to come back and spend longer there. Cruise No. 12 coming up later this year.

We have done three P&O cruises and one TUI (Marella). We prefer the P&O ones as they seem more organised. I would highly recommend cruising to anyone. We keep to ourselves if we want or make a point of joining in. It's up to you. And the joy of waking up in new and exotic places is wonderful.

I’ve done 6 cruises and absolutely loved them all. To wake up in a different place every day is amazing. Seen places we would never see otherwise. My favourites were Eastern Europe. Alaska and the fall cruise from New York to Canada. I’ve only ever cruised with Royal Caribbean but I would highly recommend taking a cruise.

How are you with people? I heard of someone who always dreamed of going on a cruise but then found being surrounded by people for every meal overwhelming and sadly didn't enjoy it.

Live it going in one next week and can't wait. Food amazing lots to do onboard and it's relaxing. You can do as little or as much as you want no one bothers you. It's sheer indulgence then back to reality when your home. We're going through Royal caribean and it's fab but I must admit I prefer the smaller cruise ships. Just less people!

Cruises are not all the same, or cruisers either. You can pick a cruise where you are somewhere new every day and wear yourself out sightseeing (us) or pick one with many sea days and just veg out in the sun with great, unlimited food and live entertainment. Anyone who says they would be bored on a cruise, but who would sit by a pool for two weeks, should think again.

My experience was 'Butlins on a Boat'. Hated it - am very reluctant to go again. Can't complain about the places we visited - just the 'cruise' experience.

We’ve been on three. They were the ones where you fly to a port and sail from there. I didn’t want to sail from England as you have to have more days at sea. (Also the Bay of Biscay!)
We like to ‘people watch’ and never feel crowded. The one up the Panama Canal was absolutely fascinating.
I also loved the Celebrity cruise to the Caribbean.

I have always said I would never cruise but was unexpectedly offered a cruise after one of my Mums friends dropped out at the last minute.

I really enjoyed it. The food was excellent with plenty of options to choose from - from fine dining to self service and pub grub style food.

The entertainment was superb with plenty of things to do during the days and evenings.

I wasn't over-impressed with the organised trips when in port, I found them expensive and too regimented for me. I went on one or two but 'did my own thing' after that.

Never felt 'overcrowded' there is plenty of quite areas to be found - unless you are the type who always wants the best spot near the pool!

I still prefer to travel independently (I don't think you really get to see an awful lot of a country when you're only in port for one day) but I would definitely go on another cruise, perhaps when i'm older and less inclined to explore on my own.

Go for it - you won't know until you try.

From a very outdoor woman here who is always fell walking, cycling, gardening, skiing, etc to say yes I have done cruising and been a completely different experience from our usual active holidays. On the first one I felt like going Baa baa and following a load of sheep but after a bit really enjoyed the wonderful food, always did our own trips (way too expensive from the cruise liner, huge rip off) saw some very interesting places and even enjoyed the days at sea with some good reading, knitting, puzzles, scrabble etc. But you are only in ports for such a limited time and off again so you have to be quick to take in what you want to see. But having recovered from surgery it has been a super holiday to chill and relax on.