Views on a cruise

Cruises can be summed up in one sentence - 'what's not to love ?'

They are wonderful. What other type of holiday offers you to chance to visit so many countries all from the comfort and luxury of a floating hotel ?

We have been cruising for approximately 14 years now and I have loved every one. We have flown to the Caribbean in the winter, stepped off the plane 8 hours later into the Barbados sunshine. In the summer we cruise around the Med and the Adriatic. All wonderful !

I love waking up each morning, stepping out onto the balcony with my cuppa and watch us come in to a new port.

Although they are not the cheapest holiday, so much is included in the price so they do end up representing good value for money.

Yes of course the ardent 'save the planet' brigade will hate them, but then of course they hate all forms of motorised transport, don't they?!

Jane10, there certainly have been ‘scares’ about everything all our lives, the ozone layer, petrol, so everyone switched to diesel, then we discover it’s actually diesel that causes the bigger problem, don’t eat eggs, do eat eggs, eat less meat, eat less carbs, and so it goes on. We should do what we can, but we can’t change the world singlehandedly.

I’m impressed by your knowledge of cruise ships Jura (and I’m not being sarcastic.) Well I mean I’m impressed by your knowledge of the pollution they cause. It’s certainly true that all ships/boats that have engines do give off a foul aroma from the pollution they cause.

Not 'resorting' to anything jura. These are my honest opinions which I am (currently) entitled to as you are to yours. ?

Doodle could you get a ferry to, say, France then travel by train, which is less polluting?

jura I do understand your concern about the environment and you obviously have insight into the problem with cruise ships. I’ll be honest, I love cruising. Having spent most of my life in the UK I now really enjoy seeing other parts of the world. The ships we go on are all under 1000 passengers but I know that makes no difference to the pollution they can cause. What can I say. Due to health issues we cannot cope with flying and cruising seems to be the way we can see some of the sights others have enjoyed in the past. We walk a lot and don’t use a car much. Do you use a car or are you totally committed to the environment? (Not a sarcastic question by the way just one of genuine interest) Have you given up all travel and stay in the one country all the time?

While it can be tough to generalize, since the size, destination, and design of the ship all play a role, resource management expert Hrvoje Carić attempted to answer this question with a case study of cruise ships at a popular port in Croatia. Carić notes that the emissions are especially problematic. Most ships, not just cruise ships, use “bunker fuel” which burns far dirtier than automobile gasoline. Vast quantities of fuel are required to move the immense mass of a cruise ship, with commensurately huge emissions of CO2 as well as nitrogen and sulfur oxides. Carić estimates that the average CO2 emissions for a 3,000-passenger cruise ship is 1,200 kg/km, and trips can be thousands of kilometers long. The emissions dwarf those produced by cars.

Another significant impact comes from anti-fouling paint on the hull. According to Carić, the paint sheds toxic heavy metals into the ocean, which can then work their way into the marine food web. The problem is exacerbated when the ships are in port, where many ships at once introduce larger amounts of metals into shallower, partly-enclosed waters and heavy metals can build into higher concentrations.

Large ships also produce engine noise, a potential hazard to marine life, and can collide with marine mammals.

honestly - resort to this kind of comment is a huge pity. Surprised I have to say.

Cruise ships have been proved to have a massive impact on the environment, some more and others. And today of all days- as said, a pity.

Just makes me feel old. There seem to have been climate scares for my whole life. I've worried about the arctic ice which was predicted to have melted by 2000 and the seas were also predicted to be 20 metres higher too. Living near the sea at the time I was very concerned. Then there was the ozone layer to worry about. That's apparently closing off nicely now.
Today's life - panic about everything, don't say anything that anybody might one say take offence at, don't eat carbs or cake or alcohol and so on and so forth. My whole life I've done the right thing and worked to help others. Why bother living? I'll be off soon so I think I might as well go on a cruise!

Sorry to change the narrative here, but as there are protests internationally over climate action, is this a good time to re-think attraction to cruises?

www.theguardian.com/travel/2006/dec/20/cruises.green

Some cruise lines are for over 18s only. Fair enough. They are designed for adults and don't have the razzmatazz water slides and climbing walls and kiddies fun stuff that some of the larger lines aimed at families have.
We particularly enjoy the Scandinavian decor and relaxed atmosphere of Viking Ocean. On previous lines we've hated having to book dinner for 6.30 or 8. 30. Also dislike being 'seated' at the same table each night after some pretty bad experiences!
P&O and Fred Olsen seem to have predominantly British passengers. Celebrity owns most of the larger lines and there tends to be more Americans on board those.
There are so many forms of cruise that it's impossible to generalise other than to say they sail on water!

I hadn’t seen the advertisement but have just looked it up now and is indeed as you said EllanVannin. Saga have said it was a mistake and it was meant to emphasis sailing from British ports. You may or may not choose to believe them but I can assure you that we have sailed with Saga many times as I said before with people from all over the world and ‘Brits’ are people from all over the world too. Adult only over 50, yes why not. We choose to go with older people that we have more in common with just like club 18-30 wouldn’t welcome us to join them.

Some hotels are ‘adults only’, usually the luxurious ones. I’ve never been to one. Cruises are not usually ‘adults only’ though, but they shouldn’t be advertising Brits only, that’s out of order.

maddyone- glad you understand now. Doodle, of course there isn't- but to advertise cruises for 'British people only' certainly raised eyebrows and upset many- and I am not surprised.

Saga are under fire for advertising " Brits only ", over 50's and adults only ". Very friendly I must say !

Becasue the ships are so big and have stabilisers even when sea is rough you so not feel ship going up and down. I have never met anyone on a cruise who has been sea sick.

My friends work on cruise ships as chefs. They pointed out that many older ladies are permanently on cruises as they work out far cheaper than care homes!

On all cruises we have been on I have not been aware of British only. I don't think dogs are allowed though except guide or hearing dogs. I can't image any company who only wanted to see to one group would be profitable as it eliminates most of population. Very odd.

We have done four cruises now. One to Norwegian Fjords and three around the Med. We enjoyed them all. The food is superb with so much choice. You can chose to eat formally in dining room where you are placed on table with other people and so over the week get a know them a bit or go to cafeteria and help yourself. We enjoyed going on different excursions at each port we visited. You can chose to just wonder around on your own. The cabins are clean and not at all claustrophobic. We had a balcony last time as for our wedding anniversary and it was great to sit on balcony watching as we left a port with glass of wine in hand and sun setting. There are also swimming pools, spa pools and gym equipment for those who want to keep fit. We used to walk around the deck in the evenings after dinner for a bit of exercise. We enjoyed the entertainment shows. We saw Lion King and it was really professional. We also did some beginners ballroom dancing. and enjoyed the jazz bar where a talented man played the piano and another the saxophone. There is plenty to do and you will not get bored. You can either chose to join in eg aquarobics or do your own thing. I would recommencement you take a couple of looser garments as I put on a few pounds over the week. we did not go to casino but they have one for those that like it along with quizzes and wine tasting.

Totally agree with you Doodle, I mentioned a few countries from which we met people, but it was by no means a comprehensive list. We’ve met people from all over the world, and it’s one of the things about cruising that we like. I’ve met plenty of black people (from different countries) and Irish people on cruises, but not dogs! Not sure they’d be allowed, except for guide dogs.
Age is a different matter, I think it’s fair to say that most people are 50+, although I’ve been on cruises with many younger people, and even children, more than once. To be honest I’m not sure cruising is the right holiday for children, I do feel it’s an adult’s holiday.

We have been on many Saga cruises and whilst the majority are from the UK (the ships sail from the south coast) we have had fellow travellers from America, Africa, China all sorts of places. There is certainly not a no blacks policy on Saga and we would never consider cruising with them if there was. We have met many people of all races and religions from all over the world on our cruises and as for the Irish we had many Irish people on our last cruise which included stops in Ireland. Admittedly I have never seen any dogs on our cruise but we did have a parrot last time.

Oh I see, I understand now. Well I shouldn’t have thought that any cruise line should be advertising for any specific nationality only, very divisive in my opinion, and completely removes the possibility to mix with others from different places. That’s one of the things I enjoy about cruising, especially far flung places. We’ve been to the Far East twice, Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and other places. On these cruises we’ve met people from all around the world, and especially many Americans, and in particular Americans with the most interesting backgrounds ie a couple who escaped from Vietnam on the last day before it fell, and are now American citizens. Also some American Jewish people with moving and interesting backgrounds, and they originated from many different European countries. Also a Ukrainian who escaped communism and is now American. Plus we met Australians, Europeans, British, you get the picture. It’s one of the reasons we don’t cruise P+O, because it’s mostly British people, not that we don’t like our own nationality, but we love meeting people from a variety of backgrounds. We also travel widely (not just cruises) and again enjoy meeting and talking with the nationals of the country we’re visiting.
So I now completely understand what you were saying and have some sympathy with that point of view. Thank you for explaining.

What I meant was that any Holiday, and even worse coach or cruise- with only one nationality or ethnic group, and only of a certain age- would be awful for me/us. Swiss only, or USA only, or whatever 'only' - would feel like a 'ghetto'. I like mixed groups, different people, mix of ages, languages, cultures ...

Anyhow Saga have had to apologise for adveritising British Only as there has been so much outcry about it. How would they determine what the 'British' would be. My Swiss friend is currently on a cruise, with his Belgian husband- who have been working for years in the UK and are house owners - would they be allowed? Loads of British citizens are not British born and bred, and do not have British passports.

I love cruises, but have never cruised with Saga. I have cruised with Holland America, Cunard (only once) and Celebrity. Way back in 2004 I went on my first cruise with DH and my parents, my lovely Dad was still alive then. It was with Costa. There were never enough seats/loungers wherever we went on the ship, although it was a lovely ship otherwise, but for that reason we never went with them again. Likewise my second cruise was in 2007 with DH. It was to the Baltic with NCL. It was a fantastic cruise for destinations but we felt the ship was a little tired, so likewise we haven’t cruised with them since either.

I apologise if I’m wrong Jura, but I understood you were saying that a cruise with only Brits and over 50 age group would be your idea of a nightmare, doubly.
Can you let me know what you actually meant? Big apologies if I’m wrong.