Cruises - Go on, convince me!

NoTooOld you don't have to dress for dinner or be regimented in any way if you don't want to be. We do what we like when cruising. It's so lovely to open the curtains to a different panorama each day.
Many sorts of cruises are available on all sizes of ships. Just do your research.

I've never been on a cruise as my dh is dead against it. He absolutely hates being organised in any way and would definitely balk at being told to 'dress for dinner'. I have to say, I agree with him, especially in these covid times. The cruise liners seem to attract outbreaks of norovirus and other nasty bugs. However, if I was on my own I might try a cruise as they seem to be a good idea if you are travelling alone. On the other hand, I get seasick easily so maybe not such a good idea.

Market research??

I’ve been on a few cruises, two with my mum and one longer one when husband retired. The absolute best part of a cruise is if you don’t like where you are, you will be somewhere else tomorrow.

Here is the source Kali2

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/expat-familys-lives-ruined-brexit-25158710

I've enjoyed every cruise I've ever been on but I am selective and I do stick to smaller ships. Captain's table is highly overrated in my experience. I'm intending to move into river cruises in future but certainly no plans to do so yet.

My daughter was working on a cruise ship so I went and spent Xmas cruising the Caribbean.
It was a memorable holiday but one I won't repeat, cruising was not for me, nor my daughter she left after it.

I to have worked with cruise ships, P&O and' bless her' our wonderful for ever queen of the seas the Q E.11

What a shame for those who made a lifetime of working on Cruises, like my friends who sent me this

Cruise ship workers are leaving the industry in their droves due to crippling post-Brexit visa rules, a veteran of the industry has claimed.

Jean Williams says her life is being 'destroyed' and the livelihoods of many of her friends 'sacrificed' thanks to new employment rules.

Her 20 year career working on the river boats of Europe has been in serious jeopardy since the UK officially left the EU at the beginning of 2020.

Now the 56-year-old, her husband, son and thousands like them must apply for individual visas for each EU country they visit or sail through the waters of, as well as buy private health insurance.

She calculates the total extra cost at almost £5,000 a year, with the lengthy visa application process taking up to eight weeks.

As a result of the extra bureaucracy, many cruise firms are refusing to hire British workers, Jean says.

Ive been on one cruise to the fiords. I went alone and found at 63 i was probably one of the youngest. I met a lovely group at dinner. Formal nights were my pet hate so i went to the buffet on these nights. I wore jeans and plain black trousers for evening. No sparkly tops, i hate them. There were many singles so i didnt feel odd. I loved being in my cabin looking at the lovely scenery and just sitting on deck. The excursions werent expensive i found it helpful to be on a guided tour. I did lots shopping and didnt touch a drop of alcohol. The waiter even produced me a non alcoholic wine. Would go back again soon as i can afford it

I love cruises, but my husband, not so keen. Anyway I enjoyed seeing some very interesting places, meeting new people, and being looked after. However I wouldn’t get on a cruise ship now if I was being paid to do so. We need to get Covid under control before I would consider another cruise, and I think that could be two or three years away before it becomes comparable to normal winter flu.
Incidentally,I’ve never been ill on a cruise, but I was always careful about hygiene. I’m not sure whether that made any difference or not.

Only been on one cruise and don't intend to do another. I don't like being regulated and supervised all the time. You may wake up in a new place every day, but getting off to see the place involves queueing. You have a limited time in the place and have to be back on the ship at a certain time- you have to queue again and have your bag searched. On shore you queue at every attraction. Meals are huge and too much food is wasted. Some people seem to want to eat all the time.
Years ago they had hand sanitiser at the restaurant doors and you were expected to use it because of the Norovirus. Goodness knows what they will have now!!!

Was lucky enough to be invited onto a cruise from Sydney to Southampton, Sea Princess. I loved every minute of it, met some lovely people, saw fabulous places that I would never have done normally, highlight was walking the Siq to Petra, food was fabulous and plenty to do on board if you want to. Never got invited to Captains table, phew, but our dining room and the people working in there made us all feel very special. Never any illness, and am sure even more l precautions will be taken especially now.

I've worked with large cruise ships, doing the ground handling and organising coaches and guides for people taking excursions organised by the ship. I found the numbers of people heading off together quite overwhelming. Having been on board cruise ships for lunch while working with them I think popping on for lunch is just about as much as I could take. There's just too many people.

However, I have worked for many years as a Tour Manager and I've also worked on river cruises as a cruise escort. I love river cruises. The ships are generally boats, so much smaller and around 150 people tops i.e. 3 buses!

I really enjoy the fact that you wake up somewhere new and you also get a different perspective on places too.

However, couple of things to bear in mind with river cruises;

Firstly you can often end up with boats moored alongside each other so you have to walk through several boats to reach land. This also means your cabin window can be very close to the ship parked next to you, causing some privacy issues.

Secondly, some river cruise ships cruise during the day rather than night. This can be good if you want to sit and enjoy the views. Cruising at night can sometimes be noisy depending on where your cabin is located.

Thirdly, river cruises can often involve locks. These have to be booked in advance and if there is any delay in the program, for whatever reason, it is unlikely that the rest of the lock bookings can be changed. This can mean excursions or visits can be cut short of cancelled.

Finally, river cruises can be impacted by river levels. This can often mean cruises can't do all or the whole of the proposed route.

(Picture shows a typical river cruise boat)

We've had some wonderful cruises over the years. Gulet cruises around Greek Turkish islands were my favourite but they were 25 years ago and definitely wouldn't be suitable now. Not the same but just as enjoyable were the numerous canal barge cruisers we hired for long weekends. Lots of fun if you go as a group and everyone helps with the locks. Loved our two weeks cruising round the Norfolk Broads and would do that again but OH wont. As for Ocean vessels we've sailed on a few small and large visiting Egypt and Israel before the troubles and I'm so glad we did. In recent years we've visited the Baltic twice and the Fjords all fantastic holidays. Friends have pre conceived ideas about cruising on large ships ie dressing up, cramped conditions, nowhere to sit but we found none of it true. If you want to dress up for a couple of formal nights thats fine but you dont have to. The most popular place on formal night is usually the buffet with no one dressed up. Entertainment is there if you want it but no one makes you go to watch a show. We've seen some wonderful artists from West End theatres along with some very funny comedians but if it's not for you, dont go to the Theatre instead sit in a quiet bar listen to a pianist enjoy the ambiance. We love waking up to a new port every day. Occasionally do a ships tour but mainly DIY. The ports usually have a tour office where you can pick up a map and find info on buses, places of interest etc. Its a new adventure every day and we love it.

This chap is an expert in all types of cruises. He has loads of useful information. But judging from the comments to his videos, whether he is positive or explaining the drawbacks, he can't convince anyone to change their mind about cruises.

youtube.com/c/tipsfortravellers

ixion

Guess I'd just feel really embarrassed being seen to disembark from something like this.

Exactly- and no, you don't need to have been on a few cruises to know about the damage and pollution they cause.

Or to know how you would feel about disembarking in your 1000s in a small port, allo going to same cafes and restaurants- and no time to explore further- and have to return for a certain time.

No-one will ever convince me. A river cruise, or local cruise around the UK, in smaller ships with outdoor cabin- this I am considering for when this pandemic is truly over.

Nice, not ice.

I have been on three river cruises. Two with good friends, who we mostly ate with but also mixed with other people as and when. Tables and places were not assigned, which was. Ice,
Then one cruise we went just us. Walked into lunch first day and sat randomly at a table with three other people. Then we were told that’s where we had to sit for breakfast lunch and dinner for a week. We found their company pretty dire to be honest (probably mutual !). Put us right off.

We’ve been on three cruises, Alaska, New Zealand, and the Baltic. Alaska was amazing, but the last one was probably our favourite, on and off at Newcastle, a small ship with no pretensions, but the food was first class and the activities - including the exercise and art classes and expert talks - were all top notch. Interesting destinations, including Copenhagen, Helsinki, Stockholm, Tallinn and two full days in St Petersburg, and a bonus was that we could just walk off the ship and straight into town to do our own thing at all but one stop. We now know where we want to go for a longer stay when we can (Helsinki). The fortnight cruise cost us around £800 each, as we got a last-minute half price deal. Unfortunately the company’s gone out of business in the pandemic, as we were thinking about their British Isles cruise.

On the other hand, I’ve never fancied cruising to the hotspots - when we’ve been to Italy we’ve seen huge groups piling off the ships and filling the streets and never wanted to be part of it. And the floating cities that followed our little ship round the Baltic certainly don’t appeal either.

Pittcity it’s a good way to view it. We once went on a GRJ trip. It involved stopping overnight in different places which meant moving luggage. On a cruise, your luggage is unpacked once and travels with youwith no effort.

I agree with others in suggesting a river cruise. DH likens them to a luxury coach holiday.
We've cruised on big ships but only to see many different places on one holiday. We'd recommend cruising around New Zealand.
Treat the ship as you would a hotel and please yourself. Nothing is forced upon you and it's not Butlins on sea!

I’m really missing the cruises but I still feel a bit nervous of being involved in a lockdown on board. That would be a total nightmare. I will never forget seeing flying fishes for the first time in my life and there is no way, other than by being on a cruise, that I would have had that wonderful experience.

My holidays are always cruises. The advantages for a single person are many. You can be as sociable or quiet as you wish. The trips on the ship are always guided and, although I am happy to explore on my own, there are places where I feel safer in a group. Many varied things to do on board and there are quiet classes as well as jolly ones.

From the time you leave your cases on arrival the holiday does start - only unpacking to do. Food is plentiful and good. I have always travelled P and 0 - sorry caps key is playing up - and found crew to be helpful and pleasant.

I have not booked anything since Covid and shall wait and see how that affects cruises before I book again.

We’ve done two, 2015 and 16, first in the Mediterranean, second Caribbean. Both with Costa, no dressing up, we had a balcony and drinks package which covered all drinks including coffees like cappuccino etc.
We particularly liked visiting places we hadn’t been before with someone else transporting us, the weather, choice of food and total relaxation. We won’t do any more, sort of been there, done that, although I’m aware there are many other types of cruise.