I love to cruise do you?

JdotJ

Butlins at sea

Have you actually been on a cruise?

polly123

I have been to Venice a few times and love it for lots of reasons. However, we didn't enjoy seeing a massive monster of a cruise ship suddenly intrude on the beauty of Venice and literally dwarf everything. I think there are plans in place to deal with this problem. We didn't envy the long groups of cruise tourists following some person at the front waving a scarf and heading for somewhere where commission could be earned. We like to stay in one place and explore as much of it as possible and not just tick a list.

Those huge ships in Venice are a menace and a disgrace, In Split and Dubrovnik last year, the view from the Port were totally ruined for everyone by rows and rows of massive cruise ships- you could not see out to sea. And when one of several of those ships 'disgorge' the whole town becomes massively over crowded, impossible to do anything.

As you say polly - what is the point of a tick list. You haven't visited a town or area if you arrived at 10am and back on the ship late afternoon. Barely scratched the surface.

I think most people have no idea of the living conditions for staff and poor wages- especially the ones they never see.

''Staff are often tied to contracts stretching six to eight months. They sleep in cramped, noisy cabins. And in comparison to the passengers, their food is poor - usually eaten in a crew canteen. An authoritarian management code often ensures an abrupt dismissal for breaching regulations on dress code and contact with passengers.

One Indian man who peels vegetables for 11 hours at a time on board the Festival, a ship owned by industry giant Carnival, said: 'If you speak from the heart, you are gone, fired. You just have to keep saying "yes".'

In another case, International Transport Workers' Federation investigators found two showers and one working toilet for 100 male and female crew members on a ship serving the Caribbean. Staff slept six to a cabin.

'Conditions for workers below deck haven't improved in decades,' said Tony Sasso, a Miami-based inspector with the ITWF. 'People are still underpaid, workers have few rights. Many of them are reluctant to come forward and complain. To most people, workers on cruise liners are nonentities. They have an almost invisible existence.'

Arthur Espinoza, 37, a Filipino, worked as a continental chef for the Disney Cruise Line in 1998. His ship, the Disney Magic, carried around 2,600 guests. They were served by 900 staff members. Espinoza, voted Employee of the Month in 1999, regularly worked 14- to 16-hour shifts, seven days a week. His was a twilight world, consisting of only work and sleep. He complained about staffing levels and work pressures to Disney in October 1999.

'Conditions were very bad,' he said. 'There was a lack of manpower in the kitchen. We were always working. And there was never enough time for all the preparation. I needed Disney to help us. I remember, when I was being trained by them, they had always said how important it was for us to work as a family. I thought I could be open with them.'

Espinoza was fired later that month after Disney claimed he refused to work. On leaving the Disney Magic, the ship's captain took his seaman's book - a log of employment carried by all seafarers - and added the comment, 'Dismissed for work refusal'. Espinoza has been forced to move back to Manila. He sued the Disney Cruise Line for wrongful dismissal but lost his case in May 2000 - he has since appealed. But he has been unable to find work in the cruise ships industry since. He now sells clothes for a living.

One of the worst cases highlighted in the report dates from last year, when 237 crew members from 24 different countries were stranded in Dover after their ship, Ocean Glory 1, was detained by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The 51-year-old vessel had 35 safety defects. The journey from Greece to Dover had been a catalogue of disasters. The ship stalled in the Mediterranean, living conditions were filthy, the Greek officers were abusive to their staff.

'As long as these workers don't have proper representation, bad working conditions will continue,' said Tony Sasso of the ITWF. 'But this is a hidden world. If passengers were allowed access to to the staff areas, I'm sure most people would be put off the idea of a cruise completely.''

I prefer a land based holiday. We have been on a few cruises and used them to get a taste of places to spend longer (land based) holidays e.g. Costa Rica and India, where we spent several weeks each subsequently.

BlueBelle

My view is I can’t think of anything I d less like to do 😂

I'm afraid I agree.

As a way of seeing eg the Norwegian fjords or the Northern Lights or castles of the Rhine, cruising might appeal. But paying cruise prices to read my book on deck or have a facial or whatever , why?
And as for the “evening entertainment” so often advertised, like a cabaret (😱😱) or on board entertainment, I’d rather choose my own theatre or concert entertainment any day. Maybe lectures from Mary Beard on a cruise to Ancient Greece or Simon Montefiore on a Mediterranean cruise might tempt me as a “taster” of what we were going to visit. But never Bingo or a Casino.
Nor do I long for dressing up for formal dining or the “Captains Table” (I really would rather stick pins under my finger nails! )
Why would I want to eat with the driver?

We know some people (who have never been on one and disapprove on principle) don't want to go on a cruise. So what? Many of us do and enjoy every minute of them for a whole host of reasons. I don't like knitting or cooking but don't find it necessary to go on those threads and disparage those who do.
It's simple. If you don't want to go on a cruise don't go.

Fleurpepper

''Staff are often tied to contracts stretching six to eight months. They sleep in cramped, noisy cabins. And in comparison to the passengers, their food is poor - usually eaten in a crew canteen. An authoritarian management code often ensures an abrupt dismissal for breaching regulations on dress code and contact with passengers.

One Indian man who peels vegetables for 11 hours at a time on board the Festival, a ship owned by industry giant Carnival, said: 'If you speak from the heart, you are gone, fired. You just have to keep saying "yes".'

In another case, International Transport Workers' Federation investigators found two showers and one working toilet for 100 male and female crew members on a ship serving the Caribbean. Staff slept six to a cabin.

'Conditions for workers below deck haven't improved in decades,' said Tony Sasso, a Miami-based inspector with the ITWF. 'People are still underpaid, workers have few rights. Many of them are reluctant to come forward and complain. To most people, workers on cruise liners are nonentities. They have an almost invisible existence.'

Arthur Espinoza, 37, a Filipino, worked as a continental chef for the Disney Cruise Line in 1998. His ship, the Disney Magic, carried around 2,600 guests. They were served by 900 staff members. Espinoza, voted Employee of the Month in 1999, regularly worked 14- to 16-hour shifts, seven days a week. His was a twilight world, consisting of only work and sleep. He complained about staffing levels and work pressures to Disney in October 1999.

'Conditions were very bad,' he said. 'There was a lack of manpower in the kitchen. We were always working. And there was never enough time for all the preparation. I needed Disney to help us. I remember, when I was being trained by them, they had always said how important it was for us to work as a family. I thought I could be open with them.'

Espinoza was fired later that month after Disney claimed he refused to work. On leaving the Disney Magic, the ship's captain took his seaman's book - a log of employment carried by all seafarers - and added the comment, 'Dismissed for work refusal'. Espinoza has been forced to move back to Manila. He sued the Disney Cruise Line for wrongful dismissal but lost his case in May 2000 - he has since appealed. But he has been unable to find work in the cruise ships industry since. He now sells clothes for a living.

One of the worst cases highlighted in the report dates from last year, when 237 crew members from 24 different countries were stranded in Dover after their ship, Ocean Glory 1, was detained by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The 51-year-old vessel had 35 safety defects. The journey from Greece to Dover had been a catalogue of disasters. The ship stalled in the Mediterranean, living conditions were filthy, the Greek officers were abusive to their staff.

'As long as these workers don't have proper representation, bad working conditions will continue,' said Tony Sasso of the ITWF. 'But this is a hidden world. If passengers were allowed access to to the staff areas, I'm sure most people would be put off the idea of a cruise completely.''

Thank you for this very important article and it’s highlighting the abuse of employees. There is a reason cruise ships are cheap.

My DH and I have been on 2: one the Panama Canal with Azamara (700 max passengers) and the Baltic with Viking (900 max?) enjoyed both for the huge variety of places we visited. Loved both cruise lines; we are active and our excursions included bicycles or hiking. Avoid walking tours with groups though and mostly explore the ports on our own. My sister and I did a Mediterranean on a larger ship last year and while I enjoyed the ports, I do not prefer the larger ships at all. DH and I are headed back to Europe (from Canada) in 2 weeks for another cruise with Azamara: 12 days around Italy followed by 11 day bike ride down the Danube from Passau to Vienna. So looking forward to both! We have met lovely people on cruises and, I have to say, not so lovely ones, but you soon learn who to avoid and are not stuck with people at dinner time and there are no dress up nights: dress code is casual resort. Love the evening sail-aways watching the sunset with a glass of wine...

I would never go on a cruise - I picture them as floating tin cans full of viruses, spewing their garbage into he ocean - besides there are sharks out there!

I know there are people out there who 💕 cruising. Just ignore my comments then.

www.google.ch/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiqnbOOnsiAAxU8VUEAHVdsBA4QFnoECDcQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fjamesellsmoor%2F2019%2F04%2F26%2Fcruise-ship-pollution-is-causing-serious-health-and-environmental-problems%2F&usg=AOvVaw0aR9V0x3JxLh1KhGLZCXfS&opi=89978449

The above article highlights how polluting cruise ships are. Not to mention the impact on sea creatures like whales and accidental smashing of corals .

Oh yes, we did a few several years ago and absolutely loved them.

I see that many posters who are dismissing cruises are settled with partners - saying "we do this or we do that" in smug tones, as though they are adventurous independent types and cruising would be beneath them. Lucky for them - some of us would love to have little adventures with convivial companions but don't have that luxury, our partners having died and left us alone and getting on a bit. Cruising is a great solution to the worry of holidaying alone. You're well looked after and it's trouble free. As others have said, there's no pressure to do anything except exactly what you want and at the same time you get a taste of places you wouldn't otherwise see in complete safety. So I thank my lucky stars I am able to enjoy a cruise and recommend it to anyone on their own who wants to get away but would balk at the thought of travelling independently to places they want to see.
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Cunard have dog kennels I saw them when we did a cruise with them few years back so no need to stop cruising just an extra to pay for Dogs looked very well cared for and owners could visit as often as they liked !!!

Aveline

We know some people (who have never been on one and disapprove on principle) don't want to go on a cruise. So what? Many of us do and enjoy every minute of them for a whole host of reasons. I don't like knitting or cooking but don't find it necessary to go on those threads and disparage those who do.
It's simple. If you don't want to go on a cruise don't go.

To be fair Aveline , OP did ask “I love to cruise, do you ?” So even answers in the negative were invited.

mumstheword86

Cunard have dog kennels I saw them when we did a cruise with them few years back so no need to stop cruising just an extra to pay for Dogs looked very well cared for and owners could visit as often as they liked !!!

Wow thanks! That's as good as Brittany Ferries then, even better if the food is free and plentiful!

We love cruises. Took our first in 2009 and taking our 27th in December 2023. We’ve had most of them on one particular cruise line but we’ve been with the best small cruise liners. We hate the big ships. We always like to travel and although we could fly anywhere as ex Airline staff I do try to get a cruise first. I would recommend cruising.

We have done 2 river cruises and really enjoyed them - being able to just get off the boat and amble around interesting old towns - or go on an organised trip further afield. We've also been to the Caribbean twice and each time did two 7 day cruises back to back, also very enjoyable. The one I did not enjoy was going up the Norwegian coast for 14 nights and being at sea for at least half of the time, definitely got cabin fever. If we are in harbour for the day we always eat out at lunchtime, never rush back to the ship and do try to support local businesses.

Aveline

We know some people (who have never been on one and disapprove on principle) don't want to go on a cruise. So what? Many of us do and enjoy every minute of them for a whole host of reasons. I don't like knitting or cooking but don't find it necessary to go on those threads and disparage those who do.
It's simple. If you don't want to go on a cruise don't go.

The OP asked if anyone else did? And the comparison with knitting or cooking is totally nonsensical.

You will love it Cheesey. We have just got back from our first cruise with Saga, funnily enough to the Norwegian fjords and it was perfect from the minute the chauffer driven taxi picked us up from home to when he dropped up back after the cruise. The cabins are spacious,the food is excellent and the crew cannot do enough for you. Don't be put off by the anti cruise brigade!

Did one years go and loved it!-and just when i was thinking of doing it again- all the hoohah there was on cruise ships when covid broke out i darent do it again!

Great holiday as long as there are not many days at sea. Cunard is on my bucket list.

Never been on a cruise and only ever had one package holiday which was a disaster. Hate eating out.
Love the countryside and until my husband died caravanned and camped all over Europe not only visiting towns but the remote countryside getting to know the people.
My sister loved cruising. Looking in my wardrobe once she asked “Where are your evening gowns?” My answer “you don’t need them on camp sites.”

Are there any cruise lines than can cater for restricted dietary requirements? I have not considered cruises mainly because of this as. so normally go self catering, but would love a one off holiday where I don't have to coon. I've been told the food on the ships is really good and hygiene is high standards with gloved service and plentiful sanigel for customers to use before entering dining rooms, but not if you have dietary requirements and need to the ingredients, so would be I pleased to know from Gransnetters if any particular cruise lines can cater.