Going on a cruise, what is it really like?

I always said I would never cruise cos I would be bored, despite many friends telling me it was marvellous. However, we treated ourselves to a Med cruise 8 years ago and absolutely loved it - so much so that in March we are going on our 8th cruise to the Med and Greek Islands and next Jan our third World Cruise for 3 months.

All with P and O.

I have no criticisms of them at all and don''t agree with some posters on here. EG there are plenty of options to eat without paying extra, from the large main restaurants to the buffet and numerous smaller outlets. The two "extra cost" restaurants include an Indian and a more "up-market" English - and are well worth it for a treat. Admittedly after Covid the restaurant choices were somewhat reduced (due, I imagine, to the squeeze on profits for several months and the enormous "refunds" they gave to those whose cruises were seriously affected by Covid, but are returning to normal.

Nowhere is overcrowded on board, plenty of activities of all kinds imaginable if you want them, lovely bars, fantastic entertainment of all kinds, and made some wonderful lifelong friends.

We've unfortunately needed medical treatment on board and it couldn't have been better. The hardworking staff are fantastic.

Drinks at the bar are equivalent to UK prices.

We prefer the medium-sized ships to the giant ones, they seem to have nothing much extra to offer overall and queues can get a bit tedious at times, but not on the smaller ships.

Can't wait for our next two cruises with P and O!

I have sailed on a Turkish gulet twice each with 7 guests and ships up to 6,300 people on MSC EuribiaNever had A bad experience.Favourite is Marella.Always something going on.

I have only been on one cruise as I needed a holiday a year after I was widowed, I wanted door to door etc and picked saga. It cost me a whopping £5000 in 2016. It was an older ship

The whole thing was as expected, lovely food and stewards. I met some very nice people and was put on a dining table with other solo passengers. I was amazed to hear that some had lock up and leave mcCarthy homes, just so they could go on saga cruises, which they had at discounts

Dress code was easy, the library was good, coughing from cabins was bad and I caught a very nasty bronchial cough to take home.

I will not go on another cruise

I’m going on a Mediterranean cruise next yr and I’ve never in all my life been on one before, I’ve heard many stories about cruises, once you’ve been on one you want to go again and again, they are very suitable for wheelchair users Limitless travel is taking me there and I’ve a personal carer all the way, it’s not cheap but then you can’t take it with you p, I’m all for giving it a bash

As a single I have always cruised with Cunard, I don't want to drive to Southampton and they have altered pick up points for their coaches so they are not viable anymore for me.
Looked at Saga, as a couple they are fine but what costs 6k more than doubles if you are solo. I did have one, was not impressed by the entertainment or the food so that's when i started using Cunard.
I did one P and O but not a patch on Cunard in my opinion, they make no effort for singles you are on your own for the duration, it would be nice for example to get a mixture of singles and couples at a table ir a meeting for singles I think I will try them again but not on their huge ships one of the older ones.
I live on my own so used to being alone but it seems much worse surrounded by just couples.

I’ve done a few, if you are uncertain on a short cruise in summer to the Norwegian Fiords from or Southampton or Harwich probably others too that will give you a taste of the cruise routine, on a smallish ship. I have done a Viking River cruise, nice enough but pricey, other passengers were predominantly from the US, fine by me but may not suit everyone, Viking is a US company , not Scandinavian

Everything is done for you, excursions are not compulsory, there are queues to get on and off the ship and there is a time schedule to be kept, typical passengers are 50+, moderate disabilities are handled routinely

We treat cruises as a 5 star hotel that is in a different place every day. You can do whatever you wish. Only the lifeboat drill is compulsory (and that was virtual through our cabin tv on our last trip).

TV programmes show everything that is available, but it's your holiday to do as you please.

We are working our way through a bucket list of places we'd like to visit and can tick off 2 or 3 on one cruise.

I agree with others. Try a short trip to Rotterdam or similar.

We love Viking as (almost) everything is included in the upfront price.

Graceless

I am also looking at cruises specifically the Danube to the Black Sea.
I have been on a Nile cruise about 30 years ago which to my surprise I absolutely loved. Not too many people and most, on my table at least, were singletons and really good company. I'm sorry can't remember the name of the company I booked with - it was one that advertised regularly in the weekend papers. All the excursions were Included and the guides spoke excellent English

Graceless I am also looking at cruises specifically the Danube to the Black Sea.

Viking Rive do several wonderful cruise on the Danube.

We loved one beginning with an extension in Prague and ending with an extension in Istanbul. Fascinating locks whilst cruising.

I have always liked the idea of a cruise but concerned that I may have problems with food allergies. I am severely allergic to wheat and nuts and carry epipens. I have been in hospital numerous times for anaphylaxis.
Does anyone have any experience of cruising with severe food allergies ?
Would be interested to hear your thoughts.

Jaffacake2 Saga are really good with people who have allergies; I don't have any myself, but I understand that you go to a meeting on the first or second day with the chef who makes a note of any allergies you have. Then at dinner every night you are brought the next days menus which are specially matched to your allergies so that you can pre-order your meals for the next day.

Jaffacake, on our last P and O World Cruise we made friends with a lady who was (to us with no food intolerances) intolerant to almost everything and she was catered for perfectly in every meal. On an earlier cruise was a severely physically disabled lady (ultra cheerful!) who had to have all her food liquidised and they catered admirably for her too. On another cruise, we made friends with a carer whose "ward" was a bed/chairbound gentleman with special diet prescribed by his doctors and the catering staff provided everything as he needed it.

Jaffacake2 Viking River (no idea re ocean) very good with all dietary needs. The menus list GF, Vegan, Vegetarian and the chef will also take on all suggestions as to what people desire.

Thank you for your replies. Time to start looking again at cruises !

MiniMoon

Cunard, not as posh as you would imagine. Two formal nights on our cruise, but they aren't compulsory, you can eat dinner in the buffet. You don't have to take part in any of the activities or excursions if you prefer not to. We were on Queen Mary 2.
We went on a 7 night Norwegian fjords cruise with a company that no longer exists. Very relaxed, we loved every minute.
Do give cruising a try, it spoilt us for any other type of holiday.

We are having our first cruise ever, on Queen Mary 11, in April, 7 nights, Barcelona and Rome.

We are excited and apprehensive all in one go!

I haven't seen any mention of Ambassador Cruise Line, which is relatively new. We've been on 3 cruises with them and have been very happy with everything - price, food, entertainment, itineraries. They are a no-fly cruise line with regional departures (London, Liverpool, Belfast, Newcastle, Portsmouth, Bristol, Dundee ... probably more) and they have two ships which are called Ambience and Ambition

Last year we booked a one-week cruise from Athens to Barcelona without paying attention to the cruise line. It turned out to be Virgin and it was VERY different. If you find yourself looking at a Virgin cruise do check out the reviews first as it might not suit you. There's far too much to tell here (!) so the only specific comments I will make is that the food was fantastic (several notches above any other cruise ship we've been on) but the drinks were extremely expensive (a small glass of red wine was $9). The entertainment was bizarre.

We always choose a cruise more for the intinerary than anything as we're not really into the cruise experience for its own sake, but if you treat it as a floating hotel where you wake up in a new place every day or so, it can be a wonderful experience. Our first experiment with this type of holiday was a round Britain trip which took in Scottish ports and islands, Dublin, Scilly Isles, Channel Islands etc., most of which we hadn't seen before.

My friend & I went on a Silver Seas cruise. The headline price is expensive but my friend said before we booked that she only needed spending money as everything else was included , tips trips, food, drink and laundry and excellent service Another friend went with a company that uses Holland America line ships, he ended up paying more than we did for all the add ons
Hurtigruten Northern Lights cruise - small cabins but comfy beds, good food.
Hurtigruten Expedition to Gallapagos, Brilliant Great even if you are not very mobile

You make it what you want it to be. I love crusing, my friend and I go together when we can afford to but would go frequently if we could afford to. Coach to Southampton, our cases (no weight limit is a real bonus) are awaiting in the cabin. We like Royal Caribbean and P&O.

Having never been on a cruise , can you tell me , do they do table cloths in the restaurants. I hope they dont serve meals on boards or slates, do they do tables for two.

When I see adverts for cruises on tv I see those enormous ships that look like floating tower blocks with all that forced entertainment it makes me feel as if I would be in prison. I think I could manage a river cruise on a small ship. I've been on a Gulet cruise, and ferries to the continent which I have quite enjoyed but I don't think I could manage one of those huge ships.

We’ve been on lots of cruises, mostly with Princess but five with P&O. We loved Princess cruises for over 20yrs. Great food; lots of room; plenty of Sun loungers; great crew; excellent entertainment. We love the huge outdoor cinema screens. We book excursions with the cruise line and they’ve always been good. We’ve booked our first SAGA cruise and are looking forward to it.

The Susan Colman programme on Fred Olsen’s Bollette is accurate. P&O have new management and have been making lots of cuts. This has led to lots of people who regulary cruised with them having moved over to Fred Olsen and other lines. FO and Ambassador Cruise Lines also sail, not only from the South of England, but also from Northern Ports (Liverpool, Newcastle, Rosyth and Dundee).

We love cruises! Our first experience of a ‘cruise’ was the overnight P&O ferry to Rotterdam from Hull in the 90s! We spent a day in Amsterdam and loved it. Our next ‘proper’ cruise was on Thomson Dream around the Med. (Thomson is now Marella I believe). The best part of a cruise is waking up in a different port almost every day!
As we’ve got older, we’ve become more nervous about flying, so that has limited our cruise options. We’ve been on P&O (Norway/Med/Canaries) and Celebrity (Baltic) from Southampton and Fred Olsen (Norway) from Liverpool. P&O and F. Olsen are very British - everything is priced in sterling and drinks are pub prices. However - Celebrity is American, everything is in dollars and the price of drinks is astronomical! We also found that there was a lot of emphasis on boozing and gambling. I always like to visit the library on board, but the Celebrity Apex one was very disappointing. However the ship itself is beautiful - the newest we’ve been on.
For a first cruise I would try a short one, maybe British Isles or Norway? P&O is probably the easiest one to book, because car parking can be included or you can choose a coach transfer. With other cruise lines, parking has to be arranged separately. If you like a drink, choose a package, otherwise you’ll pay a fortune! Same goes for WiFi - unless you choose one of the super luxury cruises where everything is included.
We prefer the smaller adult only ships - Fred Olsen, P&O Aurora or Arcadia. We haven’t tried Ambassador yet - I’m disappointed that there only a few cruises from Liverpool and the itineraries are not very inspiring.
I wouldn’t worry about crowds on board! There are plenty of quiet areas on any ship and you don’t usually have to share a dining table if you don’t want to. Just one warning - solo cabins are very expensive. It’s best to go as a couple or with a friend.
Hope you give it a try! I’m just planning our next one - maybe Croatia with Fred Olsen. 😎

Galton

Having never been on a cruise , can you tell me , do they do table cloths in the restaurants. I hope they dont serve meals on boards or slates, do they do tables for two.

Yes table cloths. Yes tables for two.

Galton

Having never been on a cruise , can you tell me , do they do table cloths in the restaurants. I hope they dont serve meals on boards or slates, do they do tables for two.

Yes, no and yes