Thinking of a cruise next month. Never been on one, never fancied it, always thought it would be like Butlins but on a ship, so any suggestions?
I went on a 'small ship cruise' this year in the Adriatic. Loved it, only about a dozen cabins, restaurant, bar, no on-board 'entertainment', ie singers, conjurers, films, etc. Stop in a different port every night, sort out your own dinner, nightlife. Life at sea without the Butlins element.
Its our 50th wedding anniversary so we feel as though we should do something we haven't done before. I could think of several but,.....people keep suggesting a cruise. Watched the 'Brits on a cruise' type reality programme on the telly and it just looks horrendous.
I think they are very much a Marmite experience,my mother loves em my dad hates them .Thats probably why they have been divorced over forty years.
Which is exactly why we chose the small ship version. I'd rather die than go on one of those big jobs.
Bit of a sweeping statement Lots of friends who go on cruises and love them And not in the least like the tv programme
Why is it a sweeping statement? I don't like big cruise ships so choose not to go on one. I also know folk who love big cruise ships, no skin off my nose.
That is a genuine fear Ben, and one of the reasons we haven't been on a cruise before. Actually tried to book one yesterday thinking they'd be snapping our hands off at the travel agents. No chance, theres nothing decent available to the Med and the prices are ridiculous. So it's looking like a week in Whitby.
Not knowing your budget, I've no idea if this will be suitable for you, but Fred. Olsen are doing a 19 day exploring the islands of the Mediterranean cruise sailing from Newcastle on 14th September. It's on the Balmoral which is small for a cruise ship and certainly nothing like Butlins. Quite formal and aimed at an older demographic with excellent food and reasonably priced drinks. They also offer drinks packages or free onboard spends as an incentive. Evening entertainment is fairly good and they always have knowledgeable guest speakers. The top spec cabins are crazy prices but the lower down the ship you go, the cheaper it gets.
'Next month' limits your choices but there are last minute cruise sites out there. My wife and I did a one-way cruise from Vancouver to Seward in Alaska. A once in a lifetime trip and there is no other realistic way to see Alaska but you may not be able to organise the cruise, visas and flights at short notice. Ask yourself: what is our budget? Do we want to sail from UK or fly to departure port? What/where do we want to see? On the first and second points, the cruise itself wasn't too expensive (we booked an outside cabin with a view partially obscured by a lifeboat) but we had to factor in the cost of a flight to Vancouver and return flight from Fairbanks. Regarding the third point, I would like to visit Rome, for example. But I want to spend a few days there, not a few hours. I could say the same about Sydney, the Caribbean and many other places. Norway might be nice, sail from UK and sit in the bar looking at fjords. Regarding the cruise experience itself: we went during school time so no 'Butlins' experience. Plenty of food and drink in the package we were on. The ship had a casino and a library. Park rangers came on board to tell us about whales and glaciers. As I say, decide where you want to go, how iyou want to spend and plan from there.
I went cruising with George Michael once. Not what I expected at all and I certainly won't be doing it again!
Always thought the same but then last year we had a go and cruised the Caribbean, 7 countries over 9 days, and absolutely loved it. The 'Butlins' stuff you can take or leave and if you want to just eat quietly in a restaurant or go to the shows it is up to you as there is space for all tastes. Found it a great way to get a taste of different places without packing and unpacking your bags every night. Enjoyed it so much we are doing a far east cruise in January and can't wait!
Don't come cruising to Norway right now, Gary, the weather's ****e. 16 degrees and raining every day for the rest of my life.
Won't be going to Norway, not when beers £10 a pint. We were told yesterday that there was nothing available to the Med when we wanted to go and the type of cabin we wanted. Today three turned up on the internet. Destination is down to the missus now.
