Would you go on a cruise??

Glenster

I've thought cruises were nonsense for years.

I saw myself as an adventurer trekking in the middle east, central asia, Africa, going off the beaten track.

But I turned 30 this year and I'm thinking about doing a cruise this summer with my girlfriend. Just a week in the Med, or maybe the Arabian gulf.

It was grand going on adventures when I was in my 20s, but I've gotten a lot more responsibility in my job in recent years and I think I need to turn off for my holidays now.

Four Phucs Ache

Parents went on one few years ago.

Dad said it was class and said where else in the world can you be alone 50 feet above the world, stuffed from great food, powering through majestic waves with their soothing song while the sun sets ahead over a vast ocean beyond while taking a drag on a smoke before bed.

xzanti

kal7 wrote: »

wife won't go after watching a documentary on freak waves.

The ships have stabilisers

I brought the missus on one for her 30th ,
never been on one but said fook it,
San Francisco to Miami via the panama canal !

It was fantastic,
18 night and we were never board.
We especially loved the days when we were sailing and didnt leave the ship.

Will 100% go again,
Drinks package is a must.

SEPT 23 1989

would love to bring my son on the Disney Cruise ship

endacl

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

would love to bring my son on the Disney Cruise ship

You know the Disney tune, 'when you wish upon a star'? They play that on the foghorn entering and leaving port. Bizarre. And funny.

twowheelsonly

Absolutely go for it. We've been on a couple in the Caribbean, the latest last November and love them.
Food is far from bland, the Norwegian Dawn for instance (our latest one) has 15 dining options and 12 or 13 bars. Everything from sandwiches and fast food to a la carte steak house or Japanese specialities where the chef cooks at your table. Buffet restaurants tend to be the most popular during the day / breakfast as there's a huge selection and it's fast and easy.
One thing I would advise is to chose a freestyle cruise where you eat where and when you want and are not allocated a time or a table for the duration of the cruise.
What I love is the variety of locations. This year I can say I've been to Honduras, Belize, Costa Maya, Cozumel and Grand Cayman - places we probably would never have seen otherwise.
I enjoy the entertainment to be honest and have seen some brilliant comedians, magicians, dancers and musicians. We try to get to most shows on a ship other than the cheesy 'happy clappy' type ones and overall I'd rate the entertainment very highly.
There's also gyms, climbing walls, golf nets, jogging tracks, spa and beauty treatments (expensive!!!) and a host of other stuff on board.

BTW, we previously got caught out in Hurricane Sandy and that 9 day cruise lasted 14 days in the end !!! Was rough but not too bad to be honest.

It took me years to convince my lady boss to go as she had no interest. Now she has my heart broken she loves them so much !! My next job is to convince her to head north on one as she loves the sunshine ones heading south

faceman wrote: »

I've been on a cruise. It was great! Researched the whole thing like mad on the Cruise Critic forums so I knew the most cost effective ways to tackle each city I landed in.

Get your drinks package upfront so you don't have a bigger bill at the end.

Food was great.

Enjoy!

That's one thing we don't do actually as we're not big drinkers anyway and find that the package can work out more expensive.
Be aware that if you buy a drinks package each person in the cabin MUST buy one - there's no sharing the one package.
Our entire ships bill this time around was $800. that includes all drinks and all ships purchases (Smokes, tshirts, small bit of cheap jewelry and souvenirs etc). The 9 day beer package would have been $500 each. We had drinks every day but only 'went on the piss' 2 nights. We drink bottled beer on board so we'd have to be drinking at least 10 bottles each every day to justify the cost. Also, if you buy the beer package then you have to pay for wine or cocktails separately. We just prefer to pick and chose as we go.
The other thing I find is that for 4 or 5 days of the cruise you're off the ship and gone ashore from early morning until evening. A little bit of kip - get the grub, see a show and then in for drinks around 10pm so there's not a lot of time for drinking other than sea days.

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Quick question from me. What's it like in terms of crowding.

Is everywhere mobbed? Like when it's time for food are there crappy queues around the 'normal' times for dinner? Are all the pools crowded out all the time?

Breakfast is the only busy time really as people are up to go off on excursions etc. Even at that there's no mad delays, maybe a queue for 2 or 3 minutes.

padd b1975 wrote: »

Cruise ship passengers fall into three categories.
The newly wed, the overfed and the nearly dead.

Not for me at the moment.

Far from it in my experience. All ages are catered for with probably 35 to 60 being the predominant age group.
At one stage we met a gang of early 20s' Americans on a cruise from New York who got on, bought the drinks packages and partied the whole way through. Don't think they ever even got off the ship at the resorts !! Definitely got their moneys worth of drink anyway


Go for it OP. If nothing else it's something different. You can take a city break anytime.

After a major family bereavement (long expected) a few years go, my dad took the whole family on a Caribbean cruise. My parents, grandmother, two brothers and their families, two of my cousins and myself all went to Miami and onto this huge ship. We all had balconies and the cabins were far from cramped, I'd a dressing room in mine. There were three swimming pools, about six restaurants, a cinema and a theatre - the food was really, really good, there was a huge variety to choose from and the formal dining room had different menus every night. To be honest, none of us darkened the doors of the theatre or cinema, but we all had a really relaxing holiday lazing about reading, exploring the ports of call and generally just regrouping together after a tough time as a family.

There were good excursions in some places and we got to go wakeboarding and diving in places we'd otherwise never have visited, those were fantastic experiences.

All four generations had a good time, I'd recommend it to anyone. I was surprised at the age mix, I expected it to be majority seniors but there were loads of younger people on girls/lads holidays as well as couples and multigenerational families like ours.

Parchment

Its all very Benidorm - no thanks.

twowheelsonly

Parchment wrote: »

Its all very Benidorm - no thanks.

So you haven't been on one - Is that what you're saying ??

Parchment

Parchment wrote: »

Its all very Benidorm - no thanks.

Couldn't be further from the truth.

Again, it's probably also a case of getting what you pay for.

Poor Uncle Tom

kal7 wrote: »

wife won't go after watching a documentary on freak waves.

I hate them too, I just stay sitting and not take part......

No reason not to go on a cruise though....

Winterlong

I would not mind giving it a try. But there are about 100 other holidays I would be choosing before a cruise so I doubt I will ever go on one unless it is an adventure cruise to the arctic or something like that.

Guy:Incognito

Bone Cancer wrote: »

I turn 48 in a couple of days and the missus wants to go on a spring cruise as my present (to her..)
I'm not sold on the idea, would much prefer a city break compared to being stuck on a boat with thousands of people eating bland food, watching low quality entertainment and staying in dingy quarters.

Cruise ships are a bit different to the dublin - holyhead ferry.

Luckycharms_74

Gwynplaine wrote: »

Was on one last year. Amazing. Best holiday ever. Will go again in a few years.
Fort Lauderdale - Haiti - Jamaica - Mexico - Fort Lauderdale. Then on to New York for 3 nights.

Marcellus Wallace was right.

You got a link to the website for that route ?

Parchment

twowheelsonly wrote: »

So you haven't been on one - Is that what you're saying ??

My benidorm style colleagues have. I have seen the photos and heard about the buffets.

Parchment

Parchment wrote: »

My benidorm style colleagues have. I have seen the photos and heard about the buffets.

That's like saying I'd never go to Paris, because I know people who went to Paris and stayed in a hostel and ate McDonalds.

There's more than one cruise offering. I've been on a few - a mediocre European cruises, the lovely Caribbean cruise I mentioned above, and more niche ones like one in the Norwegian fjiords. I've rarely eaten buffet meals.

Not all cruises are the same.

MrMorooka

It's one of those things you can't really go on alone, so no, I wouldn't go. If I had a partner though, sure, I would be up for it. It's an experience and might be fun. I like boats and stuff, enjoyed Titanic's production design, I liked that episode of Keeping Up Appearances where they go on the QE2. Would be a nice change of pace.

harry Bailey esq

If it was free id probably consider it,i consider them for revellers of an older vintage than meself.

endacl

harry Bailey esq wrote: »

If it was free id probably consider it,i consider them for revellers of an older vintage than meself.

Really, not at all. Sure they've cruises aimed at all sorts of reprobates these days!

https://70000tons.com/artists/

Spanish Eyes

OH is mad to go on one. I am not so much inclined.

Would I be right in thinking that extraverts enjoy it much more than quiet people who like their privacy and space, or not? That is the one thing that puts me off TBH.

Being with thousands of people every day and no escape!, well I know you can go to your cabin or maybe on some ships there is a quiet space I dunno.

I just like being anonymous and doing things my way (OH sorry love). So I am a bit reluctant. See it as Hi De Hi on the Seas. OMFG.

However...... I cannot complain from the sidelines without trying it out. So I think I will accede to a week's Med cruise later in the year. You never know I might just love it, and if I didn't try it out, I'd never know what I was missing!

I quite fancy the Rhine/Rhone river cruises though. No big fekkin waves and short enough cruising between stops.

We will see.

Conall Cernach

It also depends on what extras you are getting. Some cruises allow you to eat and drink all you want, at any time, for free and others might just include breakfast, lunch and dinner without drink.

When you're on board though the ships are so big that you cannot feel them move so there is very little chance you'll get seasick.

force eleven

Floating Salmonella carriers. What you really want to go on is a cargo ship cruise, a working boat but you don't, just relax and visit off the beaten track places with no specific timetable.

faceman

For those considering it but worried about weather and freak waves, understand that these ships are massive and have stabiliser fins that minimise the feeling of motion.

The Mediterranean rarely has rough seas but cruise ships will plot routes that avoid bad weather anyway.

harry Bailey esq

endacl wrote: »

Really, not at all. Sure they've cruises aimed at all sorts of reprobates these days!

https://70000tons.com/artists/

Sounds brilliant for a metalhead but not my cup of tea. When I live it up i rather spend my money on the finer things in life

zuutroy

faceman wrote: »

For those considering it but worried about weather and freak waves, understand that these ships are massive and have stabiliser fins that minimise the feeling of motion.

The Mediterranean rarely has rough seas but cruise ships will plot routes that avoid bad weather anyway.

Yea...a bad Rosslare-Roscoff on the Oscar Wilde is hell for me, but on the Norwegian Jade I had to be reminded I was on a ship most of the time.

Mankyspuds

Bone Cancer wrote: »

I turn 48 in a couple of days and the missus wants to go on a spring cruise as my present (to her..)
I'm not sold on the idea, would much prefer a city break compared to being stuck on a boat with thousands of people eating bland food, watching low quality entertainment and staying in dingy quarters.

I went on one with 2 friends, we were easily the youngest on the ship bar half a dozen people and we had a good time. Take advantage of the ports when you stop off, you will see plenty.

Go for it

countrygal25

Hi guys, myself & husband to be considering a carribean cruise for our honeymoon. Royal carribean seem to be the most likely liner - just wondering what peoples opinions are of what is included - are any drinks at all included? Are enough restaurants included in the price you pay? Are evening shows etc included?
Thanks so much - never cruised before!

Cupcake_Crisis

My folks did a cruise last summer, it'd been my mams dream for year. She loved every second of it. I had never really considered it before, but she hasn't stopped going on about it since so there must be something to it!

RedXIV

countrygal25 wrote: »

Hi guys, myself & husband to be considering a carribean cruise for our honeymoon. Royal carribean seem to be the most likely liner - just wondering what peoples opinions are of what is included - are any drinks at all included? Are enough restaurants included in the price you pay? Are evening shows etc included?
Thanks so much - never cruised before!

Just back from my honeymoon on a Caribbean cruise about a month ago. It was amazing to be honest! We went with the Norwegian Cruse line rather than the Royal Caribbean line. From what I understand, the main differences are the Royal Caribbean tend to push the formal wear in the evenings while the Norwegian ship I was on had only one restaurant that had a dress code. Similarly, I believe the Royal Caribbean has a desire to keep you in the same seats, same waiter, same times etc in the dining options, while our ship was very relaxed about food, eat when, where and with who you like.

We paid about 4200 for flights, 2 days in Orlando, and the cruise tickets with the beverage package (all alcoholic drinks <$15 free) and 3 speciality dining options (there were a bunch of places you could eat for free, and about 5 or 6 restaurants where you paid extra, and we got 3 of those included). Realistically the drinks package is expensive, we worked it out to need about 6 drinks a day to break even. In saying that, the sheer relaxation of not having to worry about the drinks or food is unreal. We ate in a bunch of different restaurants, and some we didn't even get a chance to try I think there was 22 bars and 18 restaurants in total on our ship! For us the evening shows were all free bar one which was about 30 dollars each.

If you're going on a first time cruise, I highly recommend joining cruise critic or similar to get your bearings and some first timer tips. We loved it though, we'll be going again soon!