likes and dislikes of cruising

[Dark Knight]

Talking to a friend of mine last week, he asked what were doing for our hols next time , so I told him we were off to the Carribean on a 14 night cruise
he asked the usual questions about cost, age of passengers etc and asked why we had switched to cruise holidays rather than luxury land based ones
anywho after a bit of chat it got me thinking about the pros and cons of cruisng

Pro's
lots of port and places to visit in a short space of time
relaxing holiday
good standard of food and the opportunity to enjoy select dining options
reasonable standard of accomodation, covers the basics
entertainment provided is usually ok
plenty of options on how to spend your days and nights
Cost is very affordable
Godd luggage allowance ex UK

Cons
some itineraries have too many sea days
not keen on formal nights
Travel to Southampton is now a bit of a trek , so other ports and cruiselines now come into play
some of it is a little to rigid, set dining etc
lack of new intineraries...PandO specific
unclear pricing
expensive excursions


Discuss

oh and this is my own opinion, so there are no right or wrong answers, just opinions, so if you can't keep it civil, dont bother replying

[HK phooey]

I find your last sentence very confrontational but will reply anyway

Likes
Waking up and finding myself in a new place
Fantastic meals
Deck quoits
Loads for families to do
No flying
The joy of being at sea
Not having to shop/cook/do housework

Dislikes
I'm struggling with this but all I can come up with is, if I stumble upon people doing that dodgy ballroom type dancing in the atrium it makes me feel a bit queasy and some of the comedians need shooting.

[The Monocled Mutineer]

Not exhaustive list IMOO but these are the standouts:

1).No flying for ex.UK cruises.

2). No major terminal hassle (as the case with flying to any holiday). Up at the crack of dawn, then hanging around an airport waiting for check in to open, then hanging around airside, then flight delayed (often), then flight, then terminal hassle other end, then transit hassle to resort or sea port. And then the whole bloody hassle in reverse for the return home.

3). Within about 30mins of arrival at the terminal you are at the 'resort' ie the ship.

4). Choosing the right itinerary returns plenty of sea days. The best days on a cruise in my view.

5). Formal nights (although being eroded by declining standards evident in a lot of the UK population).

~~~

Cons:

1). Declining standards amongst some of the passengers. Cruises are cheaper in real terms now and it now attracts a wider socio-economic spectrum.

2). Dinners can be quite good but are sometimes let down by ingredients. Buffet lunches will stave hunger but are not memorable.

3). Entertainment is often not to my taste but seems to appeal to many. Could do better.

[Holiday Planner]

My PROS:

Ease of arrival, luggage handling and embarkation at Southampton

Enforced laziness of sea days giving a truly relaxing start and end to holidays ex Southampton

Flexibilty of dining, whether you like freedom or club; formal or not. For myself I prefer Freedom with plenty of formal! And the choice and standard of food - superb.

Being able to visit a number of places, but only having to unpack once.

Coming back 'home' to the ship after a day in port.

Friendliness of everyone on board.

Feeling comfortable to do things solo if I choose (went to Chocoholics, some talks and a couple of films without husband)

CONS:

Difficult to venture too far from the ports without expensive trips.

We're relative newbies, but I imagine you end up visiting the same ports over and over.

The same shows once you have cruised a couple of times.

The potential for weight gain!

Reservation of sun beds (more noticable than ever on our recent cruise on Ventura ... I put it down to a reduction in outside space with the new Retreat)

Now this last CON isn't mine, but my Mum's, who cuised for the first ... and probably last time in May with Fred Olsen ... she didn't like being completely surrounded by water (I still haven't worked out what she expected!! - 2 weeks in dry dock?)

[jay-ell71]

Pros....Only unpacking once, even though we are in a different resort (nearly) every day.

Sitting on the prom deck and watching the waves, birds, flying fish et al, and being brought tea and cake there at 4.pm.

Not having to "organise" any part of the day to day activities as they are all "organised" for you.

Meeting and talking to other passengers. This generally does not happen in a land based hotel.
Nice friendly service
Dressing for dinner whether it be Formal or Semi formal.
Never having to drive the car anywhere.
The Casino
Cons....Noro virus

Tender ports/queues thereof
Queues for anything!

Passenger who sit in Raffles Coffee lounge and do not drink coffee, so I can't.

Food not so good on P & O as it used to be. Sadly

[oldbluefox]

HP - 'she didn't like being completely surrounded by water (I still haven't worked out what she expected!! - 2 weeks in dry dock?)'

[Not so ancient mariner]

HP wrote: Quote:

Now this last CON isn't mine, but my Mum's, who cruised for the first ... and probably last time in May with Fred Olsen ... she didn't like being completely surrounded by water (I still haven't worked out what she expected!! - 2 weeks in dry dock?)


I suspect she may have meant being out of sight of land.

[Holiday Planner]

HP wrote: Quote:

Now this last CON isn't mine, but my Mum's, who cruised for the first ... and probably last time in May with Fred Olsen ... she didn't like being completely surrounded by water (I still haven't worked out what she expected!! - 2 weeks in dry dock?)


I suspect she may have meant being out of sight of land.

I think that is what she meant - but we still had a good chuckle (or Gaffaw in the case of my uncle!)

[emjay45]

HP your Mum
Pros
No airports and no flying.
Being on the sea
Visiting countries all over the world, without having to fly.
For my husband being able to drink at dinner without having to drive home.
Relaxing sea days.

Cons
Inconsiderate people. ( I could elaborate but decided not to)

[Meg 50]

the only con: being sea sick!

[Silver_Shiney]

I find your last sentence very confrontational but will reply anyway

In fairness, dear lady, similar threads have evolved into a bit of a slagging-off contest, so DK makes a fair comment.

I'm struggling with this but all I can come up with is, if I stumble upon people doing that dodgy ballroom type dancing in the atrium it makes me feel a bit queasy and some of the comedians need shooting.

We shared a table on the QM2 who were into the faux ballroom dancing thing, complete with fixed smile and head tilted back over the shoulder. Do these people realise how ridiculous they look? I wouldn't waste a bullet on Andy Ford. At least an arrow can be re-used......

My pros:

Great food.
Excellent accommodation.
The opportunity to see new places in different countries in one hit.
The opportunity to dress up like a penguin - formal nights are a big attraction for us.
It forces the Lady C to "do nothing" and have a proper rest
Good prices compared to land-based holidays.
Opportunities to meet interesting people.
None of the hassle associated with flying (round trip only, of course!)

Cons:

Single supplements very high.
Opportunities to meet very uninteresting people.

[Onelife]

Pros...Practically dual carriage way all the way to Southampton....

My wife doesn’t trust me to do any of the packing

Look forward to meeting new and interesting dining companions (been very fortunate with previous ones)

Enjoy formal evenings and grub.

Losing myself for an hour ...watching bubbles dancing along the side of the ship.

Love watching the shows.

Cons....Tipping policy

Expensive holiday for families with school aged children.

Dislike “deck” merchandising.

Dislike smoking on balconies.

Don’t like to see topless sunbathing (not even in designated areas)

Other than that I’m a very easily pleased

Regards

OL

[GillD46]

Pros:

Being surrounded by sea
Sea days
The food - on some cruiselines
The mix of nationalities - on some cruiselines
Seeing different places, allowing us to decide where to go on a proper hoiday
Comfortable beds - usually!
Exceptional value for money

Cons:

The whole "British" thing.
The food - on some cruiselines
The lack of different nationalities - on some cruiselines
Being cheaper than a decent land based hoiday means we sometimes cruise when we would prefer a different holiday.
More luggage.
Early disembarkation.

[Jacknian]

My list of 'pros' are very similar to others on here, -- the very easy journey to the ship, the fast embarkation, no waiting around at airports, the no restriction on luggage, your holiday starts as soon as you board the ship, everything being organised for you so I can relax completely, seeing lots of different places that I wouldn't have seen otherwise, the food ! The entertainment, which is generally good, ( with a few exceptions ! ) reasonably priced cocktails, the opportunity to dress up which is rare these days. There are very few 'cons' -- only one I can think of is sometimes the sea is rough and it keeps me awake at night, don't really get sea sick as such but sometimes the movement makes me feel a bit queasy, oh the terrible Internet connection is a con I guess but nothing else comes to mind, so as you can see I really love cruising and will probably never do a land based holiday ever again.

[Frank Manning]

Lots of PROS for me, and Norovirus and the Arcadia Cough, are the only down sides. Having said that I sometimes wish P&O wouldn't close ranks and toe the corporate line so much. There is a lot of good will for them still, and they could be a bit more customer friendly.

We went to the Isle of Wight for a week last week and much as I love the place, it was nowhere near as restful as a cruise. After our last one Sue started saying, "Thats it, I'm all cruised out!" I dont think I will ever be while I have the strength to climb the gangway. So Sue has let me book another one for next year and she is thinking of another, this time on Adonia.

[Manoverboard]

Cruising is an experience that can be tailored to suit most tastes and it can also be done to different levels of luxury as and when required. This is a major ' Plus ' as far as we are concerned ... as is the benefit of unpacking just the one time.

We do not care for sea days and flying is an enjoyable experience in most cases, we do not however use charter flights nor do we book flights at silly o'clock.

The P&O downside, as far as we are concerned, is that their Worldwide cruises especially tend to only offer a brief introduction to new places or even a new Country whereas other Cruise Lines stay overnight in interesting Cities and visit up to six different Ports in the same Country within the time scale that we wish to book.

Our ideal is to mix 'n' match Cruising with Coach Tours and Riverboat Cruises.

Variety is key else slaleness will creep in for most people.

[gfwgfw]

Being a devotee to Saga Cruising

Hard to find a negative

A bundle of unforgettable memories




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