Cruising

[Saddlesoap]

Inspired by the Q&A thread.

Who else is into cruising?

I love it. Honestly take me right now and put me on a ship somewhere and I'd be a happy girl.

My husband and I have done 5 now. Have more booked, planned, but thanks to 'Rona keep needing to change them.

 

[Bexybest]

I went on a number of cruises when I was a teenager and loved it, apart from the sea sickness for the first couple of days.

We went with Ocean Village and Island Cruises which I'm pretty sure don't exist anymore. They were good because they didn't have the formality of other cruises at the time.

I want to take my partner on a cruise and get a balcony cabin as I've never had one of them before!

 

[Emlo]

I’ve spent a lot of time on cruises as a kid/ young adult as my family weren’t flyers and then as I got older I realised I enjoy moving about waking up to different place and I like getting involved in new things onboard on sea days. I know lots of people don’t like that you only really get a ‘surface-level’ experience in each place but I’ve been on some fantastic excursions on cruise holidays that I would never have done on a regular holiday.

Before coronavirus hit I was actually contemplating applying to work on one!

Now though I have no immediate plans to go back on to a cruise ship even as a passenger. The risks of quarantine and not being able to dock make it too risky for me to consider for at least a couple more years yet.

 

[Marmaladeapricot]

My grandparents used to take my brother and I when we were children, we went to the States and back across the Atlantic, a few European ones and a Bahamas one.. We loved it. But would be my idea of hell now stuck on a floating city with thousands of other people.

 

[thelurkingvegetarian]

I went one one in 2018 with my boyfriend, my Mum & Dad and my sister & her boyfriend as a present for my 30th birthday and I loved it!
I’d been hearing my Mum & Dad talk about cruising for about 10 years and couldn’t wait to actually go myself and I was instantly hooked; there was only one day where I was a bit ill but the sea wasn’t even that rough, I’m just prone to travel sickness!
My boyfriend and I have already been talking about having our wedding on a cruise (when he eventually gets round to proposing!)

 

[bubbadabut]

Went on many a cruise with my parents as a teenager. Usually to the Caribbean but I preferred the European ones as I'm not into island beach paradises. We usually went with P&O or Celebrity. I enjoyed the first few but got a bit fed up with the regiment of it all and being stuck on there. It also made me realise how much of a hotbed for disease they were. The number of people I saw (and it was mainly the oldies I have to say) who didn't wash their hands after using the toilet/didn't use hand gel before entering the restaurant. It was so gross. Always seemed to get a leaflet handed to us at the airport which said there had been a recent outbreak of norovirus on the ship, but still people were scruffy sods

 

[bolimepipi]

i work as a tour guide (when there's no rona of course) and i live in a city that is a very popular cruise destination
i've always wondered: what is it that you love so much about cruising? i don't understand it

 

[Ohflogoff]

Couldn’t think of anything worse.

I mean, if someone kindly gifted me one, I wouldn’t say no, but the thought of being stuck on a boat sends me cray. All those people. All that water. All that travel for a day. No thank you.

 

[Moosie]

I’ve never been on one but it’s always been on my to do list! It looks like it will be staying on there for a while longer now too

One day...

 

[Saddlesoap]

i work as a tour guide (when there's no rona of course) and i live in a city that is a very popular cruise destination
i've always wondered: what is it that you love so much about cruising? i don't understand it

Well, partly, my husband is in a wheelchair, so we get to travel easily.

Waking up in a new destination every day is fun. We've been to so many places we wouldn't have ever visited before. Admittedly you only see a teeny portion of them in the short time you're there, but better than never seeing it!

You are looked after so well.

So therapeutic looking out to sea, with nothing around you.

Couldn’t think of anything worse.

I mean, if someone kindly gifted me one, I wouldn’t say no, but the thought of being stuck on a boat sends me cray. All those people. All that water. All that travel for a day. No thank you.

Lols! It's not for everyone. Honestly though, the ships are so well laid out it doesn't feel like you are on it with thousands of other people (other than embarking on the first day when it is really busy and feels a bit much). You'd be surprised at how often you see the same people and the crew are do lovely and really want to look after you. Admittedly we may stand out a little, with husband being in a wheelchair, but regularly have our cabin number remembered, where in the restaurant we want to sit, what we like to drink and at what time of day. It's impressive.

 

[Tublet83]

I’ve done a few and they are amazing for families, hassle free and get to wake up somewhere new everyday. We’ve always gone in big family groups, and it’s nice, because the ships are so big we can all do our thing and meet up etc, and you find everyone gets up to different things.

Meant to be on Disney this august for a Bahamas mini cruise (can’t see it happening )

Have moved a P&O booking from 2020, to 2021 and now 2022.

 

[Renegadedancer]

I always turned my nose up, then went on one in 2019 from Barcelona and around Spain and Italy. Absolutely loved everything about it. Short plane journey from UK to Barcelona , stayed two nights in Barcelona before we boarded ship. We booked a suite ( which was not as grand as it sounds) but was lovely and had a big balcony and table and chairs. I loved watching from here to see the ship arriving and leaving port. The destinations were wonderful and I liked that you could do as much or as little as you want. A new destination every day. I don't think I would Like to go on one where there were too many sea days as I found that part all a bit busy. I’m booked to go on another this July but I cannot see it happening.

 

[glasgow27]

Been on a total of 14 cruises since 2009. All with Royal Caribbean (the best line!) on 10 different ships. Royal has the biggest ships so it is a fantastic time. Plenty to do, different ports, at sea days. The chance to have decent food, the pool, relaxing. What else do you need that isn't on a large ship?

I really love the cruising experience and can't wait until I can go back again. Sadly an industry that really has no way to safely work around COVID so I don't see me going on one this year.

 

[Naataaliiee]

I was extremely anti cruising pre 2018... the thought of being stuck on a ship and in the middle of nowhere terrified me. However my husband convinced me to sail on a Royal Caribbean ship around the Eastern Caribbean and it was genuinely the best holiday I have EVER had. I would cruise for every holiday for the remainder of my life (obviously excluding Covid related issues!!); it was just truly incredible.

 

[Fenella]

For me the love is that I like multi destination holidays so they are perfect for that and I love being on the water. The kids can do their own thing which means we do get a few hours to actually have a rest too.

Like everyone else, will probably be a while before we go again as we like to have the option to do our own thing in port (we sometimes do the excursions but some places don’t need it and they are the only option just now) and I don’t really want to have a mask on all the time so once things are able to be a bit more relaxed and vaccines are more widespread hopefully we’ll go again.

 

[Saddlesoap]

Been on a total of 14 cruises since 2009. All with Royal Caribbean (the best line!) on 10 different ships. Royal has the biggest ships so it is a fantastic time. Plenty to do, different ports, at sea days. The chance to have decent food, the pool, relaxing. What else do you need that isn't on a large ship?

I really love the cruising experience and can't wait until I can go back again. Sadly an industry that really has no way to safely work around COVID so I don't see me going on one this year.

We've been on NOTS and really didn't rate it vs P&O. I didn't like the Promenade, felt too enclosed. I prefer to be able to sit by a window.

I figure the bigger ships are probably better, but rarely sail from Southampton.

 

[glasgow27]

We've been on NOTS and really didn't rate it vs P&O. I didn't like the Promenade, felt too enclosed. I prefer to be able to sit by a window.

I figure the bigger ships are probably better, but rarely sail from Southampton.

I'm assuming NOTS is Navigator? Not been on her but have done similar size ships and can see why it would be a bit enclosed. I think that the Oasis Class ships are the best ones but yeah, they have only made a few visits to Southampton over the years. Oasis Class have the most to do and have an unusual yet amazing design that makes it feel open and they aren't ships which suffer from crowding. Aside from the Promenade, they have a Boardwalk with an AquaTheater at the back and then a Central Park which are obviously much less enclosed.

 

[elloelloello]

I’ve been on many cruises, mostly Caribbean and they are my favourite types of holidays. I haven’t been in one in about 7 years now but I’ve done Princess, P&O, and Royal Caribbean. I loved Princess but I think that’s because I have the best memories on them. I literally had a dream I was on a cruise last night, I was gutted when I woke up
I’ve managed to convince my partner to go on one (he’s never been on a cruise ship before) so hopefully that’s something we can book in next year.
Always been on Christmas cruises aswell, I love Christmas in the Caribbean

 

[Fenella]

Royal Caribbean seem to be slowly giving up on Southampton I think, even before covid there was a lot less choices the past couple of years to the years before.

Which might mean we try P&O next but i don’t know how similar/different they are from RC.

 

[judsmum]

My first cruise was aged 9 on P&O’s Canberra in 1992! I have been on 53 cruises so far with either Princess or P&O. My son who is 9 has been on 9 of them with me and his dad. I’ve gone off P&O a bit over the last few years to be honest and only tend to go with princess now. Although after having so many of them cancelled over the last year I would sail on a dinghy if I could!