Cruising

[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.

 

[Happy Lady]

@DigiDuino you've already made a good start deciding what suits your lives best. Thomson are a cheaper option, but your 27 year old will love the energetic feel. P&O are a better choice though taking into consideration a 70 year old will be going. Their food and entertainment is great, and their itineraries don't usually call into as many ports.

Perhaps a Canaries cruise may suit your family as there are two or three days sailing before reaching land. The Canaries suit all age groups too. As its much quieter on board while others go on excursions then a good tip would be to book into the Spa as treatments are usually discounted at these times.

So then all you need to do is to decide when you'd like to travel. I'd advise waiting until next year. At least the Canaries are good to visit all year round. The Med is steeped in history, but if you're not interested in going ashore that wouldn't bother you.

You can dress up or down as much as you wish. This is your holiday so you want to feel comfortable. Good luck.

 

[Shinythings]

Only been on one but absolutely loved it. I was definitely a sceptic before, but am a definite convert now.

 

[Saddlesoap]

Hope it's ok to revive this thread!

Any got reccomendations on where to begin looking for a first ever cruise for a 70 year old woman, with her 27 year old daughter only?
it's been my mums dream to go on a cruise, we've been joking about it for years and I'd love to treat her!

Potentially next year or the year after, but I'm so overwhelmed looking, no idea where to really start!

Preferrably one that leaves and arrives back into the UK, and as economical as possible (but I have no frame of reference yet!), and probably mostly at sea sort of days. Port visits are cool, but she'd enjoy those less than being on the ship itself

Would she like black tie nights and a chance to dress up? Or is she quite casual and hates that idea?

Hot weather or not bothered?

Do you drink much alcohol?

P&O sail from Southampton.
Marella (Thompson) sail from Newcastle.
So consider how easily you can get to those places and car parking as that adds onto the price. P&O definitely do bus pick ups across the country, not sure about Marella.

I usually work on the basis of £100pppd for an inside cabin and £140pppd for a balcony.

Oh and don't forget, you don't have to get off at the port. You can stay onboard, although there's less going on, it's nice when there's less people around

 

[Saddlesoap]

That one looks lovely thank you! The balcony isn't that much more really, seems worth it!

Plus they do a free coach which would save a load, can't quite figure out if that's included from everywhere or just like London? Either way pretty good, but we are coming from Scotland so maybe have to get further south first.

You won't get coach transfer on the Saver price, just the Select price, so I think it will be nearer £160pppn

The transfers are definitely across the country though. We are in Cumbria and my uncle gets on at Carlisle I think.
It's a lonnnnng drive otherwise. Took us 8 hours to get home once. I was so fed up. Might be worth checking flights to Southampton airport depending on how close you are to an airport. x

 

[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.

 

[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

 

[Saddlesoap]

Have a look at this one.

Saver price is £121pppn

G232 - Norway & Iceland Cruise - 17 Sep 2022 | P&O Cruises

Book your G232 Norway & Iceland cruise holiday from 17 Sep 2022. Book online today for your 2022 P&O Cruises trip and explore hidden gems in shores afar.

www.pocruises.com

 

[Saddlesoap]

- Maybe once while we're there but not overly!
- Not really hot, neither of us can handle heat haha
- No, not a big deal to us at all!

Thanks I'll look into those! The TUI/Marella site are being a bit funny and I can't see and cruises from the UK right now?




Thank you! P&O are looking pretty good so far, plenty to do on board and reasonable pricing.

I'll look at Canaries cruises as well, those do sound really nice!

Do you (or @Saddlesoap) have any advice regarding inside/oceanview rooms? When the difference isn't much I think I'll pay the extra for the window - on Disney Cruise Lines the difference isa bout £500 but P&O etc have a more reasonable sort of difference

Definitely waiting until next year! Not sure when to book incase things change again with covid but I'm looking into all the options now

Depends how long you want to go for as well. Canaries will be 2 weeks, Fjords will be a week.

Personally I'd recommend Fjords on P&O in a balcony cabin.

We've only ever had inside cabins. However, I would only book a balcony now. In a Covid world I'm more wary of being stuck in your cabin
Inside cabins have no daylight at all, which is lovely for sleeping, but you never know what the weather is like

 

[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!

 

[Happy Lady]

As much as I love cruising, this video outlining all of the rules puts me off big time for the foreseeable future.


The main points made:
- All guests & crew must wear a 'contact tracelet' throughout the entire cruise except for when in stateroom.
- No available drinking taps on ship.
- Limited tables in dining venues (possible reservations though unclear).
- 5 people per hot tub/jacuzzi and 15 min time limit.
- Guests should remain in 'bubbles' with those from their respective party.
- Temperature checks at all onboard venues.
- Queues outside venues if over limit of people allowed in.
- Face coverings required around all areas of ship except bars.
- Guests not allowed to consume beverages outside of bars and restaurants.
- Limited seating in theatre.
- No physical menus in dining venues.
- Gym sessions must be pre booked.
- Social distancing: regardless of whether or not you are in their 'bubble', everyone must maintain 1m distancing from each other.
- All guests required to have negative COVID test prior to cruising.
- Health questionnaire to be taken and checked by staff prior to boarding. If not 'passed', you cannot board.

They can't actually expect people to pay thousands of pounds/dollars for this? Why would you voluntarily go somewhere which potentially has more restrictions than your own home country?

Doesn't sound much of a holiday to me. Just read these rules out to OH and he's said we'll cancel our summer river cruise.

 

[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!)

 

[ElectricDreams]

- Maybe once while we're there but not overly!
- Not really hot, neither of us can handle heat haha
- No, not a big deal to us at all!

Thanks I'll look into those! The TUI/Marella site are being a bit funny and I can't see and cruises from the UK right now?




Thank you! P&O are looking pretty good so far, plenty to do on board and reasonable pricing.

I'll look at Canaries cruises as well, those do sound really nice!

Do you (or @Saddlesoap) have any advice regarding inside/oceanview rooms? When the difference isn't much I think I'll pay the extra for the window - on Disney Cruise Lines the difference isa bout £500 but P&O etc have a more reasonable sort of difference

Definitely waiting until next year! Not sure when to book incase things change again with covid but I'm looking into all the options now

Marella are only going out of the UK this year for their UK Seacations. From October this year they are for cruise only from Palma or Corfu, and next year also from Dubrovnik.

In the past they have done Newcastle to the fjords/Baltics but this only seems to happen every few years.

 

[Happy Lady]

We’ve got a P&O cruise booked for June that I’m hoping they’ll cancel so we can get our deposit back... but no with the rules and the quarantine hotels I’ve got no desire to be going away in June!

I don't blame you at all. I think you'll need to wait until the final balance is due (maybe around March) and hope it's cancelled. Unless they'll let you lift and shift your cruise into 2022 or 2023.

 

[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.

 

[Saddlesoap]

Yes he would, we were in a high rise building in London and got seated near the window which I thought was great until I looked at him. He couldn't approach the table. We had to move. Yes I can see, cruising isn't going to be for us. Thanks for the replies.

Oh bless him! Then nope, don't bother!

 

[SamBamford]

I'd like to try but from what I've seen on photos of friends who have been and enjoyed, is that they seem to be allocated a table at meal times and must stick to that. Or that its a shirt and tie and posh frock for evening dinner. Not that I would turn up in t-shirt and shorts. Please correct me if I am wrong. Also the husband has a chronic fear of heights and I doubt he'd cope with being on deck. Does anyone have any input on this?

 

[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.

 

[Millyve]

Try Celebrity, the RCI sister company, and if you ask them to transfer your Captains Club points then you'll get the benefits. They go from Southampton.

I’ll have a look! I really should look into fly-cruises as I am never a big fan of the 2/3 sea days from Southampton at the start or end of the trip

 

[ElectricDreams]

Have a look at TUI/Marella cruises as they do fly and cruise. Their cruises are all inclusive. I’ve been on 3 Marella cruises and are very good.

Another vote for Marella here, I don't have kids but have been on lots of cruises with them where there have been kids on board. It's not like the big cruise lines with water parks and funfairs but they have kids clubs, pool, entertainment etc. Kids always seem happy. We go with them a lot as there are no hidden costs and flights are included. If the flight is late, the ship won't go without you!