Cruises

lotto

Hi,
My mum has had a stroke and I would like to take her on a cruise this summer, anytime from 11th July - end of August. I have heard stories about hidden costs and would like an all inclusive deal. She will also not be able to fly long haul. Can anyone point me in the right direction please.

moonrakerz

Depending on your ages:

Try SAGA, they include a lot of things in the package price that are extras on other lines.
eg: tips, insurance, transport to UK Ports. They seem to have cheaper booze as well !!

http://www.saga.co.uk/travel/cruises3/sagacruisinghome.asp

Amys

Most cruises will include accommodations and food, but not drinks and tips (but tips can be added onto the price so you do not have to pay them on board). On some lines you can get a drinks package to cover soft drinks.

The hidden extras are not so much hidden and include things like alcohol, specialty restaurants, photographs, day trips etc.

Several cruise lines leave from the UK, including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, NACL, etc. There are cruises to suit different budgets and different holiday needs.

A good source of reference is www.cruisecritic.com a very useful site.

baccyman

i found this site a little while back not sure what they are like,

http://www.cruisedeals.co.uk/
hope this will be usefull.

VfM4meplse

I think a Norwegian cruise would be ideal for you, because this avoids any flights the daylight hours will be long in the summer. Most cruise companies cater very well for those with mobility restrctions and you Mum will be treated like the Queen.

Have fun!

luci

Saga can be very expensive. There can be bargains with some of the major cruise lines, but the items that can be extra have already been listed above.

Just a thought, it may be worth making sure you can get insurance to cover both a stroke and a cruise before you book anything.

lotto

Thank you all so much!:T

kizzykizzywizzy

Went on Ocean Village 2 in January tips are included also it's open dining & very relaxed, people do dress up a bit for the evenings, but not black tie.
can buy a wine package thet will be delivered to your cabin for about £60 for 6 bottles, depending, which wine you want this can then be drunk in your cabin or taken to the restaurant with you or you can even drink it on deck.
Pint of lager was about £2.40 so not too expensive all port taxes & transfers were included. Ships trips were of course extra & were very good, went on the ones we desperately wanted to go on with the ship, the rest we did locally with taxis. Ocean Village 2 is going to OZ so you won't be able to go on there, but Ocean Village isn't going yet & they do have cruises to the med, so not too long a flight.
The staff on board were really really good too very helpful & very friendly.
Also cabins are of a very good size, compared to other ships.
Can't really praise it enough, food was great on OV2 they had 24 hour dining, which is self service, but also had 2 restaurants that you paid a small cover charge for about £4.50 & they were waiter service, some items were extra £5 for the best steak ever!!, but other options on the menu were included in the cover charge.
Hope this helps

dawn27

Accomadation, food and some drinks (usually tea coffee) are included in the price with most cruises.
You will only have to pay for the drinks you drink and any day trips you do.
We are going on a cruise in sep with Ocean Village around the med, i have seen the prices for a week around £599. You will have to fly to Palma but its about 2 1/2 hours so not long haul.
Go for it once you have been on a cruise you definately will go again

MAZZY_3

We have just booked a canaries cruise with Thomson on the celebration, all inclusive package was £169 each total holiday cost for two £1,450. Have done two previous cruises with Thomsons and think they are excellent value for money. If you can leave it until a few weeks before to book you can get some very good deals. eg if you could go on Friday this week it would cost you £399 pp plus the all inclusive package. by the way the all inclusive package includes all alcoholic drinks.

colmil

I would suggest that you go with a 'proper' cruise company such as NCL, Cunard etc.

Bear in mind that the times you have stated are the school holidays, I suggest you aim at a cruise line that does adults only.