Cruises: Beats any package holiday...

IvanOpinion

I agree with hansi. We have had both inside and outside cabins and given the small amount of time we spend in them it does not make that much difference. Besides that most ships now have the bridge cam available on the TV .. so you can just push a button to see what is outside (gawd we are lazy ). Generally the only place you come across corridors is on the cabin decks, the 'day time' decks are often very open plan providing a feeling of space.

Your summary about a mobile hotel is probably quite close but I would change it to read 'a 5 star mobile hotel'. You pack and unpack once and get to visit many countries and ports.

I know some peopple think 'tipping' is a big deal .. it isn't. If I go out to eat anywhere I would generally leave a tip (assuming service was good) .. whether it be at the end of a meal or a 'keep the change' to the bar waitress. You can get carried away with your cruise card if you allow yourself .. but hey, you are on holiday, whats another few cocktails served to you while sitting in the jacuzzi watching the sun go down over some exotic port.

I have heard all the arguments against cruising and I admit to using them all myself before trying our first cruise. It is each to their own ... some people don't like it but in the majority of cases the old adage '10 years to book your first, 10 minutes to book your second' applies.

Ivan

lisyloo

Must say, having read this thread through calm and storm, I`m still not convinced about cruises. Having done most types of package holidays, cruises seem to offer the same but with the supposed bonus of a mobile hotel. I had hoped there would be more insight into the practicalities of shipboard life. I`ve seen quite a few liners up close and they seem too big for my liking. The thought of wandering around the endless corridors of such monsters is not something I would enjoy. Having an outside cabin with balcony while being the ideal would be prohibitivly expensive. Being housed in an inner cabin, with no outside view, affordable maybe, desirable I don`t think so. As for tipping what a sting in the tail having to budget £100 or so to hand round at the end of your holiday....no thanks. I suppose another shock is the bar bill as it will be so easy to get carried away when just signing for the drinks.

It sounds like you haven't actually been on a cruise whereas those that have speak quite highly of it.
What does that tell you?

I have been on 3 myself.
There are a variety of ships available.
Most people I've met prefer smaller shipd because they are more personal although inevitably there are fewer facilties.
I didn't find getting a cabin with a balcony was prohibitive although I would argue it's not necessarily worth while because the public spaces are so brilliant that you won't want to spend too much time in your cabin.

Cruises vary quite a lot.
There are the saga type where there's lots of bingo, more intellectual types with lectures and guest speakers, casual types and the Easycruise types which seems to be more suited to stag and hen parties.

Of course I'm generalising but just wanted to make people aware that there is a huge variety to choose from.

Personally I don't see how you can be so judgemental if you haven't been on one.

As someone else said, tipping isn't a big deal because unless you are a real skin flint you would be tipping anyway.
You don't have to spend a great deal at all and my experience is that they don't rip you off on drinks (of course if you are going to drink cocktails all day then expect a big bill but you can do this anywhere if you're going to drink all day).

dvdrobs

Judgemental....after the storm earlier I thought I was tiptoeing round the points I was unsure of. It seems those who have done cruising are quite evangelical in trying to convert others, answering concerns with generalisations. By putting my points to the forum I was hoping to have them clarified. Instead I am accused of being negative, is it any wonder people are confused.
Having been aboard QE2 all I can say is I felt overwhelmed by it`s mass, from your comments I suppose a Geest bannana boat would be up my street. As for tipping, skinflint....,I tip as and when I feel like, handing over envelopes to people at the end of a holiday is not me. Unless it`s maids who are not allowed to carry money incase they are accused of theft. If it`s needed to cover low wages then I`d rather it was in the price of the cruise. As for the cabins my wife and I like nothing better than sitting on a balcony with a long cold drink watching the world go by, so am unsure if we would appreciate a cabin with a webcam but as you say we will never know till we try it.

hansi

Oh Dear, we have upset you! Maybe you shouldn't go on a cruise after all, or maybe you should try Easy Cruise. You should be able to find your way around that ok, and I believe all the cabins are the same. You have to pay extra for your food though! And it's not "a cabin with a webcam" all cabins have a tv which are linked to the webcam.

lisyloo

It seems those who have done cruising are quite evangelical in trying to convert others

I sometimes cruise, often don't.
Depends on what we are looking for.
For some location e.g. Greek islands, Baltics or Carribean it's ideal.
For other e.g. Egypt I think it's less suitable.

I have enjoyed cruising but it's certainly not for everybody.
It has pros and cons.
Personally I couldn't care less what others do.
Just trying to provide some information so that people are more informed.

Having been aboard QE2 all I can say is I felt overwhelmed by it`s mass

Almost everyone I have spoken to prefers smaller boats and the main factor is that they are more personal.
The downside is less facilites e.g. fewer restaurants to chose from.
But most of the small boats (600-800 people) I've been on still have 3 restaurants and one of those is usually a buffet so there is always a good choice.

I tip as and when I feel like, handing over envelopes to people at the end of a holiday is not me.

So, do that then.
There are often guidelines because most people want them but you don't have to follow them strictly.
However if you are seeing the same waiters ever night it can be easier to do it in one go and you can spread your "pot" of money around a little more fairly. i.e. give some to the assitants as well.
I wouldn't like to be carrying money round all the time and prefer to sort it out when I know how much cash I've got left.

If it`s needed to cover low wages then I`d rather it was in the price of the cruise.

There are cruises where it's included.
However I feel it would be a shame if that you're sole criteria for chosing a cruise.
I would feel that's getting things a little out of proprtion.
The disadvantage of having it included is that there is no direct incentive for staff to give you excellent service.
Excellent service is one of the features of cruising and that's where the tipping comes in.
However there is NEVER any obligation to tip, so if you don't want to do it then don't.
In general most people who've had excellent service do feel they want to.
I feel this subject is possibly a little out of proportion because it really isn't a big deal.
You can do exactly as you want.
If you want to carry change every evening then you can do so if you wish.
Most people don't want to and prefer to get rid of left over currency at the end of the trip.

As for the cabins my wife and I like nothing better than sitting on a balcony with a long cold drink watching the world go by

The cabin we had with a balcony wasn't that great to be honest.
It was either in direct sunlight or quite cold depending on which side of the ship you were.
The public areas are usually spacious, however there is certainly a choice so there is no reason why you shouldn't get a balcony cabin although of course they will be more expensive.

The "webcam" shows you what it's like outside.
Useful for deciding what to wear or whether you even want to go outside.

If you have any more questions then post them.

I wouldn't want to go on cruises all the time and I don't think they are great for all locations. Some places (like Egypt) are better explored on land in my opinion.
But other places (like Alasks) are ideal to be cruised in luxury.

Continual packing and unpacking is a pain if you are going on a tour.

It's pros and cons and I don't think it's for everyone.
For example you can have to eat with some pretty snobby and obnoxius people who like to tell you how important they are and how many cruises they been on.

dee1956_2

Hi,
Can anyone help?
Have looked on the website in some detail on holidays, I can see articals on flights, hotels, car hire etc, but hav'nt come across anything regarding cruises? how to bag a quality cheep cruise?
There must be times when a cruise is about to sail within 24/36 hours and they still hav'nt managed to fill the remaining one or two cabins, so offer the cabins at a VERY reduced price, Do you know of any info on this subject?

Kind Regards

David Jenkinss

hansi

Most of the cruise agents have late availability, try cruisekings.co.uk or cruisesavertravel.com. Some people use Gills but I wouldn't. I worked for them for a few years and they treated me like rubbish!

IvanOpinion

dee1956 wrote:

There must be times when a cruise is about to sail within 24/36 hours and they still hav'nt managed to fill the remaining one or two cabins, so offer the cabins at a VERY reduced price, Do you know of any info on this subject?

David, on cruisecritic there used to be a poster that claimed they would dander down to the docks a few hours before a ship sailed and pretty much got on for peanuts (the cost of port taxes and other state taxes etc.). I am however led to believe that since 9/11 they do not allow this.

There are many sites out there that can supply you with info however I would suggest that possibly the best approach is to get to know a cruise specialist TA and tell them you want to be kept informed and then call in. Generally though (unlike America) you probably have to do your own homework on this.


Ivan

lisyloo

Another moneysaving tip.

I did get a good deal on a cruise by booking it with an American company and paying in dollars.
At the time due to the exchange rate this was advantageous (obviously it won't be this way ALL the time).

We saved about £250 simply by paying the $ price rather than the £ price on that occasion.
The company was called.

https://www.vacationstogo.com

Neoshoegal

dvdrobs, cruising is not everyone's cup of tea.
If you're worried about only being able to afford an inside, don't! You usually don't spend a lot of time in your cabin anyway. There are also a range of ships that have a "promenade" in the middle of ship, a kind of shopping street and there are inside cabins with a window that has a view on that street. Great for people watching and less claustrophobic. Sometimes you can get deals on balcony cabins and they aren't always that much more expensive.

As for tipping. You can have your tips included in the price of the cruise before you go, no need to worry about handing anything over. I prefer to tip while on the ship. On our last cruise, our head waiter didn't do his job properly, he actually got us quite annoyed. So there was no way he was going to get a tip, however, we complained and he made more than up for his mistakes so he still received something. Our other waiters on the other hand were sublime, did far more than they had to, so we tipped them more than the guideline. If you get good service, you reward them, if you get bad service, they don't get anything.

Big ships... I can understand why you would overwhelmed by them, they are indeed massive. But I LOVE them! There is so much to do onboard (swimming pools, gym, spa, golf, sportscourt, rockclimbing wall, inline skating, dancing even an ice rink!!!). You won't be bored for a minute. My hubby tends to get lost everywhere, however, he never gets lost on the ships as they are designed in such a clever way. Also, it hardly ever feels crowded, which may seem weird.

Drinks... The prices of drinks are excessive at all. The price of a coke on board is about $1.50, you can get a bottle of wine from about $30, a coctail is about $6. You can get packages where you get unlimited sodas. Also, water, coffee, tea, ice tea and lemonade are included (as are juices at breakfast). There are often parties where you get free drinks (Captain's Champagne reception).


To get the best price, book as early as possible. We booked a cruise for October 2007 at the end of April. We booked it the first day it was released. Within a few days the price had gone up by $100 per person! And it kept rising over the next weeks until the ship was sold out.