Cruises: Beats any package holiday...

IvanOpinion

john.xs wrote:

ps in my opinoin thre is little difference in sailing around the canaries and the caribbean as most of the islands are v. much the same.its the ship, the food,the sun, the activities and the company that make a holiday.if truth be known who would bother to leave the great british isles if our climate was more mediterranean!!!!

I read this and thought that is why I love cruising .. the variety and the fact it satisifes everybodies idea of a holiday. Some people like visiting the islands, some like days at sea, some like to lie by the pool, others like to sit in a jacuzzi or just read a book in the sun or in a sheltered spot. You can eat as much as you like when you like (and you do not have to dress up if you do not want to .. there are always alternaitve dining venues).

Just waiting for the 2008 brochures .. should be soon

Ivan

missk_ensington

Another great thing about cruises is you don't get mosquito's! And you can make more friends because you know everyone's english. I'm sure I'm not the only who has been on holiday and arrived at the hotel to find everyone is German and so are the entertainment and staff! Not that there's anything wrong with German people, but it can be difficult when you don't speak a word of German and neither do your kids, who then can't join the kidsclub and you can't partake in the cabaret!

As for schools, Id stuff em. My mum took me to China, Egypt, Gambia, Kenya, USA, Paris, South Africa.... and I learnt a hell of a lot more than I did in school! When I left they were learning to tell the time, and when I came back they were learning to tell the time! Whilst Id learnt about pyramids, Tut'anka mun, Sphinx, Great Wall of China, Statue of Liberty, how animals behave in their natural environment and how they survive/feed/escape preditors... It's more than they teach at primary school, or high school for that matter with the exception of GCSE years!

alexandra1

That's my situation, my daughter will be going into lower 6th(hopefully!!) after her GCSE's this year. We always took the kids out when they were smaller, but the school my daughter goes to now is not responsible to the LEA but we had to sign contracts when she started, one of the rules was she couldn't take hols outside normal term times. If she came back in Nov with a glowing tan I think it might be obvious- but certainly with younger kids, it wouldn't worry me too much.
I think the whole issue of cruises is to do what suits you best, and where you can get the best deals. I would love to do another one that's for sure.

crazyhazel

john.xs wrote:

stuff the lea alexandra.with permission you are allowed ten days off per year.always felt my kids have learnt more about the world / other cultures etc by being on holiday than sitting in stuffy classroom.if kids on asbos etc can be rewarded with holidays in the lake district then i'm sure i can reward mine for being behaved throughout the year(well most of the time anyway!)it appears to me we are living in an ever increasing nanny state where others want to control what we do and when we do it.ever thought that the people making these rules may be the ones making a fast buck out of charging us exorbitant prices in the peak summer months.

I thoroughly agree with you John. We are forever being told what to do, how to do it and when we can or cannot do it. Some of us are responsible people who make sure our kids are well behaved even if we do take them on holiday in term time once in a while!!!

carled

missk_ensington wrote:

Another great thing about cruises is you don't get mosquito's! ...<snip>

Ah... the good old "I was taken out of school loads and it didn't do me any harm" argument...

So... no harm apart from the fact that you can't use apostrophes correctly ("Mosquito's"), can't spell "predator", seem to struggle with "I'd" as it appears as "Id" twice in a single paragraph and have discovered someone called "Tut'anka mun" (more commonly known as "Tutankhamun" or "Tutankhamen").

Without wishing to be overly rude, you're hardly a walking advertisement for missing school and going on holiday, are you?

Furthermore, your allusions to the horrors of ending up on a German-run hotel (hey - maybe you could learn German whilst there - another learning experience!) and being unable to partake in the cabaret and/or make friends as they're not English fills me, and probably many others, with a sense of sorrow for you being the perfect caricature of an English xenophobe...

Many of the things you state you would be missing out on (i.e. the company of English people) are precisely the reasons why some people actually choose that option, you know?

Just speaking personally, the idea of being cooped up on what sounds like a floating Butlins for a week with either Germans or people like missk_ensington does not, to coin a phrase, "float my boat..." but each to their own.

Happy_saver_4

Why do many interesting threads on the MSE site decline into personal attacks.

I wish we would all discuss and debate our various points of view - in a civil and polite manner.

I personally get no pleasure from reading personal slanging matches. I am reading the threads to obtain useful info. Personal attacks, put me off reading the thread; any further.

Everybody has a different level of education and I do not believe this should be an elitist forum. Anybody, regardless of their education, who has a point to make should be able to make a post without the possible threat of personal derogatory comments.

saveapenny

May I suggest that this thread gets back on track and stop any personal attacks.
If we al liked the same holidays there wouldnt be enough to go round

Rachie_B

carled wrote:

Ah... the good old "I was taken out of school loads and it didn't do me any harm" argument...

So... no harm apart from the fact that you can't use apostrophes correctly ("Mosquito's"), can't spell "predator", seem to struggle with "I'd" as it appears as "Id" twice in a single paragraph and have discovered someone called "Tut'anka mun" (more commonly known as "Tutankhamun" or "Tutankhamen").
Without wishing to be overly rude, you're hardly a walking advertisement for missing school and going on holiday, are you?

Furthermore, your allusions to the horrors of ending up on a German-run hotel (hey - maybe you could learn German whilst there - another learning experience!) and being unable to partake in the cabaret and/or make friends as they're not English fills me, and probably many others, with a sense of sorrow for you being the perfect caricature of an English xenophobe...

Many of the things you state you would be missing out on (i.e. the company of English people) are precisely the reasons why some people actually choose that option, you know?

Just speaking personally, the idea of being cooped up on what sounds like a floating Butlins for a week with either Germans or people like missk_ensington does not, to coin a phrase, "float my boat..." but each to their own.

caaaaaaaaalm down caaaaaaaaaaaalm down tis only a forum :rolleyes:

not an english exam

IvanOpinion

carled wrote:

I just pointed out the obvious, kept it on topic and left it at that. No need to jump to the parapets to pour boiling oil on the heathen non-believer who thinks cruises are a) a waste of money, b) a glorified bus tour and c) my idea of a living hell, is there?

:rotfl: I was just wondering if you had ever got around to trying a cruise ... I am only asking because I claim to have been forced into my first cruise for similar reasons to those that you mention .. as well as the reasons d) it is full of old people, e) there will be nothing to do, f) why do I want to be held prisoner on a little boat (I was thinking of something like the a ferry to Calais) etc. etc.

Then when I first saw the cruise ship and the size of it I just stopped dead in amazement (and that was only a medium sized one) .. DW walked straight into the back of me because she was busy looking up at it. To give you an idea, sometime pace out 400 steps and that will give you an idea of length (can't remember how wide they are.. I am guessing about 40 paces) but then think of 11-14 stories high.

The one thing that amazed was that I knew there 2000+ people of all ages on board but had no idea where they all were (except at dinner and show time). I also found out that there just were not enough hours in the day to do everything on offer.

Ivan

carled

Fair points, IvanOpinion, but I think it's more down to what people want from a holiday. Me and my family aren't suited to the "pre-packaged" entertainment thing and the mere idea of any form of "entertainment" on a ship, in a hotel or in a holiday camp fills me with icy dread... For those that enjoy it - hats off to you. It's not for me.