Cruises

kenshaz

My wife is receiving treatment for Cancer,it should all end in July ,then we would like to go on a cruise,her hair will be starting to grow and she deserves a break,any suggestions or experiences .

Backbiter

Have been on 2 Carnival cruises - one to the Carribean, one round the Med. Both excellent and good value (booked direct with Carnival). There are loads of options out there - a late deal would save a huge amount.
Best wishes to your wife - a cruise would be a real tonic, I'm sure.

john.xs

p+o
royal caribean
carnival
princess
celebrity
all good companies.
if theres just the two of you there are some really good deals out there particularly outside of peak holiday times !

saveapenny

I would cut the hassle of the airports and do a UK departing cruise they are just so much easier and it will get the both of you off to a nice relaxing start.
Its a realy good time to do Norway.
What sort of thing have you got in mind and what sort of budget I will have a good mooch around

moonrakerz

Depends on your age bracket. Some lines cater for younger passengers, some for the more "mature".
Self and OH went to Norway on the QE2 last year - wonderful trip and brilliant value for money. Cunard is definitely for the mature passenger.
I think on a cruise you will get what you pay for - if one line is £50 per person per day and another is £200 per person per day, what you get is very much dependent on what you pay.
Do lots of googling, there are lots of sites with reviews on them. Gives you good info on shore excurions as well before you book. For example, the P & O site lists lots of excursions in lots of ports; the same companies run the excursions for all the major cruise companies, so those excursions will be available to Cunard.
You'll enjoy it !

saveapenny

moonrakerz wrote:

I think on a cruise you will get what you pay for - if one line is £50 per person per day and another is £200 per person per day, what you get is very much dependent on what you pay.

Not always ...Thats why its best to hunt round for the best deals. I have seen P&O Cruises cheaper than cruises with Thomsons, With your way of thinking you get a better cruise with Thomsons...lol

moonrakerz

saveapenny wrote:

Not always ...Thats why its best to hunt round for the best deals. I have seen P&O Cruises cheaper than cruises with Thomsons, With your way of thinking you get a better cruise with Thomsons...lol

A little common sense has to be applied as well ! Out of your two - I know who I would go with (Almost regardless of price )

colmil

I would suggest that there could be loads of kids in July, best to see if there are any child free cruises if your wife is recuperating.

nelly_2

Ivan opinion has done plenty of cruises he'll know

What colmil said was bang on though I'd aim at september when the kids ar back in cshool

IvanOpinion

Kenshaz, firstly best regards to your wife and i hope she has a speedy and permanent recovery. Is there anywhere that you particularly want to go and visit? Is money or location going to be a limiting factor? What sort of people are you .. try anything once, beach relaxation, explorers? Have you cruised before? Do you mind dressing up (tux/suit)?

If you can wait until later in the year (e.g. November-March) then there are some good deals for the Caribbean, however for something really memorable I would look for a full Panama Canal Transit (possibly LA to Fort Lauderdale, or Acapulco to Barbados). As others have said if you don't fancy flying then there are plenty of options out of Southampton including Med, Baltics, transatlantic etc.

Of the mass market lines Celebrity is probably the best closely followed by P&O and Princess. RCI is now aiming itself more at families and Canrival is looking for the party goers.

Keep an eye on the chat boards on web sites like https://www.cruisecritic.com and https://www.ship-happens.co.uk (look for a poster called Pip, he/she always seems to be able to find the bargains) and look on teletext.

If you can give more info I am sure we can all come up with your dream holiday

Ivan

saveapenny

Arcadia and Artemis (P&O) are kid free and also you dont get many on Fred Olsen ships even in high season and can be very good value and good standard.
Have to agree with Ivan really memorable cruises are away from the norm like the Baltics, Iceland Greenland and Top of the World cruises but it al depends on your budget. Dont be tempted with Thomsons unless your a Butlins type of person

IVAN...you ever been on WindStar or Safari Club crusies? or do Black Sea, Indian Ocean or Pacific rim