First time cruise - help please!!

cclarke12

ellay864 wrote: »

Thanks everybody. I've no intention of wanting to stand out like a sore thumb so wouldn't want to dress casual on a formal night, but more likely would choose to avoid formal nights/places - don't have budget to go buy frocks that I don't usually wear! The ones we're looking at so far have packages with tips included and option of table on our own which I know DH would prefer anyway.
Re the ports we'd much rather do our own thing but I know that in ports where you have to tender ashore, it's usually the organised ones that leave first. Wish we'd had more time to book now - there's so much to think about!!

Don't worry you don't need too much in the way of frocks or very formal wear. A little black dress is always handy though. Most of my cruise wardrobe has been purchased via eBay and my Hubbie has a £50 dinner suit from M&S

ellay864

We've booked now We're on Celebrity Equinox sailing 1 June for 10 nights to the eastern Med. We had to go through Thomas Cook as we've got about £1200 of TC vouchers as wedding gifts, and we also were able to get deals on Celebrity through their holiday club. I have one nice evening dress that set me back the grand sum of £8.50 in a CR UK shop - have already started browsing the chairty shops for this years Christmas cast-offs!

Archergirl

Trip advisor has a cruise section, they are very helpful.
We are doing our first cruise in Feb on Thompson Dream to the carribean, I don't do posh either so will just take a niceish dress and see how it goes, there are plenty about in the sales at the moment.
Thompson are tips inc and seem quite reasonable. I did look at others ships but though if we started out on a posh one the only way is down........................

Froggitt

A shell suit youll be overdressed on Thommo.....

cclarke12

ellay864 wrote: »

We've booked now We're on Celebrity Equinox sailing 1 June for 10 nights to the eastern Med. We had to go through Thomas Cook as we've got about £1200 of TC vouchers as wedding gifts, and we also were able to get deals on Celebrity through their holiday club. I have one nice evening dress that set me back the grand sum of £8.50 in a CR UK shop - have already started browsing the chairty shops for this years Christmas cast-offs!

Have a fab time. Celebrity is on my list to try in 2013 as their ships look fantastic. The Eastern Med itineraries are really nice.

Froggitt

Equinox is fab. Went on the maiden voyage in July 2009.

travellerboy

Archergirl wrote: »

............. I did look at others ships but though if we started out on a posh one the only way is down........................

Thomson Caribbean Cruise is a bad bad choice, they are truely second rate. All their ships are one step from the nackers yard with very poor reliability.

PreludeForTimeFeelers

We've booked up for our first cruise next year, going with Royal Caribbean on their Eastern Caribbean cruise.

I'm a little worried that we might be the youngest (29 and 33) people on it!

Froggitt

TB - each to his own I spose......e.g. I dont like camping but thousands go camping every year.

Thomson Dream is a cruise ship currently owned by Costa Cruises and operated under charter by Thomson Cruises.[4] She was built in 1986 at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, West Germany as MS Homeric for Home Lines. In 1988 she was sold to Holland America Line and renamed MS Westerdam. In 1990 she was lengthened by 36.9 m (121 ft 1 in) at Meyer Werft. In 2002 she was transferred to the fleet of Costa Cruises and renamed MS Costa Europa.[3][8] In April 2010 she left the fleet of Costa Cruises on a ten-year charter to Thomson Cruises

The ship appeared on BBC1's Watchdog during an investigation into customer complaints: the report found broken airconditioning units and sewage and plumbing problems during the first few voyages with Thomson. The company were also criticised for broadcasting "misleading" advertisements, claiming the ship was "luxury, brand new and 5*" when in fact it is over 24 years old.[

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2010/09/thompson_dream.html

Froggitt

PreludeForTimeFeelers wrote: »

We've booked up for our first cruise next year, going with Royal Caribbean on their Eastern Caribbean cruise.

I'm a little worried that we might be the youngest (29 and 33) people on it!

RCLL on the other hand is a great choice IMHO......and probably not that much more expensive. I *think* all their older ships (and by old, maybe ten years or so) are getting a makeover.....the first has come back with Ipads in every cabin. Allure and Oasis are the biggest ships on the sea with some fantastic features eg rockwall, zipline, flowrider etc etc etc.

Cruisers are getting younger and younger, and certain lines like RCCL are catering better to a younger crowd. Oldies tend to stick more to the likes of Cunard, Fred Olsen, P&O.

RCCL have a great range of bars, discos, daily activities, sports, excursions every day. You may want to do some things together eg eating, dancing, excursions, and some apart eg him playing in a poker tourney on a sea day, her going to the gym.

Our last cruise, there was an American honeymoon couple that I met at the poker table.....the brits and yanks converged at one end, and the frogs and spics at the other. Few days later we spotted them on the Newlywed Game quiz thing on the shipTV channel....said to them I couldnt believe theyd signed up for that. Bumped into them later on at the Karaoke competition (our daughter entered it)....then later on again at Poker.....but its not really age, its how old you feel and act.

RCCL I dont think youll need to bother with Tuxs etc or formal nights......there are so many different venues that youll be able to skip into if they do have a formal night (I cant remember what their policy is).