New to cruising

jetsetterjoe

I'm also new to cruising -

I love the idea of it, but I fear that I might start to feel isolated.

Is this something anyone else has experienced or am I just being silly?

loobs40

not sure I understand your concern. On a cruise ship with 3500 people, the only way to be isolated is to stay in your cabin all trip

jetsetterjoe

Sorry, I wasn't very clear at all - I mean isolation in the sense that you're out at sea for extended periods of time and can't get off the ship unless you make port. Isolated from land itself.

patgc

On these enormous 'floating cities' with thousands of passengers, isn't it like a great big holiday camp, a glorified Butlins, but you would have lots to do and entertainment as against the smaller ships where you wouldn't have the facilities and choice of the big ships. Alternatively, what about River Cruises, where there is only 100/300 passengers, is there not much to do and less facilities again ?

Mands

jetsetterjoe wrote: »

Sorry, I wasn't very clear at all - I mean isolation in the sense that you're out at sea for extended periods of time and can't get off the ship unless you make port. Isolated from land itself.

For some cruises, yes. But it's probably less than 1% of all cruises. Most are at different ports of call pretty much every day with sailing happening in the evening and overnight. So you might dock at 7am, be off and about after breakfast, back on in time to shower before dinner and just grab a drink to watch sailaway before you go to eat. In practical terms when you're awake you'll have a good chance of seeing land.

That said there are a small number cruises with very few ports of call. Many cruise companies keep their ships in one region for one season and another for another part of the year; the Caribbean in the winter and Europe in the summer for example. When the ship moves between those two spheres of operation it still takes on passengers and those are usually called repositioning cruises. Lots of sea days, not many ports of call.

Repos tend to attracts a different type of passenger: the fares are normally cheaper but people need to be able to be away for longer, and need to be able to source one way travel and need to be more self sufficient. And they need to be comfortable with the idea of all those sea days without sight of land

Our first ever cruise was a 14 day transatlantic crossing with no scheduled ports of call.

It is isolating but there's something very nice about knowing that the 600 square mile circle of ocean that you're sitting in has no other humans in it and that the world won't end as a result of that. Knowing that the PM or Angelina Jolie or the Dalai Lama might have died and you won't know because you won't get the news for a week. Isolating, but refreshing.

Lots of dolphins too.
Mands

daveyjp

Sea days are great. How often during the year do you get a day where you can decide to do absolutely nothing?

zenmaster

travellerboy wrote: »

Holland America ship Ryndam is £640pp for an outside cabin, you are very unlikely too beat that for 7 day Norway Cruise.

Look at www.cruisett.com , click on ships, that will show you all the Cruise Ships across all the companies.

This has just popped up on TravelZoo. Not quite as cheap as that though.

getmore4less

patgc wrote: »

Think we have narrowed it down a bit now. Ideally we want a cruise to Norwa/Scandinavia, up to 7 nights, preferably from Dover but maybe Tilbury. Mid May to Mid June time , on a smaller ship that isnt a floating city. More of an informal type ship but with a choice of places to eat. Now just got to find it.
Thanks to everyone for their help so far, any suggestions re the above gratefully received !!

Look at ex copenhagen

Adds RCI vision of the seas at good rates May 4th and 18th

http://www.cruisefish.net/finder.md?id_cruise=24878

http://bookings.royalcaribbean.co.uk/findacruise/search/vacationSearchResult/show.do?wuc=GBR&dest=&port=&date=201304&ship=VI&hasSenior=