Can someone suggest a nice cruise please?

swingaloo

We have never ever been on a cruise and to be honest its not something Ive ever fancied doing. However my other half has suggested that we go on one next year (around June) as a way of celebrating my retirement and also because he has walking difficulties now so that type of holidays we used to love are out of the question.

Im coming round to the idea and have looked online and at a brochure.

im looking for recommendations really as what Ive seen up to now seem to either be a bit 'ordinary' as in Spain, France, Italy etc. ive been to all those and would like something a bit different but I also want it to be warm so I suppose that rules out the Norway - Scandanavian type cruises?

I also want to go on a nice ship but don't want one of those very formal cruises where you have to be dressed to the nines all the time.

As its our first time I also don't want to get caught out by massive service charges and compulsory tips. Ive just looked at the Cunnard ones and whilst the basic prices seem ok there seem to be a lot of compulsory extras to be aware of.

I have a brochure for 'Island cruises' which are all inclusive and include all tips and service charges which is more what Im looking for but they just seem to cover the Med.

I also would like advice as to what kind of cabin we should go for, I understand the inside/outside thing but given the choice of lower decks or higher decks which is best.

The other thing I would like advice on is the trips. Do you have time to just do your own thing when you dock or are you more or less tied to taking the excursions they lay on?

I know Im asking a lot but I don't want to make a costly mistake and as its something we have never done before I would appreciate any responses or recommendations from anyone who has done it.

Thank you

poet123

swingaloo wrote: »

We have never ever been on a cruise and to be honest its not something Ive ever fancied doing. However my other half has suggested that we go on one next year (around June) as a way of celebrating my retirement and also because he has walking difficulties now so that type of holidays we used to love are out of the question.

We took our first cruise when we were 35 and have taken many since. We don't always cruise and we love the land based holidays too but cruising is just so easy and it is what you make it.

swingaloo wrote: »

Im coming round to the idea and have looked online and at a brochure.

im looking for recommendations really as what Ive seen up to now seem to either be a bit 'ordinary' as in Spain, France, Italy etc. ive been to all those and would like something a bit different but I also want it to be warm so I suppose that rules out the Norway - Scandanavian type cruises?

In June/July/August those countries are not cold, not steaming hit but quite pleasantly warm, usually so don't rule them out.

swingaloo wrote: »

I also want to go on a nice ship but don't want one of those very formal cruises where you have to be dressed to the nines all the time.

This is a common misconception. On every ship there are eating venues where you do not have to dress up. Even the more formal cruises have become less so and smart casual dress is acceptable on most evenings. So, don't rule out the dressier cruises just think that you will eat in a different venue on those nights.

swingaloo wrote: »

As its our first time I also don't want to get caught out by massive service charges and compulsory tips. Ive just looked at the Cunnard ones and whilst the basic prices seem ok there seem to be a lot of compulsory extras to be aware of.

Tipping or services charges are contentious issues. The charges can be removed if you wish so that you can tip personally those who have served you.

swingaloo wrote: »

I have a brochure for 'Island cruises' which are all inclusive and include all tips and service charges which is more what Im looking for but they just seem to cover the Med.

They do only do the Med as far as I am aware and tbh their ships are older and imo you don't get the full cruise experience that you would get with the larger lines. That said you have to try various lines before you find the one that suits you best.

swingaloo wrote: »

I also would like advice as to what kind of cabin we should go for, I understand the inside/outside thing but given the choice of lower decks or higher decks which is best.

The best position is generally midship (less movement) and we prefer higher deck, but again that is personal choice. Look at a deck plan and see what is above you (noise from chairs scraping by the pool, disco, late night bars etc) and how close the lifts are. We like a cabin just by the lifts as we hate walking down miles of corridors.

swingaloo wrote: »

The other thing I would like advice on is the trips. Do you have time to just do your own thing when you dock or are you more or less tied to taking the excursions they lay on?

Most ports are easy to do by yourself or join up with others off the cruise. Ship trips are always very expensive. We either do our own thing ( sometimes we have arranged for a car to be at the port) or we go on the Cruise Critic website and find the Roll call for the sailing and join up for trips with other passengers. Much cheaper and smaller numbers.

swingaloo wrote: »

I know Im asking a lot but I don't want to make a costly mistake and as its something we have never done before I would appreciate any responses or recommendations from anyone who has done it.

Thank you

Also, we use the Cruise Compete website to get quotes from US travel agents (you can cancel without penalty up to final payment if you use a US agent and if the price goes down they refund you the difference)

Start by finding a place you want to go then find the cruiselines/ships which do that itinerary and take it from there.

swingaloo

Thank you very much for the information. very helpful, thanks again.

skitler

the canal by us is lovely, its got ducks on it.:eek:

Mands

swingaloo wrote: »

We have never ever been on a cruise and to be honest its not something Ive ever fancied doing. However my other half has suggested that we go on one next year (around June) as a way of celebrating my retirement and also because he has walking difficulties now so that type of holidays we used to love are out of the question.

Im coming round to the idea and have looked online and at a brochure.

im looking for recommendations really as what Ive seen up to now seem to either be a bit 'ordinary' as in Spain, France, Italy etc. ive been to all those and would like something a bit different but I also want it to be warm so I suppose that rules out the Norway - Scandanavian type cruises?

I also want to go on a nice ship but don't want one of those very formal cruises where you have to be dressed to the nines all the time.

As its our first time I also don't want to get caught out by massive service charges and compulsory tips. Ive just looked at the Cunnard ones and whilst the basic prices seem ok there seem to be a lot of compulsory extras to be aware of.

I have a brochure for 'Island cruises' which are all inclusive and include all tips and service charges which is more what Im looking for but they just seem to cover the Med.

I also would like advice as to what kind of cabin we should go for, I understand the inside/outside thing but given the choice of lower decks or higher decks which is best.

The other thing I would like advice on is the trips. Do you have time to just do your own thing when you dock or are you more or less tied to taking the excursions they lay on?

I know Im asking a lot but I don't want to make a costly mistake and as its something we have never done before I would appreciate any responses or recommendations from anyone who has done it.

Thank you

Hello Swingaloo,

I think the idea of spending the cold months planning a summer cruise in celebration of your retirement sounds lovely :-)

Poet123 makes some great points about formality and places to eat and time off the ship.

You mentioned not wanting to dress up all the time: do you want to dress up at all? If not there are ships that have different dress codes. NCL don't have any formal nights, and are quite happy for people to turn up to dinner in shorts. If that isn't your thing then there are other cruise lines where the dress code is essentially smart-casual. So chinos and a shirt for men (no tie) and something nice but not dressy for women. Azamara might fit if that sounded suitable. They also bundle tips and free wine with lunch and dinner into their prices.

http://www.ncl.co.uk
http://www.azamaraclubcruises.com

With regards to ports of call if your husband has issues with walking long distances then there are some stops that may need more consideration. Many Italian itineraries mention Rome and Florence, for example. In reality they dock at the ports that serve Rome and Florence (Civitavecchia and Livorno) and passengers need to get to the cities themselves. Athens and Kusadasi (for Ephesus) might also be a concern as both have a moderate degree of walking but often over uneven surfaces.

Hope that helps a little,
Mands

daveyjp

Very easy to get choice anxiety when looking for your first cruise.

You have settled on a date, there are only so many cruises in June so you can get a list and decide where you don't want to go. From this your choices will be further reduced.

Goldiegirl

Also, it depends on how long you want to be away for, and whether you are willing to fly to your embarkation port.

If you are willing to fly, you can obviously go further afield in a shorter period of time.

If you want to sail from the uk, and only have two weeks, you'll be restricted to countries within a reasonable distance of the uk

If you like sight seeing in cities, you might consider a Baltic cruise, which will include Russia, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. In June, the weather can be very nice in that area, and of course the further north you are, you'll get long hours of daylight at that time of year.

There's no right or wrong regarding shore excursions. DIY trips tend to be cheaper than the shore excursions - many people research on the Internet before they go. In some ports, it's nice to just go ashore and wander around for a while.

However, if you go off on a DIY tour, and there is an unforeseen problem and you are late back to the port, the ship will not wait for you. There is a certain amount of peace of mind doing a ships tour, as, if the worst happens, the ship will wait for the coach to get back, and won't sail without you.

Be warned, cruising is addictive, and you probably will want to do more!

PompeyPete

Goldiegirl wrote: »

Be warned, cruising is addictive, and you probably will want to do more!

Agree 100%.
I did 23 years in the RN, and the thought of cruising was a complete turn-off for me.
But I had a moment of weakness a couple of years ago, and I was so wrong.
Thomson for us. Excellent vfm.
Off on this one in less than 4 weeks, just look at the itinerary...

http://www.thomson.co.uk/cruise/itineraries/adriatic-to-atlantic-itinerary.html

Everything is included, flights, transfers, tips, and play your cards right and you can get the drinks package thrown in. The organisation is spot-on from the moment you check-in at the UK airport.

Thomson ships are relatively small, spotless, food is excellent, entertainment is West End quality, and the crew brilliant.