Going on a cruise

[topcropper]

I am personally considering a cruise next year. Pros? Cons? Who are the good operators and bad ones?

Good fun for about a week, but any longer would be too much. Took the kids and they loved it, met new friends, spent all day in the kids places.

The food is incredible, and it's available all the time, and often as much as you want. For someone like myself who is always hungry, loves eating and can eat a lot, that's a bit of a problem as I put on too much weight. Another reason why a week is enough!

I found the alcohol a bit expensive, So I'd smuggle on bottles of spirits at the odd port. Your not supposed to but I found it easy. In theory they could check your bag coming back on but never did.


See ya's.

 

[cimbom]

I read something a while back about this cruise ship which sells individual "apartments" and you can stay on the ship for as long (or as little) as you like. I believe it cruises permanently and has constantly changing itineraries. I think a "studio apartment" cost 200k plus body corporate type payments to cover ongoing maintenance of the ship.

Edit: Found it. http://aboardtheworld.com/

 

[Deltaberry]

Pros
They are a lot of fun
You get to visit a lot of different places in a short period of time so it's good for a "taster" to see if you want to go back to that place
You possibly get to go to places that you otherwise couldn't afford (such as I went to Bora Bora and it was amazing!)
Lots of entertainment (though not always to my taste)
Lots of food
You can make some really good friends
You only have to pack/unpack once
Getting table service for every meal every day (we don't like buffets)
You get your bed made every day for you, and the sheets turned down before bedtime every night

Cons
I don't enjoy the sea days as much as some others do, frankly I'd rather be exploring a place that I've never been to than relaxing on board
There is waaaay too much food so it's very, very easy to overeat
The cabins are generally tiny unless you can afford a mini suite or bigger
If you are younger and going on a cruise, it can be difficult to find people your own age to talk to. We've been on a couple where we were the youngest on board by about 30 years!
Alcohol on board can be very expensive, though some cruise lines will let you take a limited amount in your luggage with you.


Good cruise lines: Princess, Royal Carribean, Holland America
Alright cruise lines: P&O (probably the most fun I've ever had on a cruise, but definitely aimed at the younger market. I would feel very old if I went on it now)

I can't comment on any other cruise lines as these are the only ones I've tried so far.

Good summary. Some other things to think about:

- Cruises are more fun if there's a big group of people to go with. Because you're stuck on the ship 40% of the time, you'd want a big group (everytime I go, it's 10+ people). Also at our age, that's potentially how you solve the age gap, although old people (55+) on board are usually very nice. But they only know old games like Bridge.

- Cruises which tread the ocean even for half a night are terrible because the ship rocks. Make sure you choose one that is mostly inland rivers. I once was on a cruise crossing the Atlantic, felt so sick I went back to my room to sleep. Another time I crossed the Mediterrenean (spelling?) and also didn't feel very well.

- Cruises are really good for exploration actually, because everything is organise/arranged for you and you can check out a city very quickly. Of course, if you wanted to do in-depth exploration like one of Aaron's friends and need to walk to every corner of a city, then avoid a cruise. I've been to exotic cities which honestly I'd never go via a plane because it's either too out of the way, or there's just too many major/semi-major cities ahead which I haven't even done. So a cruise is a good way to tick off a bucket list of random cities (eg place slike Casablanca, Sicily, Fatima etc)

- Would have to say Royal Carribean is leagues ahead of the rest. Princess is good. Never been on Holland America. P&O is pretty average. If money was not an issue, I would only consider Royal to be honest, and maybe Princess if it had a good itineary (much prefer Royal). Spirit of Tassie = ugh

- One thing everyone said: food. Amazing stuff. And love the black tie dinners every second or third night. Really top quality stuff.

 

[Tim86]

I am personally considering a cruise next year. Pros? Cons? Who are the good operators and bad ones?

Princess cruises is really good. I've heard bad things about P & O.

 

[Peter_Tersteeg]

I wouldn't say that P&O are bad, but Princess is better IMO.

My tip on cruising. If you can, get a cabin at the back of the ship. In rough seas, the front has a lot of vertical motion whilst the back tends to have only a moderate rocking. There's a reason why many of the restaurants are located at in the aft or mid-ships.

 

[geoffw]

I wouldn't say that P&O are bad, but Princess is better IMO.

My tip on cruising. If you can, get a cabin at the back of the ship. In rough seas, the front has a lot of vertical motion whilst the back tends to have only a moderate rocking. There's a reason why many of the restaurants are located at in the aft or mid-ships.

Besides, the front bit is the bit most likely to hit an iceberg.

 

[Peter_Tersteeg]

Besides, the front bit is the bit most likely to hit an iceberg.

If you've got an Italian captain and a cute Moldovian dancer, chances are they'll hit dry land first!

 

[LoneWolf]

Cruise is fun, but individual experience is depended on your company and interests.

 

[Richard Feynman]

I've cruised once on P&O's Pacific Jewel. Wouldn't have ever booked a cruise myself, but was dragged along with family.

Not my usual far. Being trapped in a bubble isn't my ideal holiday but it was a good chance for family bonding.

The twin cabin (with balcony) worked out to be something on the order of $70/night per person. Not bad for food, accommodation and transport for almost 2 weeks. Got to stop off on a few islands but not for long enough to see or experience everything I'd like to have.

Between that, a lot of time was spent chatting with the family over coffee and chess. Not sure what I'd have got up to if I was flying solo. Perhaps more roulette. There were a lot of cougars on the prowl so maybe I could have tried my luck with them

I had a delicious 1kg steak at one of the "upgrade" restaurants (Salt Grill) one evening too. That was a highlight.

In short: Great, great value (if you wish it to be), but it's a very vanilla experience.

 

[Orks]

I read something a while back about this cruise ship which sells individual "apartments" and you can stay on the ship for as long (or as little) as you like. I believe it cruises permanently and has constantly changing itineraries. I think a "studio apartment" cost 200k plus body corporate type payments to cover ongoing maintenance of the ship.

Edit: Found it. http://aboardtheworld.com/

You'd be stuck with Gina Rinehart as a fellow passenger.

 

[travelbug]

- Cruises are more fun if there's a big group of people to go with. Because you're stuck on the ship 40% of the time, you'd want a big group (everytime I go, it's 10+ people). Also at our age, that's potentially how you solve the age gap, although old people (55+) on board are usually very nice. But they only know old games like Bridge.

Weil I didn't think I was THAT old at 55 . AND I don't know how to play bridge. How old are you? Be afraid-55 comes around pretty quick. It's all relative I guess. My mum is 77 and she talks about the old ducks at bowls.

I think cruises are great for families. I'd love to do one with the kids and grandkids. You can then spend time with each other at different venues. Adults can socialise with other adults while the kids are at kids club and grandparents can spend time with the grandkids if parents want a night alone etc.

When comparing cruiselines remember to compare apples with apples.

Sure Princess is better than P&O but P&O ships are 3.5 star compared to Princess 4-5 star. I thought I would be dissapointed when going on P&O but I had lower expectations (after a 4.5 star ship on Princess) and I was pleasantly surprised. Not as many activities or bars but the food was great. So make price comparisons based on the ship and what you get. Different ships/cruise lines suit different people.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

We are going on a cruise during new year, spur of the moment thing and just booked it, never even considered a cruise before, but sounds like an easy holiday without too much organising required.
Voyager of the Seas by Royal Caribbean Cruises, it's a big boat!!!
Don't know if I can last 14 nights...
5 YO daughter will probably have fun though.

 

[Richard Feynman]

I forgot to mention.

Watch a moonrise/moonset.

Absolutely stunning over the open ocean without light pollution - it'll be blood red as it's coming over/sinking below the horizon.

 

[BayView]

Went on a cruise when living in L.A...

Good trip to Me-hi-co...

Choc-a-bloc full of morbidly obese Americans, mostly old fards, embarking on plowing as much food into their gobs as physically possible over a 72 hour period.

There were a few younger folk and a few families with kids too though.

We loved it; just had to try to avoid the humans.

Mexico was interesting, but horribly poor.

 

[Deltaberry]

Weil I didn't think I was THAT old at 55 . AND I don't know how to play bridge. How old are you? Be afraid-55 comes around pretty quick. It's all relative I guess. My mum is 77 and she talks about the old ducks at bowls.

I think cruises are great for families. I'd love to do one with the kids and grandkids. You can then spend time with each other at different venues. Adults can socialise with other adults while the kids are at kids club and grandparents can spend time with the grandkids if parents want a night alone etc.

When comparing cruiselines remember to compare apples with apples.

Sure Princess is better than P&O but P&O ships are 3.5 star compared to Princess 4-5 star. I thought I would be dissapointed when going on P&O but I had lower expectations (after a 4.5 star ship on Princess) and I was pleasantly surprised. Not as many activities or bars but the food was great. So make price comparisons based on the ship and what you get. Different ships/cruise lines suit different people.

Haha 55's not that old but when I went in my teens and early 20s, it seemed like a long way away from me. I'm now late 20s.

Going with whole family is fun. I once went with my parents and grandma, and all their friends and kids/grandkids went too.