Mrs Z's bombshell - she wants to go on a cruise.
Never been on one.
Any advice - we are not heavy drinkers but like soft drinks, tea, coffee and if out a pint or glass of wine - so advice re drinks packages and other type of packages would be appreciated.
Also I am a man with a very very limited wardrobe (2 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of chinos). Is formal attire needed?
Insurances - given the recent medial incident - any good non-ripoff companies out there?
Any advice, tips or observations appreciated!
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Where might she want to go?
UK waters?
UK port departure but sailing further afield?
Or, as one of my former CS colleagues has recently done, fly long haul and board in Bridgetown or somewhere?
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I've heard cruises described as being like at Butlin's, with the doors locked so you can't get out.
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Why not a European river cruise.
Easy to get to departure point. Competent health care with GHIC card in emergency. More time stopped for sightseeing than spent captive. Human scale rather than floating tower block.
We have been considering doing one. Like you I don't want Butlins on sea, nor do I want excessive food or drink - quality not quantity takes priority.
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>> I've heard cruises described as being like at Butlin's, with the doors locked so you
>> can't get out.
Its not.
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Crusies I think are something you would either love or hate. I'm in the latter camp and would pay not ot go on one but I know a lot of people who love them for all the same reasons that I would run a mile to escape from one.
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I think you mean swim a mile (or more) ;-)
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>> I've heard cruises described as being like at Butlin's, with the doors locked so you
>> can't get out.
>>
I always thought them of more a floating saga camp.
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'a floating saga camp'
Now I'm intrigued...
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Do they have a singles-only cruise...?
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Well, she was hinting this year that she'd like to go away with a couple of her girlfriends instead.
Looks good to me. How could I complain about a single cabin when most of my favourite experiences happen in cars, lifts, darkrooms, shop doorways, office cubicles, disabled toilets, pub gardens, taxis, alleys and cemeteries.
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>> gardens, taxis, alleys and cemeteries.
So you have dropped the "must have a pulse" requirement then?
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The day Raquel Welch died.
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>> Where might she want to go?
>>
>> UK waters?
>>
>> UK port departure but sailing further afield?
>>
>> Or, as one of my former CS colleagues has recently done, fly long haul and
>> board in Bridgetown or somewhere?
>>
>>
From a UK port, thinking to the Med or Scandinavia.
Perhaps a fly and cruise at a later date (she wants to do the Nile at some point).
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We’ve done about ten over the last few years from Southampton.. Best for seeing stuff from the ship and using a balcony are Norwegian Fjords, best for ports and tours are the Med and Baltic. Least appealing from both scenery and ports are the Canaries. Spanish mainland offers some good ports but Gib is a bit meh.
Sea days are not a bad thing just to relax so don’t necessarily go for cruises with stops every day. Queuing is seldom a problem once you work out the busy times and make minor adjustments to your routine. Even on sea days we always find a quiet spot on deck or in the lounges. It’s nothing like a ferry, there is space to spare.
Nothing is compulsory to join in and you can do your own thing and the choice of eateries and food outlets are good.
We have always found service very good but it’s hard not to feel a twinge of guilt at the long absences from home for the non-EU crew members.
The only thing putting us off booking yet another one are the online reviews of our favourite line since COVID suggesting that quality and standards have slipped. So do your own detailed research before booking.
Finally we might consider a river cruise where reviews seem more positive. Mrs A however dreads being stuck with people she can’t get along with on a small vessel and enjoys the anonymity of a medium sized (2000 passenger) cruise ship.
Cruises are not for everyone but I reckon that the majority of first timers enjoy them and book another.
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>> Any advice - we are not heavy drinkers but like soft drinks, tea, coffee and
>> if out a pint or glass of wine - so advice re drinks packages and
>> other type of packages would be appreciated.
Mostly are all now "premium" package. All the wine, tea, coffee, pints you want.
>> Also I am a man with a very very limited wardrobe (2 pairs of jeans,
>> 1 pair of chinos). Is formal attire needed?
Nope, smart strides, shirt with collar, jacket is enough.
>> Insurances - given the recent medial incident - any good non-ripoff companies out there?
All off them are rip off, you dont make money by paying out. With your recent medical episode, which you have to declare, it will be expensive. This soon after your event, think 4 figures.
>> Any advice, tips or observations appreciated!
Start with a smaller boat, 7 day maximum, 7 day cruises from UK ports are limited destination wise, think fly (might be an issue for you - you'll need to take DVT precautions) Viking cruises might be a good starter for you or Fred Ohlson - smaller ships.
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How about Plymouth > Santander..24 hours
I’ve a spare bunk bed in my cabin :-)
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..that offer's enough to give him another TIA...
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I simply can’t imagine something more appalling.
Voluntarily forcing oneself into the the close proximity of others for an extended period of time?
Sod that.
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Voluntarily forcing oneself into the the close proximity of others for an extended period of
>> time?
One of those river cruise ads came on tv, the OH said similar. They'd be good if no one else was onboard.
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I just don’t want to sit next to Derek from Doncaster, Mavis from Marple, Barbara from Brighton or Nigel from Norwich at dinner every night. They, or some of them anyway, may well be jolly nice people, but I just don’t want to “get to know” anyone any more thanks.
Much happier up a mountain on my bike, or in the sea with my diving gear on, or on an empty ski slope with the sun on my back.
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Done several cruises, all from UK ports. Used to shudder at the thought, but the first one broke the ice. Most now have the option of formal dining, semi-formal, or informal.
Suggest you don't go for fixed seating - same table, same people every night.
You can have freedom dining where you sat at the first table that has space for you. Or you can have buffet style dining al day long and in the evening, which is good if perhaps you are tired and don't eveni want to change into smart trousers and shirt.
Some ports we would go ashore and stop in almost the first cafe and watch the world go by. We found the organised excursions were not always good value - depends where you are.
There are adults only cruises.
P&O are quite good vale and Brit orientated. Some cruises lines lean heavily toward the American market.
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Girl I know is an independent travel agent...possibly part of a larger organisation. She has decades of experience in the field of travel...corporate, leisure etc.
She recently got a £950 cruise for 2 friends of mine. Two weeks, fly from the U.K. to Barbados then pretty much a different island every day. They returned yesterday, and I haven’t spoken to them yet....the £950 included all food, but it was an inside cabin and excluded drinks. The drinks package, with a max of 15 drinks a day...both alcoholic and non alcoholic, was £400. Not bad considering the amount they pour down their necks.
She also told me about cheap ‘relocation’ cruises, where cruise liners, having spent the winter plying their trade around the Caribbean, transit back to the Med.
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Should have said, normally worth going for an outside cabin, with balcony, if possible. nearer to the middle of the ship - less movement in rough weather. Near a staircase/lifts if the pins aren't too good. So avoid the "cabins allocated when checking in" scenario.
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or on an empty ski slope with the sun on my back.
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Been there. Done that.
Missed the last connecting lift back to my resort. An expensive taxi, but not as expensive as someone I know ( not me) who, whilst staying in Cervinia, missed the last lift back from Zermatt. The taxi ride is almost 4 hours....from memory this person stayed overnight In Zermatt.
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'Derek from Doncaster'
I met him a couple of years ago. As he laid his towel down he opened with, "Hi, I'm Derek from Doncaster and I'm a Lexus dealer". I made the mistake of saying, "Oh, I have two of those". Hours of waffling like a Lexus brochure when I just wanted to read my Clive Cussler.
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You would have been ok with Mavis from Marple though?
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...is that the "late Mavis from Marple"...
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I’d imagine, although I’m no expert, that you do actually have to be still alive to get on a cruise, having said that, given the typical demographic of cruise passengers, there must be some who don’t entirely make it to the end of the trip?
Wonder what they do with those ones? I mean, hot climates and so on can’t be ideal. Maybe they have a special fridge for those eventualities or something, assuming of course they don’t just toss them overboard and deny all knowledge?
Bit grim if they just prop them up in a corner of the same freezers as are used to store the petit pois etc.
Probably best not to dwell on it I suppose.
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>> there must be some who don’t entirely make it to the end of the trip?
>>
>> Wonder what they do with those ones?
I quite fancy the burial at sea routine. You know the slide with the flag draped over, off caps, last post, tip, splash, On caps.
Good way to go.
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I’d want to keep my watch on though, just to see if it really could keep working at 200m depth. Or is that another thread?
;-)
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>> I quite fancy the burial at sea routine.
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...it'd certainly frustrate all those that have vowed to dance on your grave....
(the old ones are the best).
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My father had his ashes buried in the Firth of Forth by the Navy. Real pain getting it altogether as has to be a particular size container, filled with iron to make sure it doesn’t bob up again.
We got a lovely report of proceeding and service, including the exact co-ordinates, how many sailors involved etc.
On cruise deaths, my b-i-l is a pianist, presently visiting Australia while on a world trip on the QM2. They all have hospitals and mortuaries, he reckons they lose at least one passenger on each trip. Not surprising really, considering the age of many and the amount of food and booze consumed. He hasn’t personally despatched anyone, but was a close thing on one leg of this trip when having played a set of ALW music (might not be his all time favourite) the next passenger asked if he knew anything by Lloyd Webber …
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I recall an "ask the crew anything" session on one of our cruises and they definitely do have a well used process (and equipment) for death at sea.
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The most populous ships probably have a couple of separate people freezers somewhere in the ship. I believe they also have a cell or brig for very naughty crew or passengers.
My ole mam's brother Bob took the plunge off the deck ofHMS Alcantara in 1940 after a spat with the Kriegsmarine ship Thor. The bosun went with him. Her cousin, on the other hand went down in the Med along with other members of crew and their boat, HM Submarine Tempest.
Ted
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>>>> Wonder what they do with those ones? I mean, hot climates and so on can’t
>> be ideal. Maybe they have a special fridge for those eventualities or something, assuming of
>> course they don’t just toss them overboard and deny all knowledge?
There is a mortuary section on cruise ships. I am not sure if you can be buried at sea or whether the authorities have rubber stamp the death.
We were on a cruise 5 or 6 years where they took someone off ill at every port we called at and also emergency diversions at small ports to drop seriously ill patients off. Quite interesting some the places we called in at. It was round the Med and the coast of Spain.
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'...is that the "late Mavis from Marple"...'
She cost me nothing in drinks and she was dead funny.
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You might try Staysure for the travel insurance. I have annual European which is £200+despite my history of dilated cardiomyopathy with heart failure. Perhaps it would have been somewhat higher for more remote parts of the world.
There was a point at which they wouldn't insure me, which was in the months after diagnosis when I had tests and results pending. This might apply to you.
Perhaps one of those 7 day 'round Britain' jobs for the cruise? Some friends did one and liked it. No experience of cruising myself, never fancied it.
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Somehow we ended up doing a Tui cruises at probably age 50ish and enjoyed it a lot so went on a few more. Only European ones, all Tui except one, on an American boar (Celebration IIRC) which was more formal and less enjoyable.
Entertainment and food was excellent, and the drinks package worked as expected. We never did any of the excursions as they were way too pricey for what they were - instead we researched beforehand and got ourselves to Pompeii, Rome etc etc. We even took the girls on one over Christmas one year and it was fantastic. And we hardly ever socialised with anyone else or joined in many of the activities on any cruise, though the opportunity is obviously there if you want to.
However I feel I've done enough now and I prefer my long vacations in Portugal.
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Off on a cruise for the fist time since covid lockdown kicked in. Marella (TUI) Corfu - Crete - Santorini - Kusadasi - Athens - Kefalonia. Cabin with balcony, Middle of boat, Premium drinks package. Booked a few excursions, researching a few others to self explore (*Athens deffo)
We try to mix the main meals, if in the main dinning hall we go just off peak, and will take two seats at a large table with anyone. We make up weird back stories about us** to tell them and secret ones about our fellow diners later. The evening entertainment is sometimes OK,
Like cruises, done places I wouldn't have got to otherwise (Colombia, Panama Canal etc). Its convenient - Like sailing into Venice, past San Marco on the morning of your 30th wedding anniversary (beat that for brownie points) and it packs in a lot. Think of a coastal biased thing you would like to do, and a cruise will provide it. Couldn't do 5 days at sea on a long voyage tho.
BUT
Its not an exclusive holiday thing for us. We mix in some self book self explore holidays abroad, did some package tours when the nipper was young, and Caravan. In short a cruise is just one if the travel options to throw in.
*I use DK top ten travel guides as my self explore tool. Got quite a library of them at home now that friends borrow.
** Our Biggest backstory lie to date was Wifey and I met when we were working in Kuwait when Sadam Invaded (she was a nurse, I was in IT for an oil company (you need to base tales on what you know) We didn't know each other till then - and we managed to escape to Saudi Arabia the night of the invasion.
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>>
>> ** Our Biggest backstory lie to date was Wifey and I met when we were
>> working in Kuwait when Sadam Invaded (she was a nurse, I was in IT for
>> an oil company (you need to base tales on what you know) We didn't know
>> each other till then - and we managed to escape to Saudi Arabia the night
>> of the invasion.
>>
...you've done bigger porkies than that on here... ;-)
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>> ...you've done bigger porkies than that on here... ;-)
embellishment, not porkie, embellishment.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 26 Mar 23 at 09:49
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>> Perhaps one of those 7 day 'round Britain' jobs for the cruise? Some friends did
>> one and liked it. No experience of cruising myself, never fancied it.
Not sure that the North Sea and scenic view of Skegness has quite the attraction of the Adriatic and Dubrovnick.
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If you want to push the boat out.....
www.hebridean.co.uk/
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>>..if you want to push the boat out.....
...given the current background of such, and that it's a 60-year old former Macbraynes car ferry, you might literally end up doing that.... ;-)
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Seem to recall that it failed its lloyds inspection not that long ago.
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After the Royal yacht was retired to Leith Docks as a tourist attraction the Queen hired one of the Hebridean fleet for 2 weeks.
I can only imagine what the cost would be as being one of 30+ passengers can spend North of £3-5,000 for a week.
OTOH she may have got a discount!
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That’s the old Calmac Ferry isn’t it?
Was it Hebridean Princess or suchlike it was called?
Often moored up Torridon way on her trips.
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>> That’s the old Calmac Ferry isn’t it?
>> Was it Hebridean Princess or suchlike it was called?
Heb Princess is the current name and that under which it has sailed for many years.
In Calmac service she was called Columba and served on various routes ending up in the late eighties serving, IIRC Coll and Tiree. There were three near identical sister ships, the other two were Hebrides, I think the second MacBrayne vessel to carry that name, and Clansman.
The first time Mrs B and I visited the Islands in 1984 Hebrides was in her final year on the Uig to Tarbert/Lochboisdale service and we crossed back to Skye on her. Built to the standards of the post war years and said to have a role as 'shelter ships' in the event of nuclear war she was pretty solid and IIRC the designer went on to greater things.
Up to the early nineties, and perhaps later, Calmac vessels on their longer routes had overnight cabin accommodation. We used them a couple of times on Suilven from Stornoway to Ullapool. And very comfortable they were too.
I've seen Heb Princess in harbour at Tarbert and there's no comparison with the current CalMac.
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I’ve taken The Clansman from Oban to Barra.
Next visit to Barra will be flying in and landing on the beach.
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>> I’ve taken The Clansman from Oban to Barra.
>> Next visit to Barra will be flying in and landing on the beach.
Would that be the current vessel of that name?
Sister to the current Hebrides which, like her sixties built namesake, serves the Uig triangle.
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Yeah didn’t realise there had been different versions of it.
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Another possibility for you Zippy. I haven't check the link so can't say how useful it is
www.medicaltravelcompared.co.uk/
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Using that site, annual, world wide, for me only & including my medical history, only 5 quotes
low 634, High 1200
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 27 Mar 23 at 08:44
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Compared mine, Europe only, no cruising or dangerous sport, 60 day cover. The cheapest about the same as I'm currently paying but mine includes car hire excess, which is the only thing I've claimed on in the past few years, twice! Staysure, same as Duncan
Last edited by: smokie on Mon 27 Mar 23 at 10:01
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Zippy, there are rumours in the media today that HMG are going to announce free accommodation on cruise ships.
Might be worth an email to see if you can reserve an outside cabin?
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......Port out to Rwanda...
(you're not going to have to worry about starboard home ;-) )
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>> Might be worth an email to see if you can reserve an outside cabin?
Not sure the premium drinks package will be available, and certainly no shore excursions.
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and certainly no shore excursions.
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Not legal ones anyway.
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Cruising - not the rude type - Bromptonaut
