Done cruise last couple weeks. Dubrovnik, Hvar, Split, Venice, Kefalonia, Slovenia, Rijeka Scicilly, Valetta.
Jesus there are some stunning places out there, Montenegro was amazing.
Cruise is what it is but knew the rooms aren't luxury, booze was top draw on boat , Red Stripe, Morretti, Corona, San Miguel, Mean Time IPA, Pedigree, food was OK.
Just being able to say I've been to these places was amazing.
Who did you go with? We always go P&O and always been really happy.
Done cruise last couple weeks. Dubrovnik, Hvar, Split, Venice, Kefalonia, Slovenia, Rijeka Scicilly, Valetta.
Jesus there are some stunning places out there, Montenegro was amazing.
Cruise is what it is but knew the rooms aren't luxury, booze was top draw on boat , Red Stripe, Morretti, Corona, San Miguel, Mean Time IPA, Pedigree, food was OK.
Just being able to say I've been to these places was amazing.
Who did you go with? We always go P&O and always been really happy.
Edit - seen your response above.
Got 2 booked with p and o next year. But eyeing up a 14 night med oman dubai one later this year if we add on an extra 4 nights in dubai comes to £1450 each.
I've been contemplating a cruise but a handful of things put me off
1) The gluttony of fellow guests 2) having to pack loads of evening clothes 3) being around loads of old or obese people for a fortnight. The 2 worse holiday resort guests, you know where you stand with a gaggle of jocks or northerners 4) travelling the whole holiday
The opportunity to see so many places, especially somewhere like the Adriatic however fills me with intrigue and I trust Charltonparklane and his judgement
I've been contemplating a cruise but a handful of things put me off
1) The gluttony of fellow guests 2) having to pack loads of evening clothes 3) being around loads of old or obese people for a fortnight. The 2 worse holiday resort guests, you know where you stand with a gaggle of jocks or northerners 4) travelling the whole holiday
The opportunity to see so many places, especially somewhere like the Adriatic however fills me with intrigue and I trust Charltonparklane and his judgement
They were pretty much the reasons why we've put it off so long. But I'm old and fat now so no excuses.
I've been contemplating a cruise but a handful of things put me off
1) The gluttony of fellow guests 2) having to pack loads of evening clothes 3) being around loads of old or obese people for a fortnight. The 2 worse holiday resort guests, you know where you stand with a gaggle of jocks or northerners 4) travelling the whole holiday
The opportunity to see so many places, especially somewhere like the Adriatic however fills me with intrigue and I trust Charltonparklane and his judgement
I had similar concerns before taking my first cruise this time last year. It wasn't my choice but the missus booked and paid for it as a treat.
You can eat and drink all day if one wishes, and I'm sure some did, but equally, and by paying more, you can upgrade away from the pile it as high as you can buffet situation and enjoy a proper silver service job in the many restaurants. Or upgrade again to the speciality restaurants so you never have to go near the buffets. Under no circumstances was I going to do the shared table thing either and that's not a problem.
On a one week cruise we had two formal nights. Not my thing either but the missus enjoyed getting a posh frock on and as virtually everyone goes along with it you'd feel a bit of dick if you didn't. That said some people don't but the whole thing is much more relaxed than I expected.
I was surprised at the age range on my boat tbh. On the whole they erred towards being a bit older but by no stretch was it exclusively pensioners. There is a bit of snobbery tbf and some people can't wait to throw in how many cruises they've done - some of them literally 100's - but you get twonks like that in a hotel. The boats are so big we saw lots of people for the first time when we got off and there's a real mix of guests.
We did the Fjords which were utterly stunning and you get to see places that otherwise would be both difficult and expensive to get to and they might be a good choice for a first cruise. Some people didn't get off the boat which I will never understand in a month of Sunday's but it's their loss.
I hated the sea days though so it is something to consider. But I know others that love them as an excuse to sit around doing nothing or get involved in all the activies, neither of which appealed to me.
There's a lot going for it and we will be doing another at some point in the future but just not for a bit yet.
Done cruise last couple weeks. Dubrovnik, Hvar, Split, Venice, Kefalonia, Slovenia, Rijeka Scicilly, Valetta.
Jesus there are some stunning places out there, Montenegro was amazing.
Cruise is what it is but knew the rooms aren't luxury, booze was top draw on boat , Red Stripe, Morretti, Corona, San Miguel, Mean Time IPA, Pedigree, food was OK.
Just being able to say I've been to these places was amazing.
Who did you go with? We always go P&O and always been really happy.
Edit - seen your response above.
Got 2 booked with p and o next year. But eyeing up a 14 night med oman dubai one later this year if we add on an extra 4 nights in dubai comes to £1450 each.
If you are thinking of cruising, the important thing is to choose the right ship / cruise line rather than necessarily the price or the itinerary.
It may be obvious but the experience will be very different between P&O Cruises, Fred Olsen, Cunard, Princess, Carnival, Seabourn, Silversea, Saga etc etc. Get it wrong and you could be put off cruising for life - get it right and you may well be hooked.
Use a good cruise travel agent as they will be able to advise on the right line depending on what you are looking for..
I've been contemplating a cruise but a handful of things put me off
1) The gluttony of fellow guests 2) having to pack loads of evening clothes 3) being around loads of old or obese people for a fortnight. The 2 worse holiday resort guests, you know where you stand with a gaggle of jocks or northerners 4) travelling the whole holiday
The opportunity to see so many places, especially somewhere like the Adriatic however fills me with intrigue and I trust Charltonparklane and his judgement
Think you might be surprised mate. We go P &O. On our recent two week Med Cruise there was a varied age range but I’d guess the average was late fifties/early sixties. I too am not a fan of the evening ‘dress’ nights but we only had four in 14 nights and you don’t need a DJ etc as you can wear a dark lounge suit. The other ten nights were smart casual; polo shirt, trousers (dark jeans ok), no trainers. The evening restaurants are waiter service unless you want to slum it at the buffet restaurant which I personally really dislike. Why do it when you can sit at a table with a tablecloth, napkins, pleasant waiters and knowledgable wine waiters. And not to mention the fabulous food. Yes I’m sure there are people who scoff as much as they can (breakfast, pizza or burger round the pool, afternoon tea, dinner, maybe a late night snack in the buffet restaurant) but unless you are like them you won’t meet. There are also a few quieter restaurants where for a small supplement you can sample different menus. You can usually find a quiet spot to sunbathe during the day unless you want to be right by a pool of course and on P & O you can also pay a bit extra and go to The Retreat for some real peace and quiet. In the evening there are more bars than you could care to mention (great Gin bar on the Azura), a disco, a theatre for shows, a cinema, a pub and plenty going on from dancing to quizzing. There is even a casino, not to forget shopping for the ladies. Oh, did I mention the spa too.
The cabins are quite spacious and it’s best to have a balcony. The cabin stewards can’t do enough for you either. In fact all the staff are great.
The real bonus is the places you visit. We visited Cadiz, Barcelona, Rome, Cartegna, Nice and Gibralter. Days in port are busy but it’s equalled out by sea days for relaxing and sunbathing and chilling. The bonus is just driving to Southampton, aboard and having a G &T within an hour, cases delivered to your room. Bar prices are no more than you have to pay in your average boozer.
I’d admit cruising isn’t for everyone but it’s very popular for a reason. Dip your toe in the water by doing a weeks cruise, Norwegian Fjords maybe.
If you are thinking of cruising, the important thing is to choose the right ship / cruise line rather than necessarily the price or the itinerary.
It may be obvious but the experience will be very different between P&O Cruises, Fred Olsen, Cunard, Princess, Carnival, Seabourn, Silversea, Saga etc etc. Get it wrong and you could be put off cruising for life - get it right and you may well be hooked.
Use a good cruise travel agent as they will be able to advise on the right line depending on what you are looking for..
Now me i like a bargain. Was always saying to the wife cruise and maritime do good offers 12 night baltic for under £700. My wife had only done p and o and cunard, 2 nighters were finishing in bristol or newcastle. Earlier this month a 1 night on marco polo in port at Portsmouth came so booked to stay on for the night to see what the ship, firm was like. Sadly the wife was right and cruise maritime wont be for us and possibly puts us off using firms like fred olsen and firms that the ships are older. Cruise and maritime ships are a lot older , marco polo is over 50 years old, C&M Columbus 30 years old and were either not built originally for cruising or they have bought the ship off another firm. I think marella quite a few of thiers have been bought off other firms and are about 20 years old. Other firms such as celebrity have just spent over $500 million giving thier ships a makeover.
I have never been on a cruise, I possibly never will.
I am frightened of being on the thing and discovering the fact that I do not enjoy it and then stuck on a boat for the duration.
However, I can see the appeal of multiple stops on the trip, it then gives you ideas for future holidays.
Same could be said for any holiday elfs especially if youve not been ti that area before. You can always try a taster cruise Msc have a new ship coming out in november called grandiosa For 3 nights fly out to hamburg catch the ship from there come back to southampton £270. These cruise firms can also add nights on so if you wanted to have a couple of nights in hamburg you can. Me and the wife done this in new york Went out 4 days early for 4 nights in new york then 6 or 7 on nights on qm2 and came to a £1000 each 10 years ago. So we done ny and had a weeks holiday at the same time
Me and the missus were cruising virgins until last year. We chose a relatively cheap, 7 day trip round the med with TUI / Marella, on their smallest ship. Wanted to try it without spending a fortune.
Can relate to some of the previous comments and experiences, and if we do it again will definitely pick a bigger ship and go for longer. These cruise ships are so big you really don’t feel like you’re on water. Most of the sailing between destinations is done at night so you don’t get a sense you are ‘travelling’. Just wake up in a different port.
However, as soon as we arrived at each destination we were constantly checking the time so that we didn’t miss the boat. Maybe we should have paid for the excursions, but we’re not keen on being herded around like we’re on a school trip.
Also don’t like having to dress up for dinner when on holiday. But there’s enough restaurants and bars to choose from so you can avoid having to do that.
Glad we went but will be a bit more choosy if and when we go again.
I have never been on a cruise, I possibly never will.
I am frightened of being on the thing and discovering the fact that I do not enjoy it and then stuck on a boat for the duration.
However, I can see the appeal of multiple stops on the trip, it then gives you ideas for future holidays.
Same could be said for any holiday elfs especially if youve not been ti that area before. You can always try a taster cruise Msc have a new ship coming out in november called grandiosa For 3 nights fly out to hamburg catch the ship from there come back to southampton £270. These cruise firms can also add nights on so if you wanted to have a couple of nights in hamburg you can. Me and the wife done this in new york Went out 4 days early for 4 nights in new york then 6 or 7 on nights on qm2 and came to a £1000 each 10 years ago. So we done ny and had a weeks holiday at the same time
MSC is a very "Italian" cruise line (not just in origins, but in design and attitude). Whilst they make concessions to accommodate other nationalities, be conscious that its very different from a British ship (for some that may be a good thing...)
I have never been on a cruise, I possibly never will.
I am frightened of being on the thing and discovering the fact that I do not enjoy it and then stuck on a boat for the duration.
However, I can see the appeal of multiple stops on the trip, it then gives you ideas for future holidays.
Same could be said for any holiday elfs especially if youve not been ti that area before. You can always try a taster cruise Msc have a new ship coming out in november called grandiosa For 3 nights fly out to hamburg catch the ship from there come back to southampton £270. These cruise firms can also add nights on so if you wanted to have a couple of nights in hamburg you can. Me and the wife done this in new york Went out 4 days early for 4 nights in new york then 6 or 7 on nights on qm2 and came to a £1000 each 10 years ago. So we done ny and had a weeks holiday at the same time
MSC is a very "Italian" cruise line (not just in origins, but in design and attitude). Whilst they make concessions to accommodate other nationalities, be conscious that its very different from a British ship (for some that may be a good thing...)
Pasta and ice cream as a meal, with a bit of opera as entertainment.
For those fearful of the stuck-in-a-tin-can-with-idiots scenario, why not try a river cruise? We did the Danube for my 50th a few years ago. Loads of time on "land" so you can get away from the others if you wish, and only mingle at meal times.
For those fearful of the stuck-in-a-tin-can-with-idiots scenario, why not try a river cruise? We did the Danube for my 50th a few years ago. Loads of time on "land" so you can get away from the others if you wish, and only mingle at meal times.
I have heard this one is good for a hop on hop off cruise.
I've been lucky enough to do loads of cruises, but my favourite by far is NCL (Norwegian Cruise Lines). Not stuffy at all, great food and drink, great destinations and brilliant ships. If you're unsure about cruising try NCL.
I've been contemplating a cruise but a handful of things put me off
1) The gluttony of fellow guests 2) having to pack loads of evening clothes 3) being around loads of old or obese people for a fortnight. The 2 worse holiday resort guests, you know where you stand with a gaggle of jocks or northerners 4) travelling the whole holiday
The opportunity to see so many places, especially somewhere like the Adriatic however fills me with intrigue and I trust Charltonparklane and his judgement
Carts
Rude people - yep Luxury Rooms. - nope Some annoying people who think they are better than everyone - yep (same as most holidays but a few more on board, you know, the type who convenetily ignore you've held a door open or don't see you waiting your turn for the carvery or at the bar) - yep
Evening wear - Nope, wore tailored shorts and polo every night, yes you could dress up for 'Dinner with the captain' one night a week (which basically the whole boat is invited too) fck that we spent a quite night with the whole bar and entertainment to ourselves.
Staff who beg for tips and treat you different if you don't - nope, all the staff in every department were great mate and not once expected a tip and looked concerned or embarrassed when I did.
Booze - Top drawer Food - Better than average
Countries visited - Amazing to tick some places off which would have been a decade in the making. Advise to book an excursion at some docks as not much there, only really disappointed with one stay really but we didn't book an excursion that day and fck all to do. Make that 2, split seemed to have a a it of a Brighton vibe to it with the homeless and high street smelt of piss in places.
Boat - The one I travelled lled on was well looked after but dated, I'm not on a cruise for the cabin decor, the tables in the restaurant, the sun loungers, or the carpet in the show lounge, these things were an aside as I wanted to see the countries. I was bought up with holidays in pontins at Hemsby and chalets in Leysdown so this boat still had a sense of luxury about it in comparison.
It's small enough to see a lot in a short time. The architecture and geography are fabulous. It reminds me a lot of Lyon, which I also love, except everything is much cheaper. Good local beer about HUF 600 a pint (roughly £1.70), and decent restaurant meals not at all expensive. They know how to make proper coffee too.
Damned hot last week, couldnt move about much, so lots of beer tried.
The only slight downside is the complexity of the language - I like to have a go at the language when abroad, but hungarian is a nightmare! Making yourself understood in english there is generally ok, but I always feel a bit disrespectful for not having a proper go. Luckily went with a mate and his hungarian fiancée, which made things easier and gave us some cultural insight.
Interesting country which seems on the cusp of the old and new, a very generational divide with young people having a more open european mentality and the older generation adjusting from many years of life under communism. Will definitely be going back.
Not for the first time, I resolve never to use Ryanair ever again ever. Four hours held on the stand at the airport in 36C heat. Happy to sell everyone a bottle of overpriced water, but no customer care at all, and wouldnt let us off the plane in the mean time.
@IdleHans thanks for your comments as it’s on my list of city breaks. I’ve not looked into it yet but is there a city tour bus in operated in Budepest and if so would you recommend it?
Anyone got any recommendations (websites etc) for a cheap beach holiday (around 7 nights) anytime over the next couple of months? pretty flexible on places
Jet2 are good for package deals as they include hold luggage in their prices rather than stinging you at the end. Planes are good but basic, no TV to watch.
@IdleHans thanks for your comments as it’s on my list of city breaks. I’ve not looked into it yet but is there a city tour bus in operated in Budepest and if so would you recommend it?
There are specific city bus tours, but we just used public transport so I cant really comment. Might be a very good way to start your break though.
For public transport, buy 10 tickets for HUF 3000 (about £9) from the plentiful machines and just punch a ticket when you get on each tram/bus/tube.
There's also a scenic chairlift, at about treetop height, that runs up to a lookout point and the Cogwheel, a rack railway, both (I think) included in the normal range of public transport services.
Things I'd recommend are the castle, the parliament building, and on a sunny day Margaret Island park is lovely - shady, peaceful, with fountains, a water park, statuary and bars aplenty. Good views of both banks of the river from there. Look out for ruin bars too - shabby but trendyish drinking places set up in industrial type buildings and crappy courtyards.
I imagine you can do a shortish scenic boat trip up and down the Danube too. I was there four days, though one was too hot even to move so we found a pub garden and stayed put all day. There is plenty more for me to see next time I go back, I reckon you could fill a week comfortably.
Out in Turkey at the moment. All I can say is I like it hot but this has been bloody ridiculous. Locals still walking around in jeans though complaining about the heat. Have to prepare and build yourself up to get off the sunlounger to get to the bar which is a good fifteen yards away. Then have to persevere all the way back with an ice cold Efes in hand. It's not been easy I can tell you.
Comments
Edit - seen your response above.
But eyeing up a 14 night med oman dubai one later this year if we add on an extra 4 nights in dubai comes to £1450 each.
1) The gluttony of fellow guests
2) having to pack loads of evening clothes
3) being around loads of old or obese people for a fortnight. The 2 worse holiday resort guests, you know where you stand with a gaggle of jocks or northerners
4) travelling the whole holiday
The opportunity to see so many places, especially somewhere like the Adriatic however fills me with intrigue and I trust Charltonparklane and his judgement
You can eat and drink all day if one wishes, and I'm sure some did, but equally, and by paying more, you can upgrade away from the pile it as high as you can buffet situation and enjoy a proper silver service job in the many restaurants. Or upgrade again to the speciality restaurants so you never have to go near the buffets. Under no circumstances was I going to do the shared table thing either and that's not a problem.
On a one week cruise we had two formal nights. Not my thing either but the missus enjoyed getting a posh frock on and as virtually everyone goes along with it you'd feel a bit of dick if you didn't. That said some people don't but the whole thing is much more relaxed than I expected.
I was surprised at the age range on my boat tbh. On the whole they erred towards being a bit older but by no stretch was it exclusively pensioners. There is a bit of snobbery tbf and some people can't wait to throw in how many cruises they've done - some of them literally 100's - but you get twonks like that in a hotel. The boats are so big we saw lots of people for the first time when we got off and there's a real mix of guests.
We did the Fjords which were utterly stunning and you get to see places that otherwise would be both difficult and expensive to get to and they might be a good choice for a first cruise. Some people didn't get off the boat which I will never understand in a month of Sunday's but it's their loss.
I hated the sea days though so it is something to consider. But I know others that love them as an excuse to sit around doing nothing or get involved in all the activies, neither of which appealed to me.
There's a lot going for it and we will be doing another at some point in the future but just not for a bit yet.
It may be obvious but the experience will be very different between P&O Cruises, Fred Olsen, Cunard, Princess, Carnival, Seabourn, Silversea, Saga etc etc. Get it wrong and you could be put off cruising for life - get it right and you may well be hooked.
Use a good cruise travel agent as they will be able to advise on the right line depending on what you are looking for..
The cabins are quite spacious and it’s best to have a balcony. The cabin stewards can’t do enough for you either. In fact all the staff are great.
The real bonus is the places you visit. We visited Cadiz, Barcelona, Rome, Cartegna, Nice and Gibralter. Days in port are busy but it’s equalled out by sea days for relaxing and sunbathing and chilling. The bonus is just driving to Southampton, aboard and having a G &T within an hour, cases delivered to your room. Bar prices are no more than you have to pay in your average boozer.
I’d admit cruising isn’t for everyone but it’s very popular for a reason. Dip your toe in the water by doing a weeks cruise, Norwegian Fjords maybe.
And no, I don’t work for P &O.
Was always saying to the wife cruise and maritime do good offers 12 night baltic for under £700.
My wife had only done p and o and cunard, 2 nighters were finishing in bristol or newcastle.
Earlier this month a 1 night on marco polo in port at Portsmouth came so booked to stay on for the night to see what the ship, firm was like.
Sadly the wife was right and cruise maritime wont be for us and possibly puts us off using firms like fred olsen and firms that the ships are older.
Cruise and maritime ships are a lot older , marco polo is over 50 years old, C&M Columbus 30 years old and were either not built originally for cruising or they have bought the ship off another firm.
I think marella quite a few of thiers have been bought off other firms and are about 20 years old.
Other firms such as celebrity have just spent over $500 million giving thier ships a makeover.
You can always try a taster cruise
Msc have a new ship coming out in november called grandiosa
For 3 nights fly out to hamburg catch the ship from there come back to southampton £270.
These cruise firms can also add nights on so if you wanted to have a couple of nights in hamburg you can.
Me and the wife done this in new york
Went out 4 days early for 4 nights in new york then 6 or 7 on nights on qm2 and came to a £1000 each 10 years ago.
So we done ny and had a weeks holiday at the same time
Can relate to some of the previous comments and experiences, and if we do it again will definitely pick a bigger ship and go for longer. These cruise ships are so big you really don’t feel like you’re on water. Most of the sailing between destinations is done at night so you don’t get a sense you are ‘travelling’. Just wake up in a different port.
However, as soon as we arrived at each destination we were constantly checking the time so that we didn’t miss the boat. Maybe we should have paid for the excursions, but we’re not keen on being herded around like we’re on a school trip.
Also don’t like having to dress up for dinner when on holiday. But there’s enough restaurants and bars to choose from so you can avoid having to do that.
Glad we went but will be a bit more choosy if and when we go again.
Rude people - yep
Luxury Rooms. - nope
Some annoying people who think they are better than everyone - yep (same as most holidays but a few more on board, you know, the type who convenetily ignore you've held a door open or don't see you waiting your turn for the carvery or at the bar) - yep
Evening wear - Nope, wore tailored shorts and polo every night, yes you could dress up for 'Dinner with the captain' one night a week (which basically the whole boat is invited too) fck that we spent a quite night with the whole bar and entertainment to ourselves.
Staff who beg for tips and treat you different if you don't - nope, all the staff in every department were great mate and not once expected a tip and looked concerned or embarrassed when I did.
Booze - Top drawer
Food - Better than average
Countries visited - Amazing to tick some places off which would have been a decade in the making. Advise to book an excursion at some docks as not much there, only really disappointed with one stay really but we didn't book an excursion that day and fck all to do. Make that 2, split seemed to have a a it of a Brighton vibe to it with the homeless and high street smelt of piss in places.
Boat - The one I travelled lled on was well looked after but dated, I'm not on a cruise for the cabin decor, the tables in the restaurant, the sun loungers, or the carpet in the show lounge, these things were an aside as I wanted to see the countries. I was bought up with holidays in pontins at Hemsby and chalets in Leysdown so this boat still had a sense of luxury about it in comparison.
Any questions message me mate
Get in Rhodes here I come complete with my Charlton towels and red speedos