Off on my first cruise next month. Anyone else been on one?

[StillHateBellotti]

Did a Med cruise on one of the Island cruises, small ship but great fun. All be it was done to overcome my fear of water after getting my insurance money from the tsunami in Thailand which was not so much fun.....One night it wobbled around like a good one, but cheapish booze and some great places visited, I would go on one again..

 

[Spinal Wheels]

You'll love it, I haven't done one myself in the last few years, but I did get the cruise bug 7 years ago & then did 22 in 5 years.
Always good to start with a short cruise, but I'm sure you'll be going on many more.
My only complaint far to many of the Blue Rinse brigade, but yours must be a long weekend cruise so it should be full of younger people on Stag & Hen weekends
Anyway ENJOY

 

[mrhairy]

Thank you, but only one reference to BHA in it and that is that some ships carry more passengers than Albion used to get at home at Withdean.

In one of those bizarre coincidences (or maybe not), your book turned up on an email I received from Amazon yesterday.

It's here, should any NSCers want to take a read: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00V5M06VA/ref=pe_1994851_84210021_em_1p_0_ti

 

[mrhairy]

Were they an American married couple. If so think I saw them on the top lounge bar on P&O. Brilliant and never thought I would see Stairway to Heaven played so well by a duet. He was a quite exceptionally talented guitarist. It was so great to see the bar rocking to rock rather than MOR.

Fair enough...horses for courses. Cruising doesn't suit everyone although the industry does try to cater for as many people and tastes as possible. Disney cruises are brilliant for the kids we have been told by friends who have done them. We had a band on one of the celebrity cruises we did who featured two of the original Wailers and two from Black Uhuru....that was a hell of a brilliant two weeks entertainment. The most bizarre was again on a celebrity ship a entertainer girl and her partner who was a mean guitarist were in a lounge and everyone had gone off to the theatre or bed and there were our party of us two, four Americans, two Canadians and bizarrely a family from Syria. Anyway, she asked if anyone had any requests, and my mate asked for shine in you crazy diamond. Thinking she wouldn't have heard of it...the two of them played and sang the full version ...its was quite brilliant.

We have booked an Easter cruise around the Caribbean next year...7 nights, Bermuda, Turks and Caicos and a few other islands. Looking forward immensely.

 

[nicko31]

Maybe I'll get old and to want on one. Stuck on a boat and then arriving in port at the same time as everyone else, or am I missing something?

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Thank you, but only one reference to BHA in it and that is that some ships carry more passengers than Albion used to get at home at Withdean.

Ordered the book for Mrs Earle's Kindle. Authors name looks familiar, possibly Patcham alumnus, but hey-happy to support a NSC author and what could be better than, cruising, murder and references to Brighton.

 

[Bad Ash]

I went on a similar cruise to the OP, Southampton to Zeebrugge, last month but on the Oceania with P&O. It seemed a bit like a cross between staying in a posh hotel (the food in the restaurant) and Butlins (the entertainment team and buffet food).

With it being a short cruise (well under 48 hours as it left 4pm Saturday and back 9am Monday) the clientèle was probably different to a longer cruise, there were a few stag and hen parties, plus families with kids.

I was only there 2 nights, but was already a bit bored of having the same bar with karaoke each night. A few hours in the town of Blankenberge in the middle of the day gave us time to look at a load of touristy shops and have a pint of Belgian beer, before heading back to the boat for afternoon tea (which was a bit of a let down from the buffet restaurant). Personally I'd like to experience the night life in at the different stops, maybe other cruises offer that, or perhaps that isn't what cruising is about.

It was OK, but certainly didn't give me the bug. Possibly a cruise with great scenery (e.g. Norwegian fjords) might be a different experience.

 

[smudge]

Evening Standard

[h=1]The moment a fight breaks out in the queue for burgers on a cruise ship[/h]
A brawl broke out between a group of women on board a cruise ship in what is believed to be a row over a burger.
The moment two women launched themselves at another was captured on camera by a fellow passenger on a Carnival cruise ship, which was on a journey around the Caribbean.
It is thought a woman may have pushed into the queue for the Guy’s Burger outlet and others did not take kindly to having to wait longer for their meal.
Shocked onlookers made themselves scarce as punches were thrown and others rush to break up the fight.
A man is seen running towards the brawl before he picks up a woman in a blue dress and carries her away from the scene.



Hope I don't encounter anything like this.

Yep that's Carnival!
I'm on Norwegian Spirit out of Port Canaveral, 2 days ago we were in Nassau, today we're in St Thomas, tomorrow St Maarten before heading back to PC. The ship has previously been in Europe for 3 years before this winter season & we return there permanently in April next year. The consensus from the crew is that we can't wait to get back to Europe; not so many of the above type guests!

 

[gregbrighton]

Yep that's Carnival!
I'm on Norwegian Spirit out of Port Canaveral, 2 days ago we were in Nassau, today we're in St Thomas, tomorrow St Maarten before heading back to PC. The ship has previously been in Europe for 3 years before this winter season & we return there permanently in April next year. The consensus from the crew is that we can't wait to get back to Europe; not so many of the above type guests!

Yeh, I want to avoid that sort of crowd! Evenings on the ship were very formal. I wore a suit on one night and a DJ on the other. I don't mind a couple of nights of formality but more than that. it won't feel like a holiday, so looking for RCCL, Princess or HAL where there are more younger people with a relaxed. casual atmosphere. No cattle fights!

 

[mune ni kamome]

Maybe I'll get old and to want on one. Stuck on a boat and then arriving in port at the same time as everyone else, or am I missing something?

Or you could be stuck on a plane and arrive at the same time as everyone else.

 

[Dave the OAP]

Maybe I'll get old and to want on one. Stuck on a boat and then arriving in port at the same time as everyone else, or am I missing something?

Yes, yes you are. But if you are going to go on one to be miserable, don't go on one. Simples

 

[Dave the OAP]

Yeh, I want to avoid that sort of crowd! Evenings on the ship were very formal. I wore a suit on one night and a DJ on the other. I don't mind a couple of nights of formality but more than that. it won't feel like a holiday, so looking for RCCL, Princess or HAL where there are more younger people with a relaxed. casual atmosphere. No cattle fights!

If you want the British experience, go on P&O or princess. Rccl, carnival, celebrity and Hal are more American, Costa and msc are Italian, NCL, which is what line smudge works on, is somewhere in the middle and have very nice ships, although the epic IMHO is like a huge container ship. Cunard are very class based ships. Azamara, Oceania, silver seas or regent are fantastic, but out of the price range of most of us.

Never done a short cruise as we have been advised it tends to be booze cruises and we have had friends who have had bad experiences.

Off to the Caribbean at Easter on the Neiu Amsterdam again.

Btw. Mate of mine just got back from 2 weeks on msc opera from civitaveccia to the canaries and back. They are retired, so can go at this time and had an upgrade to a balcony and had a ball. Drawbacks were Italians predominantly shouting at each other and not queueing causing mayhem at lunch and breakfast, but they paid £299 each including scheduled flights to Rome - civitaveccia . To be honest staying in a hotel in England for two nights would cost you that.

 

[gregbrighton]

Wow, that sounds like a bargain. Definitely want to find something in the sun with a balcony.

 

[mrhairy]

Thank you, and Patcham is about right. Let me know what you think and if you guess the ending.

Ordered the book for Mrs Earle's Kindle. Authors name looks familiar, possibly Patcham alumnus, but hey-happy to support a NSC author and what could be better than, cruising, murder and references to Brighton.

 

[gregbrighton]

 

[The Spanish]

Fair enough...horses for courses. Cruising doesn't suit everyone although the industry does try to cater for as many people and tastes as possible. Disney cruises are brilliant for the kids we have been told by friends who have done them. We had a band on one of the celebrity cruises we did who featured two of the original Wailers and two from Black Uhuru....that was a hell of a brilliant two weeks entertainment. The most bizarre was again on a celebrity ship a entertainer girl and her partner who was a mean guitarist were in a lounge and everyone had gone off to the theatre or bed and there were our party of us two, four Americans, two Canadians and bizarrely a family from Syria. Anyway, she asked if anyone had any requests, and my mate asked for shine in you crazy diamond. Thinking she wouldn't have heard of it...the two of them played and sang the full version ...its was quite brilliant.

We have booked an Easter cruise around the Caribbean next year...7 nights, Bermuda, Turks and Caicos and a few other islands. Looking forward immensely.

best summary i ever heard of the cruise industry was brits drink, yanks eat, chinese gamble. Asia is taking off massively now. The new cruise terminal in singapore is something else.

most recession proof part of the travel industry - good luck to you if you do it. the business fascinates me. interesting to hear your views.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

best summary i ever heard of the cruise industry was brits drink, yanks eat, chinese gamble. Asia is taking off massively now. The new cruise terminal in singapore is something else.

most recession proof part of the travel industry - good luck to you if you do it. the business fascinates me. interesting to hear your views.

What's the reason for it being most recession proof?

 

[The Spanish]

What's the reason for it being most recession proof?

well i am no expert but as far as i know lead in time for bookings are far in advance of most other travel packages so sales are on the board for a long time in advance - 50 new ships for delivery by 2019 - countless new berths. the business never seems to take a hit and the brand loyalty is phenomenal. See Granny Weatherax's analysis of the different brands and their appeal.

 

[dazzer6666]

well i am no expert but as far as i know lead in time for bookings are far in advance of most other travel packages so sales are on the board for a long time in advance - 50 new ships for delivery by 2019 - countless new berths. the business never seems to take a hit and the brand loyalty is phenomenal. See Granny Weatherax's analysis of the different brands and their appeal.

Very large % of wealthy retirees as customers, most of whom have inflation-proof income ?

 

[goldstone]

I went on my first cruise in October last year (7 nights in the Med on QE2) having always thought that the whole experience would not be for me. Wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

However I have been warned off the three night cruises ex UK as too many hen groups, stag groups ... apparently. And the waters around the UK in January will not be too kind whereas the Med was mostly like a mill pond.

And then there are the "Friends of Dorothy" meetings and the "Friends of Bill W" meetings. I had never heard of either (I believe it's a cruise thing) and fortunately decided not to venture to either.