Need advice

[babs135]

I've been asked by a couple in their late 50s to give them advice on choosing a cruise!  They have never been on one before and have no idea of what, when or where!!!!  What questions should I ask them to in order to help them?  And could someone remind me which cruise lines are all inclusive.

Thank you.

[Jeaannie55]

The first thing to ask I would say is what sort of things they like to do, whether they are active, party people or want a more relaxed cruise.  If they want port intensive cruise or sea days, sail out of U.K., or want a fly/cruise.  I’m afraid I don’t know which lines are all inclusive, my line of choice is Celebrity, which is all inclusive.  Hope this helps a bit.

[edinburgher]

In the UK, Marella/Tui are AI, and Fred Olsen do occasional promotions, when for a short booking period they include some drinks and tips on specific itineraries. There may be others too,   In general the more upmarket the cruiseline, the more inclusions there are, but of course you are paying for these in the initial cost.

 

I think though that the first thing your friends need to do is decide WHERE they want to go as cruiselines sail worldwide. Surely they must know if they want to vist Asia, or S America, or India, or the Caribbean, or Africa or Australia and/or NZ, or Antarctica or simply potter around Europe?

 

And their approximate budget as there is a huge difference between eg the Galapagos/Antarctica and a short European cruise.

 

And do they want a fly cruise or would they prefer to sail r/t Dover or Southampton, or would they prefer a regional departure?

 

And would they prefer  ocean cruising or  river cruising? 

 

And would they prefer a more casual or a more formal dress code?

 

Once these basic thoughts are explored,  they can look to see which cruiselines visit these areas, which suit their budget and which are best fit for their UK location  and a good travel agent should be able to advise  on all of these.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 11, 2022 by edinburgher

[Harters]

1 hour ago, edinburgher said:

And would they prefer a more casual or a more formal dress code?

That would actually be my starting point, as it's a good indicator of the general "style" of the cruise line.  As a broad brush answer, casual comes at the bottom or top end of the market. Formal tends to be mid-range and, in particular, those catering to traditional British cruisers (P & O, Olson, Saga). We first cruised in the late 1990s with P & O but became disenchanted with the formal dress code, so didnt cruise for many years. In recent times, we've discovered Oceania which is not only reasonably upmarket but also has a very relaxed "smart casual" dress code.

 

This article may help narrow things down on the formal/informal front:

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles.cfm?ID=545

 

Next question, is do they want to cruise from/to the UK or are happy to fly to ports. And then , as mentioned earlier, it's on to destinations

[Britboys]

In respect of "all-inclusive", some lines offer a base price with an add-on for all-inclusive. Princess Cruises and Ambassador spring to mind. Of note though is that all-inclusive doesn't necessarily include everything. Premium drinks may be excluded, as may some eating venues and wi-fi.