Advice for 1st ever cruise

[Leesy]

Hi.

Trying to plan our first ever cruise but finding it a bit of a minefield so could really use some advice from the experienced cruisers amongst you. 

We really want to do a world tour in a few years time but need to try a shorter cruise first to see if it's for us.

We're looking at a round trip to The Canary's from Southampton on Iona next year as a starting point. Is Iona a good choice?

I have so many newbie questions so I'm sorry if they've all been asked numerous times before.

I have no idea which is the best deck or which position for cabins i.e. forward, mid or aft. Is it worth paying for a full suite? Is it worth choosing the 'select' option for the benefits that gives or would you say it's not worth the considerable extra money?

Any & all advice for a complete novice would be so appreciated.

Thankyou.

Lisa

Edited May 15, 2022 by Leesy

[Waju]

Hi Lisa,

I hope lots of people will come along and offer you tips but we all have our own favourite ships, preferred cabins etc, etc.

The cabins in the middle of the ship are usually considered to be the best - around deck 8 or 9 - but personally I don't mind a cabin higher up or more towards the back or the front!

Your choice of ship is also very subjective - Iona is great if you have kids with you or like to have lots of choice of places to dine.  We were on Iona last week and she wouldn't be our first choice again - she was far too big and 'young' for us.  Our preference would be the adult only Aurora but most passengers on there would be older adults like ourselves. So if you are in you 30's for instance, you may find it more boring!

Which cabin to choose is another problem you have 🙂 I would rather have six cruises in an inside cabin than one in a suite but if budget isn't a concern then go for it - you only live once.

We did a world cruise in an inside cabin and it wasn't a problem for us at all - it would have been other peoples idea of hell though.

Just beware cruising is additive, our friends used to tell us they'd never cruise - they came once and are hooked.  

We book both select and saver prices depending on any offers available at the time.  A lot depends on how important cabin location/choice is to you.

Good luck and I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever you choose, hopefully by next year mask wearing and testing will be ancient history 🙂

 

 

[Leesy]

1 hour ago, Waju said:

Hi Lisa,

I hope lots of people will come along and offer you tips but we all have our own favourite ships, preferred cabins etc, etc.

The cabins in the middle of the ship are usually considered to be the best - around deck 8 or 9 - but personally I don't mind a cabin higher up or more towards the back or the front!

Your choice of ship is also very subjective - Iona is great if you have kids with you or like to have lots of choice of places to dine.  We were on Iona last week and she wouldn't be our first choice again - she was far too big and 'young' for us.  Our preference would be the adult only Aurora but most passengers on there would be older adults like ourselves. So if you are in you 30's for instance, you may find it more boring!

Which cabin to choose is another problem you have 🙂 I would rather have six cruises in an inside cabin than one in a suite but if budget isn't a concern then go for it - you only live once.

We did a world cruise in an inside cabin and it wasn't a problem for us at all - it would have been other peoples idea of hell though.

Just beware cruising is additive, our friends used to tell us they'd never cruise - they came once and are hooked.  

We book both select and saver prices depending on any offers available at the time.  A lot depends on how important cabin location/choice is to you.

Good luck and I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever you choose, hopefully by next year mask wearing and testing will be ancient history 🙂

 

 

Many, many thanks Waju. Thats really helpful. (we're in our 50's)

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, Leesy said:

Many, many thanks Waju. Thats really helpful. (we're in our 50's)

We have had 2 cruises on Iona and have another booked next year.

Deck 8 is a definite no and deck 9 no also.

Balcony cabins are a must for us but don't think the suite benefits are worth the high price.

I always do a select price because I can pick our cabin and get a good amount of on board credit and free port shuttles to the centre of town.

We like cabins at the aft but on Iona the white roof of the sunset bar obscures your view so a higher deck balcony like ours on deck 14 is a must.

We really liked eating lunch daily at the Quays.

Graham.

 

 

Edited May 15, 2022 by grapau27

[Britboys]

Lots of good points for you there from Waju. One thing I would add. World cruises tend to be on smaller ships and Iona is one of the largest. I'm not saying she isn't a good ship to cruise on - just that it is likely she will be very different to a ship that you might do the 'Worldie' on.

[wowzz]

You also need to consider that you can travel around the world by air, staying for longer in the destination cities, and see more of the various countries far more cheaply compared to cruising.

Going on a world cruise that gives you, for example, just two days in Sydney, seems a shame. 

Edited May 15, 2022 by wowzz

[kalos]

11 hours ago, Leesy said:

Hi.

Trying to plan our first ever cruise but finding it a bit of a minefield

Lisa

 

10 hours ago, Waju said:

Hi Lisa,

I hope lots of people will come along and offer you tips but we all have our own favourite ships, preferred cabins etc, etc.

The cabins in the middle of the ship are usually considered to be the best - around deck 8 or 9 - but personally I don't mind a cabin higher up or more towards the back or the front!

Your choice of ship is also very subjective

 

Great advice.

 

Leaving you ambitions for a world cruise to aside as others who have been there will advise .

Working out which ship is right for you is a good place to start . If I was you I would be looking

at what you like and what you don't, then research with things like YouTube ships reviews as 

those tend to give you a good preview of the ship  .

Do I think select fare is worth it ? My personal answer is yes as I would not like to be placed 

in a cabin under a bar where possibility of noise from that venue for the next 14 nights could

disturb us.

Getting back to your worldie , would it not be better to have a cruise on the actual ship that 

would be doing that journey ?  That way you know if that ship is for you on such a long voyage.

 

I think most cruisers will agree we all have to find our own feet ,when it comes to cruising .

Some ships are our idea of heaven but to others, they can be hell . Having said that once 

you decide ,you will get great advice as you will have seen in the posts above .

 

Take care and happy cruising 

 

 

[gsmt47471015]

Lots of excellent advice given to your questions, so much is down to personal choice , as Kalos has suggested spend some time researching online  something we wished we had done a little more of before booking our first ever cruise as everybody has differing opinions about ship size, cabin , cabin location even destination , the lessons learned from that first cruise have stood us in good stead for the rest of our many voyages and I'm sure that after you have given it a try you will be better informed as to weather a longer (world cruise) is for you.

Good luck, and happy sailing !!👍 

[Waju]

9 hours ago, wowzz said:

You also need to consider that you can travel around the world by air, staying for longer in the destination cities, and see more of the various countries far more cheaply compared to cruising.

Going on a world cruise that gives you, for example, just two days in Sydney, seems a shame. 

Each to their own again though wowzz.  I would have never have done a 'worldie' by air as I hate flying with a passion.  Also, you get the chance to see lots of places and do have the option to go back and spend more time in any that you really like, on the other hand you can quickly leave any you're not too happy about!

 

[BouncingWheel]

9 hours ago, wowzz said:

You also need to consider that you can travel around the world by air, staying for longer in the destination cities, and see more of the various countries far more cheaply compared to cruising.

Going on a world cruise that gives you, for example, just two days in Sydney, seems a shame. 

You can travel around the world by ship with longer stays but would need connecting cruises. These are by no means frequently available and instead of 2 day in somewhere like Sydney it could be 10 days - 3 weeks - 3months etc... It almost always means multiple cruise lines though this is an option that appeals to some non-flyers .

[Cathygh]

I think going to the Canaries is a good choice as you will get to sail across the Bay of Biscay so if the sea is rough you will be able to test your sea legs and there are a few sea days. Some people love sea days, some don't, but it's useful for you to know as a World Cruise has a lot of them. I was not a fan of them myself but now I regard them as chill out days, and it's a good chance to rest if you have had some intensive port days. 

I agree with the others that Iona has a very different vibe to Aurora or Arcadia.

Regarding select vs saver. With a TA you can choose your grade of cabin, so if I'm going for a saver fare I tend to go for a grade where none of the cabins are in noisy areas eg under the pool decks, where you coud be woken early by crew putting the sunbeds out. 

[louthebowler]

13 hours ago, Waju said:

Hi Lisa,

I hope lots of people will come along and offer you tips but we all have our own favourite ships, preferred cabins etc, etc.

The cabins in the middle of the ship are usually considered to be the best - around deck 8 or 9 - but personally I don't mind a cabin higher up or more towards the back or the front!

Your choice of ship is also very subjective - Iona is great if you have kids with you or like to have lots of choice of places to dine.  We were on Iona last week and she wouldn't be our first choice again - she was far too big and 'young' for us.  Our preference would be the adult only Aurora but most passengers on there would be older adults like ourselves. So if you are in you 30's for instance, you may find it more boring!

Which cabin to choose is another problem you have 🙂 I would rather have six cruises in an inside cabin than one in a suite but if budget isn't a concern then go for it - you only live once.

We did a world cruise in an inside cabin and it wasn't a problem for us at all - it would have been other peoples idea of hell though.

Just beware cruising is additive, our friends used to tell us they'd never cruise - they came once and are hooked.  

We book both select and saver prices depending on any offers available at the time.  A lot depends on how important cabin location/choice is to you.

Good luck and I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever you choose, hopefully by next year mask wearing and testing will be ancient history 🙂

 

 

Great advice.

[Red Ray]

Don't get into any arguments in the laundrette...

[sandancer]

11 hours ago, grapau27 said:

We have had 2 cruises on Iona and have another booked next year.

Deck 8 is a definite no and deck 9 no also.

Balcony cabins are a must for us but don't think the suite benefits are worth the high price.

I always do a select price because I can pick our cabin and get a good amount of on board credit and free port shuttles to the centre of town.

We like cabins at the aft but on Iona the white roof of the sunset bar obscures your view so a higher deck balcony like ours on deck 14 is a must.

We really liked eating lunch daily at the Quays.

Graham.

 

 

Can I ask, Graham why decks 8 and 9 are a problem. We have booked Arvia (assuming same as Iona) in an aft balcony on deck 9. It was the only one available but I would change to another category if it was going to be a duff cabin. 

[grapau27]

5 minutes ago, sandancer said:

Can I ask, Graham why decks 8 and 9 are a problem. We have booked Arvia (assuming same as Iona) in an aft balcony on deck 9. It was the only one available but I would change to another category if it was going to be a duff cabin. 

Deck 8 is a promenade deck of almost 1000 paces running the full circumference of the ship and everyone can look straight into the balconies while walking around.

I posted the photos on here in March but I have since deleted them off my phone or I would have posted again to show you.

Deck 9 is slightly better for privacy.

We were on deck 10 on our first Iona cruise and it was good.

Our last Iona cruise in March we had a deck 14 aft balcony cabin shown because the cover from the sunset bar on deck 8 will obscure the wake view on deck 9,10,11 and possibly 12.

The clubhouse aft deck 8 is noisy and deck 9 aft cabins are immediately above this.

 

[Host Sharon]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and the rabbit hole (or should I say money pit) that is cruising. I would add that a couple of weeks to the Canaries on Iona, although nice, will not really give you any idea of a world cruise on say, Arcadia. The ships are just too different, not just in facilities but activities and space. On a world cruise you usually have up to 6 straight days at sea crossing the Pacific. There may also be days when the seas are rough, which you might not notice on a ship the size of Iona, but will feel different on a smaller ship. On the other hand, 3 months at sea, visiting wonderful far-away ports is fabulous. I would suggest 2 weeks on Aurora or Arcadia first to see if you like those ships and save Iona for other cruises.

[purplesea]

Here's a photo of the cabins on deck 8 - the promenade deck

[sandancer]

Just now, purplesea said:

Here's a photo of the cabins on deck 8 - the promenade deck

Def a no no for us. We spend a lot of time on our balcony so I’m glad we are on deck 9 aft. 

[Adawn47]

There's nothing much I can add as you have already been given some excellent advice. The only thing I can add is that first and foremost you need to ask yourself 'What do I personally want from from a holiday?'

Whether you would prefer the quiet relaxation and entertainment of the smaller adult only ships, or a more lively atmosphere with plenty of choices to eat, drink and be entertained, will be the main factor in your choice of ship. 

Research all the ships, and once you've decided on one or two you can carry on from there, one step at a time. 

Avril

 

 

[Cruisemeister2002]

First cruised in 2002. Didn't know whether I would like it or not, so hired a tux. Suffice to say after 16 cruises we like them very much. You may feel differently, who knows. I do believe cruising has changed considerably and whilst many would argue about price v service I do believe P&O levels have got worse. Things that came as little extra's that were free have been replaced by having to purchase or go without. I haven't been on Iona or come to that a cruise since 2018 due to the pandemic and a change of itinerary on a cruise we were due on earlier this year. So we are on Ventura and then are giving Iona a go towards the end of next year. Whereas we always go for Club Dining 8.30 second sitting you will be on Freedom dining which I understand you have an App and then request a booking via that. As for cabins and location afraid I can't comment. We normally go for an inside as we prefer to spend on other luxuries. Again some may say they can't do without a balcony or sea view. But when you consider it's just a base to come and go from, to wash, dress and sleep in unless you can get a very good deal for balcony or sea view why bother. But again it's a personal preference and how much you wish to spend on accommodation against other things you wish to do.

[Amyracecar]

I agree with most of the comments here, and think that perhaps more than one tester cruise would be worthwhile before embarking on something as intensive as a world cruise. I've done 10+ cruises and i'm still not sure I'd be ready! That's not to say it wouldn't be wonderful, but there are definitely ships i'd have loved to have stayed on longer, and others where i'm happy to leave after 2 weeks. Not that they aren't all nice, but some are just a better fit for you than others. 

 

My main tip for general cruising, is to some research the ports you're going to. I am on various social media groups, and am always surprised by people who say things like 'I've just arrived in Juneau, can anyone recommend any good things to do?'. Perhaps less of a worry for the Canaries & familiar countries, but on cruises with a higher price point to more exotic locations, you really need to know where you're going as you don't want to find out about something amazing you wish you'd seen, AFTER you've sailed away. 

I've also seen a lot of people complaining this week about a cruise where the stops weren't quite what they expected, something that could have perhaps been avoided if they'd spent a day or two looking up what the areas are like. I always do this before booking, as different itineraries can really make a difference to your enjoyment. 

[wowzz]

38 minutes ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

We normally go for an inside as we prefer to spend on other luxuries. Again some may say they can't do without a balcony or sea view. But when you consider it's just a base to come and go from, to wash, dress and sleep in unless you can get a very good deal for balcony or sea view why bother. But again it's a personal preference and how much you wish to spend on accommodation against other things you wish to do.

I agree that it is a purely personal point of view, but a world cruise in an inside cabin ?

No way. 

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, sandancer said:

Def a no no for us. We spend a lot of time on our balcony so I’m glad we are on deck 9 aft. 

I took this photo during a staycation cruise of a conservatory mini suite when it was quiet but it gives a good idea why deck 8 is a no.

My choice would be deck 10 or above mid ships or higher cabin if you are at the back of the ship.

Graham.

Edited May 16, 2022 by grapau27

[grapau27]

10 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I agree that it is a purely personal point of view, but a world cruise in an inside cabin ?

No way. 

Even on a short cruise we want a balcony cabin because we like room service breakfast on the balcony and a hot chocolate drink before retiring at night.

It is also a quiet retreat to sunbathe on with a beer or glass of wine.

[grapau27]

33 minutes ago, Amyracecar said:

I agree with most of the comments here, and think that perhaps more than one tester cruise would be worthwhile before embarking on something as intensive as a world cruise. I've done 10+ cruises and i'm still not sure I'd be ready! That's not to say it wouldn't be wonderful, but there are definitely ships i'd have loved to have stayed on longer, and others where i'm happy to leave after 2 weeks. Not that they aren't all nice, but some are just a better fit for you than others. 

 

My main tip for general cruising, is to some research the ports you're going to. I am on various social media groups, and am always surprised by people who say things like 'I've just arrived in Juneau, can anyone recommend any good things to do?'. Perhaps less of a worry for the Canaries & familiar countries, but on cruises with a higher price point to more exotic locations, you really need to know where you're going as you don't want to find out about something amazing you wish you'd seen, AFTER you've sailed away. 

I've also seen a lot of people complaining this week about a cruise where the stops weren't quite what they expected, something that could have perhaps been avoided if they'd spent a day or two looking up what the areas are like. I always do this before booking, as different itineraries can really make a difference to your enjoyment. 

Good advice.