new to ships

[londonguy.1980]

hi all. weve just found cruisecritic and this is our first post. my wife would like to go on a cruise ship in the med next summer. we got married last year and never had a proper honeymoon because of our jobs. a friend heard about ventura and suggested it for us. we will get a book from a travel agent to look at but want any tips or information from experts who wont try to sell us things.

is p and o the best cruise ships

we both have big families and uncles and aunts and grandparents so get on well with all ages but is it only older people on ships

is there a better cruise ship company. we dont like cheap and nasty like you see on tv with easycruise or oceanvillage.

we both go to company dinners and parties where we have to dress up which we enjoy. i had a great tux made to fit for me and my wife has great dresses.

we expect we will have other questions. we don't have kids yet so that is not a thing to think of.

we will read as many of the posts here that we can. thanks all. this is something new for us.

[bigpete47uk]

we dont like cheap and nasty like you see on tv with easycruise or oceanvillage.

 

Hi there,

Just sit back and wait for the barrage from Ocean Village cruisers.

Cheap and nasty indeed.:eek:

 

Seriously though you have come to the right place for advice, there is a vast depth of knowledge and experience on this forum.

 

Pete.

[londonguy.1980]

thank you for answering so fast as that. we didnt want to get people from oceanvillage cross with us. but when we watch sky tv on cruises they show shots of oceanvillage and it looks like san antonio on a boat. we might not have looked at it right. or maybe tv got it wrong. sorry if we said something wrong. what a great opening for us. we still want people here to tell us the truth. sorry.

[Pink-belle]

Cruisecritic, is the best site to get information about cruises, I would also check out the Princess and RCCL areas of the site. I have seen promo programmes on Sky tv, and even when they have shown ships I have been on they look completely different.

 

I have yet to sail on P & O myself so not an expert! However, most of my family have and highly rate it. I am looking forward to the 3 short cruises I have coming up in the next 2 months though.

 

I have been aboard Ventura, and sailed on the same type of ships with Princess. I enjoy the large ships with the varied entertainment and areas that they provide. My only observation would be that P & O market the Ventura heavily at families, with Noddy and Mr Bump onboard. As a couple for next summer, if you want a large ship with P & O I would look at Azura. I like the addition of the spa cabins.

 

However, not to upset any loyal P & O fans, as I hope to become one of them. I would have a look at Princess Cruises, especially if sailing from Southampton isn't important and you would consider a fly cruise.

[History addict]

thank you for answering so fast as that. we didnt want to get people from oceanvillage cross with us. but when we watch sky tv on cruises they show shots of oceanvillage and it looks like san antonio on a boat. we might not have looked at it right. or maybe tv got it wrong. sorry if we said something wrong. what a great opening for us. we still want people here to tell us the truth. sorry.

 

No problem, Londonguy, we're not all thin-skinned. People who haven't tried it often make the mistake of assuming informal cruising is down-market cruising. Easycruise, on the other hand, is very much St Antonio from what I've seen on the TV documentary series and completely different from informal cruising.

 

I think many of us try different lines until we are lucky enough to find one that suits what we want. I would suggest you ask questions on a number of different parts of this forum until you find one that is a good fit. Things to consider :

 

- cruise from UK of fly out to meet the ship elsewhere (eg, Med, Caribbean, etc)

- formal dining at night seems to be your favoured option but there are fixed seating and flexible seating options on different ships

- itineraries - some cruise lines have more days at sea whereas others spend more in port

- on-board activities and entertainment - some have different types of eevening shows and there are big differences in standards

- excursion programme if you plan to use the cruise lines own excursions

- quality of cabins - big differences in types of cabin and also cabin size

- age range of passengers

 

etc

 

Each cruise line (and sometimes different ships within a cruise line) have their own feel and have different offerings.

 

The best thing is to have a look at a few different lines thinking about the above and how much each is important to you and then contact one of the specialist cruise travel agents who will hopefully be able to advise you on which is the best fit. Also have a look at the cruise reviews section of this and other cruise sites to see what people report when they return.

 

Your first cruise will always be special. My first ever sailaway was sitting on a balcony sipping wine as we watched the whole of Venice pass by - sheer magic and something that will be hard to match.

[vivienne-j]

Hi

 

Our first cruise was to the Med in 2004 on Star Princess. We flew out to Barcelona and back from Venice. I agree with the last post about Venice - it's a "to die for" moment, sailing past the entrance to the canals. On your balcony (a "must have" in my opinion, but others will disagree!), you are above the buildings and almost have a bird's eye view. Stunning. The other "OMG" moment was waking in the morning and drawing back the curtains to see Monaco bathed in sunlight from where we were tendered.

 

I strongly feel the best thing to do is find the itinerary you want - that's crucial - then find the ship that best meets it and best suits you. You will get all sorts of advice - much of it conflicting! - on these boards, but that's because we're all different, and are all looking for different things, so read the posts, then decide what's relevant to you.

 

And... enjoy!!!

[Norfolk Brit]

And my troll-ometer is absolutely deafening:eek:.

 

Sir Martin

[londonguy.1980]

hi pinkbelle. thanks for the help. we will look at princess and rccl sites tonight. interesting to read what you think of sky promos. great to have real experience like you have. we would want to go a big boat with lots of choice of things to see. having never been to sea on anything other than a ferry we want lots of different places to eat like we would on land. if ventura is very family and kids friendly then it might not be for us. your own kids can be bad enough but others kids can annoy like on a plane. we will look at azura later on. we hadnt looked at where ships go from yet. we know some go from dover. do they pick up passengers from both docks or just dover or southampton. weve been to southampton to get to the isle of wight. easy to get to either for us. my wife does't like flying at all gets very nervous but will fly if she has to. i find it uncomfortable as im a big tall guy not fat but broad and find seats on planes too small. that is why we are looking at a cruise. but if we had to fly then we would but great if we can go from the uk by boat. thanks for the info.

[londonguy.1980]

hi history addict. great info. really useful. i see youve been on oceanvillage so sorry to start so badly. we have no problem with dressing well for dinner but its interesting what you said about fixed or flexible eating times. something to think about. thats why we came here to ask questions. we would like to see as many places as possible on a cruise. but dont mind sitting around a pool on board a boat either. not really into evening shows rather have good food romantic meal and a few drinks in a quiet bar or walking around outside at night. on other holidays that is what we have done. we are young but are not party party party like some people. we would want to see places thanks for the tip. as long as the cabin is big enough for two we dont need huge cabin. we will look out for the reviews you mention good to read what others have seen. we will talk about all this tonight and look at sites for ship info. cheers thanks for the help.

[History addict]

P and O may be your best bet if you don't like flying as they leave from Southampton to the Med. You will need a fortnights holiday to see the Med properly as it will take a few days to sail down that far. If you can take 2 weeks off work then the prices get a lot cheaper for your second week. P and O also have a couple of adult only ships, although I don't know what itineraries they run on. Someone on this forum more familiar with P and O will be able to advise on this.

 

As far as choice of dining, the bigger the ship the more dining options as a general rule of thumb. Some will have a fixed dining option, perhaps a freedom dining option (same food but at a time to suit you) and a buffet option with perhaps a pay-extra special dining option (often worth the modest supplement). However the bigger ships (eg, some of the Royal Caribbean monster ships) will have a far wider selection of dining options catering for lots of tastes. On the flip side, I believe that Royal Caribbean do attract more families and have more crowded decks being bigger so again there are pros and cons with every option.

[History addict]

hi history addict. great info. really useful. i see youve been on oceanvillage so sorry to start so badly. we have no problem with dressing well for dinner but its interesting what you said about fixed or flexible eating times. something to think about. thats why we came here to ask questions. we would like to see as many places as possible on a cruise. but dont mind sitting around a pool on board a boat either. not really into evening shows rather have good food romantic meal and a few drinks in a quiet bar or walking around outside at night. on other holidays that is what we have done. we are young but are not party party party like some people. we would want to see places thanks for the tip. as long as the cabin is big enough for two we dont need huge cabin. we will look out for the reviews you mention good to read what others have seen. we will talk about all this tonight and look at sites for ship info. cheers thanks for the help.

 

OV is my favourite cruise line but I don't take offence if people get the wrong impression as it is easy to equate informal with down market - some people just don't get the concept as it is totally different from the traditional cruise option. In fact it is often more expensive than some of the formal lines but it suits those of us who dress formally a lot for work but who don't want to do it on holiday. In fact I'd almost (:)) recommend them for you as they have a younger target clientele with long days in port, fewer sea days, more active excursions and super itineraries in the Med. However they are fly-cruise only and the only waiter service restaurant isn't formal dress and comes at a supplement (although it is overseen by James Martin and worth every penny) so I don't think it would be right for you.

 

It's all about finding the right match for your individual requirements so I'd suggest you mull over all the variables, decide which are most important to you and which you are happy to compromise on and keep asking questions and eventually someone will be able to recommend the best cruise line for you.

[londonguy.1980]

Hi

 

Our first cruise was to the Med in 2004 on Star Princess. We flew out to Barcelona and back from Venice. I agree with the last post about Venice - it's a "to die for" moment, sailing past the entrance to the canals. On your balcony (a "must have" in my opinion, but others will disagree!), you are above the buildings and almost have a bird's eye view. Stunning. The other "OMG" moment was waking in the morning and drawing back the curtains to see Monaco bathed in sunlight from where we were tendered.

 

I strongly feel the best thing to do is find the itinerary you want - that's crucial - then find the ship that best meets it and best suits you. You will get all sorts of advice - much of it conflicting! - on these boards, but that's because we're all different, and are all looking for different things, so read the posts, then decide what's relevant to you.

 

And... enjoy!!!

hi. thanks for answering. we must see venice from a boat some day sounds really great. we really plan to have a balcony as we don’t want to be shut up inside in the dark. like your advice about itinerary first then look at which ship. best idea. we did a lot of reading last night very late on sites esp p and o and a few others there is a lot to remember. we will read more visit a travel agent and read on here as well and decide on where we want to see. cheers and thanks. so many very friendly people on here with lots of info. really like the p and o boats.

[londonguy.1980]

P and O may be your best bet if you don't like flying as they leave from Southampton to the Med. You will need a fortnights holiday to see the Med properly as it will take a few days to sail down that far. If you can take 2 weeks off work then the prices get a lot cheaper for your second week. P and O also have a couple of adult only ships, although I don't know what itineraries they run on. Someone on this forum more familiar with P and O will be able to advise on this.

 

As far as choice of dining, the bigger the ship the more dining options as a general rule of thumb. Some will have a fixed dining option, perhaps a freedom dining option (same food but at a time to suit you) and a buffet option with perhaps a pay-extra special dining option (often worth the modest supplement). However the bigger ships (eg, some of the Royal Caribbean monster ships) will have a far wider selection of dining options catering for lots of tastes. On the flip side, I believe that Royal Caribbean do attract more families and have more crowded decks being bigger so again there are pros and cons with every option.

hi. 2 weeks off work is no trouble we were thinking of this or 3 weeks anyway. saw last night about adult ships great idea if one boat goes to what we want to see. thanks for info re caribbean ships we will check them out. seen them in ads they look good with loads of balconies. like the big pools and surf thing. cheers and thanks.

[londonguy.1980]

OV is my favourite cruise line but I don't take offence if people get the wrong impression as it is easy to equate informal with down market - some people just don't get the concept as it is totally different from the traditional cruise option. In fact it is often more expensive than some of the formal lines but it suits those of us who dress formally a lot for work but who don't want to do it on holiday. In fact I'd almost (:)) recommend them for you as they have a younger target clientele with long days in port, fewer sea days, more active excursions and super itineraries in the Med. However they are fly-cruise only and the only waiter service restaurant isn't formal dress and comes at a supplement (although it is overseen by James Martin and worth every penny) so I don't think it would be right for you.

 

It's all about finding the right match for your individual requirements so I'd suggest you mull over all the variables, decide which are most important to you and which you are happy to compromise on and keep asking questions and eventually someone will be able to recommend the best cruise line for you.

hi there we didnt want to get people cross with us about ocean village sorry. thanks for info about eating on their boats we dont mind paying a bit more for good waiters for romantic meal. buffet is ok for other times. cheers for advice about reading more and then deciding this is great idea so is what well do. we will ask more if we need too. cheers and thanks.

[LibraLass41]

I would suggest a balcony cabin - starboard side on a 16n cruise to Venice on child free Arcadia!

 

Starboard for views of Venice on sail-in, perhaps Dubrovnik and Corfu as well - did this one last year, seems to tick the boxes?