Cruises

[Stu]

No surprise the last post on this thread was about a fortnight before the first lockdown!

Having repeatedly said we’re not going abroad this year due to covid, and having said numerous times she doesn’t want to go on a cruise, my other half has now decided she wants to go in a cruise abroad in May as one of her pals is going on one on a few weeks. I’m prepared to indulge her in this purely because she is a doctor and MSC are offering half price deals for all NHS staff.

Anyone got any experience of cruises since lockdown they can share? The thought of needing different paperwork for each port we call at is stressing me out!

[Hard Graft]

Did one in September and one in November with another 3 lined up for this year.

September was out of Southampton and involved a test at the terminal and then when all clear allowed on board. Masks worn at all times except when eating or drinking. No real issues. PCR test for arriving back home.

November was Caribbean and has a PCR test 48 hours before departure and then lateral flow test at airport. Paperwork was slightly more intense for entering Barbados. Again masks worn at all times except eating and drinking. Sit sipping a drink and no need to wear one. Some islands would not let you out of the port area unless you were on an official tour.  PCR test for arriving back home.

Things will be a lot quieter now and even more so when you go. You should not need paperwork for each port. MSC will keep you right and check out forums on CruiseCritic to help.

You will enjoy.

 

Edited February 28, 2022 by Hard Graft
spelling

[Stu]

Cheers - we were going to go for it but seems we couldn't get the discount for any of the cruises we wanted so have binned the idea.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

We’ve never cruised before, but essentially 2 years of restricted travel we have developed a wee bucket list and some cruises seem the ideal way to go. 
We’ve booked a western med disney cruise out of Barcelona, going to Naples (to pray at the alter of diego), rome, florence and nice. Really quite excited about that, have tacked on a week at one of those spanish eurocamp places beforehand near salou. Has anyone got any tips about the ports in Naples and Livorno? I know Naples can be rough in places but is there enough wee safe areas to walk about with a 4 year old? We’d be taking trains to Rome and Florence, is that easy enough done?

In September we got a good deal on an Alaska disney cruise so doing that too, if anyone’s got a decent recommendation for shore excursions there it’d be appreciated, either tours themselves or companies they’ve had good experiences with?

[welshbairn]

Had an first look at cruises during lockdown too, when they were basically plague ships trying to find ports that would let them dock. There was one that did about 10 stops round South America that looked good, start and finish in Florida I think so through the Panama canal. Might have a go at something like that if it's not daftly expensive.

[Hard Graft]

20 hours ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

In September we got a good deal on an Alaska disney cruise so doing that too, if anyone’s got a decent recommendation for shore excursions there it’d be appreciated, either tours themselves or companies they’ve had good experiences with?

Alaska is great as the ships berth in the actual towns themselves. Ketchican is very walkable and has Creek Street but we have also done a float plane trip to an island and went bear watching. This was really good and we spent ages watching a black bear about 10 yards from us whipping salmon out the water.  It was not the cheapest of trips but well worth it.

Juneau is also very walkable but it is well worth looking at a trip to Mendenhall Glacier (see picture) which is outstanding and you also have the chance to go whale watching there as well. Seeing Orcas and humpbacks in their natural habitat is worthwhile.

Skagway is a small town but has the White Pass railway which takes you to the Yukon. Incredible scenery from old carriages which are heated by wood stoves.

It is well worth looking at Cruisecritic.co.uk and looking at reviews and also the Ports of Call section which will give you plenty of idea.  Check out the ships tours and also Google tours in each of the ports and you will get plenty of options.  Viator and Tours by Locals give good ideas as well.

When you are at sea watch for birds gathering near to the surface as this is generally an indications that there are whales in the vicinity

[Hard Graft]

21 hours ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

 Has anyone got any tips about the ports in Naples and Livorno? I know Naples can be rough in places but is there enough wee safe areas to walk about with a 4 year old? We’d be taking trains to Rome and Florence, is that easy enough done?

 

Depending on your kid you could go to Pompeii which is really interesting. I presume you will be taking a buggy for him when he gets tired?

The train to Rome is straight forward but you have to get your ticket stamped in a machine before you get on the train. I think it was about 90 minutes from the port to the Vatican which is quite a good starting point for the city.  On the way back try and get the train from the main station as it can be very busy.

Friend has done the train to Florence and said it was straightforward enough. Worth checking the price of fares and comparing them to official tours and those offered by Viator etc.  Local information sites will offer lots of ideas.

Edited March 5, 2022 by Hard Graft

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

20 minutes ago, Hard Graft said:

Alaska is great as the ships berth in the actual towns themselves. Ketchican is very walkable and has Creek Street but we have also done a float plane trip to an island and went bear watching. This was really good and we spent ages watching a black bear about 10 yards from us whipping salmon out the water.  It was not the cheapest of trips but well worth it.

Juneau is also very walkable but it is well worth looking at a trip to Mendenhall Glacier (see picture) which is outstanding and you also have the chance to go whale watching there as well. Seeing Orcas and humpbacks in their natural habitat is worthwhile.

Skagway is a small town but has the White Pass railway which takes you to the Yukon. Incredible scenery from old carriages which are heated by wood stoves.

It is well worth looking at Cruisecritic.co.uk and looking at reviews and also the Ports of Call section which will give you plenty of idea.  Check out the ships tours and also Google tours in each of the ports and you will get plenty of options.  Viator and Tours by Locals give good ideas as well.

When you are at sea watch for birds gathering near to the surface as this is generally an indications that there are whales in the vicinity

Thanks for that! There was a whalewatching and medenhall glacier excursion i saw which sounded brilliant. Think skagway we’re going to do the gold panning and frontier town excursion and in Juneau i think theres the lumberjack stuff and just have a stoat about the town maybe? Im really glad you’ve done that whalewatching one because i fancy it too. My wee boy is 4 and obsessed with sharks and orca’s so he’ll love it too. 

[Hard Graft]

58 minutes ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

Thanks for that! There was a whalewatching and medenhall glacier excursion i saw which sounded brilliant. Think skagway we’re going to do the gold panning and frontier town excursion and in Juneau i think theres the lumberjack stuff and just have a stoat about the town maybe? Im really glad you’ve done that whalewatching one because i fancy it too. My wee boy is 4 and obsessed with sharks and orca’s so he’ll love it too. 

We did a combined ship's trip with Mendenhall in the morning then back on bus and off to whale watching in the afternoon. Orcas approached the boat and one was spyhopping and we followed them for about 20 minutes. Absolutely great to see. We were then told that there was a humpback nearby and went and found that. I have a great video of the fluke as it went down deep.  We found a lot more humpbacks and nearly hit one when it surfaced in front of the boat. A really great day out worth every penny.

Wife and I were standing on our cabin's balcony when we looked to the rear of the ship and a whale breached, no time to get the camera but what a sight.

Also when you are near the glaciers watch for them calving.

You will have a great time.

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

11 minutes ago, Hard Graft said:

We did a combined ship's trip with Mendenhall in the morning then back on bus and off to whale watching in the afternoon. Orcas approached the boat and one was spyhopping and we followed them for about 20 minutes. Absolutely great to see. We were then told that there was a humpback nearby and went and found that. I have a great video of the fluke as it went down deep.  We found a lot more humpbacks and nearly hit one when it surfaced in front of the boat. A really great day out worth every penny.

Wife and I were standing on our cabin's balcony when we looked to the rear of the ship and a whale breached, no time to get the camera but what a sight.

Also when you are near the glaciers watch for them calving.

You will have a great time.

That sounds absolutely superb, think if we got that kind of sightings with the whales my wee guy would absolutely love that. Unfortunately we are in an inside cabin, but the ship has plenty wee bits for us to see the sights on deck. 

[Billy Jean King]

Depending on your kid you could go to Pompeii which is really interesting. I presume you will be taking a buggy for him when he gets tired?
The train to Rome is straight forward but you have to get your ticket stamped in a machine before you get on the train. I think it was about 90 minutes from the port to the Vatican which is quite a good starting point for the city.  On the way back try and get the train from the main station as it can be very busy.
Friend has done the train to Florence and said it was straightforward enough. Worth checking the price of fares and comparing them to official tours and those offered by Viator etc.  Local information sites will offer lots of ideas.

Naples is fantastic however if kids in tow we took ours up Vesuvius when the youngest was ten. Train then bus and a nice walk up to the crater. Astonishing views. We then did Herculaneum ruins on the way down. More compact and Day trip sized the Pompeii imo. All easy day trip from the port as is the likes of Capri and the glorious Amalfi coast . Livorno sees you in teach of Pisa, Lucca (beautiful) or Florence.

[doulikefish]

On 04/03/2022 at 22:21, welshbairn said:

Had an first look at cruises during lockdown too, when they were basically plague ships trying to find ports that would let them dock. There was one that did about 10 stops round South America that looked good, start and finish in Florida I think so through the Panama canal. Might have a go at something like that if it's not daftly expensive.

I've done the Panama canal cruise started in San Diego finished in Miami or you can go vice versa.

Don't think there is a Miami Miami option unless you go both ways which a lot of people do but it's about 6 weeks in total

Edited March 6, 2022 by doulikefish

[DeeTillEhDeh]

Naples is fantastic however if kids in tow we took ours up Vesuvius when the youngest was ten. Train then bus and a nice walk up to the crater. Astonishing views. We then did Herculaneum ruins on the way down. More compact and Day trip sized the Pompeii imo. All easy day trip from the port as is the likes of Capri and the glorious Amalfi coast . Livorno sees you in teach of Pisa, Lucca (beautiful) or Florence.

Livorno itself is an interesting place itself - it's the second largest city in Tuscany.

There's a few ideas here of things to do other than a trip to Florence or Pisa.

https://www.discovertuscany.com/livorno/a-weekend-in-livorno.html

For anyone doing Pisa or Florence make sure it is whole days - also better just getting just transport - the overinflated prices for guided tours just isn't worth it.

There's plenty of good guides that will tell you where to go.

One top - depending when you go, it's probably not worth queuing for the Uffizi - better going to the nearby Palazzo Vechio - plus you get s decent photograph of Michaelangelo's David.

Take in the Boboli gardens for a stunning view of the city.

[pozbaird]

21 hours ago, Hard Graft said:

Alaska is great as the ships berth in the actual towns themselves. Ketchican is very walkable and has Creek Street but we have also done a float plane trip to an island and went bear watching. This was really good and we spent ages watching a black bear about 10 yards from us whipping salmon out the water.  It was not the cheapest of trips but well worth it.

Juneau is also very walkable but it is well worth looking at a trip to Mendenhall Glacier (see picture) which is outstanding and you also have the chance to go whale watching there as well. Seeing Orcas and humpbacks in their natural habitat is worthwhile.

Skagway is a small town but has the White Pass railway which takes you to the Yukon. Incredible scenery from old carriages which are heated by wood stoves.

It is well worth looking at Cruisecritic.co.uk and looking at reviews and also the Ports of Call section which will give you plenty of idea.  Check out the ships tours and also Google tours in each of the ports and you will get plenty of options.  Viator and Tours by Locals give good ideas as well.

When you are at sea watch for birds gathering near to the surface as this is generally an indications that there are whales in the vicinity

Agree with everything you say in this post. We did an Alaskan cruise in 2016. Was one of those ‘trips of a lifetime’ experiences. I’ve attached a few screengrabs from a photobook I did after it. Everywhere I pointed my camera there was something stunning to photograph. I could have attached so many glacier photos here, but have just done three, and attached the photo of the Yukon train because someone was asking about excursions, and we enjoyed that train journey back in 2016.

 

[CountyFan]

We are doing our first cruise in October. I was a little apprehensive but she was keen and we got a reasonable deal. Starting small with 7 nights from Southampton to Vigo, Lisbon, Porto and back via Cherbourg. Figured no harm no foul for an easy 7 days for the first one. If we like it, we will go further afield in future/longer sailings. 

Will the boat be full of old people? That's really my only "concern", along with developing another niche holiday habit - I already ski once a year. Life is going to start getting dear if I like cruising. 

It's with P&O who I think might be at the less salubrious end of the market but I'm sure it'll be grand. 

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

On 06/03/2022 at 12:28, pozbaird said:

Agree with everything you say in this post. We did an Alaskan cruise in 2016. Was one of those ‘trips of a lifetime’ experiences. I’ve attached a few screengrabs from a photobook I did after it. Everywhere I pointed my camera there was something stunning to photograph. I could have attached so many glacier photos here, but have just done three, and attached the photo of the Yukon train because someone was asking about excursions, and we enjoyed that train journey back in 2016.

 

Really looking forward to exploring Ketchikan too, just looks amazing.

22 hours ago, CountyFan said:

We are doing our first cruise in October. I was a little apprehensive but she was keen and we got a reasonable deal. Starting small with 7 nights from Southampton to Vigo, Lisbon, Porto and back via Cherbourg. Figured no harm no foul for an easy 7 days for the first one. If we like it, we will go further afield in future/longer sailings. 

Will the boat be full of old people? That's really my only "concern", along with developing another niche holiday habit - I already ski once a year. Life is going to start getting dear if I like cruising. 

It's with P&O who I think might be at the less salubrious end of the market but I'm sure it'll be grand. 

I spent a summer on a tall ship and we did a few of those stops, sailing into Lisbon was an incredible experience, the views and sailing under the bridges was just amazing. Vigo and Porto were also superb, had really fun nights out there. 

[pozbaird]

23 hours ago, CountyFan said:

We are doing our first cruise in October. I was a little apprehensive but she was keen and we got a reasonable deal. Starting small with 7 nights from Southampton to Vigo, Lisbon, Porto and back via Cherbourg. Figured no harm no foul for an easy 7 days for the first one. If we like it, we will go further afield in future/longer sailings. 

Will the boat be full of old people? That's really my only "concern", along with developing another niche holiday habit - I already ski once a year. Life is going to start getting dear if I like cruising. 

It's with P&O who I think might be at the less salubrious end of the market but I'm sure it'll be grand. 

We did our first cruise in 2014, with Carnival, out of Miami down to the Caribbean for five days. We didn’t think it would be our thing, but as we wanted to visit Miami, and it’s pretty much the cruise capital of the world, we thought just like you, if we like it, great, if we hate it, well, at least we’ll know and never do it again. We loved it, we have done a ton of cruises since. Carnival are not regarded as upmarket in any way, but while we have also now cruised with Celebrity X, who, to be fair, are more upmarket, we still enjoy the casual vibe on Carnival.

My advice to a first time cruiser is this - it will feel busy and everyone is crowding you at the check-in and boarding stage. When you first get on board, it still feels busy and a bit mental, as everyone runs around trying to get an elevator, get to their room, get their luggage, get to the food court…. Then there’s the obligatory muster that everyone has to attend. Just take a deep breath during this initial manic phase. As soon as the muster is over, the entire vibe changes. Everyone just instantly chills out and slips into holiday mood. It’s brilliant. Our experience is that there will be all sorts of age groups on board, but from feeling crazy busy on embarkation, everyone soon spreads out to different parts of the ship.

We have found cruising to be a bit like visiting Las Vegas - clearly, not for everyone, some love it, some hate it. After the muster though, get yourselves a drink and start to enjoy yourselves by watching ‘puff away’ from port. Departing a port and arriving at a new one is fantastic. We’ve cruised into Lisbon and it is tremendous, passing under the bridges and watching the city appear in front of you. Soon as you’re off from Southampton your holiday will be great I’m sure. Have a good un’!

Edited March 7, 2022 by pozbaird

[Inanimate Carbon Rod]

On 05/03/2022 at 06:42, Hard Graft said:

Alaska is great as the ships berth in the actual towns themselves. Ketchican is very walkable and has Creek Street but we have also done a float plane trip to an island and went bear watching. This was really good and we spent ages watching a black bear about 10 yards from us whipping salmon out the water.  It was not the cheapest of trips but well worth it.

Juneau is also very walkable but it is well worth looking at a trip to Mendenhall Glacier (see picture) which is outstanding and you also have the chance to go whale watching there as well. Seeing Orcas and humpbacks in their natural habitat is worthwhile.

Skagway is a small town but has the White Pass railway which takes you to the Yukon. Incredible scenery from old carriages which are heated by wood stoves.

It is well worth looking at Cruisecritic.co.uk and looking at reviews and also the Ports of Call section which will give you plenty of idea.  Check out the ships tours and also Google tours in each of the ports and you will get plenty of options.  Viator and Tours by Locals give good ideas as well.

When you are at sea watch for birds gathering near to the surface as this is generally an indications that there are whales in the vicinity

Im sitting waiting to get off the Disney Wonder in Vancouver just reflecting on this post. Alaska is for me, one of the most beautiful and amazing places ive ever visited. Whale watching in Juneau with my son seeing a humpback swim right under the boat was a truly life affirming moment for me. 
The other stops were equally fun, panning for gold and meeting huskies etc was great fun. 
Food on our ship and entertainment was great. Ive been to America to the extent that ive spent over a year here cumulatively. But i can honestly say i probably had never appreciated just how fucking awful and rude they can be until i spent a week on board a ship, i could not believe how they spoke to the staff and behaved. The staff were all genuinely lovely, attentive and hard working, but the yanks would complain at every single juncture, nothing was fast enough for them, even the ones who were so big they couldnt do anything fast themselves were complaining about pace of getting that 15th pancake to shove down their gubs. I tend to avoid buffet restaurants anywhere, but seeing one of a cruise ship absolutely repulsed me, i am by no means an athlete, but these people are obscene.  The worst ones seem to be the ones walking about with the ‘vietnam combat vet’ hats on, I get they take animal care and husbandry to a very serious degree but there just doesnt seem to be a need to tell everyone.  Id love to go back to Alaska, but I dont think i could do it on another cruise. 

[CountyFan]

On 06/03/2022 at 20:09, CountyFan said:

We are doing our first cruise in October. I was a little apprehensive but she was keen and we got a reasonable deal. Starting small with 7 nights from Southampton to Vigo, Lisbon, Porto and back via Cherbourg. Figured no harm no foul for an easy 7 days for the first one. If we like it, we will go further afield in future/longer sailings. 

Will the boat be full of old people? That's really my only "concern", along with developing another niche holiday habit - I already ski once a year. Life is going to start getting dear if I like cruising. 

It's with P&O who I think might be at the less salubrious end of the market but I'm sure it'll be grand. 

We're away on Saturday. What's the script with smuggling booze on board? Presume it's a no-no? 

[welshbairn]

1 hour ago, CountyFan said:

We're away on Saturday. What's the script with smuggling booze on board? Presume it's a no-no? 

Others will know better but I can't imagine them searching your luggage. Never been on a cruise mind..

Edited September 29, 2022 by welshbairn