Doesn't want to cruise!

Help needed! Booked a Cunard cruise for this summer but now it turns out my partner is not as keen as I am to go. He's dreading the dress code, the crowds of people and the feeling of regimentation. I don't think it will be like this. Do I (a) cancel, (b) carry on regardless or © something else! Thank you in anticipation. :D

Help needed! Booked a Cunard cruise for this summer but now it turns out my partner is not as keen as I am to go. He's dreading the dress code, the crowds of people and the feeling of regimentation. I don't think it will be like this. Do I (a) cancel, (b) carry on regardless or © something else! Thank you in anticipation. :D

I certainly wouldn't cancel but I would consider taking someone else :)

Tell him that there's no need to worry because it's only a suit and tie, there isn't regimentation and there is no feeling of overcrowding on board.

Drag him along. He will have a ball and forget all of those silly preconceptions.

If not, dump him and find one that is a lot more fun and adventurous. :D

Tricky ...... would it be an option to go with someone who really wants to go ?

I've never felt crowded on a Cunard ship, unlike some others. If he considers having a fixed dining time as regimentation then there are ways of avoiding it (and the dress code) but you would miss out on one of the highlights of the cruise.

Which trip have you booked ?

Cruising for me means quite the opposite of regimentation. Yes we might go to the main restaurant each evening but you don't have to. There is more than one place to eat.

I feel I can do what I want when I want. I feel safe to wander on my own and husband does what he wants. Been on lots of ships and never felt crowded. As long as you are a reasonably sociable person then you should be ok. There's always something to talk about on a cruise.

No one will be judging on outfits either. Some nights chaps wear a suit and tie. No big deal. It's about more than the clothes.

Being at sea is so relaxing and I've seen some amazing things. I mainly cruise the Mediterranean so have seen dolphins and whales, golden sunsets and volcanoes glowing in the dark. You can get off in every port and there's usually time to see something new.

Every night it feels like a night out. We might have a cocktail or two before dinner or we might go to the pub. Whatever you do you -take a stroll on deck before going to bed. Fresh sea air good for sleeping. Get your partner to try it he might enjoy it.

My husband was exactly the same before our first cruise. However, from the moment we arrived at the terminal he loved it and we have been cruising ever since.

It never feels crowded or regimented on a Cunard ship in any way. There is plenty of space everywhere and loads of activities etc to make your own choice from. Or you can just sit and watch the sea go by. The formality is wonderful. My husband was really worried and quite anti before we boarded but he did buy a cheap dinner suit to take. He now happily gets out his different suits and jackets he has collected to wear different outfits on different days and is on his second dinner suit!

If, once you are on board, your husband is really not enjoying the dressing for supper, you can always use the buffet or order room service as a compromise. My guess though is he will like it much more than he thinks he will and this will be just the start......

If my husband decided it was not for him, I would go on my own :) I would have no problem cruising on my own as I have done it before and I would not want to miss out. Leave him at home, he'll come round for next time when he knows what a great time you had. :D

Avoid the buffet restaurant and you will be fine. Dressing up makes you feel good and apart from a formal night, you don't actually need to wear a suit. Pair of trousers, smart shirt and jacket that will go and you're fine.

Try to reassure your partner that they will have a great time. I was hesitant for many years until i took my first cruise on QM2. The dress code is only after 6 pm at night in main dining rooms. You can go casual at buffet or room service. Otherwise there is not much in the way of regimentation. As others mentioned, the ship is huge and there plenty of different areas with nooks and crannies to hang out in without crowds, ie the atlantic room, library,relaxation area in spa, and many other spots. The ship is romantic and relaxing.

Tell him to suck it up and just be a "partner" -- have you ever done something just because he wanted you to? If not, then you will him one - if so, he already owes you.

Which summer cruise are you on? Dress code on summer voyages is a lot more relaxed in my experience, disappointingly we only have 3 formal nights out of 14 on our upcoming QE 27th July Med cruise, although hubbie will wear jacket & tie every night.

Thanks for all your kind replies! Thankfully your votes are divided mainly between carry on regardless it will be fine, and take someone else! One of the reasons I chose a cruise was because of all the lovely things that you can do both in port and onboard. My feeling is that you can do as little or as much as you want. Pudd I agree with your comments that there is scope for both of you to do what you want to. Weirdly he does like dressing up and does own a DJ! Maitai999 - that's the same cruise we are booked onto! It doesn't help that I am a total control freak and already have a whole bunch of guide books, itineries planned and while I don't quite have an Excel spreadsheet of clothes, I do have my outfits planned. I think I'm just going to have to try and control my excitement and let him feel he is involved too! Thanks all. :)

We, too, are booked on that same cruise and noticed that there are only 3 formal nights out of 14 which means that it probably will be a more casual cruise. If your partner doesn't like mealtime regimentation, there is always the Verandah restaurant (which is superb) and a nice alternative restaurant in the Lido Café nightly. We haven't experienced it yet, but I've read that there is also al fresco dining out by the pool on some nights. You can book those for whatever time you want.

Good luck & let us know how it goes.

Help needed! Booked a Cunard cruise for this summer but now it turns out my partner is not as keen as I am to go. He's dreading the dress code, the crowds of people and the feeling of regimentation. I don't think it will be like this. Do I (a) cancel, (b) carry on regardless or © something else! Thank you in anticipation.

If you and your partner are not discussing vacation plans together then cancel and use the money to get some counseling. :(

If you and your partner are not discussing vacation plans together then cancel and use the money to get some counseling. :(

Ouch!

Ouch!

Thanks for the tip Blue Riband, I can feel a voyage blog coming on - Monte Carlo or bust? The reluctant Cruiser?

We said neither of us ever wanted to cruise, but we reluctantly tried one. Five years and fourteen cruises later I think we might have to eat our words.

There is a lot of rubbish talked about cruising, mostly by people who haven't been or who have only stuck with one cruise line. We aren't 'typical' cruise passengers if you want to stereotype, but we have never had a bad cruise. There is simply no other way of seeing so much of the world for so little money. Nothing like waking up each day to somewhere new either.

You might like it or you might hate it, but if it's booked then you should both give it a go. Don't say I didn't warn you though :)

Thanks for all your kind replies! Thankfully your votes are divided mainly between carry on regardless it will be fine, and take someone else! One of the reasons I chose a cruise was because of all the lovely things that you can do both in port and onboard. My feeling is that you can do as little or as much as you want. Pudd I agree with your comments that there is scope for both of you to do what you want to. Weirdly he does like dressing up and does own a DJ! Maitai999 - that's the same cruise we are booked onto! It doesn't help that I am a total control freak and already have a whole bunch of guide books, itineries planned and while I don't quite have an Excel spreadsheet of clothes, I do have my outfits planned. I think I'm just going to have to try and control my excitement and let him feel he is involved too! Thanks all. :)

Excellent - you will both love it I am sure! We have been on a Cunard med voyage every summer and there are so many repeat faces who want a non-fly summer cruise to the sunshine. I have already booked for next year :) Pop over and add yourselves to the roll call thread - be nice for it to grow a bit, the ship is looking a tad empty albeit deck 8!! Let the countdown begin, diet started!

DH and I had no interest, whatsoever, in ship travel---until (urged by friends) we tried it.

Eleven years later, 22 voyages on six cruise lines under our belts, there is no doubt how much we have enjoyed it! But, never, did we see this coming.

So, I can understand your partner's lack of enthusiasm at this point.

My guess is that, once experienced, both you and your partner will discover many pleasures of ship-life just like DH and I did.

Thank you for sharing your dilemma with this board and, please, do report back how everything turns out.

Happy Sailing!

I was adamantly opposed to cruising; thoroughly convinced that they were havens for the newly wed, overfed and almost dead.

I never would have taken a cruise, but in 2005 my DH's high school class decided to have their class reunion on a cruise to Alaska and he was going, no matter what. I could either go, or stay home by myself, so I decided to go. We absolutely loved it and over the past ten years have been on over 40 cruises all over the world. It has become our favorite mode of travel.

Hopefully, your partner will have the same joyful experience that I did and you will become avid cruisers, as we are. Is sure hope so because it is really fun.

Just re-reading this thread from last year and I realised that I never ever said how it went! He loved it! There was me thinking it would be room service every night but no, he wanted to dress up and go to the MDR which he also loved. We had some great food, made good use of the gym and came back healthier and happier! QE was a superb ship, very spacious, usually always room except once on the transit home when there seemed to be limited sunbeds set out. Heres to the next one!

Thanks for coming back to let us know what happened. I'm so glad it was a success.

Brilliant news! And just what we expected!! Here's to many more lovely cruises for you both! We are off on our 12th cruise in October (QE) having started with exactly the same worries. It's rather addictive.....

... It's rather addictive.....

My "one, and only ever voyage" was in 2006... :D

Many happy sailings to you, esp in October on QE :)