Giving it a rest

[silver service]

Anyone concidering reducing or giving cruising a rest?

After ten years of it, i am in that position.

Have two in the pipeline for this year. Will ofcourse be looking

At next year, but maybe giving it a rest.

Regards, mike. P&o and cunard.

[jeanlyon]

No, just love the way I relax as soon as I get on the ship. There is no other holiday like that and I don't do airports any more.

[Scriv]

No - like Jean, I am still loving sailing away from Southampton without worrying about airports, which I also hate.

 

Also, as I live very near Southampton, it is all just so easy for us. I also relax immediately on board, so not ready to give it a break yet.

 

Mind you, we are relative newbies to some of you seasoned cruisers.

Edited March 8, 2016 by Scriv

[daiB]

No as you are a long time in the other place. Also we are not getting younger, no good saying, "Oh we will leave that a few years".

 

 

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[majortom10]

We felt like "giving it a rest" after doing many cruises sometimes 3 a year with P&O for nearly15yrs and got fed up of lowering standards and the same acts and shows. Fortunately we decided to have a change and cruised with Princess and Cunard and has revitalised our cruising experience.

[daiB]

We felt like "giving it a rest" after doing many cruises sometimes 3 a year with P&O for nearly15yrs and got fed up of lowering standards and the same acts and shows. Fortunately we decided to have a change and cruised with Princess and Cunard and has revitalised our cruising experience.

 

 

Only there companies do not cruise from the UK at the times I want to cruise. And I am very happy with the product that is on offer from P&O

 

 

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[Florry]

We felt like "giving it a rest" after doing many cruises sometimes 3 a year with P&O for nearly15yrs and got fed up of lowering standards and the same acts and shows. Fortunately we decided to have a change and cruised with Princess and Cunard and has revitalised our cruising experience.

 

 

I feel exactly the same, I'm not sure if I'm tiring of cruising (third world problem if ever I read one) , or whether I just need a change. I have booked a Princess 3 nighter in April to try to help me reach a conclusion. We have a cruise in September booked but in 2017 I am seriously thinking of holidaying in the UK and enjoying something different [emoji4]

[brillo]

We stopped for a few years when our dogs got to old to go into kennels.

We missed cruising very much and now do two a year, lots of people say that standards have fallen, I do not think that this is the case they have changed not fallen.

[frenchmartiniplease]

We get excited looking forward to each cruise but only do one 14 nt one every other year with a 4 nighter thrown in somewhere during the year.

 

Although long haul flights are becoming 'hard work', we still like to have land based holidays. While we can, we will do our annual trip to Las Vegas or 'fly and flop' somewhere sunny. I'm anticipating cruising more often in the future but hope to mix things up for as long as possible.:D

[P&O SUE]

I went on my first cruise in 2012 and got hooked liked you do!

So not bored yet but as I don't like flying I could see a time when I might find it hard to find new ports by restricting myself to Southampton! However many cruise yet before I get to that stage!

[berrywood]

We also feel the same after 13 years and doubt if we will book anything for next year, unless of course Adonia comes back and is doing Seville. Cruising is convenient as we are only 5 minutes from the terminals but there is a huge amount of GB that we haven't been to and would like to see.

[Presto2]

We had made a firm decision that we were off to Sorrento next year for 2 weeks.

BUT we are so excited about the thoughts of the new cruises for 2017 that we are thinking that perhaps we have it wrong :)

[TinyDancer12]

We're still very very new to the cruising way, but with a child I can see no other holiday that offers a bit of something for everyone.

 

Sun and sand holidays with a kids club are appealing, but we'd stay in the same place the whole time and as adults would get a bit bored. For our daughter, there is and will be excitement each time we reach a new port - almost like starting a new holiday.

 

We only tried cruising because a colleague (early 20s) said he loved them as used to go with his parents and said it was brilliant for kids.

 

Ask me again in 5 years and maybe I'll have changed my mind. :D:D

[Denarius]

A couple of years ago, I realised that I was not enjoying cruising as much as I used to.

At first I put this down to familiarity breeding contempt. I have after all, been cruising for 20 years. But when I thought about it further, I realised that it was more because cruising itself had changed.

When I started cruising, ships carried around 700 passengers. There was little or no formal entertainment, and passengers gathered after dinner to socialise with one another in the ballroom, where the ships band played music for dancing, or in one of the bars. One pretty soon got to know most passengers by sight, and a substantial number quite well. As ships have got bigger and bigger, with more and more formal entertainment, this camaraderie has largely been lost. Passengers dash from dinner to theatre or cabaret lounge and then to their cabins. Apart from dinner, few make the effort to socialise with their fellow passengers. I realised that it was the social interaction which I missed.

So I gave up the big ships and began sailing on smaller ships with less formal entertainment, where the main event in the evening is dinner followed by (hopefully) intelligent conversation in the bar. And I am once again enjoying cruising!

[balf]

When you have cruised for, wow, 16 years now it's easy to get jaded, not so much the ships and the service but the ports.

 

Lost count of how many Lisbons we have done

 

David

[LondonTowner]

We do one cruise a year which we enjoy. We also like land holidays in Europe or taking our car to France for a weekend.

 

We are not interested in the big, glitzy ships and like Denarius enjoy meeting people and being social.

[Mysticalmother]

The Jury is out for us !

 

I dont do flying so cruising has opened up opportunities for me to visit places I wouldnt otherwise get to, so still has a lot of attraction.

 

I am doing my first River cruise this year to see how that compares - travelling by train to get to the cruise . I know it will be very different from Ocean cruisng, but I need to see whether it suits me ...or not. Going with an open mind.

 

P &O have definately changed their experience for cruisers and i am not certain that I like some of the changes, so will seriously consider other cruise lines if we decide to do an ocean cruise next year. We like Cunard but their itineraries and dates simply have not worked for us for the last few years hence the return to P &O.

 

And as others have mentioned, there are parts of the UK still to be explored....and now that we are retired we need to take the opportunity to see some of those places!

 

On the other hand, Of course, if a late good deal from P & O lands in my inbox, I may just have to grab it! I love the sea, and the 2 or 3 days relaxing at sea out of Southampton cant be beaten in my book! And a back to back Transatlantic is still on my bucket list (although not my husbands!)

Edited March 9, 2016 by Mysticalmother

[Adammara]

We have done 39 cruises between 1991 and 2012, totaling over 400 nights, and we have seen a lot of changes!

 

Our first was on QE2, followed by 27 consecutive cruises on P&O. In 1995 my wife had cancer, and we wanted to change our autumn cruise. P&O were most un-helpfull and would only allow us to book a cruise from the same brochure, and costing more.... we were in a suite!

 

We went over to Celebrity/Royal Caribbean, but in 2012 had two less than perfect cruise with them, and decided to take a sabbatical. In 2014 we decide to try a cruise again and booked Eclipse for May 2015 to celebrate our Golden Wedding.

 

I suffered some chest pains at Christmas 2014, and had to see the doctor, my travel insurance was due Jan 1st, so had to declare my problem, and they completely withdrew our cover, even for the UK. It was eventually sorted, it was actually only chest muscle problems! Unfortunately health and age are now against us when it comes to travel insurance.

 

We are now holidaying in the UK, we found a wonderful holiday cottage in Dorset, which we visit once or twice a year, also had them in the Cotswolds, Sussex and Hampshire, and are taking some very enjoyable hotel breaks in many great UK cities.

 

Next month we are off to Edinburgh for a few days, and staying in a 4 star hotel, Dorset in September, with more planned.

 

Our passports expire in July, and we have decided not to renew them, as we are enjoying what we doing now, and see no point in returning to cruising.

 

Oh, and we saves a packet of cash! spent on a new car, summerhouse, new roof on the house and a replacement program for all the things in the house that are wearing out!

[silver service]

Well thankyou adammara! This is the kind of oppinion i was expecting to find

In the seasoned cruisers. I shall renew the passports. Will not cut off

The chance to go abroad. By what ever means. Keep the options open

Thanks again, mike, here in the new forest.

[jeanlyon]

A couple of years ago, I realised that I was not enjoying cruising as much as I used to.

At first I put this down to familiarity breeding contempt. I have after all, been cruising for 20 years. But when I thought about it further, I realised that it was more because cruising itself had changed.

When I started cruising, ships carried around 700 passengers. There was little or no formal entertainment, and passengers gathered after dinner to socialise with one another in the ballroom, where the ships band played music for dancing, or in one of the bars. One pretty soon got to know most passengers by sight, and a substantial number quite well. As ships have got bigger and bigger, with more and more formal entertainment, this camaraderie has largely been lost. Passengers dash from dinner to theatre or cabaret lounge and then to their cabins. Apart from dinner, few make the effort to socialise with their fellow passengers. I realised that it was the social interaction which I missed.

So I gave up the big ships and began sailing on smaller ships with less formal entertainment, where the main event in the evening is dinner followed by (hopefully) intelligent conversation in the bar. And I am once again enjoying cruising!

 

You have just reminded me of when I emigrated to Canada on the Cunard Sylvania. It was wonderful. She was about 14000 tons only, no entertainment and just as you say, meeting in the bar, chatting with everyone and you really got to know them, especially as we crossed the Atlantic in Hurricane Force 12 and passed the old Queen Elizabeth on her final voyage. We both hooted and it was amazing to watch her climbing up enormous seas and then disappearing behind another wave.

[Sanjam cruisers]

My wife cruised on numerous occasions as a teenager, we first cruised as a couple on an old rust bucket called "Edinburgh Castle" ex -Eugenio C in 1998 from Greenock to Iberia and the Canaries and despite numerous minor problems we thoughrly enjoyed it.

We did not have a further chance to cruise until 2005 when we did a fly/cruise to the Caribbean with P&O on Arcadia and I caught the bug big time we have now cruised every year since with P&O to the Caribbean including a 24 night Soton/Caribbean/Soton and one with Fred O to the Canaries different but enjoyable.

While we have noticed small cutbacks with P&O we have never had a bad cruise all have been most enjoyable hence the reason we keep booking, the P&O product is more than acceptable to us.We are booked for Azura in January 2017.

We also enjoy our land based holidays we still take this May we are heading for Varadero in Cuba with a couple of days in Havana.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Sanjam cruisers

[Host Sharon]

Still too much world yet to see to give it up, and for me cruising's the best way of seeing it.

[happy v]

Still too much world yet to see to give it up, and for me cruising's the best way of seeing it.

 

I agree with this.

I have a list, and I'm working through it.

[silver service]

However there are a linited number of ports, available from southampton.

I think except for north america, i have reached this stage.

I too have become very familiar with lisbon. I actually quite like lisbon!

[kruzseeka]

However there are a linited number of ports, available from southampton.

I think except for north america, i have reached this stage.

I too have become very familiar with lisbon. I actually quite like lisbon!

 

I can thoroughly recommend the NY, New England & Quebec trip silver service. We'd never done N America until last Autumn - or should I say the Fall? We were a bit too early for the colours to be on the change due to a mild spell but despite that being one of the attractions for booking that cruise, it was so fantastic that we didn't mind at all. Could give us a reason to go again sometime! We'd definitely like to.