How are you deciding if (and when) you may book a cruise again?

[FamilyCruiserUK]

For us was a cheap school holiday deal, had to use up some FCC from before covid and I was in the UK and not on deployment. 

 

As for covid well, need something to look forward too and I have faith.....in science.

[SarahHben]

I would be happy with that and I have 2 Norway cruises booked for next summer, each with 2 long fjord sail ins to Geiranger and Olden, actually both the same itinery, however!. Next February I have to pay the balance for the 1st cruise. What worries me is P&O will take the money and then announce that the cruise is not going to where I expect it to go, specifically IN the fjords not only touching on coastal places such as Bergen, Stavanger etc etc.

Yes, I agree.
I don’t mind going to Stavanger and Haugesund (Our Iona cruise is going there instead of Bergen next year) we haven’t been to either before, but I would only want to do that in addition to cruising through the fjords. I wouldn’t want to only visit the bigger coastal ports. Our four ports next year are due to be Stavanger, Olden, Geiranger & Haugesund.
In the event of no shore visits my kindle, binoculars and camera would be my essentials.


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[jeanlyon]

I'd go raving mad without shore visits.  That's why I cruise.  The ship is the ship and after a few days, I want to get off!

[grapau27]

4 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

I'd go raving mad without shore visits.  That's why I cruise.  The ship is the ship and after a few days, I want to get off!

We like port intensive cruises.

Our first Caribbean cruise was in January 2007 on Crown Princess.

It was a 15 night cruise with 11 islands and was amazing.

Every day when we got back on the ship we found our regular sunbathing spot and we chatted to a friendly American couple every day who never got off the ship once as they just  loved having the ship to themselves.

[Bazrat]

16 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

We like port intensive cruises.

Our first Caribbean cruise was in January 2007 on Crown Princess.

It was a 15 night cruise with 11 islands and was amazing.

Every day when we got back on the ship we found our regular sunbathing spot and we chatted to a friendly American couple every day who never got off the ship once as they just  loved having the ship to themselves.

We prefer more sea days to much rushing around on port days if we particularly want to see a place we take a land based holiday there.

[Selbourne]

28 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

We like port intensive cruises.

Our first Caribbean cruise was in January 2007 on Crown Princess.

It was a 15 night cruise with 11 islands and was amazing.

Every day when we got back on the ship we found our regular sunbathing spot and we chatted to a friendly American couple every day who never got off the ship once as they just  loved having the ship to themselves.

We like port intensive cruises too. We are OK with the odd sea day to break things up, but really dislike more than two sea days in a row. We did the USA and Canada a couple of years ago and wouldn’t repeat it due to the 6 sea days each way. The transatlantic crossings were more an ordeal than a pleasure for us, but we thoroughly enjoyed the time in the USA and Canada. 
 

We tend to get off the ship after a leisurely breakfast (once the masses have disembarked), have a good look around and then get back on board for a late leisurely lunch and enjoy a quiet afternoon on board whilst the ship is quiet. For us that’s the best if both worlds.  

[grapau27]

45 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

We like port intensive cruises too. We are OK with the odd sea day to break things up, but really dislike more than two sea days in a row. We did the USA and Canada a couple of years ago and wouldn’t repeat it due to the 6 sea days each way. The transatlantic crossings were more an ordeal than a pleasure for us, but we thoroughly enjoyed the time in the USA and Canada. 
 

We tend to get off the ship after a leisurely breakfast (once the masses have disembarked), have a good look around and then get back on board for a late leisurely lunch and enjoy a quiet afternoon on board whilst the ship is quiet. For us that’s the best if both worlds.  

We always have breakfast on our cabin balcony and then do pretty much the same as you.

Pauline fancied a TA and we booked an aft balcony on Allure for our first TA.

This was our March cruise which was cancelled because of coronavirus.

Edited July 20, 2020 by grapau27

[Bazrat]

1 hour ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

For us was a cheap school holiday deal, had to use up some FCC from before covid and I was in the UK and not on deployment. 

 

As for covid well, need something to look forward too and I have faith.....in science.

My view entirely you need something to look forward to and if they say it is safe to cruise who am I to argue 

[Goosebear Mum]

I enjoy a mix of sea days (relaxation after a high pressure job) and port days. However, if it were a case of sea days only (with maybe scenic cruising) or no cruise, I’d happily take the sea days 

 

GBM

[jeanlyon]

good think we are all different innit?  I would rather do a driving holiday than do a cruise with no ports.  Just can't see the point.  Looking at the water is very boring.

[Adawn47]

19 hours ago, grapau27 said:

20 hours ago, Selbourne said:

We tend to get off the ship after a leisurely breakfast (once the masses have disembarked), have a good look around and then get back on board for a late leisurely lunch and enjoy a quiet afternoon on board whilst the ship is quiet. For us that’s the best if both worlds.  

That's what we like to do on port days unless it's a new, interesting port. Then we'll do a tour or maybe a HOHO or take the shuttle bus, but we'd be just as content with a scenic cruise with no ports, Fjords for example. Except Southampton of course, that's a must.😉

Avril 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by Adawn47

[Adawn47]

22 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Looking at the water is very boring.

It will probably seem so to those who are lucky enough to see it every day. We see it once a year so just love it. Some of our best days are at sea, relaxing with a book on the balcony or watching the wake at sunset. Absolute bliss. We shall miss it this year😔

Avril 

[Bazrat]

8 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

It will probably seem so to those who are lucky enough to see it every day. We see it once a year so just love it. Some of our best days are at sea, relaxing with a book on the balcony or watching the wake at sunset. Absolute bliss. We shall miss it this year😔

Avril 

This is getting a bit creepy your views are almost identical to ours, we stood watching the sea going by on our last trip on Arcadia with at least a couple hundred people and it was raining.

[Snow Hill]

My wife and I were discussing this over dinner last night, we both agreed that it will be at least 2022 before we consider a cruise again. Next year will be a driving holiday down to area around Carcassonne in southern France. We visited La Citie around 10 years ago on a day trip and said we would go back, next year may well be the year we return. 
 

If we go anywhere this year it maybe to Scotland if we can find a cottage to stay in, we would like to go to Skye if we could, but would probably leave it until September. 
 

Edited July 21, 2020 by Snow Hill

[Adawn47]

3 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

This is getting a bit creepy your views are almost identical to ours, we stood watching the sea going by on our last trip on Arcadia with at least a couple hundred people and it was raining.

What's creepy is being on deck in thick fog listening to the foghorns. Love it!! I know, I know,  I'm a bit weird 

Avril 

[kalos]

1 hour ago, Adawn47 said:

What's creepy is being on deck in thick fog listening to the foghorns. Love it!! I know, I know,  I'm a bit weird 

Avril 

 

Same here ,as well as on deck ,Mrs K and I have walked along the shoreline with two war ships at anchor

and the lighthouse at Sunderland blasting their fog horns.

We should have been watching their airshow but an all day and night sea fret put an end to that and most

of our sleep that night . I ber Graham could hear them from his house that night .

This weekend coming should have been their airshow as well.

Maybe they will get the sea fret  at the very least 

[grush240]

We will cruise next year, after 2 cancellations this year and losing Oceana next year we decided to defer the Christmas cruise on Azura till next year taking advantage of the P&O offer. We're going on a Warner holiday in the IOW in 2 weeks to replace a holiday in Spain that was cancelled. Also booked a couple of weeks in Barbados over Chrimbo and New year this year.

It's not the idea of going away  that bothers us, whether it be on plane or ship it's not knowing what the changes on the cruise will be, don't fancy being restricted the way I've read we could be, so defer for a year and see, in the mean time we will holiday.

Edited July 21, 2020 by grush240

[SarahHben]

My wife and I were discussing this over dinner last night, we both agreed that it will be at least 2022 before we consider a cruise again. Next year will be a driving holiday down to area around Carcassonne in southern France. We visited La Citie around 10 years ago on a day trip and said we would go back, next year may well be the year we return. 
 
If we go anywhere this year it maybe to Scotland if we can find a cottage to stay in, we would like to go to Skye if we could, but would probably leave it until September. 
 

Carcassonne is one of my favourite places to visit! We’ve rented villas in the area quite a few times.


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[Bazrat]

21 minutes ago, grush240 said:

 

It's not the idea of going away  that bothers us, whether it be on plane or ship it's not knowing what the changes on the cruise will be, don't fancy being restricted the way I've read we could be, so defer for a year and see, in the mean time we will holiday.

what you have read is not by the cruise companies just people making assumptions, we have 3 cruises booked and have not read anything official yet about what the onboard experience will be like.

[grush240]

12 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

what you have read is not by the cruise companies just people making assumptions, we have 3 cruises booked and have not read anything official yet about what the onboard experience will be like.

I agree with  you everything could be pretty much as normal, but at no cost I'm not prepared to risk a less than enjoyable time. I'm taking a break to a hotel I've been to before and already contacted them re their restrictions. If the reports on cruising are favourable when it restarts we will cruise earlier next year.

[Bazrat]

1 minute ago, grush240 said:

I agree with  you everything could be pretty much as normal, but at no cost I'm not prepared to risk a less than enjoyable time. I'm taking a break to a hotel I've been to before and already contacted them re their restrictions. If the reports on cruising are favourable when it restarts we will cruise earlier next year.

I really don't blame you its your money your holiday no point going on a cruise if you don't feel happy

[grush240]

33 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

I really don't blame you its your money your holiday no point going on a cruise if you don't feel happy

We still have the FCC from Oceana so fingers crossed we can use it next year, nothing planned before September then back to Barbados.

 

[jeanlyon]

I feel the same.  I just don't think the cruise is going to be anything like we have enjoyed before, so will return to doing other things that we used to enjoy.

[Bazrat]

I believe that cruising will return to some form of normality as soon as the first cruise proves to be successful, you might say I am being overly optimistic but I cannot succumb to doom and gloom.

[mercury7289]

4 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

I believe that cruising will return to some form of normality as soon as the first cruise proves to be successful, you might say I am being overly optimistic but I cannot succumb to doom and gloom.

Bazrat

 

Not doom or gloom, more reality, it was fun while it lasted, it was a joyous aside.