British Isles or Iceland experience?

[Marga.Anders]

Hi, 

 

On the board today to get some advice. We have been on 4 cruises so far all with Royal Caribbean. We went on Symphony and Wonder which we liked. We went on Jewel which we didn't like because of the lack of a Solarium. 

We went on Odyssey which we loved the most out of all of them. 

 

We want to book a cruise for the summer of 2023. Our preferred destination would be a Croatia cruise since that is the only one in the south of Europe we haven't done. We have done the Mediterranean twice and that was enough. Also did Greek Isles and Holyland. Flying is not an option. 

From Venice to Croatia are a lot of jice ports but the ships there all seem to be very old and not to our liking. 

 

Looking at Royal Caribbean that leaves us with Anthem of the Seas from Southampton. We are looking at British Isles cruises or the ones to Iceland. 

We are hesitant to book because we are unsure what cruising is like in an area of Europe that is not warm and sunny all summer.  What we like about cruising is not only the ports but also the cocktail / swimming pool experience. 

 

So I would like to hear from people who took a cruise in this part of Europe and wondered if you liked or disliked it? Were there mainly British people on board or was it the usual mix of passengers? 

Any tips are welcome. 

 

Also, recommendations for other not-Royal Caribbean ships that have a kids-free Solarium would be welcome as well. 

[CruiserBruce]

Iceland and Greenland are amazing places. I would put priority on those. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

Pick an adult oriented premium line with segment itineraries that can be booked in multiple configurations. 
We’ve done the British Isles/Ireland AND Iceland/Greenland as a multisegment transoceanic on Oceania which has terrific space and crew ratios on non-behemoth ships with 670 or 1200 passengers as well as excellent food and service. As for “no flying,” there’s probably multi-segment Oceania itineraries that could get you what you want.

[Essiesmom]

We did Iceland/Norway on Cunard in August.  Definitely not beach and pool weather unless you get a chance to go to the Blue Lagoon in Iceland.  I would not do Iceland if you are not into geography, geology, etc.  British Isles is history to me. EM

[YourWorldWithBill]

5 hours ago, Marga.Anders said:

So I would like to hear from people who took a cruise in this part of Europe and wondered if you liked or disliked it? Were there mainly British people on board or was it the usual mix of passengers? 

Any tips are welcome. 

Not sure if this is an exact answer, but in the past year we were on Viking both in Iceland and the Adriatic. We loved both cruises. Viking focuses on destinations, so the Iceland cruise was a different port each day, just what we wanted. The Adriatic cruise was similar, going from Athens up through Croatia, ending in Venice. There were two ports in Croatia: Dubrovnik and Split.

 

There was a mix of passengers on board each ship, including some British, but the majority were American. Although there are enclosed pools, we were focused on the destinations, and we don't spend much time with cocktails.

But the food on Viking is memorable.

[Hlitner]

What we like would not likely suit the OP who seems to be smitten with the larger RCI ships and warm weather cruising.  Iceland does have some summer weather while Greenland is not generally warm.  Also keep in mind that other than Nuuk, Greenland is about tendering into smaller ports which is not a great option on larger ships.   

 

The OP specifically mentions the Anthem of the Seas and I seas and I see no itineraries that are around the British Islands or to Iceland.  

 

My message to the OP is that you are focused on the ship and amenities rather than the actual ports.  If you want to be on a monster ship than it is best to choose larger port where the ship can dock and there is adequate infrastructure to support the number of passengers.  Just consider that the largest city in Iceland has a population of about 18,000.  A ship like the Anthem of the Seas would increase that population by about 1/3!  Other ports in Iceland have populations that are less than that single ship.  We once visited Iceland on a 3000 passenger ship and it took more than 4 hours to get folks tendered ashore in one of the ports that could only handle a single tender (at a time).  

 

We have been to Iceland and Greenland on 3 cruises and those places are best done on a relatively small ship (we prefer fewer than 1000 passengers).

 

A cruise around the UK is fine on a larger ship and there are many interesting ports be it Edinburgh, Liverpool, etc.

 

Hank

 

 

 

[Ashland]

7 hours ago, Marga.Anders said:

Hi, 

 

On the board today to get some advice. We have been on 4 cruises so far all with Royal Caribbean. We went on Symphony and Wonder which we liked. We went on Jewel which we didn't like because of the lack of a Solarium. 

We went on Odyssey which we loved the most out of all of them. 

 

We want to book a cruise for the summer of 2023. Our preferred destination would be a Croatia cruise since that is the only one in the south of Europe we haven't done. We have done the Mediterranean twice and that was enough. Also did Greek Isles and Holyland. Flying is not an option. 

From Venice to Croatia are a lot of jice ports but the ships there all seem to be very old and not to our liking. 

 

Looking at Royal Caribbean that leaves us with Anthem of the Seas from Southampton. We are looking at British Isles cruises or the ones to Iceland. 

We are hesitant to book because we are unsure what cruising is like in an area of Europe that is not warm and sunny all summer.  What we like about cruising is not only the ports but also the cocktail / swimming pool experience. 

 

So I would like to hear from people who took a cruise in this part of Europe and wondered if you liked or disliked it? Were there mainly British people on board or was it the usual mix of passengers? 

Any tips are welcome. 

 

Also, recommendations for other not-Royal Caribbean ships that have a kids-free Solarium would be welcome as well. 

I'm a bit confused...RCI Jewel does have a Solarium. We used it on our recent Jewel sailing.

[ldubs]

We have done both Norway fiords/Iceland and British Isles itineraries.  Both were larger mass market ships (Princess for sure on the British Isles and maybe also for Iceland), but not the monster ships.   Both trips were fantastic and I would like to repeat them.  One of my all time favorite itineraries is the British Isles.  

 

But as already shared in other posts, if warm weather and sunbathing are a priority, then these itineraries wouldn't be a first choice.  

 

Flying not being an option adds a complication.  Perhaps identify the ship classes preferred along with doable departure ports. Then go through the "find a cruise" steps on cruise line websites to identify what itineraries are available.    

[crystalspin]

On 11/23/2022 at 6:55 AM, Marga.Anders said:

Hi, 

 

On the board today to get some advice. We have been on 4 cruises so far all with Royal Caribbean.

We want to book a cruise for the summer of 2023. Our preferred destination would be a Croatia cruise since that is the only one in the south of Europe we haven't done....Flying is not an option. 

 

With your preference for "the cocktail / swimming pool experience", I cannot see either Iceland or Britain as being conducive to your enjoyment. 

 

A quick search and RC seems to have a number of cruises that touch on or emphasize Croatia. Do not rule out the older ships: we sailed TransAtlantic on the Rhapsody OTS and it was very nice. And that is coming from a HAL-fan! A good cruiseline does not let their older ships get decrepit. (I'm looking at you NCL.)

[SbbquilterUT]

We did Iceland/Ireland and Norway Fjords on the Celebrity Apex, sailing from Amsterdam last August.  Wonderful cruise with beautiful scenery but not like any Caribbean or warm Med cruise.  We did use the hot tubs during sail away from Akureyri, Iceland as well as while in Ireland and Amsterdam but there were not many people in the pool.  This was a physically busy trip and we found the evenings nice for relaxing and enjoying the ship (loved the theater format).