We have done a cruise to the Baltic, including St Petersburg. It was great, Denmark and Sweden were pretty expensive too!
That was on Ocean Princess, a lovely small ship with 550 passengers. It was able to sail into St Petersburg and moor not far from the city centre opposite a navy submarine dock!
Sadly she has been pensioned off. Of course Baltic cruises probably won't go to Russia now!
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
An ocean cruise simply doesn't appeal. We're far too independent and spontaneous. A river cruise is slightly more appealing but then again, we'd rather travel at our own pace.
IF I was ever tempted to go on a cruise, I'd look at these Hurtigruten 'Explorer' cruises. Not cheap, but it's our gold wedding anniversary next year, so we might consider it.
------------- Two drifters off to see the world.
I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.
Quote: Originally posted by Capt Lightning on 24/7/2022
An ocean cruise simply doesn't appeal. We're far too independent and spontaneous. A river cruise is slightly more appealing but then again, we'd rather travel at our own pace.
IF I was ever tempted to go on a cruise, I'd look at these Hurtigruten 'Explorer' cruises. Not cheap, but it's our gold wedding anniversary next year, so we might consider it.
I can see why an ocean cruise might not appeal to some people, particularly if it involved spending several days at sea, but the one we went on didn't. It was a Greek Islands cruise and we put to sea in the evening and arrived on a different island each morning. Sometimes we had already docked when we woke, and other times we were just coming in. We loved it, as it was very relaxing. No meals to get or driving to do, just stroll down to a bar or restaurant any time we wanted, and someone else to do the driving on any land excursions. Plenty of entertainment onboard too. I'm sure we'd love a river cruise, but we simply can't afford it now.
Only downside for us was having to book up months ahead then wait for what seemed like forever for it to come round. We are quite spontaneous too, which is why we usually book our caravan breaks last minute.
We've already had our golden wedding, but if yours is coming up and you can afford it, I'd say go for it! I'm sure you'd have a great time.
There are some very good deals about. We get lots of e mail offers.
I would be inclined to go from Southampton rather than risk the hassle at airports.
Some go from Dover, not a good idea at the moment.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
Did a bit of research into the Hutrigruten cruises and the results were pretty damning. The opinion seemed to be that they were once a good company but have gone right downhill. Expensive, money grabbing and unreliable.
I'll give that idea a miss. Naturally I asked Mrs.L where she would like to go and she said Canada, but we know nothing of the country. Still, we have a year to look.
------------- Two drifters off to see the world.
I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.
Quote: Originally posted by Capt Lightning on 25/7/2022
Did a bit of research into the Hutrigruten cruises and the results were pretty damning. The opinion seemed to be that they were once a good company but have gone right downhill. Expensive, money grabbing and unreliable.
I'll give that idea a miss. Naturally I asked Mrs.L where she would like to go and she said Canada, but we know nothing of the country. Still, we have a year to look.
We went on the Hurtigruten Coastal Express, Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen. Far from being unreliable,it ran like clockwork.They kept to the timetable to the exact minute.
The ship docked right in the towns rather than sitting out in the fjords like the Butlins-on-sea cruise ships.
The food was incredible and abundant.Unlimited free coffee for the whole time, a small number of passengers, loads of space and wonderful service
It is expensive,as is Norway, but excellent value.I would recommend killing off the odd relative to get the insurance money and treating yourselves
I have relatives who are not adventurous people and very conservative in their ways and have found cruises very enjoyable.
In recent years they’ve done one round the coast of Europe and another up the rivers of Norway etc. The food onboard was good enough that they didn’t have to “risk” buying food onshore when they stopped or have to talk to any “Locals” , and there were day trips they went on that they prebooked well in advance.
Onshore trips usually had an hour or two where you could go and do your own thing - this isn’t long enough to go anywhere so its sit around and wait to get back to the safety of the boat.
In addition the daily routine suited them - “getting dressed up” for the deck, then “dressed up again” for the evening, plus they got the obligatory evening at the captains table – all of this comes at extra cost – it seems like being trapped in some kind of am dram production of an Agatha Christie book.
The one up the fjords the scenery looks amazing but there were more photos they brought back of their room and the boat.
There are a lot of extras in their bookings so it seems so price per person isn’t really indicative - and if you want a room more suited to Rose than Jack be prepared to fork out ££££££££ for it.
Based on this, and my limited experience talking to others, the cruises/ experiences they chose suited them to the ground, but for me the lack of cultural diversity – basically going somewhere and avoiding the locals - and the regimented calendar wouldn’t suit. Basically you’re told what to do and you get looked after – I can see the popularity for some people.
The fjord thing looked really nice though - the cost to us would be prohibitive (particularly when its roughly the same price as going to Thailand).
Maybe a lot of it is how you “use” your holiday - some people go to the seaside and sit on the beach, others explore the rockpools.
Not convinced as yet, but would never rule it out.
We are far too independent at the moment, doing things last minute, making snap decisions over the toss of a coin, literally. Went to New Zealand for five weeks, the only thing we had booked was a car, and one night in a Hotel in Wellington…….We ended up in Melbourne Australia for four days, totally unplanned after a friend text us to say he had heard we were in NZ.
Done the same in Australia and ended up in some amazing places, went to South Africa ended up in Swaziland. Never book anything in France, just get to Roscoff and head off, the direction is decided over a glass of wine on the ferry. Never make definite plans, you may have to break them!
So I am not sure if cruising is for us yet, a little too prescriptive and planned, never been on a package holiday, the thought sends a shiver! ….But who knows, never say never, but our biggest fear is…….We hate being around people, sounds harsh I know, but we live in rural Devon in the Dartmoor National Park, and are just not conditioned to having loads of people around us, and really don’t like it. As for dressing up for dinner! 😳 dress down for dinner yes. 😀👍
We’ve done the Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Voyage, full trip (Bergen to the Russian border & back). It’s not a cruise, it’s a ferry: some people only go from one place to the next. A few excursions are available if you want, but no entertainment like shows or cocktail bars. I’d do it again like a shot.
Quote: Originally posted by Mitchamitri on 25/7/2022
I have relatives who are not adventurous people and very conservative in their ways and have found cruises very enjoyable.
In recent years they’ve done one round the coast of Europe and another up the rivers of Norway etc. The food onboard was good enough that they didn’t have to “risk” buying food onshore when they stopped or have to talk to any “Locals” , and there were day trips they went on that they prebooked well in advance.
Onshore trips usually had an hour or two where you could go and do your own thing - this isn’t long enough to go anywhere so its sit around and wait to get back to the safety of the boat.
In addition the daily routine suited them - “getting dressed up” for the deck, then “dressed up again” for the evening, plus they got the obligatory evening at the captains table – all of this comes at extra cost – it seems like being trapped in some kind of am dram production of an Agatha Christie book.
The one up the fjords the scenery looks amazing but there were more photos they brought back of their room and the boat.
There are a lot of extras in their bookings so it seems so price per person isn’t really indicative - and if you want a room more suited to Rose than Jack be prepared to fork out ££££££££ for it.
Based on this, and my limited experience talking to others, the cruises/ experiences they chose suited them to the ground, but for me the lack of cultural diversity – basically going somewhere and avoiding the locals - and the regimented calendar wouldn’t suit. Basically you’re told what to do and you get looked after – I can see the popularity for some people.
The fjord thing looked really nice though - the cost to us would be prohibitive (particularly when its roughly the same price as going to Thailand).
Maybe a lot of it is how you “use” your holiday - some people go to the seaside and sit on the beach, others explore the rockpools.
Hi, I think your relatives experience is very different to various friends of ours who have cruised for years. Apart from where you actually go there is a great deal of autonomy. My friends never go on excursions, they do their thing on and off the ship and one nowadays you don't even need to dress up. I like talking to locals and will do what I can to immerse myself in local culture. We are also fairly adventurous and will do our own excursions. Most stops are from approx 9 am till 6 pm so plenty of time to do things. I do agree you can get a cruise to suit all styles. And the cost isnt as prohibitive as i had thought. Apprehensive but excited.
Only ever done one cruise on the old Edinburgh Castle ship in the sixties. Not so crowded. We would never dream of doing a cruise with ships carrying well over a thousand people plus concerns about Covid. Much happier touring the continent with our caravan and you see a lot more places.
Enjoy your once in a lifetime trip as you will not regret it.
I think its how you use it - each to their own. Some people like caravanning because everything is safe and predictable -they can drive to one place and park up and sleep effectively in their own house, rarely moving beyond 3 metres from their van. Some love caravanning cos you can do exactly the opposite.
Talking about not getting dressed up on board, my relatives basically buy a whole new wardrobe before each trip :-)
Quote: Originally posted by iank01 on 25/7/2022
Only ever done one cruise on the old Edinburgh Castle ship in the sixties. Not so crowded. We would never dream of doing a cruise with ships carrying well over a thousand people plus concerns about Covid. Much happier touring the continent with our caravan and you see a lot more places.
Enjoy your once in a lifetime trip as you will not regret it.
Edinburgh Castle, I remember that being tied up in Southampton. (I was born in Southampton) Tiny in comparison to some of the mega ships of today.
Will say that we found the 'fjords' cruise a great introduction to cruising, we weren't any too sure about it, as we're the type to just move on if we didn't like a site or area, so a 7 day (6 night) was for a 'taster' we ended up thoroughly enjoying the experience, after the first night, realised that the restaurant wasn't 'our thing' so didn't go back and ate at the ships 'buffet area' - though the pandemic put paid to both the company and the ship that we went on (company went bust & ship was scrapped) - we ended up doing a fjords, a baltic (including 2 days at st petersburg) and a Northern lights - while the wife isn't a good sailor, she retired to bed if it was rough and I just headed for the coffee and food! Last trip ended up with the ship fighting a force 8 down the North Sea and getting back to the port 8 hours late! Would we go again? Yes!
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: After saying I would never ever ever.....
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