New to Cruising

Who are Cruises for?

Cruises are suitable for singles, couples, families and honeymooners alike. You can choose from facility-packed superliners where the action never stops, to small, relaxing ships where the onboard atmosphere is similar to that of a private club. Activities and Kid's Clubs onboard are tailored to various age groups and mostly included in the price, however, if you're taking children, choosing the right ship that caters for them is important.

Types of Cruises:

There are different cruise holiday types to choose from. There are fly-cruises which include flying somewhere overseas to meet up with your ship in its embarkation port or if you don't like flying, more and more cruise lines are now basing ships in UK ports such as Southampton, Dover and Harwich allowing you to sail round-trip to such destinations as the Mediterranean, Europe, Baltics, Norwegian Fjords and even the Caribbean. Additionally a number of cruise lines offer short break cruises of 2 to 4 nights from/to the UK which are ideal for first timers to see if they like cruising before booking a longer voyage. Cruise and Stay holidays offer the best of both worlds, where you combine your cruise with a beach or city stay ashore. Cruises vary in duration from 2-4 night short breaks to 7-14 night holidays to ultra-long 100 night or more world voyages.

Incredible Value:

Cruising is great value and is relatively inexpensive compared to other types of holidays. One price usually includes accommodation, 24-hour meals and snacks, nightly entertainment and most onboard activities, plus flights and transfers where applicable.

Multiple Destinations:

With over 300 ships, 1800 ports of call and an unbelievable array of places to see, you'll visit new fascinating destinations almost every day and you can sail to all corners of the globe from the sunny climes of the Mediterranean or Caribbean to the dramatic scenery of the Norwegian Fjords or Alaska. You'll only having to unpack once rather than packing and unpacking again and again and having to take many flights on a similar multi-centre land holiday.

Cruise Ships:

There is a wonderful range of cruise ships from which to choose, from large superliners or 'floating resorts' as they've become known, to small more intimate yacht-like cruisers. Catering to people of all ages and interests, onboard you'll find an amazing range of facilities and amenities from state-of-the-art fitness centres and spas to nightly entertainment and glamourous casinos plus an incredible range of formal and casual dining venues to suit. With the latest influx of ships, revolutionary innovations include such novelties as rock-climbing walls, ice rinks and surf simulators and even self-levelling snooker tables.

Dress Code:

Few things create as much confusion for first time cruisers as to what to wear for dinner and what to pack. The dress code onboard really depends on the cruise line that you choose to cruise with. The daytime dress code onboard is always casual ie. swimwear, sundresses, shorts, t-shirts however in the evening the dress code can vary from one cruise line to the next. Many cruise lines assign daily evening dress codes which are usually one of three styles - Casual, Informal / Smart Casual or Formal and generally applies in restaurants (and sometimes public rooms) from 6 pm onwards. Basically, formal means a tuxedo for men and cocktail dress for women, whilst Informal essentially means an open shirt and trousers for men and dresses for ladies whilst 'Casual' means more or less anything goes, within reason. Depending on the cruise line and duration, a number of pre-determined formal nights are organised.

If you would rather not dress up you can always dine in one of the alternative dining venues where the dress code does not apply. With modern trends towards more casual cruising some cruise lines are abandoning dress codes completely to give you a more freestyle cruising experience.

Your Accommodation:

Today's cruise ships are mostly all one class, however, prices are charged according to the cabin size and its location on the ship. For instance, you will usually pay more for a cabin/stateroom, the higher the deck it is on. Inside cabins/staterooms are the cheapest and don't have a window so don't offer a view. Outside cabins/staterooms have either a porthole window or a large picture window whilst Balcony cabins/staterooms offer window doors which open out onto your own veranda. All cabins/staterooms have en-suite facilities and are serviced daily. The highest grade of accommodation onboard is a Suite. They're incredibly spacious and offer the ultimate indulgence and often your very own personal butler.

Dining:

Although a growing number of cruise lines are now offering open seat dining, meaning you can turn up to eat when you like, most cruise ships have a main restaurant with fixed early and late sittings where you'll be seated with fellow passengers each night. Many ships also have speciality restaurants with menus often designed by celebrity chefs but there may be an additional charge for these venues.

Shore Excursions:

The cruise lines organise a selection of optional excursions at each port of call. They have been specifically designed to enrich your time fully whilst in port so often are the best way to see the destinations you visit. In addition you will get a tour guide, transfers if required, and you can relax in the knowledge that they'll get you back to the ship on time, whereas if you choose to go ashore on your own and you're late making it back to the ship, it won't wait, and you will have to find your own way to the next port.

Currency on board:

Cash is never used onboard cruise ships. When you first check-in you will be issued with a Ship ID swipe card which you will require to embark and disembark the ship in each port of call, and use for all your onboard purchases which will be charged to your cabin/stateroom to pay at the end of the cruise.

Tips & Gratuities:

Some ships will included your tips in the fare, whilst others will charge you a compulsory service fee. Some cruise lines still expect you to tip your cabin steward and restaurant waiter on the last night, but the cruise line will tell you if this is the case.

Misconceptions or Myths of Cruising

People do have a lot of reservations about taking a cruise with concerns as to whether such a holiday will suit them. There are a number of common misconceptions associated with cruising which often turns people off, but it is worth noting, for those who do take the plunge and decide to try a cruise holiday, nearly 80% make repeat bookings. Below we have highlighted some of the most common myths and the truth behind it.

I'll be bored
No one should ever be bored on a cruise as there's so much to do. Whilst onboard or during days at sea there are fantastic facilities and activities to keep you fully occupied so you can choose do as much or as little as you please.

I'll get seasick
Seasickness and motion sickness are very rare onboard today's modern liners. They are extremely sophisticated machines, each fully stabilised and aided by specially designed computer equipment to minimise the amount of rolling and pitching.

I'll get a stomach illness
Gastroenteritis and other bugs can be found almost anywhere where lots of people are in close proximity, not just on cruise ships. Simply washing your hands can decrease your chances of contracting an illness and most cruise lines have anti-sceptic soap dispensers throughout the ship to encourage this, particularly at the entrance to dining venues.

Cruising is too regimented
This definitely used to be the case but nowadays you can choose formal or informal cruising or even a mix of the two. Whilst some cruise lines still offer a sophisticated and traditional experience with features such as formal dining and assigned times and tables, more and more cruise lines are starting to meet the high demand for a more laid back and relaxed cruising style. Cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, NCL, Ocean Village, Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruise Lines offer a more informal experience including such features as open seat dining, meaning you can dine when, where and with whom you like and no compulsory requirement to dress formally every night.

Cruise ships are over-crowded
Although there can be a lot of people onboard today's modern cruise liners it iss always possible to find a quiet corner somewhere on board to be alone. Ultra-luxury cruise ships generally have the highest space to passenger ratios in the industry offering plenty of spacious common areas.

Cruising is for older people
As ships continue to include more and more variety, cruising really is appealing to a younger audience and the average age of cruise passengers is decreasing every year. It may surprise you that the average age of first-time cruisers is now well under 50 and whilst it does still appeal strongly to the older generation due to its safety and ease, cruising is appealing to younger cruisers more and more.

So when you add it all up, it's easy to see why people choose to cruise time and time again and if you've never been on a cruise before, now is the time to try one out.