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Quote: Originally posted by Capt Lightning on 24/7/2022

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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.

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Quote: Originally posted by Capt Lightning on 25/7/2022

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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.

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Quote: Originally posted by Mitchamitri on 25/7/2022

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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.

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Quote: Originally posted by iank01 on 25/7/2022

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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.

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