BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO...
Cruising Want to go on a cruise, but don’t know what you’re letting yourself in for? Get shipshape with Christopher Nye‘s guide
PHOTOGRAPH: TRAVEL PICTURES
Cruising? Isn’t that just for grannies? Far from it. You couldn’t fill the world’s 250plus cruise ships all year by just taking OAPs. Taking the kids? Try Disney Cruise Line’s (0800 171 2317, www.disneycruise.disney. go.com) five-night Western Caribbean cruise: two adults, two children, from £4,231 for the whole family, full board, including flights from Heathrow to Miami. Maybe you’re culture-crazy? Explore ancient myths in the Greek islands on Voyages to Antiquity’s (0845 437 9737, www. voyagestoantiquity.com) 13-day Kornati Islands cruise, from £2,095pp, full board, including flights from Heathrow. Fancy a
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nudists’ cruise? We’ll leave you to Google that one. (Hint: try searching for a ‘bare necessities cruise’.) Won’t I get bored? Journeys usually start with a day or two at sea. That might sound dull, but most guests relish the time to wind down and relax, drifting between the spa, pools, library, bars, guest lectures and entertainment. For most of the cruise, though, days are typically spent off the boat on land-based excursions. Where do cruises go? A third of the world’s sailings are in the Caribbean, with the Med not far behind. From Britain, popular routes include Southampton to New York, and Baltic cruises from ports such as Dover, Harwich, Southampton and Tilbury to St Petersburg. The websites www. the-cruise-specialists.co.uk and www.cruise direct.co.uk are good places to browse. Are they expensive? A week-long Royal Caribbean cruise (0844 493 4005, www.royalcaribbean.co.uk) of six islands starts from £1,304pp, including flights from Heathrow to Puerto Rico – and quality is comparable to a four-star hotel
(which would cost you from £1,465pp, including flights, with BA Holidays in Barbados, for instance). But onboard, your package price normally includes meals, soft drinks and entertainment. Expect to pay for alcohol, laundry, excursions and spa treatments. Tips of around £6-10pp per day (see www.cruisetip.tpkeller.com) are usually added to your bill at check-out – and are sometimes mandatory, so make sure to factor them in to your overall budget. What are the guestrooms like? Cabins (staterooms) are ergonomic wonders: everything you’d want from a good hotel room – but downsized. Rising in price, your options are: inside, outside, outside with balcony, suite. On Carnival’s (0845 351 0556, www.carnivalcruise.co.uk) nine-day Mediterranean cruise, you pay from £644 for an inside cabin, £1,024 for a balcony and £1,535 for a suite (all excluding flights). Don’t choose an inside cabin if you suffer from claustrophobia as most have no natural light (but you can set the TV to the channel showing the view from the bridge!). You pay more for cabins amidship as they have less movement (great for those prone to seasickness) and are closer to most facilities.
travelsmart I suppose I’ll be abandoning the diet. The food is relentless – 24 hours a day in lots of outlets, most of it included in the price. You pay extra for fine dining or celebrity restaurants, such as Nobu on Crystal Cruises or Marco Pierre White on P&O. Evening meals are three courses, served in the main restaurant at a table shared with up to 10 others, usually for the entire cruise, though you can opt for your own table if you prefer. It’s not all old-fashioned shows, is it? You can find other entertainment – the experimental Blue Man Group on Norwegian Cruise Line (0845 201 8900, www.ncl.co.uk), for instance, or even the Russian Ballet on an onshore excursion in St Petersburg with Celebrity Cruises (0844 493 2043, www. celebritycruises.co.uk). But yes, many of the shows are variety-based. You’ll probably find a jazz band on deck, a crooner in a piano bar and, in the main theatre, the cabaret. Quality is usually high though: Strictly Come Dancing pros are regulars on P&O (0843 374 0111, www.pocruises.com). Will I have to dress up? Pack a posh frock: most cruises include at least one formal night. Guys can hire a tux on
board. European cruises tend to be dressier than those in the Caribbean, but most people wear smart-casual for dinner on both. And about those port days? A fleet of minibuses and taxis will be revving up quayside to whisk you off to local ruins, beaches, scuba experiences, city tours and shopping malls. Cruise-ship excursions are sometimes lambasted as overpriced bus journeys – which many are – but popular ones sell out quickly, so it’s best to book before boarding. You might get the same package cheaper with an independent provider, such as Viator (020 3106 0037, www.shoreexcursions.viator.com) or Cruising Excursions (0800 091 8274, www. cruisingexcursions.com), whose Tour of Istanbul is £49pp, compared with £90 with Princess Cruises (0845 075 0031, www. princess.com). Or try a more individual experience with Tours by Locals (00 1 866 844 6783, www.toursbylocals.com).
THE FOOD IS RELENTLESS – 24 HOURS A DAY IN DOZENS OF OUTLETS
I’m tempted… but what if I hate it? Try a short one to see if you like it. P&O has a four-night sailing on the Oceana from Southampton to the Channel Islands and back, from £429pp, full board. Go sea… n
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