You must be vaccinated for travel

[Paralytic]

The only cruise I'm willing to contemplate is one to Antarctica. There's a solar eclipse coming up which is making me think I need to spend the £11k and to hell with the chance of getting ill.

A friend of mine absolutely loves them and has done a few. The Caribbean or Mediterranean cruises feel utterly pointless to me.

Likewise, I've friends who love cruises and will get quite animated if someone describes it as being "stuck on a boat with 4000 other people". To them, it's a floating hotel room that stops in a different city for them to explore each day.

[Whorty]

Much as most hotels aren't like Benidorm, most cruises aren't as you describe. At least, I've never met anyone who goes on cruises who has that attitude

mi fone did this on tappy tawk

That's fine, happy for those that want a cruise type holiday to go on one, and I'll do my type of holiday. However, for my anecdotal evidence, it's completely opposite to you - the all you can drink, and all you can eat, is one big factor on why they go on this type of holiday.

Why don't you book one of these hols yourself and come back here and feedback how you got on

[Whorty]

Likewise, I've friends who love cruises and will get quite animated if someone describes it as being "stuck on a boat with 4000 other people". To them, it's a floating hotel room that stops in a different city for them to explore each day.

I have no problem with that type of holiday ... I'd just choose a different style of transport that is less crowded and less 'controlled'. Mrs W and I flew down to Rome, then train up through Italy via Florence and Venice and that was lush. Much better way of entering Venice than on the huge cruise ships

[Gibbon]

I have no problem with that type of holiday ... I'd just choose a different style of transport that is less crowded and less 'controlled'. Mrs W and I flew down to Rome, then train up through Italy via Florence and Venice and that was lush. Much better way of entering Venice than on the huge cruise ships

Totally agree. We went into Venice on the train, had no idea it is actually in the middle of a lagoon, but coming out of Santa Lucia (railway station) was breathtaking with the sun reflecting on the canal and all the boats zooming around. We done several long train trips in Italy like that, defo the way to go. Also best to get to Venice at 8 am and you nearly have to yourself for 2 hours until the tours start. Same after 4pm.

[Paralytic]

I have no problem with that type of holiday ... I'd just choose a different style of transport that is less crowded and less 'controlled'. Mrs W and I flew down to Rome, then train up through Italy via Florence and Venice and that was lush. Much better way of entering Venice than on the huge cruise ships

Again, they don't feel like its controlled (other than the pre-determined stops, obviously, but that's what they choose). They get off the boat, do their thing, and get back on the boat when they've seen enough.

The issue is that some people think all cruises are the same; they're not, just as not all beach holidays mean flying Ryanair to some out-of-the-place airport and getting p!ssed every night. I do suspect the Tui et al type cruises are a bit different from the upper end (and more expensive) end of the market.

[ladymuck]

If you get ill they'll leave you in Antarctica in the first penguin colony

Not seeing a downside

[Gibbon]

Not seeing a downside

They stink! and

BBC - Earth - If you think penguins are cute and cuddly, you're wrong