One-night stands, having an affair, sticking to just one partner not being advised.
These are all considerations (surprisingly) when you’re planning a cruise as you’re
about to find out.
Though, as you will find out, not in the way you might expect
If you’re new here, welcome aboard.
I am Gary Bembridge, and my goal is to make it fun and easy to discover, plan and enjoy
unforgettable cruise vacations.
One of the best pieces of advice I have about cruising is to avoid the cruise equivalent
of one-night stands, as tempting and thrilling as they may appear.
You're unlikely to find the partner of your dreams that way in real life, and that's true
in cruising too.
Taster cruises are the cruise equivalent of one-night stands.
These short one to few night cruises are supposed to let us try out and taste a new cruise line.
They are a terrible way to find out what a cruise line is about.
First, the people who are regulars don’t often go on these short Taster Cruises.
We won’t find the usual passengers and mix.
At best, they’re people like you and me checking it out.
But more likely, as they are usually priced low, it’s those seeking a cheap short break
or party who would never go on the line normally.
We stopped taking our mothers on these trips as we found that even on sedate lines like
Cunard, these taster cruises were getting too loud, raucous and untypical for them to
enjoy.
Also, the program is designed to show a hyped-up image of the cruise line.
It is a sales pitch.
They’ll be showcasing the very best parts, like the best production show, best quiz shows,
or the best cooking displays.
I have even been on one taster cruise where I discovered the guest entertainers booked,
a high-energy Drag Show, are never booked on regular sailings.
They just had it on as they felt it would be more entertaining for that cruise then
their usual entertainment.
The most I get from these is seeing the ship and cabins, as I cannot judge what the cruise
experience will be and feel like until it is cruising between ports with usual passengers.
Instead of going on a Taster Cruise, save time and money for a proper cruise and do
what I do: watch cruise vlogs on YouTube.
For example, I wanted to know if Disney was the right cruise line for me going as an adult.
Instead of booking myself onto a taster cruise, I went on a Disney Cruise by watching vlogs.
I watched, Sean and Stef in Real Life.
Unfortunately, the rather wonderful Sean has passed away subsequently, but through their
day-by-day vlogs, I saw what Disney is about, and that helped me make up my mind and based
on that I booked my first Disney cruise.
Have you ever gone back to an ex?
In my dating days I did.
But the things that annoyed and drove me wild soon returned.
The same is true with cruise lines.
I learned that the hard way too.
The first cruise line I went on was P&O Cruises.
It was the only line I used for many years.
For me that was what cruising was all about.
Then, because I'd always want to do a transatlantic, I went on Cunard and suddenly realised there
is so much more out there.
So much more that I found was better suited to me than P&O Cruises.
I stopped using P&O Cruises.
We went our own ways.
P&O I noticed had been changing, doing things differently, introducing new ships.
So, I decided post-pandemic to give them a try again.
Unfortunately, I found it was just like going back to an ex in real life, the spark wasn't
there.
The things that I didn't like were still there.
It just didn't work.
I found that once you fall out of love with a cruise line, you shouldn’t go back because
you're likely to find that the things that weren't right in the first place still aren't
right.
But is sticking with what works always the right thing to do?
Having An Affair
After switching the Cunard, I was enjoying the ceremony, style and format but kept thinking
maybe I was missing out.
They were my dependable partner, but I was tempted to try something exotic and different.
Something totally different and not my type.
For me that was Costa Cruises.
They had flashy new ships, sounded very Italian, exciting, relaxed and informal.
The opposite of Cunard.
I headed off and it really wasn't for me.
It wasn't the experience I wanted.
I was attracted by the glitz, the glamour, the sexiness, the difference of it, but just
found the ships brash, too in your face and the program too boisterous and holiday camp
style for me.
I wasted my time and money going on it.
It wasn't me.
It didn't have the experience I wanted.
Didn't have the kind of entertainment I wanted, didn't have the food options I wanted.
It wasn't right for me.
Having a left-field affair did not work out.
People often ask me why I've never been on Carnival.
Because I know, for all they offer and do well for their audience, it's just not for
me.
That fun ship experience is not the sort of thing I want.
So, I exclude them rather than risk my time and money.
That's also why, for example, I do relatively limited amounts of trips on lines like Norwegian
and Royal Caribbean, because fundamentally they're not my kind of cruise experience.
They are big resort ships, which are not what I enjoy.
They do some amazing and interesting things, like the g-karts, water show spectaculars,
ice skating, water slides and array of specialty dining, but I go cruising for different reasons.
Trying something different just because it’s brasher, bigger, or is new with more attractions,
new ship features I recommend resisting, or thinking very carefully about.
That thrilling affair may not be totally satisfying, as I did with Costa as could have better spent
my time and money.
So, what should you do if you are tempted about trying something new?
Do what I do now and use the cruise forums on sites like CruiseCritic and the Facebook
groups set up by fans of the line.
They are excellent for asking questions like "I'm this type of person.
I like this kind of things.
How would I get on this line?"
People in these are more than happy to give you their personal insights.
For example, I found this helpful when I was looking at Viking and found a We love Viking
UK Cruises.
There's also We Love Viking US Cruises.
I went in there and talked to people that helped me decide it was right for me.
The trip was a great success.
People often rush to try a new ship because it’s new and the latest thing, without thinking
about the line and what is important.
I don’t.
People I meet are often surprised when I am not jumping on the latest ship, like when
P&O Iona and Carnival Mardi Gras started sailing.
This is why.
A flash new ship is no substitute for a meaningful trip on a line that suits.
Does that mean I recommend you stick to one line once you have one you like?
In the real world, sticking with one partner is highly valued and the right thing to do
when it comes to dating.
However, what about in cruising?
I had a revelation on this through all the experiences I have spoken about so far.
In the real world there is always someone you’d rather go to a rave party with.
A different person you’d rather go hiking with than to a fancy restaurant, perhaps another
who’s better company for the theatre or something cultural.
That’s why when I’m asked, "What is your favourite cruise line?", I find it difficult
to answer because I learnt through my P&O and Cunard experience that only having one
is not the way to go.
I have a few lines that meet my needs, and I choose which one I use, and which one I
go with depending on what I'm doing.
For example, when I go to Alaska, I prefer to go on either Princess or Holland America.
Holland America have been cruising there for over 70 years.
Princess for over 50 years.
These are the experts in the area.
They get the best berths.
They get to go into Glacier Bay.
They have the relationships; they have the expertise.
They have Alaska in their veins.
That’s why my next Alaska is booked on Princess.
If I'm going to an expedition cruise, for example to Antarctica and Arctic, I value
and rate having incredible expedition team as key.
I found those on Silversea to be outstanding on my trips there.
Although they are expensive versus some alternative options, they are my first choice for expeditions
and so for my first Galapagos trip I booked with them.
If I'm looking to cross the Atlantic, I will always gravitate towards Cunard and do a full
traditional transatlantic rather than a repositioning cruise, which is much cheaper.
For me, the whole sense of experience on Cunard Queen Mary 2 is part of what I want to do
when I across the Atlantic.
I have tried other ways of crossing on reposition cruises, which have been great, and on lines
that I love, but for me it's not the full experience.
I will default to Cunard.
If I am going to Caribbean or the Mediterranean, I will focus on premium mid and small sized
lines that cater for me best, like Celebrity, Holland America, Oceania and Azamara, as they
tend to have interesting itineraries.
For me it's not about rigidly sticking to one line but having a small and select choice
group of favourites that I take based on who will be the best and most fun to take me where
I am going.
I meet many people on cruises where they will only go on Princess, Seabourn, Regent Seven
Seas, Celebrity and so on and never try another line, which is great.
However, when you're travelling to different parts of the world, different lines have different
expertise, different experiences, different ports of call, different relationships that
could provide a better experience.
A small select group feels the right way to go.
As you think about that watch this video of the 9 best cruises in the world you should
be doing and take planning as they sell out fast starting with the one that has the biggest
bragging rights!
See you over there