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19-07-2019, 06:43 PM
11

Re: Cruise and which cabin is best

Originally Posted by Surfermom ->
I
You have to admit that a cruise for someone like Susan who is traveling alone is a brilliant way to still get out there and see the world!
You have a point and I hope Susan enjoys her cruise if that's what she decides to do.

I have travelled far and wide, almost always on my own.
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19-07-2019, 07:01 PM
12

Re: Cruise and which cabin is best

I Have to say and done so repeatedly I was the most anti cruise person you could ever wish to meet. Then I got to thinking "What is all this cruise malarky all about". My biggest fear was not being able to swim, stupid but did enter my head several times.

This cruise thing kept cropping up and so eventually A river cruise was the answer, well the river banks are close , so it Was a trip up the River Nile.

Wow what an experience, completely new to me and yes have to say enjoyed it.

So waht about my fear? it had gone seeing how stable the ship was, so next was a med cruise and I was hooked. What you get for your money for a holiday is hard to beat, now several cruises later try keeping me away
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19-07-2019, 07:46 PM
13

Re: Cruise and which cabin is best

Hi Susan

Good decision to try a cruise. You will most likely get the bug very quickly and never look back.

As others have stated go for P&O cruises or Cunard depending on what you want.

Cunard operates a "class" system where lesser mortals are not permitted on certain parts of the ship. It is more formal than P&O generally.

P&O is a very British cruise line and is semi formal, a mixture of smart casual and formal evenings, friendly but still glamorous. I have done over 35 cruises with P&O.

In terms of cabins you can actually select purpose built single occupancy cabins on some ships. I think Azura and Ventura have them and I can confirm that the fantastic Aurora has some brand new ones as a result of her recent refit. However they will naturally be in short supply and booked up quickly but check anyway. Otherwise as you already know you will pay a significant supplement for travelling alone.

Position of cabin is essential depending. I suffer from the ship's motion so a midships cabin is an absolute must for me. It would ruin my holiday to be at the front or back as motion sickness is debilitating at times. If you have never been on a ship the size of a cruise ship and don't know if you'll suffer from motion, then assume you will and pick a midship's cabin.

Don;t pick cabins on deck A at the top, you'll get lots of noise from people above and staff putting sun chairs out or pushing trolleys around. I usually opt for deck B. Nice and high up, spectacular views and won't flood in bad weather !!

Other people love to be down below on deck 5 (often same deck as Reception area). A stable place to be but sometimes in very extreme bad weather it is deck 5 cabins that have had their cabin windows smashed by waves and thus flooded.

An inside cabin is perfectly acceptable but having a balcony is like nothing else. That freedom to walk out teh door for fresh air at any time is priceless. Or to sit there during the day in peace and quiet, to watch the dolphins, to see what's going on when in port or, like me, to sit out late at night and gaze at the fantastic vista of stars on a clear night.

In my early cruises we used to get inside cabins on the basis that we never spent much time there. We would always be out and about around the ship.

Some years later we started with balconies and never looked back and now find we spend a lot of time in the cabin on the balcony to get away from the hubbub of people.

We have often had cabins just inside the midships lift areas and had no problems at all. About 2 or 3 doors in from those lifts is perfect. Easy to get about and perfectly midships.

DO NOT get any cabin opposite a laundry. You'll have the laundry door opening and closing all the time and people yapping.

Study the deck plans and look at the decks above and below where you plan to be. Make sure there's nothing significant there. For example being underneath a gym is bad news. Lots of thumping and banging from weights etc.
Under or above any lounge or bar or theatre equally bad.

Ideally you want other cabins to be above and below you.

Choosing the Mediterranean is the perfect choice for a first cruise. You may get 2 rough days at sea from Southampton across the Bay of Biscay and down the side of Spain/Portugal but then once in teh Med it is generally idyllic cruising.

Choose Freedom Dining over Club Dining. You get to go to dinner at any time that suits you and will meet different people every night. With Club Dining you sit on the same table the whole cruise with the same people. Great if they turn out to be great people, dire if they turn out to be bad.

If you go P&O, Aurora is imho the best ship but a trifle expensive now that Oriana is leaving the fleet. It's a traditional ship with big wide prom deck, proper enclosed bars and lounges, superb crows nest on 3 tiers and much more. About 1800 passengers.

Ventura and Azura bigger, less traditional, 3000 passengers but still lovely in their own right. Much much cheaper too which means you are more likely to be able to have a balcony. Good choices for a first cruise. However, don't choose Ventura when kids are on board (i.e. during school hols), it becomes a VERY different experience then.

How's your wardrobe? Do you lots of posh frocks or lovely outfits? It's a fun part of the process, expanding and growing your "cruise wardrobe".

Do you prefer a little glam and formality? Or do you prefer complete absence of formality and a pub/party atmosphere? This will determine which type of cruise line you go for.

That'll do for starters. Feel free to ask more as time goes on.

Best
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19-07-2019, 08:41 PM
14

Re: Cruise and which cabin is best

Hi everyone , well ive got some reading up to do haven't I . Thank you all for all advice I really appreciate it .

I will be on a budget but will push it as far as i can , i dont know if i can afford a balcony yet , and i will see if i can get a single cabin , if not ill pay the extra single cost , after all i think it will be a one off for me purely because im spending my savings .

Ive never been on holiday alone before but i know a cruise is a good start.

I want to leave from Southampton because otherwise i have to pay a taxi from Dorset to Gatwick or Heathrow if i fly cruise and thats a huge extra amount . My friend lives in Southampton and will drive me to the docks .

Now the fun starts

Thankyou all
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19-07-2019, 09:29 PM
15

Re: Cruise and which cabin is best

Originally Posted by susan m ->
Ive never been on holiday alone before but i know a cruise is a good start.
It's a good choice.

The ship will run "singles coffee morning" events every day where you can meet lots of like minded people also travelling alone. A great way to meet people from the off.

Then you'll meet people at breakfast, lunch and evening dinner in the restaurant and then meet even more people if you join in the various daily activities.

You're in a very safe environment on a ship with 1500 to 3000 other passengers. You can't get lost and there are always people around to help. Going ashore is a totally different ball game of course but in the Med you should be fine. If you make friends on the ship then you can mutually agree to go ashore together sometimes. Failing that just book excursions with the cruise line and you will be looked after whilst ashore e.g. walking tours, wine tasting etc etc

I will warn you now it's a very addictive way to travel so you may well find your savings being dwindled quickly !
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19-07-2019, 10:22 PM
16

Re: Cruise and which cabin is best

I love cruising never thought I would utter those words but I have and do.
going to the Northern lights with P&0 next Oct.

Would I go alone Hell yes. Inside cabins are not as bad as you think you spend little time in there change sleep and that's it. Caribbean cruise I would say balcony is a must. Unpack once wake up somewhere different every day fantastic.

Remember the midnight buffet starts at midnight.....LOL

Lovely way to travel and friendly but you can happily sit on the deck with/
without a book and ignore the world, or join in.

P&0 ARE a good choice. Thompsons(Marella now I think) are equally good, but not sure they go many from UK.

Agree middle of the ship the best place.
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20-07-2019, 03:47 AM
17

Re: Cruise and which cabin is best

Susan, I am back to say that if you are budgeting, don't hesitate to do an inside cabin. You will find many places around the ship to enjoy the scenery and it will inspire you to get out and about.
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20-07-2019, 08:40 AM
18

Re: Cruise and which cabin is best

I'm taking note of everything you all say .

I've never wanted to holiday alone , I live alone and that can be lonely enough . Also I've always had a fear of getting lost , and as Realist said, I cant get lost .

I'm not bothered about being in an inside cabin but will see if I can push to a balcony .

May I now ask for a link or two to look at cruises from Southampton. I've been looking on Google and some links have "ad" and I dont think they are the right ones .

Thanks again
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20-07-2019, 10:17 AM
19

Re: Cruise and which cabin is best

Susan

your best bet is to go down to a Travel agents and get a P+O brochure. it has all it information you need in it, Such as ship size- decks cabins etc. Or give them a ring their phone number is on the link below in the brochure



This is just one page picked at random



typical deck cabin layout depending on which ship of course
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20-07-2019, 10:31 AM
20

Re: Cruise and which cabin is best

Will do realspeed
 
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