CRUISING: It's a complex business

Malcolm Ginsberg first “cruised”, as a Ten Pound Pom in 1951.  Over 2.5m UK cruise packages are expected to be sold next year, and 35m around the world.

Malcolm asks the question with this talk he recently gave and is repeating it for another group in a few week's time. It's also a discussion point over a social dinner.

* Number one has to be how much do you want to spend?

* Deep sea or river cruising? If you take a river trip it is not dissimilar to a coach tour, all meals provided, but the same room every night and off ship tours every day.

* Are you happy to fly to your start/finish port or would you prefer a Dover, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Tilbury, Southampton rendezvous?  Or one of the lesser UK ports?

* Do you have special dietary or medical needs?

* All cruise ships have at least one doctor on board.

* The ship choice is large.  Big or small? 50 to 5000 plus passengers

* How do you want to dine?

* Where do you want to cruise to?

* Do you want a cruise that takes in a new port every day?  Or one that has a day at sea and a day in port? Or more time at sea?  More time at the port? Or just rest on board when in port?

* Is your requirement to make it a holiday with children, or completely without?

* Are you into the budget cruise business, or do you want 6-star luxury?

* Inside or outside cabin?  A balcony can easily double the cost of the trip.

* Do you want to dress up for dinner every night?

* Specialised cruises.  Is this for you?

* The on-board activities.  Not bothered or interested? Typically are you into bridge or would like to learn.  Some ships run cooking schools and enrichment programmes.  Do you want to keep up your golf prowess?  Some have simulators, others nets.

* Some lines "suggest" you pay an 'all in' service charge, others offer courtesy drinks, and free port tours, plus even a chauffeur car service.  This of course is covered by your overall cruise cost, but it does make for a relaxed holiday.

* Paid for, or sometimes 'free', wi-fi on board cruise ships is now much improved, enabling video conversations to loved ones to be made in the middle of the ocean.

* Various ships now include TV chefs, sports personalities with inside stories, whilst Saga offers Jools Holland evenings several times a year.

www.cruising.org CLIA UK – Associated with the US trade organisation Cruise Lines International

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