Anyone do BIG SHIP cruises ?

[Retread]

Can't drink enough to make that fun......

 

[T4tomo]

They're not really my cup of tea, I've seen places like Dubrovnik and Venice when a few turn up at once and disgorge many thousands of people at once, it's not remotely good for the town and it invariably gets overrun. Aside from any argument about environmental impacts, they're also a pretty unethical tourism model which is no good for local pockets; Cruise passengers spend almost nothing ashore before they head back to the lure of the buffet and the prepaid drinks packages. Compared to people holidaying in say, Dubrovnik, staying in hotels, having local meals, using taxis, supermarkets, etc. The latter tourists make a big difference to that local economy, cruise passengers much less so. Hardly anything in comparison in fact.

I have a similar dislike of them for those very reasons, its not sustainable tourism, the wash from them damages places like Venice, the passengers spend nothing in port and the staff are paid peanuts and lord knows how the seemingly compulsory tips are paid out.....and then a mass of loud wingeing americans overrun a small tourist resort for a few hours and then head back to their all you can trough buffet and booze. It was one of the benefits of covid that it all stopped, It should have been an industry that got no financial support and let go to the wall...

 

[Baldy]

And yes - we've done a cruise. Five days to Norway to see the fjords and ride the Flam railway
Not sure I'd necessarily do another.

Done several kayak trips along that coast, took a little longer than 5days all tolled. Going at a slower pace you do get to know the place much better. Our "cabin" had a different view every night. For a bathroom you just take your clothes off and jump in the sea. Evening entertainment was watching the wildlife. And it didn't cost a fortune.

 

[TheDoctor]

Kayaking across the North Sea would be a bit too exciting for me!

 

[Baldy]

Yes me too, there used to be a ferry Newcastle to Bergan. That route has been paddled by a tandem kayak.

 

[MrGrumpy]

I have a similar dislike of them for those very reasons, its not sustainable tourism, the wash from them damages places like Venice, the passengers spend nothing in port and the staff are paid peanuts and lord knows how the seemingly compulsory tips are paid out.....and then a mass of loud wingeing americans overrun a small tourist resort for a few hours and then head back to their all you can trough buffet and booze. It was one of the benefits of covid that it all stopped, It should have been an industry that got no financial support and let go to the wall...

To be fair it’s not any different from the all inclusive on the Costa del Sol really! Anyway COVID has hit it firmly on the head for now.
Anyway I liked them, but it’s not for everyone . Will make do with my caravan and dirty big diesel SUV :-) for now.

 

[Dave7]

To be fair it’s not any different from the all inclusive on the Costa del Sol really! Anyway COVID has hit it firmly on the head for now.
Anyway I liked them, but it’s not for everyone . Will make do with my caravan and dirty big diesel SUV :-) for now.

True.
We stayed in a nice A/I hotel in Majorca.
Went for a walk and there was (what had been a nice area) of bars and restaurants.
75% boarded up. A local told me is was fine until 'our' hotel went A/I......it died overnight.

 

[dodgy]

We met some people in Mexico in 1999, we went for a walk from our AI hotel and they came along, just a walk to the nearby village. We had some US dollars and were keen to buy a beer or 2 from a 'proper' Mexican bar (reps advised it was a safe village - this isn't that far from Escobar's patch ). Anyway, couple who joined us would only drink water, they didn't want to spend any money, despite a once in a lifetime opportunity to drink beer in such a place. They were locked into the AI mentality. Bloody crazy.

Just in case our lifelong friends we met there are reading this (Dave and Jane) it wasn't you!

Edit, not Escobar, but it wasn't far from Sinaloa which is very much cartel country. Escobar was of course in Colombia.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

We met some people in Mexico in 1999, we went for a walk from our AI hotel and they came along, just a walk to the nearby village. We had some US dollars and were keen to buy a beer or 2 from a 'proper' Mexican bar (reps advised it was a safe village - this isn't that far from Escobar's patch ). Anyway, couple who joined us would only drink water, they didn't want to spend any money, despite a once in a lifetime opportunity to drink beer in such a place. They were locked into the AI mentality. Bloody crazy.

Just in case our lifelong friends we met there are reading this (Dave and Jane) it wasn't you!

That was a long walk!
Escobar was Colombian 😉

 

[dodgy]

That was a long walk!
Escobar was Colombian 😉

I edited my post just before you posted that!

 

[MrGrumpy]

We met some people in Mexico in 1999, we went for a walk from our AI hotel and they came along, just a walk to the nearby village. We had some US dollars and were keen to buy a beer or 2 from a 'proper' Mexican bar (reps advised it was a safe village - this isn't that far from Escobar's patch ). Anyway, couple who joined us would only drink water, they didn't want to spend any money, despite a once in a lifetime opportunity to drink beer in such a place. They were locked into the AI mentality. Bloody crazy.

Just in case our lifelong friends we met there are reading this (Dave and Jane) it wasn't you!

Edit, not Escobar, but it wasn't far from Sinaloa which is very much cartel country. Escobar was of course in Colombia.

I can honestly say every port we docked in , we would go ashore and at least go for a beer and or coffee. Do some shopping as well, might not have spent a fortune but we made an effort! . Even Norway which is very expensive , we managed to spend a bit. Every little counts !

 

[icowden]

We just found a good way to get a cruise taster. Went on the Disney Magic from Southampton to er Southampton

It was quite fun although Covid was making things difficult. Character meets are either "selfies" with the character about 4 metres behind you or the "princess wave" (princesses on the main stairs) or "superhero waves" superheroes pose and wave from the opposite balcony).

Disney magic is quite old now, and the main family pool is incredibly small. The shows were great though and the service was incredible as you might expect. We had fun at karaoke and doing quiz shows in the D Lounge, and some great meals courtesy of the themed restaurants. They have a nice scheme where you are prebooked and rotate doing one restaurant each night. The kids loved seeing their drawings come to life in the Animators Palette restaurant and the floor show in the Tangled restaurant.

Not sure whether I'd retain my sanity on a long cruise. There were kids clubs for teenies and 7-12s . A video games room for tweens and a "youth" hangout for 15 to 18s. So you can imprison your kid in kids club and then vanish to the adults only pool / bar / pub if you wish.

It would be interesting to go on a newer ship and go somewhere other than cornwall and back,

 

[albal]

This is in Portsmouth right now.