How horrible will it be.......?>

[lady_cruiser]

I'm hoping for some reassurance from you experts here, but I'm prepared for the worst:eek:............

My suggestion is to change your attitude first. If you are expecting the worst before you even set foot on a ship than you will be miserable before you even leave home.

Go with an open mind that you are going on your first cruise and will have many new experiences to look forward to.

[Islophile]

OK, we've booked it! :eek: We had planned to wait around in the hope of late-booking bargains, but the company's leaflet showed some categories of cabin as being already fully booked, and unlike several of their other cruises, this one didn't offer any early booking discount, which seems to suggest that it is already selling well. So we've taken the plunge - many thanks to all you cruising folk who have been so helpful. St Helena here we come. :)

[wallie5446]

OK, we've booked it! :eek: We had planned to wait around in the hope of late-booking bargains, but the company's leaflet showed some categories of cabin as being already fully booked, and unlike several of their other cruises, this one didn't offer any early booking discount, which seems to suggest that it is already selling well. So we've taken the plunge - many thanks to all you cruising folk who have been so helpful. St Helena here we come. :)

 

Now the real fun starts, researching the stops and planning what to do and where to go and what to see! Congrats!

[Islophile]

Well, we did it. And as suggested, I've come back to let those kind people who gave us advice know how it was.

 

First up, we loved it! It was truly a great experience, and landing on Saint Helena was the fulfilment of a very long-held ambition. The other destinations were great too. The only disappointment was Ascension, simply because the captain decided, although the sea was calm, that it was not safe to land.

 

As for the cruising experience itself, some (but not all) of my preliminary fears were justified:

 

I've got this horrible feeling that we will have to endure being trapped in a floating old-folks home surrounded by people playing bingo, eating vast quantities of terrible food, and having to endure dressing for dinner and (worst of all) being subjected to 'entertainment'.

 

Well, the vast majority of the passengers were in their 70s and 80s. Some were quite frail and had limited mobility. This was a real drawback when we got to Ascension - I have little doubt that the captain's decision that we may not go ashore was because of this.

 

However, there was no bingo, :) and the food was astonishingly good. :):). There was indeed a dress code in the restaurant, but it wasn't a problem. The entertainment was partially avoidable, but there was too much third-rate singing of loud and cheesy 70s pop songs (Carpenters, Abba etc) which could not always be avoided.

 

Our fellow cruisers were an interesting assortment, and we met some really nice people. They were nearly all regular cruisers - in fact, I don't think we met any 'first-timers' like ourselves. The only problem was that some of them were 'cruise bores' who only wanted to talk about cruising!

 

So overall then, it was not at all 'horrible' - on the contrary, it was a really memorable and enjoyable experience, and we're so glad we did it. Will we do another cruise? Maybe - but not yet. I think we need to let the experience sink in.

 

Many thanks again to everyone who contributed to this thread - without your encouragement we probably wouldn't have gone!

[John Bull]

Voyager is a small old ship.

She doesn't do the usual itineraries, instead she wanders the oceans of the world and you join her for two weeks, four weeks, six weeks or even six months at a time. She calls at a lot of the smaller & unusual ports as well as the more popular ports. The itineraries are great, and they go to some lengths to add to the experience with talks (not sales pitches) about the destinations, films on your cabin TV will be set in those destinations, local entertainment is invited aboard at overnite ports etc.

Main dining room food is good, there's also a buffet (I think it's still closed evenings) and a no-fee speciality restaurant. Usually one formal night each week - unless things have changed there's no alternative that night, you go or you starve.

Often a deck barbie lunch.

 

Entertainment is very low-key, and no coercion. In fact, I'd not sail her on a cruise with lots of sea-days because I'd get bored - you need to love reading or sunbathing or chatting.

No casino.

 

Clientele is mainly Brits plus a sprinkling of Americans, Canadians, Aussies etc.

Usually no kids, definitely mainly an old generation but nothing like an old-people's home. A very fit & active bunch, plenty of walking sticks but not zimmers, wheelchairs & such.

 

Cabins are poor, unless you get a higher grade, and other facilities are limited. And the ship shows her age.

 

Like all small ships, she's very friendly - a village rather than a city.

The crew (all from one village in the Philippines) are exceptional - best crew on the oceans.

 

No, there's no other way to sensibly visit those places, except perhaps on the Paul Gaugan - a newish ship of fairly similar size, but much more expensive.

 

Not the sort of ship or cruise many on Cruise Critic have experienced, very different to both the mega-ships and the luxury small ships.

 

Edit: Hmmmmm, my brain in neutral, didn't read the thread through. Instead of deleting I'll leave it for you to say whether it was accurate or not.

JB :)

Edited February 21, 2015 by John Bull

[vulcan1971]

Where did it come from? Hard to know where to start, but I guess Cruise Critic is as good a place as any: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=221154

 

In my experience of reading cruise reviews that are negative (in part or full), I have found that most people have a generally good or decent experience, but something that occurred along the way that was negative has overshadowed the rest of their trip and it takes a toll on how they view everything else. I also find that people with more negative experiences tend to post more reviews than someone that had a wonderful or positive experience. It's unfortunate that more people with positive reviews don't post more, but I suspect they have myriad of reasons for why this doesn't happen.

[Cuizer2]

I'm hoping for some reassurance from you experts here, but I'm prepared for the worst:eek:

 

I've never been on a cruise, and have never had the slightest desire to. The nearest we've got to cruising was a couple of week-long trips on small boats (max 12 passengers) in the Hebrides, visiting remote and uninhabited islands and watching wildlife. It was brilliant, but the idea of going on one of those monstrous cruise liners really turns me off!

 

Now as my username suggests, I just love islands, and on my list of islands to visit before I die are the remote Atlantic outposts of Ascension, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha. Now these are not easy (or cheap) places to get to, but we've found a cruise in early 2015 which goes from Cape Town to the Canaries calling at Namibia, St Helena, Ascension and the Cape Verde Islands. It's on a ship called MV Voyager, which belongs to a company called Voyages of Discovery.

 

Now on the one hand we really do want to get to these destinations, and there are not many other options for getting there - certainly not affordable ones. On the other hand, I've got this horrible feeling that we will have to endure being trapped in a floating old-folks home surrounded by people playing bingo, eating vast quantities of terrible food, and having to endure dressing for dinner and (worst of all) being subjected to 'entertainment'. I've read some reviews of this ship, and they are mixed, to say the least. Any comments - should we go for it, or not touch it with a bargepole? All advice gratefully received. Thanks

Oops - this thread is two years old. The OP has come and gone. So ignore my prior comment.

Edited February 21, 2015 by Cuizer2

[john watson]

I'm hoping for some reassurance from you experts here, but I'm prepared for the worst:eek:

 

 

 

Now as my username suggests, I just love islands, and on my list of islands to visit before I die are the remote Atlantic outposts of Ascension, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha. Now these are not easy (or cheap) places to get to, but we've found a cruise in early 2015 which goes from Cape Town to the Canaries calling at Namibia, St Helena, Ascension and the Cape Verde Islands. It's on a ship called MV Voyager, which belongs to a company called Voyages of Discovery.

 

 

If you think going on a monster sized ship full of people. Have you though of cruising on a freighter? There are a few commercial shipping companies that are licensed for up to (12?) passengers and do not need all the safety stuff cruise lines need because of the huge numbers involved.

 

Andrew Weir Shipping is one such company and if you google cruising on a freighter or similar a load more will come up. These people are shifting containers and getting ship back out to sea asap,so that is the set up.

 

If you liked around the Hebrides and voyaging round the UK. You may also cruise with a Trinity House vessel. These guys service lighthouses all year round as well as looking after buoys and their maintenance. This type of cruise is not cheap but it's an Officers Mess type of cruise with top notch food.

 

Regards John

[sparks1093]

Well, we did it. And as suggested, I've come back to let those kind people who gave us advice know how it was.

 

First up, we loved it! It was truly a great experience, and landing on Saint Helena was the fulfilment of a very long-held ambition. The other destinations were great too. The only disappointment was Ascension, simply because the captain decided, although the sea was calm, that it was not safe to land.

 

As for the cruising experience itself, some (but not all) of my preliminary fears were justified:

 

 

 

Well, the vast majority of the passengers were in their 70s and 80s. Some were quite frail and had limited mobility. This was a real drawback when we got to Ascension - I have little doubt that the captain's decision that we may not go ashore was because of this.

 

However, there was no bingo, :) and the food was astonishingly good. :):). There was indeed a dress code in the restaurant, but it wasn't a problem. The entertainment was partially avoidable, but there was too much third-rate singing of loud and cheesy 70s pop songs (Carpenters, Abba etc) which could not always be avoided.

 

Our fellow cruisers were an interesting assortment, and we met some really nice people. They were nearly all regular cruisers - in fact, I don't think we met any 'first-timers' like ourselves. The only problem was that some of them were 'cruise bores' who only wanted to talk about cruising!

 

So overall then, it was not at all 'horrible' - on the contrary, it was a really memorable and enjoyable experience, and we're so glad we did it. Will we do another cruise? Maybe - but not yet. I think we need to let the experience sink in.

 

Many thanks again to everyone who contributed to this thread - without your encouragement we probably wouldn't have gone!

 

Thanks for the update! Trying new things can be fun, although I know what it is like to go too far outside of one's comfort zone.

Edited February 21, 2015 by sparks1093

[aquilegia]

Oops - this thread is two years old. The OP has come and gone. So ignore my prior comment.

 

Well, if you scroll a few posts up from yours you'll find he came back today to update us on how it went.

[Folk Singer]

Have fun and enjoy.

[Cuizer2]

Well, if you scroll a few posts up from yours you'll find he came back today to update us on how it went.

 

If you read my post, I said the OP had already come and gone.

Edited February 22, 2015 by Cuizer2

[Floridiana]

The Xpedition is a tiny ship from a big name cruise line in an area which most people with normal budgets can only dream of. No other big name line cruises in that area, yet,

Silversea has a ship there, about the same size as the Xpedition. ~ 100 passengers each.

[Floridiana]

 

Many thanks again to everyone who contributed to this thread - without your encouragement we probably wouldn't have gone!

 

I think you are now ready for the Aranui, a freighter/passengers ship that plies the waters of French Polynesia. It goes from Tahiti to the remote Marquesas Islands.

[aquilegia]

If you read my post, I said the OP had already come and gone.

 

 

Misunderstanding on my part. I thought you meant he'd come and gone from the thread.

[LA_CA_GAL]

Since you posted your on board expectations entirely in negatives, I would say no. Cruising is not for you.

 

Ditto.

 

Fuhggeddabowdit.

[Islophile]

I think you are now ready for the Aranui, a freighter/passengers ship that plies the waters of French Polynesia. It goes from Tahiti to the remote Marquesas Islands.

 

Many thanks for the 'heads up' about the Aranui, Floridiana - it looks wonderful!:)

[sbbquilter]

Thanks so much for returning to share your trip. Life won't let us make that kind of adventure just now I think that hearing about your experience makes me want to add this to the "list".

[P&O SUE]

Thanks so much for coming back and giving your review - it's always nice when someone does that. Glad most of your fears were unfounded :)