uninspiring cruises choice for2019

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poole boy
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uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#1

Post by poole boy »

does anybody else find the 2019 cruises uninspiring there are very few 14 night cruises this is the maximum time wife can have of work at a time also owing to health problems I am not allowed to fly so with those two things most of the cruise program is out of reach with those that are left we have done them all in some cases several times.
so we are having to forget P&O for2019 and are looking at cmv and fred olsen.
cmv does have a nice looking cruise from Poole to the baltics using the smaller ports none of which we have visited before :thumbdown:
and as Poole port is only 1 mile from home could be a good choice
Last edited by poole boy on 19 Apr 2018, 08:10, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#2

Post by Kenmo1 »

The only cruise for 2019 which has appealed to us is the Oriana to Longyearbyen for next July but that is 18 nights so no good for you. We keep going back to the same places due to medical and insurance problems meaning we can't do far flung places without paying an extortionate amount and we can see us doing more of exploring the UK in the future.

Hope you find something you like, especially from Poole.

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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#3

Post by London Cruiser »

Yes, I do, can only take time off during school holidays and the choice is more limited than ever due to so many short ( 7 day ) cruises. Booked Arcadia for August 16 night Baltic cant help wondering if we will get into St.Petes given the political climate, but as they say money talks.

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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#4

Post by Stephen »

Same old ports. :yawn:

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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#5

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Stephen wrote: 19 Apr 2018, 09:52
Same old ports. :yawn:
I agree, but they are only the "same old ports" because we have been cruising a while and have been to them.

It is an almost impossible conundrum for any cruise line as to which ports to visit. Firstly there is the time/distance limitation for a cruise as to which ports they can actually reach, then there is the problem as to which ports the ships can actually get into and with increasingly bigger ships those options are restricted.

If the main target passenger is one who is cruising for the first time, or only cruises two or three times and then moves to some other type of holiday, then the ports do not really matter that much.

If passengers want the cruise line to sail out of the UK, as may of us do, then again their options are restricted.

The only option is for the cruise lines to have smaller ships that are able to get into the smaller ports, that would possibly entail longer cruises and at a higher cost. Unfortunately that is not the model that the large cruise lines want to pursue.

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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#6

Post by Manoverboard »

david63 wrote: 19 Apr 2018, 10:44
Stephen wrote: 19 Apr 2018, 09:52
Same old ports. :yawn:
I agree, but they are only the "same old ports" because we have been cruising a while and have been to them.

It is an almost impossible conundrum for any cruise line as to which ports to visit. Firstly there is the time/distance limitation for a cruise as to which ports they can actually reach, then there is the problem as to which ports the ships can actually get into and with increasingly bigger ships those options are restricted.

If the main target passenger is one who is cruising for the first time, or only cruises two or three times and then moves to some other type of holiday, then the ports do not really matter that much.

If passengers want the cruise line to sail out of the UK, as may of us do, then again their options are restricted.

The only option is for the cruise lines to have smaller ships that are able to get into the smaller ports, that would possibly entail longer cruises and at a higher cost. Unfortunately that is not the model that the large cruise lines want to pursue.
Correct and for that reason we will not be cruising with P&O.

Our minimum requirement for a 14 night cruise out of Southampton going to the UK & Ireland / Fjords & Hanseatic Ports / Iberia & France for example would be at least 9 Ports ... around the UK some offer 11 whereas P&O would generally offer a max of 6.
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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#7

Post by daib GC »

Stephen wrote: 19 Apr 2018, 09:52
Same old ports. :yawn:
Not quite although some always try to say that. We are on Oriana to the Med in October and we have 4 new ports on the cruise. So no it’s not same old same old.

Next year we have nine new ports and so far in 2020 another 4.

You should look at Princess for their Med Cruise they go so often they have T shirts printed with the ports on.


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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

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Post by daib GC »

poole boy wrote: 19 Apr 2018, 08:07
does anybody else find the 2019 cruises uninspiring there are very few 14 night cruises this is the maximum time wife can have of work at a time also owing to health problems I am not allowed to fly so with those two things most of the cruise program is out of reach with those that are left we have done them all in some cases several times.
so we are having to forget P&O for2019 and are looking at cmv and fred olsen.
cmv does have a nice looking cruise from Poole to the baltics using the smaller ports none of which we have visited before :thumbdown:
and as Poole port is only 1 mile from home could be a good choice
Errr. No.

See my reply above.

8-) 8-) 8-) :)

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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#9

Post by Stephen »

Never mind.

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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#10

Post by Kenmo1 »

We often just wander around the main port so for the next few cruises already booked we are going to try to do a few more excursions which we hope will help dispel that feeling of 'oh no, not that port again'. For example, we are calling into Livorno on our next cruise so we have booked the transfer to Florence. We did visit Florence on our first cruise with Thomson about 20 years ago but the guide kept us standing outside the main door of the Duomo for so long that we hardly got chance to do anything else. This time we have just paid PO for the transfer to Florence as it one and half hours from Livorno and it looks like we will get 6 hours free time in Florence. There are 4 of us and we did look at the possibility of using the train or a taxi but felt that this was the safest bet.


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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#11

Post by Whynd1 »

Kenmore

We did the transfer to Florence, it was very good. We scooted around and saw everything we needed to. They walk you in and it's quite a long way it's a good 20 mins in the heat but you meet up at a cafe to use the facilities and has had a free drink there.

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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#12

Post by daib GC »

Manoverboard wrote: 19 Apr 2018, 11:13
david63 wrote: 19 Apr 2018, 10:44
Stephen wrote: 19 Apr 2018, 09:52
Same old ports. :yawn:
I agree, but they are only the "same old ports" because we have been cruising a while and have been to them.

It is an almost impossible conundrum for any cruise line as to which ports to visit. Firstly there is the time/distance limitation for a cruise as to which ports they can actually reach, then there is the problem as to which ports the ships can actually get into and with increasingly bigger ships those options are restricted.

If the main target passenger is one who is cruising for the first time, or only cruises two or three times and then moves to some other type of holiday, then the ports do not really matter that much.

If passengers want the cruise line to sail out of the UK, as may of us do, then again their options are restricted.

The only option is for the cruise lines to have smaller ships that are able to get into the smaller ports, that would possibly entail longer cruises and at a higher cost. Unfortunately that is not the model that the large cruise lines want to pursue.
Correct and for that reason we will not be cruising with P&O.

Our minimum requirement for a 14 night cruise out of Southampton going to the UK & Ireland / Fjords & Hanseatic Ports / Iberia & France for example would be at least 9 Ports ... around the UK some offer 11 whereas P&O would generally offer a max of 6.
Which interestingly is why we go with P&O and not the others. 9 out of 14 is just too much. 6 is about right or 5 would be so much better.

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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#13

Post by Kenmo1 »

Whynd1 wrote: 19 Apr 2018, 14:34
Kenmore

We did the transfer to Florence, it was very good. We scooted around and saw everything we needed to. They walk you in and it's quite a long way it's a good 20 mins in the heat but you meet up at a cafe to use the facilities and has had a free drink there.

Lindsey
Thanks Lindsey, that's useful to know. Just got to hope husband's sciatica isn't playing up that day or he will have to stay behind on the ship while I go with our friends.

Maureen

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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#14

Post by Manoverboard »

Absolutely Dai but not so many years ago the middle sized P&O ships visited a far greater number of Ports :wave:
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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#15

Post by Whynd1 »

Maureen

It was okay walking in, but after trailing all day round Florence the walk back in the afternoon sun nearly finished me off.

The coaches have to park up and are not allowed in the centre of Florence, like a lot of places nowadays.

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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#16

Post by oldbluefox »

Pity they don't do more cruises for the Baltic without St Petersburg, The Med without Rome or fewer Venice cruises. Much as I love Venice there are so many lovely ports down the Croatian coast it seems a pity there isn't a cruise visiting more of these. There are only so many times you can visit the touristy honey pots.


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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#17

Post by colin parry »

The problem now is the fact that so many ports we used to go to are regarded as unsafe. Istanbul and other Turkish ports, The Black Sea to Crimea and Ukraine ( which was my favourite and were able to do it twice) North African ports. This has greatly reduced choice.


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poole boy
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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#18

Post by poole boy »

Dia gibb I realise you are the main cheerleader for P&O but if you honestly look at the 14 night cruises for 2019 you will see there is very little choice certainly not enough to make us book with them, so we will look as I said at cmv and fred as the smaller ships they have can get into smaller ports as an example
Poole (England) - 1700
23/04/19 At Sea - -
24/04/19 Viewing OnlyTransit the Kiel Canal - -
25/04/19 Wismar (Germany) 0800 1800 Click for more information
26/04/19 Rønne, Bornholm (Denmark) 0800 1600
27/04/19 Visby, Gotland (Sweden) 0900 1600
28/04/19 Klaipėda (Lithuania) 0800 1800
29/04/19 Gdańsk (Poland) 0600 1400
30/04/19 At Sea - -
01/05/19 Viewing OnlyTransit the Kiel Canal - -
02/05/19 At Sea - -
03/05/19 Poole (
none of these ports have we been to before we have done cruises before with cmv and fred and really enjoyed them
the only problem with the smaller ships is the lack of balconies but most other things are as good as P&O


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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#19

Post by daib GC »

Manoverboard wrote: 19 Apr 2018, 16:14
Absolutely Dai but not so many years ago the middle sized P&O ships visited a far greater number of Ports :wave:
Not in my experience first Cruise on Aurora 2001 2 week Cruise and 6 ports, 2004 Aurora Canaries exactly the same 6 ports in 2 weeks. Now that may have been 7 ports.

It the Geography which dictates the number of ports not the size of the ships.

The only port I am aware of that Oriana could get into that the big ones could not is La Gomera


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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#20

Post by daib GC »

poole boy wrote: 19 Apr 2018, 19:36
Dia gibb I realise you are the main cheerleader for P&O but if you honestly look at the 14 night cruises for 2019 you will see there is very little choice certainly not enough to make us book with them, so we will look as I said at cmv and fred as the smaller ships they have can get into smaller ports as an example
Poole (England) - 1700
23/04/19 At Sea - -
24/04/19 Viewing OnlyTransit the Kiel Canal - -
25/04/19 Wismar (Germany) 0800 1800 Click for more information
26/04/19 Rønne, Bornholm (Denmark) 0800 1600
27/04/19 Visby, Gotland (Sweden) 0900 1600
28/04/19 Klaipėda (Lithuania) 0800 1800
29/04/19 Gdańsk (Poland) 0600 1400
30/04/19 At Sea - -
01/05/19 Viewing OnlyTransit the Kiel Canal - -
02/05/19 At Sea - -
03/05/19 Poole (
none of these ports have we been to before we have done cruises before with cmv and fred and really enjoyed them
the only problem with the smaller ships is the lack of balconies but most other things are as good as P&O
Have I been elevated.?

Make the point because I am sick of the same cry each time new cruises come out. As most of the time it is just not true. True we are not restricted to 14 night cruises but considering how many cruises we have done we can still find cruises every year going to places we have not been. Why do people not complain about the Princess cruises they can repeat the same cruise exactly p to 6 times a year out of the U.K.

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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#21

Post by towny44 »

daib GC wrote: 20 Apr 2018, 01:08
Manoverboard wrote: 19 Apr 2018, 16:14
Absolutely Dai but not so many years ago the middle sized P&O ships visited a far greater number of Ports :wave:
Not in my experience first Cruise on Aurora 2001 2 week Cruise and 6 ports, 2004 Aurora Canaries exactly the same 6 ports in 2 weeks. Now that may have been 7 ports.

It the Geography which dictates the number of ports not the size of the ships.

The only port I am aware of that Oriana could get into that the big ones could not is La Gomera
You have made this point before Dai but its just not true, our 14 night Canaries & N Africa cruise on RCI last year had 8 ports, as does our 14 nt Med Beaches one we have booked for next year. And if you check back more carefully you will find that most 14 nt P&O cruises from Southampton used to have 7 ports, but over the last 2 years nearly all of these have been reduced to 6. Strangely our 13 night Canaries cruise on Azura in September has 7 ports, so clearly geography and distance travelled has little to do with the number of ports, what is the determining factor is the cruising speed which has been chopped by 10% in recent years according to a comment from an engineering officer on a recent cruise.
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poole boy
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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#22

Post by poole boy »

dia Have I been elevated.?

Make the point because I am sick of the same cry each time new cruises come out. As most of the time it is just not true. True we are not restricted to 14 night cruises but considering how many cruises we have done we can still find cruises every year going to places we have not been. Why do people not complain about the Princess cruises they can repeat the same cruise exactly p to 6 times a year out of the U.K.


How can I complain about princess cruises when I have never been with them over 80% of our cruises have with P&O but how many times can you go to Rome Barcelona Lisbon the Canaries with out getting bored with them we have been at least 4 times to all of them so one new port on a cruise is not enough to make me book :thumbdown:
Last edited by poole boy on 20 Apr 2018, 08:59, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#23

Post by barney »

It really all depends on your perspective.

My dear old Mum always considered the 'cruise' the holiday and the ports were incidental.
She was happy to be on the ship (pretty much any ship) and where it went didn't concern het too much.

Others see the ship and the vehicle to transport them to their destination and ports of call are very important.

I sit somewhere in the middle. I enjoy sea days very much and I'm releuctant to fly out to start my holiday, so leaving from the UK suits.
The sea days down to the sun are our time to unwind.
I don't think that I fancy anything too port intensive but do tend to agree with the cry of 'same old ports'
It must be very difficult for cruise companies to find the balance.
What pleases one would discourage another.

Over the years, we've been to a few new unestablished ports that clearly were not geared up for tourism.
We did a cruise on Oriana which was described a a 'Cruise of Discovery'
At a few of the places, it was apparant that they were not used to having cruise ships visit and outside the P&O tours, there was little of interest in the towns.

So, like everything else, it's horses for courses.
Holiday firms make their decisions and you have the option as to whether to book with them or not.
Empty vessels .. and all that

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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#24

Post by Manoverboard »

daib GC wrote: 20 Apr 2018, 01:08
Manoverboard wrote: 19 Apr 2018, 16:14
Absolutely Dai but not so many years ago the middle sized P&O ships visited a far greater number of Ports :wave:
Not in my experience first Cruise on Aurora 2001 2 week Cruise and 6 ports, 2004 Aurora Canaries exactly the same 6 ports in 2 weeks. Now that may have been 7 ports.

It the Geography which dictates the number of ports not the size of the ships.

The only port I am aware of that Oriana could get into that the big ones could not is La Gomera
I thought my posting related to many years ago when P&O didn't have any large ships, the middle sized ones plus their little ones a la Artemis and Adonia visited Ports that are no longer visited and there were more Ports in their itineraries than presently is the case PLUS the time spent in them has got shorter. We are Port intensive folk so look out for such things.

We have cruised on umpteen different Lines to visit the Ports that P&O do not visit and to avoid repetition as far as is possible. The upshot is that we need to cruise on small ships or riverboats ... P&O cannot offer either so it is choice rather than having a down on your beloved P&O.

:wtf:
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Re: uninspiring cruises choice for2019

#25

Post by daib GC »

Manoverboard wrote: 20 Apr 2018, 09:40
daib GC wrote: 20 Apr 2018, 01:08
Manoverboard wrote: 19 Apr 2018, 16:14
Absolutely Dai but not so many years ago the middle sized P&O ships visited a far greater number of Ports :wave:
Not in my experience first Cruise on Aurora 2001 2 week Cruise and 6 ports, 2004 Aurora Canaries exactly the same 6 ports in 2 weeks. Now that may have been 7 ports.

It the Geography which dictates the number of ports not the size of the ships.

The only port I am aware of that Oriana could get into that the big ones could not is La Gomera
I thought my posting related to many years ago when P&O didn't have any large ships, the middle sized ones plus their little ones a la Artemis and Adonia visited Ports that are no longer visited and there were more Ports in their itineraries than presently is the case PLUS the time spent in them has got shorter. We are Port intensive folk so look out for such things.

We have cruised on umpteen different Lines to visit the Ports that P&O do not visit and to avoid repetition as far as is possible. The upshot is that we need to cruise on small ships or riverboats ... P&O cannot offer either so it is choice rather than having a down on your beloved P&O.

:wtf:
I must say I did not read into your post that you were referring to before 2001. However I have not said that P&O have the ability to go to the very small ports which are up rivers etc. And if you want to visit them then clearly you have to use other lines with smaller ships. What bugs me as I have said is people claiming that there are no new ports every time a new brochure comes out. Which I have proved is untrue time after time. With regard to how long ships stay in port I have not seen any great difference between P&O and the other ships in port with us. And over the past 4/5 years I have paid particular notice to see if people’s claims were true.

Saying all of that we are not port intensive people we much prefer sea days and plenty of them which is why we now do the long Caribbean cruises of 23/28 and now 35 nights.

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