We love the concept of cruising holidays. It’s the fact that you can chill out between destinations, without a need to pack and unpack as on a road trip, and no waiting around for internal flights. Simply enjoy your time aboard until your next port of call.
Finding the right cruise line for you is key, there’s lots to consider, it’s not just a case of finding your itinerary and date.
The clientele onboard is important, and this can change even with the same company depending on the destination. Ex-UK cruises tend to be predominantly British, although you will have international passengers flying in to depart too. Caribbean cruises can be quite American focussed. Whilst Mediterranean cruises attract a wide range of international passengers.
Size matters! Cruise ships range vastly in sizes, they can be divided into the following classes:
- Small under 800 passengers
- Small to Mid under 1,500 passengers
- Mid under 2,500 passengers
- Large under 3,500 passengers
- Mega over 3,500 passengers
Royal Caribbean currently have the largest cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas can carry up to 6,680 guests and 2,200 crew! Larger ships can’t get into the smaller ports, so it may mean a tender service at the destination. However they also have lots of facilities like go karting, waterslides, wave machines etc. Princess cruises have ships in all 5 classes, their smallest being the Pacific Princess 680 passengers, & largest is the Royal Princess at 3,600 passengers. Virgin Voyages ships are large, however they also have a high passenger 2,770 to crew ratio 1,160.
If you’re new to cruising, let us help you navigate which cruise would best suit your preferences. We’d love to help experienced cruisers too, so please do ask us for a price check before booking your next cruise.
Personally we’ve cruised with Princess, NCL, Hurtigruten and CMV. Plus, we have 2 Virgin Voyages cruises booked for 2022.
Freephone 0800 810 8404 or send a cruise enquiry.
