Cruising Through Life.

[rose2008-2008]

Has anybody ever worked on a Cruise Liner?. Or enjoyed a Cruise Holiday?. These are things i would like to do although maybe a bit old now for the first but im unsure? I would like to cruise to the Carribbean or even round the World. Very Glamorous. I would not get bored being on a boat as i like to sit and read and watch the world go by sometimes, then others maybe get dressed up and go for dinner or some dancing. The boats are very impressive and so LARGE NOW!!!. Getting bigger all the time or so it seems. A Cruise Holiday for singles would be a good idea, do not know if they do this?. Anyone any experiences or advice to share?.:-)

[captainbovine]

have a mate who goes on cruises, they love them.

also know a guy who was a steward on a cruiser for over 30yrs. He said he liked it but it was hard work, the tips were good too he said.

I've no idea how you go about finding jobs on liners, but if it's what you want to do, google it and go for it:-)

[dark_castle1]

rose, one thing I will say, they are not boats they are ships or as we used to call them floating hotels  :^O

[ilove2patch]

I have cruised the med. The ship wasn't one of the giant ones & more a 'grown ups' cruise than a family one. American cruise line. It was fabulous & would do it again tomorrow if I could afford it. I went with a friend, also a widow. We had a posh cabin with balcony & concierge service! 🙂

[cookiecookuk]

my ex sil goes regularly and she is a widow and she goes with a group of other like minded woman.but she goes on the small cruisers she has just done one 150 people size and they cruised the Danube Germany to Budapest i think and going through Slovakia and Hungary.

someone will now tell me my geography is wrong.

but i think she has now done about 5 cruises all since she was widowed.

[bankhaunter]

I know some enjoy it but I would agree with Boswell. 🙂

"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned."

[ilove2patch]

Being waited on by very attentive waiters, endless high quality food & seeing places I would not otherwise never have seen was nothing like jail I can assure you! lol There was also a spa, casino, theater & pool.:-)

[mr-expresso]

YES THEY ARE BIG... 

This was our Norwegian cruise ship.... We have also done Alaska....

I loved it... but I wouldn't want to do a Caribbean cruise.... the thought of sunbathing 3 inches away from the next person...... no thanks....

[ilove2patch]

By golly Mr E that's a big'un! Ours wasn't that big. This was ours.

[captainbovine]

oooo I don't like the look of that massive ship:| much prefer the smaller one. I don't like being with a load of people but I could just manage 150.

[cookiecookuk]

i thought that cb.to many people on big one and they sink.]:)

not so luxurious on the small but more able to relax.:-D

[ilove2patch]

Very luxurious on the smaller one actually.:-) The big ones are built for families with kids the smaller ones are built for luxury! I say small but it had 2000 people on board excluding crew!

[rose2008-2008]

Ohhhhhh very lovely pictures, YES i would like to cruise on a big ship and have the full experience LOL,LOL. Anyone want a cruising partner?. I think i like the whole Fantasy of it.!!!!. Just to relax and be brought cocktails and dress up in some finery and Bling 😛 jewels. Sit at the captains table. OOOhh la la!!!.:-)

[rose2008-2008]

YES THEY ARE BIG... 

This was our Norwegian cruise ship.... We have also done Alaska....

I loved it... but I wouldn't want to do a Caribbean cruise.... the thought of sunbathing 3 inches away from the next person...... no thanks....

NOW THATS A WHOPPER. LUXURY. YESSSS SIREEE .

[ilove2patch]

Those super liners look top heavy to me! 😮

[dark_castle1]

They may look top heavy but no way are they. The Board of Trade would never allow them to sea if they were and once ballast, bunkers etc are loaded along with the stabilisers being used when at sea it would surprise how far a ship like that could list before turning turtle.

[peteryola]

Being pedantic, these new ships aren't liners - they're cruise ships.  There's quite a few technical differences between the two types and the only current true liner is the Queen Mary 2 ( a handful of older true liners still operate but they are quickly being withdrawn ).  Apparently the QM2 cost 40% more to build as a liner than she would have done had she been built as a cruise ship of the same size.

Anyway, to get back on topic, in September 2002 we went on the QE2 ( currently laid up in Dubai since November 2008 ) for 6 nights and although quite a big true liner, she did not feel overcrowded or anything.  No real sensation of the motion of the sea either.

You can book cruises ( or in the case of QM2 a TransAtlantic line voyage ) for singles, but the single supplements are horrendous ( 100% is not unknown! ); none of the newer ships have the quirky shaped little singles cabins in the extremities that the true liners had and very often the marketing is aimed purely at couples.  There are a few singles deals out there, though, but it can take some considerable effort to find them.  Some people get round this by travelling with another single friend in a twin room cabin and splitting the cost.

[bankhaunter]

Being waited on by very attentive waiters, endless high quality food & seeing places I would not otherwise never have seen was nothing like jail I can assure you! lol There was also a spa, casino, theater & pool.:-)

You may have high quality food but you might have a problem eating it. 😄

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ztfou6nCKxM

I just don't like being tied down to an fixed itinerary, one of the pleasures of having a cruiser on the Thames was that we could go where we liked, when we liked.

[ilove2patch]

Ah but I was able to see Rome, Pompeii & the Acropolis.;-) We didn't have one rough day either.Flew out to Venice to we missed the bay of Biscay. I have been in far rougher waters in our boat on the south coast! lol. Each to their own. It isn't for everyone.:-D

[ginap.123]

Did a med cruise last year & have booked on to the same ship (thomson Dream) to do thier 3 week Carribean Cruise later this year. The ship isn't to big, a nice size to find your way around & also to be known & recognised by the staff. Loved it & have definately caught the Cruising bug, excellent food 24/7, top quality entertainment & plenty of space.