Topic: The destination is the destination.

I'm a destinations person.

I've travelled all over england on bikes (with a tiny tent), in a Land Rover (with a huge tent) and even our coupe does her bit with our new gear and the kids, but every where we go I like it to be interesting ~ you wouldn't dream of sticking a tent up on the central reservation of a roundabout in Birmingham would you?

With Cruises I like the food to be good, the bed to be comfortable and the other passengers to be friendly. As long as it isn't a rusting tub (Island Escape?) and it has the right elements I don't care as long as it's going somewhere that I want to see!

With out cruising I would not have seen Petra, The Acropolis, The Pyramids, Herculaneum or the Pitons except in books, or not as many of these great sights as I have, because with a land based holiday you'd probably only see one (Unlesss you opted to do a driving tour)

I,m with all the explorers out there ,we book cruises to see the world ,yes we like PO but the itinerary has to be right. A fortnights cruising takes you to so many ports you wouldn't be able to achieve on land. As for less than exciting ships as mentioned by Aplmac,Dave likes Fred Olsen, Aplmac apparently likes a state of the art ship, one man's meat is another one's poison. Yes we did all the camping caravan's and tents, also the bikes Norton Dominator, triumph Bonnevilles and Matchless in my time, everything has it's time my OH has sold his last bike just recently , and I think he still regrets it.

Great set of replies and I don't want to be late with my homework so here's my tuppence;

When I started cruising it was said to me that there are two types of cruisers; those that go for the ship and those that go for the destination. The responses so far on this thread seem to be exactly a blend of these and I completely understand where SophieSnores and Aplmac are coming from.......

For me it's mainly ship with a bit of destination. As I have commented elsewhere is the pure escapism and relaxation part for me. My working day is spent connected to the internet and talking to the USA, and that can involve some interesting hours. So come holiday / vacation time I don't want to be herded into a capsule and jettisoned to a beach to sit on then come back. I love the unwind, waving farewell to home and the responsibilities and absorbing into the journey.

I wrote about this in a review last July http://www.cruise.co.uk/cruise-revie..._review_15662/

It's great to get such a diverse set of people and experiences on these forums and to read and learn about each different experience.

It's an exciting time with so many new ships and new cruisers joining these forums. I loved the comment last night about "Just found these forums and they're great. Won't need the TV for a while"

Whilst I said that the destination is what we are after, it's the No.1 consideration. I then do my homework and find the best ship for the itinerary as I'm not averse to a bit of pampering and luxury.
There are a couple of itineraries that we both fancy but unfortunately we don't fancy the ships that are covering them.

We're exactly the opposite of Grant - for us it is the destination that is of main importance with the ship secondary.

The ideal cruise for us would be no sea days and all totally new ports to us. However having done quite a few cruises now, repeats are inevitable (although managed to find 3 cruises with no repeats this year!). Even so, we are off the ship as soon as allowed and maximise the time in port. After a days exertion we don't like to have a long formal dinner each time but would sooner dine at our own pace and put our feet up either on the balcony or watching a film. Informal cruises such as Ocean Village therefore suited us best but we do do formal as well. Often we will eat a main meal and pop back for dessert later when we've re-charged the batteries! Trying anytime dining on a couple of cruises this year, which may be a compromise for us.

As we spend little time on it, the ship is therefore of lesser importance to us but we do like a comfortable cabin with lots of space and a big balcony for chilling out.

The journey is just as important as the destination. I'm a slow boat to china than supersonic. The journey should be all about anticipation, helping to build up the excitement of getting to your journeys end. You are relaxed and not spent hours in an airport lounge slowly building up steam ready to explode. Having a ship to transport you with the ultimate pampering you longed all the year for has got to be a factor, by choosing the correct mode of transport whether the ship is small or large.
Everyone is different which is good. If everyone was the same how boring that would be and no need then for forums.
Long live cruising and long may she reign,
EDNA
We want a badge please.

Relaxing and chilling are alien concepts to us. Holidays just means the same frantic activity but in a different environment!

A mixture of destinations and the ship. Our first cruise was on the QE2 to New York, we both wanted to go there without flying and it was to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary & retake our vows on board. So, as it was a special occasion, we chose what we thought was the best we could afford & a ship that could cope with
the North Atlantic in December!.

Since then we have tried other lines/ships for their destinations, but also tried to ensure good food and comfortable surroundings in which to 'chill' between ports.

We have also tried Motor home holidays which we enjoyed and hiring small cabin cruisers on the rivers of France. But, for us nothing beats cruising and the choices it provides.!

Lizzie.

QUOTE:

We're exactly the opposite of Grant - for us it is the destination that is of main importance with the ship secondary.

The ideal cruise for us would be no sea days and all totally new ports to us. However having done quite a few cruises now, repeats are inevitable (although managed to find 3 cruises with no repeats this year!). Even so, we are off the ship as soon as allowed and maximise the time in port. After a days exertion we don't like to have a long formal dinner each time but would sooner dine at our own pace and put our feet up either on the balcony or watching a film. Informal cruises such as Ocean Village therefore suited us best but we do do formal as well. Often we will eat a main meal and pop back for dessert later when we've re-charged the batteries! Trying anytime dining on a couple of cruises this year, which may be a compromise for us.

As we spend little time on it, the ship is therefore of lesser importance to us but we do like a comfortable cabin with lots of space and a big balcony for chilling out.

I certainly see your point about chilling out after a long day ashore.
Whilst on our last cruise with OV, my OH and I were discussing what we would do at home after a long day out and agreed that we would probably 'slob out' with a glass of wine and a leisurely meal. We were feeling 'guilty' as we didn't feel inclined to join in any of the entertainment on board. End result? We took a pack of cards to a bar and played Crib.

QUOTE:

I certainly see your point about chilling out after a long day ashore.
Whilst on our last cruise with OV, my OH and I were discussing what we would do at home after a long day out and agreed that we would probably 'slob out' with a glass of wine and a leisurely meal. We were feeling 'guilty' as we didn't feel inclined to join in any of the entertainment on board. End result? We took a pack of cards to a bar and played Crib.

Now that sounds ideal to me. We love playing games like that with friends on a weekend as an antidote to normal life.