HOW DO I CHOOSE A CRUISE?

IF YOU’VE NEVER BEEN ON A CRUISE BEFORE, WE’VE ANSWERED THE MOST COMMON BEGINNERS’ QUESTIONS FOR YOU…

WHICH CRUISE SHIP?

THERE ARE AROUND 350 CRUISE SHIPS TO

CHOOSE FROM – FROM SUPER YACHTS CARRYING 60 PEOPLE TO MEGA SHIPS THAT CAN ACCOMMODATE 6,000 PASSENGERS – AND EVERYTHING IN-BETWEEN. SMALL SHIPS HAVE

THE BENEFIT OF GETTING INTO MORE PORTS AS THEY DON’T HAVE A SIZE RESTRICTION BUT GENERALLY ITINERARIES ARE SIMILAR BECAUSE OF THE DEMAND FOR VISITING SUCH PLACES AS BARCELONA, ATHENS, FLORENCE AND ROME.

SOMETIMES A SHIP WILL ANCHOR JUST OFF

FROM THE MAINLAND AND GUESTS GO IN BY TENDER (A SMALL VESSEL) OR LIFEBOAT, SUCH IS THE CASE IN ST PETER PORT, GUERNSEY AND THE LOVELY FRENCH ISLAND BELLE-IL-EN-MER, OFF THE COAST OF BRITTANY.

THE BEST WEBSITES FOR UNBIASED REVIEWS WHEN CHOOSING A SHIP ARE CRUISECRITIC.CO.UK AND WORLDOFCRUISING.CO.UK, WHICH ARE WRITTEN BY CRUISE EXPERTS. CRUISE AGENTS CAN

ALSO GIVE INFORMED ADVICE AND INCLUDE IGLUCRUISE.COM, PLANETCRUISE.CO.UK AND CRUISE118.COM. FOR IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE ON LUXURY CRUISES, NOBODY HAS BEEN IN THE BUSINESS LONGER THAN MUNDY CRUISING AT MUNDYCRUISING.CO.UK. CONSIDER WHETHER YOU’D PREFER SAILING WITH A MAJORITY OF BRITISH PASSENGERS OR ENJOY THE COMPANY OF A MORE INTERNATIONAL CROWD. CHOOSE A CLASSIC SAILING WITH P&O, SWAN HELLENIC OR FRED. OLSEN AND IT’S LIKELY THERE WILL BE MAINLY BRITS WITH A SPRINKLING OF US, CANADIAN AND AUSTRALIAN GUESTS. ON CARIBBEAN AND HAWAIIAN CRUISES SAILING OUT FROM THE US, IT’S LIKELY THERE WILL BE MORE AMERICANS, BUT IT ALSO DEPENDS WHERE YOU SAIL FROM; JOIN NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE OR MSC CRUISE SHIPS IN BARCELONA AND THERE WILL BE A MORE INTERNATIONAL MIX.