I think I am in love with a Queen!

Now don't get the wrong idea, I have just got back off an 11 night Queen Mary 2 cruise to The Land of The Midnight Sun, and I think I am hooked on the ship!

Having never been on a Cunard ship before it was with some trepidation that my wife and I travelled to Southampton on Monday 14th June to joining the QM2 sailing to The Land of the Midnight Sun.

The first sight of the ship in her berth was impressive, with the sleek lines and distinctive hull colours and after embarkation the interior decor and furnishings did not disappoint. The cabin was larger than expected, with a clear view from a window not a porthole, and the cabin steward, John, was efficient yet not intrusive.

The reason for going was both for the sights and also to experience the level of service that comes with the Cunard name. I have to be honest and say neither disappointed me. I have written a review on cruise.co.uk; and you can follow the link to read my comments and if you head to my facebook page then you will find some photos of the cruise, more to follow.

Drinks costs, which cruise line is the cheapest?

                                            Pound Sterling - US Dollar exchange rate

So, having just spoken to a returning passengers from a Royal Caribbean cruise who was talking of the high cost of drinks, I thought I'd pass on some thoughts about the relative costs of drinks on various cruise lines.

In the last 12 months the exchange rate as fallen from about 1.65 in July 2009 to a rate now nearer 1.45, this is a 12% fall and therefore a hidden price rise on those cruise lines which charge in dollars; this is even worse if you look at the rate 2 years ago of 1.97 a fall of 26%.

Don't forget that there is a similar effect with those lines who charge in Euro. If you compare to the last 12 months the Euro is now cheaper against sterling, but if yiou compare to rates of 3 years ago there has still been a fall of 20%.

These exchange rate changes are pushing up the relative costs of drinks and other purchases on those cruise lines which charge in dollars, Royal, Celebrity, Princess and Cunard, being the main ones even before any inflation price rises.

The cheapest bottle of white wine on Independence of the Seas was recently at $31 for a Chardonnay - a whooping £21.50. Now I was on Ventura in March and a nice Red was about £15, and a palletable house wine was about £8. A bottle of Budweiser $4.95, £3.40 against a pint of beer various on Ventura at nearer £2.50.

Now I am not advocating choising your cruise based on the relative costs of drinks, but the higher costs of those which charge in dollars does have to be considered.

Now there are a number of forums discussing drinks prices, why not have a look here and read what many other people are saying?

Shore excursions, too buy or not too buy?

So you have booked your cruise, now you have to decide what to do when you are on port, whether it’s snorkelling through coral reefs, exploring ancient Roman ruins, hiking on glaciers, shopping at local outdoor markets or whiling away the day with a coffee or rum punch!-

These trips and activities are as much a part of the cruise experience as enjoying the onboard facilities of the ship, indeed, for me half of the fun of taking a cruise is exploring exciting new places.

All the cruise lines offer a variety of port based trips, be it snorkelling in St Lucia, visiting penguin colonies in the Falklands or glacier hiking in Norway. These can be booked either before you go or whilst on ship, but don’t forget some of the trips do become very popular and sell out.








But is the organised tour the best option?

Well the benefits of booking a ships tour; you can skip the hassle of arranging your own onshore activities; you'll know the tour provider is licensed and reputable, and the ship won't depart until all of its tour buses have returned.

If you are going to Russia, St Petersburg being the one that comes to mind, there is a need for a visa which means in reality you have to do an organised ships tour based on costs and difficulty in arranging a Visa. Always check the need for Visa’s prior to travelling to make sure you do have the right documentation.

Other than the above, or if it a special trip which you can’t get anywhere else then you have to think about the costs and the hassle that you may have to go through on being taken to shops etc that in reality you don’t want to go to.

In most ports you can do your own thing; find a taxi driver to take you to that secluded beach or to the historic building, walk into the port to see the town or shops (if that floats your boat), or get a local train to the main town (Civitavecchia to Rome) to name just a few. Doing this you can organise your own day and not have to follow the masses, but beware don’t miss the boat – the costs to catch up in a different port and even a different country maybe very high!

So what do I do?

To be honest a bit of both, I look at the itinerary and the cruise lines tours list, work out which of their trips would interest me, and then see what’s easy to do myself and then work out those trips I have to do with the cruise line.

But always watch the costs, the cruise lines are not charities and do charge what some may think is a high price for the trips that they put on.

Flexicruise, who is flexible P and O or the passenger?

So we are always looking for flexibility for our holidays and you may like me have taken the opportunity of allocation on arrival, having the accommodation arranged on arrival. I really had a great deal in Cyprus a couple of years ago with this, but was glad it was May not July as we made our way to Ayia Napa!
The cruise lines do this to an extent with cabins on a guarantee, you know when you are going but not what accommodation; I have just advised a customer that his A7 guarantee on Queen Victoria has turned into an A2, not all that bad. But P and O have now taken this a step further with the launch of Flexicruise.

So how does it work?

• Choose from two groups of cruises – before or after Christmas, departures from 5th November 2010 to 4th December 2010 and 7th January 2011 to 5th March 2011.

• Your cruise will be one of the two itineraries on either Azura or Ventura, which are doing 14 night Caribbean Cruise sailings during that period.

• There is one guaranteed price per stateroom type, Inside, Outside, Balcony or Superior Deluxe and you can choose the type of cabin but not the cabin number.

• Flights will be from London Gatwick or Manchester only.

With Flexicruise you will be allocated any of the sailings within the group you’ve chosen, either by 27th August 2010 for the pre-Christmas sailings or 29th October 2010 for the post Christmas sailings.

So what's the catch? Well having looked at the prices they are very competitive when you compare them to the prices of the individual cruises, and P and O have advised that clients will never receive an obstructed or part obstructed cabin.

BUT, I am still trying to get my head round not knowing when you are going! If like me you have to book your holidays in advance then this is not going to work, but if you can go when you want or have flexibility to arrange holidays at the last minute then it may work for you.

Not sure who is being the most flexible here, the cruise line or passenger?

To go through the small print and get the prices, just give me a call direct on 0800 408 6105.