Thread: What Other Lines have you sailed with?

Another serious question

My reason for asking is that my elderly mother and I wander off together once a year for a holiday. After yet another ghastly coach holiday this year, when I spent five whole days with the Provisional Wing of Saga marooned on the shores of Loch Lomond, I have talked her into a cruise and she wants to go to Iceland. The QE2 Fire and Ice dates don't look too convenient so we are looking elsewhere; any suggestions please?

Mary

Originally Posted by TheREALSirMartin

Another serious question

My reason for asking is that my elderly mother and I wander off together once a year for a holiday. After yet another ghastly coach holiday this year, when I spent five whole days with the Provisional Wing of Saga marooned on the shores of Loch Lomond, I have talked her into a cruise and she wants to go to Iceland. The QE2 Fire and Ice dates don't look too convenient so we are looking elsewhere; any suggestions please?

Mary

Why not try P&O ex Southampton? I've done a few P&O. It is true that the standards are dropping, but that seems to be true everywhere these days. I tend to think of P&O as being similar to Cunard but slightly lower grade and they are definitely more mass market since Carnival took over.

David
ps We're off on Oriana on Monday for 2 weeks.

Originally Posted by dak

Why not try P&O ex Southampton? I've done a few P&O. It is true that the standards are dropping, but that seems to be true everywhere these days. I tend to think of P&O as being similar to Cunard but slightly lower grade and they are definitely more mass market since Carnival took over.

David
ps We're off on Oriana on Monday for 2 weeks.

Thanks David. In what way are standards dropping? We're looking for like-minded people (!), my 84 year old mother likes quizzes (which, trust me, she always wins) and the sort of slightly more cerebral stuff that Cunard is good at.
PLEASE SIT DOWN BEFORE READING THE NEXT BIT: we are not too concerned about formal dress codes. There, I've said it. Sorry.

Hope you have a brilliant time, and I'll miss your wit (suspect from your day-time posting habits that you may be a fellow EARLY retiree).

Thanks, Mary

Originally Posted by TheREALSirMartin

Thanks David. In what way are standards dropping? We're looking for like-minded people (!), my 84 year old mother likes quizzes (which, trust me, she always wins) and the sort of slightly more cerebral stuff that Cunard is good at.
PLEASE SIT DOWN BEFORE READING THE NEXT BIT: we are not too concerned about formal dress codes. There, I've said it. Sorry.

Hope you have a brilliant time, and I'll miss your wit (suspect from your day-time posting habits that you may be a fellow EARLY retiree).

Thanks, Mary

Hi Mary,
Perhaps the standards bit is my perception, but I don't think so. The food quality remains high, but full silver service seems to be disappearing in favour of plated or partially plated. The Lido buffet area tends to have degenerated into a rabble (wasn't like that on the older, smaller ships) but the same may be said about the Lido on QE2 or the Kings Court on QM2. It is mainly a general feeling that I have over the years of cruising. Formal nights are probably still more formal than any other line, save Cunard. The bigger ships and relatively lower prices also bring in a different clientele. In general, the standard of conversation and wit remains high but that is largely a function of the people with whom yiou choose to associate. It is a British experience with the usual bingo, quizes, pub, eclectic musical tastes, Classical concerts and recitals etc. Look at a Cunard ship and programmes and you will see the similarities.

I am afraid that my "early retirement" was more forced by means of redundancy and I have been doing consultancy for a while. I am hoping that somethiing may bear fruit shortly.

Have a think about P&O. If I can be of any help, please ask off boards at ddak50 at hotmail dot com.

David

I know that you had a bad experience with Saga, but perhaps their cruises are better than their coach trips. We were on Caronia not long before she went over to Saga and she's a wonderful ship. I've been tempted to try saga, but their prices are high and my TA can't book it for me.

A friend had an excellent experience with a coach trip company recently, if you think another land cruise might be in order. If I can find out the name, I'll send you a PM.

As for other cruise lines, I've only tried others for US cruises, and not been too happy. Another cruising friend likes HA. Do they have an itinerary you like?

Kathy

Originally Posted by 3rdGenCunarder

I know that you had a bad experience with Saga, but perhaps their cruises are better than their coach trips. We were on Caronia not long before she went over to Saga and she's a wonderful ship. I've been tempted to try saga, but their prices are high and my TA can't book it for me.

A friend had an excellent experience with a coach trip company recently, if you think another land cruise might be in order. If I can find out the name, I'll send you a PM.

As for other cruise lines, I've only tried others for US cruises, and not been too happy. Another cruising friend likes HA. Do they have an itinerary you like?

Kathy

Kathy, thank you. Saga is used in the UK as a joke generic term for the rather more mature person (and stands for Sex And Games for the Aged, amongst many other things), so I have nothing against them as an organisation.

I had thought about them, and the ships look interesting. Really need to do some serious research this afternoon instead of being sidetracked onto here. Don't worry about finding out about the coach company, but thanks for the offer; my mother has decided that her days of sitting too long in one place are over (thank goodness.

Thanks again

David, I replied to you earlier but it seems to have vanished. Must be losing the plot.

Thanks for the information, which is most useful. Looks as if P&O may fit the bill. I had a slight reservation as two of our table mates on QE2 travelled with them regularly, and let's just say it sounds as if they were not typical (he was a retired bank manager, and an exact replica of Captain Mannering - a source of amusement initially, but it wore a bit thin after 2 weeks). Because of him, we used the Lido for breakfast, and didn't find it anywhere near as ghastly as King's Court.

Many thanks again, and hope your job search is rapidly successful.

Regards, Mary

Mary, if you want answers from other CLFers, you might want to ask this question over on the "Ask a Cruise Question" forum, not just here on the Cunard Line forum.

I have sailed Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines but have never been on a Cunard Line ship. If I can answer any questions about those Lines, I'd be glad to help.

Garry

When you do your research, Mary, do look into Saga. I don't know what their programs and itineraries are like, but I can tell you that the ships are excellent. When they got Caronia, they kept her off line for 10 months, getting her ready for 2010. The ship is small--around 750 passengers, easy to find your way around, and she rides well. From what I could see on the website, SAGA didn't seem to do much to the appearance aside from a little redecorating here and there. (No adding on three decks of balcony cabins, etc)

At first, she was doing the same Cunard-ish itineraries she had done as Caronia, so there might be an Iceland trip on the schedule.

I do know about SAGA's age limit. I am old enough to travel on SAGA, but was very nicely complimented by a young English woman I met on QE2 a few years ago. She had liked Caronia and was telling me all about SAGA. Then she said, "But you have lots of years to go before you can sail with SAGA." BLess her heart! If I knew who she was, I'd send her frubals.

Kathy

Originally Posted by gkm

Mary, if you want answers from other CLFers, you might want to ask this question over on the "Ask a Cruise Question" forum, not just here on the Cunard Line forum.

I have sailed Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines but have never been on a Cunard Line ship. If I can answer any questions about those Lines, I'd be glad to help.

Garry

Thank you Garry. I am looking ideally for something that sails from a UK port, so the Cunard board is probably as good a place to start as any. Once I've decided on the line I shall ask questions elsewhere.

You're awfully helpful on here.

Regards, Mary