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The Cruise..A life at Sea..BBC2.
guernseysnail
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Anyone else watching...I'm finding the choir thing quite amusing!
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guernseysnail
Posts: 18,922 guernseysnail
Posts: 18,922 guernseysnail
Posts: 18,922
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I must say, I got the wrong end of the stick with that couple......i didn't realise that it was a woman and a man
Wonder how much the round the world trip costs!
Nor me!
The cruises we have been on have been all age groups with loads of kids onboard and young couples. Also Balmoral isn't a luxury cruise ship compared to most lines. The cabin the couple were shown in was about half or less the size of cabins on P & O or Royal Caribbean that we have sailed on.
Shame it might put people off crusing.
Bigger and more luxurious ships ( eg P&O/Royal Caribbean/ Celebrity) have nicer staterooms.
Don't let this programme put you off
On most cruise ships the beds can be configured either as two singles or a double. Balmoral however has some cabins where this isn't possible.
Please don't think all cruising is like this. Balmoral isn't typical of cruise ships. Cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean have much larger ships with lots of facilities and typically attract a younger crowd. Cabins, or 'staterooms' as cruise lines somewhat laughably call them are always small; to get a decent size cabin on a ship you need to book a suite, for which you typically need deep pockets.
The programme was OK though; sort of a cross between the 1990's The Cruise and An Island Parish.
Personally I prefer the smaller ships and although I would not class the fleet as luxury, like Cunard , we thought the whole experience was most enjoyable and there were some very luxurious looking cabins/suites up on deck 7, although we did not stay in one...
I thought to much attention was given to the Priest and the Choir, was that because there's not a lot more to do on that ship. Was that women a bit "bonkers" (need a better word" going on about her husband as if he was going to drop down dead at any moment (unless there's some thing we weren't told)
It will no doubt put a few people off but the programme isn't intended to boost cruise passenger numbers; it's an observational documentary made by BBC Religion to follow the Priest's work; it's really An Island Parish at sea, which was why so much attention was given to the Priest.
Balmoral isn't the most modern or luxurious cruise ship but I didn't see anything indicating that it needed a complete refit or scrapping.
Unless you have loads of money to afford best suites with a balcony these cruises would be anathema to me. Like being in a holiday camp on the high seas where you cannot get away from busybody people trying to organise what you do all the time.
I have been on three cruises with three different lines and this is not true in my experience. Passengers are free to do as they please with no pressure at all to attend onboard activities, other than the safety drill which is compulsory. There are sufficient people on a cruise that to avoid someone you do not like is easy.
Having said that, I consider that a round the world cruise is too long to be away. Better to do sections of the cruise year by year.
That is really not true at all, some of the ships are so huge you never see the same person twice, which I why I prefer the smaller ships and even then you don't have to be sociable if you choose not to be.
I do agree though that it would be nicer to have a balcony/suite but then you get up into mega bucks on the smaller ships and really people tend to lay around the pools or on the beds around deck on sunny days.
That programme last night did not do justice to Fred Olsen ships, as I said before if I had watched that programme before my first cruise I would never have gone...
I agree with ChrissieAO, we sunbathed, played the odd game, did our own excursions and didn't really interact much with other passengers aside the usual 'good morning' or a chat whilst on deck. Most of them only really wanted to talk to tell you how much they'd paid
I'll say.
The honeymooners were so sweet but blimey she was a fretter and a half. She was acting like hubby was at death's door at times.
My other favourite from last night was the Captain Birdseye looky-likey in the choir.
It may seem it. I got into conversation with a guest lecturer on a cruise ship a couple of years ago. For giving half a dozen one-hour lectures he got free passage and a healthy discount on on-board expenditure. The downsides? Getting the contract (for this purpose you're a temp) can be a faff, you can't choose your cabin - you get the cabin you're given, and you are treated as crew, which has its downsides, for example passengers have priority when disembarking at ports.
Still, if you're retired, don't mind too much about itineraries and aren't too bothered about cabin choice, these roles can be attractive.
Blimey she was desperate, wasn't she! :rolleyes: