I am going on my first ever cruise this summer and it's to the Norwegian fjoirds. However, after seeing the programme last night I am a bit worried about if I will enjoy it. I am not a party type of person but am friendly. I will just have to see how it goes.
I wouldn't worry, I doubt if it will be a giant ship like that, only smaller ships can navigate the Ffiords, they are much better with better personal service.
The thing about cruises is they aren't all the same. Some may be like a floating holiday camp while others are the stuffy, dress for dinner style. And all varieties in between. Careful research is necessary to make sure you find a cruise that suits your taste.
Friends of mine swore they would never go on a cruise but when they eventually did (children wanted to go) they loved it. No one is forced to sit and play bingo or watch the shows. You can go to the quieter bars for a drink and if you have a balcony, you can read a book and watch the sea (and its wildlife) and when you are in port you can choose to do your own thing. Going transatlantic and being in the middle of the Atlantic, approaching a fjord by ship, or seeing the glaciers in Alaska or Spitzbergen are super experiences.
I wouldn't worry, I doubt if it will be a giant ship like that, only smaller ships can navigate the Ffiords, they are much better with better personal service.
Really...what abut Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas, very similar size to Royal Princess, operating itineraries to Norway & Iceland.
Let alone Queen Mary II operated by Cunard which is a bigger ship.
Bad as this program was, I was even more shocked to learn there were two episodes of Coronation Street on the same night! What is happening at ITV?
The same as usual - it regards its audience with contempt and caters to them accordingly. Not that it bothers the Daily Mail or the Murdoch press, which are too busy trying to destroy public service broadcasting.
Having cruised a lot I watched it on ITV player I was very disappointed, the programme is less than 22 minutes long, and barely scratches the surface of anything before moving on. It's " person " focused not cruise focused and just looks at one or two people ( not personalities) and gives little information re the cruise ship.
So really it could be set on land as it missed so much.
I went on a Med cruise back in 2000 and my wife and I were in our early 30's at the time, in fact she was late 20's
We were by far the youngest on the ship and a week was certainly enough.
What I couldn't get over is what the hell turns people into greedy gannets during a cruise. You get a huge choice at breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and supper and at each meal people would almost fight to be first in the queue like they hadn't eaten for a fortnight.
I have been on a Princess cruise. They are excellent.
Top tip. Don't use the laundry facility. Just like a hotels laundry, it's going to cost you.
Princess ships have launderettes on board. There'll be one on your deck.
Take your clothes down, wash them in the machine, then dry them in the dryer. Theres an iron and board supplied in the launderette too. All of this, and the soap powder, will cost you just over 5 bucks and you're in total control
Putting your laundry in the bag, for someone else to do, can take a day (or longer looking at that backlog) and will cost you 20-25 bucks.
That Mandy was awful (oops I sound like dick emery) but what a chaf "we know where to stand to nab the free drinks" and having a food fight with the captain!!!
She clearly thinks she is 'above' everyone else and that her sh1t doesn't stink.
Her husband is a henpecked doormat.
On our Princess cruise, we did not come across anyone like that.
This programme was just another example at how bad ITV are at making documentaries. They had an opportunity to make something interesting, but instead relied on old reality TV cliches such as faux drama (the laundry).
I knew as soon as it started it was not going to be a serious show. In fact it was borderline spoof.
Princess Cruises must be crying in their beer on this one. Major own goal letting ITV onoard.
I have been on a Princess cruise. They are excellent.
Top tip. Don't use the laundry facility. Just like a hotels laundry, it's going to cost you.
Princess ships have launderettes on board. There'll be one on your deck.
Take your clothes down, wash them in the machine, then dry them in the dryer. Theres an iron and board supplied in the launderette too. All of this, and the soap powder, will cost you just over 5 bucks and you're in total control
Putting your laundry in the bag, for someone else to do, can take a day (or longer looking at that backlog) and will cost you 20-25 bucks.
I have only just caught up with the programme.
Personally, I think it could be longer to cover more interesting things.
I would like to see a lot more of the crew and the different roles they play on making the ship run smoothly.
Can't help feeling that some of the people on the cruise are selected just for
The purpose of the documentary. Take the blonde vet and her hubby (is it Mandy) gosh, she is so in your face and I despise it when it's concentrating on someone like her all the time.
If it continues like this , I'm not sure I could put up with it.
I'm a great fan of documentaries, love them so long as we see the bigger picture so to speak.
She clearly thinks she is 'above' everyone else and that her sh1t doesn't stink.
Her husband is a henpecked doormat.
On our Princess cruise, we did not come across anyone like that.
Didn't she just. Bloody nightmare to be around I bet.
Not the most informative programme (I have found out more about cruise ships from posts on this thread than from the show itself)
I preferred that show the BBC did a while ago .... The Cruise .. A life at Sea ... where we followed an around-the-world cruise. The ship was a lot smaller too.
Although it centred around the Vicar, at least it wasn't like Carry on Cruising that ITV did with this show.
Sadly, if you enjoyed this, then cruising isn't for you...it really is nothing like the programme is making it out to be.
Thank goodness for that. I am going on my first ever cruise this summer and the programme put me off it. However, if it is nothing like the programme showed then I should enjoy it.
Thank goodness for that. I am going on my first ever cruise this summer and the programme put me off it. However, if it is nothing like the programme showed then I should enjoy it.
As I said, on my Princess Cruise, I never came across anyone like that.
She boasted about having food fights, I never saw any childish behaviour like that.
Thank goodness for that. I am going on my first ever cruise this summer and the programme put me off it. However, if it is nothing like the programme showed then I should enjoy it.
You should enjoy it, and no, nothing like the programme, hopefully you are not going with MSC.
The only thing I don't like with cruising is the fact at night you cannot get of them, oh and the fact the vast majority of cruises, the food is well overrated, not as great as people make it out to be, not to say the food isn't enjoyable, but nothing really wow factor about it either, the wow factor is the ships themselves.
...the fact the vast majority of cruises, the food is well overrated, not as great as people make it out to be, not to say the food isn't enjoyable, but nothing really wow factor about it either, the wow factor is the ships themselves.
Agree about the food. In main dining rooms they're cooking for hundreds of people; in my experience the food in main dining rooms is just a bit better than decent wedding banquet standard.
Things are slightly better in the specialty restaurants; at least the food is cooked to order for you. However, much of it still comes onto the ship frozen.
No-one will starve on a cruise but fine dining it isn't...
If I'd never been on a cruise then this programme would have put me off for life.
Afew of the ships we've been on were a similar size (Adventure of the Seas and Ventura) and they were fine. The programme did Princess cruises more harm than good, I would say.
Agree about the food. In main dining rooms they're cooking for hundreds of people; in my experience the food in main dining rooms is just a bit better than decent wedding banquet standard.
Things are slightly better in the specialty restaurants; at least the food is cooked to order for you. However, much of it still comes onto the ship frozen.
No-one will starve on a cruise but fine dining it isn't...
Well, I enjoyed dining on board and found the food to be excellent. True you wont starve, with breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, then if you are still hungry after a 4 or 5 course dinner there is a midnight feast including burgers and hot dogs.:)
I have only been with Royal Caribbean so nothing else to compare it to but I enjoy the food in the main dining room. It's not fine dining but most of it is nice and it must have made a good impression as we have another two booked.
Just got round to watching The Cruise Ship and I don't think I'd be rushing to book with Princess.
I have been on a few cruises but would never go on one of these monster ships. The smaller ships with fewer passengers are much better and friendlier and you get more personal attention.
I agree entirely. As a veteran cruiser (34 in total, with another 3 booked) I've seen cruising change drastically over the last 25 years or so, and not for the better.
Like you, I prefer a ship to look like a ship, and not a floating block of flats.
Comments
I wouldn't worry, I doubt if it will be a giant ship like that, only smaller ships can navigate the Ffiords, they are much better with better personal service.
The thing about cruises is they aren't all the same. Some may be like a floating holiday camp while others are the stuffy, dress for dinner style. And all varieties in between. Careful research is necessary to make sure you find a cruise that suits your taste.
Really...what abut Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas, very similar size to Royal Princess, operating itineraries to Norway & Iceland.
Let alone Queen Mary II operated by Cunard which is a bigger ship.
The same as usual - it regards its audience with contempt and caters to them accordingly. Not that it bothers the Daily Mail or the Murdoch press, which are too busy trying to destroy public service broadcasting.
So really it could be set on land as it missed so much.
We were by far the youngest on the ship and a week was certainly enough.
What I couldn't get over is what the hell turns people into greedy gannets during a cruise. You get a huge choice at breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and supper and at each meal people would almost fight to be first in the queue like they hadn't eaten for a fortnight.
Top tip. Don't use the laundry facility. Just like a hotels laundry, it's going to cost you.
Princess ships have launderettes on board. There'll be one on your deck.
Take your clothes down, wash them in the machine, then dry them in the dryer. Theres an iron and board supplied in the launderette too. All of this, and the soap powder, will cost you just over 5 bucks and you're in total control
Putting your laundry in the bag, for someone else to do, can take a day (or longer looking at that backlog) and will cost you 20-25 bucks.
She clearly thinks she is 'above' everyone else and that her sh1t doesn't stink.
Her husband is a henpecked doormat.
On our Princess cruise, we did not come across anyone like that.
Might have been useful if someone had mentioned the channel, time and date this was shown.
I knew as soon as it started it was not going to be a serious show. In fact it was borderline spoof.
Princess Cruises must be crying in their beer on this one. Major own goal letting ITV onoard.
Who does laundry on holiday?
We were there for nearly 3 weeks. Who takes 3 weeks of clothes with them?
Personally, I think it could be longer to cover more interesting things.
I would like to see a lot more of the crew and the different roles they play on making the ship run smoothly.
Can't help feeling that some of the people on the cruise are selected just for
The purpose of the documentary. Take the blonde vet and her hubby (is it Mandy) gosh, she is so in your face and I despise it when it's concentrating on someone like her all the time.
If it continues like this , I'm not sure I could put up with it.
I'm a great fan of documentaries, love them so long as we see the bigger picture so to speak.
Didn't she just. Bloody nightmare to be around I bet.
Not the most informative programme (I have found out more about cruise ships from posts on this thread than from the show itself)
I preferred that show the BBC did a while ago .... The Cruise .. A life at Sea ... where we followed an around-the-world cruise. The ship was a lot smaller too.
Although it centred around the Vicar, at least it wasn't like Carry on Cruising that ITV did with this show.
Sadly, if you enjoyed this, then cruising isn't for you...it really is nothing like the programme is making it out to be.
Thank goodness for that. I am going on my first ever cruise this summer and the programme put me off it. However, if it is nothing like the programme showed then I should enjoy it.
As I said, on my Princess Cruise, I never came across anyone like that.
She boasted about having food fights, I never saw any childish behaviour like that.
You should enjoy it, and no, nothing like the programme, hopefully you are not going with MSC.
The only thing I don't like with cruising is the fact at night you cannot get of them, oh and the fact the vast majority of cruises, the food is well overrated, not as great as people make it out to be, not to say the food isn't enjoyable, but nothing really wow factor about it either, the wow factor is the ships themselves.
Agree about the food. In main dining rooms they're cooking for hundreds of people; in my experience the food in main dining rooms is just a bit better than decent wedding banquet standard.
Things are slightly better in the specialty restaurants; at least the food is cooked to order for you. However, much of it still comes onto the ship frozen.
No-one will starve on a cruise but fine dining it isn't...
Afew of the ships we've been on were a similar size (Adventure of the Seas and Ventura) and they were fine. The programme did Princess cruises more harm than good, I would say.
Well, I enjoyed dining on board and found the food to be excellent. True you wont starve, with breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, then if you are still hungry after a 4 or 5 course dinner there is a midnight feast including burgers and hot dogs.:)
Just got round to watching The Cruise Ship and I don't think I'd be rushing to book with Princess.
I agree entirely. As a veteran cruiser (34 in total, with another 3 booked) I've seen cruising change drastically over the last 25 years or so, and not for the better.
Like you, I prefer a ship to look like a ship, and not a floating block of flats.