cruises getting cheaper

[Keith Tindell]

Although cruising is not for me, and i know Brian Kong for example would not touch the type of cruise on offer here, but surely it cannot be cheaper than what is on offer on the Marco Polo at the moment, sailing from Tilbury, and back to Tilbury, on 5th September, 30 nights to Canada and Newfoundland for £1695 pp. That works out at £112 for two per day, you would struggle to get decent B@B for that money, granted, its the cheapest inside cabin. Strangely enough, my first trip as deck boy, was almost the same trip and duration on an old Hains boat in 1958, and they paid ME, £12-17-6p !!!!kt

[j.sabourn]

When you consider B & B in the UK is about 80pound a night , and a hotel not much change out of 150 pounds. Is very cheap. In 1967 a single bunk in a double berthed cabin on Saguenay Terminal of Montreal vessels was 100 $ US per day. Just about enough to pay our wages. JWS

[Captain Kong]

The price of a cruise with a good company, [ I sail with Holland America, because they are good and have excellent itineries]
does increase yearly but when the money runs out I will have to stop. I am off in January on the World Cruise on the AMSTERDAM, two and a half months so could be one of the last big ones.
Cheers
Brian

[Captain Kong]

I would not do a Caribbean cruise even in the good weather season, The west indies s not what the brochures tell you. You are hassled, all you hear is "wanna buy some ganja man? "Never go ashore on your own, never wear a watch or jewelry, you get Mugged. etc etc.
That is why I go to the South Pacific Islands in Polynesia, safest place on the planet, people love to see you , all they want to do is sing and dance. .
I go every year, the Best people in the world, only persecuted by the French

If you cruise, choose your ship and itinerie wisely, there is no better vacation than a good cruise, I would hate to be stuck in the same hotel for a few weeks seeing the same thing day after day, must be incredibly boring.
On my world cruise in January we sail from Miami to San Blas Islands, Columbia, through the Panama Canal and over night and a day in Panama Cty, to ports in Equador , Peru, and Chille, then across to Easter Island or Rapa Nui as it should be called where the BIG Statues are, very interesting, then to Pitcairns Island of Mutiny of the Bounty fame, to see my friend Jackie Christian, Gr Gr Gr Grand daughter of Fletcher Christrian, then to Tahiti to see my Tahitian friends and party, then to Moorea, more parties with my friends there, then Bora Bora , reputed tobe the most beautiful Island in the world, On then to Nukualofa in Tonga, then four ports in New Zealand, across to OZ, Sydney, Cairns , Townsville and Darwin then to Komodo to see the Dragons and Bali, on to Semerang in Java, and then we get off in Singapore stay with friends there for a week and then fly home.

It sure beats the hell out of two weeks in Benidorm.

[Captain Kong]

During my cruises I have had the pleasure to meet several members in California, in Sydney, HD John and Neil Morton in Melbourne, John Sabourne in Western Australia, and Lou New Zealand, .

See below, with Dave Adams on the old Queen Mary in Long Beach California,
with our late Lou in Dunedin, NZ.
With John , Vernon, and Roger in the Monties Blood house Sydney, with Richard in Sydney, and again with Vernon and Roger.

You don't get that in Benidorm.

[Captain Kong]

The ships I sail on only have 850, would never sail on a big one.

The ship with most passengers I ever sailed on was the GEORGIC , in 1955,
1.000 crew and 3,000 passengers and /or Troops. plus cargo. With 10 people to a cabin, no A/C
Half the life boats were totally useless. So it is not a new thing.

[George Heggie]

I prefer the smaller ship[s which Silver Seas have and all included no great bar bill at the end of cruise. I only hope that they now belonging to Royal Caribbean that they don't change the standard. Lets hope they did the same as Holland America and statei in the sale that the standard is to be kept as it was.

[Doc Vernon]

May soon have to try and get a few of old ones Together again Capt to meet up as before,possibly at Monty's again for a change! LOL
Don't forget the Itinerary to send to me .you still have my Email!??
Cheers and a few Beers!

[happy daze john in oz]

The cost of cruising all depends on where in the world the ship is going, the season, and how many empty cabins they need to fill.

We are going to NZ for a Christmas/New year cruise, friends of ours will be doing a similar one to NZ later in February and will pay about $2,500 less than us.
A lot depends on things such as docking fees, fuel costs at the point of pick up, food costs if taken on board in other countries.

So a low fare may not be that fares are coming down, but a host of other reasons.

But I know from experience just how expensive hotels are now in UK. Up to 4 times more than we would pay in a motel here in Oz, and with breakfast thrown in.

We went to Adelaide on a mystery weekend with Virgin air.
Flight, chauffer driven car from airport to hotel and back, top grade hotel in CBD, room at normal $300 a night, with full buffet breakfast and complimentary bottle of wine.
Cost for two $800.

[cappy]

May soon have to try and get a few of old ones Together again Capt to meet up as before,possibly at Monty's again for a change! LOL
Don't forget the Itinerary to send to me .you still have my Email!??
Cheers and a few Beers!

###havnt heard from my old friend and true blue richard for a while ...new he was having tests .....hope your ok richard....a trip back to fiji and lautoka will do you good ......best wishes dear friend......respects cappy