Best Cruise Ship Please

[smurfchops]

From Southampton, in the Spring 2023, thinking of a ‘smaller’ ship, to Spain, Portugal areas please? Been using Royal Caribbean and Celebrity but fancy one with less people. Thanks all.

[calmck]

I have only once been on a cruise and that was to Alaska however I used Regent Seven Seas. Excellent in all respect. They have smaller ships. Check their web site they do European cruises but I am not sure where they start from.

[smurfchops]

Thanks, not sure I can afford seven Seas but I will look!

[sddsddean]

Most of the ships that run from UK are big ones...RCI, Celebrity, NCL etc. P&O have got their big ships out now (Iona and Arvia [later this year]). They do have some smaller ships (Arcadia & Aurora), but you'd have to check their itineries. Otherwise Saga run smaller ships. Bear in mind, smaller ships have a lot less to do on them if that is a factor for you.

[petland]

I would recommend all the Marella (TUI) fleet some of which will visit Spain and Portugal throughout summer.

[andy-hughes]

Check if Aurora is going, lovely ship.

I am joining it on Tuesday for sixteen days around Norway and Sweden, I'll let you know how the ship is.

[jno]

the Aurora isn't doing Spain and Portugal next year

https://tinyurl.com/mvuuu3be

(of the P&O ones on that route the Arcadia's the smallest with 2100 passengers, which isn't terribly small)

[Buenchico]

There's nothing for 2023, out of Southampton, currently showing on the Saga website.

If you'd be prepared to stick with the big ships, this might be of interest to you:
https://www.princess.com/search-cruise/details/?voyageCode=Y313
The ship is generally very well-reviewed:
https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=1180

For a small ship, going to where you want in Spring of next year, I think that your best bet might be to forget about using Southampton as your departure port and switch to Tilbury instead. You could then join Ambassador's newly refitted ship, Ambition, which is relatively small (1200 passengers) but still big enough to offer a decent range of facilities:
https://www.ambassadorcruiseline.com/cruise/a22306-iberian-northern-africa-easter-escape/

[smurfchops]

Thanks all. I looked up the Sky Princess for 1st April and reviews on Cruise Critic aren’t too good, specially the Passive Smoking review…. Put me off. I will look up some of the others. Thanks again. Any more cruise lines gratefully received.

[jno]

this is Southampton's sailing schedule next year

https://www.southamptoncruisecentre.com/cruises-from-southampton-in-2023/

[Peter Pedant]

I am taking the Esadora darn da nile Nov 2022
at least I know what I am getting .... hur hur hur

relations waited 3 y for a cruise and had to wear masks all the time and q for meals and wait for tables to be vacated

[Buenchico]

Looking again at the possibility of using an alternative departure port to Southampton, I checked on whether Saga might have anything suitable for you out of Dover. They have - but one a hell of a price!
https://travel.saga.co.uk/cruises/ocean/where-we-go/european-cruises/lisbon-and-spains-atlantic-coast.aspx

I still think that the Ambassador cruise from Tilbury, that I linked to above, ought to be worth consideration. They're a new cruise line, only in their second year of operation. However they're based upon the old Cruise & Maritime Voyages, which had some of the best reviews among cruise companies. The Ambition is new to their fleet this year, having been completely refurbished to appeal to the company's over-50s target market. (Their only other ship is the Ambience, which came into service last year). Further, Tilbury is very easy to get to from most parts of the country
https://www.ambassadorcruiseline.com/before-you-sail/travelling-to-port/london-tilbury-port-information/
and their prices look much better than those of competitors like Saga!

[Buenchico]

PS: I've just seen, from one of your old posts (the one about oddly getting Meridian news on your telly) that you live in London. Tilbury must definitely be worth considering as a departure port for you, surely?