Mini Cruises.

[Kay]

My hubby's been talking about us going on a cruise for a change. Im a bit wobbly on ships (Scared) so we've hit on the idea of a mini cruise,any suggestions please? Also what were your experiences on board? TIA. Kay.

[harbour]

We live in the North and often go on the PandO North Sea Ferry to either Zeebrugge or Rotterdam. The modest prices include an ensuite cabin for two nights and a day in Amsterdam or Bruge. A bus takes you from the port to your destination and back again at the end of the day. For an extra �20 pp you can stay an extra night on the continent though you must book the accomodation yourself. (we have done this quite a few times using www.alpharooms.com. The ships are fabulous and there is onboard entertainment and lovely restaurants (which can be paid for at the time of booking i.e. dinner and breakfast) or on-board when you arrive (though this is more expensive). We find it a very relaxing break and the people we have told about it love it too. Hope this helps

[handygran]

Fantastic. We love cruising and have done 7 altogether. It is just great to unpack, see lots of places and relax. not like coach tours, packing and unpacking every couple of days. Just do one round the Med first or do as we did first and try a river cruise to start with. We did The Rhine first and that was great. We always said we would like to do it again.

[handygran]

Yes but a cruise ship is a lot more stable than a ferry. You don't feel the swell as much unless you have really bad weather but that isn't very often.

[dannydingbat]

Go on a short cruise round the Med - nice and sheltered so you will not even notice the ship moving. You'll love it.

[dzug]

If it's the sea that bothers you then handygran's idea of a river cruise is a good one. They are widely available in Europe - not just the Rhine, but the Danube, Elbe, various Russian rivers, the Gote Canal in Sweden, etc.

Another good minicruise is Portsmouth to Bilbao and back with P&O or Plymouth Santander with Britanny Ferries. The ships are large enough to to feel much motion.

Also some of the large cruise lines (eg Cunard) occasionally have mini-cruises out of Southampton to a French port and back..

[jno]

try this:
http://www.cruisedirect.co.uk/mini-cruises/abo ut/

[Kay]

Thanks a lot for your replies! Also thanks to jno for the link. Im quite taken with the river cruises and the cruise ships would suit me better.( Turning green here) Southhampton would suit us for departure. Im putting your replies in my favourites to show my hubby. An added question, are dogs allowed? We probably wont have to take him but just in case! Thanks again folks. Kay.

[jno]

dogs: don't think so, never seen one on a ship - problems of crossing borders probably.

[flipflop104]

3 day cruise on the fabulous P&O - http://www.pocruises.com/QuickFinder/Cruises-R 714-2007-Summary.aspx

or http://www.pocruises.com/QuickFinder/Cruises-X 615-2006-Summary.aspx

[auntiebertie]

I think RCCL do a short cruise out of Southampton too.

Before you go on any cruise check out www.cruisecritic.com and click on Boards so you can read about what people say/ask about your chosen line. Lots of hints on this site about dress code and hidden things that are free [like chocolate chip cookies...]