qm2

[masma]

Mr M really wants to do the Queen Mary 2 cruise to New York - I'm not so keen, worried about the 'dressing up' bit and the fact that if we're sailing over the Atlantic there's nothing to see! Can anyone reasure me please as it's something he really wants to do. Also... what are the bar prices like?

[NORMANTHEDOG]

for a start,there is no need to dress up for the formal nights,you can use one of the other restaurants on board,on those nights,2 on the cruise,your right there is nothing to see,if you look overboard,but there is plenty to do on the boat during the trip,just relax and do nothing for 6 days.

[masma]

Thanks for that Norm (?)
Have you done the med cruises? Would we be better off doing one of those.
I'm so confused, the furthest I've been is Lanzarote...

[jno]

depends whether you want to get off at ports and see things. If so, the Med (or the Caribbean in winter) is the thing: ships stop somewhere different almost every day and you can go on excursions or just wander on your own. Crossing the Atlantic you can't do this; instead you relax, try out activities on board

Check out reviews on http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/

[Cathyhuns]

There is loads to do an a transatlantic cruise. Much of it involving eating but we were never bored when we did QE2 a few years ago. There's also sports, quizzes, lectures or just chilling out.

With a Med cruise you flit from place to place and never have enough time to see anywhere properly. It leaves you feeling that you need to go back to places.

Also, I like the dressing up. It gives the ship a wonderful atmosphere but you can dress down and attend the other restaurants if you want.

[auntiebertie]

For the best site ever re cruises which will answer all your questions go here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.ph p?f=54 and for reviews written by recent cruisers go here: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getr eviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=294

[sddsddean]

I partly agree with Cathyhuns. On Med and Carribean cruises, they are very port intensive (ie you are at somewhere nearly every day) and this means you can tend to miss out on using the ships facilities. One of the best we have done was a 2 week Panama Canal cruise. Our particular one went from San Diego to Miami, but the best bit was you were only at a port every other day, so you had 'one day on and one day off' which I think was much more relaxing. Agree with auntiebertie, loads of info at cruisecritic.

[snowangel_uk]

Hi Masma

I worked on cruise ships for 5 years, and have done many different itineraries, including the atlantic crossing to and from the states. These crossings tend to have a very full entertainments programme - so you will never get bored, there will always be some activity to attend. The only downside is that the facilities such as pool, gym, beauty salon can be very busy as all passengers are onboard (obviously !!!).

Re the "dressing up" for formal nights - this isn't the nightmare that some people imagine it to be. You don't have to wear evening/cocktail dresses - in fact more and more ladies opt for a smart trouser/top combo - which is perfectly acceptable. Just dress it up with some nice accessories !

If you haven't cruised before, maybe try a mini-cruise (a 3 or 4 night break to and from a UK port) - companies like Fred. Olsen offer these. You will get a taster of cruising life, including one formal night.

Hope this helps - if I can be of further assistance - please ask !

[masma]

Thank you all for your help - it looks like we'll be booking up sometime very soon x x