Cruising - my thoughts thereon

Based on a river cruise up the Mekong, another up and down the Duoro, crossing the Atlantic on Cunard's Queen Mary and the South Pacific on  Silversea's Silver Whisper.

My experience is therefore not extensive but varied.

One of the main things to remember is that a cruise is really a holiday on a ship not a means of transport. I had thought of it as the latter which was wrong.

River cruises are preferable to me. I loved the quiet of sailing through rural areas. Long days at sea consist of sleeping and eating if you don't partake of the activities. Fortunately there is almost always a bridge teacher who organises tournaments. Then there are lectures of differing qualities though those giving them may be rehashing something they have given many times before and the delivery is variable. You may even be lucky enough to find something useful like French lessons or watercolour classes, even knitting and there will be a gym on bigger ships.

On both the QM and SW there are at least three places to eat each meal. On the Douro, as it was in fact a private party, there was only one and on the Mekong a general dining and the Captain's table to which everyone was invited at least once.

Cabins vary only marginally with more space and balconies costing more. En suites are now normal, some with baths but most with showers. The most expensive might have a hot tub.

Dress codes are always listed with lots of suggestions. I didn't take much notice as I didn't go to the formal occasions. A nice shawl and earrings seemed to do the trick. One long dress was sufficient.

Tours are usually included but in the South Seas we were at the whim of the seas and missed one.

Crew are unfailingly helpful and do not see serving and helping customers as anything other than a pleasure. The ratio differs each time but always was more than adequate even cleaning my old suitcase for me.

As I had not considered the cruise as the equivalent of a hotel it was all a bit self indulgent and I did not need room service or my laundry done by someone else or indeed my plates carried from the buffet to my table. The majority of the crew are men from such countries as Indonesia or the Phillippines with some from such diverse countries as Turkey, Zimbabwe and Tunisia.

Tips, or as they call them Gratuities, may or may not be included but this is a fallacy. When it is supposedly 'included' it just means the crew are supposedly paid a little more than those when it's not included. In either case most people will give tips to at least the waiters and cabin crew.

Overall atmosphere was really friendly on the long cruise which as I mentioned people think of as a holiday. Friends are made who set dates for dinners together and spend time at the bar or around the pool. On the QM this did not seem to happen but then that was a 'crossing' rather than a cruise. Hey ho.