I told my friends not to book the cruise as
it was one that I keep warning cruisers to stay well clear of as they almost always
disappoint. But they insisted and sadly, three days before they were due to depart, what
I feared would happen did. It was cancelled. I’m Gary Bembridge and I’m here to warn you about
this and 5 cruises I suggest you NEVER book, along with tips of what to do instead - or how to
reduce your risk if you really do want to do them. My friends wanted to become one of the
group of cruisers that go on brand new ship maiden voyages. They wanted to
be the first to stay in a cabin and to experience all the new onboard facilities
before everyone else on Sun Princess. I pointed out to them that of the
last 10 new cruise ships launching, only 3 sailed their original planned maiden
voyage. The seven others were cancelled as the ships were not ready, throwing
the plans of cruisers into chaos. In fact, on Sun Princess they not only
cancelled the original maiden but the replacement one too. This is what happened
to my friend – the ship was still not ready, and their cruise was cancelled
with only 3 days’ notice. But cruises being cancelled is not the only reason to avoid maiden voyages. Here are
three more reasons to steer clear. First, you are not the first to
stay in that cabin nor try out those facilities. Lines run a series
of voyages, called shakedown cruises, after they've taken delivery of the ship and
before the maiden voyage sails with paying guests. The lines run these first with employees and
then with invited media and travel agents. I've been on several shakedown voyages over the years
because one advantage of being based in Europe, where most cruise ships are built,
is they mostly ask people close by. Second, and more important, things
in my experience do not run smoothly. It's a brand-new ship, and it's the
first time with a full complement of passengers as the shakedown cruises
usually run with around half capacity. The maiden is the first time
everything gets tried out at capacity. Remember every single
crew member is new to the ship, and no-one is used to the systems nor
had time to form a smooth working team. On any maiden voyage I've been on in the past,
there’s been workmen from the shipyard finishing things off, and some venues have not even
been open. Often the shows are still being finalised and rehearsed, as many found on
the much-delayed Sun Princess which had none of the big production shows ready even
by the time they did have a maiden voyage. The systems are stress-tested and struggles often,
meals can be slow and chaotic, again as people on Sun Princess delayed maiden complained about.
Every review I’ve ever seen of a maiden voyage is about how frustrated people have
been, or how things need time to bed in. And on top of all of that, it will cost you
more, much more, to sail on a maiden voyage than going a few months later. They are in
demand and the lines crank up the fares. So, to ensure a great experience, I stay clear
of maiden voyages and let the ship bed in. My other tip is to look instead at cruising on
one of the line’s older ships as when their new ship joins the fleet, they reduce older ship’s
fares as most cruisers are booking the new ship. Also, avoid the first cruise when ships
are coming out of a dry dock. Ships are required by law to go into dry dock every
few years for safety checks and maintenance, but the lines often use these
to make big upgrades to ships. These could range from simple decor changes,
changing the carpets and replacing furniture like Queen Mary 2 went though not long before
I made this. But they could go as far as adding whole new decks, putting in solo cabins
like Oceania did across their fleet recently, and even cutting a ship in half and extending it.
Like the last ship I was on before making this, Silver Spirit where they did
just that a few years back. The lines don't want to take the ship out
of service for too long because they'll lose revenue. So, they tend to put ships in
dry dock for a very tight amount of time, and all these changes have a tight schedule. So again, in my experience, ships leave
dry dock with things not always finished and working. I learnt this the
hard way where I found workmen on board after one on MSC Divina
some years back. There was noise, the smell of fresh paint all over, some venues
closed, and again not a smooth experience. So again, let a sailing or
two go by before you book. And try and stay clear of the last cruise before
a ship goes into dry dock as because time's tight, preparation often starts on that last
cruise. Things are being ripped out, venues closed, and I saw that first
hand on a Saga Cruises ship once. My tip here is about how to check if a ship is
going to dry dock. Look at the cruise schedule and see if there's a gap in dates after or before your
cruise. It could mean the ship has been chartered, so not on sale to the public, but it's
more likely going to be a dry dock. Alternatively search for your ship name
and “dry dock”. Some cruise trade press sites like “Cruise Ship News” list all
the scheduled dry dock ships and dates. I avoid peak season cruises in all
three of the main cruising regions. First, I steer clear of Mediterranean
cruises in the peak of summer months of July and August. Not only because
it gets scorching hot and sticky, but many ports like Rome, Venice, Barcelona,
Pisa, and Florence, get absolutely packed with both land and cruise passengers. It is
terrible for sightseeing and not enjoyable. Next, in the Caribbean I avoid the peak
March Spring Break especially on the big resort-type ships as they get packed, can
have a crazy party crowd and I feel that all those stories of arguments and fights
breaking out seem to be around this time. I personally avoid the peak Caribbean Christmas
cruises as I prefer a more kid-free cruise and even lines like Cunard and Holland America with
an older couple crowd usually are packed with families and multi-generational groups. I
have been on those with 400 to 500 kids. Of course, if that is what you are
looking for to travel with kids, grandkids, and family then this
is good news as lots of options. In Alaska too in the peak July and August months,
I have found lines tend not to attract their usual profile as families not surprisingly chose
lines with the right places they call on, like Holland America and Princess as they
are two of the limited lines allowed into the must-see Glacier Bay and so again is not a
typical experience and ships are more crowded. Instead, my tip for all the three main cruising
regions (Caribbean, Mediterranean and Alaska) is to look at cruises in what’s known as
the “shoulder months” to the peak season. So, in the Mediterranean and Alaska, from late May / June and September/ October
which also is usually much cheaper too. The next one is one that I have argued with some
cruise writers, bloggers, and vloggers about, but I stay well steer clear of the short two- or
three-night taster cruises that most lines run. They used to be helpful for first-time
cruisers to try cruising and for cruisers considering trying a new line to
see if they were a good match. But now they don’t really work for that.
First, ships are getting bigger with way more facilities to try, and there is not
enough time to properly experience it and draw any conclusions, especially if
those cruises are calling on ports. Second, the lines often run a limited range of
activities so you cannot really judge those fully. But thirdly and most important of all, you won’t
experience the usual line as they attract people that's not typical as they are often run
over holiday weekends, and at good prices, and have become a cost-effective
party trip. This is great if you're looking for that, but it's not going to be that
representative of what the cruise is normally. We stopped taking our Mums on these as
they loved going on the short Cunard trips, but they started to be more party and
less the typical Cunard experience they loved. My tip is if you do want to try
them look for those run out of holiday periods and ideally mid-week
so less of a booze cruise as it were. Another cruise to stay clear of is when there
are themed cruises that you are not part of. Groups and clubs often run themed cruises on
cruise ships. They could be themed around, say, motorcycle enthusiasts, Star
Trek, Game of Thrones, boy bands, or right down to even small niches
like knitting, crafting, and so on. While some have become so big, like Star
Trek that now charter the whole ship, many will just take a huge block booking.
However, venues across the ship will be closed to other cruise passengers at times to
those not part of that themed group. Facilities, like bars, nightclubs, or the theatre, may
be closed at certain times to you too and there may be special events going on
that you're not allowed to attend. I've had many people contact me, saying
they found themselves with hordes of bikers, sci-fi fans, doctors, and so on
based on what the theme cruise was, and it's made a less enjoyable
cruise experience for them. There are also times when a company
is running a conference or big sales incentive on a cruise, like when I was on
a Regent cruise in the Caribbean where a large finance company was doing just that.
Often venues were closed for their events. It is harder to check if your cruise
is going to be part-chartered for one of those because the lines don't make that
clear on the site or in their brochures. So, the simplest way I've found is put the
name of the ship, the departure date, and the word “group cruise” into a search
engine and if there is a theme cruise on that, it'll usually bring up the
webpage for that theme cruise. For example, even if you put in the dates and
ship of my group cruises, they will show up. If you are a traveller that worries about,
or tends to have higher risk of seasickness, and want to minimise the risk of not
being able to use outer decks and missing ports due to weather issues,
then there are some cruises to avoid. The one affecting most people are those
in the Caribbean Hurricane season, which officially runs from June 1 to November 30.
Although the exact paths of individual hurricanes are hard to predict, the riskiest part of season
is generally between mid-August and mid-September. Hurricanes and storms can lead to rougher
seas, changes in itineraries and occasionally being delayed getting back to
port, meaning missing flights. Cruises to the Norwegian Fjords
late in the season and in winter, which run then as the greatest chance to see
the Northern Lights often can face rough seas. Of course, there are others like winter
North Atlantic Crossings which was one of the first trips I ever did on Cunard
with massive waves crashing over the bow of the ship, crossing the Drake Passage to
Antarctica, and going around the Cape Horn. If you want to know the cruises
I do recommend as must-dos, then join me over in this video
while I start by explaining why the 3 most popular in the world are not
on the list and why. See you over there.
