first time cruisers

[djwepg]

My friend and I, both 80 and not awfully mobile are thinking of taking our first cruise. We have viewed web pages and had some brochures but the choice is bewildering. So far the P & O cruises seem more suitable as we dont want sports and discos We would like to know what is a good position of deck and cabins. One of us uses a mobility scooter so will have to have storage and re charging space. Eastern Med seems interesting as we have travelled in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Balearic isles. Any info on cruise lines and destinations will be gratefully received

[jno]

Are the destinations important to you or do you just prefer to be sailing? What part of the world would you like to cruise in? How much money do you want to spend? Do you want tips included in the price? What time of year would you like to go? Do you want a window or balcony in your room? These are all questions to think about.

The main thing is not to pay full price. You should be able to get almost any cruise at about half brochure price. For special offers you can see newspaper travel pages at the weekend (the Telegraph on Saturday is good) or try some of these sites:

http://www.gillsoffers.com
http://www.cruiseselect.co.uk
http://www.cruise.co.uk
http://www.bathtravel.co.uk
http://www.cruisedirect.co.uk
http://www.sovereigncruise.co.uk
http://www.1st4cruising.com

Regarding mobility scooters, I have seen these on ships but I think facilities will vary from one ship to another, so you should always check in advance.

The best cabins are often those amidships - they are less affected by high seas (though as a rule ships are pretty calm places). Try to avoid being next to the engine room or the nighclubs as these can sometimes be noisy. If you want a cabin with a window, check that there's not a lifeboat hanging outside.

To see independent reviews of cruises and cruise ships by passengers, try the cruise.co.uk site. You can also ask questions there and g

[jno]

that got cut off: it should have said get answers from experienced cruisers.

For the eastern Mediterranean, Ocean Village does summer cruises out of Crete to Venice or Istanbul or Alexandria, for instance. (I've just done the Venice one last month.) Ships often cruise the Mediterranean from spring to autumn and the Caribbean from autumn to spring.

[itsmeinnit]

The P&O ship Aurora is the best one for disabled facilities. The special adapted cabins are midships on the same deck as the restaurant. There is a set number of scooters allowed aboard so would check with them first.

[NoK]

is your friend rinkins?

[Buenchico]

I've never been a cruise, and I know little about them, but I hope that something among my random thoughts about your post might be useful to you:

1. It might be worth considering Saga cruises. They restrict travel to over-50s (except that a travelling companion over-40 is permitted to join an over-50 passenger):
http://www.saga.co.uk/travel/cruises3/sagacrui singhome.asp

2. To find the best cabins on any ship, simply look for the most expensive ones! They will be the ones on the outside of the ship (so that you get a sea view) and on the upper levels (so that they're away from the engines and closer to the restaurants and other facilities).

3. The electrical supply on passenger ships is, to the best of my knowledge, always 110 volts AC. You should check the scooter's handbook to see whether it can be charged from such a supply.

4. While most cruise lines will try to be 'disability-friendly' you need to ask lots of questions (preferably getting answers in writing) about access onto and within the ship. Additionally you need to find out about any tours included with the cruise (e.g. Can the coach, from the port, accept a mobility scooter? Are there any access problems at the places to be visited?).

5. Some of the links here might be useful:
http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/cruisestyles/are a.cfm?area=30

6. Some of the advice here might be relevant:
http://www.luxurycruiseholiday.co.uk/cruising- with-a-disability.htm

Chris

[itsmeinnit]

I think the Aurora is doing the Black Sea & Bosphorus. I've done that one and it's lovely with a stopover in Istanbul.

[Ice.Maiden]

You might find Accessible Cruises to be perfect for you djwepg. They're a UK-based company who specialise in all kinds of cruises for disabled and limited mobility passengers.

http://www.disabilitytravel.com/cruise/accessi ble_group_cruise.htm

[Cathyhuns]

Both Cunard and P&O cruises have 240V sockets. Cunard also have 110V sockets. Most US based cruise lines refuse to acknowldge that anyone other than Americans exist so they only provide 110V sockets.

The cruise market is very competitive so you get what you pay for. We've done both Cunard and Princess. We prefer Cunard but Princess go to more of the places we wanted to visit.

[auntiebertie]

Cathyhuns - actually all RCI, Celebrity and Azamara ships offer both US and European plugs - and there are currently 33 ships in their fleet,

[djwepg]

thank you all for replying to my query. Its very kind of you to take the trouble. We are ploughing through the brochures now and taking note of all comments