Release The Stags!

So as many of my customers and colleagues will know I get married next month, so this weekend the customary stag weekend shenanigans take place!

The large majority of my friends are from up in North Manchester where I live, a few others are making the journey up for the weekend from elsewhere in the UK.

It’s all been very hush hush for me as I perhaps foolishly left it for my best man and ushers to organise.

All I know is we are venturing out to Wales for a weekend of outdoor activities and evenings on the booze!

My best man has not listened to a word I have said so I would imagine this weekend is going to be one of the worst I’ve ever experienced as an adult! In his own words, ‘This is my stag do, not yours’ – so I think I’m actually more scared than excited!

No doubts there will be horrific pictures on various corners of social media showing me at my worst, just as long as those pictures don’t turn into mug shots! I’m sure I’ll be fine……………..

Anyway stag and hen do’s are a controversial topic for tourism. Most recently, and appropriately, for the cruise indus

try.

In fact I literally had a conversation with one of my really good clients yesterday, who was telling me about a cruise she had recently return from aboard one of the P&O ships. A three night mini break to Guernsey.

My client was explaining that although she really liked the ship and had a great time, the ship was full of groups just looking for a boozey weekend away. A Booze Cruise, you might say.

I must admit, the thought did cross my mind , but when I mentioned it to my best man, he shut the door on the idea immediately in favour of his own ideas. A shame really because I think with a mini cruise you get to showcase something a little different, you get to see a few different places and experience a little luxury that isn’t synonymous at all with stag and hen parties. But it was a non-starter as far as he was concerned.

Anyway I digress.

My point is this, do people mind if there are large groups of this type aboard the mini cruises, do they expect in nowadays? Should the cruise lines allow it? Should they actually encourage it? From a business perspective there is a lot of money in stag and hens – one of the cruise lines could even just run a ship year round from the UK to actually market to them right?

The answer is no.

For me, cruising is so much more than going on holiday and drinking. Far from it.

The cruise lines as far as I am concerned should not allow groups of same sex groups of more than four to six passengers because of the potential noise and general misbehaviour. You are just opening it up to be ruined for all the people that have booked in good faith to come and enjoy and nice weekend away.

Of course, it is almost impossible to monitor, and of course there is the financial side of it.

But I think cruising should remain an elitist holiday that is out of the reach and minds of many.

The only way to really stop it, is to either stop the mini cruising, or push the price up above the cost of your average stag/hen weekend. Could they even put an age limit on them – over 50s only for example. I don’t hear about many stag parties on Saga or Fred Olsen, do you? These are the lines with generally a higher age group, and they seem to behave pretty darn well.

So my question is this.

What is the answer?

Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing peoples opinions, and as always, until next time…………