going on my first cruise

[nickywc , Fareham]

Hi i going on my first cruise in July on Ventura around the western med. I have never really been abroad before so this is really new for me I will see more of the world in those 14 nights than I have in the whole of my life so far.
I have mobility problems so I know some trips will be off limits also as I can't sit down for to long either so wondering what the best ones for me to do are ? Also I can't drink alcohol so was looking at doing a soft drink package on board ship. Do they do diet drinks and how much ?
Cor I have so many question so I am sure I will be posting more on here :D

[allie, Isle of Wight]

Hi!

I'm sure this wouldn't include you, but we've found that some first time cruisers don't realise that they can eat and drink whenever they like

A couple of elderly ladies on the Eclipse had been starving themselves in the mornings because they couldn't find the buffet
And elsewhere on this forum, there have been stories of families BUYING food ashore to bring back on-board because they didn't realise it was all included...

I have to admit, that on our first cruise it did take several minutes to discover we could just help ourselves to afternoon tea and cake as we sailed out of Southampton Water...

I know you'll have a fab time - and believe me, cruising spoils you for any other holiday!

[Addicted to Cruising, Christchurch Dorset]

Hey, "Addicted to Cruising, Christchurch Dorset" in 41 years you have managed to complete avoid America ships!

What happened in 1979,1980 and 1982-1987, 1989-1995, 1997-1999 and 2002?

Have been alongside Disney ships and been unable to escape their ondeck quizzes and tuneful whistle. Maybe ok for youngsters but not at my age. Did a few coach holidays and then at a late age in the 80's got married and work, mortgage got in the way of cruising although we did manage a round the the world by air holiday with Air New Zealand, thoroughly recommended as they have very good legroom on the aircraft.

[Clowi, Oxfordshire]

I haven't been on P & O but when you get the price for drinks package also check out the prices of drinks. Bar prices are often available on the Cruise Line's website. You'll have an idea of your daily consumption and a package may work out more expensive. As another poster suggested, you could also stock up on drinks ashore if it's convenient for you. Hope you have a wonderful time.

[Malcolm, Essex]

Hey, "Addicted to Cruising, Christchurch Dorset" in 41 years you have managed to complete avoid America ships!

What happened in 1979,1980 and 1982-1987, 1989-1995, 1997-1999 and 2002?

[stocktonmackem, stockton]

I havent been on Ventura but we were on Azura last year. My husband is a full time wheelchair user so had to use the accessible tours. If you cant get onto the buses you will be sent a brochure 6 wks before your cruise which lists all the accessible tours. We decided against this as the tours were very expensive. As it was our first cruise we were happy just to get off at the ports and have a look around the ports. We just got on the accessible shuttle bus into the town and wandered about. You will have no problems on the ship itself because everything is accessible. People kept telling us that we would love cruising because it is so easy for wheelchair users, I wish i had taken the advise because we had a fantastic time and cant wait for the next one.

[Bob, Huddersfield]

Hi Nicky,

Welcome to the world of cruising. Here's hoping you have a great time.
As for your question about excursions. You should be able to access the Cruise Personaliser on the P&O website from about 100 days prior to your departure date. This will give you access to all the tours available for your cruise, details of which will be length of tour, walking activity, meals and/or drinks included, etc. It will give you a good idea of which ones may be suitable for you. You could then telephone the P&O team at Southampton and ask their advice for your particular mobility restrictions with regard to any tours you may like to go on.
As for the drinks. I am not sure whether a package is available, but the drinks are not overly pricey on P&O ships, just avoid the mixer drinks like canned cola, these are the small 150ml cans, and these are fairly pricey for what you get.

Hope this helps.

Cheers
Bob

[Debc, Birmingham]

Hi Nicky! Welcome to the world of cruising ... you will love it I'm sure! We were on Ventura last year and from memory the only soft drink packages P & O do are a card which gives you 20 postmix drinks such as coke or lemonade for about £40. I won't worry too much though as P & O prices are very good value and you will only pay regular UK pub prices. You could also save a bit of money by picking up a supply of drinks when you are in port and storing them in your incabin fridge. We also bring a bottle of diet squash from home and make up as needed, as we have sometimes found it more difficult to get diet drinks ashore in some places.

[DarbyRN, Lee-on-the-Solent]

Hi Nicky and welcome. I have had a look at your itinerary and I think you have chosen a good cruise for your first experience. I cannot comment on your mobility/excursion question or indeed your diet requirements but you will get good advice once onboard. I believe you should not book your excursions until you are onboard and received advice. Most are seldom, if ever, fully booked before departure.
Have fun and enjoy!

[Malcolm, Essex]

...I will see more of the world in those 14 nights than I have in the whole of my life so far.

Well done, I'm sure that you will have a great time!

Information about excursions/difficulty for you cruise is almost certainly on the P&O web site.

Diet soft drinks will be plentiful on-board. I'm not sure that they do a soft-drinks package or not, once again check their web site.

[Yogini, Waterlooville]

I don't know about P&O, but some cruise lines rate excursions on difficulty. One of the people that I met on my last cruise had mobility problems and only took excursions rated at level 1. Places like Pompeii are rated as level 3 due to the difficulty of walking over the ancient streets.

[Addicted to Cruising, Christchurch Dorset]

Your best bet is to talk to the excursion team onboard who will advise you on what is possible for you to do. It also depends on which ports your cruise will call at as some are very accessible to the beach/town whilst other require a shuttle bus transfer into the centre of town. More information will bring a better response to your question. Do hope that Juy will exceed your expectations.