Cruise

[Billy Balfour]

People on board were a mix of tourists and locals using the ferry to commute, shop etc. The ship
Stops off in a lot of places , some very small one horse towns, but it’s interesting to see where people live.

Now this sounds more like it. An actual working ferry with many people using it to get from A to B. I bet you meet far more interesting people on your trips, and at least you are well away from the onboard/offshore handholding itineraries and dining table bores.

[Bosscat]

Maybe you’re unknowingly one of the ‘considerably richer than you’ types to which he refers then Bosscat?!?

I wouldn't like to comment ...

[Boss Hogg]

November on a cruise ship will be like being in a nursing home, average age will be 80

This is way off it.

[Boss Hogg]

Done the cruise experience and it isn't for us but maybe when we are older in our mid to late 70s and can't get around the same we think differently

Great holiday for kids up to 16 but if you are a couple and are fit and like plenty of exercise it really isn't for you.
The environment can feel extremely claustrophobic with a lot of very unhealthy passengers who literally try and eat themselves to death.

The ships are that big these days that at the more picturesque places you land by launch at it takes ages and a battle to get ashore. When the ship enters port it more often than not docks in the ugliest and smelliest part of the City

Probably depends where you go. Been to some great little ports even on a big ship. Boarding on and off surprisingly quick. You are correct about some grotesque fat greedy pigs on board though. They are normally the ones pushing and shoving. The wastefulness is appalling too. I’ve never seen such greed in my life. Plenty of alcoholics on board too who spend literally all day drinking. You can make it want you want though.

[Bosscat]

This is way off it.

Average age depends on cruise lines. We have never been on "Norwegian" "Celebrity" "MSC" "Costa" "Princess" "Cunard" or "Carnival" so cannot comment on them ...

The "Gardens of Great Britan and Ireland" trip we just did around Britain in September with "Fred Olsen" ... my wife and I reckoned it would have been around "aged 65+" average ... the P&O Cruises* we have done are mainly ave age 60+.
Yes there are a higher number of retirees on cruises thats only to be expected as its a great way to holiday ... no airports, no messing about ... you only unpack once as your hotel takes you to new places, and there is some pretty good entertainment (in our opinion) in the theatres on board.

We must admit we don't particularly like the larger ships 3000+ passengers, we are much preferring the smaller ships 1200 to 2000 folk, but its horses for courses as they say.

I do feel a lot of folk that pooh pooh cruises have never been on one ... I am always of the opinion don't knock till you try ...


*I know my Brother said his recent cruise on P&O's Arcadia from Southampton across to Canada and back, the average was mid 70's.

[Bosscat]

Probably depends where you go. Been to some great little ports even on a big ship. Boarding on and off surprisingly quick. You are correct about some grotesque fat greedy pigs on board though. They are normally the ones pushing and shoving. The wastefulness is appalling too. I’ve never seen such greed in my life. Plenty of alcoholics on board too who spend literally all day drinking. You can make it want you want though.

Exactly BH thats our experience too...

[Nori1958]

Probably depends where you go. Been to some great little ports even on a big ship. Boarding on and off surprisingly quick. You are correct about some grotesque fat greedy pigs on board though. They are normally the ones pushing and shoving. The wastefulness is appalling too. I’ve never seen such greed in my life. Plenty of alcoholics on board too who spend literally all day drinking. You can make it want you want though.

A bit like the all inclusive hotels the younger ones go for then

[Top Claret]

With the average age of the passengers being in their 70s the ship will need a large morgue.

In the old days they used to bury the passengers at sea.

My Dads deck quote mate London Bill snuffed it on one trip and we witnessed his burial at sea, his coffin was draped in the union flag and tipped over the side as the ship rounded Ushant and entered the channel

[Billy Balfour]

Nowadays they put them in the chiller with the raw meat. If storage space becomes a problem, they can always feed a few to the passengers. The obese ones won't mind, and the alcoholics won't care.

[Bosscat]

With the average age of the passengers being in their 70s the ship will need a large morgue.

In the old days they used to bury the passengers at sea.

My Dads deck quote mate London Bill snuffed it on one trip and we witnessed his burial at sea, his coffin was draped in the union flag and tipped over the side as the ship rounded Ushant and entered the channel

You witnessed his burial at sea round Ushant when was this TC

[Bosscat]

Nowadays they put them in the chiller with the raw meat. If storage space becomes a problem, they can always feed a few to the passengers. The obese ones won't mind, and the alcoholics won't care.

[Top Claret]

You witnessed his burial at sea round Ushant when was this TC

It would be around 73/74 I was only a lad and we were stood on the deck above when they dropped the coffin into the English Channel

[dsr]

With the average age of the passengers being in their 70s the ship will need a large morgue.

In the old days they used to bury the passengers at sea.

My Dads deck quote mate London Bill snuffed it on one trip and we witnessed his burial at sea, his coffin was draped in the union flag and tipped over the side as the ship rounded Ushant and entered the channel

You're assuming that people who go on cruises are in average health for their age. They aren't. The unhealthy, soon to die, old people do not tend to go on foreign holidays.

Burials at sea were stopped in about 1970.

[Bosscat]

You're assuming that people who go on cruises are in average health for their age. They aren't. The unhealthy, soon to die, old people do not tend to go on foreign holidays.

Burials at sea were stopped in about 1970.

Perhaps TC got his dates wrong

[dsr]

Perhaps TC got his dates wrong

TC didn't give a date. I just added one to his post. They did used to bury crew and sometimes passengers at sea up to the end of the sixties.

[Bosscat]

TC didn't give a date. I just added one to his post. They did used to bury crew and sometimes passengers at sea up to the end of the sixties.

He did in a reply to me

https://www.uptheclarets.com/messageboa ... #pr1941459

[Top Claret]

You're assuming that people who go on cruises are in average health for their age. They aren't. The unhealthy, soon to die, old people do not tend to go on foreign holidays.

Burials at sea were stopped in about 1970.

Well that is where you are wrong because I witnessed one with my own eyes and of course they don't think they are going to die when they enter the cruise, but sh!t happens that's life. You can't plan your own death and neither can you pick and choose when you are ill

Not forced to be correct with the dates mind but it wasn't in the 60s, definitely early 70s and it would have been either the Union Castle line or P&O. On ships Reina Del Mar, Orsova or the old Oriana

[dsr]

Well that is where you are wrong because I witnessed one with my own eyes and of course they don't think they are going to die when they enter the cruise, but [deleted] happens that's life. You can't plan your own death and neither can you pick and choose when you are ill

Not forced to be correct with the dates mind but it wasn't in the 60s, definitely early 70s and it would have been either the Union Castle line or P&O. On ships Reina Del Mar, Orsova or the old Oriana

I'm not saying you're wrong, and I didn't see the 1973-74 estimate. I never thought they would bury passengers at sea as late as living memory, and so I googled to have a look but couldn't find exact data, except for one vague description of late sixties/early seventies. So your 73/74 could be accurate.

If you took a random boatload of 1,000 over-80-year-olds on a week's cruise, you would expect 2 of them to die. But the chances are they would be the older, more infirm 80+ year olds who wouldn't have travelled because they weren't fit. Obviously a healthy, fit 80 year old might die unexpectedly, but they don't drop like flies - a dead passenger is certainly no freak occurrence, but nor do they need a large morgue to cope with them in large numbers.

(I think it's likely they would drop them off at the next port, anyway.)

[Billy Balfour]

Happy reading.

What happens when someone dies on a cruise?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/crui ... -a-cruise/

[HB Claret]

There seems to be a lot of different opinions about cruises on here. My wife and I have done over 50 cruises and have had many interesting, funny and sad experiences. Whilst I agree that cruise holidays might not be for everyone, I never wanted to do one but now it will always be our holiday of choice. My mum was taken ill on a cruise around Europe and was taken ill on the last sea day before the ship returned to Dover - sadly she had to be airlifted off the ship and passed away in the helicopter en route to Denmark. My dad was with her and I had to go to Dover the next morning to collect the luggage from the ship - we only live about 25 miles from Dover. The way that my mum died was truly awful - great for her but a hell of a shock for us but my mum loved cruising and I am just sad that she was taken whilst doing something that she loved. Despite this we enjoy cruising as you are treated well, the food is good and there are plenty of things to enjoy - however there are always lots of spaces to escape to if that is what you like doing. We have witnessed ashes being scattered from ships - usually overseen by one of the senior officers and often takes place at more remote / inaccessible areas.

[KateR]

never been on a cruise, talked about it a couple of times but just never got around to it, still not sure if it's for us but we will never know until we try one. Some times I look and think, yes that'll be nice for us, like to try the Caribbean & Mexico ones and not to far if we sail from Galveston, which is a relatively short drive from us. Our eldest and his wife did one of these and they always say they had a great time, don't remember anything said about average age but seems fairly obvious they would generally be older, for me that's preferable to the alternative. But as always, it's like the goldilocks theory and am sure it'll never be just right for everyone.

[CaptJohn]

You're assuming that people who go on cruises are in average health for their age. They aren't. The unhealthy, soon to die, old people do not tend to go on foreign holidays.

Burials at sea were stopped in about 1970.

Oh no they weren't.
I witnessed several burials at sea in 1974 off the coast of East Africa. Passenger/cargo ship trading between the African and Indian continents. Bombay-Karachi-Dar-es-Salaam-Mombasa-Beira-Lourenco Marques-Durban and back. (All old names as they were in my sailing days)