Italy Greece cruise

We have been on 5-6 different cruises, several cruise lines with different itinerary and locations. . I am a people person and find others interesting. I have not really observed this happening, but assume it happens same as in hotels and resorts.. It has not been a noticeable distraction or problem for us. But then we are not bar or night club people.

All2alb thank you for your reply.you are right.it probably does happen but if we don't look for it we will probably never see it. Live and let live thank you

I really doubt seriously that is a problem or even real. Maybe possible on some overnight ferries or the super discount two, three days cruises that are primarily a party boat but not on standard cruise ships. Hotels and resorts have a vastly different set up than cruise ships. First, passengers are extensively screen, passports checked a number of times, and who wants to be on a trapped on a cruise ship conducting illegal activity. We have been cruising in and around Europe for nearly 20 years. Haven't seen anything like you suggested. I will give the benefit of the doubt but am slightly suspicious that someone is pulling our leg.

I have to think the 'cost of admission' creates so much overhead expense, that it would preclude such activity from being a commercial success. If it does not make money, it will not happen

.But I have talked to a couple that said the prostitutes on board were always trying to bring business back to their state rooms

Find out what cruises ( or cruise line) they were on and avoid them.

I think Frank summed it up quite nicely with his first sentence

Hey Frank thank you for your reply this will be our first cruise.and had no idea that passengers were screened .I figured it was grab their money and shove em in a cabin.i guess worring about pickpockets is a fairytale also. For such a good friend the fellow that told me these stories has probably been cheating at golf also.i guess go on the trip and just have fun. I'm starting to feel a little stupid lol ! Thanks frak

Are you asking about pickpockets on the cruise ship? Who are you talking with ???? Most cruises are cashless. A month or two before you board you complete a long questionnaire. At check in, you have a health screening, passport checked, your picture taken and a ship's ID issued that is both your id, on board credit card, and room key. All of you luggage is screen and it is just as tight if not tighter than airport screening.

The first thing we do when we hit the room is deposit our passports, money. etc. in the room safe, put the ship's ID on a lanyard and we wear it most of the time while on the ship. When we are on board and moving around, the only thing we carry is the ship's id. There is a lot of security on cruises ships. including cameras, and very safe once on board. You need to do some reading.

Now, when you are off the ship, then pickpockets can be a concern but no greater than any other time you are traveling. And each time you leave the ship your id is checked and checked on return. What cruises lines are you considering?

Good Lord Frank I'm surprised my good golf buddy hasn't tried to sell me an elevator pass
or a gangway ticket. He either has never been on a cruise and is feeding me lies to get me to pay for drinks and lunch at the clubhouse. Or is having fun at my expense .thanks you guys I learned a lot just talking to y'all. With my respects .
Hey what cruise line do you all recommend

Hey what cruise line do you all recommend

There is a cruise line for just about every interest and price point. And there are many that sail Italian/Greek itineraries, especially spring through fall. Since you are completely new to cruising, I would recommend finding a travel agent who specializes in cruises. They can be invaluable to a newbie in finding the cruises that suit your preferences and budget, as well as helping educate you a bit in the myriad details involved in planning a cruise. I'd also recommend that you check out Cruise Critic. com and perhaps read a few reviews.

You mentioned extended cruises, so I imagine you mean several back to back cruises with perhaps a break on land for short periods in between. This leads to a much higher degree of planning/logistics complexity, so a TA would likely be even more important for you.

I know you said that your plans are for post pandemic, but you should realize that many cruises for '21 and '22 are heavily booked already due to this year's cancelled cruise bookings being moved into the near future. So it is definitely not too early to be making concrete plans

We have been on 20 ocean cruises in the past 10 years and never heard of this problem.

Our cruise lines have been Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and NCL.

I am suspicious of this rumor.

I haven't heard of actual prostitutes charging for services being onboard ships, but some passengers may find some of the 'shipboard romances' that take place to be something they are unused to. These are between passengers, or may, though forbidden, be between passengers and crew. It is generally not obvious, but perhaps it depends on what cruise line or length of cruise. As mentioned, short cruises are often considered 'party cruises', and given the percentage of drunken passengers, their actions may be less inhibited or circumspect that a longer, more expensive, or older age demographic group. I haven't seen either activity personally, but then I keep early evening hours, travel off season, and prefer the smaller ships that tend to appeal to a quieter, older group of travelers. These are still of the mainstream cruiselines, but their older smaller ships.

I have read on Cruise Critic of men being solicited on cruises. Very infrequently.

I would expect it more on the short Caribbean booze cruise runs. Less likely on a port intensive Europe cruise, I would think.

Never seen or heard it on any of my 6 cruises.

jdsmithala, I am trying hard to not think you are just playing with us at bit. First it is couple and now a golfing buddy feeding you misinformation. Which is it? The best cruise line just depends on where you are going since not all cruise lines go everywhere. And then there is river cruising that it totally different from ocean. And as CJean pointed out, there are a vast range of cruises ships from size to type of trips and ports of call. For us we like the small to medium size ships and would never get on a mega ships. But we have friends that love mega ships.

For the past ten years or more we have done a lot of back to back cruising in the Caribbean since it is far cheaper than renting a condo in Florida in Jan and Feb. In the Europe we are more concerned with the ports and we tend to combine it will long land trips. And occasionally with take extended cruises where the cruise line links together two or three cruises for a three weeks or more on the same ship.

It all depends on what you want to do and see and we are not hearing much about what you want to do.