Are You A Group Person

[Bazile]

Do you go on coach holidays ?
Do you like cruises ?

Or do you prefer to be in 'control' of what / where you go on holidays

[aelmpvw]

i'd rather stick needles in my eyes than go on a coach trip . . .

[davebro]

I prefer to holiday with small groups (max about 6) where everyone has input & I can just go with the flow.

[Prudie]

Total control for me and I don't want anyone on holiday with me except my husband. Not even family.

[Redhelen72]

I do go on group holiday's with friends but they allow me to organise everything

[pastafreak]

The thought of any kind of group holiday makes me want to find the nearest cave to hide in.

[naomi24]

Nooooo! The thought of being bundled in with a group of strangers is my worst nightmare. Covid had its benefits. It saved me from a cruise - something I had no option but to agree to. Cancelled!! Phew!!

[goodgoalie]

Don't like doing anything mob-handed.

[andy-hughes]

I love cruising, off in two weeks.

Only the destinations are set, interaction is as much or as little as you want, entirely the individual 's choice.

[Sqad]

I agree with A-H......by cruising you can be, do and socialise as much or as little as one prefers.

Cruising......the ultimate holiday......but pick very carefully the ship on which you will spend your holiday.....very imporetant.

[calmck]

Thought I would not like a cruise but went on one. Smallish liner. 750 people, one third singles. Met very interesting people including two who had worked with my ex and one who knew my mother! Dinner seating was assigned according to pre submitted personal details and I met a couple who knew my best friend and her husband. You could be as social as you wanted or not. Cabin service available for all meals. Interesting talks and classes available. Land tours optional. Even had an encounter with a bear!

[andy-hughes]

Some lines have 'set' dining, where you have the same table and set passengers for the whole cruise.

Some do 'Freedom Dining' and you can specify your preferred table size between two and eight, and you are placed by the staff.

A lot of lines offer both.

I prefer 'Freedom' - if you like other diners, you can pair up with them on other nights if you wish.

[Hopkirk]

I absolutely would not go on a cruise ship. Far too many people crammed into one place. Horrible.

[douglas9401]

I always holiday with my group of imaginary friends. Never a cross word or problem.

[New Judge]

//...but pick very carefully the ship on which you will spend your holiday//

That's a start, sqad. But you then need to be able to choose the people with whom you will share your cruise. That's when it gets a bit tricky.

Any sort of group holiday fills me with dread. There are not many people I like and the thought of being incarcerated with loads of people I'd rather not be acquainted with at all is not my idea of heaven. I don't even like hotels but when I do go take a hotel holiday (which is usually restricted to long haul) it must -absolutely must - be adults only. There is no compromise whatsoever on that score as I am not spending eight or nine hours flying to spend a fortnight avoiding badly behaved children (or even well behaved ones for that matter). A nice secluded villa for Mrs NJ and me, our own pool, a stroll into town in the evening for a nice meal and a drink - just the job.

[sandra4444]

Some time back I remember booking into an big hotel just out the blue because I didn't fancy driving back that evening ( seaside resort in the UK).

On booking in around 3pm I was told that they only had one room left, thought it a bit strange because the place looked deserted. Wasn't to bothered about a singing and dancing room, it was for one night.

When I went back at 7pm there was 2 coaches parked outside, inside the dining room was jammed full of oldies.

The next morning I was sitting outside the front of the hotel having coffee, all the oldies came piling out to get on the coaches, once all aboard all the staff of the hotel piled out lining the pavement, waving to them all as the coaches pulled away. What a load of tosh.

I said at the time to my other half, that will never be me thanks.

[youngmafbog]

No
No
Yes

[youngmafbog]

//but pick very carefully the ship on which you will spend your holiday.....//

Yes, I can imagine the cruises you pick ;-)

[jno]

I've often gone on coach holidays, and not with friends either. Having someone else do the driving is an excellent idea. The smaller the group the better, of course, and they need to offer good excursions unless it's a multi-city holiday where I can just explore on my own.

Much the same for cruises - the best one was pootling round the south of France in a converted barge with 12 passengers and four crew.

[New Judge]

//...once all aboard all the staff of the hotel piled out lining the pavement, waving to them all as the coaches pulled away. What a load of tosh.//

It may seem a load of tosh, Sandra, but that large party (and others like it) could be the difference between the hotel staying in business or going to the wall (which, if it had, would mean it would not have been available for your overnighter). The staff may have been wise to that and appreciated the oldies' visit, hoping they would come again.

On a wider note, coach trips suit a lot of older folk, especially those who live alone and who may no longer drive (or perhaps never did). The transport is sorted and they need not worry about booking accommodation, etc. As well as that, many like the company that a coach trip provides. Certainly not for me, but it takes all sorts.

[melv16]

According to Billy Connelly, cruising is like prison with the risk of drowning.