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Welcome to Cruise Monkeys. Here you will find information and blog posts about our cruising experiences and hopefully some tips and tricks for both new and old cruisers. Check About to find out more about us

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cruisemonkeysuk

❤️🚢 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇬🇧🏳️‍🌈
Inspiring adventures | Storytelling & real vlogs | Sharing the joy of cruising | CLIA-registered travel agent
As we approach night 4 of this 8-night cruise, we As we approach night 4 of this 8-night cruise, we thought we’d give a little update!  We boarded QM2 in Brooklyn on Saturday—check-in was very efficient and we were on the ship in no time.  Our boarding passes were scanning as “invalid” once on board, which was a slight mystery at first! It turns out our cabin had been upgraded from a cove balcony to a regular balcony. Since we’d printed our passes before heading to NYC, they had the old info. It was easily sorted; since our key cards were waiting outside our new cabin door, we just collected them and moved in. We also spoke to our cabin steward about our luggage labels being for the old room—he was amazing and organised for them to be redirected straight to us. So far, we’ve mainly eaten in the Britannia restaurant for dinner. We have a table for 2, but it’s nestled between another 2 and a 4... so it feels like a friendly long table of 8! The fellow guests are lovely and we’ve enjoyed some great conversations each night.  The food has been very good with plenty of choice, and the wine service at dinner is spot on—no complaints there! The bars and lounges can be busy at peak times, but other than the Golden Lion at lunchtime, we’ve always managed to find a seat. We did eat in the Golden Lion on boarding day and have also tried Kings Court for breakfast; it can get very busy there, so timing is everything! While there is now a charge for room service, it is still complimentary for breakfast, so we have been making the most of that.  We also booked a spa pass, so we’re enjoying spending an hour or two there each day to relax. The crossing so far has been relatively smooth. We are averaging about 19-20 knots. We were a little worried about the motion, but it’s been fine—we’ve just been taking a tablet before bed as a precaution. We even had some snow on the first couple of days!  We have some internet credit as part of our loyalty status, so we will try to post more over the coming days. #CruiseMonkeys #Cruise #Cunard #cunardline #cunardqueenmary2
It’s cruise day! 🚢✨ After a fabulous 4 nights expl It’s cruise day! 🚢✨ After a fabulous 4 nights exploring the energy of New York City, we’ve officially stepped aboard the Cunard Queen Mary 2 for our 8-night transatlantic crossing! 🗽➡️🇬🇧 We’ve decided to skip the internet package this time, so we’ll be a little quiet on here. We’ll try to hop on and share an update once or twice during the next 8 nights, but otherwise, we’ll see you on the other side of the pond! 🌊🥂 #Cunard #CunardQueenMary2 #Cruise #CruiseMonkeys #NewYork
Our home for the next 8 nights aboard Cunard Queen Our home for the next 8 nights aboard Cunard Queen Mary 2 #Cruise #CruiseMonkeys #CunardLine #CunardQueenMary2
We’ve officially finished our Manhattan marathon, We’ve officially finished our Manhattan marathon, and the numbers (and blisters) tell the story! Our final four days on land were a whirlwind: Day 1: 19,915 steps Day 2: 19,516 steps Day 3: 25,238 steps Yesterday: 24,957 steps Subway: 5 trains taken That’s nearly 90,000 steps in just four days! Our final full day was a perfect mix of history and local charm. We started in Chinatown, soaking in the atmosphere while hunting for magnets and bodega snacks. From there, we hopped on the subway to Grand Central Station to marvel at that iconic celestial ceiling before heading up to the Top of the Rock (General admission was $97.98/£73 for both of us) for one last look at the skyline from above. We briefly touched Central Park - a place you could easily spend days exploring alone - before heading over to the West Side on the subway. It was incredibly moving to stand at Pier 54 (by Little Island), the historic spot where the Carpathia brought the Titanic survivors to land in 1912. We finished our walking tour with the High Line and the Vessel. The highlight of the entire afternoon was our meetup at Jack Doyle’s. It was an absolute pleasure to meet Tommy, a member here who fell in love with New York and made it his home. We spent a fantastic couple of hours together - the perfect chance to share a few beers and give our tired feet a well-earned rest while learning more about New York from a local! 🍻 After we departed Jack Doyle’s, we went for a wander around Macy’s before heading to The Liberty (the local Welsh hub). We then took the subway back to the area our hotel is in and not ready to end the night, found a brilliant hidden gem called The Little Shop doen by the Sea Port area, it’s a speakeasy tucked behind a bodega. A late-night slice of NYC pizza on the way home was the only way to finish it off. 🍕🍸 Now, the bags are packed and we’re heading to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal to board the Queen Mary 2. Next stop: the Atlantic! 🚢⚓️ We hope you have enjoyed these updates from our 4 nights in New York - it’s been an absolute blast and we know we will be back one day! #CruiseMonkeys #Cruise #NYC #NewYork #manhattan
We started yesterday with a trip to a local bodega We started yesterday with a trip to a local bodega for a bacon and cheese roll - the ultimate hangover cure. Suitably fueled, we headed over to battery park for our trip to the Statue of Liberty. In September we snapped up two tickets for the crown (about $27pp) so we actually climbed all the way up to the Crown! It’s a tight squeeze and a lot of stairs, but the view and the perspective from inside such an icon are incredible. On the way back, we wandered through the Seaport area and grabbed a late lunch to refuel before heading back to the hotel for a quick breather. Refreshed, we braved our very first NYC Subway ride to head uptown for an evening of sightseeing. This included: A walk through the beautiful Bryant Park Christmas Markets Explored the bright lights and total chaos of Times Square. Saw the tree and the rink at Rockefeller Center. Caught the stunning light display at Saks on 5th Avenue. We didn’t sit down for dinner until very late at Connolly’s bar, and by the time we made our way back to the hotel via the subway, we were absolutely shattered. We ended the day having clocked up 25,000 steps! Today’s plan is to head back to do Top of the Rock, explore Central Park and lots more. There is just so much to do and never enough time! Finally, a huge thanks for all the messages and comments on our posts! #CruiseMonkeys #NYC #Cruise #NewYork #statueofliberty
Tomorrow we’re off on an 8‑night transatlantic cro Tomorrow we’re off on an 8‑night transatlantic crossing aboard Cunard’s Queen Mary 2! If there’s anything you’re curious about like food, cabins, entertainment, sea days, the whole lot - pop your questions in the comments and we’ll take a closer look for you. #Cruise #CruiseMonkeys #CunardLine #cunardqueenmary2
Yesterday was all about exploring Lower Manhattan Yesterday was all about exploring Lower Manhattan before seeing in the New Year on the water. We started the day at the 9/11 Memorial Pools. It’s hard to put into words the scale of it- the waterfalls are massive and the atmosphere is so incredibly moving.  From there, we stepped into the Oculus, which is just a great piece of architecture (looks like a rib cage) We wandered through to the Winter Garden to see the palm trees indoors. After a few calls home, we then took a cold but beautiful past the Raging Bull and through Battery Park - the ticket touts here were relentless, so lots of “no thank yous” later we were in the park! Never but tickets from those on the street. If you want to see the Statue of Liberty, book ahead on the official website and if you want to take the Staten Island Ferry, that’s free!  Next up was some cheesecake - you can’t come to New York and not try!  Then we headed to the White Horse Tavern, where we’d been the night before. We love it there. It’s got such a great vibe, and it was the perfect spot to warm up and tuck into a few drinks before our big night out. On the way we went past the Trinity Church, which looked amazing! We also walked past the New York Stock Exchange on the way back to our hotel. The main event was the Grande Mariner NYE cruise.  Now, I’ll be honest - the food was pants - warm chicken and rice isn’t something we’d like to eat so we left our food, but the drinks were free-flowing and the atmosphere was great. A open bar was included in the £170pp fare 🍻 The highlight? Being right there on the water as the clock struck midnight. We had a front-row seat for the fireworks and a view of the Statue of Liberty. At the end of the day, the food didn’t matter - the important thing was that we were together and enjoyed every minute of the countdown, but we’d definitely say this is one to avoid! So that ends another 20,000 step day! Happy New Year everyone! Now for a recovery morning before we head back down to Battery Park and over to the Statue of Liberty! #cruisemonkeys #newyork #cruise #travel #NYE2026
We just wanted to take a moment to say a huge than We just wanted to take a moment to say a huge thank you for all your support this year. Wishing you a very Happy New Year - we hope it’s a fantastic one! Luke, Gav & Honey x #Cruise #CruiseMonkeys #HappyNewYear #NYC #NewYork
NYC Update! After a brutal 4am alarm yesterday, we NYC Update! After a brutal 4am alarm yesterday, we were at the airport by 5:15. We couldn’t check in online and hadn’t reserved seats (BA wanted £150 for that!), so we fully expected to be split up. We think the check‑in issue was because we only had a one‑way ticket, so we had to show proof of our cruise out of the USA. Then came the surprise — we’d been upgraded from economy to the next level. Extra leg room… yes please! The flight was mostly smooth and once we landed, we were straight through security and into a yellow taxi. We’d been warned about the taxi touts, so we ignored them as they tried to get us to go with them. We’re staying at the Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites New York Manhattan/Downtown East After checking in, we crashed for an hour — absolutely needed. Once we resurfaced, we walked down to the Brooklyn Bridge (our hotel is right by the Manhattan Bridge), wandered over to DUMBO, and grabbed a couple of pints and some food in TimeOut Market 😋 We then walked to the Financial District to see the Charging Bull. We didn’t queue for the classic photo under its 🥜 … far too cold for that! A quick stop in the White Horse Tavern was needed to warm up (with the wind chill it felt like -8) and then back to the hotel for an early night. Honestly, we’ve achieved more than we expected for day one - a solid start! #cruisemonkeys #newyork #cruise #travel
We’ve finally made it to the Thistle Heathrow — pi We’ve finally made it to the Thistle Heathrow — pint in hand and food on the way! It’s been a long travel day. Our 5‑hour journey to Southampton turned into 7 after we got stuck on the motorway because of an accident and fire (not us!). We ended up missing our bus from Southampton to Heathrow, but thankfully the ticket was flexible, so we managed to make the next one! For now, we’re going to eat, collapse into bed, and brace ourselves for that 4am alarm. Then it’s time to head to the big Apple! #CruiseMonkeys #Holiday #vacation #arewethereyet
Stuck in full-on Crimbo Limbo and need something “ Stuck in full-on Crimbo Limbo and need something “lovely” to watch while you avoid the Quality Street tin? Our latest (and final!) Star Princess vlog is now live – featuring our dining experience at Love by Britto. How many ❤️ will you spot?! Grab a brew, polish off that last mince pie, and sail away with us for half an hour of festive escapism. #cruisemonkeys #princesscruises #starprincess #cruise #crimbolimbo
Tonight at 7pm: our final Star Princess vlog - and Tonight at 7pm: our final Star Princess vlog - and it’s a “lovely” one. Swipe for a taster! We’re trying Love by Britto for the first time, sharing the dishes, the vibes, and our honest verdict - did we love it? Love by Britto is a vibrant, art-themed specialty restaurant by Princess Cruises, available of Star Princess and Sun Princess. It’s a collaboration with pop artist Romero Britto and @sodaminrudi Search Cruise Monkeys on YouTube and hit subscribe! #CruiseMonkeys #PrincessCruises #StarPrincess #LoveByBritto foodie @princesscruises @princessukeumedia
Did Santa leave a cruise under your tree? 🎄 🎅 #C Did Santa leave a cruise under your tree? 🎄 🎅 #Christmas #Santa #Cruise
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from us to Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from us to you! 🎄 Hope your day is filled with joy and plenty of festive chaos. We’ll be back in Twixmas with our final Star Princess vlog and our New York and QM2 adventure. Have a fabulous day, everyone! 🥰 #CruiseMonkeys #Cruise #christmas #merrychristmas
Guess the ship 🤣 #Cunard #CunardQueenVictoria #C Guess the ship 🤣 #Cunard #CunardQueenVictoria #Cruise #CruiseMonkeys
The out of office is now on for the Cruise Monkeys The out of office is now on for the Cruise Monkeys Travel Team! Opening times below 👇 #CruiseMonkeysTravel #Cruise
On last night’s live, we were chatting about our l On last night’s live, we were chatting about our last Miami‑based cruise and one of the best excursions we did - the disembarkation Everglades tour. We booked it onboard, and on disembarkation day we met in a lounge before being taken ashore. After collecting our cases, they were loaded straight onto the bus for us. Then off we went on our alligator‑spotting adventure - a brilliant few hours! Afterwards, the bus dropped us right at the airport. If you’re doing a cruise out of Miami or Fort Lauderdale, we highly recommend doing something like this. It’s a great way to squeeze in a bit of extra fun before heading home! #Cruise #MiamiCruise #EvergladesTour #cruiseMonkeys #TravelTips
Let’s wrap up the year together - mulled wine in h Let’s wrap up the year together - mulled wine in hand and cruise chat at the ready! Join us at 7pm tomorrow (Sunday 21st) on YouTube. We’ll be sharing highlights from the year, chatting about our next adventure, and answering your questions live. It’s the perfect festive send-off! #Cruise #CruiseMonkeys #Christmas #Youtube
What a wonderful gift from the team at Fred. Olsen What a wonderful gift from the team at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines! We think the bauble looks perfect on our tree 😍 Thank you 🤩 #Christmas #bauble #Cruise #CruiseMonkeys #FredOlsenCruiseLines
Happy Friday! 🥳 Friday cheesy drink‑in‑hand photo? Happy Friday! 🥳 Friday cheesy drink‑in‑hand photo? Absolutely. This was during dinner at Catch by Rudi onboard Princess Cruises’ Star Princess, and you can catch the whole thing in tonight’s vlog at 7pm on Cruise Monkeys on YouTube! What are your weekend plans? #StarPrincess #Cruise #PrincessCruises #friyay #friday
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