w22nuschler This is the first Carry On film of the bunch that I give a 10 out of 10. There are only three regulars in the film, but that gives them more screen time. Sid James plays the captain and he is the best as usual. He looks good in the uniform and he is funny. Kenneth Williams play the first mate and he does one of his best jobs in the role. Kenneth Conner plays the doctor in love with Dilys Laye. Dilys Laye is a gorgeous blond with a knockout body. This is her first of four outings in the Carry on films. She is my third favorite female lead of the series. Jackie Piper and Angela Douglas. Dilys Laye is out to land a husband and she falls for the Captain. He wants no part of it and tries to get rid of her. She has a couple of scenes wearing a pink bikini and she looks fetching. She also has a short scene posing for a picture in a harem outfit. Very nice looking woman. There are plenty of funny gags that go wrong and the captain is usually in the middle. Near the end, Kenneth Conner tells Dilys that he loves her and she says she is willing to give the relationship a try. I really enjoyed this film. This is what makes most of the Carry On's so good. They have that kind of humor that other movies do not. There is not a lot of innuendo in the film which is also a plus.

Jackson Booth-Millard I have to be completely honest in saying first that I fell asleep somewhere in the middle, so I cannot give a full opinion about the film until I see it in full. Basically The SS Happy Wanderer is ready to set sail, but Captain Wellington Crowther (Sid James) has only just found out that loads of staff members have been replaced at such short notice. New members include First Officer Leonard Marjoribanks (Kenneth Williams), Doctor Arthur Binn (Kenneth Connor, cook Wilfred Haines (Lance Percival) and barman Sam Turner (Jimmy Thompson), so the Captain not only has to put up with their incompetence, but the passengers aboard turn out to have strange qualities too. Also starring Liz Fraser as Glad Trimble, Dilys Laye as Florence 'Flo' Castle, Esma Cannon as Bridget Madderley, Ronnie Stevens as Drunk Passenger, Vincent Ball as Jenkins and Cyril Chamberlain as steward Tom Tree. That's pretty much all can say about the film until I see it again in full, but I will say it has only three regulars, all male, but where are Charles Hawtrey, Jim Dale, Hattie Jacques, Barbara Windsor and Joans Sims when you want them? Okay!

ianlouisiana There was always a whiff of the subversive about the "Carry On" series. Despite the overt sexism and the appallingly non - PC gags which pervade the canon,there is a seam of feminism running throughout that is often overlooked.Few men ever bested Hattie Jacques.The formidable Joan Sims was an opponent worthy of any man's steel.And Barbara Windsor?She seldom got her kit off except on her own terms and with a giggle that let the audience know exactly who was in charge.This seam is effortlessly mined by Miss Dilys Laye,Miss Liz Fraser and the great Miss Esma Cannon in "Carry on Cruising".These women triumph over the bluster of Mr Sid James,the whinnying of Mr Kenneth Williams and the "Phaw" - ing of Mr Kenneth Connor.Brave to be blonded up in competition with Miss Fraser,Miss Laye makes a big impression on her "Carry On" debut.She is not afraid to be aggressive in her pursuit of Mr James(well,it is only a movie..)and her stroppy drunk act is just fine. The more experienced Miss Fraser is nicely disdainful and Miss Cannon gives full vent to her eccentric skills in the finest big screen exposition of her demented spinster persona. With a touch of "The Caine Mutiny" thrown in,there is much enjoyment to be had from "Carry on Cruising",from Kenneth Williams' delusions of grandeur to Kenneth Connors' delusions of adequacy.And,once again,as so often,the girls end up on top.

MARIO GAUCI With a story by "Carry On" alumnus Eric Barker, this is a fairly weak entry in the series – and, as I said with respect to ANTS IN THE PANTRY (1936; The Three Stooges short which preceded it), going through a succession of films featuring the same actors, one becomes rather weary of the repetition. In this case, it's the characterization of individual members which hardly changes from one outing to the next (particularly at this early stage in the series, when the style of comedy more or less followed established rules rather than going all the way for double entendres and general tastelessness)! For instance, Sid James is once again the flustered authority figure who has to mould his underlings – these are forever eager but incompetent, led by know-it-all Kenneth Williams and nervous Kenneth Connor (who, invariably, is given a hesitant romantic attachment); their effeminate usual cohort, Charles Hawtrey, is absent here but his replacement is the resistibly goofy Lance Percival as the new chef on James' ship. In fact, what drowns the film (pardon the pun) is the latter's schtick – as well as the presence of diminutive and dotty old lady Esma Cannon (also seen in CARRY ON REGARDLESS [1961] and CARRY ON CABBY [1963]). It doesn't help, then, that the most prominent actresses during this early phase of the "Carry Ons" – Hattie Jacques and Joan Sims – are also missing from this one…though it must be said that the two young female leads (Liz Fraser – also from REGARDLESS and CABBY – and Dilys Laye, who proves to be a surprisingly adept comedienne) are highly appealing.Incidentally, this was the first film in the series to be shot in color and, as such, has added curiosity value – even if the overall quality isn't really up to the usual standards.