John Bull

Agreed, and makes it difficult-to-read. If poor eyesight is the reason for using caps., instead try lower case but in a bigger font-size and/or in bold face Much more user-friendly JB 🙂

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic, @mom says started with "I believe you are hunting unicorns." but then goes on to suggest an answer - an answer which I rate as the best option, altho there are a few caveats.🙂 At the end of a summer season in Europe, many ships re-locate to bases in places like the Caribbean or Florida. And at the end of that winter season they re-locate to places like Europe. These are called re-positioning cruises. And they are bargain cruises because the ship has to sail in order to re-position. Many of them including some P & O and Marella, and US ships which spend their summer in Southampton relocate from or to Southampton altho the US ships generally re-locate to Florida or San Juan. P&O and Marella - and perhaps Fred Olsen and others - include a one-way transfer and flight as a package with the cruise. That's one caveat - unless Mum stays in the Caribbean for the entire winter (she wishes 😄), it will involve her taking one flight. Because fly-cruise flights to the Caribbean are daytime, and it's best if you fly with Mum, probably Autumn is the best time - you and Mum both book for the last 15-day Caribbean cruise of the season, then you fly back at the end of that cruise while Mum stays on the ship as a back-to-back second cruise for another 5 to 7 days in the Caribbean before returning to Southampton on the ship (second caveat - it will probably include one or more repeat Caribbean islands) . That way round also means that by the time you & Mum part company she'll know her way round the ship and the crew and the routines and she'll have made friends with some doing the same b2b cruise. Your fly-cruise will be 15 days, hers will be about 28 days. All three flights will be on P&O chartered flights and with the same super-easy transfers that you've done on your previous cruises. Third caveat is that I don't think there are any single cabins on P&O ships, so Mum's cruise back to Southampton will be subject to a single-person surcharge Marella do much the same thing, one minor inconvenience is that their chartered aircraft includes clients on hotel-based holidays as well as cruisers so you don't get to avoid airport formalities when you arrive. Marella ships are older, but smaller than ships on P&O's Caribbean cruises and they're very friendly ships. Ships of other cruise lines do much the same thing, but - most re-position between mainland Europe and the Caribbean - that brings in a different passenger mix and language problems as well as an extra flight.. - even re-positioning to or from a UK port you'd probably have to arrange your own flights & transfers, and you'll have to be off the ship by about 9.30am on your last day - no fun when you've got an evening flight home. There are 21-day no-fly P&O Caribbean cruises out of Southampton throughout the winter, but most days are sea-days and only half-a-dozen Caribbean ports. I suggest you check the web-sites of UK cruise-specialist travel agents. We're not permitted to name them on Cruise Critic, but googling will lead you to half-a-dozen or more well-established UK specialists. Then phone them. They know their stuff and can sort out suitable options. They can also point out the various pros & cons. Once you've figured the best bet, don't be afraid to barter. Can they add in airport parking? A cabin up-grade ? A discount on the one-way cruise? When you've figured the best deal, go back to the agent that you found most helpful and ask them to match that deal. But if they can't quite match it, go with them anyway - a good agent is worth their weight. I wish you happy huntin' JB 🙂

Yep - itinerary is top of the list for us too. But a lot - especially those on short cruises such as the Caribbean from the US - book a "resort ship" & won't even get off the ship at many ports, and they're the target market of the over-sized leviathans with all the whistles & bells of a resort hotel. Each to their own. We cruise for the destinations, and whilst other factors play a part only the depth of our pockets has a significant influence on our choices. Our best cruise ever was 28 days in SE Asia on a very very old & tired ship with little entertainment, a pool about 15ft x 12 ft, no casino, no speciality dining, no TV other than a rolling movie DVD each day, no balcony cabins. No en-suite - just a bucket in the corner. No beds - just hammocks. * Yes, the risk of a ship not making every port. But the few that we've missed have been mainly in the Caribbean and weather-related. JB 🙂 * Please be aware that I have a tendency to exaggerate.

Yes, winds affect large ships far more than small ships. Like a big sail instead of a small sail. It was a factor in the Evergreen container ship blocking the Suez Canal a little while back. Our captain on Azura aborted two attempts to enter St John's, Antigua because of high and variable winds, not a problem for a much smaller ship that day. Bigger ships also have a deeper draught, so wind or currents or other factors which take a ship off a narrow channel can mean touching bottom. JB 🙂

You said that "My understanding is as a Non EU citizen departing a Third Country we are not subject to Schengen days" and I correctly told you that yes, you are subject to the 90 day rule. Yet it appears that you were already aware of that 🙄 It would have helped if you'd mentioned at the outset that you've spent - or by then will have spent - 90 days in Schengen in the preceding 12 months.🙄. Now you want to know whether this trip or that trip or the other trip can be counted as "in transit" . Is that grabbing at straws? I don't believe that either Madeira or especially Amsterdam (UK to Amsterdam to UK ??????) would be counted as "in transit" but on that matter you need advice from someone more knowledgeable than me, and I wouldn't have responded to your question in the first place. JB 😡

Yes. But you've mentioned only a port of call on Madeira and a 7-day cruise out of Malta. So how will a cruise from UK to Schengen countries & back to UK last for about 3 months ? 😕 JB 🙂

British passport-holders don't need a Schengen visa as long as it's not for stays totalling more than 90 days in a year 🙂 JB 🙂

For a port-of-call visit to Rome, by train from Civitavecchia is pretty simple - free port shuttle to port gate, payable (pennies) bus from port gate the train station, cheap return tickets for the over-subscribed direct regional trains with the options of getting off at Roma S Pietro (for Vatican) or Roma Ostiense (for Circo Massimo, the Colosseum, the Forum etc ) or at Roma Termini station. But this isn't a port-of-call for you. You'd have luggage on two buses, luggage on a train packed with cruisers, and then have to get from station to hotel. A private trnsfer is what you need. https://www.romeinlimo.com/ is highly rated by Cruise Critic members Dubrovnik The port is a couple of miles from the walled city, you'll need transportation. There's a local bus service (sorry, don't know the details) or ship's over-priced shuttle service to Pila Gate, the most convenient entrance to the walled city ("over-priced" shuttle bus but it's easy and the price difference is small-beer). Last time we negotiated a taxi at the ship's berth to the cablecar station at the top of Mount Srd, had a couple of beers or coffees with a panoramic view, then bought one-way cablecar tickets down to the walled city. Years back we "walked the walls" - highly recommended. No need for a tour - just transport from & to the ship. But the city gets pretty crowded. Croatia's currency is now the Euro. Kotor. You might be berthed at the pier or tendered - tenders go to the cruise pier. It's 100 yards via an underpass under the main road) to the historic town centre. Very pleasant. Consider a boat trip to Our Lady of the Rocks or hop-on bus to Perast - tickets sold on the pier or in the underpass. No need for a tour. The sail-in is glorious. Or if you're as lazy as us, the sail-out is the same. Corfu. Simplest & cheapest is the frequent local bus from port gate to the town centre (about 10 minutes). Two castles (strictly-speaking I think its a castle & a fort), shops, bars etc. Probably the best of your ports for shopping. There's more to Corfu than the town, but you'd need a tour or rented car. JB 🙂

Hi, & welcome. I see you've already found the Ports-of-Call boards on Cruise Critic. There's stax of info already on those boards. For each destination, go to the appropriate board (let's say Italy), and in the little "search" box (right-hand end of the blue banner) type in the name of the port or city (let's say Rome). Leave "this forum" as it is, and click on the little spyglass at the end of the search box. Give the magic a few seconds to work and you'll end up with all the posts on that board which mention Rome https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=Rome&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=464 Do the same with the other destinations. Gotta go out now, others will chime in & I'll put in my four eggs later JB🙂

No contest. Brussels is a modern commercial city, home pf the EU administration and associated offices & businesses. It has few sights of interest and they're spread around the city. It's also a very boring 70 miles & about 2 hours from the port by road or by rail. Bruges is about 6 miles & 15/20 minutes from the port. Known for its canals as "the Venice of the North" (altho that's a big over-statement), it was for many centuries a major port for wool, lace etc until ships got bigger and the river silted up. Historic buildings, cobbled streets, shops for chocolate, lace & other local products, bars & cafes & attractions, all in a compact city centre. It's understandably where most cruisers visit, altho there are other options like Ostend, the Atlantik Wall, seaside resorts, and Sluis (actually in the Netherlands). I'd put all of those places & more ahead of Brussels JB 🙂

Yes, sadly CC members' favourite Smiths was a casualty of the pandemic. These have been recommended frequently on Cruise Critic https://westquaycars.com/ https://www.aquacars.co.uk/ (as @Crown Vic's post) https://gunwharf-executive-travel.co.uk/ All three are based at the Southampton end https://www.blackberrycars.com/ Based at the London end. JB 🙂

Not entirely true - I understand that under US contracts the cruise line has a free hand to change itineraries at will, but the OP is in Scotland, and presuming that he booked from the UK or in the EU the contract is subject to much stronger consumer protection laws. If a cruise line chooses - of its own free will or for reasons within its control - to make significant changes to the itinerary or any other major changes it is in breach of UK and EU (and I think Aus.) contracts, and would have to refund, recompense, cover costs etc. I had reason to challenge a missed port of call due to a mechanical issue which meant that shortly after leaving a port the ship had to turn back because of a faulty generator and we spent the next day in that port waiting for a spare part to be flown out. The cruise line gave meagre comp. Maintenance is within a cruise line's control, and I felt it worth significantly more. It never reached a Court of Law because the cruise line buckled under the threat of court action. Check your contract with the cruise line - if you can find the equiv. US contract you'll see the differences. Things like the weather, industrial action, or civil unrest aren't within the cruise line's control, but there are no troubles in Mediterranean Egypt, or in Istanbul or areas like Antalya where cruise ships visit, and no governments (US or UK or EU or most others) currently advise against travel to those places - but of course if that changes for the worse it becomes something beyond the control of the cruise line. I do agree with @1025cruise that it's risky to rely on making a particular port because there are so many reasons why a ship can fail to make that port. BTW Istanbul is worth waaaaay more than a one day port of call. And not that difficult or expensive to fly there for a few days JB 🙂

Just a note of caution ................ The Piraeus to Athens ho-ho bus goes via the Acropolis entrance. But unless it's been changed in the last few years, the "Athens on your own" transfer bus (Royal Caribbean, perhaps others) drops everyone at Syntagma Square, by the Parliament building - a 15 min walk to the Acropolis entrance. Somewhere there's an elevator. It's only for those unable to walk up, and I don't know its location. Worth researching if its important to you. JB 🙂

About 1 1/4 miles, 25 minutes as Gumshoe's post. But only one major road to cross, and you have the choice of a number of sets of traffic lights to help you to cross it. All on level ground, sidewalks all the way. No worries for most folk - unless it's a wet day https://maps.app.goo.gl/Lps2AocMFzqmoxgK9 JB 🙂

https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_accommodation.htm Those are almost-all of the Southampton city centre hotels. Most are modern, some are historic. Some expensive, some not. Most full-service, some with just basic facilities. But you get what you pay for, and there are none that I would caution against - except the Mercure Dolphin whose future in uncertain. See the little thumbnail map at the bottom of that page. With luggage you'd need a short taxi hop to Mayflower terminal (red A on that map), so any hotel is as convenient as any another. Ocean terminal (red D) is walkable even with luggage from hotels blue 8 & 15, mebbe 4, 5, 6, 7 & 14.. Most convenient hotels for the city centre, old town, waterfront, pubs, restaurants etc are Blue 4 Premier Inn West Quay , Premier Inns are the UK's biggest & best budget chain, the West Quay one is popular with cruisers Blue 5 Holiday Inn Herbert Walker Ave is particularly popular with those sailing out of City cruise terminal, which is directly behind the hotel. Beware - the city's two Holiday Inn Express's are way out on the city limits, very inconvenient., Blue 6 Leonardo Royal. Don't confuse with the Leonardo, which is a little inconvenient and in the centre of a traffic gyratory. Blue 7, Pig in the Wall is a quirky boutique hotel, set in the old city's wall. Blue 8 Ennios is another boutique, in a former brick warehouse over the owner's Italian restaurant of the same name. Blue 16 Moxy, next door to P.I.West Quay, is a quirky recently-opened Marriott brand, rapidly becoming popular with cruisers. JB 🙂