hampshirelad

I find that the "Whats in Port site " gives you a broad brush feel of whats do-able on your own and whats best left to an excursion. Key is where does the ship dock in relation to the town / destination. My wife and I now find in Europe that last time we were in a particular port you just got off the ship and were in the town. Now a bespoke cruise terminal has been built say 5 miles from the town. It pays to do your research. Kirkwall can be done by yourself if you wish. Iceland - students used to do free tours (a donation asked ) around the capital The length of tours varies. They all start early. Travel any distance then they will be 5 hours . Walk and Talk tours will be 3 to 4 hours. Hope that helps https://www.whatsinport.com/Kirkwall-Orkney-Islands-Scotland.htm

When in the Retreat on Celebrity you normally find when in port there is a separate gangway to come back on board. Also when tendering you go to the Retreat lounge and are then escorted to the tender gangway and get priority. Returning by tender you get priority if you are brave enough to walk to the front of the queue .

As a regular M& S shopper . Marks keep the bulk of their stock online so do not think you can just get a DJ for the size you want off the pegg. For those coming from overseas , the only way to be certain is to pre order and pickup at the West Quay store in Southampton not far from the dock. if you have time to spare and the correct size is an issue then order two and immediately return one and get a refund Have just purchased a pair of trousers to match my jacket. Cant tell the difference from the originals

We used to always book the corner sky suites until Celebrity started charging a premium for them . The pole in the middle was no problem and the extra space in the cabin and wrap around balcony was great. However if your are on the deck below the aft cafe you will hear chairs being dragged around especially in the morning. Also you get the auto window washing equipment parked by your balcony. Still the best cabins though

If you have OBC then Book Tuscan Grill. The downside for us is they have not changed the menu for what seems like a generation and do not seem inclined to do so. Best not to overfill on the starters and struggle with the main course. On Silhouette the view is great , but like all things the food is not what is was. The same applies to the menu in Murano . The service has become all theatre and the mains are not what they were. The lobster has become so messed up you wonder what you are eating..

We had a cruise on Infinity November 2023 - Gatwick / Barcelona 10 days . We had one of these £49 flights through the Spanish company Vueling. It was a problem from start to finish. Firstly these are Group booking so you cannot use the locator codes provided on your invoice to confirm your flight. You cannot do online check in , but are told you must check in at the airport. That in itself is enough to make your blood run cold.This means that you turn up at Gatwick on a cold Nov morning expecting the worst and you are not disappointed. Firstly no one at the Vigelen check out will listen to you until they have put your passport on the reader and had no response for at least 10 times and / or finished a private conversation. You are then sent to an unmarked check in and find that you cannot sit together as Celebrity have already booked you two window seats one behind the other. This is deliberate as we had the same seats on the return flight.I can only assume that Celebrity gets a deal on these single window seats as most people travel as a couple and book middle and isle when they see that the window seat is already taken. Online check in is not available again for the return flight, say no more. Be warned !!

Tuscan Grill is a big disappointment on any ship . I do not think they have changed the menu for a generation.I so not understand the thinking in churning out the same menu year after year. Sushi on 5 is always empty ? . They did an Indian meal in S on 5 on Infinity in Nov 23. It was weird when they dressed up to the theme and served Japanese beer with a Madras curry. I have to say that the food was tasty but the taste could have been hotter. However Murano is all theatre these days and every increasing cost.. Le Petit Chef is something you do once or you take the Grandchildren to. I don't suppose we shall ever see "Ocean Liners "again

I will settle for 5.30 pm

Went Barcelona to Barcelona over 12 days with Celebrity 17th November. Wall to wall sunshine every day with temps in the 70's

For the benefit of Victoria2 and exLondoner (DFL) as we say ) The Queens Grill prices for the QV in November are worth a look . From Southampton and down to the Canaries and back 12 days. Looks like everyone wants to book on Queen Anne. Thought I would get my booking done before going viral. Once again many thanks. The booking form looks like we have been cut back to one bottle of spirits ! or 2 bottles of wine

Many thanks very much to both of you for those helpful comments and as we have been on Deck 5 before we will go for that. I think the downside is that its too close to the lifts and last time we spent a lot of time going up and down to the grills and should have spent more time around the ship

A question for anyone who has used these cabins recently Would you take a Q3 on Deck 5 or take one of the Q4 on Deck 7 which are grouped around midships if you had the choice. There seems to be a margin al difference in price on the cruise I am looking at and the Q3's are slightly bigger. Sometimes the layout of the room is better whatever the size. Many thanks

We were on the Infinity late November. We stayed in a suite S1. Having read the previous reports I felt that on first glance the ship was not in bad condition. However major electrical problems resulted in many balcony cabins on deck 7 being flooded. The show could not go ahead one night because the lights were not working properly. Fire doors started closing in a random manner throughout the public areas. I gather there is a safety device so you cannot get decapitated. Celebrity were trying to get those affected to take vouchers , not offering cash refund. I cannot see how you can revolutionise the ship fully. I cannot see where you might find space for a Retreat deck as over the years so many extra cabins have been added and in warm weather on M class ships what is left of the deck space is packed out. One turns over - you all turn over. I expect money will be prioritised on retail areas Probably end up as a hybrid version

Posting to get some up to date information on Queens Grill as our last trip was some years ago. How have standards held up since the pandemic ? Can you still order what you want giving notice where required. Do they flambé at table - jubilee cherries comes to mind. I take it formal night will be as we knew it or is it not quite as dressy as Cunard used to be. Are the Penthouse cabins on deck 7 all the same size and does anyone know what the actual size is rather than a rather opaque range. Must be Cunard's best kept secret. Many thanks

Celebrity has been our main cruise line over 20 years. We have watched the quality go down and perks cut especially after Covid. Last month we went with friends on NCL around Ireland. We had a had a suite which is not full Haven as the ship did not have one. Lunch and Breakfast were taken in one of the special restaurants, which was top class, but the food in the main dining room of an evening was pretty grim. The main strength we found were the staff who went the extra mile for you. However the down side was the noise especially in the dining room where everyone seemed to have to talk louder and louder to make themselves heard. Also there were a shortage of lounges where you could have a pre dinner drink. I think full Haven will give Celebrity suite class real competition, I would not fancy a basic cabin on NCL.