showingdiva

Which is definitely the case in the hospital I work in. One entire ward closed and another isolating with influenza A. Covid also on the rise, but in that case, mainly an incidental finding rather than the primary reason for admission.

The three names that keep cropping up on the speculation list across the web are Costa Magica, Costa Fortuna and AIDAaura

I boarded QM2 a few days after. Captain Hashmi made it very clear that the ship was in mourning, flags were at half mast, a book of condolence was available to sign and there would be a very quiet sail away from both Southampton and Rotterdam.

Ferries don't go into Edinburgh or Rosyth or anywhere else in the Firth of Forth. Haven't for years since the DFDS freight route closed following a fire on the ship. Two of P&O Cruises' Britannia cruises are now re-scheduled to call there in 2023. There may be others in due course.

Current train fare from Dalmeny (South Queensferry) to Edinburgh is £5.10 off peak return. These steps are daunting to a lot of cruise passengers though. Having done a couple of shifts at the anchorage, when standing on the pier and pointing to the height of the bridge above. That said, South Queensferry itself - to anyone on any of these rescheduled P&O cruises, South Queensferry itself is a lovely place to wander around, enjoy the views, do a bit of independent shopping and perhaps an ice cream. But the (at least) one cruise going to Newhaven Harbour ... well, I'm biased when it comes to ports and look forward to greeting Britannia's passengers when she arrives.

This is the X99 Cruiselink bus from Hawes Pier at South Queensferry into South St David Street in Edinburgh (between St Andrew Square and Princes Street). This year's price was £10 day return ticket (contactless). Saves the >100 steps up to the station.

We have two ports and two anchorages in the Firth of Forth. The berths - Leith (Edinburgh) is restricted to what we now know as "boutique" ships, the locks and the need for tugs there restricts any type of ship to around 50,000t and what can fit through the lock gates. On exiting the lock gates into the Western Harbour there is also quite a tight S-bend turn onto the berth at the cruise terminal. The berth at Leith is around 3 miles from the city centre, and (hopefully) soon to be on the tram network. Rosyth (Fife) is a bit easier to negotiate onto the berth there (usually just a bit of a shove from a tug) ... but, again is restricted, this time by the air draft under the bridges (the original road bridge in particular) to allow them to limbo under (the Firth of Forth is tidal). Once in Rosyth, because it's a working port and a naval dockyard, transport to either Inverkeithing to the station for a link to Edinburgh or into Dunfermline, as an alternative for those who have done Edinburgh many times before. Rosyth is around 15 miles from Edinburgh. The anchorages - Newhaven - is a short distance from the main port in Leith. Originally a fishing harbour, cruise passengers are tendered into it (around 25 minutes) to connect with their tour buses and local buses into Edinburgh. The hop on/ off also stops at the harbour. Like Leith, it's around 3 miles to the centre of Edinburgh. South Queensferry - under the Forth Bridge and adjacent to the Hound Point oil terminal. Cruise ships require a tug to hold on to them there due to the proximity to the oil terminal. Train from Dalmeny Station (up a lot of steps!) and buses into Edinburgh, which is approximately 9 miles away. All large modern ships are at one of the anchorages. Each cruise company has its favourites - Princess and Holland America favour South Queensferry, whereas Viking, Norwegian and Regent Seven Seas favour Newhaven. Both anchorages benefit from our two local excursion vessels, Forth Belle and Maid of the Forth, which help transfer passengers at around double the capacity of a tender. Of the list I've seen so far (I work with cruise ships at Leith and Newhaven), Britannia is going once to South Queensferry and once to Newhaven (the logistics likely due to other ships having booked the anchorage first).

Fred have put Braemar up to sale, which has been laid up for some time (in view of my kitchen window) in Fife since she returned to the UK at the beginning of the pandemic.

I was on QM2 in September (a multi-postponed short cruise that had started life in 2019 as a B2B with another ship). On the first full day, Captain Hashmi did make an (friendly, but firm) announcement to say that he would like passengers to consider wearing masks when moving throughout the ship, and there was a notable increase in doing so from the previous day's embarkation. I personally continue to wear masks on ships, trains, supermarkets etc, mainly because it's a habit I'm still in at work (hospital A&E). We're getting there, but quite fully there yet. I will have everything crossed that QM2, the ship's company and her passengers have a successful world cruise.

Very true. Thankfully, a well known British chemist chain sell two sizes of anti-viral foam with an alcohol-free content.

You won't be able to carry on lactose free milk on board, as even on a no-fly from Southampton, MSC do not allow you to carry on any liquid (although intermittently some people have been successful). I'm sure your cabin steward will be able to supply some soya milk for the fridge. The Hola! Mexican restaurant is great. There's a supplement of £17pp (last time I was on board) for all you can eat is well worth the money. As said above, the ship is cashless.

If able, use your elbow. Not many people can touch their faces with them afterwards.

I can only base my experience on the theatre group on MSC Virtuosa out of the UK. Don't get me wrong, they are an enthusiastic and talented group of young performers, but the shows themselves are a bit, well ... odd. They go off on a tangent from their title, and some of the costumes don't match the theme. My interpretation is that the shows were created for a different market, then slightly adapted when Virtuosa was deployed to the UK instead of the market she was originally destined for. Thus, the British audience are a bit confused by them.

Great pizza, great pasta, amazing panna cotta. Plentiful cheese and bread. You won't starve.

The last time I was on a booked excursion to Bruges (not MSC) the bus park at Bargeplein is around a 20 minute walk into the centre. I would doubt there are any other much closer. For those independent passengers, MSC will have to take you somewhere. When you dock in Zeebrugge, you can't get off a ship and wander around the port. At the very least, you will be taken on a bus a couple of minute ride to the customs terminal (nice little souvenir shop too). Bruges is 17km from the port. If there is no MSC shuttle to Blankenberge station, the tram stop at the port of Zeebrugge-kerk will take you into Blankenberge in around 15 minutes. Apologies for being a bit vague about a MSC shuttle bus, I was in Zeebrugge / Blankenberge a few weeks ago, but it was on Queen Mary 2.

If it's an excursion, that is different from the shuttle bus. Bruges is a bit of a weird one, in that irrespective of the cruise line, the bus park in Bruges itself is a bit far out from the centre which is largely pedestrianised, even for those on excursions. Some cruise lines operate shuttle buses to the nearby town of Blankenberge (which in itself is lovely .. nice beach, all the chocolate shops Bruges has etc) to the railway station, so anyone wishing to go to Bruges can do by train. If you are on a ship booked excursion, you will be asked to meet somewhere on the ship, usually a theatre or bar, given an excursion bus number, which will correlate to the number on a bus shore side.

Sorry you are having such a terrible time on Virtuosa - and I hope the medivac'ed passenger is in the best place for help. Your experience of the ship doesn't echo either my two cruises on board her at much quieter times. Although personally not a fan of children in any setting - you have managed to find yourself slap bang in the middle of English mid-term holidays this week, last week was the Scottish ones, and next week the Welsh ones - it would have sent me running. That said, I will concede that Virtuosa was clearly built with families in mind. You only have to look at the two top decks. On the plus side, I'm glad you enjoyed Hola!. The food is lovely, and my favourite venue.

This time of year in the UK is always busy for cruises .. people wanting to catch some sun before winter .. and last week was half term in Scotland for a lot of schools, and it's this week in England.

Have they changed the muster drills? Up to when I was last on board at the end of May, you watched the drill in the cabin, phoned, then made way to the muster station to have the card scanned.

I hope everything gets repaired quickly and both crew and passengers are all okay. You're not the first not to enjoy Indochine. Have you tried Hola!? The all you can eat is great value, and if there's something you don't like, easy to order something else.

Southampton departure 6pm (maybe, because she's rarely away on time) Hamburg (27th) 7am - 7pm The rest seems to still be a random mystery of early mornings and early evenings.

I seem to recall last time, the chocolate appeared mid week, but maybe ask, as I had to for my new tier pin on Queen Mary 2 a few weeks ago. Which restaurant have you booked?

Hold on to that thought .... Scotland is remarkably sunny today! I won't admit to it being very tropical though.

I'm neither a bad nor nervous traveler, but as a solo QM2 traveler for a central location, have had a sheltered mid-ships balcony, which I liked as not a sun worshiper. However, as far as the Deck 3L single cabins are concerned, I would - and do - whatever possible for one of these.

I didn't realise you were back on board Virtuosa so soon. I was originally booked on this one too, but changed when it was announced she was staying in 2023, so had longer to fit in my next cruise(s). Have a fantastic time, enjoy another few Daiquiri Zeros in between the medicinal champagne.