edinburgher

If the route has been on very challenging roads, (and there are lots of them out there) we always tip the driver in appreciation of his driving skills- and our safe return!. Tipping the guide depends on quality of the guiding, but usually less than we tip the driver as he is more important to us.

Not a question most Brits would ask as the price quoted on the day we book is just that--the price. The cost may increase after that but we do not pay any extra, the downside being that if the price goes down, it would be unusual to receive anything by way of recompense, not even an upgrade or OBC. Obviously we would be interested to know if any fellow Brits ever received anything following a price drop-(and the cruise line or agent used if CC allows that).

I get the impression that most, if not all, lines are experiencing teething problems across different areas of the ships, but especially in the Food and beverage Departments. And "new to cruising" staff are also mentioned quite often. I guess everyone has to start somewhere. Must admit though, that new chefs were not the first staff members to spring to mind until I read the above posts, especially as they work in larger teams than wait staff or room stewards and timing is much more important in food prep. It may have been that their initial training was reduced in length in the hurry to get them onboard ships which were due to sail, with a certain amount of "on the job" training thought to be better than a shortage of staff. Once new staff are more fully trained, I expect these initial wee bumps will be smoothed over and it should mean a return to "normal" service, whatever "normal" will be in this strange post pandemic world. Re Black Sea cruising. We booked a short notice Azamara Black Sea a few years ago (may have been when Putin annexed the Crimea) when some of the principal ports were axed and many of the original pax bailed. As we had already visited Yalta, Odessa and one other, we quite happily jumped onto the revised itinerary which by then included several Black Sea ports which were new to us and thoroughly enjoyed it. And the price was a bargain. Barbara. as well as Constanta and the normal Bulgarian port (I forget what that is), I think VARNA is "the normal Bulgarian port" referred to. And having also ported in Constanta, I can tell you that you missed absolutely nothing there at all. We took theship shuttle bus into town, and returned on the next one from town to port. I think we spent less than 30 minutes in town, and we were not the only ones to do that. It beingquite early on a Sunday morning didn't help.

Have never sailed NCL so cannot comment on their patricular style of dressing, but sailing Alaskan waters, we dress as we would normally, ie "smart casual", but with DH either wearing or taking a lightweight smart jacket to dinner and with me taking a warm wrap (which I put over my dining chair) as we quite often find ourselves outdoors for scenic sailing, or whale watching or similar and it is handy to have these items with us as there might not always be time to return to the cabin to fetch them, particularly so with whale sightings. And we find it useful that one of us also has a phone or small camera with us for the same reasons.

Not yet listing your ports of call severely limits the number of replies you can expect. No need to scroll back multiple pages looking for threads with your ports,, instead simply use the SEARCH facility. It is SO easy and fast too. After logging in and going to the N Europe and Balic forum (this one, but not to your own post) immediately under your user name you will see the empty SEARCH box. Simply enter the name of ONE of your ports and tick ON THIS FORUM from the drop down which will appear All you need do then is hit the little magnifying glass and all previous threads containing that neme will appear ready for you to read. Repeat the same procedure for your other ports..

Why bother with a tour? There are both train and public buses linking Genoa and Santa Margherita, travel time a little under an hour. As you will know, from SM last time around,you have the option (or not) of taking the pretty ferry ride the short distance to Portofino. SM really merits a longer time than you had first time around. We really liked the town and enjoyed visiting some of the sights it has to offer and we also took a waterside walk. With a travel time of just under an hour, you could easily return and spend as much or as little time there as you like. Any excess time left over could be spent visiting anything you missed out on first time in Genoa, or revisiting a sught you really enjoyed.

A very fair and balanced review Barbara, so thank you for the link. Disappointed to hear your thoughts on some meals as we usually think the food on Fred is rather good. Although we actually prefer our steaks cooked medium rare, got the impression it was actually more like rare, so we would not have been pleased either and pink chicken is a definite turn off. Wondering if some of the chefs wer ealso new to cruising? We too ate in the self serve some evenings and usually enjoyed what we ate, also the selection. \some of this fFom post #6 above. Their dining inflexibility does actually put us off sailing Fred. so we only occasionally book for an interesting itinerary as we prefer to dine at times which suit us and with whomever we please, or the two of us alone. And as we are used to cruising with with other domestic lines as well as international lines, we enjoy going ashore and returning onboard to find we can have a snack or a late lunch at that time.. And although we don't mind the buffet in the evening (We think we remember the one on Balmoral being rather nice and the food was good) we would also like to be waited on occasionally as that makes dinner more special (and the tips include wait staff). If Marella/Tui can do it, why can Fred not follow suit? It is especially irritating when coming back onboard from ime ashore to find we have missed lunch and there is a wait until afternoon tea opens as we usually have first/early sitting and would theredore prefer no afternoon tea at all.. And our choices should not have to be between going ashore or eating. In that situation, maybe we should try room srvice should we sail with them again. Did you notice if there was one of those stretchy cord things for drying wet clothing in the shower? I hope you enjoy your next one and that the initial bumps continue to smooth out..

A good starting point; https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2697012-palma-de-mallorca-diy-new/

This was discussed on a quite recent thread which you might find interesting to read. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2812546-qaqortoq-greenland/#comments

bclittle. Thanks for acknowledging as not everryone does.

Difficult one for sure as this Friday is quite close.. On the other hand, if you test negative and board, some time relaxing, resting and being pampered and waited on (and not having to cook, which is the big one) might be exactly what you need. Hoping you get whichever option you hope for.

Congratulations harters. Best position! Lucky lucky you. It does make an enourmous difference, just as long as you are onboard. Such bad luck for the dreaded C. If it is the milder form of Omicron which only seems to affect most people for a week or so. (and some we have heard of test negative after 5 or 6 days), you might be OK to board. What is your sail date? You didn't say. And you may not need to walk all around the city as there is a very good metro system and see my last paragraph in post #13

We took the bus to Trogir on our second visit. Very small and probably quite pretty but we had to almost push our way through the crowds of visitors from cruise tours and land tours which had descended in large numbers. We never really got the chance to see it properly. That was a morning. Maybe quieter in the afternoons or early evenings?. OTOH Split has so much to offer that we were not stuck for choice even on our third visit. In addition to the usual Palace etc,do explore the back streets which are lovely to walk through, have a drink somewhere on the promenade,and also go further along to the Veli Varos area (used to be the fishermens neighbourhood back in the day)at the end of the promenade, and justt before it takes a left to the old harbour. Cross the road and enter the narrow streets (I think there was a little church there)and just continue walking uphill. You can happily meander uphil through the narrow streets to reach the viewpoint part way up Marjan Hill. From there you can continue uphill to the summit. There are also steps up to the viewpoint, but it is a more gradual and easier walk through the neighbourhood. There was a lot of gentrification going onin Veli Varos with some really pretty properties. We found an online description and map of Veli Varos which we followed. The views from the viewpoint are wonderfiul, but we didn't climb any higher than that. There is a cafe at the viewpoint..

Hobgoblin. Brief answers are YES and YES. For more detailed information I suggest you follow the suggested steps on post #4 above. For answers and suggestions, There have been threads on Ajaccio and Corsica before, at least one which was very recent, others were older. To save back scrolling, you could instead use the search facilty. The search facility is very easy to use. Go to (this) France forum , but not to your own thread (or post). Log in, and just below your user name, you will see the empty search box. Input the word Ajaccio or Corsica (or both at different times), tick "on this forum" from the drop down underneath the box, then hit the little magnifying glass. All previous threads containing that word will appear in the results and you can read them at leisure. Obviously you only enter one of your ports at a time. There is also lots of online info for Ajaccio. You only need to look for it. Try Tripadvisor Ajaccio, the local tourist info website and anything else which comes up when you internet search something along the lines of" Ajaccio Tourist Info". or even only "Ajaccio" Our ship docked in town, so very easy to DIY here. And just looking at the shorex being offered can also give info about what there is to see and do even if you don't want to actually buy a shorex..

have to agree that it is a bit of a dump. We went ashore for a walk around and didn't think much of it at all so we were back on board early. Be aware that it is French so the local currency is the euro. and the local language is French. you might get more responses if you ask your question over on the Caribbean Ports Forum.

wonder why you cannot simply get the port information from the cruise line 🙂 Hank, if you think docking info should be supplied, try sailing Fred Olsen as they don't even give you port arrival or departure times, instead they print things like the following examples early morning arrival, early afternoon departure or late morning arrival, late afternoon departure. Trying to pre- plan a day in port involves first having to look up the actual official port websites (or other sources) to see if the Fred ship arrival and deparure timings are listed there (they usually are) It is infuriating.

will be docking at Edinburgh Southqueen’s Ferry As South Queensferry is a tender port expect to lose some time right from the beginning of your port time and again at the end..

I found that too Harters, but also failed to find a schedule. Your chances are high as Sirena is one of the original R8's so size-wise could navigate the river and make it into town. have sent an email, in my best French, to the port office Google translate could be your new best friend.😀

Best advice as usual from Cruisemom42 Ephesus should be your #1 priority. You should still have time for some shopping after your Ephesus visit. If not, you are really not missing much.

And where are you scheduled to dock or tender as that too can impact your timing. And time of year? Once the clocks go forward you gain daylight, but after they go back you lose daylight earlier.

I feel like there is a missing niche now with lines/ships like the above gone. Absolutely agree cruisemom 2. We are both very happy that most of our cruising times (and indeed travelling in general) are behind us, and the more we see of the "world's biggest/ mega/ supersize ships the more we are thankful we are nearer the end than the start. Although we ourselves enjoyed many aspects of cruising which new- to- cruising folks would likely not understand, we cannout understand the supposed "allure" of carnival rides, indoor gardens and many other "innovative" inclusions which to our minds have nothing to do with "cruising". On the other hand, many "new-to-cruising" folks are attracted by these so the cruise lines are only meeting demand. We are of the opinion that these maga floating resorts could actually stay tied up at the embarkation port and not bother cruising to new places at all as there is enough onboard to keep most folks happy for days on end, and as there are fewer ports able to accommodate them anyway, their itineraries are more restricted. Much as we would welcome more "niche" options, sadly it appears that it is the "niche" lines which struggle to survive.

'm keen to book either Norway or Iceland August cruise out of Rosyth but I read that cruises from here regularly get cancelled at the last minute with no refund. Sincerely hope that does not happen as our friends are booked for Iceland out of Rosyth in very early August.

Although the vessel left a few things to be desired i also mentioned some of the disadvantages. So the draw for yourself was the same as ours.more the other pax and the itineraries. Our fellow pax were not usually predominantly Brits, but a mix of Aussies, Brits, Americans and also Germans. Once Orient sold her we never sailed her again as the onboard experience of CMV didn't appeal to us at all. As Orient had been a part of NCL (I think) they offered us an NCL loyaly tier to reflect or MP sailings. We declined and have yet to set a foot on any NCL ship as these" big girls" are way out of our comfort zone. We too kept in touch with a number of fellow pax for a good number of years, but some deaths and the demise of the line meant that, more recently, several have dropped away.. UK accents are very varied indeed and several are more difficult to understand than others. You "cheered" in Irish Guinness- not an Old Peculiar or a John Smith's? One time onboard MP the Fosters ran out mid- cruise so you can imagine the reaction from the Aussies..........

As a plan B, you could consider e-mailing the port direct and ask where you ship will dock. And that failing you could try e-mailing the Tourist Info Office as they should be able to find out.Harters and Azalize. Thanks. It had popped up for me before I posted but I couldnt find a docking schedule page. I've just looked again and still can't find one. I speak some French so checked both the website english version and also the french version in case not all the french had been translated into english and could not find either, so suggest you look at plan B As a plan B, you could consider e-mailing the port direct and ask where you ship will dock. And that failing you could try e-mailing the Tourist Info Office as they should be able to find out. It is a very easy city to move around and one of the main transport hubs was alongside the park with theginormous fountain on the other side of the promenade. There was at the time, also a little electric navette which tootled around the narrower streets in the old centre. Only held around a dozen or so passengers. It was free of charge. Only had to signal the driver to get on and again to get off. Might still be there. The Tourist Office website was worth dipping into.

when we were on the old Marco Polo when she cruised all the way up the SaigonRiver and docked in downtown Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City to some). Hank, what a coincidence that you mention the Marco Polo in this Bordeaux thread, as our first visit to Bordeaux was onboard Marco Polo. Not sure what went wrong that day as we were supposed to be docking in town for an overnight but only made it as far as Bassens before we had to stop. As the Gironde is tidal, once the tide went out we were left with the ship tilted quite steeply to one side. This made it difficult to walk or even stand, and in bed we were also tilted to one side which felt very odd. Second visit on Azamara Quest we made it all the way into town. We racked up a number of Marco Polo itineraries as, despite some of the drawbacks of this “banana boat” shape,(including some noisy cabins due to poor soundproofing) she had interesting itineraries and we met well travelled, interesting and just really nice people on each trip. And the crew were super efficient working extremely well as a team. We had a surprise in Rio d J one time when we were in line at the cruise terminal to embark a HAL ship, MP was docked alongside and also embarking passengers. We were actually in the HAL line carrying our dark blue MP/Orient Lines carry bags//hand luggage (the freebie that some passengers occasionally found in the cabin on embarkation, well designed and really durable.) next to folks boarding MP. We do still have bags these even now. They have travelled the world with us on multiple trips and are still in excellent condition. We were actually onboard MP in October 07 on a special “reunion” cruise from Athens to Venice when word came through that MP had been sold. Much dismay amongst loyal MP passengers, but genuine upset (and and even a few tears) from crew who felt their work colleagues were like "family". She was sold a few months later in 2008. It was actually MP and her itineraries which gave us a taste for smaller ships and we mostly did that for a number of years. The old R 8’s were our favourite size and we went from MP to Swan Hellenic to Azamara even an R8 when it was with Princess and another when it was with PandO)and even Prinsendam (not an R8) Huge advantages for getting into smaller ports and sailing smaller rivers (twice sailed right into the heart of Seville, once with Swan and once with Azamara) Also like yourself, sailed upriver and docked in the heart of Saigon/HMC for an overnight with Swan. It was Chinese New Year that night so Saigon was jumping.. So many smaller ship advantages. So many lovely memories, so thanks for reminding me.