Triplalot

On Oceana (just returned) we had to take our passports ashore for Civitavecchia and Venice. In Venice this was enforced and they were checked twice by Port staff. We just checked the back of the Horizon for this information. Since I live in the a Netherlands I am used to always carrying photo ID so this was not a problem.

Well I have just returned from Oceana. On embarkation day we were due to board at 12.30 however we arrived at 10.30 (unexpectedly easy connections from our Venice Hotel) and they let us board straight away. Some peoples cabins were already prepared, and we (being independent travelers) got ours at about Noon. We had plenty of time to acquaint ourselves with the ship beginning in the Pennant Bar :)

We had a wine package on our recent cruise and you could have any (available) wine in the selection and we tended to drink mostly red. They do have a tendency to run out of some wines in the selection though, we experienced a Claret drought :)

Well we planned to arrive at Oceana this morning at 11AM and try our luck at getting onboard. Well we had incredibly easy transport connections and arrived at 10:15 and were checked in 10 minutes later and then on board. Now just waiting for our bijoux (ok small) cabin to be ready :)

I'm doing this trip during my cruise in the next 2 weeks so can let you know when I get back on July 16th.

OK, so what would you do if you were flying? It's no different.

 

We are not talking about arrival time, we are talking about boarding!! You may be able to checkin, but you will not board until your allotted time.

At airports I generally find a nice bar :)

I'm not expecting to big a queue at Venice (Oceana) since not all passengers from the previous cruise will disembark and being a fly cruise I imagine they will stagger the arrival of the airport buses, although I may be wrong :) provided I can get a coffee (or a glass of wine) at the terminal if there is a queue then it is fine!

I thought it would come. And I don't see it is any different from arriving at an airport? you have to drive to get there too, or take a train. Doesn't matter when you arrive, you just won't be boarded until your correct time. What's wrong with that?

 

People are arriving at 11 am for goodness sake.

I totally agree.

Maybe they will extend the catering facilities at the terminal for passengers arriving too early for check in, although I doubt this would be inclusive, like at airports.

It will be a slight problem to me too because I have to check out of my Venice hotel at 11 and my allotted boarding time is 12.30 and only a 10 minute trip away. Maybe we will request a late checkout or relax at the hotel for an hour pre moving to the terminal. Davecttr yes we booked a Select fare and coincidentally got an early boarding time.

Sounds logical. I cruise next Wednesday so will let you know if it is introduced.

Britboys I think you will find a large number of cruisers on all of the ships to whom fine dining is the preferred option, myself included. From what I have read Sorrento's did sound lovely. Next week I cruise on Oceana for a special anniversary trip and admittedly adult only would have been perfect but did not fit with our dates and preferred itinerary. During our cruise the Horizon Grill will transform into a Beach House thereby making Cafe Jardin the debatable fine dining option available onboard. I will try the speciality restaurants but my expectations are not great and I certainly will not be eating nachos or potato skins :). Trends change in restaurants and maybe P&O will introduce some more fine dining options over time, I certainly hope so !

Absolutely! The consistency again is down to cost-cutting. If you have all the same restaurants, you can buy in the requisite food supplies in more bulk and so save money. I do however agree that they could have different things on the adult only ships. They generally have a very different feel and atmosphere and so could easily have different eating-places. I'm afraid I will not be eating in any of the alternative venues on Oriana in October - but I would definitely have gone to Sorrento a couple of times.

Why should adult only ships deserve a different class of select restaurants since these eateries are largely used by adults and very few children. I have booked a cruise on a family ship based on itinerary despite not traveling with kids and plan to use the select restaurants so to have a change from the MDR and hopefully experience a more intimate atmosphere. Unfortunately the restaurant scene changes, and these changes/trends will be reflected on the P&O offerings on their ships, good and bad.

I've never had a problem with taxis on Malta or Gozo although I have read the horror stories too. The bus to Victoria is also a good suggestion because there is plenty there to fill a couple of hours. Hiring a car is another suggestion because then you can see the whole island without having to wait for buses. You could also get a ferry over to nearby Comino and take a look at the Blue Lagoon, boats leave from Mgarr regularly.

There is an hop on hop off tour bus that picks up from the Harbour at Mgarr and goes to all of the key sites. Must sees include the Capital Victoria including the Citadel, Dwerja Bay for the Azure Window and the Inland Sea and maybe a visit to pretty Xlendi Bay which is a perfect plaice for lunch. It is a circular tour and so you can easily get back to the Harbour. I think it costs about €15 pp.

I bought some plastic covers from Amazon and the downloaded labels fit well when folded. I have the plastic loops which appear satisfactory. I do plan to place 2 tags per bag (side and top handle) in case one falls off.

Are you really suggesting that a woman over 40 cannot have a great figure and great boobs?

Jeanlyon, no, I am sure that a woman over 40 can have great Boobs, although when paired with being over 40 inches (naturally) I'm not too sure. I should add that I exceed both parameters myself :)

When my daughter was a similar age we took her on her first cruise and she loved the kids club and the formal dining, however often the waiters would let her eat out of sequence so she could get away early and go and watch movies and play games with her new found friends whilst we enjoyed a relaxed dinner and adult conversation. We would generally pick her up fairly late and sometimes she would be asleep on a beanbag, but she had a great time.

Just to lower the tone: by over 40 are you talking years or inches?

 

Seriously, doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Dr Alan I don't think a combination of both would be very attractive unless with surgical intervention :)

These days you see plenty of moobs and beer bellies, are these any less offensive? I say each to their own although I prefer (and I think you would all prefer me) to keep covered :)

I've read somewhere that they set up a late buffet in Cafe Jardin for this type of snacking, after the dinner service is concluded. Apparently you can get hot chocolate there too :)

We definitely don't have "Savers" in the Netherlands, however they do look like a good idea. I don't think 6 washing tablets weighs too much though :)

Most of what I wash won't require ironing just a quick shake when I take it out of the dryer. If one of my husbands dress shirts needs laundering I will ask the room steward to take care of it to avoid ironing. I've never ironed socks or underwear and these will be the main part of my washes :)

sc1234 I'm hoping to engage my husband in the washing duty too :)

I'm planning on carrying my shoes and handbags in my hand luggage to save on weight and prevent them getting too crushed. Probably also my travel power block and phone chargers and fridge magnets., This should leave some weight for my preferred brands of sun cream and shampoos. I will be taking 4 formal dresses because it is nice to get the opportunity to wear them (they are relatively light), We also have a vow renewal onboard so one will also be used for this. I've also decided on mostly summery dresses for the other nights to save on weight, and maybe some long shorts and summer tops for shore excursions. I definitely will need to use the launderette on board so will pack some washing tablets/capsules the ones incorporating fabric softener since including a stay in Venice pre cruise it would be hard to pack lightly for 17 nights without a couple of loads of washing :)

I must admit that it would annoy me too :)