Bertie Doe

Ah thats brill, thanks for the info and map.

Yep, walking's a good idea, assuming the weather is ok. Looking at Ibis's map, you'd need to cross the busy W Quay Road (A33) via the Southern Road underpass, so taxi is fave at the moment. I'd forgotten about the Ibis parking option. We're doing a Trans in 2 months, so I'll look at their prices, thanks.

We always use Ibis City Centre, but not Ibis Budget (next door). Clean rooms, friendly staff plus the option to buy breakfast for +£24. They will call you a taxi, which is only a 10 min drive, depending on traffic. There's also a good TGI Fridays or a McDonalds, with 5 mins walk :- https://www.expedia.co.uk/Southampton-Hotels-Ibis-Southampton-Centre.h3431.Hotel-Information?chkin=2024-04-27&chkout=2024-04-28&x_pwa=1&rfrr=HSR&pwa_ts=1709548656083&referrerUrl=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZXhwZWRpYS5jby51ay9Ib3RlbC1TZWFyY2g%3D&useRewards=false&rm1=a2&regionId=3245&destination=Southampton%2C+England%2C+United+Kingdom&destType=MARKET&neighborhoodId=553248635810423085&latLong=50.900631%2C-1.40391&sort=RECOMMENDED&top_dp=121&top_cur=GBP&userIntent=&selectedRoomType=200691819&selectedRatePlan=204003726&searchId=61e2363f-fa35-4a9c-9f0d-5371bd0e874e

Yes, spot on the money. I'm trying to persuade my wife to do the 14 nts Virtuosa trip out of Southampton on 3rd june, which includes Rekyavik and Flam. It's £699 pp inside cabin. That's £50 pp per night !! 🛳️

It's a pity QM2 isn't moored at Berth 46 but (as I write) you can just see part of her stern on Cruise cam and part of her port side on Itchen cam, behind the car export mult-storey . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o8SovvzI3Q

Ah, thanks all, I should have spotted the rhyming angle from marketing dept 😳I guess Premium Beverage and Speciality Dining, represent the biggest savings.

Why are NCL using the 'At Sea' in their adverts? Is there any small print which compels them to use this term? Is the free upgrade guaranteed or subject to availability when you get onboard? Thanks in anticipation.

I'd be surprised if the broker was allowed to advertise a ship for sale, without some sort of input from the owner. I know she's had a recent refurb but the guide price seems a touch high for a 1996 build, compared to others on the market :- https://www.yachtworld.co.uk/boats-for-sale/type-power/class-power-cruise-ship/

Yep, she's one of our fave ships, we had a nice pre-lockdown trip on 21st March 2019, out of Laem Chabang to Sihanoukville, Phu My and Colombo etc., etc. Before starting this thread I did look at Brummjam's excellent post on Marella Itinaries for 2023/24 and she does have a pretty full diary for the next couple of years :- https://www.cruisetimetables.com/marella-cruises-2023.html Perhaps Marella are simply 'testing the water' with a view to getting a replacement vessel? If successful, I hope they keep the Diccovery name.

Looks like Discovery but not entirely sure Boats for sale UK, boats for sale, used boat sales, Commercial Vessels For Sale 866' 2,074 Pax Cruise Ship - Apollo Duck

Thanks Keith, Mel and Albert, getting there 2 days early looks fave. I hadn't thought about a car for Miami and the Everglades. I'll have a look at Hertz' prices.

Ah, I didn't realise Miami's humidity. Our only 2 trips to the US were 30 years apart, both to NO, quite energy sapping 😎 but enjoyable. Will def check out excursions for Miami and Fort L, thanks.

Yep, thanks all, getting in 2 days early makes sense and we've always wanted to grab some excusions in Florida. I guess it'll be like New Orleans without the humidity 😀

We've been looking at cruises on board NCL Sky for May or June '23, round trips from Miami. The cruise only, seaview cabins look good with a 33% reduction. Example ; The Miami/Caribbean, round trip 10 day, 8 ports, comm on 29th May '23 Seaviews down from £1238pp to £840pp two sharing. However, the fly/cruise price is £2144 pp. Which means that the flight element is £1304 pp. I guess these are charter overnight direct flights from UK, arriving mid morning on the 29th. The ticket search engines I looked at, do not offer overnight's, but direct flights arriving late afternoon on the 28th had prices from £522 to £594 pp return, via KLM, Virgin, BA, Iberia and AA. This gives you a surplus fund of £700+ pp to cover overnight hotel, food and taxi to terminal, with perhaps Miami sightseeing thrown in? We've done shorthaul flights to say Barcelona and Rome with Easyjet but they provide numerous flights per day - so plenty of backup. The dangers of missing the ship's departure are real but has anyone had problems with DIY longhauls please? Also any feedback on the positive side of arranging your own flights, would be welcome. TIA. Bertie.

We were on Sky P in June and Island P in August. It was well organised. In both cases, total queue times were less than 30 minutes. This was around lunchtime, when we got back from the buffet, our cases were in the cabin. We did arrive at the Southampton Terminal about one hour earlier than our allocated boarding time but Princess don't bother to check this. Other cruise lines may be more strict?

Thanks all for tips on getting food to cabin. We left Southampton 3 weeks ago. We asked our steward if he was happy to clear away our (four) plates "No problemo, just leave them in the cabin". He also got us four food covers (see pic), which we used until we got to Iceland on day 5. Thereafter we sat in buffet or MDRs for duration. Spare a thought for 2 neighbouring cabins (see pic) They tested positive on day 4 (after the Cobh/Cork) stop and missed all the Iceland and Greenland ports. They are German speaking and may have flown to LHR/Gatwick on the same plane? They didn't know one another. I guess the moral of the story Shipmates, is be ultra cautious for the first part of the holiday. We were lucky insifar as we didn't need to fly to embarkation port but how do you safely snack on a 5 hour flight ??

Our Boots has been great. Even got an email today, reminding me of tomorrows appointment. Suggest you try Boots Coventry Lower Precinct.

This is indeed good news and thanks Cinegraphic, mtnesterz, arizonaperson, casanbliz, cr8tiv, kiwimum, IEHL, Mike45LC, Sprocket, Paula_Macfan, Jadn13 for the advice and tips. Thanks Ptroxx for the food pics. Love the Fjord-like backdrop. Hungry already, the buffets going to get a hammering next week 😁

I'm aware that Princess offer a free delivery service to your cabin, if you order from room service. There's nothing like selecting your own choice and portion sizes and eating it while it's still hot 🙄. So will Princess allow you to take your own selection from the buffet? If yes ? I wonder if they'll supply you with a lid, to keep it warm? We're on Island in 3 days, so thanks in anticipation.

Yes, you can organise your own excursions. If your trip starts 11th June, look at Cruise Critic's Roll Call. You'll see that a number of cruisers have started a 'spread sheet'. The left and right arrows at the bottom of the sheet, take you to the various ports of call. Bit late in the day, you may find a lot of the private excursions are fully booked :- https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2767471-june-11th-2022-14-days-europe-north-cape-norway/page/21/

The Southampton Specific Covid FAQ is handy :- https://www.princess.com/plan/cruise-with-confidence/cruise-health/frequently-asked-questions/uk-southampton-cruises/