smilesntravels

2 hours ago, LeeW said:

Since you mentioned Stonehenge, fly in two days early and stay in Southampton (We use the Leonardo Royal Grand and eat mostly at the mall).  Walk 15 minutes to the train station on the other side of the mall and take a westbound train to Salisbury (around 20 minutes).  Get off and the HOHO bus leaves from the train station basically on the hour (book online in advance, with Stonehenge bus access).  Ride bus to Stonehenge, then park bus to the stones.  Very easy to do.

Thank you- if you don't mind, can you explain that a little more.  We were going to leave two days early, giving us one night in Southampton.  We could see Stonehenge either on the way to hotel, or post-cruise on the way back to LHR.  I've been to London many times when I was a flight attendant, but never had to make any travel arrangements as it was all taken care of by United Airlines.

Are you saying just to buy tickets to Stonehenge and go on our own, not in a group/tour?

2 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

Another good option for Stonehenge if you are on a tight schedule is to combine it with your airport transfer which is what we did last year using EC Minibus. Worked great to get us off running and fight the jet lag on our arrival since we were determined to make the most of our time. We had about a two hour stop there on the way to our Southampton hotel. 

If you don't mind- can you explain that more?  I've been looking for trips/transportation that combines Stonehenge with the transfer to/from airport.  I saw one either through Princess or Dream Vacations shore excursions that includes a long stop at Stonehenge on the way to LHR.  That's the only one I've found so far.  We'll stay one night in Southampton pre-cruise, so if needed could do it on the way to hotel.  I figured we'd do it after disembarking, on the way to LHR but would like more options.  TY!

5 hours ago, KKB said:

@smilesntravels We just got off the Regal Princess UK cruise & it was GREAT!

Room--for us, while we like a balcony, we really do find we don't use it much. You have a very port intensive cruise, so you won't have much time to use it anyway.

Princess interior rooms are laid out nicely--and you will sleep SO well at night. 
I did an interior for 20 days last year in UK & Norway. 

Personally, I'm rarely in my room (especially on port intensive criuses).

I know people who COULD NOT do interiors (tho have they tried?); we find them fine. You can turn the TV to the Bridge cam to create a "window" of sorts if you choose.

 

As far as Princess Plus goes, I'm a fan. IF the numbers make sense--which they do, imo, for anyone who likes even the occasional drink.

$60pp/day

Breaks down:

$16pp/day gratuities

$25pp/day internet (this could be halved if you share)

That leaves $20pp/day ($30 if you share internet) for specialty coffees, sodas, alcoholic drinks--2 of those alone will be a breakeven!

 

Generally, we find Princess excursions typically overpriced...and I'm a bit over the large bus tours.

 

DO NOT stay on the ship in Portland! Weymouth s a lovely sea side village.

(I'd skip Holyhead or Glasgow over Portland!)

 

I recommend Overloard Tours for a Normandy tour out of Le Havre (the best choice for Le Havre...it's kind of a "meh" port)

 

I recommend https://www.invergordon-bustours.com/ --I have done Tour 2 twice!

 

Edinburgh we hired a van & driver & went to St. Andrews--a must do for any golf fan. 

There were 6 of us & it ran about $200 each. TripAdvisor, Viator or Get Your Guide

Best part is we got to go where we wanted & stay as long as we wanted.

But it meant missing Edinburgh, boo--another time.

 

Cobh is a lovely little town--you could wander there in the AM, then come back to watch Olympics. (you dock RIGHT in town...you truly can get off a bit, come back, go back out--it's that close)

 

Dublin was a fav but be sure to get up early to get 1st tender tickets. Since you have to tender in, then take a train to Dublin, you are looking at a bit of travel time on each end. 

Not much was open that we wanted to do with that early arrival, so we did the Hop On Hop Off bus to start--funny, great way to get the lay of the land. TOO many things to do there, you will have to be selective! We wandered Trinity College/Temple Bar area, had Irish lunch, then hit the Irish Rock N Roll Museum--loved it, but U2 IS my fav band! (DH really enjoyed it as well and he's not the music junky that I am)

 

Glasgow was OK. We wandered all over city center. Lots of shopping. Most places didn't open until noon for lunch (we were peckish by 11--had to settle for a pint at a pub, which WAS open, lol) We got RT bus tickets at the port. Nice 30 min. direct bus in, but it was about 90 min. back as it was a traditional bus that stopped numerous times. I recommend the train.

 

 

I forgot to mention- is that really true about the Princess Plus?  I've seen people mention this.  So the $60 pp/pd covers the tips and the wi-fi? Is wi-fi really $25 per day?  I looked at Princess' site recently and I thought it was $66 pp/pd.  Therefore, you're right at breaking even with two or so drinks per day?  It just seems like so much more...$1500-1600.  Our last two trips were all-inclusive resorts and it's so nice that everything is already included, even airfare.

5 hours ago, KKB said:

OK, Lochness ISN'T that exciting. 

It's just a lake. 

Lovely, but...

 

Belfast is AMAZING--the best Hop On Hop Off bus tour I've ever taken (London a close 2nd, Dublin 3rd). Titanic Museum fantastic...but, yes, the Causeways...choices choices.

 

Orkney Island are AMAZING--they dropped it from ours the last minute & I was SO sad.

Take the free shuttle into Kirkwall (LOVELY seaside town) earlY & get in line a the travel center. For 25lbs you get an AMAZING tour of the area. HIGHLY recommend. 

Plus time to wander Kirkwall after your several hour tour.

 

I loved Dublin but with the travel time in (tender & train), it is very limiting. 

 

Much better itinerary, imo.

Thank you KKB for your responses!  I know of course, there are things to do in both Edinburgh and Glasgow, I just haven't had the time to look at what I want to do.  So, until I do, I was thinking of some sort of hop on hop off bus.  Unfortunately, hubby isn't interested in golf. But, that sounds like a great excursion you did to St. Andrews.

He wasn't thrilled about switching to the later date that includes Orkney Islands and Belfast.  Both itineraries are great.  But, you can't see everything in one trip.  Either way, we'll visit five countries on one cruise.

I stayed in the suburbs of Dublin back in 2011 when I did a special assignment for Aer Lingus.  I barely remember walking around in Dublin, but we'll figure something out.  Thanks for the info about Invergorden tours.  I looked at a few, and probably need to hurry up and book things.

Someone recommended to me to just go to Paris and see the Olympics there.  I know the prices will be much higher.  Since hubby isn't wanting to spend the money for a balcony 😞 😞 , I'm fairly sure he's not going to want to spend it on a trip to the Olympics in Paris 🙂 .

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruises!  Yes the UK is nice!  As a former flight attendant with United, I got to go to London and a lot of other European cities!  Once on a quick trip there with my parents, we went to the Globe Theater.  Happy traveling 🙂 .

Thanks again for all of the responses, on this Memorial Day.  I did mention that I can't make up my mind.  So, what are your thoughts on if we go for the next sailing, which leaves on Aug. 7th?  We'll lose Invergorden (Lockness,) which both of us are really excited to see, and Dublin (which I've been to.)  But, we'll gain Northern Ireland (yes, Giants Causeway!) and the Orkney Islands (which we could either see or use an extra sea day.)  Also, it looks like temperatures are possibly two degrees cooler in mid-August.

Plus, during this cruise it will be my husband's 50th birthday.  So instead of going out to dinner with friends at home, we can have it on the ship.  Plus, I won't be thinking about watching the Olympics.  And if we have an inside cabin, I won't be depressed as much wanting to watch the games for a little bit, in the room without a window or balcony.  

We would have to fly back to the states the same day after the cruise, with a stop at Stonehenge and I'll have to go back to work at school the next day after missing Monday (it is a staff workday though w/o students.)  

And, does anyone know if it would be impossible to do a Lockness cruise from either Glasgow, Edinburgh or Orkney?  I assume it's too far away, but thought I'd ask 🙂 .

5 hours ago, Cloudyrain said:

Watching the Olympics on a sea day with the door open and the view was great. We love the Olympics too and watch as much as we can, and that time was such a great experience: especially if maybe there was a downtime in broadcasting we could sit and enjoy the sea for a bit, and leave the TV on and nip back in when something we wanted to watch came on 😊

That sounds like a great day at sea!  I agree with you.  With it being a 12-night cruise, I figured one day just relaxing in the cabin while watching the Olympics, on a sea day would be a great way to relax a bit during a port-intensive cruise.  

The games are great, and so many different things to watch.  I swam in high school and college, so love to watch the swimming.  Then you can watch white water rafting, gymnastics, cycling, etc. etc.  I'll pass on the wrestling and boxing though 🙂 .

I guess I shouldn't complain and be happy that we can take this cruise.  It's just bugging me most likely not getting a balcony cabin.  And I can't decide if we should just go and get the inside cabin, or wait until next year which is too long for me to wait.  Thanks for your input!

7 hours ago, MyriamS said:

I would pick the inside cabin but then I always pick inside cabins. I find the lack of natural light to actually be beneficial for my sleep and, during the day, I'm not in my cabin much at all. 

 

Apologies if the suggestion is not welcome but since you are heading to Europe this summer and love the Olympics, why not fly to Paris, see them in person for a few days, then take the high speed train to Marseille for a 7 day Mediterranean cruise? I know you said you're not very interested in the Med but I think it's well worth a look (especially for a first timer in Europe like your husband) and you will have a choice of routes and cheaper prices. 

Thanks and danke for your response.  I understand about getting an inside cabin.  I do love to see the scenery though, even if it's just to pop in and out of the balcony in the morning, getting ready for dinner and before going to bed.  But it looks like we'll get the inside cabin and I'll have to suffer for 12 nights while on this wonderful cruise 🙂 .

That's a great suggestion flying to Paris.  I'm sure prices there for everything will be higher though, during the Olympics.  My husband isn't wanting to spend money 😞 .  I don't know why the Med has never appealed to me much.  I loved going to Germany many times, Austria once and want to see more of green Ireland, plus Scotland.  If we had both been to Europe many times, then I would want to see that part of the continent.  

2 hours ago, Neil_c said:

Hi

As another Brit. The weather can be anything from hot sunny 30C (86F) to cloudy/rainy16c (60F). on any day, changes within the day and day to day can vary a lot. It is also very localised. I have known it when it is raining in the front of the house but not in the rear (I do not live in a big house!) There are no guarantees what you will get at most times of the year. Weather forecast are estimates and are only accurate about 3 days out an. For all those coming from abroad you need layers and rain gear.

 

My only other advice is look at local excursions they are a lot cheaper than Princess could help with the budget

Hello and thanks for the info.  Lol about rain at your house.  We get varying weather here in Virginia, also.  But I know it rains there a little more.  

I was thinking do 1-2 Princess excursions and the rest through local ones.  For Glasgow and Edinburgh, I was thinking no major excursions and possibly do hop on hop off bus and visit a pub or two, for some local food and to watch a little bit of the Olympics.  We're very excited to do a Lockness excursion, though!  

We will bring rain gear 🙂 

32 minutes ago, jenjens1023 said:

Sitting in heathrow after disembarking from this cruise today. Consider betting on an upgrade. We placed a bid two weeks before the trip and went from an inside to a balcony for $255 per person.

So if you just got off this cruise, do you have any comments about it?? I've never bidded on a cabin.  We just pay for our cruise in full with the cabin we picked, since we usually book 1-2 months out.  But, thanks for the tip.

I appreciate all the comments and suggestions!  I should have maybe worded this question differently.  1) If you had the chance to do a cruise you've really been wanting to take, but could only get an inside cabin- would you do it or not?  It's not a great option for me to wait until next year, as I cannot wait that long.  Nor can I go in early fall, or early next spring as I'd have to take off too much time from work.  And 2) Do you know or know of people getting an inside cabin and being miserable, or feeling claustrophobic?  TIA 🙂 .

2 hours ago, Justpackingmybags said:

If you really want to watch full coverage of the Olympics, why not put save up and do the UK cruise next year?  Maybe the extra savings will pay for the balcony and the Plus package. There’s so much to see in our part of the world, it’d be so sad to spend it trying to find screens showing the sport. I often take holidays to avoid sporting events 😆

That is so true.  I don't know if I can wait another year, now that it's on my mind.  I'll just bite the bullet and not feel bad about missing a lot of the games.  For any other sports I would agree with you (except for the world series.).  I've watched the Olympics since a kid, and when my dad got tickets for the whole two weeks way back in 1984 when I was a kid that was exciting to go to them!

We normally don't have to save for a cruise, but hubby has gotten tighter with the money and the economy isn't good.  The last two cruises we took had the beverage package included for not much more.  At $66/day for 12 days for two people that comes out to approximately $1400 more.  Our TA for our last HAL cruise got us the package when it wasn't offered for $100/person!

2 hours ago, pompeii said:

I'm also on that cruise, jumping over to the Regal after 21 days on the Island from NYC.  Have you checked out the roll call yet?  

Also, I see interiors starting at $1399 and balconies starting at $1699, so the price between the two should be much less than $1450 for the two of you.  

Hi Pompeii- thanks, I did look at the roll call.  It's so hard to get my husband to agree and actually book a trip.  We book sort of last minute, so once we book it I'll go to the roll call. I'd love to join it now, but want to make sure we're booked first.  You're doing a 21-day cruise before the British Isles one?  How nice!

I've been looking at a different pricing.  It would be more doable if just $600, or so, more for a balcony.

2 hours ago, Mark_K said:

From what I read, Olympics coverage will be from Sports24. You’ll probably want to get a vpn set up, if you want to watch NBC or other US oriented coverage.

Thanks- do you mean set up a vpn to watch them on our computer?  If I have to watch the Olympics on a computer, then nevermind.  I shouldn't have said 'every minute,' lol.  

2 hours ago, Ellipooh said:

Are you sure that math is right? When I looked, it said Interior from 1399/pp and Balcony from 1699/pp

You're right.  It's my graduation cruise for doing all of the Princess training for new travel advisors.  I decided to be a TA on the side from teaching.  It's $720 more per person to get a balcony.

43 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

We absolutely loved our British Isles cruise with Princess - one of our best ever cruises! We did have a balcony and definitely enjoyed it. Although it’s a port intensive cruise, you do hug the coast quite a bit so having the balcony, especially heading in and out of ports was nice. We had a beautiful view of the White Cliff’s of Dover on the sail by.

That being said, given how port intensive this cruise is, we did use our balcony less than on some other cruises. We don’t really drink much alcohol at all and don’t drink coffee, so for us Plus just isn’t of interest. We just buy what we want when we want ala carte onboard, pay our gratuities in advance, and get 1/2 off our WiFi because we are elite. That works great for us, but if you enjoy a few cocktails each day or specialty coffees and like the casual dining restaurants, Plus might be nice for you. It definitely gives that all inclusive feel. Personally I would pick the balcony, but you might get a better experience with Plus depending on how much time you think you would spend on your balcony. 
 

The ports are amazing. We primarily did private excursions so I’m happy to share what we did:

 

 

 

Guernsey: (private guide Jackie Ward)

Castle Cornet

WWII Sites and Museum

 

Cobh: (Princess tour)

Rock of Cashel

 

Dublin: (Princess tour)

Glendalough Monastic City

Avoca Woolen Mill

Christchurch Cathedral

 

Belfast: (Odyssey Tours)

Giants Causeway

Dunluce Castle

Titanic Museum

 

Liverpool (tour to Wales) : (Busy Bus tours)

Conwy Castle

Snowdonia Park

Pontcysylite Aqueduct

 

Invergordon: (private tour Dougie MacLeod)

Dunrobin Castle

Cairn Liath

Falls of Shin

Dornoch Cathedral

 

Glasgow: (Discover Scotland tours)

Sterling Castle

Doune Castle 

Village of Luss

Loch Lomond   
Trossachs National Park

 

Edinburgh: (on our own with Uber)

Edinburgh Castle

Royal Mile

St. Giles Cathedral

Royal Yacht Brittania

                 

Le Havre: (Overlord Tours)

Omaha Beach

American Cemetery

Bayeux - for Cathedral and Bayeux Tapestry

Honfkeur

 

Hope this provides some inspiration - you will love this cruise!

Thank you for your detailed information!  This is such a great itinerary.  When I saw it, I thought it was perfect.  We still haven't booked, as we plan all vacations last minute.  Every single port is one that I want to visit, except for Portland.  Nothing against that port, but I figure we can use it as a fourth sea day, relax, etc.

I have looked into private tours for some of the ports.  I saw good reviews for Busy Bus on their tour in Holyhead.  Thanks again for listing them.  I think maybe we should splurge for the balcony and at the end of cruise, then pay for the drinks etc.  BTW, I'm from southern CA also.  But VA has been my home for the last 20 years.

27 minutes ago, JG&Lcruisingnewbies said:

Re the weather. As a Brit I felt I needed to say something and, well, we love talking about the weather 😂 

 

so, end of July the weather *should* be lovely. At least most of the time. the difference in temperature between Portland on English S coast and the Scottish highlands can be 10C/18F. Expect every type of weather except snow!

 

can’t speak about how pretty or not most of the ports are as I’ve not sailed around the UK, just been to many of the places on the itinerary. 

 

Invergorden is pretty industrial. Often Oil rigs ‘parked’ up in the area waiting to go elsewhere. But yes it’s a great port to get to Loch Ness 1hr away

 

anyway I thought you might find these pictures interesting. This is the Regal Princess last year leaving Invergorden, travelling past the suitors (the two hills either side of the passage) as she made her way out to the Moray firth. I have family on the Moray firth. Beautiful area, you won’t regret it. It’s possible to see dolphins in the moray firth too. Not big pods. But there are regular small pods of bottlenose that travel the area. No guarantees of course but I’ve seen them a lot around there.

 

its a very deep channel and she really is close to the shore. It was amazing to see her sail past us 😊 

 

Thanks so much for your pictures and information!  This bottom picture is interesting.  It looks like the ship is so close to the shallow shore.  I'm sure some of the ports aren't that pretty, but once you get away from them that is where the scenery is.  I don't think I've heard of Moray Firth, but I'm not from Scotland or the UK.

I've looked at the monthly temperatures for the ports we'll be stopping at.  Too bad we can't go in May when it seems like it will be a little cooler.  Anyway, as long as it's not hot and humid that's a good thing!

27 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

As far as the Olympics are concerned, it's almost a sure thing that they will be running it on the big screen MUTS on the pool deck. As others have said, you will find it on a channel in your cabin but probably not full time coverage. 

Personally, I would go with the balcony and just pay as you go on drinks...but that's just my opinion. 

You've already expressed a desire for Loch Ness; that was one of our favorite excursions when we did this itinerary. We were traveling with a group of family & friends who are all Beatles fans. There was a *lot* of Beatles-influenced tours in Liverpool and other ports.

Thank you Rick for your input!  That might be a good idea, get the balcony and just pay as we go for drinks.  Nice that Lock Ness was one of your favorites!  My husband and I would love to see it, and do the quick cruise on it.  He's younger than me (and they were before my time) and is a huge fan of the Beatles.  I could care less, lol.  Too bad for him that our itinerary doesn't have a Liverpool port 🙂 .

That would be interesting if they have some of the games on the big Muts screen.  Hopefully if we stop at a pub somewhere on excursion days we'll get to see a little of the games.

51 minutes ago, VaCruzers said:

We've sailed inside, oceanview and balcony. We are sailing the British Isles cruise departing 8/29 for 14 nights in an interior cabin. Because it's such a port intensive cruise, we'd not even have the time to spend on the balcony, so for us it was a no brainer to put the difference in cabin category rates toward 5 days in London precruise. We always get the plus package. It's an indulgence we enjoy and, for us, it's cost effective. Just my two cents. 

I know, there are lots of options when it comes to deciding on ways to spend money.  That sounds great doing five nights in London!  I know it's a treat going on this cruise in the first place.  We'll probably do just one night pre-cruise.  Nothing is booked yet!  We always do it last minute because it's so hard to get my hubby to agree to anything vacation wise.  I agree about it being port intensive, but wonder if I'll be depressed not being able to feel the ocean air in the morning or at night before going to sleep.  

50 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

Full disclosure:  I have never sailed in an inside cabin.  We love having a balcony and fresh air.  On sea days I love sitting out there reading, sometimes with a glass of wine to enhance the experience.  That said we also did a 12 day British Isles cruise last summer and barely used the balcony.  It is one of the most port intensive cruises that Princess does.  And at least for us the weather was miserable in late June / early July so even when we did have downtime the balcony wasn't that pleasant.  If you absolutely don't need a balcony and will use WiFi / have a couple of drinks a day it probably makes more sense to buy Plus.

 

As for the Olympics, Princess will have them on one or more of their sports channels.  It's anyone's guess whether they will get a US or UK feed but it's popular enough that you should be able to watch some of it.  If you are someone who watches the Olympics 24 X 7 I would agree that you should probably move your cruise to another time.  There's so much to see in each of the ports so I think you will miss a decent amount of the TV coverage on this itinerary.

Thanks so much for your input.  I might just have to bite the bullet and miss a lot of the Olympics, lol.  I never miss them since I've been a teenager.  I know some could care less about them.

What did you mean about the weather being miserable when you went last June?  I wish we could have gone in April or May when it would be a little cooler.  I think it late July/early August it might be a bit warmer.  I would love some cool air, while being away from the hot/humid Virginia summer.

This is the only good time to take this cruise.  There is another one leaving around Aug.5, but I'll have to fly back from London and start school the following morning.  Also, it doesn't include a stop at Invergorden.  That's the most important stop for us, so we can go to Lockness.

I don't want to watch tv all the time, just a lot of times when in the cabin and maybe while on deck.  I talked to someone from Princess and she said they will have the Olympics on.  She didn't say if they have NBC or not, but said they would be on. I would think they could skip showing soccer a little bit as it is played year round, while the Olympics are only once every four years (two years if you count the winter ones.)

Hi all,  I haven't posted in cruise critic for a long while as our last two vacations have been at all-inclusives.  I work in education (special -ed.) and unfortunately the only good time to travel is during the summer.  My dream cruise is to go to the British Isles, among a few others (Canary Islands, Transatlantic, South Pacific, etc.)  I have a couple of dilemmas and am not the best decision maker, so would appreciate any advice.

Except for my very first cruise, which was a window cabin, all have been balconies and I loved them.  For this cruise, it will be a little out of our budget to get a balcony as it's a 12- night cruise to the British Isles.  There aren't any window cabins, ughh.  So it's either a small box w/o a window for 12 days, or a balcony.  Since the cruise is starting the exact same day as the Olympics, I won't be wasting the days away staring at the sea or reading books out on the balcony.  Just about every free minute I'll have in the room, I'll be wanting to watch NBC.  Since it's a port intensive cruise and I'll be trying to watch a lot of the Olympics (since I never miss them and can't possibly record 100 hours of tv and have time to watch them before school starts again,) can any of you that cruise often say if it's miserable having an inside cabin and for 12 days?

I'm also debating on whether to get either a balcony or the princess plus pacakage.  They end up being approximately the same extra charge.  To get a balcony for 12-night cruise for hubby and I, it would be about 1450 more.  For the plus package it would be approximately the same.  The last two cruises we did, had the beverage package included and I got spoiled (for cocktails, the occasional soda and specialty coffees.)  I have to remind myself though, that if we don't get the package that doesn't mean we can't drink!  If you have a recommendation on which to pick- balcony or package, that would be great.

I've been to Ireland, England (London), and France (Paris.)  So, it will by my first time seeing Scotland and Wales.  These are the five countries the cruise will visit. It will be husbands' first time to Europe.  Yes, we could do a shorter cruise to the Caribbean or to even the Med.  All my previous cruises have been to the Caribbean and Bermuda, and I don't have a ton of interest in the Med.  I'm dying to see Scotland/Lockness, Stonehenge, Normandy beaches and the parts of Ireland I haven't seen yet. Portland, England I'll probably designate as another sea day, to relax, enjoy the ship and watch Olympics. I am wondering how the scenery from a balcony will be on this type of cruise.  I realize sea days will be mostly open water, but when we get close to land if it will be disappointing not having a balcony.

If any of you have any tips on port excursions, those are welcome too!  I have been looking and do have ideas, but always debate between ship and non- ship excurions: Cork, Dublin, Glasgow, Invergorden, Edinburgh, Holyhead, Portland, and Le Havre.

Thanks in advance!

I think it would be wonderful to visit London at Christmas time.  And it's better that it might be a little cold, than hot (yuck.)  

On 5/17/2021 at 7:36 PM, Biker19 said:

Travel agent.

Thank you.  I can't believe I asked that question, silly me.

On 5/15/2021 at 7:51 PM, Missusdubbya said:

The Royal Caribbean UK website usually shows the most availability of cabins - more so than the US (or Australian sites). You mentioned you were looking at an external non Royal Caribbean site which may not show all available cabins. 

Okay, thanks.  I'm forgetting and I probably saw it before, but besides transatlantic I don't know what TA stands for.  I didn't know I could check for availability on either of RC's sites- US, UK, etc! 🙂 I book through an agency that many probably know, but of course you can't say the name here.  It's one where you can see all the cabins available, or not.  Another one, doesn't show any cabin availability.  Anyway, happy cruising.

On 5/14/2021 at 11:37 AM, Cigar King said:

Yes.  We got off the Brilliance on March 16th, and she hasn't sailed since...well at least not as a cruise vacation.

 

It was nice to have everything open and not crowded, especially since there was a full staff.  There was not cruise spirit though.  Nobody knew what to expect and it just hung over the ship like a cloud.  

I can sort of imagine.  I'm sure lots of cruises were like that in Mid March last year.  I guess the one good thing was the lack of crowds!  Happy future sailing 🙂