Canuker

Welcome to Britain, JVW. With Holyhead being a small town, relatively few cruise ships calling there and the (main reason for the town) the ferry dock being next to the railway station, there is little call for a small army of taxis etc. In the circumstances, the cruise line should have laid on shuttle buses into the town. Any time a cruise ship docks at a small, infrequently used port, booking needed onward transport in advance is essential. Especially if you want to catch that hourly train out of Holyhead!

Oh dear. Princess: are you reading this? This sort of post, in a competitive industry like cruising, will quickly put prospective (and booked) customers off your brand - for good. Thanks for the candid 'heads-up', APDMOM. When on your ship in 2 weeks time, we shall be vigilantly looking for evidence of this, and not only in the buffet... If we find anything we shall be sure to 1. Show (not just tell, show) it to a manager 2. Take a phone picture too 3. Report it to Guest Services 4. Report it here on CC. Not good enough, Princess. Properly cleaned crockery (and cutlery) is hygiene 101. There is zero excuse for this.

What, exactly, is in those port fees that get tacked on to everyone's cruise bill? I'm guessing some costs have to do with the ship (mooring, piloting, etc. charges) which are split among us, the payload. Then some must be passenger specific. For example, quite by chance, I've just discovered that all cruise ship passengers arriving in Bonaire (southern Caribbean) are charged US$10, which is paid to the authorities by the cruise line. This got me wondering, what fees are charged by which commonly visited cruise ports? This is just a WAG but I'm guessing, from the colossal number of vessels that call there, Cozumel must have relatively low government/port fees? Bermuda, on the other hand appears to have variable charges, depending on duration of stay and even time of year. Lastly, presumably these fees are pre-charged to passengers by the cruise lines assuming the ship sails full. What if it doesn't? Does a cruise ship pay fees based on passenger capacity or on the actual manifest of passengers at the time of docking? There would seem to be some wiggle room here. Lastly, what might be the breakdown of what a cruise line pays for a port visit. Again, my guess, is that shipping, mooring, pilotage and tug work (i.e. vessel-focused charges) far outweight whatever the head tax on passengers might be?

If you've enjoyed Carnival, twice, why not stick with what you like? Perhaps Carnival, but to different locations?

As a destination, Holyhead has little to its credit. It is merely the town at the end of the road and railway, for the ferry to Dublin. This is one location where I would certainly be looking at the ship's own excursions to get out of town - possibly to Caernarvon (about as Welsh as it gets here) or to one of the delightful narrow gauge railways that criss-cross the hills of North Wales (in season). Or jump on the train (station is near the dock) and take the scenic north-shore line to Chester, about 2 hours away. Chester is a delightful city, steeped in many centuries of history.

Are we talking about the ship, the terminal or both, please?

I see your next scheduled port of call is Costa Maya. Assuming you dock there, how is the damage from Beryl?

And can I expect it on the Enchanted Princess in the Caribbean? Is it included or is it extra?

Don't have hundreds of Swiss watches in my carry on, OK? That's right out, I deny that completely.

There are parts of the ship that offer terrific exercise and for the vast majority of the time are not crowded at all. They're called the stairs. Try it - see how many stairs there are from the Medical Center down on deck 4, to the sports facilities up on deck 19. But there is a bad time to do this workout. It's right after dinner!

To APDMOM: I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying your posts. This is one of the best reviews - and in 'real-time' to boot - I've ever read. Please do keep up your wonderful work. I have a personal angle: we shall be aboard your ship in about 3 weeks time, so all this information is especially helpful as it's so very current and thorough. There is a thread for our cruise here and I've posted a link on it for folk to find your thread. For us your onboard material is as good as it gets without actually being aboard - which we will be very soon. Thanks again, APDMOM. You're a gem.

Your photographs are beautiful. What equipment are you using please?

Thanks for the responses, guys. I know there's nothing I can do to change it but since the "plus" package is charged on a daily (not weekly) basis, a 14 day cruise ought to include 4 casual dining meals.

I think these 'plus' casual meals are 2 per 7-day voyage, not 2 per day? If so, does that mean there 4 per 14-day voyage? Or am I whistling Dixie?

Memories of Katrina? As I write (2pm Sunday July 07) "Beryl" is about to "barrel" into the Texas coast about 100 km (60 miles) SW of Houston at about 4 am on Monday. The geography of the area, together with the positioning of the storm looks very similar to that of Katrina when it struck NOLA in 2005. Now, not nearly as ferocious as Katrina (she was force 5 then) but similar flooding seems a reasonable risk to consider, with onshore winds at Galveston of 38 knots or 44 mph - with onshore storm surge and heavy rain. Expected to lose energy in the Yucatan area, she did but has not crossed onto "mainland Mexico", where it was expected to diminish. Instead, she's made a right hand (towards the north) turn in The Gulf and, over the warm water has regained some of her strength. I would not want to be in Galveston - or even Houston - between now and noon on Monday. Beryl's next major target will be the Dallas area, with northerly winds of up to 30 knots (35 mph) and more heavy rain on Monday night.

An hour, ship to LHR airport desk is very optimistic. If this is a weekday, expect traffic to be heavy to slow in parts, especially near the airport. Clogged traffic in the port area can also be a factor. There are 4 different terminals at LHR. That can be a factor too. With flight time of 12:20 you'll need to check in 2 hours earlier (United uses terminal 2 by the way). That's 10:20 am. Assuming it's a weekday, I'd allow 2 hours to get to the bus stop at terminal 2. That means leaving the dock at 8:20 am. Add some extra time for baggage schlepping at your at 8:00am. Tight. Suggest you go for a later flight. Alternative forms of road ransport won't improve this much - they all use the same highway. The train is more predictable but you'd have to change twice; tricky with baggage but it will get you there on time: 8:15 depart Southampton Central station (about 5 minutes taxi from dock) arrive Reading 09:07. 09:16 Reading to Hayes & Harlington arrive 09:50 09:59 Hayes & Harlingtom to Heathrow Terminals 2&3 arrive 10:14. To do this, you'd need to "self disembark', taking your baggage along with you.

Not a hurricane, but a force 13 gale, in the North Atlantic (hurricanes start at the equivalent of force 12). Aboard Cunard's Queen Mary 2, which is a true ocean liner, not a cruise ship, built to withstand such weather. Sailing west a few years ago, we encountered the storm south of Newfoundland. The captain said we could not skirt it (insufficient time), so he decided to aim straight through it, aiming into the wind and swell, to minimize the side-side ship's roll. This meant a lot of "pitch" (back to front) instead. It was so severe that the waves were passing over the bridge of the ship, as the bow crashed down and up in the swell. So much so that they decided to switch off the bridge cam so we could no longer watch! The PA announced, in typical British understatement, that passengers were urged not to go out on any deck. Had anyone done so, they would have lasted about 10 seconds before being swept away, with no chance of search and recovery. We passengers could lay down in our cabins (most did!) but the crew still had their duties. I remember our Scottish waitress, doing her best to serve food to the few diners, looking distinctly green, poor girl. Next day the sea was like glass, looking like a huge sheet gold in the sunset. When we reached New York, it was disclosed that the ship had suffered some damage below the waterline and was not allowed to sail until repairs had been made.

whoever you choose, two things are essential for these itineraries: 1. Umbrella. The sturdier the better. 2. Sea sickness pills.

I don't think I'd be too concerned if I was on Curaçao. Choppy seas and some wind on the windward side of the island. Some cloud as Beryl passes to the north but sunny weather should return after noon on Tuesday.

Here's a picture of fishing boats in Bridgetown, Barbados, in the wake of Beryl.

OK, thank you HK. I'm glad there is a specific forum for this important topic.

I can't find a forum about weather, so I'll post this here. Hurricane Beryl has caused havoc in Genada as it makes its way westward. Expected to travel almost due west through the southern Caribbean Sea, it should be mid-way between Puerto Rico and the ABC islands Tuesday morning (July 02). Wednesday afternoon it may hit Jamaica directly, after passing to the south of Hispaniola. Friday afternoon it should hit the Yucatan east coast, then begin to fizzle out, as it crosses the Bay of Campeche before dying out near Poza Rica, by Tuesday July 09. This website has a useful article on hurricane weather preparedness here. Be prepared. Best, Canuker.

Glitch or not, the OP clearly has printed, hard copy evidence of Princess's offer and of his acceptance. That's a contract. OP: hold on and don't let go. The law is on your side. You may have to climb their management ladder before they formally concede. In your dealings with them, don't lose sight of your contract law rights. And their wrongs!

OP: is there jazz elsewhere on the ship, or has the music also been buried along with the Take 5 lounge?

OP here. My mistake; we will be aboard the Enchanted, not the Emerald. So I'm guessing it'll be in the Vista Lounge...?