dbjhughes

Thank-you very much to the last two responders - much appreciated. Do you remember which ports of call had to be effectively foregone in order to go to Iguazu Falls, Machu Picchu and Galapagos? I have never been to any of the South American ports, so although I am very keen to go to the above must-see places, I’ll have to weigh up whether seeing them would trump having to skip the ports themselves.

They aren’t, only those for a few ports, hence why I am asking.

I am booked on Queen Vic‘s South America trip next year. Does anyone who took part in previous Cunard South America circumnavigations remember whether Cunard offers overland tours to Machu Picchu, Iguazu Falls, Galápagos Islands and/or Antarctica? Fred Olsen will be offering all of these in their 2026 South American trip. Many thanks.

Could anyone please report if norovirus on QM2 is ongoing or whether it is resolved?

As QM2 is not on the port schedule for the usual south/west Australian ports of call, this suggests she is sailing round Cape Horn as part of her world cruise that year, which she hasn't done since 2016.

Have any of the usual suspects laid eyes on the itineraries for the 2026 world cruises? A check of the Sydney cruise schedule lists Queen Mary 2 and Queen Anne as both due there in March 2026, suggesting they are the ships undertaking the world cruises that year. Many thanks.

I am keen to get to Geirangerfjord and Geiranger on a cruise before cruise ships are pretty much banned there in 2025. I have been keeping track of which cruise lines have been pulling out of their planned stops there (? for what reason, presumably cost). I am aware P&O's Iona has a patchy history of going there, and Cunard's Queen Victoria cancelled both of its calls there this year. I am therefore understandably looking elsewhere. Can anyone with first-hand knowledge please let me know whether Princess' calls there over the past couple of years have gone ahead as planned, and if not why not? Many thanks.

P&O's excursion 'St Kitts railway and cruise' was the most enjoyable excursion I have ever done on any cruise. A catamaran takes you (at a very leisurely pace, and with plenty of alcoholic sustenance to hand!) along the beautiful west coast from Basseterre to near the base of Brimstone Hill Fortress (distant view only, but its huge scale is apparent). You are then transferred to the famous St Kitts scenic railway, which is unforgettable, before being transferred back to the port. An idyllic combination, if P&O are offering it on your cruise. Basseterre is also really charming. (You may have guessed that St Kitts is my favourite Caribbean island!)

Out of curiosity, does anyone know why Martinique has been changed to Dominica on all three QM2 cruises in which Martinique was a scheduled port of call in 2023 and 2024?

Can anyone who is currently on or has recently sailed on Balmoral please confirm whether norovirus has resolved onboard since these previous posts, as I am considering booking a cruise on her in mid-September..? Many thanks.

Hi. I have heard one report of Princess Cruises doing an unadvertised detour through Prince Christian Sound during a Greenland cruise. Can people report whether this is the norm during their annual Greenland cruises from the UK, or whether the cruise in question was a one-off? Many thanks.

Does anyone know why Ambience is no longer calling at Haifa on her current Grand Mediterranean cruise? She seemed to stop at Rhodes today instead. I am curious, as I am planning on booking the similar itinerary in October that calls at Ashdod.

Many thanks for your replies. Of course one could never get bored of NYC, but as a Brit I have not yet got round to visiting Philadelphia or DC, whereas I have spent quite a bit of time in NYC, so I was wondering if an overnight stop in NYC on Queen Anne in 2025 will open up any options further afield. Anyone currently on Queen Vic care to comment on what was on offer during the overnight stop in NYC at the start of this year’s World Cruise?

According to the 2025 preview, Queen Anne will be stopping overnight in New York on that year‘s World Cruise. Presumably for operational requirements, QM2 offers rather standard and brief shore excursions for its turnaround days in New York. Can more far-flung shore excursions be expected on an overnight call, e.g. Philadelphia, Washington DC? Can anyone report on whether anything beyond the usual Manhattan-based excursions was offered during Queen Vic‘s overnight call there at the start of this year’s World Cruise? Many thanks.

Many thanks for confirming. I suspected as much, as I followed with interest MSC Orchestra’s visit to Mahon last week - she seemed to anchor at the mouth of Mahon’s long harbour and tender people in, which must have been a huge undertaking. On the plus side, AIDAstella successfully docked in port yesterday, despite being significantly heavier and deeper than Balmoral, which bodes well for Balmoral’s intended call in October.

Need parking for 28 nights 27th Sept to 25th Oct in Dover. Choice seems to be Relyon or Port Parking? Which is better/more convenient for the cruise terminal? Any other tips eg good pre-cruise hotel? Thanks.

I shall be on the 2023 QM2 world cruise from/to Southampton. I have checked the extensive Dubai excursions, and cannot see one for a tour of the QE2 hotel, which is surprising given QE2’s heritage. Does anyone know if Cunard tend to offer this as an excursion? If not I shall arrange it myself.

Thanks for your thoughts re Mahon/Menorca. I was already a bit suspicious about this port before Fred changed it twice this year, as it was scheduled on a P&O Oriana itinerary in 2019, and then nine months prior to sailing was replaced with tendering to Ciutadella on the west coast of Menorca. Which would have been great, except of course tendering was called off the day before we were due there due to forecast swell, so we ended up having two days rather than one in… Gibraltar, argh! By the way, I called Fred about the reason for the second time they changed Mahon to Malaga, as I had done the first time, and was again given the reason of ‘weather’. I just can’t buy this as a reason twice for the same port of call, especially when the forecasted weather for Mahon was gorgeous in every way. While people on other cruise lines are annoyed by being fobbed off with ‘operational reasons’ as an explanation, I would have bought it more than ‘weather’ in this circumstance. While I know people are having ports cancelled or changed left, right and centre at the moment, I have been rather spoilt since I returned to cruising last September after the pandemic, as I haven‘t missed a single port of call on four cruises since then! So I can’t complain. But if anyone was on Bolette for either of the Amalfi Coast cruises and knows why Menorca was replaced with Malaga, I (and by the sounds of it, Coravel too!) would be very grateful to know, as I am due on Balmoral in a couple of months with a scheduled stop in Menorca…

Many thanks for your update about what happened with Tangier.

I see some 2024 itineraries have been announced this week. Has Princess provided an update about when the Europe 2024 itineraries will be announced, please?

I have watched with interest whether Bolette makes it to Menorca on her two Amalfi Coast cruises this year, as my Balmoral cruise later this year is due to stop there, and I have previously failed to get to Menorca on another (non-Fred) cruise. I was disappointed to see Bolette called at Malaga instead on Menorca during the April cruise, but when I called Fred to enquire they reassured me that the reason was weather-related and a one-off, so my Balmoral cruise would be unaffected. However, I see Bolette is due to substitute Menorca with Malaga again tomorrow, so the reason given to me by Fred was clearly misleading. I also paid attention to whether Bolette made it to Tangier a few weeks ago, and can‘t say I was surprised to see it was replaced by Gibraltar. Does anyone have any first-hand experience as to why Bolette hasn’t made it to Menorca or Tangier? Many thanks.