Fabulous97

I have tried searching however I cannot find the answer.

We reached Platinum level on our last cruise and have a European one booked for September (ever hopeful). I see we receive two complimentary dinners, are we allowed to book these in advance? Or is it something done onboard?

We also have some dining package and have been able to book these.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

We have proof on our NHS app and a QR code in the UK. Cards will not be accepted from Southampton when cruising restarts in July.

As others have said it is already in our NHS app, clearly says mine and have a QR code to prove it. It will be required for international travel and cruising. I know RCI will ask for it on our July cruise to nowhere from Southampton.

No covid passports for events, sports etc

France and Germany have pretty much banned the UK now.

21 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

@nagguks

 

If your cruise sail date is before the end October 2021 you currently get the deposit back as a FCC under the "Peace Of Mind" offer which can be applied to any cruise including existing booking,

I literally just did it this week, Friday I booked the Bliss on insider deal of 2x points and 2x perks. Come Monday they are offering 3x latitude points and ALL perks so I cancelled and rebooked.

The only thing my PCC is unsure of is weather I will get my 10% of voucher back after the cancellation so I could be a small amount worse off is the don't let me have it back.

 

That is a very good point! We are booked on the Prima and getting all the deals.

6 hours ago, nagguks said:

I did not get my deposit back when I rebooked my cruise. But it might be other rules here in EU?

I think getting 48 points for a single cruise (16 day TA) was worth the money anyway since I get a huge jump to platinum.

In the EU we don’t get our deposit back unfortunately.

My sister lives in Cowes and apparently it is very windy and choppy! Good luck MSC…. 50 to 60mph winds for the next two day 🤢

I think we will bite the bullet on the drinks package for 7 July.

7 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

Very good point about the travel card.

 

If just using London Transport (tube and bus) for a day or two then a good option is to use contactless payment (card or Apple Pay etc) as it registers your trips and then at the end of the day you get charged the best rate for the journeys you have taken. Just remember to always use the same payment method. It is how I have paid for transport in London for years now.

 

If you are there for longer then a multiple day travel card will probably be best, and these need purchasing in advance of the travel.

 

One other travel tip for London, that few people seem to consider, is remember that you don’t always have to use the transport. I know people who automatically go to the tube, sometimes wasting time changing lines, just to travel a ten minute walk down the road. There is so much to see as you walk, so don’t spend all your time in a hole in the ground.

Very good point re Apple Pay etc. I agree walking is also great to get around, you never know what you will see. I love our city, lived and worked centrally for quite some years.

17 hours ago, Paul Bogle said:

 

Houston is a large spread-out city. You really will not have much time to see things the evening before your cruise. Jet lag will probably reduce your activity level too. You will arrive at IAH which is 90 minutes from Galveston if traffic is flowing. With this in mind I suggest you arrange a car service to take you directly from IAH to Galveston and stay somewhere downtown near the cruise ship terminal like the Tremont. 

 

My thinking is that you will arrive early afternoon when most of the flights from Europe land. It will take at least an hour or more to deplane, clear immigration, retrieve luggage and move through customs. Figure another two hours to get to Galveston and it will be very late afternoon to early evening and I suspect you will be tired. If you do have some energy you can enjoy a stroll along the strand in Old Galveston, enjoy a fine meal at your hotel or dine at a local establishment. 

 

The Tremont is adjacent to the cruise ship terminals. When you wake in the morning you will see your ship just out your window if you are facing that direction. For more suggestions you should visit the Gulf Coast Departure board.

 

Have a wonderful cruise. We are considering the previous sailing from New York.

This is very helpful thank you so much. USA passport control always takes us some time, jet lag will also factor in. 🙂

We are also booked for the 11 nighter on Prima from Galveston. Never been to Texas before!

It means we have the 10 hour odd flight out and 8 hours on the return to London.

We will arrive the day before any recommendations?

The pound is not that strong against the USD, so when I have priced it up previously we are better booking through the UK.

We are on one of the 4 nights to nowhere floating around from Southampton in July on Anthem.

We have paid the balance now, I stop myself looking at new prices as it just gets depressing!

In the U.K. we have the NHS (National Health Service) app to show your vaccinations. The cards are not worth the paper they are written on. The app holds all your medical records, you can use it to order repeat prescriptions, contact your Dr etc. There is talk of a European wide app however the U.K. is no longer part of Europe. We are well ahead with our vaccinations programme. Still masks for all here as well.

We are supposed to be doing the Greek islands in September, NCL says this is their first cruise leaving on the 13th. Who knows if we will be allowed in to Italy from the U.K. or if we will be allowed back in without quarantine! I will soon be double jabbed however the Indian variant is taking hold here.

That is the CDC, the rest of the world also has its own rules.

21 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

I'm afraid you are going to be disappointed.

 

The reason why there are no go karts, slides and children's areas shown is that these will all be in areas which haven't been revealed yet.

 

There is some discussion on the slides, but go karts looks almost certain, as is a VR area.

 

I would expect a kids club as well, although they took it off the Spirit at refurbishment, so I suppose we never know.

 

There will be plenty for kids, and plenty of kids.

I did think there would be, I just think I was hopeful 😁 Virgin are no kids I don’t think I am cool enough for them.!

It is exciting when there is a new ship, we booked on Friday for 2022.

It looks like this ship is geared towards adults so far which I am very happy with. I don’t need go kart tracks, slides abs children’s areas.

it may sound grumpy however there are plenty of ships geared to family’s. I do hope all the lovely looking outside area (not Haven) are available to all.

Very excited! Booked for 11 nights October 2022 from Galveston, excellent price as well. Now need to book flights from London when they are released.

will be watching closely as areas are released for the ship and more information.

I think RCI have worked out how much booze Brits can drink in four days at sea!

I did a secondary test booking and it does say in a big pink box

PURCHASE DISCOUNTED DELUXE BEVERAGE PACKAGE UPON BOOKING COMPLETION

On 5/7/2021 at 11:34 AM, FionaMG said:

A lady from the Italian tourist board said in an interview on Sky News this morning that Italy is going to be opening up to international tourism, including UK and US travellers, on the 16th of May.

We cannot fly to Italy from the UK unless we go the PCR and quarantine route. Very few countries on the green list at the moment.

I have also just done a test booking and there is a big pink box that clearly says 

PURCHASE DISCOUNTED DELUXE BEVERAGE PACKAGE UPON BOOKING COMPLETION

We are on the four night on the 7/7 would love to get the drinks package at £45!

We received a FCC for £614 each and a certificate/code. That then became £468 and £218 then eventually £188 in total!

My TA was on the phone to them for nearly an hour, they really do not know what they are doing!

I am hoping that the citizens of Great Britain includes all British residents, I am married to a Swede but we live in the UK. 😁

Royal starts in the UK 7th July. Cruises either float around the South coast or call in at Greenock, Liverpool and Belfast.

All over 18s have to be twice jabbed, clear PCR test for under 18s and only available to UK residents.

Looks like Southampton is going to be a busy place for multiple cruise lines! 

RCI in the UK with the cruises from here are saying you need both vaccinations with two weeks clear before boarding. Under 18s have to have a negative PCR test within 72 hours. They have also said UK residents only! This is RCI ruling not our government.

We have easy access here to the lateral flow tests you can get a pack every week from the Government.

We also have an app to prove the vaccination, date, type etc. It's run by the NHS (National Health Service) it's where we can also order repeat medication, contact your GP etc.

Good luck with your Bahamas trip. We don't even know yet if we are allowed to leave the country (UK) or be let in anywhere else!

On 5/3/2021 at 7:41 PM, Ashland said:

Good news for some...But too much uncertainty for us to take a British Isles cruise July 30th.

 

British Isle Cruises from Southampton etc are only available to UK residents, unless that changes in the future.