Scratchrat

I have annual insurance as a work perk. It costs me £5 a month to cover the 2 of us.

Just now, Vampiress88 said:

well before me then. We are on in July 2021. All my 2020s were cancelled. 
 

too boring being stuck at home 

I have a June 2021 cruise booked as well with Carnival. 

2 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

me too. 
 

when do you sail

December 12th 2020 - hopefully 😄 

and god I need a break!

I am so excited for this ship, ahhhhh.

8 hours ago, Vampiress88 said:

wow. Your two years older than me an practically have the same holidays. Disney and cruises 😂 

 

we have inside cabins so far. Have a balcony for the fjords so we can watch as we pass through. 
 

not sure what you mean about what you can do in an inside cabin. 😆 

 

we went in 2012 on our first cruise too and we didn’t party hard half As much As All the older folk 

You know exactly what I mean about what you can do in an inside cabin, you have 2 kids for a reason! 😛

I'm used to big ships and find the smaller ones to be pokey and tripping over people lol

16 hours ago, zap99 said:

Problem with same day to Southampton for you is when someone has an accident and blocks the M25/6. Early start to be safe. We have cruised on Ocean Village 1&2 a longtime ago. They seemed quite big then.

I'm travelling same day for Southampton from Cardiff. Just leave nice and early, the ship doesn't sail til evening.

15 hours ago, Zombatar said:

Oops, small problem then, Boris has decided no change to the 2 metre rule. What next I wonder!!

 

Peter

No, he commissioned a report into whether 1m can work.

I love sushi and italian ❤️

On 6/12/2020 at 10:05 AM, mercury7289 said:

Had any luck, in finding these possible interesteing reports?

No 😞

5 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

And I take my hat off to you, as a whole crab would be too much for me but my wife, who loves seafood, enjoyed it! Epicurean on Britannia is our favourite restaurant at sea, by a mile. Better than quite a few Michelin star restaurants that I’ve eaten in. That being said, it isn’t for everyone. Our daughters have very different views of it. Our youngest loves it and did so even as a teenager, but she’s quite a foodie. Our older daughter (20’s) finds it too formal and feels a bit uneasy in there, so I can quite understand that you feel that way. I would give everything a go at least once though, as I find that some things that don’t appeal on paper can be great and vice-versa!

I don't eat seafood except sushi oddly.

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

Without being too argumentative,  the vast majority of curry houses in the UK are Bangladeshi,  and supermarket ready meals tend to mimic the meals served in these restaurants. The curries that the British are accustomed to, are big and brash, but are not representative of the flavours that you will find if you actually est on the sub-continent. 

I would suggest that Sindhu meals are far more authentic in flavour (if not presentation) than the "Indian" meal we eat in the UK. 

If you ever did eat in the mess, you might be sorely disappointed, as it is more than likely that the curry served there would be less fiery, but more tasty, than the one served to the passengers.

There is a lot to be said about some curries and some foods in general using spice to replace flavour. Sometimes a curry can be fragrant, with tender meat and a lovely flavour and that's way more important to spice.

I've seen plenty of the world and will see plenty more.

I don't just cruise.

7 hours ago, shipbound2 said:

When you think of it why do you need to wear a mask if you're not coughing or sneezing(If you are stay home). The same with social distancing if you're not coughing or sneezing or exchange fluids how are you going to give the COVID-18 virus to others. If I'm standing next to someone that has the virus I can't get it if there is no mode of transmission. So basically it is up to the guests not to sail if they are sick it has to be brought on  the ship to cause an outbreak. That is the big question when cruise lines start sailing.

 

I assume you're breathing? Big assumption I know. You do know what BREATH is right? Vapour...air and liquid...what do these masks stop? liquid....

Just now, wowzz said:

I agree to a certain extent, but when you are young and healthy, there are, imho, better ways of seeing the world. The odd cruise yes, but you miss so much by being restricted to cruise itineraries.

Remember that not all "young" people are the same, just like we'd all be fools to assume that the older cruisers on here are all boring old farts 😛

Me and my other half are quite particular about home comforts. We wouldn't want to do backpacking, or travelling like that. We like nice hotels, cruises and stuff like that.

We do go to Disney World in Florida for 2 weeks every 2 years and do 1-2 cruises a year when we can.

In 2010 when we went on the first cruise, we thought it would be boring and like butlins at sea but we had a blast and we were in our 20's going to bed at 10pm cos we were exhausted! The old folks were still singing in the piano bar when we were in bed!

22 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Given the average age of most cruise passengers, I presume that you mean sleeping 😂 

Haha! Well I took my first cruise at 23! I'm 34 now 😛

18 hours ago, wowzz said:

I can understand both points of view regarding balcony or inside cabins. Indeed, on a cruise in the Caribbean,  where you are virtually guaranteed good weather, and lots of ports, the cost saving of an inside cabin may make sense. However,  if the weather is likely to be inclement, a balcony cabin, strangely enough, seems vital. On our last cruise, the final three days were spent battling through force 10 gales back to Southampton.  The public areas were packed,  and in places resembled a refugee camp. The ability to stagger back to the quiet and space of the cabin, and watch the waves crashing by, was worth every penny. 

I mean there are fun things you can do in your cabin without a balcony >.>

9 hours ago, Vampiress88 said:

I’ve only ever had an inside one in my two goes on a ship. Can’t wait to see what the other ones like. 
 

I am just a cheap and cheerful kinda girl tho

Saaaaaame.

I just prefer to spend my money on excursions, souvenirs etc

7 hours ago, Lottacruises said:

Nice!

Thankyou 🙂

Hey all 🙂

I've started my own video blog on cruising that is for those who enjoy following Carnival and their ships/itineraries.

15 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

We took advice from several people before starting cruising, and they fell into two quite different camps.

 

Both are very valid viewpoints.  One approach is to go for the cheapest possible cabins on the basis that you get more cruises that way.  Sound commonsense, particularly if you spend little time in the cabin.

 

The other of course is always to have a balcony.  Fewer cruises of course, unless you’re loaded, but it really is an altogether different experience.  The joy of going onto that balcony at any time of the day or night, whatever the weather, wherever you are, is indescribable. Sitting reading, a few drinks, lunch, afternoon tea, whatever, in peace and quiet - wonderful.

 

The last few cruises we’ve had suites. Not as expensive as you might think when bookings first open, but ridiculously expensive later on. The huge extra space, the location, a coffee machine, beautiful breakfasts in the Epicurean, outside in good weather, make it worth the extra for us, but we don’t cruise several times a year. I’d rather one or two with a bit of luxury.

 

No right or wrong answers though. A lot depends on how much time you spend in the cabin.  Having said that though, the more accommodating your cabin is, the longer you’re likely to spend in it, and I reckon the money saved on drinks and coffees around the ship go some way towards the extra cost!

Yeah, it's the experience you want that matters.

For me, I'm the same on land. I will always stay in cheaper hotels and have more spending money. It's just a place to rest my head. 

9 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Same here. In all honesty, we would rather not go at all than have to cruise in an inside cabin. Even prison cells have windows! We spend a lot of time in our cabin, especially when the ship is busy, sitting on the sofa reading and watching the world go by. We always have a balcony cabin, even though we spend very little time on the balcony. We just love the constantly changing panoramic views and the ability to pop out on to the balcony when there is something interesting, such as a view or dolphins etc. We often sleep with the curtains open and enjoy waking up to see our transit into a new location from bed!

While I understand that completely, we all cruise differently.

I'm lucky enough to have a balcony out to the harbour here at home so I suppose sitting on the balcony out to the water is pretty normal for me now and seems like a "home thing". On the ship, I like to just use the room as somewhere to sleep, wash and get dressed and then I'm out in the bars, the coffee shop areas, in the spa etc... and on port days I'm making full use of the ports!

17 minutes ago, Bin man said:

Took me 20 years to finish after been in the loft till lockdown half finished .Built in 12 weeks to complete . 

Wow that's impressive!

I'm currently doing research for my video blog for my Carnival Legend cruise. *mind boggles*

1 minute ago, wowzz said:

Just open the balcony doors!

To be honest, eating room service meals in most standard cabins, especially inside ones, is not much fun. 

I go for interior rooms.

If i wanna see the outside world, I'll go onto open decks for free 😄 

I literally only use my room for sleep.