alvin moondust

No, The beds drop down from the ceiling above the two standard beds, It is very cosy!

We have been watching a particular cruise for a couple of months, and the price for a balcony was at £1100, Today with a month to go the saver fare has dropped to £699. That is an £800 saving for two of us. Of course there is a risk that the cruise will sell out before you book but we will take our chances:) The cabin we were allocated last year was a perfectly nice midship cabin but I think the standard size cabins are all pretty much the same.

We dined in The White Room on Ventura for Nics 40th and it was very nice indeed.

Both East and Sindhu were absolutely fabulous, We nearly didnt bother with East on Ventura but my goodness the flavours where absolutely fantastic and the service and ambience was great too, We actually made a point of going back next day to tip the staff directly as were not carrying cash on the night.

We only managed to get in to Sindhu for lunch but again it was fabulous.

Not sure if this helps you but if you look at our video from about 4mins 30sec you will see the lake where the bus drops you

Yes we have also eaten at both, and both were very enjoyable, We can't remember if there was a price difference but it would only have been quite small.

We also ate at East (Ventura) and Sindhu (Azura) and the food was spectacular in both. We nealt gave East a miss but are so glad we didnt as the flavours were just amazing.:)

Last year we limited our carry on to a bottle of Veuve Cliquot bubbly for our balcony, The rest we paid for on board. The wine prices on Azura were no more expensive than you would pay in a typical restaurant.

I intend t get up very early the day we enter the Baltic Sea, put on my onesie, and sip a glass of wine in the balcony!

 

 

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Why Can't i get this image out of my head LOL:)

While its great to see the Union Flag prominently displayed, I have to say Im not a fan of the huge bow graphics. We have seen several of the German AIDA ships and to me they just look tacky compared to the gleaming white bow of the Ventura

The new brochure dropped through our door yesterday and has the deck plans in it. I notice there are some forward facing suites above the bridge.

The Cookery club is apparently a kitchen with twelve workstations where James Martin and his team will hold cookery classes!

You read so many threads on these boards about sneaking alcohol on board its unbelievable.

If you are spending thousands of pounds on a nice cruise why is a couple of hundred pounds drinks bill such a problem for people, The prices on P&O ships are quite reasonable in my view, certainly no more than I would expect to pay in a decent town center pub:cool:

I thought Bergen had a Funicular railway not a cable car? Am I mistaken:confused: Either way if you want to ride it then it is probably a good idea to get off the ship nice and early as there was a very large queue for it when we visited. We took a walk partway up the hill instead, it was a nice sunny day and great for getting photos of the town with the ship in the distance

We use automatic tipping and to be honest it was not that expensive, less than we expected in fact. We also tipped our excellent and very helpful cabin steward directly on a couple of occasions.

We dont like the way that Royal Caribbean expect to load tips on to everything in typically American fashion. We are not skinflints but adding 15% to a glass of pop dispensed from a machine is unreasonable in our view. Its a shame because my partner refuses to consider RC because of her view on tipping. We tend to spend quite a bit on board but we also want to feel like we are getting value for money.

Most are certainly better than anything you will find in an Italian Ski Resort thats for sure;)

There are certainly cheaper options, Southampton Cruise Parking want £62, but it says its a 15-20 min transfer plus any standing around waiting for your minibus to leave I suppose.

Dont know if i can be bothered with that extra hassle after a six hour 240 mile journey,

Last year we used the meet & Greet parking option at the Ocean terminal in May which was very convenient. I have just priced it for this year but the cost is now almost one hundred pounds for a week:eek: Are there any other convenient places to park nearby?

Thanks

Steve

Not bothered in the slightest to be honest, They are just two of about 1200 staff working in our floating hotel:D The main thing I remember about our Captain on Ventura was the amusing announcements from the bridge when departing port. I dont remember the cruise director at all.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) When you book you are given the option not to be upgraded, On our carribean trip we spent a lot of time choosing our E deck cabin so we refused the upgrade option, If you take the gamble on getting moved then you really have to go with what they give you. Im pretty sure the booking form says you cannot refuse an upgrade either.

If you booked through a TA then they probably should have made it clear to you.

Judging from the various replies, It must be pot luck as to if they allow you on the deck above the bridge.

On both Azura and Ventura in Norway and the Caribbean this area was closed to passengers at all times.

I think Im in a minority but Im not sure if I like the artists impressions Ive seen, It all looks a bit IKEA, Very cold and clinical. I believe they describe it as Contemporary:)

We shall see when the ship is revealed properly.

I agree Tom. Its more or less free of passengers and not much noise except the wind in your ears if its calm, On Azura it was a nice day but the wind in your face was exhilarating and the waves were crashing off the bow thirty yards behind you!

Most people who want a forward view tend to go to the walkway which wraps right round the front of the Gym, which is quite a bit higher than the bow.

Watching that video I was more alarmed by how close to the rocky shore she is those conditions:eek:

You would not want to lose an engine or rudder there!!

I suppose it depends on your budget and how tall you are if you are thinking of an upgrade. For me the only real benefit is extra space and there is not a lot of difference, Its a couple of inches legroom, but if you are over six foot then that may be important to you.

We decided that that the £500 cost would be better spent on board:D on treats like access to the Thermal suite, and few bottles of bubbly:)

Having recently spent two weeks in Barbados, I can say that you will be fine with US $. The Barbadian and US rates are tied together at about two to one and US is accepted everywhere.

Bergen and Stavanger were our two main ports, At Bergen you take a short coach ride (5 mins) just to get you out of the dock area, and at Stavanger you walk easily from the ship.

At Olden and Andalneses there was very little ashore to look at other than the surrounding scenery. You would be as well to book an excursion. For us the spectacular Journey up the Fjords was better than the destination.

As previously mentioned Norway is very expensive indeed so eat well before you leave the ship LOL A simple lunch of two main courses and two cokes cost us £64:eek:

We have found all the staff on Ventura and Azura to be great and our cabin steward was very good. When I lost a button on my Tux I asked if he could help me and I left it on the bed for him. A couple of hours later it was back fixed cleaned and pressed! He was great.