Slugsta

We disembarked from Iona on Saturday. We usually joined the queue from our chosen bar and didn't wait long (were happy to share tables).

Thanks, we have decided to do just that.

We are due to be in Cadiz for the day on 7th Feb. At the moment, the plan is to visit Jerez (although riding school not possible that day) but we are wondering whether we would be better of staying in Cadiz. My mobility is limited and I use a lightweight electric wheelchair when we are ashore. We both enjoy exploring old towns (despite the uneven surfaces!), having a look at the local museum and church (OH's tolerance for churches is more limited than mine), a coffee/pastry/drink. We are not beach bodies, even when it is warm enough! OH considers the day a success if he has not been anywhere near a shop although I enjoy a bit of gentle browsing. I would have liked to go to Seville but have to accept that it would be outwith my energy levels.

I'm picky about my veg, green beans I will always eat so it sounds as if I am in luck! 😀

It's good to read your comments, Alpha. We are due onboard for the first time on 28th of this month 🙂

Sounds as if you are on the same cruise as us then. Just 2 weeks to go!

I agree with Gut, I can turn my lightweight power wheelchair almost on a sixpence. It took me a while to get used to the joystick control but that is a much better position for me generally and it's become second nature.

I'm glad that you were able to get there in the end but completely undertstand why you wouldn't rush back to Tilbury!

Yes, I saw quite a few people arriving already dressed for dinner, but there was no way we were going to sit in the car for nearly 6 hours in our posh togs. Ambassador also refused to budge for us, which didn't give a good first impression (although I know that other lines seem to have poor customer relations shoreside too). Breakfast the next day was an utter shambles. We queued for some time outside the MDR, only to be told that they were only letting in people who had queued on the other side of the ship and we should go round and join the back of that queue. After a near-riot they did start letting in people from both queues alternately.

I tend to agree. We have cruised mainly with P+O but have used other lines when it suited us. Every time, there have been things we have liked more and some we have liked less about the ship and the line.

We allowed 5 hours to get to Tilbury from Poole - which was just as well as there was a significant delay on the M25. Picked our son up from Tilbury station just after 6pm and went directly to the cruise terminal. They allowed us in straight away, we joined the queue and were in our cabin by 6.50 - which gave us time for a cocktail before dinner. We had a good dinner but would be interested to hear what food is like usually (ie, was the 'festive' meal considerably better than the usual fare?). OH didn't want to see the show, so we explored the ship instead. Breakfast on Saturday morning was something of a shambles but we were hardly going to starve!

Martha, I hope you enjoy your night onboard. 2nd dinner is 8.30, so we have our fingers crossed that we will manage to change for dinner. Don't think we have any hope of a nice, relaxed drink beforehand though!

One's canny and one's illegal?? 😁

I know that my friends were on Iona in July and they said many people were in formal dress in the Horizon as they gave up queuing for the MDR.

We have now received an email from Ambassador saying that everyone should be off by 9.30, which is about par for the course.

I've just received an email for Ambassador telling me that boarding times have now been assigned - we have been given 7.30pm, which will barely give us time to find our cabin before dinner, never mind change! It would be fair to say that we are not terribly happy . . .

We are on an overnight 'experience' in December and are planning to visit a friend the next day. I'm assuming that disembarkation will be pretty much as usual - with most people off by about 9am. Does anyone know anything for certain please?

We're on the 9th December (with our son and his girlfriend). It will give us chance to check out the ship, especially accessibility. Tilbury isn't great for us, but we are going to see our friend in Southend after we disembark, so it should work out OK.

You might think that this is the best product for you, but not everyone is the same. I have found the bands to be utterly useless.

I have my fingers crossed!

Which date in Jan please? We are on Iona at the end of that month . . .

We were scheduled to have our final formal evening on a port day (penultimate day of the cruise). As it happened, we were unable to tender due to sea conditions, so it ended up as a sea day anyway!