johnnylikely

2 hours ago, Ladyshopper23 said:

On the face of it they do. I imagine for people that aren't gluten free, they would look at menus and thing there was lots of GF choice. It's only when you get down into it and realise that app menus and paper menus don't agree, servers and people behind the counter don't agree and don't seem to have the knowledge they should, and that things are labelled wrong that you realise there is a problem.

 

I did try really hard to be as fair as possible in my blog, and if I didn't have the added "complication" of being vegetarian (not that that should be a complication, but it clearly was combined with being GF) my experience would have been better, like it was for my husband. 

 

The sad thing is, they have the potential to be great for specific dietary requirements, but they have quite a bit of work to do to get there. 

 

Edited to say, thank you for taking the time to read my blog, I really appreciate it. it can be difficult to find information out about how cruise lines deal with gluten-free eating, and that's what led me to start it.

No probs- it was a great info you put together! A/ Cos I really thought they were on top of their game with that but also I like to eat gluten/dairy free if possible. I can eat them but if I have too much then my skin/tummy gets bad. I didn't realise they had gluten free options with the sandwich area- defo trying that!

It does make me concerned for those who have serious/deadly conditions tho, if you and your hubby were getting mixed messages didn't that affect ur coeliac condition? Thanks!

OMG I didn't realise they were as bad as it sounds- I thought they really took care of dietary requirements better....

4 hours ago, dazlight said:

Does anyone know if the limelight turns into a nightclub after the show? And if so what time. Can’t find any info if there is a night club on Iona. 

Also what’s the best bar for live music ?

 

Going in 2 weeks. 
 

cheers 

I don't think there was nightclub in Limelight. On our Feb Iona- the club house was the night club for late night drinks and dancing til about 2-3am

710 had a live band and was v popular- you had to queue quite early for it!

A lot of people got upgrades on the mermaiden... I didn't LOL

I have no idea on the subject, but one thing which crossed my mind is that they must've spent so much money on the restaurants on the food that to create a whole lot more would cost a fortune, the amount of staff I saw in the test kitchen alone was insane...

I would like some variety in the galley- I do like having diff dishes daily in regular cruises having the same day in and out, albeit great quality is a bit samey...

Was hoping to go with the family on the Enchanted this summer from Southampton.

My nephew is 7 years old and is not vaccinated.

I was wondering Princess' policy on children?

Thanks all! x

Just arrived!

Iona or any of Royal Caribbean ships (Anthem/quantum class/oasis class are great!)

Quite a few cruises have been cancelled apparently! Not a great start

2 hours ago, mcase131 said:

Thank you, do you recommend the ship?  We were booked for Jan 2021 and then covid hit.

Love this ship! P&O have really outdone themselves (in my opinion). I really like it!

Thanks so much for the wonderful review!

Sounds quite the ordeal getting there!

Obviously horses for courses etc

But I'm really wondering if Virgin have shot themselves in the foot by being too different (for the sake of it).

I was in a circle of very seasoned cruisers and not one even them even seemed remotely interested in cruising with the (adamant to not in fact!).

I know VV is going for a new market but I doubt that that will be enough to fill their ships- they need the oldbies and newbies to survive?

I tried them as I wanted to make up my own mind and it's the food that's won me over- everything else is a bit meh, but at the right price I'd consider them for sure!

I think it's a numbers game- a few ships, limited capacity etc I guess when her fleet grows and has more passengers/rep then we'll see more

8 hours ago, SummmerInKefalonia said:

2024 Deployment is this:

Arvia from Southampton 14-night cruises to Western Med.

Iona from Southamption 7-night cruises to the Norwegian Fjords.

Britannia from Southampton 7 to 14-night cruises to Norwegian Fjords, Baltics & some cruises to Western Med.

Azura from Valletta 7-night fly cruises to Central and Eastern Med.

Ventura from Southampton 7 to 14-night cruises to Spain & France and to Canary Islands.

Arcadia from Southampton long cruises to the Baltics, Norwegian Fjords and Med.

Aurora from Southampton long cruises to the Baltics, Norwegian Fjords, Central Med and Canada/New England.

Wow, Arvia isn't doing anything less than 14 nights?

For my Iona, I arrived at 4pm and waltzed through everything as queues had died down by then. Was lovely!

On 5/4/2021 at 9:42 AM, wowzz said:

After the scandalous way HL were promoting Woodford funds, when the funds were basically broke, and making millions in the process, I'm surprised that anyone still uses them.

H&L have been excellent- I've used a few brokers and other than the share centre which got bought out, they are very responsive and reliable. The woodford was on their recommended list (not sure how they got there) but I steer clear of those recommendations anyway. I don't know much about it but hey..

How does it compare to the solstice class? 

27 minutes ago, louise1809 said:

So yes, sadly system error, but, it turned out our cruise had dropped a further 650 dollars so was added as OBC! 

Congrats!

16 hours ago, fish_guru said:

I was wondering if anyone has used Global Entry upon return to the Port of Miami?

 

I did a search but most of the results were at least 2 years old. At that time the general consensus was that there was Global Entry line signage in the terminal but the lane was almost never open.

 

My family recently applied for and received Global Entry for a European trip this summer and the customs agent I met with said it could be used at the port however I would have to present the actual card. Anyone out there have any recent info? Will be on Seashore March 19th.

It's been years since I did it and can't remember which American port (maybe NYC?) I arrived at but global entry was ignored- I had to queue with the rest of the cattle lol

2 minutes ago, rachiem said:

It's not until Dec but would still be a lot cheaper to cancel and rebook

Have you tried a new booking with the new price? I'd probably do that first and see if it goes through before cancelling ur original booking just in case

Have you had final confirmation/payment taken? They probably wouldn't honor the price in any case...

Must be a glitch in the Matrix...

Does anyone know how Virgin run their overnighters?

Other cruise line have their gangways open 24/7

Is Virgin the same?

And are there shuttle running?

Thanks!

Travelodge and Premier Inn are usually cheap and cheerful

23 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Quite a lot here use Hargreaves Lansdown and they're very good.  Quite a few cheaper ways, though, some of which are covered here:

 

https://www.fool.co.uk/personal-finance/share-dealing/buy-shares/

 

Whether they're worth it or not depends very much on how many cruises you're likely to take, the continuity of the shareholder scheme (reviewed, and so far renewed, annually), and the future value of the shares.  That last one's always a gamble, and there's no answer - it's just that.  The standard advice is never, ever, to buy shares just for a shareholder's perk, and that still stands.  Personally, we've lost considerably more than we gained, even though we bought at a time when they were being tipped.  Most here, though, have won hands down - and a loss is never a loss until you have to sell.

Excellent advice!