Who Will Be Booking 2016 European Cruises Tomorrow?

[joe0928]

Good news, bad news. The good news....booked the Regal 27 days Scandinavia/Russia. The bad news is that it is 394 days away. See you on the roll call!

[susancruzs]

Don't feel bad, 529 days until my Regal Grand Adventure! The good news my TA gave me a price much less than same cabin category on Princess!

 

Still a pricey venture, but a cruise I've wanted to do for a long time. Let the countdown begin! :)

Edited March 20, 2015 by susancruzs

[Kamloops50]

Looking at the 14 day North Cape on the Emerald or the 17 day Transatlantic to NY on the Caribbean Princess.

 

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[candide333]

Congrats! Is this on the CB Sept 2016 TA London to NY? If so, we r neighbors, I have WS 307.

 

No, it is on the April 2016 TA cruise and includes Berlin, a first for us. Enjoy your cruise.

[J-D]

Looking at the 14 day North Cape on the Emerald or the 17 day Transatlantic to NY on the Caribbean Princess. ...

 

We booked the 14 d North Cape/Summer Solstice on the Emerald as soon as it was made available yesterday. We knew in advance what the USD prices were likely to be, but still hesitated (only briefly) given the double whammy of the high USD prices and the large CAD/USD exchange rate.

 

John

[MikeNKim]

I booked on Princess and booked mine in Canadian dollars.

 

kim

[ICUQT]

This long time HAL cruiser is taking a leap of faith. Have not sailed Princess but have our first one booked (Caribbean) for January. I saw the Fall 2016 itinerary posted on your board a couple of weeks back and took a hard look at Cruisetour 2-A Paris and French Countryside. Six days land 7 days on the Royal. Paris is on my "bucket list" and the dates of travel fall on our 45 wedding anniversary. Hey what can I say. Took the leap because my better half has put up with me for over 45 years. She certainly deserves it!

 

bob

[marjack]

We just booked the TA Southampton/NY on CB for September 5th, which is also DH's 74th birthday. This will also be my "pre-retirement" cruise, as I will be leaving work by the end of 2016 (finally!!). We are very excited as we were able to get a Window Suite. We really enjoy the CB and have had a WS on numerous other cruises. For about the same price of a mini-suite, you get all the wonder suite benefits (my favorite being breakfast at Sabatini's).

 

Just an FYI, we booked through Costco travel and received a very generous OBC.

 

And less than 18 months to go!!!!

[LewesBeach]

We just booked the TA Southampton/NY on CB for September 5th, which is also DH's 74th birthday. This will also be my "pre-retirement" cruise, as I will be leaving work by the end of 2016 (finally!!). We are very excited as we were able to get a Window Suite. We really enjoy the CB and have had a WS on numerous other cruises. For about the same price of a mini-suite, you get all the wonder suite benefits (my favorite being breakfast at Sabatini's).

 

Just an FYI, we booked through Costco travel and received a very generous OBC.

 

And less than 18 months to go!!!!

 

Congrats!! What a nice way to celebrate. We too r booked in a window suite as well as our neighbors who r traveling with us. Looking forward to this great itinerary.

[kruisey]

This long time HAL cruiser is taking a leap of faith. Have not sailed Princess but have our first one booked (Caribbean) for January. I saw the Fall 2016 itinerary posted on your board a couple of weeks back and took a hard look at Cruisetour 2-A Paris and French Countryside. Six days land 7 days on the Royal. Paris is on my "bucket list" and the dates of travel fall on our 45 wedding anniversary. Hey what can I say. Took the leap because my better half has put up with me for over 45 years. She certainly deserves it!

 

bob

I love Paris it is a favorite of mine.You must also do the boat ride along the Seine...:)

[Shogun]

Hi kenswing

When are you paying us a visit

Yours Shogun

[Kenswing]

Hi kenswing

When are you paying us a visit

Yours Shogun

 

Hey, Steve..

 

We'll be in:

 

Glasgow (Greenock) on May 13, 2016

Orkney Islands (Kirkwall) on the 15th

Inverness/Loch Ness (Invergordon) on the 16th

Edinburgh (South Queensferry) on the 17th

 

I know it's early in the season and we would have liked to have booked during the Tattoo, but you know how fire season is. Just can't get away during the middle of our summer..

[DrivesLikeMario]

I anxiously awaited Princess' 2016 fall itineraries but it took them so darn long to come out with them compared to the other companies I was considering, that I ended up making another cruise line my first choice. In the end, we decided to cruise from homeports in 2016 after going to Europe this summer. We'll be back in 2017 though.

 

I just wish they'd get their itineraries out sooner. Only cruise lines that are slower are RCI and HAL, neither of which has completed their new itinerary releases. If other cruise lines can get their act together (i.e. Celebrity, Azamara, Silversea, Carnivore, etc.), why can't Princess?

[Shogun]

Hi kenswing

Have you been to Orkney before,

Do you need any info or contacts for any ports just e mail me

Yours Shogun

[Kenswing]

Hi kenswing

Have you been to Orkney before,

Do you need any info or contacts for any ports just e mail me

Yours Shogun

 

This will be our first cruise to Europe..

 

I'm sure I'll be contacting you as the cruise gets a little closer.

 

Thanks for the offer, Steve. I appreciate it.

 

Ken

[boomerone]

Sign me up for a British Isles cruise, please.. :D

We booked B2B2B Rome to Rome on Pacific thinking it would be great to steer clear of 2500-3000+ fellow adventurers. Making the most out of our frequent flyer tickets.

[MicCanberra]

Looking at late 2016 but cannot find exactly what I want, too many choices:p

[islandwoman]

All booked. :) Started the process with my TA on March 19. We booked B2B2B on the Pacific Princess: Ft. Lauderdale to Dover "Fire and Ice"; Dover to Dover "Midnight Sun & Summer Solstice"; Dover to Dover "Scandinavia & Russia". Now we're trying to decide what to do with the turn-around days in Dover and post-cruise in the British Isles, while at the same time getting ready to leave on a Panama Canal/Pacific Coastal/Alaska cruisetour/Alaska cruisetour in less than 5 weeks :D

Edited March 23, 2015 by islandwoman

[MicCanberra]

All booked. :) Started the process with my TA on March 19. We booked B2B2B on the Pacific Princess: Ft. Lauderdale to Dover "Fire and Ice"; Dover to Dover "Midnight Sun & Summer Solstice"; Dover to Dover "Scandinavia & Russia". Now we're trying to decide what to do with the turn-around days in Dover and post-cruise in the British Isles, while at the same time getting ready to leave on a Panama Canal/Pacific Coastal/Alaska cruisetour/Alaska cruisetour in less than 5 weeks :D

 

Nice cruises. You can always go to Canterbury for the day or across the channel for a day trip.:D

[caribill]

Nice cruises. You can always go to Canterbury for the day or across the channel for a day trip.:D

 

Surely you jest with that suggestion.

 

A good risk of not making it back in time.

[MicCanberra]

Surely you jest with that suggestion.

 

A good risk of not making it back in time.

 

No jest, the services are regular and quick.:D

[caribill]

No jest, the services are regular and quick.:D

 

Unless something like the following happens http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jan/18/channel-tunnel-reopens-after-closure-due-to-lorry-fire

 

Yes, the chances of it happening are small. But small chances of transportation being delayed is why so many experienced cruisers arrive at a port a day before embarkation. I would not want to be stuck on mainland Europe while my ship sailed from a English port.

 

With the ship being in port on turnaround day from 5 AM until 5 PM, one might be off the ship by 6 AM and should be back no later than 3:30 PM.

 

That leaves 9.5 hours to get from ship to mainland, sight-see, and return from mainland to the ship.

 

I do not know how long it takes to go between the Dover port and the Eurorail train station or how often the trains run, but it is a risk I would not take for making it back to the ship on time.

[MicCanberra]

Ferries are reasonably quick as well but perhaps if worried about being left on the mainland then staying in and around Dover will suffice.:D

[Wehwalt]

Ferries are reasonably quick as well but perhaps if worried about being left on the mainland then staying in and around Dover will suffice.:D

 

I would not advise it.

 

1. Doing it by train means taking a train to Ebbsfleet International and switching to the Eurostar (Ashford Int'l is also possible but the trains are infrequent) If I recall correctly, that was a 40 minute train ride to get to Ebbsfleet. I did Ebbsfleet after my time on the Ocean Princess last summer en route to Paris. You have to pass through security and customs. It was a Sunday, there was a train every two hours that stopped at Ebbsfleet, and the connections did not work well.

 

2. The ferry I would not recommend for the reasons stated above. The ferry dock and the cruise ship dock are quite a distance and not really walkable, especially with all the construction they are doing at both docks. Calais dock is not close to the town, and I don't remember the town all that fondly. I think there are shuttle buses to the hypermarkets available, but is that why you've come to France?

 

3. Dover itself is somewhat rundown. Possibly the castle is interesting, but I don't know.

 

4. While the arrival may be at 5 a.m., in my experience (2x transits there) clearance did not take place til around 6:30. That is when I was told British officials would show and clear the ship, and they did so at almost the exact time.

 

5. I went on two rather lengthy hikes. As that would not appeal to most, I won't say more. Canterbury would be worthwhile by train.

Edited March 24, 2015 by Wehwalt

[MicCanberra]

Ferries would very much be dependent on the weather, taxis can make trips a lot quicker between the dock and the ferry terminal but the timing of arrival and departures would make any such shorex restricted.

Dover castle and the battlements around the area are very interesting (for me at least) and Canterbury has the old town and Cathedral along with markets on some days.

Perhaps staying in England is a better option for anyone there for the day.:D