gunnywife

Thank you.  I want to take my son and daughter and their spouses on a cruise and they are running me in all directions -- British Isles or Med  with Princess,  Europe with Carnival or Med with NCL.  So I'm looking at hotels in Southampton, Dover and Rome.  I'm beginning to be sorry I thought of this idea.  My husband and I  have been on many cruises.  But he passed away 3 years ago and I would like to do a trip with the "kids" before I'm too old to travel.

I've been looking at hotels in Dover near the port and would appreciate some reviews and recommendations.  Maison Dieu Guest House, Best Western, Royal Norfolk to name a few. Anything you could tell me would be appreciated.  There will be 5 of us so I would need one single room and 2 doubles. Planning to go to Southampton seems a lot simpler.  But we're looking at a Carnival cruise that begins and ends in Dover.

Thanks, Lynn

You've all been so helpful.  I really appreciate it.  Thank you.

Lynn

I'm sure this has been asked before but I can't find  the thread.  Because of cancellations and late arrivals by air we plan on flying in a day or two before the British Isles Cruise.  There will be 5 of us and I would like some choices on the best and easiest way to get from Heathrow to a hotel in Southampton.  I would especially like an estimate of the prices and choices:  bus versus train versus shuttle or car.  I'm 86 so I'm looking for the easiest way to travel.

I know this is a lot to ask but cruisers have always been helpful.

Thanks, Lynn

We can finally see the British Isles cruise for June 2023.  Prices look the same.

Thanks for your input.  Guess I'll have to be patient.

Lynn

For the last 2 days I've been unable to bring up British Isle and Mediterranean cruises for June 2023.  Is anyone else having this problem?  I've been keeping track of 2 cruises for June 2023 and suddenly they have disappeared from the website.  Hopefully  they aren't increasing the prices or eliminating these cruises.

Thanks for the quick answer. Thinking about the Emerald for the British Islands.  My husband and I did it a few years ago and loved it so I would like to see my kids experiencing the same trip.

I'm trying to find out the transfer charge from Heathrow to Southampton and back.  Also how much are the tips for a 12 day cruise and is it the same amount for a balcony and a mini suite.  Not interested in the package, just want to know about the tips.  Haven't sailed for three years so I know there are many changes. Want to take my son and daughter and their spouses so I want to be prepared for all charges that I will pay for. They can deal with all the other charges. 

Our daughter in law gave us luggage tags that seem to be holding up well.  They are clear plastic, with a metal ring that holds it on to the luggage.  You just insert the paper tags.  Before we got these we enclosed the paper tags in clear packing tape and stapled them on to the luggage.

Thank you kokopelli-az.  You were a big help.  I appreciate it.  Sounds a lot easier than I thought.

Lynn

 We've rented a rollator walker for my husband for our next cruise.  I have 2 questions.

If we choose to get off the ship at ports will there be some personnel to carry the rollator down the ramp or stairs or will that be my problem?  If so we'll probably stay on the ship.

If we do take a Princess tour will the bus be able to store the rollator?  When he used a cane there was no problem, but a rollator is too big to keep by our seat on the bus.

We've been on many tours, but I never really paid attention to how people with disabilities get on or off the ship in ports.  Now I realize how difficult this can be.

Is there a sign so we know where to wait for wheelchair assistance?

EP010835

We've traveled to Hawaii several times and I definitely know is is part of the United States of America. I should have said we were accompanied by a nurse on our trip back to the mainland.  Please excuse my error.

Photofinish4

We purchased our travel insurance from our travel agent.  I'd be happy to provide you with the name of the company, but I'm not sure that's allowed on this website.

Lynn

I totally agree with you on how well Princess treats us when an emergency arises.  Two years ago I had an accident in Hawaii that required surgery.  We had been on a tour when the accident happened.  While I was taken to the hospital they brought my husband back to the ship where 3 officers were waiting to help him pack up our things and then took him to the hospital.  The care in Hawaii was great and our insurance took are of all our expenses, including having a nurse accompanying me back to the states.  Princess kept in touch with us during my hospital stay and continued to keep in touch for some time on my return home.  

Bottom line to this story  --  always get travel insurance.  It is money well spent.

We've been on many cruises over the years, but this is the first time for us since my husband needs to use a walker to get around.

I know we can get wheelchair help boarding and debarking the ship when leaving and arriving back to Tampa. My question is can he get wheelchair assist if he gets off the ship at the port stops? He most likely wouldn't be able to navigate those metal rickety steps using his walker or even a cane? Once he's off the ship he should be ok with the walker.

Thanks in advance for any input on this problem.

Lynn

Thank you all very much for your help. In some of the ports we'll take Princess tours, but in others we'll probably just get off the ship since we've been to some of these cities on land tours. We're both "up in age" and my husband uses a cane so we have to be careful with walking.Lynn

What is the distance between the port in Cork to downtown?

Between port in Dublin and downtown?

Also Belfast, Glasgow, Invergordon and Edinburgh

Trying to figure out how much to get in euros and pounds for cab fares and small misc. charges.

Thanks Lynn

We will be arriving in Quebec by plane for a cruise. We will be taking a cab from airport to hotel and hotel to port. My question is - do we tip the cab drivers or is that part of the fare?

Hope all goes well for you.

I broke my ankle while on a Princess cruise in Hawaii. I had surgery over there and the care was wonderful. We also had Allianz insurance and I can't say enough about how wonderful they were. They sent a nurse over from NY and she accompanied us all the way home to our house and got us settled in. We stayed at a Marriott resort until the insurance could arrange flights for us. We were quickly re-imbursed for our expenses. Our TA took care of all the paperwork for us. Princess personnel were very nice and efficient in getting my husband packed and off the ship for our stay in Hawaii and kept in touch with us when we arrived back home.

I recommend to everyone I talk to about cruising to get the insurance. We wouldn't travel without it.

Again, good luck to you with your surgery. I hope it goes as well for you as it has for me.

We're booked on 2 other Princess cruises -- one in Oct. this year and another in Sept next year. Needless to say, we like to cruise.

Lynn

We cruised on Princess in a mini suite and we loved it. The exception was the tub. In our mini suite there were no grab bars to help getting in and out of the tub. We're both 80, my husband has balance issues and I had a compound fracture of my ankle so needless to say I'm very careful. Getting in and out of that tub was an experience.

I would love a mini suite again, but I would have to know for sure that there were bars in the tub are to facilitate getting in and out of the shower.

Lynn

Thank you so much for this review. We were on the same cruise and I must say I didn't recognize it as the same trip. I guess because of my husbands health issues and a couple of things that happened before we even got on the ship, I let myself get upset over small things. We had been on the Oasis second sailing and thoroughly enjoyed it and I guess this was a disappointment. But after reading your review and seeing all your pictures I now realize it was my attitude at the time and no reflection on Royal Caribbean. I swore to my TA that I would never sail RC again, but now I'll have to eat my words and reconsider.

Thanks again for my attitude change.

Lynn

Is there a charge for lemonade in the dining room on the Oasis?

Our TA purchases travel insurance for us through Allianz. A recent experience makes us very grateful for this insurance. I fell and experienced a compound ankle fracture that required surgery in Hawaii. They paid for a nurse to accompany us back home and covered most of our expenses while in Hawaii.

Please NEVER NEVER travel on cruises without the insurance. It is money well spent and you won't regret it if or when the time comes you need it.

Lynn

We will be on the Oasis March 17 and we still can't make entertainment reservations. Our cruise is a 9 day as opposed to a 7 day cruise so that might be the hold up.

Lynn