hawkesbaynz

The fashion that sterling has collapsed this year against the dollar cruises will be getting very expensive for Brits. Holidays in Orlando😨. My current crop of cruises were booked at approx. $1.35 to the pound. Now it is $1.10. Staycation for us in 2024 unless sterling does not improve.

Although a seasoned traveller I was a little confused by Oceania’s pricing. However I did not get the chance to be educated by this board and went for: beverage pack which I will upgrade for a short Caribbean cruise; OBC for a three week cruise SA cruise. I booked via different UK TAs and managed a couple of percent off and indifferent service. I believe US TAs add value but with recent exchange rates and need to use specific sterling CCs (for airpoints) with forex charges not viable. The Caribbean cruise originally was a transpacific which I cancelled thinking O would do (it did). The TA had the temerity to charge me an Admin fee and the rearranged cruise was the book price😡. Saved several hundred dollars on the SA cruise by arranging small group tours and will bring my own wine for dinner and gin for the cabin. OBC will pay gratuity, corkage and G&Ts in bars. Am earning little in deposit account anyway. That OBC is worth more to me now than previously with the demise of sterling🙁. As said am a seasoned traveller so flying Biz class direct on airpoints and hotels on Hilton points/ Hotels.com points. Good tip about booking onboard.

@CruiserFromSC Glad you are having a great cruise😀. We were supposed to be on the Beyond for this cruise but cancelled on Wednesday☹️. My 60th cruise too. You will be enjoying the sailing for us😄. Our travelling companions both contracted Covid and DW so disappointed she did not want to travel (I did!). They easily got a refund whilst I had to argue for FCC under ‘cruise with confidence’. Can plan another cruise anyway and booked a trip to Porto for a few days this weekend (just DW tho).

The exchange rate (thanks Kwasi) is truly horrendous. I am peeved I have a cruise from US in November and then I am keeping well away until reasonable again. Glad that We have paid up front for most things. Will have to keep future US cruises on hold.

Doubt if we could manage with a carry on. It would just about cater for my wife make-up paraphernalia! For a long trip often take 3 cases but no carry-on prefering small back packs. How are smart dark blue/black jeans? I no longer own a suit. Will buy one for the next funeral I attend. Wore a suit to eat dinner in the mess in the army and for work in the last century. Have a blazers & linen jackets and a tuxedo for more formal cruise lines.

Am Elite with X. Looking forward toa SV cabin on Beyond for our first Edge Class in a few weeks. Have a further two cruises booked on Solstice & Millenium in Far East. Love the product. Have done suites but prefer Aqua. However like value and variety if suits. Have two Oceania cruises booked (great routes) and a Princess cruise for a fabulous route. Looking at Cunard for a Canada then TA home to S'ton. Will keep with X if the prices, quality and routes are good but with cruise for us, not a line. Often surprised by Zenith suite guests who post prolifically on CC, have numerous outrageously priced suites but only go to the Retreat and Luminae. Never the entertainment or cattle class spots like us. Why not try something else? Personal choice but maybe missing something

Hopefully the 'extra' waiting staff will be staying on the Beyond as we are on the ship in 3 weeks.

I called to upgrade for my forthcoming Beyond cruise. Would have done onboard but as Elite thought I would get the call only discount. Reminded the guy twice I would get a discount. He affirmed. Paid £235. Told by bro-in-law to upgrade on the ship. Typically he ignored me and called up. Paid £235. He has never stepped foot on a cruise ship. Unfortunately I could expect no less from the hopeless back office team. Wrote an email to complain. No response.

Gratuities are a dark secret with Oceania. Other lines add them at booking or they are inclusive as per the Aus/UK lines. I would anticipate tipping (and always do on top of the included ones) but only found out about Oceania's tipping through CC. Am not surprised that some people have a shock at the end of the cruise. For my next two O cruises to Miami and South America i am flying biz using British Airways airpoints. Mind I had to book them 355 days prior to the flights. Am using cheap Easyjet flights to Barcelone back from Rome for a celebrity cruise next month. BA cancelled the original ones! Great review.

Agree too much boozing by Brits. Arguably it is reducing though. I know where to avoid them, including short cruises. However the worst boozing I have ever witnessed is Cancun. Amazing more holidaymakers do not drown at the pool bars.

To access the free 90 minutes with Elite do you need to d/w the IT desk guys. @the penguins do you not use the basic Wi-Fi when not using you allocated free 90 minutes. How do you separate?

I have only booked one Princess cruise and did so via Quidco direct with Princess as the discount UK TAs offered me was similar to the cash back. However I usually cruise Celebrity and many UK based folk use US TAs. I agree the currency will be a big issue at present. I always compare the Celebrity US & UK website deals and have purchased my cruises in dollars. The UK military discount is better too. However I like to use Amex for large purchases and the forex charges are another discouragement (I thus pay with Halifax Clarity Mastercard).

Am on that cruise too. This is busier than the Roll Call. We will be in Miami two nights so no particular stress with times. Evening flight home so a HotelfortheDay room. I could never fly in on the morning. Only time I ever stress is travelling…. Usually cruise with Celebrity and have usually slowly walked straight on with brief checks. Even with the post covid cruises. I have been onboard sipping bubbly within 45 minutes of getting a taxi too from home too😀. Lots of waiting and Qs with RCL and Marella😦.

There is not much distance between Southampton & Portsmouth. I have never taken a cruise from Portsmouth but sail yachts occasionally from there. It is about 30 minutes East from here. Southampton cruise port is 20 minutes West from here. Likely an extra 15 minutes in a taxi coming down the M3 as Portsmouth closer off the M27. I would take a taxi. Public transport is not well served from Heathrow but is from London if sojourning there. Portsmouth could be an okay 2 nighter. Stay in hotel at Gunwharf Quay (shopping centre with restaurants). Visit the Victory and naval docks. Walk on Southsea Common and try some old pubs. Perhaps even a hovercraft/ferry to Isle of Wight. If I had a couple of days pre-Southampton cruise I would stay in Winchester. Fabulous medieval city with amazing pubs. Impressive cathedral too. Only 20 minutes by train or 30 minutes taxi to port.

I test twice a week as required as a health care professional in the NHS. Likely i will know pre-cruise anyway. However I would not wish to be sick on my forthcoming cruise next month and would rather stay at home for my, and fellow cruisers benefit. I will be testing outside the window for cancelling for FCC or claiming on insurance. I can go another time. I had Covid March 2020 post a ski trip - was not nice. Saw a patient this am who lost both parents to Covid-19 prior to vaccinations. Am little anxious that the Med Centres will become over run with sick unvaccinated cruisers. Time will tell but hopefully not.

We stayed at the Riverside too. Good position near plenty of restaurants and bars. The on-siterestaurant is good for breakfast too. A boardwalk is opposite for a pleasant morning walk too. Reasonable pool too. The Uber too port not too expensive.

Confusing or what! I FB'd Celebrity Captains Club and received this reply regarding our 24th Beyond ex Barca: Hi xxxxx, for sailings out of Barcelona that do not have a port of call in Greece, fully vaccinated guests will be required to do a test within 1 day prior to sailing. This does not have to be supervised and we will accept NHS Lateral Flow home tests. You can bring the test with you and we will dispose at the port or you can bring in a photo. Please read the information on this website link: https://www.celebritycruises.com/gb/healthy-at-sea/barcelona-spain-travel-requirements/updated Thanks, Su

Thanks @sollyman good review. We did an Aft SS on the Silhouette last year. Loved it😀. The Retreat was pretty quiet and gave up trying to use it. I usually get all my wine from Laithwaites (rarely a bad bottle) but will try the Waitrose Chianti. Wife loves Villa Maria although says it has not been so good last couple of years. Hope we get good sommeliers on the Beyond next month.

Interesting about the wine. We are on the Beyond next month for my 60th and thinking about taking a few bottles of my favourite wine between us. I believe we can have them opened if we have a beverage pack. I have found the sommeliers a little overworked on the last couple of cruises and the glasses have gone dry.😬 Interesting how you found the cruise experience to the Med from S'oton in comparison with flying and boarding there. Getting a little sick of flying and that dock 15 minutes away is attractive.

$64 a day for premium drinks package but $5 a time to rent a glass with a $1 added service charge for cleaning. Re-usables black listed🙂

Craggy Range. Great food and wine and brilliant views. Do the hike up the cliff if available. Just messaged by mate in Hawkes Bay who confirmed recommendation

Beautiful scenery. Looks like my mother’s part of the world - north Donegal but with Icebergs. Your triple cappuccino sounds like a macchiato. I once asked for a double macchiato in Italy and was looked at in disdain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffè_macchiato

You lucky person! There are a confusing array of wineries with restaurants in Hawkes Bay. When we lived there I was forever driving friends and family around the vineyards. However I have not lived there for years and only visited Sileni in Hastings and the vineyards along Haumona to Te Awanga on a cycle trip last time we saw friends. We used to rate Te Awa Farm and Craggy Range for wine tasting and restaurants. The views to the Peak from Craggy Range is impressive and if you feel adventurous there is a steep path up the hill opposite the winery with great views. I will WhatsApp a friend in Hawkes Bay for the current view on best restaurant/tasting.

Sorry that the tour was a fiasco. ‘Herding Cats’ comes to mind😧. Reason we usually do small private tours. Actually we did the Acropolis by a taxi on the last afternoon after a weeks yacht charter out of Athens. No need for a tour guide. Enjoying your cruise😀

I must try the Standing Order when I am next in town. Never heard of it although likely walked by. I live in Hamble which is the yachty centre of the UK so we have lots of excellent pubs and restaurants so rarely need to get a taxi into Southampton. My grandmother made Spotted Dick and Treacle Tart. Great with custard. Never seen Lancashire Hot Pot in The South. If you want a really good curry I recommend Kuhtis which is between the Holiday Inn and the Isle of Wight ferry terminal. Book!