InVelvetSlumber

36 minutes ago, cantgetin said:

So unless there is not a cruise immediately boarding after you, 2pm would not be possible.

The next cruise was a charter, so we were able to stay on until 2pm.

2 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

There’s a section on the app where you can choose your disembarkation time.

This feature showed up on our cruise last month (where we could stay on until 2pm), but was not available on the one this weekend

9 hours ago, Jeaannie55 said:

 I’m afraid there were a lot of problems with the app. as well, had to go to customer services 3 times to get answers to questions regarding mix ups over our bar tab and disembarkation time.

Did you ever get a clear answer on when to disembark? Sailor services couldn't seem to tell us, and the app had no information. We just guessed in the end, and finally got told in the Captains announcement at 9am on disembarkation day,  that we all had to be off by 11. 

I also just returned from the last 3-nighter on Valiant, and can relate to a lot of the issues mentioned so far. We were on the same trip a few weeks ago and weren’t impressed with the experience, but as that trip was cut short, we decided to give Virgin a second chance.

This time around the ship was much busier (I heard about 70% capacity), and it really felt like they couldn’t cope.

As soon as I boarded I tried to book an exercise class, but they were all fully booked for the whole trip! As were most of the shows. I managed to make one reservation for ‘songs with the hostess’, but the event ended up being cancelled with no prior warning. 

There were often cryptic things on the line-up, that really could have done with an explanation, for example I’m not sure how anyone is supposed to know that ‘Scoop there it is’ is some sort of quiz.

I even got told off a couple of times! Once for going down some stairs following signs for the ‘IV’ bar (which I guess doesn’t exist?) and once for using a weighing machine in the gym - neither of which were labelled as ‘off limits’ in any way!

All in all, another Virgin cruise does not appeal to me.

We parked in the Portsmouth Port APCOA Multi story for a Viking cruise.

I was very glad I was not doing the driving, as the spaces were tiny and the car park was very full.

Having said that, once we were parked it was fine.

2 hours ago, Glenndale said:

Keep trying, I'm sure you'll get through 🤞

 

Perseverance eventually paid off! Looking forward to seeing all those sailing on the 14th 🙂

4 hours ago, Glenndale said:

Don't worry I doubt that they will let you on board without paying. 😁

We're on the 14th sailing too.

Pretty sure you will enjoy the cruise in spite of Covid.

That's precisely why I am worrying 😆, the booking will apparently expire this evening if I do not pay for it.

I've booked for the 14th, it will be our first Viking cruise.

I was quite surprised I couldn't pay online when I booked and I've now been stuck on hold for 40 minutes, trying to get through to actually give them some money. I'm starting to wonder if I've made the right decision as it hasn't really been the experience I was expecting 😕

It's possible that Covid came earlier, but as UK deaths didn't go above average until March, it seems unlikely

On 5/4/2020 at 7:48 PM, Harry Peterson said:

That calculation assumes 365/24 running of the engines, and it also assumes that there are no other generation sources beyond the engines.  The first is plainly impossible, though they could run for some time

Out of the 5 engines, I would have thought there would be least one running at all times, with more added when needed for speed etc. But I imagine it's rare to have all 5 going at once, so Britannia wouldn't consume as much as the domestic consumption.

5 hours ago, neutrino78x said:

I'm surprised there is not free potable water.

There is free drinkable water - in the buffet and from the tap in your cabin 🙂

On 11/18/2019 at 12:43 AM, orchestrapal said:

In this case it’s not just summer But Wimbledon when every hotel room will be booked.

I doubt Wimbledon would have any effect, it's not in central London and isn't a large capacity event.

I'd probably go to London on the 25th & 26th, go to Windsor on the 27th and stay the night there, then go to Southampton for the cruise on the 28th.

I only use a chair for sitting on. If I go in the pool, I put my towel, shoes etc in a little pile in a corner. It would be great if there were shelves or something to use instead. Maybe this would also discourage others from using chairs for storage.

They clean the cabins and replace towels etc once a day. I've only been on one Costa cruise, so I'm not sure how long it has been like that.

It worked out well for me, everything was perfectly clean and I didn't have to worry about interrupting the cabin steward when I wanted to use my room as much as on other lines.

As far as I can remember dessert was not included, but the meal only cost 5euros if you join the Costa Club.

It's also worth noting the pizzeria was not open for dinner - only lunch and late in the night (from about 11pm). I don't know if it differs on other ships or sailings, my experience was on Diadema in March this year.

Imagine covering 20 cabins and all the passengers insisting on giving you chocolates and sweets at the end of each week! 😂🤢

On Diadema, you can get the chocolate drinks from an area that looks like an ice cream parlor.

In the drinks package we had you could get 'cold chocolate', which was like milkshake or 'hot chocolate', which was really thick and rich - more like a desert than a drink - amazing! Both were available in lots of flavours.

I was on the 'disaster' inaugural Harmony trips and I don't know what all the fuss was about 😄 I had a great time, the only thing that affected me was that the dive show I'd booked to watch wasn't ready.

Smeralda will be a huge ship, so even if couple of things aren't finished or perfect, you can avoid them and do something else!

The drink menus are colour coded to show you want is available with your package 🙂

On our March cruise there was a theme every night with a related party at around 11pm. These are the ones I can remember:

• White
• Italian
• Sexy
• Gala/masquerade
• Carnival
• 70s

I woulden't worry about packing anything specially for them though! People wore whatever they wanted.

I just got the new system rolled out to my account - tip for Brits, remember to enter your date of birth in the US style or like me, you'll get very confused as to why your Crown & Anchor number is not recognised! :')

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/independence-of-the-seas

 

Looks great, and by digging deeper on the site it looks like they will be adding "Once upon a time" to the show line ups of "Grease" & "Invitation to Dance."

 

Not sure about the Fish & Ships... we shall see.

All three of those shows were onboard when I was on Indy in 2016

...until you find out that EVERYONE's profile now has your picture. :')

I've just attempted check in via the app and had this very problem! Any idea how to resolve it?? (It was going well until then!)

This might be a stupid question, but is it very cold by the glacier? I had assumed it would be, but I think I've seen pictures of people walking near it in t-shirts in the summer.

Great, thank you