Tin can

If it is Cadiz in Spain I'm surprised they haven't made it a revenue cruise to Europe and then you could have stayed on to give a hand 😀

Thank you for taking the time to post that really useful information it is appreciated.

My friend lives in Singapore and is from the UK like myself. I can't remember which ship he sailed on from Singapore but I recall him saying that about 30% were Expat Europeans and Australians and that English was the first language. He said the casino was full to bursting but the bars were fairly quiet and the Asian food was excellent. Guest participation in anything organised by the Entertainments Team was very high irrespective of whatever it was and whilst it was different to his UK/US cruises he had a lot of fun.

Thank you for that, do you think public transport in and out of NY would be an issue on Easter Sunday which is when the game is on at the MSG.

Thank you for that, it is really appreciated. Limited service at weekends has got me thinking as we arrive on Easter Sunday next year and have tickets for the Knicks at MSG so getting there and back from the hotel is something to think about. Thanks again for your reply.

We are staying a few days in NY after our cruise from Cape Liberty and are thinking about stopping in Jersey City and using the PATH to get into Manhattan. We have stopped in Manhattan a few times before so thought it might be a nice change, there's a couple of Hyatt hotels that look nice with views of NY and its easier to get to from Cape Liberty and back to Newark from for our flight home to the UK. Buying tickets looks a bit complicated though, I'm guessing it could be really busy and I have some probably misplaced concerns about safety. Any words of comfort from any locals would be very much appreciated 😀

I've always wondered if this interpreting changes the passenger dynamic during the cruise with people boarding and leaving at different times.

Apparently Cadiz is where Explorer is going for her dry dock in February, without passengers though I assume 😀.

Our first cruise was on Enchantment back in 2001 so looking forward to following along.

Just out of interest as a UK website booker why aren't suites included in the US refundable deposits terms and conditions. Can you price match on suites from the US?

I don't think they would either. Its stated as a mechanical dry dock but lots of rumours that there may be some smartening up passenger side at the same time. I'd be very surprised personally if the dry dock included a Playmakers but that was what somebody was told apparently. That would be great if you could report back.

Someone on the 'blog' forum has posted they are just off Explorer and were told during the cruise carpets, decoration and a Playmakers on the promenade being installed during the dry dock. I'd be surprised about a Playmakers but that's what they have posted they were told so who knows.

100%..... 😀

Interesting, I have never been on a Mein Shiff ship so I can't comment really. The TUI cruises are great in the UK for the money but not on a level with Royal, P & O or MSC.

I'm not sure I would put TUI 4*+ with Cunard and above Royal personally but its all opinions I guess.

Thanks for posting this, we have been looking at Bodden tours for our 2024 cruise and that looks perfect.

I can't offer any advice but like you we are on Explorer next August around the Med and have gone for one of the Panoramic Ocean View Suites. The views look fantastic!

If she is coming to Europe for a maintenance dry dock you would have thought they would have worked it around her TA mid April for her summer season from Venice. Why send her back to Miami for four weeks to have to go back again to Europe?

What maintenance are they going to do though that takes 6 weeks? I'm no maritime expert but there must be something really mechanically wrong with her for it to take that long. As you say the Allure full amplification wasn't planned to take much longer and just my opinion you don't cancel approx $27m of cruises just for maintenance. We shall see though I guess.

A lot on here from the UK book on the US website and currency swings are the only issue I can see. The way the £ is to the $ things can only get better from a UK perspective so I don't think that is an issue anymore.

There are some absolute bargain prices for European cruises in 2024 on the US website at the moment if you fancy a change. Even though based in England we have just booked one. I know what you mean though, we are booked on Anthem out of NY and Harmony out of Galveston. It obviously involves flights from the UK but we have to mix things up a bit. Its first world problems but you get as fed up about the same Caribbean ports as we do about the same Mediterranean ones.

Now that's a proper use of a Diamond voucher 👍

We have had 'All Inclusive' promotions here in the UK with drinks packages and gratuities included. More marketing spin than anything else though as the price in reality reflected in most cases what was included but the 'Free' tag was a good sales tactic pre covid.

Thank you for that, you make a good point about it 'seeming' simple. Would you always recommend a guide for Jerusalem, another option is we visit on a land holiday from the UK. We always tour ourselves but I think with so much religious history we may miss some important facts and arranging entrance to some of the important sites may be difficult. Thank you again for your advice.

Thank you for confirming that, its very useful. I do quite fancy DIY Jerusalem as it seems straight forward from Ashdod and I dont think it suits large bus sightseeing. A ship tour needs considering though as nothing would be worse than being stuck on the ship. I'm wondering if a suite concierge can help getting off the ship like they can with normal tenders. I have a rough idea what 3no Jerusalem ship tours would cost and that cost added to our stateroom purchase for the cruise we are looking at wouldn't be too far off upgrading to a qualifying suite. Thank you again for your quick response to the query.