newbiewaves

Ah thanks tring just read a new bit on electronic cigarettes that i hadn't seen before so info is spread in different places. My OH will now be happier lol.

Redjag you could try asking for a change of cabin grade if really worried? Have just booked a Fred but balconies were all taken (luckily) TA feedback is generally a British cruise of a certain age so maybe fingers crossed by 2020 even less will smoke?  The new challenge is vaping which looks like smoking but hardly any odor yet are consigned to real smoking areas.

lolllllllllllllllll well a tardy call back saw me booking a Fred Olsen as despite the great O deal Fred came in at half the price still all inc. and South Africa to Seychelles (one of my bucket places) rather than San Fran to Papeete. Maybe next year i will watch for O's wheeling dealing but couldn't justify the extra £5k today. I will now creep off to my appropriate forum lolllll 🙋‍♀️  (and yes i have researched both lines and others here...almost a cruise expert rather than critic lollllll)

Been researching cruises over last few days, baulk at some prices, compare deals, see better, change mind, change cruise lines etc etc then the one first thought of publishes an even better deal...........its a wonder cruise bookers keep their hair! Reminds me of the great line in 'Sleepless in Seattle' over the cost of a flight to New York 'who knows it changes all the time'.......... just hope now the price i am happy with will not reduced much more or if it does the freebie add-ons are less. (pass the sedatives...sorry just needed a rant...)

how did this cruise go as looking at similar later this year?

Funnily I was researching and did a double take on balcony smoking reasoning that with smoking bans booking such cabins would be so that one could smoke. Smokers do no realise that non smokers can be very sensitive to the smell be it from next door above or below plus if someone smokes on the balcony it can waft inside as it cannot be policed that the balcony door is closed then the cabin will smell of smoke hard to remove for the next passenger. Smokers can be 'nose blind' and not realise the impact. Back in the day in recruitment I could tell a smoker or smoking household by the smell of the application form and envelope...... Think will try for window or porthole only and save some money rather than pay for a treat that could be ruined especially on a cruise with many nationalities not all as anti smoke as UK now is.

Thanks. The deck deck plan i saw had a lot of nothing on deck 11 other than golf and shuffleboard. Just considering if going for a balcony would be a better bet if the sun loungers on deck are a rugby scrum or towels at dawn and how this practice is policed if at all.

Still slightly in shock at comments of good value wine prices at $49. Maybe in UK we are spoilt with very good 13.5% Australian Shiraz that would be $3 retail. Can just imagine paying $25 corkage on that!  To us a £10 / $13 price tag buys a great wine. Currently looking at a cruise with the house drinks package but for us pauper Brits an upgrade will be necessary even if we also bring in a few bottles from duty free (which will probably cost x4 what we usually spend on a bottle....)

Considering booking a Regatta cruise in 2020. One observation from images are there enough sun loungers for sea days for passengers as they only seem to be around the pool. Is it a case of rising at 4 am to baggy one? 

Just a heads up that should it be important to you when booking travel insurance you may find any drone activity will leave you high and dry.  You are not covered for delays of over 3 hrs under any EU diktats as drones are 'exceptional circumstances' . Flight delays or transport to alternative airports are tough luck.  Given there is technology to jam or attempt to prevent drone activity if an airport does not use this they should be liable....grrrr lol.  We were luckier than some who missed connecting flights to Newcastle or Glasgow but if we hadn't left a car at Gatwick the fact we went to Birmingham may have been better. At least we had a cruise, had an extra day of all inclusive and got home eventually.  In future though i would keep some beachwear in hand luggage just in case...pardon pun. Doubt a drone/alt airport insurance exists and is affordable....

Tui also have a destination desk/s on board. Pre-booked trip tickets will be in your cabin. Very easy to book extra trips or to cancel just be mindful of any really popular trips and book quickly. Sometimes trips can get cancelled due to missed ports/weather or lack of numbers especially if a more expensive excursion.

Celebration also has chilled water dispensers and glass carafes in cabins to fill. Suggest take empty plastic bottles/containers to fill for excursions.  We were A1 as transatlantic and like our wine but if not heavy drinkers and port heavy cruise then probably cheaper to pay as you go.

We took USA dollars seem acceptable everywhere and some Euros. Ship is £ added to your ship account bill. Did shift some old Barbados currency but USD is king as so many USA cruise ships.

They can be flexible with muster as our Malaga arrival was delayed they gave a short talk in the embarkation hall then straight to dinner. The buffet stays open late with menus pretty similar to the MDR but with even more selections you will not starve :) 

One tip (assuming they havent completely revamped the ship in 2 years) as comfortable as the top deck rattan sunbeds look if it is a breezy day you may end up doing 'the starfish' to hold the mattresses down! We have sailed Dream and Celebration but Dream was our favourite.

As you are in St Vincent twice you may wish to save the 'tender' experience unless the sea is very calm and have a ship day. When you return to Kingstown I can recommend Fraser Tours booked on internet and tell him what you prefer to do and if its just staying around the coast and finding a nice beach you can do that. Or do any other trip that does Buccament beach and area. Beware the classic cruisers beach to the south of the island which is narrow and very crowded.

From experience and bearing in mind your condition avoid any St Lucia trips to rainforest which is a white knuckle windy road to very little. Stick to a beach trip or get a taxi. (our Ultimate land and sea trip there was cancelled)

Antigua again a catamaran trip may not be to your liking as more bouncy sea than anything. Easy to get a taxi/tour to one of the many nice beaches perhaps as said taking in a short visit to Nelsons dockyard.

Put your foot down as your 60th! lol

TUI cruise desks at Gatwick are a breeze, they have everything sorted and will put your cabin or ship tags on and you wont see your cases until outside your cabin. If doing a cruise and stay again they will have it sorted. Departure taxes dont apply to cruise passengers as above but may do for cruise and stay (not sure as havent done that)

Places i have been on list;

St Vincent can recommend Fraser Taxi and tours but make very clear if you want a personal tour or dont mind sharing as his car can take 6 people. We paid $50 a head with 4 (paid at end of day). Also make it clear what you are interested in seeing as islanders love taking you 'up the top' for a good view however the road condition and windy part makes one question if worth it especially if in the back seat. The area where some of Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed and the beach by the Buccament bay disused timeshare complex resort are highlights. If botanical gardens aren't your thing tell him. Sunset Shores beach is the main cruise stop beach (think being on a crowded cruise lounger deck but on the sand) but you can get a swim.

St Lucia...unless you are ok motion wise in vehicles the trip up to the 'rain forest' is a stomach churning white knuckle ride. They do a botanical walk and the zip line here (separate tour). If you do it take bug repellent. Dont recommend the jeep and beach tour as dodgy roads and only 45 mins on a crowded beach. If DIY to beach (usually Rodney Bay) arrange collection and plenty of time as roads can get gridlocked (easy snorkeling on the Caribbean side). We booked Ultimate land and sea to take in everything but not enough booked to run the trip. We therefore missed the Pitons and the volcano as too late to rearrange (think trips to those would be interesting).

St Kitts we did the morning highlights trip with stops at botanical gardens/batik gave a good insight into the small island with a stop off at a tourist photo opportunity spot where they try getting you to hold monkeys.

Antigua with its 365 beaches is quite easy to DIY but has suffered from lack of investment and delays with hurricane damage. Depends on what you like to do. All beaches are public to high water so easy to get a taxi to one. All inclusive resorts do sell day passes but not cheap. We did catamaran and lobster lunch but a lot of sea and only 2 short beach stops and even lunch was served on the catamaran. This tour was also open to people from another ship we had to wait for... no snorkelling opportunity. Previously privately did a catamaran trip to an island with good snorkeling and land lunch. It also stopped at Nelsons Dockyard and we saw a lot of the island from the sea but as on a beach holiday (not cruise) the lack of beach time was less important.

Barbados has the beach side and wild side. Did a 'see sea turtles' trip once when there privately but bit of a con as they feed the turtles and so they lie in wait so more like snorkeling in a zoo. Rumours that these trips are frowned upon as not ecologically correct (same as feeding sting rays) Suggest DIY to a nearby safe beach with pre-arranged return.

If you list your ports of call i may have some intell on trips we and others took.

Well in truth it is seen....and consider that for some churches are not #1 on their list.  If people haven't visited an island before then the ships trips are still a good deal for selecting the highlights, safety and timing.  Some people cope better with clock watching than others.

Some people also travel better in a larger vehicle than crammed in a taxi with other people with differing needs to try and save money.  We pre-booked a car with driver for an exclusive tour and still ended up sharing despite prepared to pay extra for the freedom so you still cant guarantee what you get with a DIY.

We booked the St Lucia Ultimate land and sea but it didnt run as at £76 a head for a whole day people were tight and not enough booked. Instead we went on a morning £46 trip to hell. if we ever returned then we COULD DIY and know what to avoid!

Also the locals idea of their islands 'best bits' do not always match a cruisers idea of 'take me to the beach!'

where will you be going? have done plenty of Tui trips plus some DIY so can advise.

I would be worried about lift noise and revellers getting in and out lifts. With all the food and drink and laying around the walks to the cabin were a welcome 'diet' exercise! Try and be close but not TOO close. (staff can use lifts too moving luggage etc)

It depends what time you arrive and leave and if you have been there before. We got through customs at speed of light and got to ship quite quickly but were happy to explore on board only after a long flight (plus start the AI !). On the return we could have got a taxi to a nearby beach but as we had experienced Jamaica twice before the cruise and made an unscheduled stop there instead of Grand Cayman in addition to the middle stop over on a B2B we had seen enough.  If you do have a long time on departure day the most stress free thing to do would take a ship organised short tour. Remember you lose your luggage the previous night and have to survive on hand luggage all day although the ship will look after this for you until the coach.

Also from experience pick you ship/route/season to mitigate the problem. Around the Caribbean Dec/Jan on Dream no problem, transatlantic to Caribbean Dec on Celebration first couple of days to Madeira and then Atlantic it was choppier but the ship is small. Broadway although midships had the 'jitters' and the wood of furniture transferred the vibrations which did get unpleasant. As one that gets sea sick on a lilo using seabands and OTC travel tablets initially did the trick.

Was on Celebration 7/12-20/12/18 so the latest info

Yes kettles and hairdryers in cabins. Tea and coffee making stuff but take some of own favourite if important but full range of other teas in buffet.

Deck 2 outside midships small pothole not too bad for motion, guests higher up reported more sway. Celebration is a small ship but hopefully calmer Caribbean seas than we had first leaving Malaga for transatlantic. We always used tv for view from the bridge views but generally we came into ports at breakfast time for views. We did pick our cabin to make sure midships, not too near lifts/stairs and not next to/ under or too near entertainment areas and you can pick bed arrangement.

Free washing machines and powder (as designed for ships use) dryers but as didnt use didnt notice if dryer was free but would suspect so as they wouldnt like damp clothes spread around cabins or bathrooms. (no washing line in our shower)

Wifi on board was £8 and hour minimum when it worked. Caribbean notoriously poor for wifi. Although 'free' in the ports if you get other huge ships in at same time the stress on port wifi is massive. Possibly better at port bars getting a password and a drink etc.  We pretty much gave up and enjoyed a technology free break!

Partner went to gym and thought ok. Also a free sauna however time was generally spent sunbathing when at sea or touring when in port so not a really important facility for us. Yoga? no idea but doubt have time.

We took water bottles emptied before airport security then refilled at airport (if Gatwick they facilitate this after the security check)  We then used these bottles throughout the cruise as Celebration has cool water dispensers and provide carafes in cabins to fill up.  You can also fill them for shore excursions although they like trying to sell you bottled water and snacks as you disembark. There was a fridge/cooler thing in our cabin but dont think it worked and didnt really need it as AI + the water.

We were all inclusive so our drinks were free and of acceptable quality. Our only gripe was the red wine was Spanish and not as good as we had on the Dream. Pay prices were probably pub prices but we didnt bother paying extra for any premium drinks.  Partner can testify that the drink flowed...hic........... 😞

Bathroom shower gel and hand/face wash was in dispensers, didnt notice brand but was ok and saved weight of taking own.

Didnt use spa as mean and they are generally expensive. Some days there were special offers but still not special enough for me 🙂

There is a card room/games/jigsaw room, a book exchange/library and internet room. If doing back to back you may not have enough sea days to bother taking books.

If you need anymore answers or excursion info just ask.