JimmyTheSaint

We did it last September. The ticket offices for the fast ferry was beside where the cruise ship docked. The fast ferry didn't have a spare seat when we set sail. As others have said it's about 50 minutes to get to Capri. The sea looked like a sheet of glass when we started, within about 10 minutes half the people onboard had been sick. The ferry bounced up and down a lot and sitting in the lower deck it was an interesting experience seeing the sea level covering the port holes.

In our opinion the ferry was expensive, about 80 euros return trip and we found most of the shops, cafes and restaurants were ridiculously expensive. We didn't find Capri to be particularly beautiful and not worth the time or expense.

We stayed in Costa Adeje a couple of years ago and Siam Park is very close to the bus station. We took the bus to Santa Cruz one day and it took about 75 minutes each way. I think the cost was about 15 euros return ticket.

It's a good road but you are travelling the full length of the island.

Best place to look is one of the comparison such as Kayak or Trivago and look for hotels in Lido de Jesolo which is the beach area of Venice.

I will be in Europe on the new Carnival Horizon ship in April Messina is the only port i have not planned yet, what areas would you recommend for first timers there and using outside tour co. with their cost? Thanks for any info.

We were on Carnival Vista last year and they offered a coach transfer only to Taormina which was a very popular option. We were there the week after Vista damaged the marina and sank a few local boats.

Taormina was very pretty,very picturesque, well worth visiting. The town is small enough to walk around, is pedestrianised and has some lovely options for lunch.

I think you're right in not planning to see the Vatican, to see it properly we needed half a day.

Rome is full of icon images and places but the most icon has to be the Colosseum. This should be top of your to do list in Rome. The Forum is next door and entry is included with the Colosseum ticket. We spent about 30 minutes in the Colosseum and about 3 hours in the Forum. You can get some great views and photos of the Colosseum from the Forum.

Depending on how long you have in Rome you may also have time to walk to the Pantheon and Trevi fountain. Personally I'd avoid the HOHO bus as you'll spend a lot of time sitting in traffic. The other sites are walkable or you can use the underground rail system.

We paid 25 euros for a taxi for four people last September. The driver gave us a mini tour on the journey in from Pireaus. We arrived at the Acropolis well before the crowds.

We used the Metro rail to get back to the ship which cost about 4 euro. It took about 30 minutes from the station beside the Acropolis museum and 15 minutes walk to the ship.

Can you get a decent steak in El Sombrero? As it's an additional charge restaurant I was hoping it was worth it. I have a special birthday while on board and was hoping to celebrate with a special dinner. We've dined in additional charge restaurants on other cruise lines and always found the food, service and atmosphere worth paying for.

Thanks for the reply. Do you know how strictly enforced the dress code is. I live in a suit all week and don't like taking one on vacation. I've sailed previously on Carnival and RCI and they're relaxed about it, I can get away with shirt and trousers on formal nights.

It's our first cruise with MSC and needing some info. We've checked the website and the brochure but can't find answers for the following:

What's the dress code for dinner in the Main dining room.

How many formal nights on a 10 night cruise + dress code.

Is water served at dinner, seems to be conflicting information on here.

Any other information / advice for MSC first timers would be appreciated.

Thankz

When we went to the Titanic we didn't pre-book. It appeared that no one had as we were in a line with others to pay the entrance fee. The line moved very quickly, it was only a couple of minutes from walking in to starting the tour.

The rope bridge reopened this morning. Closed for one day due to an act of vandalism..... mindless idiots.

You should contact Value Cabs, they are listed on the Titanic museum website as a business partner. Depending on the time you exit Titanic it's possible to do some of the north coast but it'll be very rushed.

You will be able to see the Titanic museum from the ship, you'll be docked across the harbour from it. There are taxis at the cruise ship terminal and at Titanic. It's a short ride from Titanic to the Crumlin Road gaol, 5 - 10 minutes. You'll have no problems getting taxis anywhere in Belfast.

The gaol is only a 5 - 10 minute ride from your ship. You should have some time available after visiting both to walk around the city centre.

No need to rent a car. The ships dock close to Belfast city centre, about 20 minutes walk or short taxi ride. The city centre is worth walking around and it's also the starting point for thrcity sightseeing buses. The Titanic museum is within walking distance from the city centre.

You should only consider a car if you're thinking of heading out of the city, e.g. up the Antrim coast road.

I was on Celebration for a week in January with a girlfriend and had a super time but obviously not the same week as Jimmythesaint thank God - I couldn't have put up with the wingeing!! I bet it was a cheap late booking and he should compare the price for the P&O cruise from Dubai in Jan 2019

No it wasn't a late or cheap booking but if it had been it would still have been a waste of money. The original post asked for opinions on Thomson and I gave my opinion. That does not make my opinion any more relevant nor any less than anyone else's opinion.

I'm not interested in the price compared to P&O, that's irrelevant. I paid Thomson's what is to me a significant sum of money and used my limited time away from work and came away from the experience really cheesed off as I felt Thomson's had committed daylight robbery.

I stand by opinion based on previous cruises compared to the one and only cruise I will ever take with Thomson; they are a million miles of the pace in terms of quality of cabins, food, entertainment and ship facilities.

To answer the original question...NO!!!

I've just finished my first cruise with Thomson on the Celebration and it was rubbish. We chose the cruise because of a couple of the ports were new to us but everything about the ship was awful. The quality of food, facilities, cabin and entertainment was terrible compared to modern ships we've been on.

If this had been our first cruise we'd never cruise again; we will certainly never cruise with Thomson again. Thankfully we have had great experiences with RCI, MSC and Carnival and we can recommend them.

Save your money for a cruise on a proper ship, not this glorified ferry. I'm just off Celebration and it's the first cruise I've ever had where I've been glad to get off. There is absolutely no comparison between this ship and modern ships. The quality of cabins, food, entertainment and facilities just does not compare to RCI, MSC and Carnival ships I've been on.

I've walked off Celebration really cheesed off that I've waste money and my precious time off work on this rubbish. I'll he never set foot on a Thomson ship again....Absolute garbage.