Harters

I've stayed in Paignton a couple of times in recent years, using it as a touring base. Whilst it has a really pleasant promenade (and a suitably gaudy pier), it has little else to recommend it. Next time we holiday in that general area, we're going to look to stay in Dartmouth which is a lovely large village but does get crowded with tourists. Certainly concur with others that the trip is well worth doing.

Last cruise - 2017 Next - your guess is probably as good as mine but nothing scheduled. FWIW, we 've had to cancel two cruises with O in the last 12 months. One because we got Covid a couple of days before boarding, so couldnt get the "all clear" certificate. And one because of health issues which mean we can't currently get travel insurance. We hope that will be resolved within the next couple of weeks, but may not be. We had an eye on a Riviera cruise in June but it's all become wait listed in the last couple of days - no doubt the Ultimate offer has had its desired effect. So, looks like we're back to the drawing board for planning a cruise, as when we can get insurance. By the by, I think the OP makes a good point about out of date information and wouldnt consider mentioning anything from our only O cruise. I follow a particular Tripadvisor forum but have decided to withdraw from commenting at the end of this month,as it will be over a year since we were last at the destination.

From Zeebrugge, you can get the coastal tram through Nieuwpoort all the way to De Panne, near the border with France. They run every 15 minutes and, with a day card, you can treat it a a "hop on, hop off" service. https://www.belgiancoast.co.uk/en/inspiration/coastal-tram These are nice little towns which I've visited over the years. I always have my car so havent actually used the tram.

PS: Michelle - just realised your home town is vaguely familiar to me. The Conway in North Wales is about 90 minutes from home and we visit often. But I realise I must have passed through your Conway going to Myrtle Beach. from the I95, some years back.

There are a limited number of British airports which receive transatlantic flights. In the London area, that would be Heathrow and Gatwick. If it is not those, then as mentioned, you could be a couple of hundred miles away (my local airport - Manchester - is one such). Again, as already mentioned, flights from the States usually arrive very early morning local time. You will be jet-lagged. It takes me days to adjust after returning from holidays. Assuming it is Heathrow or Gatwick,my suggestion would be to go direct into London, rather than finding two hotels. Now, that poses a dilemma in itself. You are possibly in central London by perhaps 9am. Yet you can't check in to the hotel till maybe 3pm. So, do you want to sleep or go straight off touristing? If the latter, then make sure you've checked with the hotel beforehand that they have storage facilities for your luggage which you can collect later when you check in. If you want to sleep, then you'd need to book an additional night and advise that you won't be arriving till the morning (missing the actual night). That's what we did on a trip to South Africa a few years back - well worth paying for the extra night. Unpacked, went to breakfast, came back and slept for a couple of hours. If you find it is an airport well a way from London, the logistics will be very different and I'd suggest you come back and ask for advice here if that proves to be the case. As for hotels, there are the usual American owned chains as well as out own, such as Premier Inn. To get the best out of your time, I'd suggest you develop an idea about how you want to spend your time in the capital. We might then be able to make specific suggestions for hotels that will be geographically convenient.

Here you go, vithom. It's a long thread which I've hardly opened. I spotted a recent suggestion to a poster that they only read from a certain page which I suspect means it's post Covid so up to date with how things are. https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2416372-tips-for-new-viking-ocean-cruisers/ (EDIT: found the "restart" mention, suggesting start reading from page 45.)

No surprise at € being accepted in Gib, with the number of folk crossing each day from Spain for work. And I think a number of Caribbean currencies keep parity with USD.

I'm really surprised to read that, JB. That said, I find it hard to credit that anyone travelling to a foreign country would even think it might be OK to pay in their own currency. But, from what you say, they must do. I ask myself what would happen in their own country, if a tourist wanted to pay in sterling. On the taxi tipping issue, until the beginning of the pandemic, my brother in law had driven a cab in Stockport for many years. When he started, tips were fairly common but, by 2020, they had all but disappeared. He said it was rare to get a tip, even of the "keep the change" variety - maybe a couple of times a week.

Recent mention of Covid on this thread https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2929574-covid-on-sirena/#comment-65168761

Possibly linked to the Tripadvisor ownership? On their forums they seem to be very resistant to stickies. A couple of years back they actually contacted all their Destination Experts inviting submissions for stickies - but then they didnt do anything about it.

We spend three weeks in Tenerife most winters and you quickly get very bored with the potatoes and mojo sauces being served at pretty much every dinner.

And it was only the other day that I came across a Viking one. I've bookmarked it for as and when we start looking at Viking as a possibility for a cruise.

Thank, both. I thought that would be the case but wanted to check. We used to have really good cover through our NatWest account till about three years ago when they declined to insure us, because of our various conditions. So we went with Staysure who were great . We currently can't get any insurance as my companion in life has undiagnosed issues. Then we'll have to see who will insure us for our conditions, plus an "awaiting surgery" for one of us. I know some insurers will cover the latter but at one heck of a cost.

Is this only available to those who have a Nationwide bank account, or do they sell insurance to the more general public? Thanks.

Chester without a doubt. I live about 45 minutes drive from the city and it was my county town until we stopped having such a thing. See my post#13 for ideas what to do in the city. Port Sunlight is interesting and has a nice small art gallery but the "visitor experience" is limited.

Not where I am in the world. Never seen it and suspect I never will.

I agree that there's no need for a guide for the city centre. We had planned to be on an Oceania cruise last year but were cancelled as we both had Covid a couple of days before boarding. I used this website to work out where I wanted to visit and it works out your own walking tour. https://www.gpsmycity.com/gps-tour-guides/bordeaux-2703.html I am actually thinking of booking the Riviera cruise mentioned by the OP which does appear to be berthing in the city centre.

I'd agree that driving to/from Portsmouth would take a sizeable chunk out of the day. Whilst motorway is involved for part of the route, there are slow roads for the remainder. We spent a week last autumn using Weymouth as a base. It's a small traditional British seaside town which has a nice promenade, very walkable town centre. And a couple of very decent fish & chips places - I can partularly recommend Bennets, at the, erm , mouth of the River Wey. Of some historical interest, it was also a departure port for American troops for the D-Day landings. And Portland itself has an interesting museum which, oddly, mainly focuses on the American, rather than British contribution, to the invasion. If you do go to Weymouth, it might be worth you also doing the short train ride into Dorchester, which is the county town. Interesting in itself and particularly so for the Roman town house excavation.

We've just seen the other side of that coin. We'd been looking at a particular cruise in June but were not yet in a position to book. Until 2/4, O was offering Ultimate which is all three perks but, from 3/4, reverted to the more usual offer of a chice of just one perk. Annoying as we may well be in a position to book next week but I suppose the whole point of incentives is to fill up cabins and if offering Ultimate has done its job then I understand the deal getting pulled.

If you do have time for a full day tour, then the Busybus one certainly includes a good overview of North Wales. The aqueduct mentioned is in a wonderful location. It carries the Llangollen Canal over the valley. Views are fantastic from the top of it but you're only going to get that if you're sailing a narrowboat across it (which, I can tell you, is quite a scary thing to do).

I've no recommendations for you with regard to a guide (although I'm sure the question has been asked before so a search on the forum should find the previous discussion). The town of Conwy is about a 75 minute drive or so from Liverpool, taking you along the North Wales Expressway. Good scenery on the route. Conwy has one of the best preserved medieval castles in the UK. And,as regards lunch, you could do worse than visit one of the fish & chips places in town that have a cafe attached. Or, perhaps even better if the weather is fine, get your fish & chips as takeaway and eat them sat on one of the benches overlooking the estuary. The quay is also home to the smallest house in Wales. If that was a bit far, then Flint Castle is interesting enough and only about 45 minutes away from Liverpool . From there, your driver could continue along the coastal road to the rather seedy tourist towns of Prestatyn and Rhyl, where you should also find decent fish & chips. Return via the Expressway (although the views are, IMO, better coming from Liverpool than returning to it. . I think you could have a very pleasant trip to the "Land of my Fathers". Or, to be precise, Land of Granny Harters who came from Hawarden which is close to the North Wales border with England.

It's many years since we were last on the Rock. And that was on a cruise stop, rather than coming through the La Linea border with Spain. Four of us did a taxi tour which was fine. It doesnt take that long - Gib is a very small place. Which left time for a wander round the town on our own. A quick Google confirms the taxi association still runs tours. http://www.gibraltartaxiassociation.com/

Can't recall what was with them, Shep. I like to try local foods when I'm travelling but its the grossness of the Blowing Rock experience that I recall. I also well remember some excellent BBQ at Woodlands there, so things are even Also had good meals in Asheville on both occasions we'ev spent time in the city, But the grossness of the livermush and grits was nothing in comparision with Andouilette de Cambrai - which I bought from a supermarket in the small French town of the same name. Local food, eh? Smell was vile - like a blocked and overflowing toilet, if you get my meaning. And the taste was how I imagine the contents of the toilet woiuld taste.

I have no answer to that. But it's a great question from someone coming from NC where livermush and grits are considered to be amongst the popular foods. 😀 And, yes, I have eaten them (in Blowing Rock). And, no I didnt enjoy the experience.

Actually makes me wonder if the common factor (generally speaking) might well be some sort of reference to it being enclosed as I guessed earlier. Christmas pudding would another dish steamed in a basin. And both haggis and black pudding have an edible outer casing. No doubt the answer is lost to the mysteries of time. We should get back to discussing food on Riviera. My interest lies there as, if all goes well with our travel insurance and related medical issues, we'll be looking at a cruise on the ship in a couple of months.