lynn-in-nc

I like working with my travel agent for everything. I pay her a flat fee every year and then she is paid a bonus on what she produces I think is how it works. She is a big networker and we have gotten incredible upgrades because we work through her and she has these relationships everywhere.

Thanks for the male POV! I think it helped me convince DH that carry-ons are the way to go.

I’m glad I’m not the only one prepacking 10 days in advance! 🤓

Were you at all worried about Covid on the cruise?

My husband wants to check one shared bag but I think if we can skip the whole check in process the whole thing will be easier. That’s a good idea to pack half and half, and we got the air tags just for that purpose. Hopefully nobody will judge if we repeat outfits. 😃

Usually when I take a cruise I basically shove my closet into a couple of suitcases. But in a couple of weeks I have to fly through Heathrow to Edinburgh and I’m seriously considering taking a carry on suitcase and not checking any bags. Anyone else?

How long between your original flight and when you actually were able to leave? I'm dreading flying through Heathrow in a few weeks. Thanks for your post on this itinerary! I'd like to do it in a couple of years (next year is Lisbon/Barcelona). I'd love to spend a few days in Venice, we were there for 3 days last year and it wasn't long enough.

Thanks! That's really helpful.

That doesn't allow much time for things to get lost in the mail!

We are leaving on a Ponant cruise in Scotland on July 27th - does anyone know when the documents are likely to arrive? No sign of them yet.

Thanks, my question was really whether the guides are in fact local or traveling with the cruise as it was in Greece. Thanks for the currency link - it's my understanding that you can use british pounds in Scotland, but you can't use Scottish pounds in England or NI.

I've only done one cruise with Ponant (Greece 2018) but absolutely loved it and doing another one this summer. I don't know if I will ever use another line. I love the size of it, the quality of the food, the general atmosphere. The French travelers were very kind and patient with my high school French (from 50 years ago!), and there were some lovely Australians that we met on board. In the restaurant they will seat you with French speakers if you request it and want to brush up on your French, or with English speakers. The excursions and onboard lectures were so interesting, with well-educated tour guides. There is one restaurant and the only other option is room service. The French don't snack and there aren't snack bars and that kind of thing, but I smuggled some cookies to my room for my "gouter" (4 pm snack) and room service is available 24/7. These are the USB plugs we use - there's another version for UK. With so many adapters for different devices, with this one plug we can charge everything. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083S53DZ7

Cuttersam, I'll be on that route in August from Edinburgh to Glasgow and will try to report back. 😃

Thanks for the report! We'll be on a Ponant ship in Scotland in August so it's helpful to know what to expect.

We're going on the Scotland tour in July and I'm getting currency organized for the trip. I know that technically tipping is included but we always tip anyway. I realize that onboard the currency is euros, but what about tour guides? Would they be local people who would prefer the Scottish pound? Also any tips on dressing for the wild island climate in August would be appreciated. 😃

I love Ponant. We tend to be pretty casual and while the French passengers do tend to dress up a bit more than other nationalities, I found it to be very comfortable. They have a whole list of cruises with no solo supplement so I think they do welcome solo passengers. We met a few solo passengers (women) that found it easy to meet people. They tend to seat English speakers together and French speakers together unless you request otherwise. The excursions are exceptional. We have sailed on Seabourn which is nice and quite luxurious, but the excursions on Ponant are a step above in terms of the quality of the speakers. Also, sailing with 190 people is 1000 times better than the 450 that are on the Seabourn ships. I am thinking about one of the Ponant trips in the British Isles area. While I have cruised on many cruiselines, one of my favorite is Hurtigruten Expeditions because they are so educational and casual. I alway travel solo. I am curious about Ponant... how casual is the dress? do people change for dinner? Is it friendly to solo passengers? Do they include all excursions or do you book them? If they provide air- is it competitively priced? Anything you can tell me would help me try to make my decision!

We went on a Ponant cruise in Greece and going on our second to Scotland this summer, already booked one for 2023. The French guests are definitely fairly well dressed, but there were a lot of Australians on board that were pretty casual. I generally dress very casually but your mom might be happy to pick it up a notch and add a nice scarf or some jewelry to spruce up her more casual outfit. There will certainly not be too many people in formal attire in any case.