NeroliGirl

Actually we’re booked into the Lawn Club Grill tonight so we’ll probably be in a food coma for the next few days! 😂

Currently on the Silhouette, day 10 of a 13-night cruise. Mashed potatoes do feature heavily on the MDR menu, but there’s quite a wide choice of other options. Here’s a screenshot of tonight’s dinner menu (taken from the app).

Here’s a picture of the soot just now, and we’ve been in port all day

We’re currently on the Silhouette in a Sunset Veranda - on deck 10 they have reclassified them as Concierge Class. The veranda is no larger than a regular veranda cabin, so only just long enough for the recliner chairs and a tiny table. You could fit loungers but they’d need to be sideways to the balcony and you wouldn’t be able to pass around them. From memory the SVs on the lower decks were a little deeper. Incidentally we have had a real bad soot problem all cruise so far - huge lumps of soot on the veranda and even the OVC outdoor seating area is covered in it.

It’s Cruisemapper.com, and there’s also an app with the same name (as aaaaa mentioned) It’s slightly addictive! 😅

You also need to be aware that not all ports allow embarkation / disembarkation due to location immigration /customs rules. We once missed our embarkation at Barcelona due to missed flights, and we spent two days chasing the ship as we weren’t allowed to embark in Valencia. Eventually embarked in Ibiza.

Hi Ladylemondrop - we’re on the same cruise, we’ll look out for you! Sorry to hear you had a bad journey down - big accident on the A31 apparently which caused tailbacks back to Southampton. We’re enjoying the calm conditions across the Bay of Biscay. Here’s a picture of us (we’re the purple one) being closely followed by MSC Virtuosa which was docked behind us in Southampton. Enjoy your cruise!

** STOP PRESS ** Whole tomatoes spotted on the Silhouette today ……

We’re also on the Silhouette - heading across the Bay of Biscay and you’re following right behind us! We’re the purple ship in the attached image. Hope you’re enjoying your cruise!

Hi Lolou, thank you for your post - we are on the Silhouette in three weeks’ time so we are very reassured by your current experience. We hope the rest of your cruise remains fabulous - the fjords are majestic.

We've used ABP Parking at Southampton port many times. On every occasion, once you have been directed to a parking space and start unloading your luggage, porters appear at your vehicle and take your cases from you and load them on to their van. The next time you see your cases will be in your stateroom. It's all very smooth and well-organised. Just remember to have your travel documents in your carry-on. One word of warning - we are sailing on the Silhouette in September, and when I tried booking the parking some weeks ago the car park was completely full for that date, and even the waitlist was also totally full. So we're taking the train to Southampton - which will be a first for us. At least it will avoid any traffic congestion which can be very real on days when there are lots of ships in port. We've been delayed by nearly two hours in the past, owing to traffic congestion. Totally missed the concierge lunch!

We were told the same - the pairing wines (which were very nice by the way) were not covered by the Premium Package.

Thank you for all the replies - I’m feeling a bit more confident about booking flights now! Non-stop from LHR to FLL seems difficult to find so that may influence my choice. I like the sound of the hotel proximity to Publix! Thanks again!

We’re looking at booking a cruise departing Fort Lauderdale, and this would be our first US departure (we’ve only cruised Europe up to now). I’ve looked through this forum and I can see posts for Miami Airport and for Fort Lauderdale airport - which would be best for an international arrival from London? We’re planning on flying in the day before and finding a hotel for the night before embarkation. Any advice/suggestions gratefully received!

We did the tasting menu on Edge back in May. It was excellent but I would say that you need a very large appetite. We ran out of steam before the end so didn't have room left for the lovely desserts and petit-fours (see below)! But I would still recommend it for the sense of occasion. They also have a vegetarian version.