BanburyBlue

Hi all.

We're booked on a cruise on Independence of the Seas in October.

We are based in the UK.

I've just tried to pay my balance online but I'm getting continual 'failed to connect to server, please call to pay your balance' error messages.

I don't really want to ring and pay the premium call rates, so I'm wondering if anyone else in the UK has had problems using online payments?

Thanks.

Hi,

Thanks all.

So no U.K. style sockets?

And how do people get extension leads on board - aren’t all bags scanned?

Hi all,

First time cruise with RCI (been on P&O and Cunard before).

UK based.

I read yesterday that RCI do not allow you to take electrical extension leads on board - is this true?

Assuming it is true, what power sockets are in the cabins and are they easy to access?

Ta.

Thanks all.

Apologies Irish110 - missed the bit about the shuttle bus.

Thanks all,

Booked ABP.

Hi,

Yes berth 101.

So If I read it correctly,

If I use ABP:

- I'm right next to the ship (ish).

- Park up yourself and take suitcases to drop off point (assume trolleys around etc) - any idea how close the drop off points are?

If I use Cruise Parking

- Further away from ship but more like C&PS where you drop off your car, bags unloaded etc.

- But have to wait for shuttle bus to get to ship (assume you're only carrying hand luggage at this point?

Thanks

Thanks all.

To be honest, being our first time in Le Havre, we are happy to potter around.

Does anyone know if there is a shuttle bus in Le Havre from the terminal to the City Centre?

Hi all,

We're booked on a short cruise with RCI in October, round trip from Southampton.

It's the first time we've used RCI, and have always used P&O or Cunard. We've always paid for the C&PS parking, where you turn up by the terminal, get your boot unloaded, someone then takes your car and hey presto.

I'm confused what happens with RCI....

On the RCI website it mentions a company called Cruise Parking, which suggests dropping off your car (like C&PS), but then talks about shuttle buses, which makes it sound like it's not next to the terminal.

But if you do a Google search for Southampton Cruise Parking, a company called ABP parking which badges itself "official cruise parking in the port of Southampton". This looks like a self park (retain keys etc), but says 1 minute from terminal (City Cruise Terminal)?

Can anyone enlighten me?

Is the City Cruise Terminal where the RCI boats park?

And I assume for RCI, no-one offers the drop off type of service offered by C&PS for P&O/Cunard?

Any experiences of ABP vs Cruise Parking?

Many thanks,

Hi,

Anyone know where the RCI cruise ships dock in Rotterdam? Only I've just checked on a page showing cruise ships docking in Rotterdam, and ours wasn't there!

For the record, it's Independence of the Seas, supposedly on the 21st October.

Many thanks.

Hi,

We've booked on a RCI cruise that calls at Cherbourg and Le Havre. We've never been to these ports before, so need some information about locality.

We're normally happy just to potter around on our own. So in terms of getting around, does anyone know where the cruise ships dock and how close this is to the town centres?

Many thanks

There is a book by Douglas Ward called Berlitz Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships that is updated every year. Well, sometimes he misses some updates...And he skews to the luxury lines, but it would give you an idea of the key points of each line.

https://www.amazon.com/Berlitz-Cruising-Cruise-Ships-Guide/dp/1780049781

 

There are other similar books out there. But just reading on the forums here for the various lines will give you some idea of what cruising is like on them. EM

Thanks for this. Book ordered and was delivered yesterday. Absolutely fantastic book!

Do cabins onboard RCI ships come with kettles/tea making facilities?

If not, are there any issues with taking travel kettles onboard?

Ta.

Hi JB. Many thanks - very useful information.

I was quoting the more expensive P&O prices (select fares?). We have enjoyed P&O, but have found them a little 'staid', so we thought we ought to explore the other cruise lines to see what they're like.

I must admit, at this point in time, trying out RCI feels like we are going to the other extreme :confused:.

Although I've looked at the RCI website, I'm struggling to work out what's included and what isn't? Can you help here?

So I'm assuming they have the same concept of a MDR and a buffet type restaurant which are inclusive? So are all the other restaurant's on board RCI ships chargeable, or is like Cunard where some are included and some are not (and I guess is it obvious which are which)?

Likewise, the RCI website seems to suggest they are a lot of daytime activities, exercise classes and the like, are these included? And similarly all the toys on deck?

Once again, many thanks.

Hi,

We are looking at a short cruise in October, sailing from Southampton. I've found 2 suitable cruises:-

• P&O Belgium & The Netherlands (R818N) on the Aurora (10 Oct to 15 Oct).
  
• Royal Caribbean French & Dutch Adventure on the Independence of the Seas (20 Oct to the 25 Oct).
  

What surprises me is the price difference. The RCI cruise is between £1,358 & £1,658 for a balcony cabin, whereas the P&O cruise is £1,898 & £2,114 for a balcony cabin.

Now considering how many extra facilities they have on a RCI ship, I would have thought they would be more expensive?

Am I missing something?

Ta.

Thanks JB - appreciated.

Hi,

I’m looking for some help and advice. We have a few cruises now, initially with Cunard and more recently P&O. We were thinking of trying out a different cruise line, and so I’ve done some research. I looked for...

- cruises between 3 to 5 days.

- start and finish in the U.K.

- September to October this year.

The options appear to be either Royal Caribbean (Independence of the Seas), Princess (Sapphire Princess), or Tui (Marella Discovery).

So the question is, can anyone give us an idea of the differences we could expect with these 3 cruise lines compared to P&O?

Thanks,

Hi,

Apologies, probably being thick (and never been on Princess before), but can someone explain what the 3 for three offer is?

Ta

Thanks all.

Will have to get research head on!

Yes British. We do like sailing from the U.K.

We are over 50 (just).

So, comparisons with cruise lines fron the U.K.,

Hi,

We are relatively new to cruising, and to date have been with Cunard and more recently P&O.

We were thinking what other cruise lines are out there, and I was wondering if there is anything which describes the various pros and cons of the cruise lines?

With the new policy it seems that P&O have, I believe, achieved their aim in reducing the amount of alcohol taken onboard and seems to have put a stop to those openly bringing crates and trolleys full onboard.

But isn't that a bit of a myth? Wasn't the old policy that people could bring on 'reasonable' amounts of alcohol, and if you brought on more they would hold it for you until you got back? So surely they've always had the power to stop people bringing on crates of booze?

Have you tried the free wine you win on quizzes? It tastes like drain cleaner!!!

:) LOL - I guess it depends on your starting point. If you're used to £5/£6 bottles of wine from Tesco it's not too bad after the first glass. If you're used to expensive wine then yes, probably drain cleaner. (not that I've personally tried to drink drain cleaner).

We've just come back from 2 weeks on Aurora.

Ship is fine - depends on whether you like big ships or small ships!

We always go for balconies - agree with the comment above. There is some stunning scenery in Norway and it's great to watch the world go by from your balcony.

The captain was very accessible - never seen a captain so much. He was always in public areas talking to customers. Even saw him eating dinner in the Buffet restaurant one evening.

In terms with ports of call, just do a bit of research first. If you like doing your own thing then most ports are fine to potter round, but some ports have nothing there. For example Geirangerfjord - great scenery, great sail into and out of the fjord, but very limited stuff on shore. This was the one port where we did a shore excursion. Stavanger, Alesund and Bergen were all fine to potter.

To be honest, we rarely go to the shows and evening entertainments - but this applies to all P&O ships.

We've just come back from a 2 week Mediterranean Cruise on Aurora. We did stick to the policy and took on board a bottle of wine each. I was considering stashing an additional bottle in each of our suitcases, but decided not to in case of breakages. I also thought that in the overall scheme of things, I would have been saving no more that £20-£30 by doing this so decided what was the point.

In terms of enforcement on embarkation or during ports of call it did seem very much an 'honesty policy'. No one checked our hand luggage on embarkation or on any of the ports of call. On ports of call, there was a table set up and people were voluntarily handing alcohol in, rather than being searched and demands made. I guess slight difference with ports where P&O did the security, where they know people must have bottles on them, but again I saw no-one being directed towards the 'confiscation table'.

The alcohol was available for collection the day before we arrived back at Southampton.

Tip: enter a few quizzes - free bottle of house wine if you win!!