HPfoodie

@Fletcher I can now report that we have our visas. We went to Edinburgh and it was apparent that my husband didn’t have to as they didn’t take his fingerprints. He’s 70 - and when the info said ‘over 70’ we weren’t too sure whether it meant 71. However, not sure if he’d have to have posted off his passport so in the end it was easier just to attend with me. We managed to do the train fares very reasonably. Just looking forward to the holiday now.

@Ellemdee yep … and how much! Concerned about excess baggage on internal flights and train. The temperatures differ so much on this holiday we’ll need a variety of clothing.

@Ellemdeepassports with visas all done. ✔️

Was that a photo of your trivia team? If so, hi to Penny. And I know the 3 people left in Mumbai due to Visa problems (well, for 2 of them, the other stayed as it was her husband) managed to join in Cochin. Thank goodness for them. Very stressful I believe.

@EllemdeeSo you’re arriving earlier than us. We leave here on the 7th arrive Beijing on the 8th.

@Ellemdeejust been to Edinburgh. In and out in half an hour. Ready next Tuesday. 👍

@EllemdeeThat's reassuring to know. And the fact we both don't have to back to collect. Look forward to meeting you at the hotel - think we're arriving into Beijing around 4.30pm on Air France. I'll let you know what happens after we've been to Edinburgh.

@Ellemdeedid your pick up go to plan? Think we now have all the relevant paperwork, but have to wait a few days because it’s Chinese New Year (we’ve just come back from a break in the Canary Islands).

Thanks for that info. We will contact Imagine for the detailed info. Not too long now.

Our cruise departs HK 14/3. We haven’t been for our visa yet as we need our passports in the next couple of weeks. Will let you know how it goes though.

We are having 6 days in China pre cruise in March. We have comprehensively looked into this - there’s a 144 hour visa free transit which unfortunately we can’t use because we are visiting 2 provinces. So we have spent a good few hours - that included doing our photos - completing the on line application form. Which we now have to take to Edinburgh for our visa ‘interview’ and then go back a few days later to collect. We wish we hadn’t bothered with the China part and just gone straight to Hong Kong to be honest. Can do without the stress. However, if you are just visiting on a cruise I’m sure the requirements are different.

No I’m absolutely not saying that. Just the comment about being by the pool on a sunbed (which is how I interpreted the original comment) and ordering it to be delivered to you there. I love pizza, and a burger. 😀

I’m just catching up on this thread hence several comments. Can I just say, that if I’d seen people eating pizzas and burgers by the pool I would’ve been less than happy and assumed I was not on a luxury cruise. If people are doing that on Crystal, I’m glad we decided that it’s not a company we would book (we were booked and weeks away from a Crystal cruise when it went into liquidation). Obviously our views are very different.

Am I missing something? What did you expect that was lacking as far as luxury is concerned? We found that everyone bent over backwards to ensure luxury.

I too am in the food industry- have been all my working life. I have no idea about the mango on your cruise, but we sailed Nova for 16 nights Nov/Dec and this definitely was not the case. All the fruit was amazing quality. In fact, all the food in the restaurants was first class. It was only our second Silversea cruise and we’re unable to compare with the other equivalent cruise lines, but we are extremely happy with everything. I really don’t understand how much luxury people want/expect. We’re booked on 3 more Silversea cruises - and are really looking forward to sailing the Moon and the brand new Ray.

We've looked into this comprehensively. We are doing a pre land tour - not with Silversea, but joining Silver Moon in Hong Kong. We have found out (we are UK citizens) that because our tour is visiting two provinces - Beijing and Xian - we cannot use the 144 hour transit visa. So we have spent a careful few hours completing the online form ready to take to the Edinburgh visa centre a month before we need it. Yes, you'll need all the info for the form, hotels, flights etc. but we are lucky to have those. Apparently it's taking about 4 days to process the visa, but it means we have to go to Edinburgh twice - well one of us has to go the second time. We would go now, except we need our passports for another pre arranged holiday soon. We wish we'd not bothered with the China part, all very stressful.

Thank you. This confirms what I had already heard from someone who was on the inaugural pre cruise - who said there was a super efficient extraction system in the outdoor area of the Connoisseur's lounge. But thankfully not in the general Panorama outdoor area.

Are you certain about the Panorama lounge? Officially I'm sure it is only Dusk Bar. The main reason I would be unhappy with Panorama is because there are cabin balconies immediately above - and we have on of those booked on the Ray.

Just been looking at the Crystal website, which is pretty poor to be honest. And wondered what the difference is between an ‘attentive’ butler as opposed to a ‘junior’ butler. And still not all categories are eligible for butler service. I know we didn’t use our butler too much at all - but it was a luxury we enjoyed.

Can I ask (on behalf of my sister in law who is doing this cruise in March) - does the ship organise visas for Cambodia for all nationalities? They are UK citizens. Thank you

We received a notification from the Government FCO.

Relief for many https://www.india-visa-online.org/indian-e-visa-eligibility/british-citizens/

I doubt it. I’m just glad we looked into the visa situation before our payment was due. I really hope it works for you. It’s frustrating that 156 countries can apply for the E visa. But not U.K. and Canada.

Yes I agree. we brought it up with our travel agent in the UK who thought it would be straightforward. Not so - loads of issues about unavailability of appointments leading to thousands of Indian holidays from the UK being cancelled. We took the decision to cancel ours before the payment was due (cruise in March '23) and have since booked a land based trip to Singapore and Malaysia. Monies already paid have been transferred to our next booking - which is NOT India. SS acknowledged it was incorrect information on the UK info page directing us to the E visa.

We’ve opted for shower only. Had that on Spirit and those we met on the cruise all wished they had chosen that option.