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Likewise, but the downside I find is that the wine by the glass in the MDR can be a bit hit and miss, particularly if you order something that sells less well and the bottle may have been open a while, and also the white is not always chilled as well as it could be if you order something popular where it is constantly restocked and a bottle taken from the front. Therefore I have resorted to going via the Glass House on the way to the MDR to pick up a couple of glasses of wine on the way, as their stock control and presentation seems better - but then it is a bit rubbish having to carry the wine to the MDR.

That presumes you actually choose to pay them. If you don't the aircraft isn't leaving without you. Personally I liked the old old days of Ryanair when there were no seat bookings - its a flying bus so get on and sit down, and ironically in those days people were likely to be far more amenable to moving to allow a family to sit together because they didn't have the 'investment' in having paid to book a seat.

If it is a charter then you just turn up with your boarding pass and passport at the airport check in.

Sounds reasonable, so perhaps a bit more metal and punk on the show band's session list, perhaps Overkill and California Über Alles? After all those approaching retirement were teenagers when those were released and so those tracks are likely still on plenty of people's Spotify playlists... And as a result some cruise companies are doing that because they see money in it - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tattoos-wildcat-cruise-heavy-metal-punk-rock-tattoos-2bqnhfcm2 https://archive.is/ezTfA

Departures 31st March or 14th April on Arvia from Southampton to the Med, £1438 from P&O for a Saver inside or £1708 for a Select inside (with an extra £50 per cabin OBC), balcony £2068 / £2662 (with an extra £220 OBC). So for the basic Saver inside it is just over £51 per person per day.

Only if you are in the shorter EU citizen queue as I will be...

I know they are using using both Tui and Jet 2 out of Gatwick, with the Tui flight at 09:50 so 14:15 into Tenerife and the Jet 2 leaving at 10:15 as I am on the Tui in a couple of weeks time and I know someone on the same cruise who is on the Jet 2. But then when I come back I am on the Jet 2, 15:45 out and back at 20:15.

You can't have the card without the passport book - it is an addition, not a substitution, so it is more costly to have one. You do, but you can use the card on its own without the book if you are travelling within the EU, the UK, or the members of the EEA, so if you prefer you can leave the book behind and just travel with the card. It is handy if you want to travel light and as it is a credit card size then you can just keep it in your wallet. It is also handy as you effectively have two passports as the book and card have different numbers (or three passports if like me you have dual nationality).

If you had read my comments earlier you would have already noted that I had expressed a view that it would not be a good idea. My reference to the law was directed at someone who was pontificating about the legality without either knowing about the legality or the initiative to look up the legality before commenting.

It isn't too hard to discover what the law is in the EU rather than just speculating - Internal market - Services (cabotage) (europa.eu)

I have seen it happen several times on European cruises with no issue, other than the passengers needing to cover their own travel expenses and accommodation getting between the ports. Europe isn't the US and things are done differently here.

Most likely different people produced the template port details back in the mists of time, and it is only occasionally noticed when those two ports appear together on a schedule and those different stock details are pulled up. The actual German law is that if you are aged over 16 in Germany you have to possess a photo ID card such as a passport, but you don’t actually have to carry it with you just be able to produce it. Therefore the ‘must take it with you’ writer was likely thinking of the hassle of getting it from the ship if you hadn’t taken it, and the ‘no need’ writer was more relaxed.

Well even the cruise companies have that view with a position of 'Hotel Director' onboard looking after 'Hotel Operations'.

I am glad you now understand that you were wrong regarding 'Schengen law' but the point was that you indicated the law as it related to the starting point of the cruise was irrelevant - it isn't it is entirely relevant. And it is relevant because the law is one of the factors which will influence a cruise line's decision as to whether they will accept or decline the request, so actually knowing the law is quite helpful when presenting an argument where you are seeking to persuade someone.

That might be your opinion, but I would suggest that an awful lot of people disagree with you, and on the newer ships likely the majority of people - not helped by Iona and Arvia looking like floating tower blocks and not ships.

The start point is relevant because it determines whether the cruise ship qualifies for cruise ship treatment for passengers entering the Schengen area as covered by EU law for EU ports - there is no such thing as "Schengen law" - the law applying to countries in the Schengen area will either be the EU law for EU countries or the laws that those counties in Schengen but not in the EU have enacted for those Schengen rules.

EU law certainly does apply to travel into the EU from outside the EU not just travel between EU countries! And so it is relevant if the ship is starting and ending its journey from a non-EU country, such as the UK, with port stops in EU countries.

Particularly as most people on cruise ships are not under the 65kg weight they use as an average person... I find it easy to resolve, by simply putting my foot in the lift doorway so it isn't going anywhere until people do move back and make space.

Of course it is rude and unacceptable to jump the queue. However I would suggest that issues with the lifts are deeply exacerbated by not filling the lifts with the number of people they can comfortably accommodate. Too often have I had to stand there with my foot in the door asking people to move back to let others in because there is clearly space for half a dozen more people in the lift.

It certainly does. The full EU rules are here EUR-Lex - 32016R0399 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu) and the Art 2 definition of cruise ship is - ‘cruise ship’ means a ship which follows a given itinerary in accordance with a predetermined programme, which includes a programme of tourist activities in the various ports, and which normally neither takes passengers on nor allows passengers to disembark during the voyage; and the checks on cruise ships are different and more relaxed compared to checks on people arriving to stay via aircraft, ferries, trains, buses, etc. because of that and the information that the cruise line provides in advance. That might happen where you are, but I have seen many occasions on European cruises when people have missed departure - it seems to happen most at Civitavecchia with people who made their own way to Rome being late back because of the complexities of needing to link together multiple forms of public transport which some people are not used to. However the passengers just make their way to the next port, which is usually in Italy and embark again there, usually looking a bit bedraggle, tired, and a little poorer having had to pay for accommodation and taxis or trains. If the cabin was cleared and the contents handed over to the port staff, then for a ship that is already due to depart do you think the captain is going to want to delay another hour or more? Emptying the cabin is a real hassle for the ship because it has to be done carefully and under supervision to ensure the company can rebut any claim of damaged or missing items. And that I experienced on a recent cruise where yet again there were passengers who were going to be late back from Rome because they had missed the train. However they phoned the ship to let them know and when they were due to arrive and the captain decided to delay departure 90 minutes. Why did he do so, well it was because the next stop was Valetta in Malta for final disembarkation and waiting 90 minutes was less hassle than clearing the cabin to offload the contents in Civitavecchia which would have delayed departure by that time anyway. And if they hadn't offloaded in Civitavecchia but cleared the cabin during the next sea day then they were going to have fun dealing with the authorities in Malta offloading those bags and repatriating them to their owners who would have probably just flown home from Rome rather than trying to catch the ship in Malta. It would be interesting to see where that provision exists in the cruise booking terms and conditions, and if it did then anyone doing a self-guided trip from the ship is taking a very very big gamble if they are accidentally late. Yes, there did seem to be an awful lot of people leaping all over you, but it was an awful lot of people who didn't seem to have any knowledge themselves. Asking the question of the cruise company was the correct thing to do - and if they say 'no' then no it is. And obviously deliberately being back late and causing hassle for the captain and their crew is not acceptable, and from everything you said that was not your intention, but the 'world will fall on your head' doomsayers... well I suggest that they actually do some research before typing.

Ireland already offers an option of a credit card sized Passport Card that counts as a full passport and can be used on its own without a paper passport book (i.e. it isn't just an ID card) if you are travelling within the EU, the UK, or the members of the EEA. Passport Card - Department of Foreign Affairs (dfa.ie)

Yes, but in reality nobody does eat in the MDR or Buffet for a a full meal as well as the Epicurean, and if they do then what does it say about the food in Epicurean that they needed to do that.

The cost of using Epicurean (or the Beach House or Sindhu, etc.) is a supplement to what you have already paid to use the MDR not the whole cost, so to compare it to the whole cost of a meal in a pub or restaurant on land is not comparing like with like.

Ah, photos of 'the puddle' as it is known by the locals, but yes Arrecife isn't great. However if you get out other parts of the island it does improve substantially.

A great idea if you don't actually care about what you send them - the two occasions I have used the service (not that I paid, but provided as an apology for food being spilt during meal service), the items did not return in the same condition I sent them. Not so bad they were obviously ripped or torn, but the material showing wear from the industrial machines the items had been through.