SunnyD800

I can’t wait now! I will definitely add into our plans a cocktail in somewhere with a good view!

Thanks for all the replies. Great to hear what everyone gets up to when you get onboard. I suspect it will be muster, cabin, food and explore for us.

As mentioned before we are on Iona in August for our first cruise. Just wondering what you all do once you get on board on embarkation day. I know everyone is different but nice to hear people’s little routines and favourite things to do 😊

Thanks everyone! I have booked CPS, the others that include parking were the same price or slightly lower and I take the point that everything will be new to us. We are in Nottinghamshire, friend who cruises frequently says it takes about 3.10, they usually stay in the holiday inn in Eastleigh, for 2 rooms it’s costly. Premier inn is fluctuating. We are on the fence about hotel the night before as some of the lower budget one reviews are terrible. It ranges from on 170 to 300 for a budget room with parking.

Thank you all so much for the advice and tips! I can tick the Internet sharing off the research list now. I have watched none stop YouTube videos since booking a few weeks ago, so much so that it’s become a source of amusement with the kids, the 3 year old is now able to recognise some cruise vloggers 😂 I have a close friend who cruises on P&O 5-6 times a year but him and his wife’s circumstances mean that they have different interests to us, he has been great at answering questions about lots of things. The updates I get from his cruises started my obsession to get one booked. We are definitely planning on doing the Loen skylift, even the hard to please teens looked excited about that! I think I will make good use of the sunshine today and do some more research on ports and make a decision about parking 😀

As a little intro we are a family of 5, 2 teens and a 3 year old. We have booked the Fjords in August on Iona which is our first cruise ever. We are split between a balcony and inside cabin. I’m beyond excited but hubby and the kids less so as they would have preferred our usual fly and flop all inclusive. I’m hoping that by being informed and planning everything I can win them over!! So I have a couple of questions. If we but 1 WiFi package, could we share? I know we couldn’t use it at the same time but could we take it in turns? It’s not an issue for me as I can use roaming in ports but the big kids are freaking out! It’s a relatively long journey to Southampton so thinking of staying in a hotel the night before, as we need 2 rooms it’s looking pricey, Portsmouth seems better on price. Could anyone tell me how long it would take to drive to the port on a busy embarkation Saturday. I can work out the standard journey but have no experience of what impact the volume of traffic would be. We haven’t booked parking yet, I don’t mind paying the CPS price for convenience but wondered if there are any recommendations for alternatives that I can check out. Some options seem to include a taxi which I think might be an issue as we are a 5 and not a 4. lastly any family oriented tips on essentials cruise items to pack, must do things on board or child friendly excursions in the fjords would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the lengthy post and lots of questions 😊