Solent Richard

Good morning @watsonbeau . Today's offering is for Corfu.... We chose to take a ship's excursion on this occasion due entirely to the choice of places and their distance from Corfu Town... https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2014/11/03/one-way-to-do-corfu/ Having then visited these wonderful places we still had time in Corfu for a decent wander....

I expect the 'other' will be tendering, as was the case when we were there....

Yes, we will look forward to that and of course, a number of earlier ones.

I would beg to differ having travelled more recently. There definitely was a separate train for ship excursion booked travellers as my blog review at # 2 indicates.... https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2023/08/02/one-way-to-do-flam/ I had booked online using the same website as the OP and my wife and i found no problem picking the seats that suited us on the day.... ...though there was a small section reserved in that particular carriage. If I could possibly give a tip to those travelling in the near future, @buchanan101 in particular, aim to sit on the outward journey in the second carriage from the front left hand side. The reason I mention this is because when the train stops at the Kjosfossen Waterfall you are in a prime position to find an advantageous position for an uncluttered view of the legendary and seductive Huldra entertainment performance.... ********* *******

It crossed my mind to mention that when I originally answered your OP. I'm always eternally grateful to the member(s) who do consistently book through the cruise line. Your challenge is now to climb that valley side to the mini-glacier prior to the train ride, I did it afterwards.... ******* ********

Hello @foodsvcmgr , I've just the thing for you to whet your appetite in Ajaccio.... https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2014/11/12/one-way-to-do-ajaccio/ As previously mentioned it's within spitting distance of the town... And of course, its the ancestral home of a certain chap.... 😂

Though many of us will, Cunard, Seabourn, P&O, Princess and, God forbid I mention it here on a Cunard page, Carnival. 😂 Carnival is our oyster.

Today's advice information for @watsonbeau is for Split. Here's the link to my cruise blog page on that interesting piece of Croatia..... https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2016/06/17/one-way-to-do-split/ While the review is a few years old the basics remain the same except for the fact that cruise ships can now berth alongside.... ...and visited more recently on the motor yacht Lady Eleganza' .... https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2022/07/21/lady-eleganza-croatia-and-adriatic-maiden-season/ It was a relatively easy 10 minute walk to the main attraction, the Diocletian’s Palace…

We did Norway best as well, I even produced an article on my cruise blog... https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2023/08/02/one-way-to-do-flam/ The cruise lines do have their own trains allocated.... While I have no means of checking your Cunard price I did make a note of the cruise line's that we used last May.... Of course, for those who by their very nature prefer to stick with the cruise line for their shore experiences, there is the guarantee that should the visit be cancelled they are sure of a full refund. If you are like me, then a gamble, whatever the challenge, is often worth the outlay 😂

Thank you. I'll leave it at that.

Nice one @ChrisMV Always good to see someone else's photographs. 😉😉

These Guys?..... They were pretty tooled up .

What a shame and such a tough call for north (Hue) or south (Hoi An) excursions.

Terrorist precautions? I make a habit of noting what's on offer in the security stakes. It always draws my attention, particularly sailing out of New York onboard Queen Mary 2 with both the NYPD... ***** ...and the US Coast Guard.... ...in armed attendance....

No doubt many members have been following @Roscoe 's blog.... http://exitviathegiftshop.blogspot.com/?view=magazine ...and will have spotted his take on Queen Victoria's anti-pirate measures while sailing in Asian waters... ***** He does also mention additional measures but the stern promenade deck where they were positioned was 'out of bounds'. So I thought it maybe of interest to show what I captured on my trusty Nikon while preparing to sail Trans Atlantic on Queen Mary 2 some years ago. The LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) .... ******

Hello again @watsonbeau Here is a link to my offering on Zadar.... A veritable gem of a visit and probably the easiest of your visits to undertake on your own. https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2023/01/27/one-way-to-do-zadar-croatia/ You should be berthed in the same position as the opening photograph which is also indicated on the attached map and within spitting distance of the famous 'Sea Organ'... Whatever you do, do sample Zadar's magnificent seafood... Next up Split and Malta

Good morning @watsonbeau . I can help you on a number of your scheduled port stops. Firstly let me cover visits to Corfu and Kotor. The link that follows covers both though we were not travelling on a Cunard ship. Just scroll down to where we visited the scenic town of Budva and the island of Sveti Stefan on an excursion from Kotor..... https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2014/06/09/ventura-a-perfect-fly-cruise-med-break/ ********* As the blog reiterates, get these musts done early and there is still plenty of time to take in Kotor itself....

Good morning @Pushpit . But surely the subject (Miniatures) was clearly indicated at my # 118 as you quoted @vistaman 's # 119 which referred to my photograph - wearing 'Miniatures'. I find no other reference since that point where medals, as opposed to 'miniatures' was brought up. Of course, when the occasion suits, usually on Remembrance Day at home... ...and when joining my veteran friends at the Cenotaph... ....I do wear medals.

Good morning. As I see you have indicated that your Grills accommodation is a Q3 Penthouse then I accept that you will be sailing on either Queen Victoria, Queen Anne or Queen Elizabeth and not Queen Mary 2. As pointed out earlier, you should not worry that a table for two are too small - this is Cunard... Being allocated a good table, no matter what size one has requested, can depend to a large extent on whether one is going a fresh cruise or joining in between legs of a longer cruise. Whatever, it is most important, as others have mentioned, to head to the grill restaurant as early as possible to take a rain check of table size and position. In all my times sailing either grills only once was a pre-sailing request to the ship, for a particular table, NOT met and that was when joining a world cruise leg. On that occasion I declined the allocated larger table and was given a table for two.

As do hundreds of guests onboard many cruise ships including P&O, Cunard, Saga and even Celebrity. Win them and wear them as the old mess deck saying goes. 😉😉

Good morning @Pushpit . I'd be more than interested to learn from what source your statement regarding the MOD in the UK discourages the wearing of medals. As a retired naval officer, and one whose duties often embraced ceremonial and dress regulations, I would draw your attention to ... https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/royal-navy-responsive/documents/reference-library/br-3-vol-1/chapter-44.pdf ...and in particular the wearing of medals with 'civilian dress' on formal occasions.

That seems pretty fair to me and it's good to know the Carnival Corporation (aka Cunard & P&O) are at least keeping up with the game. For myself, a pretty senior senior, I have endeavoured to keep up with technology and found no problem not only adding 'Stockperks' to my iPhone but also claiming and getting confirmed OBC for an upcoming cruise. I take the view that those 'elderly' folk who have not embraced IT technology over the years, and now appear to cry wolf, have little to complain about if they find themselves left behind in the C21st world - whether it be P&O, Cunard, or any other cruise line operating similar technology. I have a number of future cruises booked but only one with Cunard. I'd be interested to learn from those with 'multiple' bookings whether or not the App will allow claims for OBC on cruises booked well ahead of the final payment date as someone previously suggested had been available through their stockbroker.

I well remember your time on that 78 night cruise @Bell Boy . Not one to be missed if one is a big fan of Queen Victoria. 😉 I also recall we both did most of the itinerary on Queen Mary 2's circumnavigation in 2009....

Anyone have any first-hand experience? Yes, 12055 while travelling Trans Atlantic solo....

Couldn't agree more @Windsurfboy 😂😂