John Bull

As per @Scottishclover's post, the weather starts to turn in October. And sunset in Edinburgh is around 6.30 pm. Same applies to the seas in UK waters - you're heading into the risk of Autumn storms. For that reason there are a limited number of round-UK cruises, and that repo cruise is pretty late in the season. Yes, Edinburgh is well worth several days. Because we were touring by car and in high season we stayed at an hotel near the airport - cheaper hotels, no parking woes, excellent & frequent tram service into the heart of Edinburgh. But October isn't high season, and unless your date clashes with a major event such as the Edinburgh Tattoo or The Fringe hotel prices should be reasonable. Somewhere along or just off the Royal Mile (Lawnmarket & High Street) or Princes Street would be as central as you can get. And yes, fly from Edinburgh to Southampton. London's airports are 65 to 80 miles from Southampton, Southampton's airport is just 6 miles / £20 taxi from the cruise terminals. JB 🙂

A further thought to maximise your sight-seeing in your limited time by taking a shared tour-transfer from your central London or Heathrow hotel to your ship on the morning of your sailing. International Friends, a long-established & reputable coach tour operator, offers shared coach tour-transfers with a guide from central London hotels and LHR hotels to ships in Southampton with a choice of visiting Windsor Castle or Stonehenge (my choice would be Windsor Castle) en-route. https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/shore-excursions-and-cruise-transfers.html Often recommended by Cruise Critic members, available for most cruises, and scheduled to arrive at your cruise terminal in good time to register. If your hotel isn't listed, a short walk or taxi hop to the nearest listed hotel. The coach is specifically for those on your cruise, and takes you to your cruise terminal. Driver loads & unloads luggage. Not available for hotels at LGW airport, and their direct private and shared van transfers aren't great value JB 🙂

Hi, Mark, and a belated welcome to Cruise Critic. Firstly you should be aware that you will have little time, and after a red-eye flight perhaps little inclination, to explore London. Even with an early-morning arrival it'll be lunchtime before you get to central London. And no time next morning before you head to Southampton to check-in for your cruise. So it'll be an overly-brief visit - an afternoon and (if you're still up to it) an evening.. Sadly, for your logistics I can do little better than to agree with other posters. You are very unlikely to find a T/A willing to book your hotel & transfers for your one day stay in London - and if you did find one you'd be paying well over the odds. The answer is to book the separate elements yourselves - but that's not as daunting as you might think. Choices of hotel, transfer to Southampton, etc will be inter-dependent - and dependent on your arrival airport. Transfer from your London airport to a central London hotel. You need to find out from the cruise line at least which London airport you will arrive, Heathrow (LHR) or Gatwick (LGW) . If you fly from Boston it's likely to be LHR or from New York it could be either. If the cruise line books indirect flights there are a couple more airports which serve London. Central London hotels won't offer a shuttle - perhaps one would suggest a private transfer operator for you, but you'd do better to avoid that extra cog in the arrangements. Hotel For a one night stay you should consider an airport hotel. An airport hotel attached to your airport terminal or a taxi from the rank to a nearby hotel would save precious time (but for driving to central London you nee a pre-boked car because a taxi from the rank would be extremely expensive) . This will allow you to leave your bags at the hotel and use the train or the Tube or the (much slower) bus into central London - all of these options are much cheaper than a private transfer. And airport hotels are much cheaper than those in central London. Next morning for your transfer to your ship in Southampton you could consider a pre-booked direct National Express bus (from LHR) or a direct train (from LGW), or your cruiseline's transfer bus or a pre-booked car from either. A pre-booked car from ether airport would be quite a lot cheaper than one from central London. The savings on hotel & transfers might even be enough for you to splash out on a private tour of London. But if you want a hotel in central London ............... you need to choose a location that is convenient to the sights and to a ho-ho bus, and - unless you choose a private transfer next morning - one that is convenient for travel to Southampton. You can't choose one that's convenient to your airport unless you know at which airport you'll be arriving !!!! And if you wait until the cruise line tells you, the choice of available hotels will fall and the prices will rise. I suggest either - around London Waterloo / Westminster Bridge. Ho-ho bus from near the London Eye, lots of sights (eg Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Churchill's War Rooms, Horse Guards Parade) in walking distance, and frequent direct trains to Southampton (if you choose this location, post back and we can tell you how to get train tickets for as little as £10 instead of the walk-up price of around £50). But this is quite an expensive area, mainly large international chain hotels. - or in London Victoria. On the same ho-ho route, a few local sights (eg Buckingham Palace), direct National Express buses from Victoria Coach Station to Southampton for as little as £8 or cruise line's transfer bus from the same coach station for significantly more money. A wide range of hotels & prices. Follow @mom says suggestions of booking.com, a very useful site with lots of photos, verified reviews, information, map, etc And check out https://www.londontoolkit.com/ which gives some great logistical info for visitors. Pour yourself a large drink, read again, and & check out those websites. JB 🙂

Probably better to jump on a ho-ho as soon as you've checked into your hotel. You can then relax on the bus getting an over-view for about 2 1/2 hrs (or longer if you doze off 😏) Different ho-ho operators have different add-ons, but all have the same main tourist route. The only time you'll have to get off is if you want to see Buckingham Palace - buses aren't allowed past the front so you have to walk around the corner from the bus stop & then catch the next ho-ho.. Use a ho-ho operator that sells 24-hour tickets (rather than "day" tickets), you can complete or partially repeat the route next morning. But don't bother with 48-hour tickets - ho-hos are great for the overview and commentary but ridiculously slow for transportation for inside visits to the sights. The Tube (London's metro) is waaaay quicker JB 🙂

A second form of govt-issued photo ID (driving licence, bus pass, student card etc) isn't required. But if you're not required to carry your actual passport, losing one of those other forms of ID is waaaay less-traumatic than being stuck abroad without your passport, so leave it in your cabin safe. BTW it's good practice to sail with a photocopy or phone image of your passport - often good enough for ID, always makes getting an emergency passport easier. JB 🙂

A fly-cruise to the Caribbean and many Mediterranean ports has huge advantages over booking separate flights & cruise. Having sailed a Marella Caribbean cruise you'll know about some of them - there are flights to the departure port from regional UK airports (if you're from somewhere like Scotland that makes a huge difference in cost, time & convenience - but those flights sell out early, last-pickings tend to be Gatwick flights) - easy transfers from airport to ship. On Marella cruises the aircraft passengers are a mix of cruisers and folk on a TUI resort holiday - efficient transfers but normally the usual airport routine. But it's super-easy if sailing P & O because everyone on the flight is on your cruise - at the destination airport there are no airport formalities, no immigration, no customs, no baggage carousel, you don't even go into the terminal. Instead, your aircraft parks at the end of the apron and you walk mebbe 40 yards from the aircraft to the waiting transfer buses. Your luggage follows in a truck - after checking-in at your UK airport you won't see it again until its outside your cabin door. - If your flight is late, the ship will wait - on a fly-cruise you're the cruise line's responsibility & the ship won't leave hundreds of passengers behind. First day is usually a sea-day, which allows them to make up lost time. - On other cruises you have to be off the ship by about 9.30am to make way for those on the next cruise. Since most west to east trans-Atlantic flights are in the evening this leaves you & your luggage with a day to fill.at the end of your cruise. With those fly-cruises, other than having to vacate your cabin by about 9am you have the run of the ship (dining, drinks, pool etc) until your transfer coach is called. This might not be until late afternoon. - whilst this probably doesn't apply during school holidays, there are late-booked holiday bargains. Problem with late-booked cruises is that late-booked flights are usually expensive, nullifying the savings. But with fly-cruise, selling the aircraft seats is dependent on selling the cruise, so no airfare hikes for late-booked cruise bargains (the one downside is that flights will be from whichever departure airport still has availability). - the legal bit. If you book a fly-cruise (that's one package, not simply booking your flights & cruise at the same time from the same travel agent) should either the flight or the cruise be cancelled or otherwise compromised you will be recompensed the full fare. But if you book cruise & flights separately and for instance a mechanical issue means that your cruise out of the Dom. Republic is cancelled you'll get your cruise fare back but you'll either lose your air fares or have to book a fortnight's accommodation in Samana - and good luck with that 😮 ............................................................................. Modern ships have the whistles & bells that older ships like Marella lack. This is part of the trend to sell cruise ships as resorts in their own right. Essential for cruises with lots of sea-days, of limited value on port-intensive itineraries. We've always seen Marella as the cheap option, perhaps because of the late-booked bargains that you're unlikely to be able to book. But all Marella cruises are now inclusive of all-you-can-drink packages, they offer unusual itineraries, and both passengers & crew are more convivial than many cruise lines. P&O has a double fare structure, select and saver - the cost differences can be quite significant. and most of the advantages of a select fare are irrelevant for a Caribbean cruise..... - Choice of dining time. Can be useful if you particularly need or want early or late "traditional" dining, but I think that all P & O Caribbean cruises are now "anytime" dining, so select fares give no advantage at all - Free shuttlebuses for up to about 3 miles from port to town at ports-of-call. I don't think that shuttlebuses are needed at any Caribbean ports, and passengers on saver fares can simply pay a nominal fare for the shuttle in European ports. - choice of cabin location. The one significant advantage of select fares. On saver fares your cabin will be allocated close to sailing day, but it will be the same or better category as booked. On our recent Arvia cruise our cabin was some distance from the lifts - but the fare was £ hundreds cheaper than select. IMHO P & O ships are rather bland compared to US & Italian ships.............. Which brings me to MSC - the youngest and most-stylish fleet in the business. Last year we sailed a Caribbean fly-cruise on MSC's Seaside. Similar too-big-for-us size to P & O's Arvia, but chalk-and-cheese in style and whistles-and-bells. A truly magnificent atrium - compare them https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=678835150080234 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMR1o27hdJc A huge and innovative water park for kids - made me jealous. An FI simulator, a bowling alley, etc etc. And some great prices for those with kids. But some down-sides..... Daily tips/service charges/call-them-what-you-will, and service charges on drinks. Beware of repeated ports, which will tell you that fellow passengers will be of different nationalities - Italian, French, German etc. For instance on our cruise there were passenger change-overs in Martinique & Guadeloupe. Ours was the only fly-cruise flight out of the UK, most of our fellow-passengers were Europeans. The language barrier seriously stilted our interactions with them, their mainly limited English and my schoolboy French & German & absent Italian & Spanish. Not a big problem with the crew. Years ago Princess used to offer UK fly-cruises, but no longer. Fred Olsen also offer Caribbean fly-cruises, their clientele is almost entirely recently-retireds - your kids will be seriously unimpressed. There may be other small cruiselines such as Ambassador offering Caribbean fly-cruises. Many ships - including P & O - switch from winter bases in the Caribbean to summer bases in Europe. Re-positioning cruises, when ships switch bases are very good value & involve only one flight,, but they have a lot of sea-days & few ports. Not our scene JB 🙂

A quick heads-up if applicable, Andy. Yes, passengers arriving and departing by ship are exempt from the visa requirement - but that applies only if you lodge overnight on the ship. If you lodge ashore you need the visa. When we flew into Istanbul a few days early, getting the e-visa on-line was cheap & easy I don't recall whether my hotel required sight of my passport or visa. Great city, BTW JB 🙂

Specific ferry time - yes (f you can't book the return time with your outbound ferry, do so when you arrive on Capri) . Specific seats - I don't think so. JB 🙂

Hi Craig, I don't entirely understand your comment that H.I. is "not really near anything except the port " It's only a 3 - 4 minute walk from P.I West Quay, and actually five minutes closer to the main old-town sights than P.I. Absolutely in the right general area for convenience. JB 🙂

I've never known them to go on strike - 'though that's not to say it's never happened. You're pretty safe. It's a shame I can't say the same about the railways tho' at least unions (in all industries) have to ballot members before calling a strike and have to give 14 days notice of any strike (that notice appears prominently on rail operators' websites). And rail workers are represented by several unions, some strikes have little or no effect on passengers. JB 🙂

Hi, O & B's mum, The page tells me that you added the missing words just two minutes after your post. Are you aware that within about 20 minutes of posting you can edit your post eg complete that sentence in the original post Click on the three dots top right of your post - it offers you the opportunity to Report, Share or Edit. Click on Edit, make the necessary changes & hit Save, bottom right. If only Report & Share are available it's because you've missed the time slot. If it weren't for that edit facility my dull brain, arthritic fingers & poor proof-reading some of my offerings would be spread over three or four posts 😀 JB 🙂 PS. John Bull telling someone about technology - that's got to be a first 🙄

I concur with other posts. Port time before the cruise is exciting, post-cruise there's a tendency to simply want to get home - that's not just me, it's human nature. And doing it pre-cruise is a buffer against a missed connection or delayed or cancelled flight. Arriving 24 or 48 hours late means missing time in the port but not missing the cruise sailing. Yes, IMHO Rome has far more to offer than Athens - it's where we'd spend the bulk of our time. So if other factors mean Rome has to be the disembarkation port we'd still give Rome the extra days. JB 🙂

A very informative post, thank you.🙂 A few years back I was targeted by a pick-pocket on the Paris metro shortly after we arrived for a short break & with all our luggage. The guy was unsuccessful - that was more to do with his clumsiness than my vigilance. My wallet ended up on the floor & he bolted away up the platform (the train was still in the metro station at the time, which of course is the obvious place to choose). I was torn whether to chase him - I didn't because I'd have been split from my partner & the luggage. But looking back on it, who knows whether he had a knife or accomplices. The train was packed - nobody got involved but nobody took advantage either. I guess that was long enough ago for me not to still be extra-vigilant, and there's an awful lot going on in airports, stations & such. But when travelling it has always been a habit to spread different documents & different bundles of cash in different places. JB 🙂

I don't know @BlueSkiesTX operator, but that's a very good itinerary. We did much the same with a rented car (CICAR, a Canary Islands operator and the biggest & best on the islands, with depots handy to all cruise ports). At Timanfaya whatever vehicle you arrive In, included in the price is a 30 (?) minute round trip from the Visitor Centre on a narrow, mazy & convoluted road over the volcanic landscape in a park coach (I'm a retired coach driver, my hat off to the park drivers) - no other vehicles permitted. I doubt whether many other tours include El Golfo or Los Hevideros. The road from Timanfaya crossed a volcanic plain to the coast, the "Green Lagoon" at El Golfo, and Los Hevideros where the lava entered the sea - amazing rock formations. We then dropped into the coastal resort village of Playa Blanca before taking the back-roads to Arrecife. JB 🙂

Unless there's some sort of special offer for your dates, breakfast at H.I. is an optional add-on. Same at all Premier Inns, but a little cheaper of booked with the room JB 🙂

Doesn't time fly - it was 12 years ago !!! But I'm pretty certain that the "grubby fishing village" that we visited when returning to Sihanoukville from Ream Nat. Park is shown on Googlemaps at " Kompenh Fishers " (yep - difficult to figure the names of villages & settlements). https://maps.app.goo.gl/aoNVtobZu5P5x7id9 And there's actually a walking "streetview" thro it.🙂 It's very close to Sihanoukville, so you could visit by fun and inexpensive tuk-tuk rather than taxi or van (if you want to carry on to Ream Nat. Park it'd need something more substantial than a tuk-tuk). Bigger village than I recall, and no longer in rural surroundings - now a little oasis of old Cambodia close to high-rise and resort hotels but the world moves on, even in Cambodia. If my memory is totally shot and it's not the one we visited 🙄 - then it's a very good substitute. JB 🙂

Yep - ferry across the Golden Horn from Galataport to Eminonu sounds very convenient & pleasant. Then tram up to Sultanahmet or selection of ferries & tourboats - up the Golden Horn (great 19th / 20th Century engineering museum) or across to the Asian side (not much there, but - hey - you're in Asia) and up the Bosphorus to the Black Sea. JB 🙂

Location-wise you could throw a handkerchief over the "Leonardo Royal Hotel Southampton Grand Harbour", Moxy & Premier Inn West Quay. And add Holiday Inn (in Herbert Walker Ave) and boutiques Pig-in-the-Wall and Ennio's. They're all convenient for city shops, malls & restaurants, for the pubs & few sights of the walled old-town (there's a reason for Pig-in-the-Wall's name), and for 3 of the city's 5 cruise terminals. But the Hilton at Ageas Bowl - and another Hilton at Chilworth - are on the city boundary, likewise the city's two Holiday Inn Expresses, so I'd be inclined to rule them out. Note the ridiculously long title of the Leonardo Royal Hotel Southampton Grand Harbour It used to be called the Grand Harbour Hotel. Its address is West Quay Road. https://www.leonardohotels.co.uk/hotels/southampton/leonardo-grand-harbour Its long name is an attempt to to avoid confusion with............. The Leonardo Hotel. Was a Jury's Inn hotel when built, now the second Leonardo brand hotel in the city. Much less convenient city centre location, and in the middle of a gyratory traffic island. Its address is Charlotte Place. https://www.leonardo-hotels.com/southampton/leonardo-hotel-southampton and The Harbour Hotel Southampton (is this the hotel that you mean?). The city's only major 5-star hotel, a comparatively recent build. Broadly in the shape of a cruise ship, it juts out into Ocean Village Marina - decades ago it was the cross-channel ferry port, now an area of up-market condos, a limited number of restaurants, cinema, etc., but only a single shop, a convenience store. A super spot, but again not as convenient as those under the afore-mentioned handkerchief - but if you've got Harbour Hotel money the occasional short taxi hop won't break the bank. We've enjoyed sunday lunch there, and several evenings in its "HarBar on 6th", where prices are surprisingly reasonable. Its address is Ocean Village https://www.harbourhotels.co.uk/southampton Difficulties in getting a taxi to the cruise terminal depend on how many ships sailing that day, and whether it's a saturday. Always sensible to book the previous evening. https://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/Live_Information/Shipping_Movements_and_Cruise_Ship_Schedule/Cruise_Ship_Schedule/ (currently only lists up to May '24) JB 🙂

If you're renting a car from the airport, there's no problem. But if not, then as per @Essiesmom's post, most hotels will usually look after luggage until you check in. and often the use of facilities such as pools & sunbeds. To check for sure, phone or e-mail the hotel now. JB 🙂

Mom ; "Whe-- are you, -ack?" Jack : " - " Mom : "Wh--- are y-- , -ill?" Jill : "On --- -ool deck" Mom : "Where?" Jill : "On t-- pool -eck" Mom : " I -an hardly hear y--, tur- the volume up" Jill : "It's already u- to -aximum" Mom : "Are yo the-- too, -ack?" Jack: " - " Mom : "I ca t hear ou, Ja , turn t volume up"" Jack : " - " Jill : " ack's wi me, Mom" Mom : " th why dosn' he answe ?" Jill : " His radi- -- in the pool" Mom : " Why's it in th- -ool?" Jill: "Angry -ass-ngers threw it in there. Mom" JB 🙂

Doh, brainfade 🙄🙄🙄 Thanks for the correction, my Scottish friend. JB 🙂

That depends very much on what you want to do. Le Havre itself isn't particularly interesting. Others can make suggestions for in the city, but I'd rate city sights as a DIY project rather than a tour. D-Day beaches & sights are popular. Can't be done by public transport, best-known tour operator is https://www.overlordtour.com/product-category/tour-from-ports/ Most (all ?) of their tours are in vans. can be done by booking seats-in-van (Group Tours) or by booking a van & finding sharers (or check your cruise RollCall pages for fellow-passengers seeking sharers). Excellent tours highly-praised by CC members who've used them. Expensive but rated as good value. Ships offer D-Day tours (probably large coaches) and there are other small private D-Day specialists. ALL tour options book out early, so don't delay Alternatively rent a car (or book a taxi plus English-speaking driver). Roads are easy - a mix of highways & coastal lanes with no city driving, navigation is easy with GPS, parking is plentiful & free at most sights. Needs a bit of boning-up in advance, but good signage & knowledgeable staff at most sights. For a lazy day - 30 minutes from your ship, using the Pont de Normandie across the Seine estuary, is the attractive fishing / tourist port of Honfleur with harbourside bars & cafes, and interesting shops in the side-streets. By pre-booked or on-spec. shared taxi. There are buses but a little awkward and a mazy timetable - hopefully others can be more specific. By direct train to the ancient city of Rouen (about an hour), or closer to Monet's Garden at Givency (train to Vernon, then about 2 - 3 miles on Monet shuttlebus) Paris is about two & a half hours. Ships usually sail away mid-evening to allow time, altho Paris deserves a lot more than one foreshortened day. If you've not been to Paris & don't expect to ever get the chance in the future, go for it. But if you have a lot of your life yet to go. put Paris on the back-burner for a future "proper" visit. Rent a car & meander down country & coastal lanes to fishing villages - Honfleur to Ouistreham (the easternmost of the British D-Day beaches & sights, but still 45 minutes from the first American beach (Omaha & the American cemetery). Or to historic Bayeux Or the opposite direction, to Etretat and Fecamp. Or make it a food-and-drink day visiting small local farms & distilleries that make Camembert cheese or rough cider / Pommeau / Calvados. Sorry, I've not answered your question - tour operators.🙄 We visit in our own car, never had the need. JB 🙂

A post from me to reiterate others' comments about credit card use in Europe - it's the norm., even for just a beer or a coffee. In fact there are a few but increasing number of merchants that don't accept cash. So altho its comforting to have some local spondoolies in your wallet before you even step off the plane, don't over-order - instead, just top up your cash reserve from time to time using local ATMs. When it comes to using plastic, merchants & their card readers know that your card is not in local money. Most will offer to charge your card in your own currency "for your convenience". DECLINE that kind offer, leave the cost in local currency and your card issuer will give a far better exchange rate than any merchant or exchange bureau. Same applies ATMs abroad - always but always have your card charges in local currency. Same with your on-board account if your ship's currency isn't USD. There are even merchants who present their card reader to you with the cost already in USD. Do check that before swiping or signing or PIN - if it's in USD require them to change it back to local currency. That also has the advantage that the cost will (should be !!) the same as the check, menu, price label etc. If your card charges a fee for conversion, ask Chase (or any other bank) for a card that's free from foreign transaction charges. We have one such card that we always use abroad - it also helps us to keep an eye on our vacation costs versus budget JB 🙂 .

I'd always advise newbies to use a cruise specialist T/A - there's so many useful hints that they can give about differences between cruise lines, the type of cruiser that they attract, pros & cons of sizes of ships, dining options, cabin location, drinks packages etc as well as other matters that are common knowledge to experienced cruisers. But it sounds like you've done a cruise or two, so no need. Sometimes there are extra perks / upgrades available from T/As. Sometimes as @donaldsc has mentioned it's "someone on your side" in the case of any grief with the cruise line, but on the other hand t's an extra cog in the system which can result in misunderstanding and mis-communication. I'll echo every word of @ontheweb's comments about NCL. I see them as nickel-and-diming, particularly their interesting and imaginative interpretation of the word "free" 🙄 which has put me off cruising with them. That said, friends who've cruised NCL have been well-pleased. Just be wary of your perceptions of value-for-money from NCL JB 🙂

Since both ships carry the same logo yes there might be some help - or at least advice - from the Customer Relations desk. @Fan4Fathom You might have a gap of at least an hour or two between disembarking and embarking, or even off-loading luggage, at your 2nd ship. Two Princess ships will probably use Ocean cruise terminal and Mayflower cruise terminal. For Mayflower terminal you'll need a short taxi hop to/from Ocean terminal or anywhere in the city, but from Ocean terminal the few sights of Southampton's old town such as https://tudorhouseandgarden.com/ are a simple 15 minute walk (and city centre shops etc 15 minutes beyond) or in the opposite direction https://www.solentsky.org/ is a 15 minute walk. But the need to register at your second ship will restrict your time (and perhaps your inclination) to do much sight-seeing. You certainly won't have time to sight-see outside Southampton. https://ca1-southampton.dccdn.net/Soton_Visitor_map-DEC22-WEB-min.pdf?v=1680788576 JB 🙂