insidecabin

For something closer to Marella style(without a ship full of Brits) the smaller NCL ships can be a good fit. We like the Jewel class, Dawn and Star. Check where you local airports fly to and try to match if Southampton it not convenient. Keep an eye out for price drops as starting prices tend to be high. You add service and Free At Sea to get the AI equivalent, wait for a 50% FAS offer. For cheap filler cruises we keep an eye on MSC out of Southampton. For bigger ships and a very different vibe MSC and Costa have good offers in the med, flying into Genoa seemed best if you can get those flights, alternative Barcelona and Civitavecchia have more options.

You walk the few yards to the southern road lights across the slip road to the mini island and then cross the road no underpass. A33 https://maps.app.goo.gl/mCoisyAoSjiFRu98A (Easy for Brits that understand how UK lights work as pedestrian option)

They also do park packages which can be reasonable, a bit more than west quay multi storey, cheaper than ABP. For MSC using Horizon it's <10min walk from Ibis We prefer the town centre(depending on price) better choice of pubs and restaurants.

That can work, check the traffic around Oxford, and watch for the stretch into Southampton once you get to Winchester. Early start should be able to manage around 10am. The UK specific cruises sometimes get queues for parking if using ABP we monitor social media for the cruises that day and keep an eye on traffic.

Not sure which route you are on I have found the cheapest option in good range for Southampton is Travelodge Tot hill just south of Newbury. We have also used Andover Star and Garter pubs/restaurants walking and has parking.

I was just going to ask what they are currently doing at Horizon for MSC. There are two key times. When the bag drop starts When security start. We bag drop then go park the car off-site(cheap) and one of us walks/taxi back.

You have to wonder what state the ship was in 3 weeks ago when they decide to cancel given the amount still not complete. Becoming more clear they could have given more notice, even with the 3 extra weeks they could not get stuff finished. Also the lack of notification pre cruise of what won't be available is another communication fail.

That means you don't get to chose when you use your visit, the first 2 visits count. You should be able to declare this is a "Plus" visit or an a la carte visit on a per person basis.

TA on Viva very disappointing compared to the visits when introduced on NCL ships, remember some great lunches.

Just sit down and say I am using a dining credit and the other person to say I am a la carte. If they insist on the second ordering pick the cheapest on the menu often a desert, or just forget to order after the other food has come saying we are full now.

For friendly staff try Marella where the base price is all inclusive. Or MSC cruises from the UK have been just as friendly where they know the UK pax are tips included. I prefer genuine friendly over the hope of a $ in the palm friendly. If the claims of package(plus/premier) take up are right Princess is effectively a tips include line.

The Regal round Britain are going from Southampton where port security does the bag checks. Make of that what you want. If you can find the wine a ship that stocks locally that opens up options. There are a number of places close enough to the docks to check what they stock.

Americans are so keen on tipping they would tip the delivery driver that brought the provisions to the ship if there was a box for it. 🤔 Costa have no problem with the compulsory service line item as an add on to base cruise fare, others could follow.

They already manage 100s of items on a per booking basis. A few more is not going to be a big problem. The fare packages are already split into itemized components to account for the different packages booked(and versions) Some you identified(like internet cost rises) can be managed by giving pre purchase window to those that don't have it on their booking. Other new charges OceanNow will already be managed on a per booking basis just grandfather those that booked when it was an included feature of Medallion class cruising.

1. If on the deck with the secret access door to the terrace pool then it is really quick to get outside, we tried to get one but they had all gone by the time we made up our mind to book(ended up a few decks down) Cabins there are also very handy for that bar and into the buffet we really liked ours on Emerald.

There is Levante LNG supply ship that can in the western men places like Gibraltar, MAlaga can also Supply LNG via land Barcelona has LNG facilities a few option in the med but Gib looks like the biggest https://sea-lng.org/bunker-navigator/

Maybe that was some of the work being done. or A bunch of VIP invites bailed.

As DallasG the benefit of the current plan were added when they started charging for things that were included in the base fare. Passengers are just asking for what they booked. Many lines grandfather these types of changes you get what was in place at the time you booked.

I always have a check box to tick for "no upgrades" when booking direct on line TA should ask during the booking process.

Saw she lost 0.2m draft a few hours back. That could be 1000 workers getting off 😂

MSC do inside suites probably the fastest selling cabins on the ships that have them. Lines/Ships that have window suites seem to sell very well loads of space cheaper than the balcony ones.

It's a tick box when booking.

Remember they pulled quite a few of the early cruises from sale before they sold everything knowing they were going to have displaced cruisers that might want cabins.

Often either the forward or aft stairs are the ones near locations that we use a lot. Short walk home from one of our preferred late night venue is quite attractive.

Plenty of lines have separate sections for each type of package with the PAYG costs Some clearly Mark the items with their cost and inclusions.