Slugsta

I don't fly, so the only way to get across the Atlantic is to cruise both ways. We have only done it once, thus far (have another trip booked for next year), and really enjoyed it. We went to the Eastern seaboard of Canada so took the northern route and it was certainly cool. Next trip is to New York, Boston etc so it will be more of the same. There was lots of entertainment on board, including the usual quizzes, bridge, choir (bring back 'proper' choir sessions ASAP!), talks etc. We also had jewellery making sessions and a murder mystery (run by a retired police officer who also did some very good talks). My theory is that the brain knows how many sea days are due and is ready to get off at the end, be that 2 days or 7. It was great to arrive at ports well rested and we appreciated the lack of jet-lag when we got back, even if the run of 23 hour days eastbound was a bit tiring (I usually have an afternoon snooze anyway).

Thanks, I will reassure them (and send them the link to this thread).

I have friends who are keen line dancers and have booked their first Fred. cruise. They are asking whether there will be line dance sessions as there are on other lines.

They were certainly in evidence when we disembarked Iona on Saturday.

I was worried about the lifts appearing smaller but they seemed to manage even the larger scooters. They don't have mirrors at the back, which makes reversing out more difficult. I am thankful to everyone who waited patiently for me to turn around in my chair when I entered an empty lift, and to those (the majority) who were generally helpful and considerate. No thanks to those (I am sure none of them are here) who appeared out of nowhere when a lift arrived and piled in ahead of the people who had been waiting . . .

We were on this cruise too, our first on Iona, and agree with most of the comments. Lack of daytime entertainment was an issue. OH was disappointed that there was no bridge (hosted or unhosted); I found 30 minutes sing-along (AKA 'vocal workshop') inadequate; there was only one real speaker (other than a single talk by an artist), the rest of the talks were really just promotional things from the many shops onboard. Why weren't the talks shown in the cabin afterwards as they used to be? We had plenty of OBC and ate in most of the speciality restaurants. We managed the Olive Branch twice via the virtual queue (once for a late lunch, and again on the last evening). The first time at the OG, service was terrible and it took 45 minutes to order and get our starter, the second time was much better. We thought it was a shame that the Keel + Cow and Glass House aren't partitioned off in any way, especially the evening there was show in the atrium and people crowded around the tables to watch it while people were eating. OH always likes to see magicians and we enjoyed his show. Really enjoyed The 4 Harps, thought both comedians were 'adequate' at best. We also enjoyed the toucan in the Sky Dome show! The ship was generally bright and airy, our accessible cabin was good and our 'hump' balcony a great size. It was covered but I'm not a sun worshipper so that suited us. I did find that I was generally cool onboard and took home clothes that I didn't wear as they weren't warm enough. We didn't see our cabin steward after the first day but have no complaints about him. We would certainly go on Iona again if the price and itinerary were right, but she wouldn't be our first choice.

@longstrider Don't forget the issue of space if you are going to share a taxi. I say this because my chair + our cases fill a taxi with no room for other people. Of course, some people travel considerably lighter than us!

We disembarked from Iona on Saturday. We usually joined the queue from our chosen bar and didn't wait long (were happy to share tables).

Thanks, we have decided to do just that.

We are due to be in Cadiz for the day on 7th Feb. At the moment, the plan is to visit Jerez (although riding school not possible that day) but we are wondering whether we would be better of staying in Cadiz. My mobility is limited and I use a lightweight electric wheelchair when we are ashore. We both enjoy exploring old towns (despite the uneven surfaces!), having a look at the local museum and church (OH's tolerance for churches is more limited than mine), a coffee/pastry/drink. We are not beach bodies, even when it is warm enough! OH considers the day a success if he has not been anywhere near a shop although I enjoy a bit of gentle browsing. I would have liked to go to Seville but have to accept that it would be outwith my energy levels.

I'm picky about my veg, green beans I will always eat so it sounds as if I am in luck! 😀

It's good to read your comments, Alpha. We are due onboard for the first time on 28th of this month 🙂

Sounds as if you are on the same cruise as us then. Just 2 weeks to go!

I agree with Gut, I can turn my lightweight power wheelchair almost on a sixpence. It took me a while to get used to the joystick control but that is a much better position for me generally and it's become second nature.

I'm glad that you were able to get there in the end but completely undertstand why you wouldn't rush back to Tilbury!

Yes, I saw quite a few people arriving already dressed for dinner, but there was no way we were going to sit in the car for nearly 6 hours in our posh togs. Ambassador also refused to budge for us, which didn't give a good first impression (although I know that other lines seem to have poor customer relations shoreside too). Breakfast the next day was an utter shambles. We queued for some time outside the MDR, only to be told that they were only letting in people who had queued on the other side of the ship and we should go round and join the back of that queue. After a near-riot they did start letting in people from both queues alternately.

I tend to agree. We have cruised mainly with P+O but have used other lines when it suited us. Every time, there have been things we have liked more and some we have liked less about the ship and the line.

We allowed 5 hours to get to Tilbury from Poole - which was just as well as there was a significant delay on the M25. Picked our son up from Tilbury station just after 6pm and went directly to the cruise terminal. They allowed us in straight away, we joined the queue and were in our cabin by 6.50 - which gave us time for a cocktail before dinner. We had a good dinner but would be interested to hear what food is like usually (ie, was the 'festive' meal considerably better than the usual fare?). OH didn't want to see the show, so we explored the ship instead. Breakfast on Saturday morning was something of a shambles but we were hardly going to starve!

Martha, I hope you enjoy your night onboard. 2nd dinner is 8.30, so we have our fingers crossed that we will manage to change for dinner. Don't think we have any hope of a nice, relaxed drink beforehand though!

One's canny and one's illegal?? 😁

I know that my friends were on Iona in July and they said many people were in formal dress in the Horizon as they gave up queuing for the MDR.

We have now received an email from Ambassador saying that everyone should be off by 9.30, which is about par for the course.

I've just received an email for Ambassador telling me that boarding times have now been assigned - we have been given 7.30pm, which will barely give us time to find our cabin before dinner, never mind change! It would be fair to say that we are not terribly happy . . .

We are on an overnight 'experience' in December and are planning to visit a friend the next day. I'm assuming that disembarkation will be pretty much as usual - with most people off by about 9am. Does anyone know anything for certain please?

We're on the 9th December (with our son and his girlfriend). It will give us chance to check out the ship, especially accessibility. Tilbury isn't great for us, but we are going to see our friend in Southend after we disembark, so it should work out OK.