gumshoe958

Not such a huge issue on Oasis class as the main shows all tend to have at least one post-10pm performance. But yes, it would be an issue on the smaller ships although I guess plenty of people don’t go to the shows.

Welcome to the new normal. Since Covid millions more kids are home-schooled, and more and more parents think nothing of taking their kids out of school to go on vacation when it’s cheaper. And with Royal actively marketing itself as a family friendly line, if you want fewer kids you’re better off sailing with an ‘older’ line like Celebrity or Princess, or one that bans kids altogether like Virgin.

You’re right. Oasis and Symphony both have headliners scheduled this week though, so it doesn’t seem to be a fleet-wide thing. Maybe someone’s gone sick or something.

Wait for everyone to complain they haven’t been given enough notice 😂

A junior suite I presume? Otherwise your concierge/genie could have made reservations for you in advance.

Yes, they seem to work on a monthly cycle. So reservations for April should open up at the end of this week or beginning of next. It’s only 60 days if, like you, you sail right at the end of a month. Your second leg is near the start of the next month so it’ll be more like 35-40 days for that one.

There is no Broadway show on Jewel. There are a couple of Royal production shows which (IMHO) are very average, otherwise the nightly entertainment is flown-in headliners. It’s old school cruise ship entertainment, nothing ground-breaking by any stretch of the imagination. Jewel attracts an older, more traditional crowd and the line-up reflects that. Show times tend to be the same every night (7pm and 9pm IIRC) to fit around traditional dining times.

Civitavecchia is a 45 minute drive from Rome FCO airport. The town isn’t blessed with many good hotels but you could stay at an airport hotel and easily transfer to the port the next morning. Barcelona port is a 20 minute drive from BCN airport, close to the city centre and there are lots of good hotels to choose from. So on balance I’d go for Barcelona if the flights work for you.

Ah ok, so North Ealing. Not quite as convenient for Heathrow but not too bad. I’d either get the Elizabeth line to West Ealing or Ealing Broadway and a cab/Uber from there (bearing in mind it’s a 10 minute walk between the coach and rail stations at Heathrow Central), or a cab/Uber all the way. Re arriving at Southampton - it’s hard to say after a TA as it’s not unknown for the UK Border Force to do full immigration checks - equally you could just walk straight through in a few seconds. A cab to the coach station should take about 10 minutes, maybe a bit more maybe a bit less depending on which terminal you arrive at. You should easily make the 9.45 coach assuming you’re off the ship by about 8.30, but bearing in mind you may not be able to access your Airbnb until 4pm the 11.45 might be a better option, unless you have other plans for the day. The coach station has indoor seating and (basic) facilities if you need to wait a while.

Because people can cancel at any time. RoyalUp means Royal can make sure all the suites are occupied even if someone cancels last minute and still make $$$.

If you get the coach to Heathrow Central, you can then catch the Elizabeth line train which runs direct to West Ealing and Ealing Broadway (normally six times an hour, journey time about 15 minutes) OR the Piccadilly line tube which runs direct to Boston Manor, Northfields and South Ealing (every 5 minutes, journey time about 20 minutes). Hopefully at least one of those stations is convenient to your Airbnb. Or just jump in a cab/Uber. The coach to London Victoria is more frequent but tends to take longer due to traffic in London, and you’d then need a cab to Ealing (or the tube; the District line runs direct to Ealing Common & Ealing Broadway although it’s a bit of a schlep from Victoria coach station to the tube station). Personally I’d go for Heathrow but YMMV. Ealing itself is very suburban but is blessed with very good transport links with the Central, District, Elizabeth and Piccadilly lines all running frequently to and from central London.

No, not on the train. Your ticket will be checked by the automatic barriers at the station - or if you opt to pay by contactless card (which is cheaper), you touch your card on the barrier to get on and off the platform.

I think it’s a typo. Should be June 15, not 18.

You enrol them once on board. You can’t book places in advance.

I thought Voyager was heading east in Nov 25?

Check the app when you board, otherwise there’s normally a pop-up box office open somewhere on deck 5, close to where you board.

International Friends are frequently recommended here. https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/Cotswold-Villages-Downton-Abbey-Locations-Country-Pub-Lunch-to-London-Heathrow.html https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/post-cruise-london-cotswolds.html

Best ship, or just the pushiest waiters? 😂

They want you gone asap to make way for the next lot. Encouraging folks to hang around the port all morning would cause even more congestion and create major parking issues.

Yes, they do. But they probably feel they can’t when Carnival has (the far superior and included in your fare) Guy’s Burger Joint.

Absolutely fine. The drive takes between 90 minutes and 2 hours.

Reservations should open up at the beginning of May. Maybe the 1st, maybe not but certainly within a few days. You can book the two main theatre shows, the aqua show, the ice show and the comedy. There are multiple performances of each, all at different times on different days.

Uber does not operate in Inverness or Invergordon. You’ll need a local taxi or, much cheaper, regular local buses from Invergordon into Inverness (roughly every half hour, takes about an hour). There’s also an infrequent train service. Urquhart castle is also accessible by bus from Inverness. Cawdor castle (which I suspect is what you meant) is not so you’d need a taxi.

You should be able to, yes. Any day now.

You should be able to make reservations via cruise planner from around the beginning of Feb. Maybe the 1st, maybe not, but around then. You should be able to book for Mamma Mia and Blue Planet in the main theatre, plus the Aqua and Ice shows and the comedy.