ship-disturber

I think all of the Cruise Lines are dealing with a very difficult fluid situation.  They think they have things worked out and another curve ball gets thrown at them.  I know someone on the Jade who was on the ship and they had to discharge 250 passengers in Thailand because all of sudden Vietnam would not let a ship dock if it had people on it who had flown through Hong Kong.  While we are all impacted in some way on future cruises there are some very real situations out there right now.  Cruise lines are sensitive to the planning we have put into our vacations and they know changes can cost us dearly especially if we have non refundable air tickets.  Lets give them a little bid of credit for trying hard to make things work.  At this point I am hoping that they cancel my cruise.

I am looking for a private tour in Gdansk. Any recommendations would be very helpful. I am currently looking at an excursion offered by freebookers.com but can't find anybody who has used them. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks for the anticipated great advice.

There were two laundry bag days, we did not take advantage of it for as Platinum members we got one laundry free. The canal was wonderful and they opened up the deck where the crew have the hot tubs that you see on the web cam, they provided water and fresh fruit during the crossing as well as providing a commentary.

As far as the dry dock, we were told by the Hotel Director Hugo that it would be extensive, All staterooms will receive new mattresses and carpets, some of the restaurants will be reconfigured, a great deal of recarpeting, and a makeover of the atrium. The Blue Lagoon will become a New O'Sheehans bar and grill, and the theatre is getting a much needed makeover.

Just off the Star, we had an amazing time with an amazing crew, one of the best I have ever sailed with. While the Star is showing why she is going into dry dock, it was clean, the shows were good, the staff went out of their way to please you, The itinerary exceeded my expectations. We did private excursions in every port and they were amazing. I will be writing a full review. Oh yes I realize food is a subjective thing but we had absolutely no complaints.

I see you were on the Star for a Panama Canal cruise.

 

That is the ship we will be on in January.

How did you enjoy the Star and the cruise?

 

Any advice or recommendations?

 

Don

Hey Don, caught you trolling over here, I am looking for the same thing, no luck yet,

Currently there are only a handful of ports that can handle these massive ships at dock. The cruise lines do not like to tender these massive ships. Until some of the more desirable ports are upgraded they won't be going there.

you would be fine both ways but it does not leave any room for delays. I would recommend that you fly in the day before and relax before your cruise.

We were on the Gem this past new years and the whole ship is one big party. The best party was in the main lobby going out of New York it was to cool for an outdoor party. We had a fantastic time, lots of party favors and they poured the champagne at midnight. Have not had as much fun at new years in a long time.

Thanks so much for taking the trouble to post all of the details of your trip to Paris. This is exactly what we are planning for January 2014 when we plan to spend 3 or 4 days in Paris before taking the train to Rotterdam to board the Getaway. You have provided so many ideas on what we can do.

Being a local, I know a fair bit about the city & the surrounding places of interest.

But being a local, I only know about it from a local's perspective - I've never looked for a "tour" or a guide.

Bearing those two things in mind, here's my four-penn'orth.

 

Southampton isn't a tourist city, it's a working port & city. Although 2 or 3 or 4 ships turn around each day, Southampton is rarely a mid-cruise port-of-call so there's no great tourist infrastructure.

The city does have some sights, certainly enough to keep a busy tourist interested for half a day, or make that a full day for a lazy tourist.

Most sights, such as the Tudor Merchant's House & the Medieval Merchant's Hall, are on an easy circular walking tour in the old part of the city, these can be self-guided or you can join a walking tour or fix a private walking tour with

http://www.stga.org.uk/

The Bargate is right in the centre of the city, it was the main entrance to the walled city, a large part of the walls survive

The old part adjoins the new city centre shopping area at The Bargate (old part runs south from The Bargate, shopping centre runs north from the Bargate). At the other end of the main shopping street (Above Bar) is a new Sea City museum located in the Civic Centre.

So if you want to combine some interesting, if unexceptional, sights with some shopping, you can have a pleasant & inexpensive day.

Plenty of info at

http://www.visit-southampton.co.uk/site/historic-old-town

(check out maps & other pages on that website)

The city sights & shops are easily walkable from City cruise terminal & Ocean terminal, but from Mayflower or QE11 terminals you'll need a short £5 to £7 taxi ride.

 

Although Southampton itself is quite limited it's a great base for sights beyond the city, including some quite distant but very accessible for a day-trip by train. Here's a few examples:

 

http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/

Take the little http://www.hytheferry.co.uk/travel.php from Town Quay (ten to fifteen min walk from City or Ocean terminals) across Southampton Water to Hythe, & a 6 mile taxi ride from the taxi rank at Hythe pier across a corner of the New Forest to Beaulieu. Arrange a time for the driver to return for you - there's no taxi rank at Beaulieu. The place is worth a minimum of two hours, up to a full day. No guide required.

(I've just noticed, the Hythe Ferry map has the names of City & Mayflower terminals transposed)

 

Salisbury & Stonehenge.

Very easy to visit by train. Half-hourly direct service to Salisbury, journey time about 30 mins, day-return costs about £10. Take the Stonehenge ho-ho

http://www.thestonehengetour.info/route.shtml

from the station to Stonehenge, on the return alight in Salisbury city centre for the cathedral etc, then ho-ho or walk or taxi hop to the station for the return train.

There's an audio tour at Stonehenge, alternatively you can hire a private guide to collect you from the ship or meet you at Salisbury or at Stonehenge. This will be expensive, worthwhile only for folk with a deep interest in Stonehenge.

http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

 

Bath.

A spa town with roman baths etc, magnificent Georgian architecture, Jane Austen connections. Very popular with visitors from overseas. About an hour by train, hourly service (passes through Salisbury, but you'll not have time to combine Bath & Salisbury). Guides available locally, either private or join a walking tour.

http://visitbath.co.uk/

 

Winchester

Only about 15 mins by train, about 3 direct trains per hour. Quite similar to Salisbury, the main attraction is its cathedral. Not so laid-back as Salisbury. I guess guides are available, but its easy to visit independently with a little research.

http://www.visitwinchester.co.uk/

 

Portsmouth & Southsea.

About 30 mins by train, half-hourly direct service. By remaining on the train past the main Portsmouth & Southsea station to its terminus at Portsmouth Harbour, you are right alongside the historic dockyard & ships. Much more to offer close by, such as Gunwharf Quays & Spinnaker Tower, then perhaps a short taxi ride to Southsea seafront for another batch of sights including the D-Day museum, the adjacent Southsea Castle (small, but free admission), & views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. Again, there are doubtless local guides but no real need.

http://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/

 

For all the above, the only transport you'll need is as mentioned, plus possibly a short taxi hop from ship to rail station - these places are easily walkable once you've arrived. Other than the Stonehenge ho-ho (which is essential) the ho-ho buses IMHO aren't worthwhile.

Bath or Portsmouth/Southsea will be very full days, worth an early start, the others pretty easy.

 

If you want to tour by car, a whole host of other options are available. Google New Forest, Jurassic coast, Glastonbury/Wells/Cheddar. You can of course combine various options.

I really don't think you'll find a "guided tour" of these places. You may be able to meet up with a guide at some of them, but a good option is West Quay Cars. They're used a lot by CC members for airport transfers etc, but they've set up a subsidiary

http://www.discoverthesouth.co.uk/

These are driver/guides. Not qualified guides, but drivers hand-picked for their general knowledge of tourist sights & a friendly and informative disposition.A pretty pointless expense if you simply wanted to visit, say, Beaulieu motor museum or Portsmouth historic dockyard, but a good option for a tour.

 

JB :)

John thank you so much for taking the time to provide me with such a detailed response. This will certainly be very helpful in planning my trip. It is very much appreciated.

Has anyone every booked a private tour for a day trip from Southampton? We stop there on an upcoming cruise and would like to book at private tour?

We did a walk off on the Jade, had an pre-arranged ride to the airport and were there 1 hour before the Delta check in opened for a 10:30 flight to New York. The early morning arrival is designed to allow people to get to flights back to North American which generally leave in the morning.