joeholiday2
-
Posts
903 -
Joined
Content Type
Forums
Store
Blogs
Downloads
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by joeholiday2
-
-
Nice Itinerary Jules. I love that sail out of Stockholm.
As I said on FB when the brochure came out I think the prices are good compared to the other lines ATM, and the AI is a bonus. :D:D
Our favourite for next Summer is the Fred to Canada ATM. We will get around to doing a Fred sometime.
-
Kruzseeka recommended us to go to Villa Ephrussi some years ago, it did not disappoint. We bought the combined ticket and did the Greek villa nearby as well.
It's quite a walk, but a pleasant one along the seafront for most of the way.
Have a look at toms port guides for these ports, I am sure he mentions a few different places than the usual ones most seem to head for. With good directions as usual.
-
Don't forget to look at Thomson or CMV as well.
They have generally older and smaller ships.
CMV sailing from various ports around the country and Thomson Celebration sails from Newcastle next summer.
Thomson's aren't so good for single cabin prices, but I think CMV are.
-
If you get to dock in Corinth then I would suggest staying local, or doing the canal trip if they run one.
We did the same trip as Julie from Athens and it was great as Pireaus was full of ships that day, making Athens and the trip into the City extremely busy. We avoided all that and had a relaxing day cruising the Corinth Canal.
Google maps says it's over 2 hours to get into central Athens, that's including a 37 minute walk to get to the train station.
The Ship may run an express coach to Athens but I would guess that's going to be about 1.5Hrs each way.
I would save Athens for when you dock in Pireaus. The X80 bus from there is only a few Euro, and takes about 20 minutes.
-
Definitely agree with Kruzseeka about Cosol tours, it's a great trip.
Local buses are a great way to get around on many Islands, just make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get back. We normally get out as soon as the ship is docked and aim to head back around 1-2pm depending on departure time. Back in time for afternoon tea ;)
If you are fit then Brimstone Hill Fortress is a good trip at St Kitts on the local bus. They will drop you at the bottom of the hill, and you flag the bus down on the way back. If you don't fancy the climb up the hill then you could share a taxi with others and they will take you all the way there, then wait for you.
The big open sided buses are a great way to see Tortola, there will be loads of them waiting at the dock, they just leave when they are full.
-
I am another member of the Perry Grant fanclub.
What a great entertainer.
Wish we could get him back on P&O.
He is back on Royal Princess from Nov 16 to Feb 17.
-
Had a close call embarking once....
Flew easyjet into Copenhagen to catch a NCL ship, had planned to get the tram to the port but as we were cutting it fine jumped in a taxi. (not cheap I tell you)
We made it with about an hour to spare, don't think we would leave it that close again.
I had a contingency plan mapped out though, we could have caught the overnight coach to Rostock and got on the day after at Warnemunde.
Seen quite a few running up the quayside over the years, and the Thomson Spirit waited over an hour at Rhodes once, when the taxi arrived there was an almighty cheer, most of the ship were stood on deck waiting to greet them.
-
This link gives most of the detail Phil.
The basic (inside) price increased slightly when it was announced, but soon after went very low £799 and has now increased to £999.
There will be some disruption as certain areas of the ship will be closed off for up to 4 days. Changing the itinerary also upset some, but those that booked before have at least had the chance of a refund.
We thought about this cruise as it falls just right for the Easter School holidays here, but decided against it, waiting until the May half term.
-
This is the bus company that runs the local bus route, you could contact them and ask the dates for the coming season. It's bus 14-751 Stryn Olden Oldedalen-Briksdalen you need. We did it in July with ease, saving a fortune on other ways.
There is a good thread on the route in the ports of call section, just search for Olden and it comes up.
-
Don't bother with the ships WiFi, it's slow and expensive.
Just follow the crew, they know where the free hotspots are in port and will give you the password if you ask.
We missed Beirut 18 months ago due to the troubles.
If it's unsafe to go Thomson will not sail there and take you to another port.
-
I would think you will be OK doing this but I would phone the welfare team and ask them, they need to be aware that you are taking the wheelchair onboard anyway.
They will book assistance at the airports for you and book the aircraft seats for free if you are a full time wheelchair user. They are very helpful :)
-
Same here, we have not been on Thomson in 18 months now.
P&O have been getting our custom, mainly because cruising from Southampton suits us better as we have a wheelchair user to consider now.
Thomson are expensive now, we have 3 weeks on Oriana for less than 2 on Discovery or Dream, and OBC as well which will cover the tips.
As much as we love the Thomson product it will be P&O for the foreseeable future for us. They have a loyalty scheme which is transparent and not dependent on luck.
Boatboy, don't worry about the extra sea days, P&O have plenty going on, we actually look forward to them now.
-
Have a great time Gill.
There is a rumour on FB that Ross Roberts is on the Magellan, look out for him.
Will also be interested in what you think about CMV.
-
Sorry to disagree with some of you but Genoa is lovely when you get past the horrible flyover that dominates the seafront. It's certainly a place I could spend a long weekend at.
Some great architecture and amazing interiors in the Churches.
https://joeholiday2.shutterfly.com/pictures/2158#2158
-
Hi Gizzie.
Good to know you are both keeping well, we met Feb 13 on Dream, pleased Darren is doing OK, send him our best wishes.
Only done Koper and Venice out of those ports.
People mover is a good option for Venice. Have a look at toms port guides, he has good info on Venice.
http://www.tomsportguides.com/port-guides.html
Koper is a nice place to just have a walk around, not much there but it's pleasant to have a beer or 2. I remember Kruzeeka saying she used to get the bus to a town lower down the coast that was nice, so that could be an option as well.
-
Great result Brenda. :D:D
-
All fixed running at 17 knots to Dubrovnik speculation could have been split oil pipe on hot exhaust :eek:
This is the same cause for the Pride of Canterbury fire, the report has just been issued.
It was also noted that the back pressure valve that caused the malfunction had not been checked in 23 years:eek::eek: They are supposed to be checked annually.
-
Thanks for the great review Brenda, pleased you had a good time.
I hope they get the cruise only thing sorted out for you and others from Spain. I know you can use other lines like NCL etc, but they don't have the same friendly atmosphere from both staff and passengers.
-
Yes, Simon Calder was again saying on the TV this morning to hold off doing anything for a few days.
I think you will get a satisfactory result out of TC if you wait Linda.
-
Yep the logging out thing has been like that for me for ages.
I recommend Cosol tours day out in St Lucia, you see a lot more than on a shorex for about the same money. Castries isn't the nicest place so it's best to do a trip here.
If they are good walkers they can get to Brimstone hill fortress on St Kitts cheaply. The local bus (minibus really) will drop you off at the bottom of the hill, then it's a 30-45 min walk up.
They can also get the bus to Grande Anse beach on Grenada, there is a water taxi also available. That's more expensive and full of tourists rather than locals.
-
I know it's an old post but it might be useful....
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=42557696&postcount=8
It's French and a little harsh compared to the new world wines. But still drinkable.
If you have a Lidl near you try the Californian red Zinfandel at £4.50, we really like that.
-
What is it with ships that Thomson are going to have? At least no-one killed as on Dream when she was Costa Europa!
Sadly 3 crew died when the ship crashed into the dock at Sharm in 2010.
The port is known for the strong winds that push the ship back into the dock, and it does not have tugs to assist. We spent an extra night there on Celebration once, waiting for the wind to subside.
-
Hi Linda.
I can recommend Jenny's train trip in Lisbon. We did a similar thing, went on to Cascais and walked back to Estoril along the prom, it's long walk though, so might not suit you. Another option for there is the elevador santa justa.
If you get the day pass for the transport system it includes the elevador as well as unlimited bus and tram use. (not the train line though)
You get the pass from the tobacconist that is behind the ticket desks at Aplonia train/tram station. The ticket is 50C and the daily pass add on is around €6.
We are going to do Julie's tram trip to La Laguna in Tenerife, when we are next there.
Madeira has the Christiano Ronaldo Museum now if you are interested in football.
In Funchal, Santa Catarina gardens and the ones next door that are part of the Presidential palace are nice. They are just to the left of the roundabout where you come away from the port area.
-
It is a tight squeeze into Sibenik.
Service Reward Scheme
in P&O Cruises ( UK )
Posted
Just chipping in on the Thomson question...
Dave is correct, there is never any pressure to tip, but we (and I suspect many others) always tip at the end.
What they do have is an "oscars" nomination form for each passenger to complete. Here you nominate your best person from differing departments, eg, housekeeping, bar, food service.
The staff will ask you to fill those in, nominating them. They get perks if they win, like an extra half day off, or permission to go on a shorex with the passengers.
They also have a crew welfare fund which passengers can donate to at any time by going to reception. this funds little luxuries in the crew mess like dart boards and games consoles. They always auction the cruise map at the end of the cruise for this fund as well.
Thomson have not always been this expensive, it's only really the last 2 years that we have found them so. Have had some great last minute deals with them.