Eboracum_d

Thanks

I have since found a somewhat hidden reference on their uk website which says they do offer a laundry and pressing service the prices for which are displayed in the cabin.

I see you are Holland America Fans — they offer by far the best laundry service we have come across.

David

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Does anyone know whether their ships ( particularly the luminary) have any laundry service?

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I'm definitely a "visit the surrounding countryside" type of person. I'm hoping someone can suggest a 4-5 hour excursion from Liverpool where we'd see great gardens or stunning scenery or historic castles, that sort of thing. Just less interested in towns and cities (unless they're truly exceptional, Paris, etc.) and have zero interest in shopping.

 

 

 

Many thanks — and what a dandy website.

Tatton Hall is another National Trust Property and would also be a possibility. It’s just over 29miles away and has larger gardens than Speke Hall. It’s also quite near Dunham Massey, another N T property. Have a look at all three on

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Might you be able to find a few more fellow passengers. There are some minibus companies offering to meet cruise shipshape Liverpool.

Castles are a bit more difficult. Conway Castle, about 90 minutes away, would be my choice for you.

David

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Thanks to all. The reason I asked is that my wife has been having a few leg issues and I am trying to reduce the amount of walking that she has to do.

 

 

 

DON

If you can get her as far as the Fishmarket the entrance to the Funicular is close by.

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You can also call and ask them

Thanks for replies — my TA found it.

David

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Azamara keep telling me I am a valued member of LCV. How do I find out what my number is?

David

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Malahide Castle would be my suggestion. We took the train but I think you can also get there by bus. I believe there are also coach tours on offer though we prefer to do our own thing .

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We had a very good Golden Circle with IG tours at a fraction of the ship’s cost

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Hello everyone.

 

 

 

Yesterday, I booked a Mediterranean cruise round trip from Southampton on Royal Caribbean in May 2018. I need to book flights soon. Can anyone give suggestions on what airport to use, Southampton or London? We are leaving (from Florida) a couple days early. The flights are cheaper into London. Have you flown to London and took a train or something to Southampton? Also, can you give some ideas on where to stay in Southampton? We prefer hotels, but I guess a B & B would be ok...never done that. Thank you. Any suggestions on airport and hotels are most appreciated.

 

 

 

Kim

Definitely fly into either Gatwick or Heathrow rather than into Southampton. There is an option of then going to Southampton by coach or train or by private car transfer.

If you choose the train option I can recommend the Novotel at Southampton. It’s right by the station so no need for a taxi to there.

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We end our cruise in Bergen and have 7 days before our flight home from Oslo. We plan on spending 3 days in Bergen before slowly finding our way to Oslo. Has anyone suggestions of towns to stay in, sights to see, etc., on our way to Oslo? We are open to ferry and/or train transportation.

I’d go for the Bergen -Oslo Rail journey stopping off to take the Flam Railway trip and taking an overnight there — the Freitholm Hotel is the recommendation from the Railway.

You need to try and allot at least two full days in Oslo itself and probably the same in Bergen.

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There’s not a great choice of hotels near Charing Cross. There’s the Charing Cross Hotel itself and the Royal Horseguards Hotel which is even more expensive.

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The Doubletree (Hilton) is so near Victoria there would be no need to get a taxi !

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Which cruise line are you using for your cruise? There may be an option of picking up a cruise-specific coach direct from Liverpool, the advantage being that the ship will not depart until that coach arrives.

Although there is a non-specific National Express coach service which has a (very)early morning departure from Liverpool direct to Southampton, I would not risk that but using the Saturday service and staying overnight in Southampton would be worth considering as the single journey cost is only £34 and luggage is easier on the coach than on the train.

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There are also some luggage racks at the end of the carriage

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I recommend a package deal withe DeVere New Place. Dinner B&B plus car parking Although it’s 8 miles from the ship the hotel provides the taxi transfers as well as the car parking.

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Oh dear, hope we aren't so unlucky. It does prove though that we should be prepared for all weather.

Yes, we have been bitterly cold in Akuyeri yet on another visit ( at the same time of the year) we were in shirts and shirt sleeves

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I am about to book a cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam. Selection is limited to early/main upstairs and open seating, so I think we will opt for early dining, upstairs. There are three of us. We prefer to dine by ourselves. How do we go about requesting a 4-top, and what are the chances of our actually getting one?

Your other option is go for flexible dining. Then when you turn up at the NDR you can ask for a table for 3. Although the Maitre d might ask you to share he won’t insist if you decline.

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You are right that a shirt/fleece/waterproof layering system is the way to go .

Are you staying overnight in Reykjavik? If so I would get off the ship ASAP to walk around the City Centre in the evening and then use the next day to do a Golden Circle tour. We used a firm called IG tours who provided a small minibus and excellent guide.

For Flam I would suggest you buy your own tickets ( you can do this online before you go) for the return trip on the Flam Railway. My other tip for Flam is to get up and out on deck early with your camera.

Evenings are usually taken up with dinner and the theatre but we usually do a spin round the promenade deck after dinner. Some evenings you will need your fleece but not always.

Molde has a pleasant open air Museum .

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If you have not been to the Fjords before I would favour a cruise that includes Gerainger or Flam or preferably both.

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My recollection is that the free Shuttle into Dublin was provided by the City Council so I would think that applies regardless of which cruise line is involved.

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As with most Caribbean ports there are plenty of taxi / minibus operators waiting at the Quayside. They will either take you on a tour of the main attractions or to somewhere specific.

I particularly wanted to see the Brimstone fortress. At the taxi drivers suggestion we called in at a Batik factory/shop on the way back.

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Thank you for the info. Our ship docks in Cobh at 9:00AM and leaves at 8:00PM. Would this allow us enough time to take a train to Cork, walk around the city and take the train back to Cobh with time to explore the town, or is this trying to do too much with not not enough time in either location?

Yes, you will have ample time — Cobh itself is not a very big place but does of course have Titanic interests which are within easy walking distance of where you are likely to be berthed — which conveniently is right beside the railway station.

We are stopping on our cruise at the port of Cobh next year and are debating whether to take the 4 hour Irish countryside and Kinsale shore excursion which allows 1 hour in Kinsale and then spend the rest of the time exploring Cobh. The alternative is to take the train to Cork city and spend the morning there and the afternoon exploring Cobh. We have been to Ireland before so have been to the Blarney Stone etc, and trying to figure out the best use of our time. Any feedback is most appreciated.

I’d go for the train to Cork option. We did a do it yourself Walking tour of Cork but there is a guided tour if you prefer. There’s also a hop on hop off bus.

As an alternative, the last time we were there ( last year) I arranged a private excursion through Butlers Coaches. This was to visit the gardens of Lismore Castle ( apart from the tearoom / art gallery the Castle itself is not open to the public) We took, from memory, a 16 seater coach and booked the Head Gardener for a private tour. On the way back the driver took us to Cobh Cathedral before returning to the ship.

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I think conversations on tables for eight are always going to be difficult, particularly when there are other similar tables around you!

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We just returned from our first river cruise. We've done many ocean cruises but wanted to try something different. I'm sure glad we did. We were on the 15 day Magnificent Europe River cruise on the Avalon Impression.

 

 

 

I can't say enough great things about this cruise. The crew is top notch and took care of everything. It's not often you see even the Captain loading and unloading luggage. Two liter bottles of water are in your room and replenished as soon as you empty one. Water is also provided on every tour.

 

 

 

There were plenty of offerings at each meal to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. The boat holds 166 passengers and there were 138 onboard. The weather was warm and sunny the entire time.

 

 

 

We did two optional tours - Cesky Krumlov and the Evening concert in Vienna. In Cesky, we had plenty of time to wander about after the guided tour. We enjoyed the concert which was in an old hall and filled with various river boat passengers. 9 musicians, two singers, and two dancers performed. At the conclusion, you are given a DVD of the music played.

 

 

 

We stayed in Budapest after the cruise at the Mercure Budapest City Center hotel. We did the online check in while on the last day of our cruise and said we would be there at 11 am. They had a room waiting for us. The staff took care of arranging a taxi at 3 am (we had a very early flight) and we found the location great for walking all around the city.

 

 

 

If you have any questions, ask away. We will definitely book with Avalon again.

Was the Mercure hotel in Budapest Avalon’s choice or yours?

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