gillhalfpint
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Posts posted by gillhalfpint
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They should have a kiddy pen (gaol!!) to take unattached kids, call out their parents to take charge of them from the show bar or wherever. Think the kids would be brought into line ...or maybe not ---- depends on the parents. Ho hum.
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When I get my invoice I write important dates like when to pay what in my diary, and put my own reminder in the diary for the week before. I knew our final balance for October was due the day we were coming home from York, so went in to pay it before going away so I wouldn't have it to worry about.
Waiting for the plane seats to open up to bookings, expect it to be 16th Aug, so will pop into the API and check it from now till it opens. Not expecting e-mails for that either.
Gill
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Found the review and comments interesting for our forthcoming cruise on 29 October. That one is adults only which is fine, but what will be a problem for me will be intrusive music. Why do they feel that everyone wants music at high volumes all day. To me, the afternoons are for chilling out and relaxing, joining in if you want to, but certainly not wandering round trying to find somewhere to chat. I have been embarrassed sitting in a lounge trying to chat with someone and not hearing a word being said back to me for loud piped music or a group playing to a virtually empty lounge. Still looking forward to our cruise though, and will explore every nook and cranny for my place of solitude to escape the noise - sorry music - when I want to sit and read or chat in peace. I certainly don't want to feel obliged to be confined to cabin to get it. Bring it on though - so excited to try the "new" one.
Gill.
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We tried a 3 night cruise on Magellan in December from Tilbury for the Christmas markets and enjoyed ourselves. We found a lot of the way things run very similar to Thomson's and Fred, and the layout of the ship and inside cabin suited us fine, so would have no problem booking again.
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Thanks, I have saved this link now, but no 7 May, only 14 May Continental Coasts still.
Went into my TA today to pay balance for October, and asked while I was in whether the relocation dates had changed for Celebration from 21 to 7 May, and what was happening about the cruises scheduled for 7 and 14 May if the date had changed.
After much rummaging around on their site, she went to ask someone, and came back to tell me that they were having a one day relaunch of Celebration cruises on 21.7.16. We are travelling north tomorrow so can't go in to check it out, but will certainly be looking into a Thomson TA while away to find out what is going on.
Gill
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Gill,
Did you go via the link I posted ?
I got both direct from there.
What a weird setup.
Sorry, I didn't find a link on your posts, so tried to find it through the calendar on the website, but could not get onto the cruises from the calendar I found, so will leave it a while.
Gill
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Gill,
Try going in via the cruise calendar online.
Unless they've changed it since this morning, you should (?) get to the Celebration for 7th May.
The calendar on there is the same as in my brochure, but I couldn't get anything from it leading to a booking. Seems odd that they are taking any bookings for 7th or 14th if the Celebration is going to sail to Newcastle on 7th.
Will wait and see if they sort the Malaga / Newcastle one out, as that is the one I am interested in.
Gill
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I requested 7 nights for May 17 on line and cannot find a 7 night cruise for Celebration for 7 May, but have found Continental Coasts for 14 May 7 nights. This is Celebration's only entry for 7 nights in May.
Checked again using 14 nights for May 17. No entries for Celebration at all apart from back to back 9 April Spirit of Iberia / Continental Coasts.
And this is the website we will all have to follow when brochures cease.
Gil
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I love looking through the brochures too Gill, but you can download a brochure and still get the cruise calendar :)
Cheers Linda. I love my calendars, and am only missing the one for our first cruise in Jan 12. Started saving them from Jan 13. Does this mean the brochures won't be in the shops, but can be browsed on line? Time will tell.
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Pizza free in the Glasshouse but please don't go there as it will become too crowded.
Discovery also has an extensive range of bottled beers in the Live room but IMO they are not worth it at £2 supplement per bottle. Plus I could re-write the list for them to include some decent beers :rolleyes:
Next year everyone on board will be AI and I hope they do not dumb down the choices.
Put some Belgian and US bottles on there, and we would happily pay the £2 supplement.
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I have an up to date brochure at home, and keep one in our caravan for rainy day plotting and planning. Only use the web when I have an idea where we fancy going and when, and even then, I go along to my TA armed with my brochure to book.
Can't see how booking with a TA without a brochure would work at all. They never like to show you their screen when they are working on it, so how will that work? Will they still need TA's I wonder, or will all bookings be on line. Hopeless - that has been having a refurb for at least 12 months and is still not right.
Will also miss the cruise calendar in the front of the brochures. As my old brochure goes out, I keep the calendar with any cruise taken highlighted.
So disappointing to go down this route.
Gill
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I would rather have a piece of paper I don't need, than be at the airport and find they want something I haven't got. I don't print the whole 7 - 9 pages of e-ticket, just the first page and never have a problem.
If I have paid a TA the £25 matching fee, I let them print everything for me, e-ticket and boarding cards.
Gill.
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May 16 - April 17 brochure -- p236. During embarkation we have the right to search luggage and hold any alcohol that we believe has not been purchased on your flight - please retain your proof of purchase. Any alcohol that is not permitted on board will be returned to you on your departure. During your flight and once on board our ships, you can only drink the alcohol that staff serve you.
November 16 - October 17 brochure p 243.
During your flight with usand outside of your ship cabin once on board, you can only drink alcohol that staff serve you. During embarkation we have the right to search luggage and hold any alcohol that we believe has not been purchased on your flight. We'll only do so if we think it's necessary, but please retain your proof of purchase just in case. Any alcohol that is not permitted on board will be returned to you on your departure.
Gill
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The wording is as stated above in the current brochure, but says outside of your ship cabin once on board, so it would appear that they are ok with you drinking it in your cabin.
Hope they don't start taking bottles bought ashore off you though as we buy bottles of beer for the cabin, and Thomson's have had no problem with that in the past, unlike Fred where we cannot take bottles back.
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My view is I have done both, Dream 3 times and Majesty once, but then I love cruising and although the ships are different, they were both great for me. Dream will always be a favourite though, being the one we first cruised on and lead to our addiction.
Gill
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Lots of folk on FB got emails today.
Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app
Hope they treat everyone the same by giving £25 pp on board credit. Enjoy your cruise folks.
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You think that's bad they still haven't informed passengers this summer that Istanbul has been replaced by Athens and Crete. I read it here last week and phoned them and they confirmed over the phone that it was indeed being changed but unless you log in here (a tiny fraction of those booked over a summer) you will still be oblivious. Communication is clearly not their forte !
They do communicate. They put a letter on your bed in the cabin with any port changes. We thought we would not be going to Lebanon in 2014, but our first official notification was the letter on the bed.
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Just looked at your dates on line, and it is Cosmopolitan Classics twice, first week and second week exactly the same ports. Weird.
Brochure shows Cosmopolitan Classics week 1 and Mediterranean Secrets week 2, totally different ports.
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You have to pay for theatre seats with Thomson?????
Only if you want the front ones with a drink included - usually empty.
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We have never had luggage labels from Thomson, and make our own up with date of flight, name, flight details and ship details on.
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We went to Belize on Jan 15 and it was a tender port for us, so my husband couldn't get off the ship, so I went on my own. I wasn't really worried - to be honest I hadn't even thought it might not be safe. There were a lot of folks touting when I got off the tender, but I walked to a flea market, turned and walked back to a swing bridge, and over to where there was a cathedral and an open area of green park that was a little worse for wear. It was in an area called bird island. I saw pelicans, and other birds as I walked back along the sea front. As I got back into the town area, I saw a great big sign "no working during drinking hours". Near there I found a bar, and went in for a drink as we try to have a local beer at each port, and even being on my own, I had to try one. I tried a couple of light beers, then found they had a stout in the fridge, so bought a couple to take back on board so Ray could have a drink too. It was 6.5% and one of the best beers we had in the Caribbean where most beers are lager style. I walked back to the port safely enough and caught the tender back to the Dream.
We did Cartagena Colombia, and there is a lovely area just beside the port with a cafe bar where we saw flamingoes, peacocks, iguanas, black swans and humming birds while sat in a garden enjoying a beer. Ray went back on board, and I had a wander through the buildings to go outside the port area. Taxi drivers were a bit of a pest but I walked to a bridge where I saw folk swimming below but I couldn't find a way down, so went back after a motorbike stopped and said I shouldn't be walking alone as the area was not very safe. When I got back in the port area, I found I was actually in an area behind the first garden and was in a massive aviary where you could go into the cages with toucans, vultures and other birds. Also had some monkeys around.
Yes they may be dodgy areas, but I really enjoyed my time there.
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Still reading the link, but must comment on this
Customers will be able to summon their favourite tipple at the touch of a button from their sun lounger on adults-only deck, The Veranda.
I hope there is a "no ice" button.
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When on the majesty at new year a female passenger lifted bread rolls with her hands from the breakfast buffet after sneezing. I asked her why she didn't use the tongs provided and the answer was I have cruised many times and have never used the tongs. I informed the waiter on duty and he disposed of all the bread rolls, but why do people have to do this when the staff do there best to prevent contamination.
Wonder what happens to all the unused bread rolls left when the waiters clear them in the MDR as they are usually rumaged through to get the one you want by everyone on the table. I think they just go in one of the cupboards on the serving station, so could just be topped up for another table.
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A lot of the show lounges and some of the bars and in the Lido buffet there are tables with a sign for wheelchair users. If you need help anywhere, just ask a member of staff.
TUI Discovery
in Marella Cruises (formerly Thomson)
Posted · Edited by gillhalfpint
We are on this cruise too, and although we have done the other Thomson ships, it is our first transatlantic and our first on Discovery, so looking forward to exploring somewhere new. We have the inclusive package, and the drinks menu has been posted on the Discovery FB page and seems to work similar to their other ships with a decent amount of drinks to choose from with others marked with an asterisk which have a small extra amount to pay to get them - around £1.70 per drink I believe. I am going to look into the premium package which can be bought on board for £70 per person per week which allows you to drink anything from the menu inclusive, and that includes the premium coffees I have been told. Not having been on her yet, I can't give details about the pay restaurants, but we have never used them on any of the other ships as the choices between buffet and main dining room have always been adequate for us. We are looking forward to returning to the Caribbean islands which we love. We booked ships tours on every island the first time we went, but are happy to wander round ourselves now in the port or find a local beach. Looking forward to a whole new experience, and have no doubt it will be fantastic.
Gill and Ray.