lovely_serenity

On 6/16/2023 at 2:47 PM, John Bull said:

 

IIRC correctly, about 20 minutes at each.

That's plenty of time in St Michael's Cave.

And "sufficient" at the Great Siege Tunnels, though there's a great panoramic view from near the entrance which'd be worth longer.

 

 

Casemates Square is at the bottom (north) end of Main Street.

There's an indoor market opposite the bus station, accessed thro a pedestrian gateway in the rear left corner of Casemates Square and under the main road.. Internet says it's open on wednesdays. 

And some stalls in Casemates Square.

 

 

 

A. No he isn't, he's just been taking in the glorious weather.

B. Yes he is, other than a touch of sunburn 😏

 

Thanks for the update on taxi tour prices.

We've had high inflation in in Europe, currently around 10% p.a.  Much of it due to war in Ukraine and embargos on Russian gas & oil which seem to be hurting Europe as much as (more than?)  Russia.🙄

So price increases are a fact of life.

But from around £30 to £55 ??????????

Cost used to be about the same as return tickets for the cablecar (incl. St Michael's Cave) which is now £37.

Go figure 🙁  

 

JB 🙂 

 

Thank you!

Also whereabouts by the Public Market is the shuttle pick up point if I only want to take the shuttle back to the ship? Thanks!

On 2/3/2023 at 6:34 AM, John Bull said:

 

 

Yes, you can - get off the ship at the same time as the herd and the taxi marshals will put you in a van with others & off you go. Don't leave it too late or either you'll be hanging around waiting for the van to fill or vans will have deserted the terminal in search of more fertile places.

 

It's the same tour as has proven popular for many years, the same route & stops as this one

http://www.gibraltartaxiassociation.com/tour/standard-rock-tour

Price includes all admission fees.

At the end you can be taken back to the ship, or most folk opt to bale out at Casemates Square (about 20 - 25 mins flat walk from the ship) to explore Main Street shops, cafes, pubs and minor attractions.

 

I don't know the current price, recent reports have varied between £25 pp and £35 pp (Euros also accepted) but the price is fixed so some of those reports are from poor memories or start points from elsewhere such as the Spanish border.

 

If you're among the first off and don't dawdle (about 35 min  walk) or grab a taxi, the size of your ship won't impact the cablecar line.

More significant are the hordes of day-trippers who come to Gib by coach from the Spanish resorts.

Before 10am, no problem. After 10.30 lines are often very long, so re-consider cablecar plans if your ship is a late arrival.

But for reasons that I can't fathom there's usually no long line to come back down.

And BTW the cablecar service is suspended (awful deliberate pun 🙄) in moderately high winds.

 

JB 🙂

How much time do you have in Saint Michael’s cave and the Great Seige tunnels to walk around at each location? Does it feel very rushed? Assuming the driver just drips you off at each one on this tour, do they just give you a time limit and tell you to meet back in x minutes? Thanks!

Thanks very much for the clarification everyone!

Although I know gratuities are included, do you still tip when ordering room service? Thank you!

19 hours ago, uktog said:

Based on my experience

Lisbon no dock too near

Portimao no need

Gibraltar no local taxi rules do not allow there’s a pay for option or a 20 minute walk

Malaga only if docked at the outer pier otherwise no need

Almeria no

Cartagena no

Barcelona if at World Trade no, if at the international terminal it has varied but there’s a pay for option 

 

Thanks so much!

Does anyone know the shuttle situation with the below? Thank you!

Lisbon

Portimao

Gibraltar

Malaga

Almeria

Cartagena

Barcelona

9 hours ago, SoBaycruiser said:

It looks like OP’s cruise might be April 15 next year and if so there are no days at sea and only one night with later than a 6pm departure… Malaga at 10 pm.  I wonder if they’ll have someone come on board instead of everyone leaving the ship,  Or are there cruises that have no Azamazing evenings?

You are correct! I also figured it there’s no overnight port we might end up just having an act come onboard

13 hours ago, terry&mike said:

We sailed the Spain intensive itinerary last summer, from Barcelona to Lisbon. We had our Azamazing Evening in Valencia, and it was very entertaining. The theme of the show was a theater that had closed, and the acts performing - there was dance, music, acrobatics, humor. Our White Nights party was in Malaga. Not sure what your itinerary will hold. 

I was thinking ours may be the reverse version of this! - perhaps they will make departure time changes as the Azamara booked guests website seems to have a variety of departure times that look a bit different from their published schedule

On 6/7/2023 at 3:48 PM, Scots Caz said:

what is the departure date of the cruise you are looking at?

April 15/24

23 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

And if you can’t see the excursions, it’s likely to be at a stop where there is a late night in port.

I was actually trying to figure that out, as the excursions aren’t showing yet - I suspected Malaga based on its projected 10pm departure time, but am not able to find any history of existing Malaga Azamazing nights! I found Valencia Azamazing nights, but I think it’s supposed to leave at 6pm 🤷🏻‍♀️

1 minute ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Not true.  Gratuities are already included in the fare for all included items, and in the price of any additional drinks.

 

I thought we had put this rumor to bed in this thread:

 

Yes, thanks very much. I just saw that thread after posting my question. Thank you!

Hello everyone!

Hoping for some wisdom from experienced Azamara cruisers, as my family is about to book our first Azamara cruise. We’ve got a few questions to clarify:

If my cruise is 7 nights, will it have an Azamazing night?

If there is an Azamazing night, any guesses re: which port it would be/what the activity might be? (Here are the ports my ship will go to in order)

Lisbon

Portimao

Gibraltar

Malaga

Almeria

Cartagena

Valencia

Barcelona

4. Any tips/secrets for the Azamara Quest?

Thank you kindly!

2 hours ago, crzndeb said:

On May 1 2023, the Ovation will be at sea, one day before it reaches Honolulu. Do you mean May 2 2023 or May 1 2024. I will be on the ship in May, so that’s why I know dates.

I board the ship on Mar 27 and only had to make reservations for Pixels Cabaret in Two70. I personally liked upstairs (Deck 6) for the best view. No other shows require reservations. Reservations open on the 1st of the month, prior to sail month. So for May sailings, reservations open Apr 1.

I have already made reservations for Solarium Bistro for dinner. If there are tables open, they will seat you, but it isn’t always guaranteed.

Free IFly and Northstar can be booked once on board. Extended/Pay versions can be booked earlier.

 

PS…Join the Roll Call. You can always get good info there.

Thank you!! & ah yes it is the 2nd hahah oops

3 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

We were on Ovation and then Quantum Sep/Oct.

Only one show need reservations and that was in Two70, once there no one checked for reservations, everyone just walked in.

Northstar was free on port days and sea days, we tried to book on day 2 and everything for the week was booked except for the pay experience.

Book Northstar and Ripcord as soon as you board. 

Yes, you can book everyone with the app.

No reservations need for any showroom including two70.

You can go to Solarium Bistro any time without reservations, no effect on MDR.

Looking at the picture there is a cozy little seating area on the very bottom left that looks fantastic.  You can see almost nothing from those seats... Sit up front or up front in the balcony if you can. happy cruising

Thank you so much!! & duly noted!

Hi everyone,

I’ve got an Ovation May 1, 2023 cruise on RCL and I’ve read a lot of mixed information about when reservations for various things actually open on the app. (Seems like the # of days before the cruise changed since Covid, so some articles are out of date). Can anyone who’s cruised recently clarify please? I’m worried about getting the dates wrong and not getting anything 😂
 

1. For instance, does midnight mean Central time?

2. When can I book the show for Two70?

3. Do I need to make reservations to see main theater shows & if so, when?

4. When can I book North Star? Also is it true that this is only free on port days now?

5. When can I book iFly by Ripchord? Is this also only free on port days?

6. Can I book spots for my whole family using only my app?

7. How many different main production shows are there that require reservations?

8.If hypothetically I booked a second dinner (later in the evening) at Solarium, my regular main dining early seating is unaffected, correct?

Thanks a bunch in advance!

Did the Disney Wonder to Alaska twice. The sail to the glacier is really beautiful. The characters show up in cute Alaskan outfits too. As mentioned above, their theatre shows are literally the best I’ve seen at sea; other cruise lines I’ve been on are no comparison (HAL, Cunard, Princess, Celeb, etc). Legit Broadway show tier stuff. The adult only areas include pools, bars/pubs, lounges, specialty restaurant. Palo’s brunch is quite well known (although was better pre-COVID when there was a buffet). It’s fun running into Disney characters around the ship - spontaneous and exciting. Have your phone camera ready! Day time activities I recall included things like cooking demos, arts and crafts, trivia, karaoke - stuff like that. Alaska always has various wilderness themed things. Their onboard gift shop is great - since instead of your average cruise line branded merch, it’s a whole Disney store featuring boat exclusive merch! During the day, you don’t actually see kids all too much since they’re in the kids clubs. Early dining is more popular with kids. 

11 hours ago, david,Mississauga said:

 

We took a QE Alaska cruise in in 2019 and are doing so again this June.

 

1. As is customary with Cunard, only the Grill restaurants are open for lunch on embarkation day. The Lido opened at 12:00 for food. It was open earlier for beverages. Embarkation started much earlier than usual. We were on board at 11:20. Cabins were available from  approximately 12:30.

 

2. The bow was open the day we were at to the Hubbard Glacier. This year the QE is spending a day in Glacier Bay as well, so I expect there will be two days of open bow.

 

3(a).  There were speakers on the subject of Alaska and nature. There was no soup on the day the bow was open like Holland America has. One day there was an Alaska-themed seafood buffet lunch in the Lido with ice sculptures. I have a added a photo of that. 

 

3 (b). The dress code for our cruise was "dumbed down" from what we usual experience on Cunard and I understand it has been dumbed down yet again for this year. There are just two gala nights out of 10. However, many Cunard regulars dress traditionally so there were a lot of jackets and ties and cocktail dresses or fancy pant suits on the women on the other nights. The  majority of men wore DJs on the gala nights. There were a lot of long dresses on the gala nights.

 

4. Cunard has not updated the requirement for masks or even vaccination  for QE cruises after May 17th. But the Canadian government has mandated that only fully vaccinated passengers may embark or disembark a ship in Canadian ports. Cruise lines are required to have a policy for dealing with COVID on board, but I don't see anything specific at this time.

Hahah I didn’t realize I had 3 twice 😂

Thank you so much for the information!

14 hours ago, rakkor said:

I uploaded some from our August QE cruise on my blog ( https://blog.rakkor.uk ) plus the recent blogs will answer a lot of your questions

 

specifically

 

https://blog.rakkor.uk/blog/britannia-daily-menus/q123p-sun-voyage-menus-august-2021/

 

This is awesome! Thank you!

Hello!

I’ve previously sailed QE once in the Mediterranean in 2012; I’m also a frequent Alaska cruiser. My family plans to book 2022 July on QE - 10 night Alaska.
 

I was wondering if anyone had photos of the Britannia dinner menus? Curious to know if there are any “themed-menu” nights 🙂

Also a few more Qs while we’re here:

1. Is there dining room embarkation lunch for inside cabin folks? (Non-suite Grill option)

2. Is the bow open for entry while sailing the glaciers?

3. Besides the ports, does QE do anything unique to highlight the Alaskan itinerary? (Other cruise lines I’ve sailed had themed Alaskan nights, soup of deck for glacier days, educational speakers)

3. Having enjoyed the formal dress on my last cruise, what’s the overall ladies’ formal dress level on Alaskan voyages? ex. On Smart Casual days, do many still wear cocktail dresses? On Gala nights do many still wear long gowns?

4. What proportion of cruisers currently wear masks in public areas?

Thank you in advance!

Sarah

Also, I read somewhere that on some ships, sauna/steam room/showers are available for free to use in the Lotus Spa (presumably the amenities used by those going to the gym). Is that true on the Coral? Some also noted that some ships allow locker rental by handing over your room key. Does that apply to the Coral too?

Be sure to try the pizza offered in Sabatinis for lunch on some sea days. No charge and cooked in a brick oven. Very good plus nice salads (I think). with a nice view if you can get a window seat. Loved the Coral for Alaska and looking forward to next month 10 day PC

 

 

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Good to know, thanks! :)

Likewise, I am also chiming in late. I enjoyed your review very much and your photos are beautiful! I will be going to Alaska on the same itinerary and ship this year, so this report has helped me prepare for it. Thanks!

Cheers,

I have a question! I've read somewhere that the entree portion sizes on the ship has been shrinking as of late and it might be recommended to order 3 entrees between 2 people to share (or 2 for yourself if you're a big eater). Is that true?

I will be sailing on the Ruby Princess in May and am doing some early research on the ship. I enjoyed your report very much, as well as the photos! (they will help me pick which things I might want to eat if the menu is similar on my Alaskan sailing). Thank you!

Best wishes,