New to all this

[trutru]

Hi everyone thankyou for excepting me .We have booked our first ever cruise on the 23rd July 2013 on the Island Escape we could do with any info about the ship and excursions pls and about our cabin 4542 deck 4 bronze i think it was hope it isnt to noisey lol .My husband has a lung illness and cant walk far on excursions so any help would be great . One more thing is there a kettle in cabins ? i do like a cuppa when i wake up lol or is it ok to bring one our selves . x:)

[Rebel Rouser]

Hi Tru Tru,

 

Was just about to go out and saw this, 1st and foremost welcome to the friendliest forum on the internet :D

 

Kettles a no no, health and safety rules but just get a thermos travel mug.

 

cabins 4542 your at the rear side of the lifts so you will be ok and just a short walk for hubby.

 

 

23 July my birthday :eek:

 

Gotta dash...late now ;)

[jenny wren]

What ports are you going to ? then will see if I can help with what to do! haven't stayed in or near that cabin so can't help with if it's noisey, but I usually take earplugs just in case we have noisey neighbours...didn't have to use them on our 2 cruises on IE... the only noise was when top bunks were being put away next door...:)

 

Welcome to the forum by the way!:)

[trutru]

Thank you thats a great idea of a flask or mug ,didnt think about saftey lol glad cabin is fine cant wait now .

[trutru]

Hi Jenny we going from Palma then at sea then Sardinia, Naples,Rome,Corsica,Menorca,back to Palma majorca .My husband will be ok on ship but when out and about he gets very out of breath cant do lots of steps or hills , if a coach takes us somewere and its just strolling a little and he can sit down then hes fine ,Hope we can find just 1 excursion .RR has said our cabin will be fine so we happy with that . x

[jenny wren]

Cagliari in Sardinia is a nice town but quite hilly so best to stay at sea level here!! there will be a port shuttle to the port entrance and you can cross the road to a few shops along the main road ...I think in your case it would be best to do a trip or there may be local buses I'll see what I can find out.

Naples has ferries to Capri or Sorrento which go from fairly close to the berth but the ferry stop at Sorrento is at the bottom of the cliff and Sorrento town is at the top so that would not be a good choice either! we have done a ships trip here though which just dropped us off to wander on our own and picked us up later. Lovely views from here. Haven't been to Capri so can't help there....we intend doing that on our next visit! Pompeii would be too much for your husband as its uneven surface and very spread out....Herculaneum is smaller but I haven't been so can't advise you. Last time we were there we stayed on board and had an hour or two in the cruise terminal itself which had some nice shops!

If you want to go to Rome then this is the place to do a trip....they may do an 'easy' Rome which is taking you round the sights on a coach...I know some cruise companies do that but not sure if Thomson do. ....if you're not bothered about going to Rome then Civitavecchia is quite a nice town with free shuttle to the port gate and then the sea front is right there on the right hand side with a promenade along the beach. The town itself is up a slight hill inland and it has a good market if you look left up the side streets you will find it!

 

Corsica....we haven't been to Ajaccio.

 

Mahon....here the town centre is up a huge flight of steps from the quayside, but there is a windy road up which a taxi could possibly take you up and drop you at the top OR you can turn left as you leave the ship and there is a road on the waterside which would make a pleasant stroll.

Hope that helps a bit...I'll see what info I've got on Cagliari other than the town itself..:)

[trutru]

Wow thank you so much you have realy helped ,Rome sounds our best bet and staying just near by at other ports ,you have been fab . Hope you dont mind me asking but i booked this fab cruise yesterday and i just saw on here somewere Island Escape has been sold and all crew has been made redundant ,what will happen if this is true and have you heard this or is it rumers .Im still excited lol but keeping everything crossed .Thank you for replying to me hope im not a pain in the bum lol :)

[jenny wren]

Island Escape has been for sale for a few years I think....however I think they are rumours that she has already been sold and should be OK for her cruises this season....she does get laid up in the winter months so that may be where there was some confusion over staff getting 'made redundant'....who knows! I'm sure you will have a lovely cruise and enjoy the ship...not big, new and flashy but clean and comfortable (new carpets last season) and the staff, and entertainment is superb with good food and plenty of all inclusive drinks what more could you want?? :D

[KirkNC]

Hi everyone thankyou for excepting me .We have booked our first ever cruise on the 23rd July 2013 on the Island Escape we could do with any info about the ship and excursions pls and about our cabin 4542 deck 4 bronze i think it was hope it isnt to noisey lol .My husband has a lung illness and cant walk far on excursions so any help would be great . One more thing is there a kettle in cabins ? i do like a cuppa when i wake up lol or is it ok to bring one our selves . x:)

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

[trutru]

Thank you Jenny yet again lol im calm and panic over lol and very excited ,i will prob have loads more questions as time goes on ,you will all be glad when ive been and come back lol

[jenny wren]

Hi Trutru ...having looked through our paperwork for Cagliari I realised I haven't mentioned Hop on Hop off buses or tourist buses....they are a really good way of seeing places and usually have headphones giving a running commentary of what you're driving past....as the name suggests you can 'hop' off when you like have a look round and then get back on again...or just stay on for the whole ride. Most big places have them and Cagliari is one of those which would enable you to see the city/town which is quite hilly. They usually cost around 20 euros per person including the headset. :)

[Grez]

Thank you Jenny yet again lol im calm and panic over lol and very excited ,i will prob have loads more questions as time goes on ,you will all be glad when ive been and come back lol

As well as this forum, there is also a fairly active Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups/16316064317/?fref=ts

 

Regarding the ship sale, you will find Sailaway's blog gives a decent write up of the latest state of play - http://sailawaysblog.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/was-island-escape-destined-for-south-korea-in-2013/

 

There is still a slight chance that IE won't sail this year in my opinion, but its a very very slight chance. This has happened before (mainly when RR is booked to sail). One way or another though Thomson have always sorted it.

[trutru]

Thanks for this info it will come in handy ,and as long as Thomson sorts out something im happy .Im going to look at the other sites you kindly pointed out to me right now lol thank you .:)

[Cappers]

Hi Tru..me and my Adypoos did this cruise last summer. It's a lovely itinerary. When I booked our excursions I noticed that there was an "easy" option for every port of call. If you look at Thomsons shore excursions for your cruise you will see them. Herculaneum would probably be too much for your husband as well, it's very steep in places and all different levels,,and very open with no shade so it would be extremely hot in July. You could do the Amalfi Drive,thats very beautiful and the little towns it stops at are just so pretty. All by the sea with lots of bars cafes etc to wander around. Very glamorous! We did this part of Italy in 2006 and toured the whole coast,it's beautiful and breathtaking. We went over to Capri on a fast cat ferry, that's beyond beautiful! You could get a taxi down to the ferry boats and back up again? Ooohh,,and just remembered, there is a large hotel right in the main square of Sorrento called the something Vittorio and it has a large terrace out the back overlooking the whole bay of Sorrento where you can sit and have refreshments etc but it also has a lift down the cliffs that is practically right next to the ferry boats! Actually it may be the something Ambassadori?? You can't miss it anyway,,it's very impressive! Wouldn't bother with Naples personally,,it's dirty and very threatening. In Corsica we did a general tour of the Island which was lovely,, and ended up in a pretty town up a mountain that was flat and easy to navigate. The Thomson tours all have local guides on them who are usually very good but you don't have to follow the whole group round,,we just made sure we knew where the bus was picking us up at what time and did our own thing.

 

This is a great forum and very helpful,,I've learnt ssssooooo much about cruising and everyone is really friendly and helpful.:D

[trutru]

Hi cappers, thank you for all the info it realy does help ,i saw sorrento and it does look perfect i think we will defo do this one ,im just looking at others lol you and everyone on here are so helpfull and friendly its unreal .Iwill prob as ive said before have alot more questions to ask lol i hope im not a pain .Thank you so much .xx:)

[trutru]

Can i ask enyone how much is an upgrade we are on 4 at the mo may be to a 5/6 and do you ask for one when you have paid in full ? or can i do it now ? sorry to be a pain but im reading everyone elses lol and with hubby poorly may be near to a few things would be easier .x

[Flopsy]

Hi Trutru

 

You said you were looking for excursions suitable for your hubby who has breathing difficulties.I can recommend:-

 

Livorno.

There were free shuttle buses to take you into town.But we went on the Easy Pisa trip.This was a coach to the outside of Pisa then transfer to a trolley train to take you right into Miracle Square.The Leaning Tower is an amazing sight- a really worthwhile trip- only a few yards to walk to the sights.

 

Civitavecchia

We took the trip Relaxing Rome where after a 'comfort stop' just before entering Rome we stayed on the coach for a superb tour of almost all the stunning sights of Rome.This was a really great way to see a huge number of important buildings from the comfort and safety of a luxury coach.I would not like to cross the road in Rome lol.Brilliant and memories are made of this.

 

Flopsy

[trutru]

Hi Trutru

 

You said you were looking for excursions suitable for your hubby who has breathing difficulties.I can recommend:-

 

Livorno.

There were free shuttle buses to take you into town.But we went on the Easy Pisa trip.This was a coach to the outside of Pisa then transfer to a trolley train to take you right into Miracle Square.The Leaning Tower is an amazing sight- a really worthwhile trip- only a few yards to walk to the sights.

 

Civitavecchia

We took the trip Relaxing Rome where after a 'comfort stop' just before entering Rome we stayed on the coach for a superb tour of almost all the stunning sights of Rome.This was a really great way to see a huge number of important buildings from the comfort and safety of a luxury coach.I would not like to cross the road in Rome lol.Brilliant and memories are made of this.

 

Flopsy

Thank you so much Flopsy ,i think these are great ideas ive wrote everything down in my little book lol i will forget it all else ,im so excited but still got ages to wait lol thank you again