Huntingdon1701

O'Sheehans works really well for the early tours. They've got an express hot breakfast, but you can also get a fruit plate/toast very quickly.

You could easily fill it with the acropolis and museum on 1 day, then the oracle at delphi, then corinth canal, and then a day to just wander athens and recover. If you've had a busy cruise then you might not want to go as far as corinth and delphi as they're full day tours, albeit not very strenuous coach journeys. Recommend the Athens Gate Hotel if you do stay - fantastically located and the restaurant has the best views of the acropolis at night.

Given the issue was quite a big one, I would. They pull out general trends from the reviews but not always things like this. It's up to you, of course.

I'm not trying to say it. I have said it, several times. I'm sorry you can't grasp things outside of your experience, but we have discussed this enough now.

They have lifeboats - that is apparently not the same as a tender. Most ships have some that double up, but it's by no means the case that all of them can do it.

Yes, I did too, but the Prima captain has stated otherwise. I assume the sister ships are similarly deficient.

Probably this. If Viva is the same as the Prima, then she doesn't carry tenders so her only choice is docking. If she can't, and there are no local tenders, the Prima Class have to go elsewhere. Although I have to say NCL is very poor at communicating changes, for whatever reason they happen. I had one trip where the shore excursion company notified me of changes a week before boarding, while NCL only admitted the change two days before docking in a note to cabins. That's deliberate deception.

Have you written to MSC explaining this problem? The guy is clearly annoying a number of customers, but if head office don't know, they can't take action. Putting it in writing has more chance of securing improvements.

Another vote for Barcelona. Very easy to get to, and a nice city to stay in.

An amazing experience - you'll love it.

Virtuosa has several pools so people should be spread out between those - better than most other ships. The buffet is likely to be where you encounter most crowding. I've done a June cruise on her and it felt very spacious, but ships generally are much busier now so not a great comparison, I think.

I had that in Martinique, but showed up around 11.30 and walked straight on. So did everyone else.

Thanks - that's really helpful to know. It's only a five day cruise so I have to book on the first day or I won't be able to fit them all in. 😆 Not until October. I've sailed on her 3 times before, but this is the first time not in Yacht Club.

Hi All, I know I have to book the actual times on board, but do I need to go to each of the individual restaurants? Or is there a central point where I can book all the restaurants in one go? If so, where is it? Thanks,

It's got more complicated since they prevented docking directly in Venice. As many ships are using different nearby ports, there's not such a clear focus for the transport providers. Personally, I use Welcome Pickups who are incredibly reliable and speak great English. They're usually a reasonable price too.