Mim Lloyd

We had a great cruise on Explorer last September .... except for trying to use our Diamond vouchers in the MDR. We also got charged full price for a bottle of wine despite saying twice that we wanted a voucher using. And every night without fail for the first 4 nights we'd order a drink each specifying that we wanted to use our Diamond benefits, and each time we found we'd been charged when we checked our onboard account. Every time the Diamond concierge sorted the refunds but it was annoying having to do it multiple times. After the fourth time we just got our Diamond drinks at a bar before going in to the MDR. I don't understand why the MDR is such a problem!

About 3 years ago we went on a whale watching catamaran trip with Andrew Armour. We had a Cruise Critic group for our cruise and someone posted asking if any of their fellow cruisers were interested. Ended up with about 50 of us. Cost about $50 each and we had a great day. The catamaran was right by the ship, was large and comfortable and not at all crowded. Andrew is known as the 'Whale Whisperer' and is an expert on the sperm whales in the area and where they're likely to be. We saw quite a few whales which was fantastic. Here's a link: https://www.superyachtservicesguide.com/20/20240/andrew-armour-the-whale-whisperer

I live in Liverpool. Chester is easy to get to from Liverpool by train. The cruise terminal isn't far from James Street station where you can get a direct train to Chester. There are many trains throughout the day, the journey time is just under an hour and costs from £7. And if you live in the UK and are of pensionable age with a travel pass, it's free!

Dressing up on Formal nights in the Med is definitely on the wane. I was on the Explorer in the Med for 2 weeks in September/October 2023 and didn't see any tuxedos on any Formal night, in fact very few people dressed in suits or long dresses. You barely noticed any difference to non-formal nights. We were very happy with this as we don't want to waste our luggage allowance on fancy clothes and 'proper' shoes .... Holidays are to be relaxing!

Lavazza coffee pods are all far too strong for me and far too small a serving so I'm planning to take a jar of instant coffee with me and some Coffee Mate. I'm in a JS, is a kettle in there along with the coffee machine?

Sorry, yet another question! We often buy locally produced spirits to take home with us. The ship staff usually take them from us when we reboard after a day in a port and then deliver them to our cabin on the last evening for us to pack away for going home. But what happens on the first leg of a b2b? Do the staff still deliver the bottles on the last night even though we're not leaving the ship, or do they keep them until the end of the 2nd week?

We're on a b2b on Explorer next month. Can you take on more wine on embarkation day to cover the second week?

Does it matter how you take on your allowed bottle of wine on embarkation day? Carry on bag or packed in your case? How would they know if you had a bottle in a carry on bag and also one in a suitcase? On a recent P&O cruise I packed my wine in my suitcase and then bought more to carry on in a bag as we got to the port. I expected one or the other of it to be confiscated ntil we disembarked but neither of them were. I don't know how strict the checks are by RCI in comparison.

I believe Diamond members get 40% off a bottle of wine. Is that 40% off just the first bottle you buy or 40% off every bottle?

Does anyone know when these go on sale? We fancy booking one and would like to do it as soon as they become available. Thanks!

While COVID was rife we booked 2 P&O cruises because the prices for both were so good. We've sailed about 17 times with Royal Caribbean, 3 times with Celebrity and a couple with NCL. As you can tell we like RCI! Well, first P&O cruise was on Iona in Decrmber and the 2nd was on Arvia in March (transatlantic from Barbados). To be honest, after the Iona cruise we'd have cancelled the Arvia one if we could have without losing money, we just didn't like P&O. It basically comes down to the old 'you get what you pay for.' Food, service and entertainment is far inferior to RCI - the buffets on both ships are basic and are like works canteens. The staff are nice enough but just don't go out of their way to go over and above like they do on Royal. We were very disappointed. Luckily we had lots of OBC for both cruises so ended up eating most nights in the speciality restaurants. We'd never cruise with P&O again and as previously stated, go with the realisation that it's not on a par withRoyal Caribbean and don't expect the quality and attention to detail that you get from Royal Caribbean.

We're not bothering buying the UDP for our cruise on Explorer in September as we're Diamond now so have the free drinks. I've never checked out the prices off bottles of wines in the bars onboard the ships before but I think I might buy a bottle or two on Explorer. Can anyone tell me how much a bottle of sparkling wine is? Or a white Pinot Grigio or red Merlot?

Thanks all. That's a shame, it would have been handy for a quick grab and go breakfast.

Yes we did on Iona in December. Actually, we each put a bottle in our large cases and 2 bottles each in our hand luggage. We went through separate scanners at check in and if I'd have been stopped I would have just said that I had both bottles for my husband and myself and he'd already gone through, and he'd have said the same if he'd had been stopped. However, we both just walked through without problem, they weren't bothered about the amounts of alcohol being taken on.

The cruises we've been on in the last 3 or 4 years have been on the big ships that have a Central Park, and we used the Park Cafe for breakfast. Previous to this we remember being on a ship that offered pre-made and wrapped sausage and egg or bacon muffins in the Promenade Cafe. But we can't remember which ship! We're on Explorer again in September and wonder whether it's this ship. Does anybody know?