terrierjohn

That is my concern about the reservation system, it leaves tables empty and therefore reduces the number of passengers that can use that restaurant. But I don't have a solution, because I don't believe that the new big cruise ships have anywhere near the dining room capacity to seat everyone who wants to use the MDR over the 3-4 hour period they are open. I realise there are alternatives but the majority of passengers still want to use the MDRs for dinner for the majority of the time.

Launch price.

Princess, RCI and Celebrity all use a timed disembarkation system, your luggage label colour coded, and announcements are made when a new colour is free to disembark. This saves you having to go to a specific venue, and since the luggage is located in timed locations, the luggage hall is emptied in sequence, rather than passengers searching all over the hall.

Always wondered what they were like, as Americans seem to eulogise about them. But was very disappointed when I had one at our local Italian restaurant recently.

Looks like furniture, maybe for one of the bars.

Yes it covers any family member that you list on the travel insurance, but presumably living at the same address. The add ons for age and cruise cover also cover all those insured, but then the medical conditions are specific to each person.

St Maarten--I wonder if anyone knows if the shuttle ferries are wheelchair accessible, that would certainly be much quicker than the walk into town. Ocho Rios - there is a Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville outdoor shopping centre just outside the port entrance, with cafe bar and a rather nice ice cream stall. Bridgetown Barbados- the boardwalk alongside the inlet is a good place to spot the odd turtle. Martinique -- being on a smaller ship you could be berthed right in the town centre, being on Ventura we were berthed about a 20 minute into the town.

I cannot think of any Caribbean port that required a shuttle, however Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral felt far too intimidating to DIY, and by that time in the cruise we were more than happy to have a relaxing day on board.

It really is important for anyone considering an extension to discuss this with neighbours at an early stage. We did that with our neighbours and modified our plans to accommodate their few and minor concerns, and remained good friends for the 40 yrs we lived there.

Do not worry @Selbourne, we have visited many of the ports on your list and although we have occasionally had to double back to find a dropped kerb we have always managed. Many of the ports have shopping areas in the port area, and these are always wheelchair friendly. TBH we have only taken a private taxi in Guadeloupe, but I am fairly certain they are available in many ports. We only usually spend an hour or 2 ashore, and although some places can feel intimidating we have generally found the locals to be very friendly, maybe it's the wheelchair that makes them sympathetic to us. I feel sure you will have a fantastic holiday.

No you can use different devices, but not at the same time.

I have only compared prices on the Iona 35 night jan 2026 Caribbbean cruise, and that is significantly lower than the 2025 cruise, so not all prices are rising.

Totally agree, disembsrkation from Sky Princess, same size as Britannia, was a ten times better experience than on Britannia, especially if you arrive in the luggage hall towards the end of your allotted time, when most of the luggage has been collected.

Can you give us a clue which site he frequents?

It is but I would swap back to a narrow one in a heartbeat if I could.

I was informed that there is nothing further needed for the account to be valid than paying the £13 pm fee. But I would be prepared to switch some activity to it, if that is required.

That is normal, both can only be booked once on board. Although I think the glass house does not do forward bookings.

The flex plus account is £13pm, there are add ons for age £65 total for over 70s, cruise cover is £40 total, then each medical condition has an individual charge, and Pauline's strike rates quite highly. The total including the monthly fee was only 10% of the free spirit quote, which is supposed to be one of the best for medical conditions. It does seem too good to be true, but the cover is equal to the FS cover with £10m pp medical expenses and £5000pp cancellation cover. PS, sorry I forgot the extra days over the 31 norm, from memory I think our friend paid £1 per day, but that was only for a 35 night cruise, whether longer ones are more expensive I dont know but as @bobstheboy said, you can check this as you get your quote.

Be prepared for a shock when you start looking for insurance quotes. I was astounded that Free Spirit wanted over £5000 for their super duper policy, which includes cruise cover for missed ports, and that was limited to 31 days and there are hefty add ons for extending. How NW manage to quote so low is a mystery, but I have not seen any horror stories from claimants, so I hope it will prove a good buy, and you also get free breakdown cover and free mobile cover as well.

The Nationwide travel insurance only has a small daily add on for cruises over 31 days. A friend of ours used this top up for her 35 night Caribbean and US earlier this

That's interesting, so not all r/h cabins have poles, I wonder if any l/h cabins have poles, though we have not seen one yet.

Yes that is exactly what I mean by right handed, and I wonder if all the right handed cabins have the pole, while the left handed don't? And I agree that GB will be our choice if we opt for a saver fare, although we did not notice the slight overhang caused us problems, but the movement in rough seas did.

No I mean your right hand being alongside the wall of the bathroom when seated on the toilet, and the shower controls being nearer your right and when sitting on the shower seat, and left handed being the opposite, which is what my wife requires because her right side is paralysed.

Ventura was berthed alongside when we visited Key West.

As well as the GCs on deck 15, and of course GAs which are midship on decks 11 and 12, either of which would be an acceptable location. Does anyone know if all the adapted cabins with right handed bathroom set up have the pole in the cabin. All our cruises on Iona have been in left handed set up bathroom cabins, and none of those had a pole.