jasperado

Med.

A return rail ticket from Civitavecchia / Rome is 12 euro, and includes metro and bus travel in the city! Check also to see how many other ships will be in port on the days that you are. In one port we will be one of 5 liners. Loads of people scrambling for buses and trains.

As louthebowler says the prices from p and o wont go down, but if you are wanting to use your obc to pay for the trips, you can only do this on the ship.

Hi Med

My DH and I are visiting these ports in September/October and we are also looking for options to DIY as an alternative to the P and O trips. Could you please tell me the prices P and O are quoting for the guided coach tours of Florence and Rome and also the price of the "drop you off and do your own thing" ones. Its a bit early for the prices to be shown on my cruise personaliser.

Thankyou.

Booked to go away in June around the Med on Ventura when are the trips likely to be shown on cruise personaliser?

It is about 3 months before departure date. But in the meantime there are example excursions shown on the p and o website, but no prices. Go to cruise life/going ashore and scroll down to "got a destination in mind?". Im going to the med on Ventura later on in the year and have used their trip examples to plan my DIY trips.

Have a great cruise.

.....youve still got time to click the edit button and put "I love P&O" as your message.

No can do!!! I have chosen the fork.....there is no going back, :)

The moral of the posting is......read the question and do the sums!! :p

Which kind of ties in with a post I did a few months ago.

Basically start of with select price with the OBC, how in the end does it compare with the early saver/saver fares.

Agreed you need to be the sort of person/people who usually have a large bill at the end for it to be worth it.

Thinking about it any cruise line must have a base figure that they would not sell a cabin below, as they still have to feed that person etc.

Booked last week on Ventura for 27 September....inside B deck. Long time to wait for holiday.

Early saver : no dining choices, no OBC, no shuttles in certain ports £999.

Select : dining choices, shuttles, choice of location of cabin £1159 - less £65 OBC for booking select, £50 OBC for booking before 28/02/15, extra £50 OBC for going through a specialist TA, £994

Only a £5 saving, but a £5 saving with choices.

This might be a fluke, but it was comparible this time last year as well.

Whoops!! Just realised this is for Carribean cruises and I have priced for a Med cruise. Apologies to all. Wish I could erase the post and stick a fork in my eye. :(

Completely agree if you are there mid-week but if it is Sunday everywhere is closed and a lot of places also close at lunchtime on Saturdays.

Yep, that could be a problem, even on small trips to nearer villages/attractions. Oh, what to do???:confused:

What about Tuscania or Tarquinia? Any thoughts, views or reviews please??:o

Tarquinia is a very pleasant place to visit. You can catch the bus from just around the corner from the port gates although I think they've now moved where the port bus drops you off. Very cheap but getting the tickets was a bit of a hassle... we belatedly found out that the Birg tickets were sold at the tourist info point near the port gates.

Hi, yes I know about the BIRG tickets. They are different from the Rome BIRG tickets which are 12 euros. I think the Tarquinia ones are only about 3 euros. Is Tarquinia the place with the Etruscan tombs as well as a lido/waterpark?? Im trying to absorb information from so many sites my brain is starting to scramble :o

Will visiting on a Sunday make a difference to visiting smaller, off the beaten track places? (Sunday/day of rest/family day?)

Civitavecchia is going to be busy the day we are there. We will be one of 5 liners in that day.

What other trips suggestions , if any , re there from this port ? We have spent a long weekend in Rome , and dont fancy a long trek into a place that needs a longer visit

I am booked on Ventura in Sept/Oct and on another thread we have been talking about this. (Average cost of excursions etc....currenly being posted on). I am looking at Tarquinia and/or Tuscania, these are a couple of alternatives that P and O usually offer, but am unsure of their costings. I am, of course, looking for comparable options without spending so much money :D

The public transport system seems reliable from Civitavecchia and there are tour companies advertising widely on the net, so am doing my homework.

Sorry I cant answer your question, but can you please point me in the direction for information of free wi-fi for med cruises??

Apologies for hi-jacking your thread.

Just to add re the Rome train, there are 3 or 4 key trains, that being the ones for the first hour or so after disembarkation starts that are an absolute SCRUM when trying to board.

 

You have far too many cruise ship passengers trying to get too few seats and its carnage.

Maybe something else to consider....how many other liners will be in port on the day that you are in Civitavecchia?? I am booked on Ventura 27th September and on the 1st October we will be in Civitavecchia and so will four other cruise ships (so far!) disgorging a possible 13,133 passengers with "all roads leading to Rome" :eek:

Ive only just discovered this so as Ive been to Rome before I think I'll be looking at somewhere a bit closer or might just stay aboard. Also Sunday is not too good a day to visit Rome....St. Peter's is usually very busy because the Pope waves out of his window after Mass and lots of visitors tend to try and make this meeting.

I would think because E423 is more midships, it would be a good move.

Hmmm not so sure about that....E423 is right by the lifts and the stairs, which everyone will pass by to get to their own cabins further down the corridors. BTW can you choose to turn down an "upgrade" once it has been "awarded"?

Thankyou for your comments. When we were on Oceana last years friends of ours were also on the cruise, and they paid "top dollar" for a cabin midships....but we noticed that we, and every other person that got off the lifts had to toddle past their cabin to get to THEIR cabins. Sometimes I actually staggered past late at night (so did others lol ) so would that situation and location merit the extra cost ???

Looking to book our second cruise (first was last year on Oceana) and would like some guidance please.

I have realised that mid ship is more expensive for each style of cabin, followed by aft then forward. Is there really such a difference to the comfort of "sailing experience" that the position of a cabin can command a £150 pp premium in a balcony cabin and an £80 premium for an inside cabin?

BTW, looking at Spain, Monaco and Italy 27th September, and I realise this will entail a BoB crossing in October :eek:

I look forward to your comments.

Thankyou.

Just back from the fjords....beautiful scenery...get up early in the morn if you can because the sun rising over the mountains and the reflections in the water are amazing.

In Olden, we took the local "black minibuses" which are by the tourist info office on the dock, to the glacier. The tourist info sells the tickets. 350 NOK (£35) return journey each to the glacier. P & O trip £54 or £60 if booked on the ship.

No booking required, so if weather is inclement and you decide a day on the ship is the better idea, no money lost.

There is a local bus that only runs in the height of the season (you qualify!) Look at the tripadvisor site there is info there, and I think the cost is only a few NOK...but do not expect help from the tourist info place on the position of the bus stop.....they want to sell you trips, not help you to do them out of takings!!

Stavanger we did on our own. Download a map from the Stavanger tourist info if you just want a walk around the town.

A bit of homework before you go can save you money, give you other options and build the excitement and anticipation for a super trip.:)

If you go onto the P & O site (you might have to go into your personal planner bit) , there is an FAQ section that covers sample menus, price lists for bars and the spa/beauty salons, plus loads of other bits of info! Just type in your question in the "search" box or browse.

Im going to the fjords on Oceana 17 May. The advice I have been given is to just hit the first ATM in the first port of call. Pull out about £20 worth of krone to cover very small purchases and visits to the toilets etc. Charge everything else to your cards.......and if you run out of pocket money....just hit the ATM again!:D:)

My DH has asked me to ask....

is there a golf simulator thingy (?) or golf nets still available on Oceana...he heard there WERE, but might not be now. If I can promise him he can smack a couple of balls about, he wont moan about all the spending Im going to do...(while he is smacking a couple of balls about) :D

Kathy x

Ive read it is possible to hike it, but you have to be fit. My DH and I are in that area on Oceana 17 May and have also read that bad visibility due to low cloud can also cause problems. When are you going?

Due on Oceana as first timers in May......I'd just like to thank seasoned cruisers for contributing to this forum. This post is an eye-opener!! Oh goodness....I was going to be at the port 2 hours before my allocated time, because "I might get on quicker...WRONG!" Ah well, at least I will get a "relaxing lunch when I turn up at my allocated time.....hmmm wrong??" 2,000 people....one restaurant...why couldn't I see the blatantly obvious....oh yes....rose coloured spectacles are the style of the day :)

Thankyou all for your advice.....I will swan on later than allocated....(but not too much later because I wont be able to brazen it out!!) and will just grab a casual burger because one doesn't need to fill up too much because more food WILL be available in the near future.

My DH thinks I am so clever to know all these facts about an experience we havent yet experienced!!!! He doesnt DO cruise critic!!

Best wishes .

Hello Scriv

Funnily enough, my dear old mother has said that if we take to this, the next ports of call should be the baltic and a longer cruise of 12 or 14 days.....:)have you been listening to her too :)

Have loved reading other people's experiences of cruising, cant wait to join the club. Look forward to your cruise and enjoy it.

Kathy

Hello everyone!

Im new to cruising, waiting to go on the first one, so am gleaning all the information I can about ships, customs, requirements et al....

Do the prices for cruises always fluctuate?? I ask this because I have realised that seasoned cruisers sometimes book their next cruise whilst enjoying their present one. Is there a monetary advantage to this. The reason I ask this is because the cruise my DH and I are booked on has risen by £250 each since mid January, and as of 1st march, the OBC of £95 has been withdrawn, making the cruise £700 more expensive if I wished to book the same cruise and cabin rating. How on earth do you know when to buy, or for how long to wait. I welcome feedback and experiences please, because if I really get into this cruising malarky, will I book the next one whilst still on board?.

Thankyou

Thankyou for your help and recommendation to get up early......I dont think I'll be sleeping much, there's going to be too much to do. Since you enjoyed the cruise last year, are you able to go on one this year..?? If so where and where do you fancy.

Regards Kathy

Thankyou for your reply. Following the guidance on here, we will have to do the trip to the glacier from Olden with P&O because the local bus service does not tie in with arrival/departure timings due to May still being in the off season. Other than that we plan to DIY. The noise on docking will not bother us as I am sure we will be up and about anyway. I hope the north sea behaves itself!!:)

Hello everyone!

Having read this forum since booking early January, I now pluck up courage to ask you all for some little pieces of information, and just to fan the flames of my excitement even more!!

DH and I are first timers. Cabin booked A207 : I suppose there wont be much movement in the sheltered waters, but in the north sea?? Will there be some noise as it is next to the driving seat?? (she is being silly !!)

Any suggestions with how to get the most out of a relatively short period of time, I know that the time will fly. If we really enjoy this experience....suggestions for the next cruise please???

Thankyou for reading