newxmascruiser

Wow great photos. Have loved following this thread from the start. Shame it got derailed for a bit, but fully back on track with fantastic photos to boot. Im so intrigued by this experience for those on board and can only imagine being able to take enough time out for this trip. Safe travels to you all and looking forward to whoever shares more of the rest

Just back off this 12 night Canaries cruise on Anthem so a quick run down. We usually cruise from Florida with a few European port departures sprinkled in, but this 12 night from Southampton just seemed too convenient to pass up with no flights and only a 2 hour drive. We went for a balcony this time. With Ultimate dining package and Ultimate beverage package. Despite being Diamond we still feel the UBP is value for us. Im not going to go day by day or port by port but just note some things which may be useful or if interest, but happy to answer any questions on UBP or UDP or anything else on this ship So a few observations which might be useful There was a new cruise director on this sailing, like brand new. He was ok, nothing to write home about, I’m sure he will settle in North Star is free on port days it goes up tilts to each side for a minute or so then back down. Takes 10-15 mins On sea days it was $40 pp ride was more like 20 mins and weather permitting goes out to the side of the ship. To me it’s more interesting in port anyway with something to see. Plenty of availability if you’re flexible on times Ifly same - free on port days or $40 on sea days. Have done it before so didn’t do that this time. Slots for the complimentary times on port days show up on the afternoon the day before. Royal puzzle break is like a bit of a watered down escape room. It’s held in Fuel. They don’t list it on the paper cruise planner but it’s in the app. Loads and loads of time slots. You have to reserve in the app. 50 min limit in the room. Really really good fun Ship in good shape, loads of maintenance going on inc a lot of carpets being replaced I assume ready for the TA Bingo was $69 for the full package if that interests anyone Casino was completely nonsmoking as is the case with UK sailings No enforcement at all of pool chair hogs and that was in FULL force Spectra’s cabaret was the only showing requiring reservations The guys for reserving dining using UDP were right on deck 5 as we boarded The ship was so so crowded. It’s probably my least favourite class for that reason, like every venue, every night Loads of great live music all over Jonny Rockets shakes were available with the UBP Solarium Bistro is a good quiet breakfast spot and the bar there has the freshly squeezed OJ machine. Same for Two 70. Seaplex hold a laser quest session. Don’t be fooled it’s not just for kids!! Was brilliant fun. The put up a big inflatable kind of maze for you to run around in with the scores on a big screen and running commentary on which teams winning. Again reserve in the app Think that’s about it but any questions happy to try and help

I did the 6 night in 2022. Did a quick run down here with a bit about pre cruise hotel, transport and the 3 ports we did. We have cruised from “Rome” in the past on different itineraries and stayed in Rome itself and headed to port on sail away day. We’ve always taken a cab but you can get the train. The train station is around a 20 min walk to port. If there is anything specific I can try and answer for you would be happy to help

I just cancelled my UDP as the price had gone down and it now wont process my payment to rebook, annoying. Whats the betting the price has gone up again by the time the payment issue is fixed

Currently on Liberty. We have eaten in the MDR twice so far. Both times were good. The portion sizes were good and the food hot. Prime rib and strip steak both well cooked and came with a larger portion of vegetables than I remember before. Most disappointing for me is that the earliest time for my time is now 7.15 which is just way too late. Had I known I would have requested early seating and will do so in future as I suspect will many others as the my time queue starts forming around 6.45 from what I have seen. We were in just after 7.15 both times and it’s pretty frantic with waiters running around changing tables over around us with table cloths glasses and cutlery being rushed out. Other than that no complaints so far

Yep. At the Cafe Two70. Was one of the best I’ve had there a couple weeks ago. Enjoy!

Yes on the app. That will be the simplest way. The times for North Star and iFly didn’t show up for us until we were connected to ship wifi.

We tested at home, since we only spent 1 night so were within the 2 days before requirement

No worries!! We had our own with us ready to use on the ship anyway, so I can’t say I’m afraid.

We just stayed 1 night. Hopefully the other replies have answered your taxi questions 👍

Yes exactly as we did. We also booked from the ship back to FCO when we disembarked. The driver was waiting with our name on a card. Same price. Was really good value to what others paid. Also to note regular taxis aren’t available outside the ship, prebooked ones only, so the options are pre book, take the shuttle back to the port entrance and try and catch a cab from there, or lots of people took the shuttle then walked to the train station. Maybe a 15-20 min walk

Yes the tender numbers were not relevant to anyone with a tour. You’ll get the details with your tour tickets of where and when to meet on the ship. Have a great time!!

Great choice with Casa Sul Mare they were fantastic hosts. There is an old fort down by the port which you can walk around. There was also a little street market right across from the property. We mainly just wandered around and enjoyed the bars and cafes in the sunshine. Yes when you leave the apartment you cross the street and walk down to the port entrance, the shuttle picks you up there. Loris even offered to walk our bags over with us.

Yes correct reservations are once on board or in the terminal if you’re waiting and have pre paid internet package. There we’re also a couple of podiums dotted about when we boarded who could handle it for you. Honestly no hassle booking everything we wanted. Im pretty sure the book and the effectors were the only 2 requiring reservations.

Wonderland was great. We left the choice of apps to them, all were delicious small/one bites. The mains were large. We had the pork and the short rib. Both were good. I didn’t care for either of their special cocktails though. Service was fabulous but I definitely felt the menu was a one and done

Amazing race is one our favourite ever excursions

Just to add actually For anyone travelling with kids (or otherwise) who doesn’t want to get the refreshment package. El Loco Fresh is literally on the pool deck and has the usual windjammer dispensers with lemonade, strawberry kiwi and whatever else so it’s right there without having to head away from the pool. Also just remembered you get 1 complimentary go on iFly, book as soon as you can it got full really quick Final thing for now. No wifi code any longer if you’ve pre booked a voom package. Soon as you are in terminal or on ship connect to guest wifi, if it doesn’t prompt you with the login screen go to login.com in your browser and follow the prompts to set yourself up using the pre paid option in the menu

No problem. Crete for sure do it yourself is simple. You can book the shuttle on the app and don’t need to collect a ticket you can just show on your phone. The line for people who have done that is much shorter than those who haven’t pre paid. when you get to town there is a hop on hop off bus kiosk right there. It runs every 45 minutes. I didn’t check the price but could be a quick option to get a bit of a round trip and a feel for the sights. I heard the line for tender tickets started around 8am (when it was advertised as opening at 9.30) of course may be different on your sailing but may be an indicator of the wait time in line you’ll need to get an early off. I think there was an option for town on your own tour which included tender and cable car ride. Although an added expense it may be your cheapest option to get off quickly if you want to do your own thing after. We came back down pretty early so not much of a line but one of the bar tenders we spoke to said the line to come back down can sometimes be up to 2 hours!! Bot trying to scare you of course everyone’s experience will be different but that was ours. Hope that helps ETA any other questions on the shows or entertainment happy to try and help

Oh that’s a shame about Chops. We ate there for dinner and lunch and both were awesome. We ate there the last night and it was completely full but the service was still fantastic. Good to hear they made it right for you though!

Well.. It was SUPER windy the day we were there, like things flying around windy. So the crossing was pretty rough. It’s a short trip though. It takes you over to the old port which is right in town. They run constantly there and back all day. Details are here. The booth to buy tickets is right outside the ship https://www.mykonos-seabus.gr/

Same as other ports you are assigned a time slot when you check in for the cruise. We had 11.30 but no one asked or checked when we arrived, we walked straight through. It was very quiet at that time though so YMMV

Entertainment Considering we had 3 port days (2 which were long) I was pleasantly surprised by how many activities were packed in to the schedule each night. There was always something going on. The pub had a fantastic singer (guitar) every night, who took requests and really packed the place out each night. Music Hall for late night was a great atmosphere for partying. There was a 70s night, and a white night with party on the pool deck. North Star was good fun, there are slots with no charge which are just up and down and then there is were slots for $19 (I think) which went out to the side also. Up and down was enough for us. We did it on Crete day whilst still in port so got some great views. There was the usual trivia in Schooner and also a pub quiz every night. Boleros had a Latin band and pool deck was a mixture of a Greek band, Calypso and DJ. Bumper Cars were never that busy. Playmakers had shuffleboard, fusball, darts and pool tables all available. Shows We went to Gold Art Duo who are headliners but resident. Really great show The Book in Two70 was disappointing for me, I just didn’t get it The Effectors is the new main theatre show and it was awesome The Book and the effectors were the only shows needing reservations and both were pretty much full Plenty of drinks waiters at every show. Ports of Call Santorini - 1st stop. Required tenders They were a bit of a nightmare. Without a tour booked we were told they would start giving out tender tickets from 9.30am. I got there dead on, the line was already gone and we ended up with ticket number 34. The wait was over 2 hours after we had docked for us to get off. Once across, the line for the cable car was enormous. We decided to try and walk it. Unfortunately the only way we could find was the same road which the donkeys used. It was chaos, smelly, steep and donkeys everywhere. So we backtracked and got in line for the cable car. We were the only ship in port and the wait was an hour, so I dread to think when there are more ships. We headed up took a walk around and grabbed some drinks. I was quite underwhelmed Mykonos No tender needed (yippee!) we headed off and jumped on the sea bus (water taxi) 2 euros each way per person Mykonos was beautiful we really enjoyed looking around Crete Also no tender. We docked at the new port. There was an RC shuttle. $6 per person. The ride took about 15 mins and dropped us in to town. It was around a 15 min walk down to the harbour. Again beautiful area. There were people at the bus stop when we arrived selling tours but we were all aboard at 2pm so didn’t have enough time to take one. The town is a real maze. There were 2 families 45 minutes late back, I’m assuming they got lost, they were lucky the captain waited for them. Other general observations Loads and I mean loads of kids and it was the week before the schools even broke up Brits and Europeans in full sunbed claiming mode. By 7am there was not a chair to be had on the pool deck on sea days. Even the loungers in the pool had towels reserving them. And even on port days it was hard to find anywhere in a sunny spot. On the last sea day the crew came around at 8am folded and replaced towels on chairs which were not being used. They came back at 8.30 and any which hadn’t moved were removed. This caused a hilarious next few hours of people coming back, other people in ‘their’ chairs and the ensuing arguments. Honestly I don’t know the answer, that was the only time we saw towels removed, but genuinely there aren’t enough chairs for people on this ship. Hot tubs were gross, full of kids and by around 11am you couldn’t see anything in the water it was that murky. Activities team seemed super stretched but gave it their everything with super amounts of energy. We changed ship time an hour forward and then an hour back, which seemed strange to bother just for an hour. But no dramas just make sure your phone isn’t set to automatic time! Overall I really really had a blast. I wouldn’t hesitate to cruise this class again. I’ll continue to get the beverage package each time I cruise. And any time again I’m not in a full suite I’ll grab the UDP also. Think that’s everything which may be of interest. Again any questions, happy to try and help!

We didn’t, we used Lloyds Pharmacy observed lateral flow on the Friday (flew Saturday, cruised Sunday) since we are fully vacc’d 48 hours before was acceptable.

Thought I’d share a quick run down of our latest cruise on the Odyssey We cruised on the 17th July 6 night sailing. Embarked in Civitavecchia and called at Santorini, Mykonos and Crete, with a sea day at the front and back end. We had the beverage package and the ultimate dining package and made good use of both Pre cruise We flew in just 1 day prior and since we’ve done Rome a couple times we decided to stay in Civitavecchia. My expectations of the town were low but we were really pleasantly surprised. There was lots going on and loads of lovely cafes bars and restaurants. We stayed at Casa Sul Mare which I could not recommend highly enough. We had pre booked a taxi service via them from airport and also back to the airport post cruise. We paid 130 euros each way, which actually turned out to be a great shout, most people we spoke to who had hopped in a car at the airport paid 200+ Cruise Day We headed out around 10.30 took the 5 minute walk to the port shuttle bus. Within 10 minutes we were on the free shuttle and 5 minutes later we were at bag drop. Check in was a breeze and we were on the ship just after 11. Cabin We usually sail in full suites but since this was intended as a ‘cheap’ getaway we originally booked a balcony but got Royal Upped to a JS for $200 total about 3 weeks out. We ended up aft, middle of the ship, and really enjoyed that view. Plenty of room, very comfortable, loungers and foot stalls on the balcony. Drinks We were on our first cruise as diamond so we considered passing on the beverage package this time but then went with it anyway. Everything we asked for was available all the time. Water was in cans (weird!) And most time when ordering soft drinks the can was never opened so was good for taking back to cabin. Food We ate in all speciality restaurants bar chefs table. All were great. Service was always fantastic. We ate in both Giovannis and Chops at lunch time also. We made all reservations for dinner as soon as we boarded and had no problem with all our requests. The only up charge was for Teppinyaki which was $10 each extra We didn’t use windjammer or main dining room at all so can’t comment on those. We also didn’t even try (being in a JS) to get any coastal kitchen reservations as usually we dine there every night so wanted to try all of the others. For breakfast our go to was two70. Speciality coffees and fresh OJ were available there also and it was never crowded. Pizza in Sorrentos was actually great. This is already way longer than I intended so I’ll come back later with entertainment, shows, the ship in general, and anything else that comes to mind. I didn’t save the cruise compass (yes they still delivered paper copies to cabin) so can’t post those I’m afraid. Any questions fire away

We are on Odyssey now out of Italy. If you are fully vaccinated then you just need supervised LFT. We had this done at Lloyds pharmacy and they give you the certificate there and then. For the app it won’t validate if you’ve tried uploading a picture of your covid pass/status from the nhs app, I’m tried and tested and it wants photos of the actual vaccination cards you got when you had them done (the little blue things) I tried those as a last resort and it validated within a day