sleepingcat

its a while ago now... we boarded Arcadia in Auckland for half a world cruise (ie back to the UK). P and O booked and supplied the flights as a package, we flew to NZ a month before the cruise started and did a motorhome tour (which we arranged).  It was emirates, we chose a great flight time (8.30 pm from Birmingham), so it was breakfast in Dubai, and we had a 36 hour stopover at a hotel in Bangkok. because I agree, 23 hours straight is too much. 

I booked with a certain well known Derbyshire TA who were very helpful and efficient. 

as others have said above, it will be an individually booked scheduled flight, so you could choose to arrive in your cruise starting point a couple of days before your boarding date, a chance to rest up, and also explore a bit. Especially if you are boarding in Singapore I would recommend that, we loved Singapore and hope to return to see what we missed last time. And Sydney is one of the best places in the world to visit. 

There has been previous discussion on various CC boards on this. As far as I know, all cruise ships on world cruises at present have rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope. There is no way they would take the risk of the Red Sea.  And that is very sad for the region and for we fortunate world travellers. On our RWC, I went to Petra from Aquaba, absolutely one of the wonders of the world, and currently not possible to visit. 

On 3/4/2024 at 12:04 AM, Joebucks said:

There is a very common misconception about travel insurance that it moves the sun and the moon, and squashes your every inconvenience. I never travel without my credit card, that includes many travel insurances, 0% foreign exchange fees, reward points, and a sizable credit limit.

I agree with the above, but in fact when we had an emergency, our travel insurance did take care of everything. We did not pay up front. On a world cruise in 2014 on P and O Arcadia, DH required an emergency op (also for kidney stones, coincidentally), which was carried out in Singapore. Liaison between P and O UK, our insurers (for you UK readers, It was Nationwide included travel insurance with your bank account) and the hospital meant that when my husband checked out I was only asked to pay the insurance excess which was £200 British pounds. The operation cost 10,000 Singapore dollars as far as I remember and the hospital was first rate and the care excellent. 

Also praise for the customer care of P and O, every day I was on my own in the hotel in Singapore, a lady from P and O phoned me to check if everything was going correctly.  After the operation, with agreement of the ship's doctor, we flew to rejoin the ship in Colombo and did the rest of the cruise back to the UK while DH recuperated. The purser on the ship phoned me also. And in Colombo we stayed in the Hilton from which  P and O 's port agent collected us and took us through the port departure formalities and saw us onto the ship. When we reached our cabin, there were flowers waiting......

It was a bad experience, but everyone involved did their best to support us, so it did not spoil the many happy memories of that cruise. 

DH and I sailed last month with another UK cruise line. As my mother in her care home in Cornwall is 98 years old,  and in poor health, we always need possible emergency contact.  That line gives the 24 hour number of a 'duty officer' and I think P and O will have the same. If it is an emergency I dont think anyone would be paying for the call.  

btw my mother is still with us and will be 99 next week!

I hope it's not fussing to remind you that such an emergency may have travel insurance implications if you think you might need to cut your cruise short and return to the UK.  before I even booked our cruise I had a lengthy phone call with our insurers to check exactly what we would be covered for in the event we needed to either cancel, or return home during the cruise.  

Here's hoping that all is well. 

5 hours ago, John Bull said:

Finally it's worth repeating your question on the Northern Europe board https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/116-northern-europe-baltic-sea/

and btw, if you read down through that thread, there is plenty of advice and discussion about different itinerary and port calls. and especially about Flam, which as JB says, is a must for many people.  I have done that rail trip and it is well worth the effort. 

spent a week on that coast a while back.  its not just that the coast road is busy, its also terrifying.  it was built in the 18 th century for carriages. so there is no possibility for two tour buses to pass each other. the local authorities employ traffic managers at the narrow sections to sort out the traffic chaos and after they go home in the evening it is a riot of arguments and horns blaring. 

Having said that, the area is absolutely beautiful, Positano delightful, and dont forget to sample the Limoncello.

btw also, I dont know, but I would check exactly where the ship is tendering.  When we were there we saw several cruise ships,  arrivals visible from our hotel, and they all tendered into Amalfi. 

The same thing happened to my brother and sis in law last year and it was 2 days before they left for holiday.  Sis in law had a cut stitched at minor injuries and they thought they should tell their insurer, who promptly cancelled on them.  I am pretty sure they were able to arrange something quickly and easily with Staysure. so give them a try. 

 also found this link

https://www.comparethemarket.com/travel-insurance/medical-conditions/

We were in Funchal last month on an overnight port stop.  As far as I remember, most of the local taxis are cars rather than the accessible type which we now have many of in the UK.  We got caught in a rainstorm and took a taxi back to the ship and it was a Mercedes car. 

since you ve booked your tea direct with the hotel, I would ask their advice about an appropriate taxi firm and then prebook your pickup to be sure to get what you need.

Also I found the link below.

https://www.motion4rent.com/guide-funchal-in-wheelchair

"Many taxis in Funchal are wheelchair accessible and can be a convenient option for getting to the city center. Make sure to specify that you need an accessible taxi when you request one.

Here is the contact information for a company that does provide accessible taxis.

Contact information:

• Madeira Accessible Taxi
• Phone: (+351) 964 399 287
• Email: info@madeiraaccessibletaxi.com
• Website: https://www.madeiraaccessibletaxi.com/"
•  

agree with @norwich cruiser.  La sPalmas is the capital so it's well provided with taxis, buses etc. We were just there last month on a cruise.  you dont specify where you need to be in the south so I just guessed playa del ingles

have a look here if it helps

https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Las-Palmas-de-Gran-Canaria/Playa-del-Inglés

generally because the Canary islands are all small they have excellent bus services and on Tenerife there is a tram also.  so d y i excursions are very feasible. 

btw are you sure the tour provider isn't willing to pick you up in Las Palmas? Worth asking at least.  Things are kind of informal and friendly in the Canaries, so give it a try. 

general discussion of this topic here

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2990451-cruises-transiting-the-suez-canal/

including info about which lines have already issued revised itineraries. Might give you an idea of what FOCL will do.  It looks likely though that once they issue a new route you would be able to cancel and rebook to something else, if you wished.

yes, Ive just check the P and O pages, the map for Arcadia still shows the Red Sea, but the list itinerary says they will go via Cape Town (also a fab call, of course). 

a number of  cruise ships are on world cruises at the moment which have the Red Sea and the canal as part of the itinerary. I think waiting to see what the companies concerned decide to do will give a good indication of what will happen to future planned itineraries. 

We are starting to feel incredibly fortunate to have passed through the Red Sea and the canal on a world cruise some years ago, it remains a highlight among our travel experiences. 

cant answer the question - would just suggest you copy your post over to the "UK cruisers" forum as well as here as that should find the people w ho might have experience of what you are thinking of.

and maybe try a search of that forum.

As (bad) luck would have it, a  gold crown fell out just as we were starting 3 sea days on our way back to Portsmouth from Funchal.  I was not too happy about 3 days of sharp edges and food getting trapped in the cavity.

Owing to the excellent free wifi on board (thank you Saga) I was able to email my dental practice and book in for the day after our return.

Then I went to the ships health centre to see if they had temporary repair kits, they did, but only the one for dentures which they sold me for £16.00 and the doctor advised that I could use the paste in it to make a temporary filling. WRONG ! Just in case I emailed my practice again to check.  They said NO! on no account use this kit, as the paste contains an acrylic which will be very difficult to remove from natural teeth.  I dont in the least blame the doctor, after all he's not a dental surgeon. 

Next evening we were fortunate to have dinner with a couple who happened to have packed a temporary tooth repair kit and kindly passed it on to me. Don't you nearly always meet with lovely people on cruise ships?  Using it to make a temporary filling for my gap was pretty difficult but I did succeed. (use much less than you think is the main advice).

Happy to say the crown is now back in place. the temporary filling floated out just with the water scaler and left a nice clean cavity. 

So here is the advice, buy a reputable dental repair kit to take with you on your next cruise. If you dont need it, someone else probably will. 

I think it's special occasions only.  I had my birthday on another cruise line (Saga Spirit of Discovery) last month and our cabin steward prepared a towel animal/balloons birthday greeting... he also incorporated our stuffed dog who accompanies us on our travels if we aren't flying....

First of all check where the ship actually docks for each call.  For example 'Bristol' will I think actually be AVonmouth which is a large, modern commercial (ugly) port about 4 miles from Bristol.  

Jersey is a tiny island. you could enjoy yourselves just walking off the ship and wandering around St Hellier.  Or get a taxi to tour your round the whole island.

Bristol is a large city but with lots of history and historic buildings .  you could just take the train from Avonmouth into the city, or do the ships tour.   I would suggest not to take a tour which involves hours in a bus (eg if they offer Stonehenge, even though it's unique, probably better not unless you are never likely to be in the UK again). One thing to know is that our roads are terrible, and mostly very busy. 

Fishguard is a small pretty port where ferries leave for Ireland. Again I would just get off and wander round. 

Cannot advise about Ireland, but again, check where the ship actually docks. 

If you search a bit more on this forum you ll find entries for your ports with better suggestions than I can make. Sadly you havent got a call in the lovely part of Britain where we live. 

I dont understand the new format actually, maybe because I dont really do social media much. So its not working for me.

Re the 'like' or other reactions feature, I dont post much but when I do I often get reactions, had two yesterday I think. However although it's nice for me to know that others are reading what I contribute, I am not sure that it helps anyone else.  If I m following a thread, I probably read all the posts whether or not they ve been 'liked' by other people. 

Looks like under way again now. There is a thick fog here, otherwise on waking  I would have been able to see the ship out of our windows!* Let's hope all goes on well from here. 

Funchal and La Palma both pleasantly warm when we were there last week on S of D, happy sailing to all on board. 

* and wouldn't be the first time.

Suggest you see what is the earliest they would allow you to board. when we boarded in Auckland our ship also did not sail until evening. we got on the ship with our luggage about 11 am, had lunch and then got off again to spend the afternoon ashore. 

however it was a RWC and very few passengers boarding in Auckland so I might be completely wrong!

and this link might be the best place to start

https://www.seat61.com/european-train-travel.htm

3 hours ago, alserrod said:

am afraid, your link doesn't run (URL has been bought by someone and he offers at 3500$)

apologies, I ought to have searched it out before posting:

https://www.seat61.com

I think it's just the same as it ever was. and very useful.

a great source for English speakers is

themaninseat61.com

sorry this is nt clickable because I m doing it from memory. but you ll find it easily. As soon as Eurostar direct trains from London started, this site came into being and is the go to for British travellers going to Mainland Europe by train. agree all the comments above. if possible in continental Europe, always travel by train. In the UK for a different reason, our roads are mostly not good and pretty busy. 

recent thread on this:

the link I found will give you the info you need. it sounds a pain, though. on our just completed cruise I decided not to bother given the value of what we bought. 

We disembarked from 2 weeks on SoD yesterday. There were 3 formal evenings. however one of them was on a port day, which I have never experienced before, and having been ashore all day it seemed like too much of a faff to get in to formal wear. and by the look of the numbers of people dining in the Grill, it may be that quite a few people felt the same as us. 

Plenty of DJs and sparkly dresses around on the 2 nights we did bother. And yes, @GerryL13 I had a well loved LBD worn with a brand new chiffon jacket to smarten it up a bit. 

On 1/15/2024 at 9:39 AM, JMMKUK said:

Saw that you left Funchal later than scheduled. Are you going to be late back to Portsmouth? You are not very far ahead of SoA on the CruiseMapper map.

did not see this as had a dental emergency - crown fell out, fortunately a fellow passenger had a temporary r repair kit. re the question, I think Funchal departure was always scheduled for lunchtime. monday not a bad sea day, but tuesday and wednesday so wet it was impossible to even walk on deck.  ship had plenty of time in hand, we could have been back in Portsmouth on wed evening easily. I presume scheduled extra time in case of B of B  stormy, but in the event mainly it was just wet with zero visibility.