sleepingcat

a loose cotton kaftan cover up will do the job and will roll and pack up small in your case. and you can cover up in it when the sun gets too hot. If you need to buy I would scout local charity shops for a bargain. I still have my P and O logo dressing gown (bought as I remember) as a nice souvenir of our 2014 RWC, but that was for cosying up in the cabin rather than going to the pool.

How about flying in to Madrid and then using the brilliant modern high speed Spanish rail network to visit say Granada and Seville and thence on to Lisbon by train? or fly in to Malaga ditto. Do you only want cities? if not the Algarve coast of Portugal is lovely and the west coast between Algarve and Lisbon very untouristy and beautiful.

Hi, local Devon person here. yes, do go for the Round Robin, we took our 20 French guests last year and they all loved it. Its a bit more complicated to plan than you might think because the timings of the cruise boat trip leg depend on the tides on the specific day you will be there. Right, Ive just looked up the timetable. the tides on that day mean you need to go anticlockwise, ie bus from Paignton to Totnes, then the river trip departs 11 am down river to Dartmouth. that gives lots of time to see Dartmouth, cross the river to Kingswear and board a suitable train to get you back to Paignton. https://www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk/timetables?date=2023-09-02 You d need to be on the 10 am round robin bus from Paignton to Totnes. I THINK the round robin bus will go from outside the steam train station, it certainly drops off there. JB s advice above is all good. Ask away if anything is not clear. We ve found the Dartmouth Steam railway company staff very helpful and pleasant.

Bilbao, ive just looked where the ship will dock, its miles, you ll need a tour. (note I put 'cruceros Bilbao' into my maps programme. try doing that for all your ports ) A Coruna: ship docks right in the city centre, just walk off and wander, nice historic buildings and cafes, we loved it. Vigo, also possible to just walk off and historic centre again but a bit less fun than A Coruna. We didn't/t but next time probably will use a ferry to get out onto the harbour and islands. ps October, its not going to very warm by then, and Bay of Biscay may be rough.

and I can add, an even further reassurance, we have had two largish claims with NW insurance in the last ten years and both have been settled. One was a medical emergency and the other a lockdown covid cancellation.

oh good luck with your first cruise. be aware that having a polite word with the maitre d of the restaurant you've been allocated for 8,30 could easily get you moved to a 6 pm sitting. Ive always been successful with this request, and last time on FOCL we were moved to a table with some delightful dinner companions, and to a nicer restaurant.

good interesting thread has been started here, thanks. I think as suggested above, you might find if you are willing to fly to Europe to start a cruise you will find more ships and lines which will suit you. Smaller ships can as you point out get in to more, and more interesting, ports. I well remember arriving at St Lucia I think it was, the Queen Mary II was at anchor off the island, not even in the harbour, and tendering its passengers ashore. our modest little ship, the Black Watch, sadly now decommissioned, sailed right in to the dock where we all piled off (actually only 650 passengers as I recall) and made our own adventures for the day. out of the UK and Germany there are several ships and lines which do not take children, and cruises with lots of activities.

Also check out your bank account. We get annual travel insurance free with ours and several offer this.

there are a couple of British companies operating out of UK ports with smaller ships and no glamour and glitz. but their passenger profile is mainly older, which might not be right for you. Saga does Norway and the north cape stopping in small ports, also Iceland. so does Fred Olsen. the reviews of the saga Northern lights cruise suggest the off ship activities are good: some recent photos and posts on the saga section of these boards.

Hi Rob, suggest you repost on the P and O UK section of the boards. You will find lots of comments from people who have done this cruise last winter. the one you are looking is likely to be repositioning probably as they operate fly cruise out of Barbados during the winter. there may also be reviews of the ship and the cruise in the reviews section. We have been to the Caribbean from Southampton, not with P and O, and absolutely loved it; there is a point when you first see flying fish alongside the ship because you are far enough south and its getting warmer. but note there are a lot of sea days crossing the Atlantic, so if you are not a fan of ship life you may prefer to fly to Caribbean as you have done before.

just in case you are not aware, there is also the Norwegian Company Hurtigruten. Its not a cruise as such, as their ships service the ports up the Norway coast. but it is a good way to see the Northern Lights, and they guarantee you a further trip for free if you dont see the lights. My bro and Sis in Law went with them in November and had a wonderful trip including 2 nights of Northern Lights.

Not needed in La Corunna, the ship docks walking distance to the centre. the port for Porto is some distance away. Havent been by ship to La Rochelle, but thoroughly recommend the city and the old harbour, its quite lovely.

this site is generally the go to site for any info about European train travel, maintained by someone who has done an awful lot of it. and all in English. https://www.seat61.com

I think Ive posted previously that the sound insulation on the two Spirits is so good that on S of A our next door neighbours thought our cabin was empty. Its one of the good reasons to book Saga. You never have to listen in on next doors phone calls home, or their TV.

If you want to do the Med in the autumn which is a lovely time because it is still warm but not hot, why not fly to Rome or Barcelona and start from there, thus avoiding the Bay of Biscay which as others say above, and I have also experienced, can be very rough, even in the middle of summer.

thanks for the comments and pics everyone. I s till cannot work out why if I post pictures some of them, as above with SS, come out sideways and ive tried lots of ways to prevent this. if anyone knows, could they please post, yes I know it is completely off topic....

https://city-sightseeing.com/en/24/malaga/230/hop-on-hop-off-malaga

agree with the points above. I am a local. the Lizard is lovely but its probably not worth the time and money, if you dont already know Falmouth. Falmouth is a lovely town in a wonderful setting. another great thing to do is the national maritime museum, which is really interesting and right on the harbour, a bout a ten minute walk from where the ship will dock. and a great setting with shops and restaurants. If you wanted a beach, Gyllingvase is on the seaward side of Falmouth and has a good cafe. If you like wallking you could do an extended walk right around the headland and take in the Castle. TBH I wouldn't bother with Truro. Apart from the ferry mentioned by JB there are also extended river cruises which go up the Fal river. at some states of the tide its possible to get a boat to Tregothnan (Lord Falmouth, stately home and estate). one of many relevant websites: https://www.falmouth.co.uk/discover-falmouth/

the excursions for a particular route dont vary that much so if you post again with details of which cruise you have booked and the ports of call, you will get lots of useful comments. including probably plenty of advice about how to enjoy the port call without booking the ship's excursion. someone who has done the same cruise recently will probably be able to copy over the excursion list from their cruise, but of course with the warning that it might vary a bit .

log in and click on the notification bell at the left of your user name, then go to 'notification settings'. this looks like an updated menu to me with more choices. then scroll down to 'manage notifications' and untick the email symbol. just done it, waiting to see if successful. yesterday I was wondering what you were all complaining about, then I posted a comment, and lo and behold someone responded and an email duly turned up!

our experience westbound from NZ back to the UK, the ship's daily newsletter gave advance warning each time there was to be a time change the next night. be aware that the ship's time may not always be the local time where the ship is. And on that trip we also crossed the equator as you would also between Aus and the US.

How about the light railway along the coast from central Malaga as far as Fuengirola. Very frequent trains and easy to use. you could get off and on at several places along the coast. but it is true that the whole coast along that stretch is very built up.

you have just discovered what for me is one of the joys of cruising: I can take as much stuff as I want with me, and anything awkward or messy (knitting, drink) I can carry on board myself. Compared to flying it s a pleasure. and yes, agree with JH that labelling hand luggage is a good idea.

Just another couple of points for you. we did opposite to you, touring NZ before boarding ship in Auckland for return to the UK. had a one way car hire from Wellington to Auckland. We found staying in a self catering cabin on a campsite was often a pleasant option so we could make our own food. and meet lots of other international travellers. In Auckland we rented an apartment with a tiny kitchen and a washing machine, it was a 5 minute walk from the sky tower and the waterfront, could see the skytower from the balcony. Definitely definitely see all the geothermal stuff, we visited a site where we walked to natural different coloured mineral water effects in different pools, sorry Ive forgotten the name, it was amazing. In Taupo we did a hiking trail along the river to the Huka falls. we wished we had had more time. NZ is a great place to enjoy. And some time we will get back again.

some years ago on a world cruise we had a day in Oman. I wore a long loose fitting silk kaftan style dress (usually a beach cover up) with a drawstring waist, and I carried a large scarf to put over my head or round my shoulders when needed. I think I wore loose trousers under the dress. it was cool and comfortable for walking around.