supapete

Just got back from Ventura, freedom dining. If you're going on one of their coach buddies, all will be a breeze. You'll sail through embarkation and disembarking. Your cabin will almost certainly be ready. If not, ours was ready approx 14.45 hrs. Freedom dining applies to one of two restaurants. Turn up between the hours specified, tell them your cabin number and they'll seat you to suit themselves. Watch out for tables for two. A lot of them are against a squashy backrest and might as well be tables for 16. Ask for a table for two with chairs if you want a true table for two. Otherwise, take what you're offered. The quality of the food will be so impressive you'll have to justify the surcharges in the three such rooms. We tried the Sindhu at £15 a head. Very nice but couldn't see the extra value. I suggest you wait and see what you get in your package before booking. We would've liked a speciality dining experience on a formal night and tried to book in advance. No one would tell us when the formal nights were. Nothing was packed out, ever, on our trip so take your time. Might be different as the year unfolds.

5 packing days (for the wife) and half hour for me.

I now realise that experiencing genuine game parks doesn't come in the same category as going up the volcano in tenerife.

My inquiry was naive and out of inexperience.

However, your replies and education have shown tolerance and consideration.

I'm grateful.

Very best regards all

P.

Righty oh, all.

It seems I did the correct thing posting my enquiry.

The agents I've spoken to after putting a search in search engines for "cruise to a safari" etc. have just told me anything. Everything I want to hear.

I've managed to speak to a clued up, helpful guy at Cunard who echo'd all that I've learned here.

I can see that a tour of a genuine safari park can't be in the same category as a trip up the vulcano in Tenerife.

I must say it's nice of you all to mark my card after doing so much research and homework yourselves. (a civilised forum this is compared to others I've participated in ).

Back to the drawing board.

regards all.

P

I've done searches and searched cruise lines. I've come across nothing that says "This cruise will stop at X Game Reserve" or "Y safari park". I see the QM2 goes to south africa but the terms of the safari visit is still vague to me. Has anyone actually cruised to a safari/game park (as opposed to a zoo)? Sorry if this has been asked squillions of times already and I've missed it. We're looking to go as early 2017 as poss. Seasons greetings all. Regs. P.

I wish to cruise in order that my wife gets to be treated as a lady. Hotels' standards are slipping big time. My chief gripe about our previous cruise was the interpretative license taken by a significant sector on "smart casual". Manners and language appeared to be directly proportional to the ambiance created by attire in lounges, decks, restaurants and corridors. A number of formal nights, to me, signal unwritten rules on standards of courtesy and respect for traveling companions.

Call me old fashioned but I'll never book onto any cruise that doesn't hold firm on black tie nights.

Regards all.

P.

As I feel among friends...............

I've just run the baggage label gauntlet. :confused:

Firstly I got a rosebud, then a swan, then a bowler hat.....:rolleyes:

And finally I clocked what the end product should be. :eek:

Thank you all for listening.

Must go, matron's calling.:p

That's another reason to cruise. The dancing lessons.There's nowhere where we live. A great percentage of the lessons and evening dancing was cancelled on the boudicca on account of a 5metre to 12 metre swell. (The boudicca's as about as stabilised as the waltzers).

I'm really looking forward to that particular activity on Ventura.

Good observation about staggered meal courses when joining a larger table, by the way.

My review will be posted as soon as we return mid January.

Anyone done the coach shuttle ? We're coming from Bangor, Gwynedd to Southampton at silly-o-clock in the morning and back.

Regs all

Peter

I'll be eternally grateful to you that have taken the trouble to identify my concern and helped constructively.

We're not antisocial people, I'm keen to impart. In fact we made firm friends on our Boudicca trip. I just don't want the cruising populus, the majority of whom cruise for the social inter activity, to think I want to swim upstream against all that. I do want to "gaze into my wifes' eyes over dinner" as is intimated. It is for her that I want to cruise. There are precious few opportunities where we live for her to don a cocktail dress, be professionally waited on and take to the dance floor.

I've posted finally to thank you all again but also to assure you all I'm not a toffee nosed loner who doesn't want contact with real gregarious people.

I'm off to trawl cruise critic, the net and everywhere on the planet to see if I can book a cruise that includes a safari park stay/visit for 2017.

Bye all and thanks again.:)

Now THAT'S a reply.

I can't thank you enough for that well laid out concise guide.

We're not difficult to please and all other issues I'm confident about dealing with on the fly but, you've brought comfort to our anticipation of this cruise. Without a comfortable eating experience a cruise would be a waste of money to us.

Thanks again.

Best regards

Peter

This is our second cruise to be. Our first was on the Olsen Boudicca. We had a table for two which was splendid.

We're trying out Freedom dining on the Ventura in January.

I've spoken to customer services and been round and round in circles on the website/personal planner. There's loads of info but nothing whittles down into a "freedom dining for dummies" sort of table.

Has anyone experienced life aboard as a couple having taken freedom dining? How did it all pan out in practice?

Specifically:

How easy was a table for two available and where would you go?

Which eateries would be most comfortable for breakfast and lunch? On the Boudicca it was like a stampede at these times.

Which restaurants observe formal dress code on formal nights?

What is available in the cabin to eat?

When finding a table for the evening sittings what is the proceedure ie. do you knock on the door of every restaurant onboard and wait for a table? What's the form here?

We may wish to join up with friends requiring a table for four particularly on formal evenings. How long is the wait for a table for two or four and where?

From this you would glean that eating is our main thing so, anyone's ACTUAL experience would be truly appreciated.

regards all

Peter