tanlee

Ooh ok. We had 4 in a room on the spirit last year but we had a double bed and one bunk (sofa and Pullman). Must have been a different kind of room.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Can the 15 yr old sleep on the top bunk?

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I’m from Australia and can confirm that tour guides would not be expecting tips. That said, they won’t be insulted at all if you offer them one (as many tourists do) and most will quite happily take your money.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I'm going on my first SS cruise later this year. While I have cruised with other companies before, Ive never had a Butler. I'm curios to know what it is that they actually do automatically and what sort of things you can ask them for assistance with.

Should probably add to the above that we booked about 8 or 9 weeks out so it was probably considered “last minute” and it was Guaranteed balcony (we ended up with obstructed Balcony but that just meant there was a tender boat on the floor below us so we could see straight out but not directly to the ocean below us.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

That price seems very expensive to me. It works out at around $175 per day and I havent cruised P&O before but friends told me some things that are included on other cruises you have to pay extra for on P&O. We sailed in a balcony cabin on Carnival Spirit last May and the weather was beautiful and still warm enough to swim on islands but cold for the first 2 sea days after we left Sydney. We paid $62 pp per night (11 night cruise) but that didn’t include drinks package or any obc and was triple share.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

That's what I thought. What he's quoted me is nearly $2000 AUD per person dearer than the standard brochure fare. Given the demographics of the area where we are, I'm guessing luxury cruises is not something he would book regularly.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I'm hoping there is someone from Australia (or anywhere else if they experienced the same thing) that could answer a few questions. Ive done search but booking conditions/procedures seem to be different when booking from different countries.

I'm planning a trip next year and want to combine a RSS cruise, a Silversea cruise and a few days in between land based. I thought it would be easier and possibly cost less/equal to booking direct but that doesn't seem to be the case. The prices I was quoted from our local travel agent were significantly higher than what we pay booking direct.

I'm wondering if others have had the same experience. I don't want to waste the time of another travel agent if they all just add thousands to the cost.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thank you for all the suggestions. My husband and I and both looking for different things so it's hard to find something we're both happy with. At this stage it looks like we'll be doing a Regent SS cruise from Venice to Rome, spend a few days in Rome and then head to Athens for a Silversea cruise around the Greek Islands. Just waiting for a travel agent to get back to me with prices.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I'm looking for some advice on which cruise companies to look into that sail around the Mediterranean (e.g Venice, Athens, Greeks Islands).

We're planning to go in September (or thereabouts) next year and are looking for a small ship luxury cruise.

Does anyone have any recommendations or advice on where to start looking?

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I'm planning a trip to the Mediterranean next May/June and want to incorporate a cruise into the trip. Can anyone suggest a cruise line that visits places like the Greek Islands, Athens, Venice, Rome etc.

We prefer smaller ships (but will consider bigger ones if the itinerary is right) and like a bit luxury. I'm thinking a cruise of about 7 to 10 days and then a few weeks of land tours.

I dont really know where to start but I'd like to have it all booked by Sunday to take advantage of Etihads cheap business class flights.

Any suggestions?

Thank you for all the advice.

We saw the specialist this week and its all good news. The fracture is in a good spot to heal well and quickly without too much intervention. He wont be needing a wheelchair or scooter on board as the Dr already wants him to start gradually putting weight on it so that he can wean off the crutches fairly quickly. We go back on Tuesday (the day before we sail) for more x-rays and if the bone is fusing well he may be able to remove the boot. Worst case scenario seems to be that he will be able to take the boot off periodically so that at least he can still swim.

I love the idea of the knee walker. It would make things a lot easier for him and he wouldn't feel as confined as he would in a wheelchair. Ive found somewhere local I can hire one from but now I need to figure out how to get it to the cruise terminal. We've booked a car for our transfers but they dont have a trailer so they only have room for 3 suitcases (there's 6 of us).

We are due to sail on Carnival Spirit for a 12 night cruise in 11 days. The problem is, my son (13 yrs) broke his foot yesterday. He is currently hobbling around in a moon boot with crutches. We see an orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday to find out if it will need a full cast or any other treatment.

Does anyone have any tips on how to make the cruise easier for him?

Im a bit concerned that although he is using crutches at the moment its only for short distances around the house. When he tries to walk from one end of the ship to the other I imagine it will get quite painful for him (both the foot and under his arms from the crutches). He's normally a very active and sociable kid so I'd hate to see him stuck in the cabin for most of the cruise. I thought about getting him a wheelchair to make getting around easier but will it fit through the cabin door? We're in standard balcony rooms.

Sorry, yes it should say "HATE having to stick to schedules". As a family with 5 kids ours days are full of schedules from 8am to 9pm almost every day. The big appeal of a cruise holiday is that we dont need to rush to make set appointment times.

I booked both rooms online directly with Carnival at the same time so I would have thought they would be linked but I have a seperate booking numbers for each room.

I'm now wondering if the waitlisting for anytime dining has something to do with the fact we booked Guaranteed rooms. We've been assigned balcony rooms reasonably close together which we're very happy with but does having the guarantee booking mean we have to wait until everyone else chooses their dining time before we are assigned a time?

All in all, given the price we paid I'll be happy with whatever we get and I'm sure we'll have a ball. I just like to know beforehand what to expect :)

We're off on a cruise next month on Carnival Spirit. We selected "Anytime Dining" because we have having to stick to schedules/timetables while we're on holidays. My booking says our dining preference has been "wait listed". What does that actually mean? I'm really hoping we don't get given a set time to eat.

Another question... if we do get given a set time to eat will the same time be given to both the cabins under our booking?

Thanks everyone.

fivefootfour you're close. We did the Sydney to Singapore 15 night cruise on Spirit just before the refurbishment last year. Our next cruise is on Spirit again for 12 nights. We weren't planning another cruise so quickly but I found a great price and couldn't turn it down.

I have a few questions I'm hoping someone can help me with...

I've just booked our 2nd carnival cruise and this will put us into the Gold category of the VIFP program. Do I need to manually link this cruise? I know you can do that once the sailing is over but I'd like to get the benefits while we are actually on board. I tried to add it myself but it tells me the Booking Number is not valid.

Also, are kids able to be part of the program. They have a VIPF number from our last cruise but when I try to activate online it says they need to be over 13.

And, I've been a member for over 6 months but have never received a newsletter or special offers. Does anyone else get those?