Flying Doc

Thank you for all your helpful replies - we’ll definitely have a look at Oceania (with most recommendations!) also Seabourn, Hapag Lloyd, Crystal and Viking - looking forward to perusing their itineraries!

Since I just posted a new thread asking about the best cruise line for teetotallers I guess you can predict my answer!

Some of my funniest and most sociable friends don’t drink, and heavy drinkers can become the most boring, and boorish, company. Fun people are fun with or without alcohol and dull people don’t improve after a drink so I wouldn’t expect the ambience of a booze free cruise to be much different from any other.

Thank you all for these suggestions - very helpful! We know where to start looking now!

Thanks for this; I was just about to start an identical thread for a similar reason. We've got our hearts set on the British Isles for our 25th in 2020 - anytime between April and October would be fine. Lots of advice on the boards about booking immediately when itineraries release for the best prices but I can't find one mainstream cruiseline that has bookings available that far in advance. I guess I'll set a reminder on my calendar to start looking again in the Fall and until then just chillax. :cool:

P and O will be releasing their 2020 itineraries on 3 Sep and usually have had a few British Isles cruises.

We would very much like to try a luxury cruise line, having only cruised with P and O. Many of them seem to offer free alcoholic drinks as part of the package which would be a complete waste for OH and I as we are teetotal. Any suggestions gratefully received!

Thank you Pink-belle. That's helpful. I haven't much time to get things dry cleaned locally before we go so I'll just wait and get it done on board.

I'm so pleased to find this thread - we have recently returned to ballroom/Latin (NOT sequence!) dancing after an 18 year break (children now almost grown up).

We had a lovely time on Adonia last March, with two sessions of dancing (to CDs but always good music) every evening. Although the floor is very small, as there were only ever two or three couples dancing, it was fine. To our delight, several other groups of passengers told us how much they enjoyed just coming along and watching us so our confidence was boosted hugely!

We're booked on Britannia next year and will most certainly be there in the Crystal Room at every opportunity doing every ballroom and Latin dance, but using the sequence dances as well-earned rest periods!

Can anyone please tell me whether dry cleaning is available on board, and if so, whether it is reasonably priced, and of good quality? We've never used the on board laundry before, so have never had reason to look at the price/option list in the cabin.

Another tip - formal nights and therefore Gala Dinners, are almost always on Sea Days. So you should be ok to book your Select Restaurant dining on port days.

We've just booked our first B2B cruises which will have a changeover day in Southampton. Is it feasible to go for a 'run ashore' during the day, or is the disembarkation/embarkation mayhem and the difficulties of getting back on, just too much hassle to make it worthwhile? We have relatives in Southampton and thought it would be nice to say hello, but not if it's going to be a bun fight getting back on with all the thousands of new arrivals.....Advice much appreciated!

Thank you Brian, that's really great news! More to spend on on-board bubbly then!

Is it possible to claim military OBC more than once? We are about to book three cruises and it would be great to be able to get it for each! Also, is the amount dependent on the duration of the cruise or is it fixed? And is there a minimum cruise duration for it to apply?

They must have changed the schedule - I have a First edition brochure which has it as cruise number A509....

Regarding your other questions, Norway's weather is pretty similar to ours (although Bergen reputedly has the highest annual rainfall in Europe) so May is likely to be fairly unpredictable. Just go for the layering principle and make sure you take a waterproof. Walking shoes/boots a must if you do any of the hill walking tours.

Dear Clive

It appears you may be starting your cruise a day before Azura! The brochure date is 2nd May! The Flaam railway trip is well worth doing, although you could just as easily do it on your own since the station is right next to the dock. However the P & O tour did include some rather delicious waffles, cream and jam (a sort of Norwegian Cornish cream tea) in a hotel at the top, just in case you're short of a calorie or two (thousand). In Geiranger there was a really nice hike with superb views of the ship, but you do need to be reasonably fit. Stavanger is so nice we usually just wander around. The oil industry museum is surprisingly good - well worth a visit.

Hope this helps....

Thanks Dorset Cruiser, that's what we were hoping for.

Thank you English Lady! We'll pack our dancing shoes then!

We are on Adonia next February in the Caribbean. We booked it ages ago and then last year decided to see what little ships were like (We had always cruised on the "blocks of flats"!!) and so we went for a week on Azamara Quest as it is one of Adonias sister ships. What a disaster!!:eek:

 

It was the worst cruise we had ever been on and mainly down to the overcrowded ship. We could never get sunbeds, the pool was blocked out by overweight children and most of the American passengers were ultra critical of anything European and very, very, very loud. :mad:

 

Since we returned home we have debated about cancelling the Adonia cruise which would be a shame as we both love the Caribbean and the trip takes in many ports to which we have never been before. We are really encouraged by the positive reviews on this site and have decided to hold off on the cancelation until our next cruise this summer on (yes it's another:D big ship!!) Britannia around the Canaries. We would be interested in any other comments about Adonia from those that have been on her.

Don't cancel! We too have just returned from Adonia's Caribbean cruise. We had only been on the big ships before and we too were a bit worried about how it would feel to be on such a small vessel with limited options. We needn't have been - it has a lovely ambience, friendly and charming. The staff were outstanding. It is delightful to have so few fellow passengers so you all recognise each other. We never ever felt anywhere was crowded, were able to visit some exquisite little ports of call (most notably Mayreau and Bequia) and we're now hooked. Wouldn't dream of doing the Caribbean any other way (and booked for the Amazon next year).....

My OH and I are thinking about booking a cruise on Arcadia next year. We are keen dancers and an evening spin around the floor is an important part of our cruise life! I've looked at all the descriptions of Arcadia and can't work out whether they hold ballroom dancing sessions or not. Can anyone please advise me?