postcardswansea

Just to add to John Bull's info...

Many thanks for this :-)

I always do ships excursions (saving £10 off a trip when spent £8,000 on a cruise is madness) ...

We mainly enjoy making our own way around port towns/cities, but have chosen a couple of ship's tours where this didn't seem feasible. We haven't previously taken any independent tours (only two cruises under our belts, so we're not very experienced!), so are keen to find out about all options. It's certainly interesting to hear how others with more experience than us approach things.

Thanks for that v useful info, John.

How easy is it to manage without a guide or excursion on Cuban Fusion / Pride of Panama? Even if it's easy, is it advisable?

Our previous cruises have been to the Med / Adriatic, and most ports have been very easy to visit independently. Just wondering if this is an unrealistic aim in the Caribbean / Central America.

Thanks for any help :-)

Thanks for all your replies. I know there's no one-size-fits-all answer, but it's great to hear how you all book things.

I'm currently keeping an eye on the online price, and will see what the TAs can come up with.

Just looking for thoughts on the way most people here make their bookings to get the best balance of price / customer service / availability / options, etc.

In all honesty, we'd probably just go with the best price, but would consider paying a little extra if there was a perceived advantage.

I've started looking at a Cuban Fusion & Pride of Panama cruise this winter and I've a sneaky feeling I might know where the 'just looking' stage could lead! (all too easily)

Got home last weekend from a week on Discovery 2 in Junior Suite 8050. We didn't notice any obtrusive noise from the pool, but now and again heard what we think was a catering trolley being wheeled from the kitchen in the Glass House (above us) through to Snack Shack! This wouldn't put us off booking this cabin again as we liked the location as well as the cabin itself.

The balcony wasn't under the overhang, but the amount of sun obviously changed throughout the day as the sun moved round, and depending on which was the ship was docked.

...The dock for Porto is at Leixos a 20 minutes journey from the city - the ship provides a shuttle service with tickets (5 Pounds each) on sale from Destination services the night before.

 

We came off the ship last weekend from this itinerary, and Thomson didn't run the Porto shuttle. I asked about it, as we wanted to make our own way into town and this would have been an ideal option, but didn't find out why it wasn't running. Maybe to do with the problems with the drivers previously? Hopefully, they'll bring it back for future passengers.

Thanks for the additional info - lots of useful tips in there to help us decide what we might do in each of the ports :-)

Thanks both! Got it now :cool:

Sorry if this is a really dumb question, but how do you find the TA / repo cruises? I can't get them to come up in any searches on the Thomson site. :o

the overhang stops at cabins 8042/ 8542 the aft cabins will go quick, and if there are only 2 of you, book a 2 berth cabin as you could be moved if you book a 4 berth cabin

Are 8042/8542 the last WITH the overhang, or the first WITHOUT it?

We've booked 8042 for a Med cruise next month and hadn't even considered the overhang; wondering whether to try to change it? (We're on Discovery2, but assume it's the same on both Discoveries)

Thank you all soooo much for such great information! It's all really useful, and is now making me wish mid-June would come around a little more quickly!

Thanks for the info. We call at Vigo, Porto, Lisbon, Cadiz and Gibraltar.

We've only been on one other cruise recently (P&O last year), where we toured most of the ports independently because they were easy to access from the ship. We'd probably opt to do the same this time, too, if possible (and without too much stress about getting back on time, lol!).

From what I've read, Porto looks to be the port where we'd be most likely to take an excursion on this itinerary, but I'm very open to any other suggestions!

TIA

We're looking at the excursions offered on our first cruise with Thomsons to Portugal and Spain next month, and just wondered if there's likely to be an option to stay in the town for some 'free time' after a tour?

Thanks for your review! We'll be on Discovery2 in June, so it's interesting to hear your thoughts :-)

Exactly the same wine waiters are walking round but you have to ask not like the MDR.

Thanks! Good to know.

I've read that the AI table wine is served 'generously' in the MDR, but how does this work if you eat in the buffet?

(We're going on Discovery2 this summer, so we have the AI package included)

Looking at the deck plans and outside photos of the ship, all the lifeboats are on deck 5. It doesn't look as though they obstruct any cabins, as there are no cabins on this deck - wonder if they could they affect cabins above or below?

I was unsure about the same thing before we booked last year. I had expected the OBC to be per cabin, but it turned out to be per passenger. There were two of us in the cabin, and we had 2 x the amount quoted in the promotional info. ( and, as John Watson points out, paid 2 x the advertised fare)

Thanks, both, that's useful to know :)

Having cruised with P&O last year, we're thinking of booking a Thomson cruise this spring/summer, as one of the Discovery2 itineraries appeals to us. We've just started looking at prices. The online discounts, and all inclusive fare sounds as though current prices are good, but is this just marketing?!

I know none of us has a crystal ball to second guess how pricing may vary, but can anyone tell me how Thomson generally work with discounts/sales/offers as sailing dates approach?

Are Thomson online prices the same/better/worse than from a TA?

Thanks for any help! :)

This was my first cruise with my boyfriend after cruising many times (on P&O, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean) with my family. He was a little dubious, but I convinced him and I have a feeling he will never look back!

 

Flights and Embarkation/Disembarkation:

I have never had such a smooth process. We were sat in the departure lounge at Gatwick airport within 30mins of arrival; there was no queue for the check-in desk or security. We arrived in Venice and had to collect our bags (as this was a scheduled rather than a charter flight), but only walked about 10 steps through the arrivals gate when our luggage was taken by porters for us to see it again at the cabin! After a short transfer and no queue at the check-in, we were onboard within an hour of arriving in Venice.

 

Similarly, on the journey home our bags were taken from our rooms at 11pm and we saw them again at Gatwick. With flights at 12:45, we were initially surprised at our transfer from the ship being at 11:00, however once we arrived at the airport (Genoa) we realised that it would not be an issue. We had received boarding cards whilst still on board the ship, and there was a P&O only queue at security, meaning a very quick process yet again! Hugely impressed.

It was interesting to read your review - we were on the same itinerary in April, and had similar views to yours about the ports of call, and the ship. We also had a similar experience with the flights (although we flew from/to Cardiff) - it was the easiest, smoothest procedure we have ever encountered in any airport, and on any transfer! Like you, we were really impressed.

From memory, our Venice muster drill was at 5:30pm, and there was a further call at 7:30pm (?) for anyone who had missed the earlier one.

It sounds as though your Oceana experience wasn't as positive as ours the following week, but it's nice to see you've booked again for next year - we're looking at similar itineraries but haven't booked anything yet.

If we do book on Oceana again, we'll definitely try the Beach House, as we didn't go this time, and your review has convinced me we should have tried it!

Thank you for your kind comments :o

We are off on Oceana soon so it was good to read that things aren't as bad as some people indicate in some reviews. :D:D

PS Just wondering who the Captain was on your cruise.

I readily accept that not everyone has the same tastes or opinions, and I certainly wouldn't want to imply that those who have criticized Oceana had any less valid opinions than mine. However, I can only speak from our experience, and we found few faults; but maybe our expectations were lower? Whatever the reason, we were happy! :)

Our Captain was Captain Bourne