newbiewaves

Could do without everything apart from getting the cruise news pushed under the door. Still eating our way through the chocs from more than a month ago. Pain in pants to tidy the room before going to dinner as they tidy everything up and fold your pjs!!!

Just booked and info showed last refurb 2019 ..covid

Seriously? Trump has ordered all Americans to return home or face staying where they are for months. No one should consider a holiday' at the moment.

I would suggest by April disembarking in Italy would be impossible or unwise.

Yes good old air conditioning! Many a summer Florida holiday spent walking from a sauna into a fridge and vice versa. A wrap is also useful to cover bare legs in skirts if the temperature/AC drops.

thanks. To anyone else reading our cruise had a duty free order form but no actual shop. There was a 2 for £20 offer on Beefeater, Bells, Smirnoff Red, Napoleon Brandy and Bacardi ltrs but didnt take up due to weight in luggage or lugging in hand baggage especially entering Doha airport transit.

7pm would be too early if returning from a trip or a day lounging so 10 sounds good. Could always check out the first half hour to see if worth it:)

Hi strange request but does anyone have a Duty Free price list for spirits on Fred cruises?  or specifically Glenfiddich 1 litre single malt 12 yrs old ish? cheers 🙂

Well we dine at 8.30 pm so if there is anything we may like to see that doesnt fit in we can always buffet but mainly these shows are to pass the time. Will pass on any phone app i hate them with a passion as a necessary evil that hate my fingers and dont play ball..... 7.30 pm isn't too early luckily and we can then eat at leisure. thanks

Given the set evening meal sitting times what time/s are the evening show entertainment? On previous cruises with free seating there have been 2 shows a night so just wondered how Fred worked? thanks in advance.

Maybe Sir Cumference will return and update the forum on how the cruise went for anyone else preferring solace?

We have a real dilemma on our forthcoming cruise we board on Halloween!!!! so will there be a Halloween theme, a Brexit theme? (oh we can only hope) or the British night???  Will be great fun to see vampires with union jack waistcoats!

At least now it is very easy to get a haul of cheap lightweight themed items for a bit of fun you might not indulge in in daily life via the internet.

Why on earth moan or have a dig at any themes or special entertainment on cruises (or at any camp or package tour for that matter)? it is perfectly achievable to miss it all, dine in the buffet and find a quiet corner.  Tour companies could save themselves a lot of grief and expense by laying on no entertainment whatsoever least it offends someone. Then there is gearing entertainment to 'old people' that frequent cruises?  Todays 'old people' have record collections with the Beatles, Stones, Who, Pink Floyd etc. Do we look in the mirror and see 70/80 or a 16 year old still? You are as old as you want to be.

with more all inclusive cruises trips to ports are usually bottled water and local beer.  After a huge breakfast we are not hungry until evening meal. Our day trips have provided drinks fruit or some kind of packed lunch/lunch depending. The lobster tail on a catamaran was a let down though.

Although annoying you have to consider how much time you actually spend looking out the window. In the morning you are in a rush to get to breakfast, get a good spot on deck for a sea day or get off for a trip. Often by the time you get back it is dark! Yes prices change but sometimes they are selling off more unpopular cabins due to location etc so a new bargain may not be one really. Sometimes a free upgrade on board may again be to a cabin in a more dodgy location not a selected midships of choice...

Maybe for the future they should consider a smoking side and non smoking side. Those that do smoke often have no idea how it can affect non smokers...even getting in a lift with a smoker who is 'nose blind' like the ad 🙂 Sadly the tightening up of smoking rules is a double edged sword as we encounter smoke less and less when we do it has a much larger impact and smokers roll their eyes and think we are overreacting.

Oh and another i discovered;

Shoes / sandals that fit at home in the cold will end up too tight after a long haul flight and sunny climes. If they fit snugly at home leave them there and take/buy looser ones!

Ah but if you want a pool lounger then 7 am or earlier and take it in shifts to look after them if they have lounger police 🙂 lol Yes its ridiculous, someone started it and then if you cant beat them join them. Guess better that than pay to reserve one and price out the poor cruisers 🙂 🙂 

Hence always trying to book AI cruises. Have often taken an unfinished glass of wine from the MDR and had unfinished glasses in cabin not removed.  Re grungy glasses is it beyond people to wash up their empties if necessary? Unfortunately some lines encourage such behaviour by charging such expensive prices on pay as you go plus any tipping. Americans may be used to this culture but hard up Brits get ingenious 🙂 We are a captive audience but see more lines offering AI inc tips that way you have some certainty as to the price of your cruise even if the drink isn't actually 'free'.

What time did you get up Gemini? 🛌

Having just gone through the pain of what i thought would be simple travel insurance for a cruise i feel moved to share so others are aware and can avoid pitfalls. 

In these internet days google 'cruise insurance' and all the usual comparison suspects appear but as we know not all cruise situations are equal. The sneaky opportunity is actually sorting out true cruise cover without actually resorting to talking to a human during a sometimes costly phone call. Anyway being reasonably computer savvy I failed!

Many quotes after ticking you intended to go on a cruise when looking at the small print excluded those things you would like from cruise insurance like missed port, missed excursion, cabin confinement, evacuation from ship etc. These were often on a 'contact us' need to know!  Discount code deals sometimes worked out more expensive than no discount and for a no medical issue worldwide excluding USA Caribbean Mexico cover varied from £180-£380 a couple still without cover clarification!

So in disgust i rang last years insurer (that was useless for a couple of issues we had...but i wont 'DRONE' on...), learnt my discount only worked online and no way would the online platform include proper cover....finally got a human quote at a few pennies less than last year's Caribbean.

I needed to buy quickly worried that the Viking Sky issue would feed down to cruise insurance and put up prices!

Therefore anyone buying via online portals double check your 'cruise insurance' also includes the add on's you really may need as comparison sites pick up on a cruise but not 'cruise plus'  required on mine.

Have to query the sense in running cruises in this area that is still winter..ish.  Do they do cruises in the Caribbean in hurricane season?  Engine failure but you have to think 'what if'?  Another consideration with cheap cruises (not necessarily this one) is what is the weather going to be like? Also images on the other thread of planters sliding backwards and forwards and ornamental trees? Surely these things dont need to be mobile like tables and chairs and should be secured down not to become projectiles. Ceiling panels falling down???? life jackets AND hard hats. Really hope all concerned get back safely.

Maybe companies dont realise the effect the ever changing pricing strategy has on customers and it will increase the 'wait and see the deals' mentality and confidence in the line. If you have booked then see changes it is dispiriting and i was seeing different deals and pricing over a 3 day period. Seems only reason to book early is if you have specific cabin limitations, dates and itinerary. Leave it too late and the best can be gone.....

Ah thanks tring just read a new bit on electronic cigarettes that i hadn't seen before so info is spread in different places. My OH will now be happier lol.

Redjag you could try asking for a change of cabin grade if really worried? Have just booked a Fred but balconies were all taken (luckily) TA feedback is generally a British cruise of a certain age so maybe fingers crossed by 2020 even less will smoke?  The new challenge is vaping which looks like smoking but hardly any odor yet are consigned to real smoking areas.

lolllllllllllllllll well a tardy call back saw me booking a Fred Olsen as despite the great O deal Fred came in at half the price still all inc. and South Africa to Seychelles (one of my bucket places) rather than San Fran to Papeete. Maybe next year i will watch for O's wheeling dealing but couldn't justify the extra £5k today. I will now creep off to my appropriate forum lolllll 🙋‍♀️  (and yes i have researched both lines and others here...almost a cruise expert rather than critic lollllll)