SoupPlease

Mercury

As I often initiate research myself, I have no problem.

My wife likes to make sure her neck and shoulders are covered if she starts getting cold in the evening onboard, which she often does. She either takes something with her or sends me back to the cabin to collect something.

I didn't receive any call back from the company when I registered last Friday for a session taking place today. No surprised as I expect they were already fully subscribed.

I would have no problem signing a non-disclosure agreement and if the company were researching views for a new product then it makes sense to have a non-disclosure agreement in place.

I will post the outcome. The survey is in London on Monday so I may be too late if they are already fully subscribed.

Out of curiosity, I have registered with the company and have applied to take part in a survey next week. The survey is nothing to do with cruising.

One of my favs SoupPlease... that and Brancott ;-)

As you like sauvignon blanc, I recommend the Chapel Down Bachus and Flint Dry which are available on board.

As you like dry wine, I suggest you pick up a couple of bottles of Villa Maria sauvignon blanc from WorldofDutyFree at the airport.

We buy a coupe of bottles of wine at our departure airport and take in on the flight with our hand luggage.

Do you recall the name of the bus company and where on the dock you saw it? We don't dock until 1pm so hoping this could be an option. Thanks

 

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Hi. The buses were where you exit from the dockside. They are bright coloured buses which are windowless. Sorry, don't know the name. There was a rep of the company there, so I am sure they can let you know when the last bus returning from the beach is. Assuming you are mobile, it isn't a big walk from the town to the ship so the only thing to ensure is getting back fro the beach I would say.

If you have to know all the details today, then I suggest you consider cancelling the Barclays one and find an online Insurance provider which will issue the full policy details electronically - either by email or by downloading a PDF. If Barclays are posting it out by snail mail and you have to know today, then I see no other alternative unless you contact Barclays yourself and get whatever level of re-assurance you are seeking.

If you need to know for sure, then I suggest you contact the insurer directly for confirmation. Hopefully it is included.

Looks like you need to start the Roll Call.

Order room service breakfast for your morning tea and coffee. No need to order any food if you don't want. You can then keep the teapot for the rest of the day if you wish and also the milk jug.

As has been mentioned, the milk is UHT so if you are like my wife, then I recommend you take some milk on board at Southampton. The fridge will keep it fresh for a while bit not as long as your fridge at home.

I would say that December onwards would be best. You should consider whether you want to go before, during or after Christmas. If you want to stay at home for Christmas, then I would recommend late January or February. As the winter starts to settle in, it is nice to look forward to sipping cocktails on a Caribbean beach. I wouldn't say there is any destination which is a 'must'. You will get a mix of ports and will be able to enjoy all of them. Most people have their favourite destinations but the only must I would say would be to enjoy a Caribbean beach.

My cruises in the Caribbean have been fly-cruises so I can't give you any advice about the no-fly cruise but in your shoes, I wouldn't hesitate to choose a Caribbean cruise rather than the Med. Enjoy your special cruise, whatever you decide.

What type of activities do you like? Sporty/Active? Historical? Beach? Cultural? If you let the board know the ports you are going to and the type of excursion you like/dislike then you will get a lot of suggestions and help.

There was a thread a few days ago asking about suite embarkation in Barbados. Might be worth you reading that....Barbados embarkation suite passengers

As of 2nd August, the number of diagnosed Zika cases in the UK for 2017 is 14. 9 were from travel to Caribbean but the high percentage shouldn't be surprising as it is a popular travel destination.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/zika-virus-epidemiology-and-cases-diagnosed-in-the-uk/zika-virus-epidemiology-and-cases-diagnosed-in-the-uk

In 2016, the number for the Caribbean was 208 so it appears to have significantly fallen but there is still 5 months to go before the full 2017 picture is known.

Personally, I think taking sensible precautions is sufficient.

Here are my thoughts for what they are worth. Caribbean should be two weeks and not one week. If I only had a one week holiday I would not fly so far.

We fly out of Gatwick and do a hotel park and stay package. We stay at the Sofitel the night before the flight. I park the car directly outside the hotel, take the luggage in to the hotel with my wife, check-in, put our luggage into the room, then I park the car in the hotel's car park and walk back into the hotel. We get a club room which provides lounge access giving a comfortable lounge environment with unlimited drinks and nibbles. We eat in one of the hotel's restaurants that evening. In the morning we have a quick continental breakfast in the club lounge then check out and head to the airport.

The flight itself I actually enjoy. I load up my phone with films/programmes to watch and also watch whatever I fancy in the in-flight entertainment. The fact that all on board are on the same cruise (assuming it is a P&O charter) gives the flight a different feel to a normal flight.

The transfer to the ship is generally as good as it can be. No need to wait at the carousel looking for the luggage as it is taken directly to the cabin.

The transfer back to the airport is equally as good as it can be. The flight back is definitely not as good as the flight out. Arriving back in the UK in the early morning is a shock to the system. Luckily I have only a one hour car journey home. If the journey were any longer, I would definitely plan to take a coffee break or even consider checking in to a Travel Inn or similar for a 3 to 4 hour sleep.

The answer to the question of is it worth it - yes it is. The Caribbean is wonderful and cruising in the Caribbean is a great way to experience it.

You have the opportunity to make a day of it in Barbados before your flight home. You will find out when you are due to leave the ship to board your airport transfer. All you need to do is make sure you are back on board in time for that. Please make the most of that final day.

Good question and I would be interested in hearing the answer from someone who knows. I wonder if it is possible to pick up the car just as one would when finishing a cruise and then drop it off just as one would when starting a cruise i.e. treat the CPS process as if they are two separate cruises. That would mean one would have access to a car in Southampton on the turnaround day.

Thanks for your replies. This will be our 3rd cruise but our first fly cruise so just a bit worried about getting luggage to and from the ship etc. However despite my worries I can't wait so it's going to be a very long 364 days!!!

 

 

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I am assuming your flight is through P&O and you are not flying independently. Once you check your luggage in at your UK departure airport, you won't see it again until it arrives at your cabin. It will be the same on the way home.

If you like to have a drink in your cabin, don't forget to buy your preferred tipple at the airport.

Not clear if you are sailing out of Southampton or on a fly cruise. If sailing out of Southampton you can take your own mixers on board. You do have the option to buy mixers in a port of call and take them on board, but only worth it if you can buy them close to the ship otherwise you might be carrying the weight for too long.

What cruise lines were you sailing and the name of the tour. We are cruising with Celebrity Cruise Line. Thanks for any information about Curacao.

Sorry, I missed answering your question when you raised it. I was sailing with P&O and don't know the name of the tour. It was not a tour booked onboard, we paid and hopped on board in the port just after we left the ship. They are bright yellow buses.

We saw a gentleman on one of our formal nights ( sat at our shared dining table ) on Arcadia in a cream coloured suit and tie and he looked very smart. To be honest , who cares. Nobody at the table passed comment and he was obviously allowed in. I can think of much more important rules on board than whether they are wearing a tux or not.

Yes there are much more important rules, but are you suggesting we should only follow the most important rule? If we follow that logic then we should let of a mugger because it is not as bad as murder - extreme analogy!

To answer your question, I, and I suspect others, do care.