Izzywiz

No problem silversurf. 
Here are another couple of ways FO accommodates people with mobility issues. 
 

Almost as soon as we board the ship I go to check our table allocation in the dining room. As FO only has the traditional early and late sittings with set tables, I need to see if I can store my wheelchair near the table. Quite often I have to see the MD and request a table near the restaurant entrance and this has always been accommodated. 
There are designated tables in the buffet for wheelchair users and spaces are reserved in the theatre/show-lounge too. 

You don’t say which ship you are referring to as that makes a bit of a difference. I take a manual wheelchair on board and store it, folded,  in the cabin as I have similar mobility issues.
We have always had inside cabins on our FO cruises and have found that it’s doable but a bit of a squeeze on Balmoral, however, there is plenty of room in the cabins on Borealis and Bolette. Below is a picture of our cabin on Borealis and the wheelchair is out of the picture stored against the wall by the sofa. 

I don’t know if you are aware that the en-suite has quite a high, for me, step up. 

FO do have partially accessible cabins available as well as fully accessible ones. The partially accessible ones are indicated on the deck plans by the initials PA by the cabin number. 

I tried a Google search….’Liverpool to Chester for cruise passengers’…and several options showed so you might try that. Chester is a great city to explore if you have an interest in history.

We love this part of the world and are at an age when this will probably be our last trip to the area, unfortunately.

I’m a history buff and love India too so the Azamara itinerary gives us a chance to revisit Kochin, Aqaba and ports in Egypt. It also has a stop in Jeddah which is a new destination for us. 
Our 2015 cruise was on RCI’s Splendour of the Seas (now Marella’s Discovery and our favourite size and ship design) and was a repositioning cruise from Venice to Dubai.

The 2017 cruise with the barbed wire was on Fred Olsen’s Boudicca and sailed from Liverpool to Mauritius.

All cruise ships passing through the Red Sea area for the last few years have had their passengers take part in a ‘pirate drill’ and have had forms of protection. 
Happy cruising Sweetpea
 

Thanks for your kind comments.

It’s such a shame what is happening for all the ordinary people in the middle east and it is looking more likely that cruises will be cancelled. We have an Azamara cruise in May from Singapore to Athens which has already had the stop in Haifa cancelled and had Santorini substituted but I can see the Suez Canal transit becoming a concern.

We have sailed in that area several times and always had some sort of protection on the ships.

Our first time was on a Costa cruise in 2013 where there were shop window mannequins dressed up in protective clothing and holding fire hoses positioned around the ship. I’m not sure how effective they would have been in fighting off raiders!

The second time was in 2015 when we picked up a group of mercenaries with huge machine guns as we exited the Suez Canal on our way to Dubai….that was a little more reassuring!

On our last transit in 2017, we had the mercenaries again plus barbed wire and water cannon around the deck!

Fortunately, we didn’t have any trouble on any of the sailings.

I hope for all concerned that the situations improve because there are a lot of ordinary people who rely on the tourist industry for their livelihoods and they are the ones who will suffer if the cruise lines have to cancel.
 

The visa situation is governed by the country and not by the cruise line so the Indian government doesn’t permit visas on arrival in the way many other countries do. 

Mumbai

Welcome to the wonderful world of cruising Butterspoon. We were also captivated by our first cruise in 1992 (Limassol to Israel, Egypt and the Greek Isles) and haven’t stopped cruising since. We have been lucky enough to cruise all over the world where we have seen the most amazing sights, experienced such diverse cultures and activities and met so many interesting people from all walks of life. All this and we took our own bed with us and only unpacked once!!

Unfortunately, old age and health issues are causing us to slow down now but we have our memories. 
I hope you enjoy your second cruise as much as your first one 🤞

Thank you for your kind comments. Yes, I should have said Victoria and the gardens were lovely.
Silly me, Mahe, of course, is the name of the island not the city.

Unfortunately, I can’t help with the bar by the beach question. I visited a lovely one but it was on a ship’s excursion so I’m not sure where it was in relation to the city. 
I remember that there were people from the local tourist information board at the port who were helping people with their queries and would expect that probably still happens. Otherwise, the local people speak English and were very helpful too. 
I hope you enjoy your visit as much as we did. 

I do hope you enjoy it as much as we have and the cruise sounds like the perfect addition.

We never saw the pool side crowded and there were always plenty of unoccupied loungers so never felt the need to get up early.

Have you been to South Africa before. Cape Town is in our top 3 most favourite cities in the world. 
We found driving in that part of the country easy as people drive on the left and road signs are in English. We did stick to main roads though.

If you haven’t been to CT before I would highly recommend going up Table Mountain and suggest that you get to the able car at opening time as it is less busy. We were extremely grateful that we had very warm clothing with us as, although it was hot at base level, it was very chilly and windy at the top.

You have had a lot of good advice already but I would like to add my ‘pennyworth’ too.

We did our first Azamara cruise in November 2022 from Lisbon to Cape Town on Journey and loved every moment of the cruise and Cape Town itself.

Below is what I wrote in my diary which confirms a lot of what others have already said but may have something new.

Azamara cruise line 

• All 4 ships are small R-Class ships with a tonnage of 30,000 and passenger capacity of approximately 650. 
• It is very much ‘boutique’ style cruising with very good food and AI for all drinks including coffee and water. I particularly liked the Mosaic café for a great barista coffee and nibbles. 
• Gratuities are included in the fare. 
• Cabins are fairly small unless in a suite. 
• There is a ‘show lounge’ not a theatre so there are no ‘production shows’ as seen on the big ships but the show team worked hard to do a variety of shows and we had guest entertainers as well 
• Activities are quite low-key but there are plenty of options particularly on sea days.  
•  The sun beds have very thick padding and the towels are also quite luxurious. 
• Passengers were well travelled and many are repeat passengers. 
• Service is very good overall. 
• Our ‘Azamazing’ evening was replaced with visits from cultural groups in The Gambia, Ghana and Angola. The groups were very professional and performed music, songs and dances from their cultures. 
• The MDR operates open seating and we were usually able to request the same table and servers. 
•  I thought the buffet offerings were excellent and particularly loved the evening themed menus with food from different regions of the world. 
  
   
• 

Cabin 8018 - inside. 

• We booked the lowest grade inside cabin and were upgraded to a higher deck but still inside. 
• The cabin is quite small especially compared with inside cabins on other ships but we don’t spend a lot of time in the cabin so it wasn’t a problem. 
• The beds were comfortable.  
• There is plenty of storage. 
• We have a small settee and coffee table. 
• There is a fridge, safe and hairdryer.  
• The bathroom is tiny and the shower has a curtain. Fortunately, the shower itself is powerful. 
• There are good quality toiletries. 
• There is a big TV with free films and some tv channels. 
• THERE ISN’T A HOSTESS TRAY…..very disappointing!!….but our steward replaced bottled water regularly, brought ice and kept the fridge stocked with tonic water - thank you Paolo. 
•  
• 

The ship was beautifully decorated for Christmas

I showed this to my DH in the hope of getting a surprise Christmas present but he just laughed!!present 

2023 was another year full of new and revisited experiences.

The gorgeous resort of Punta del Este in Uruguay

Ilhabela, Brazil

 

In 

Prayer offerings on the Ganges followed by a dance group performing on the ship

our last trip was a long awaited Safari in Kenya in November.

and this amazing leopard stopped and posed for us!

You have had some very good advice from the other posters  and a cruise to the Norwegian Fjords is a great introduction to cruising.

We were in Santorini in the summer. I have mobility issues and either walk with crutches or use a manual wheelchair.

We took the wheelchair on the tender and at the dock I sat in it and we joined the cable car line.
A cable car operative saw us and ushered us to the front of the queue where there was a special facility to access the cable car itself.

He took our money and paid for our tickets and then helped us to board the car.

At the top, another operative helped me disembark the car and escorted us to the exit. There was a lady using crutches who was also assisted in the same way. 
 

On our return to the cable car, after our time in Fira and Oia, we once again joined the queue and, again, I was spotted and assisted to the disabled access where the operative helped us on to the downward car. 
 

I was very impressed with the service and adored Santorini. 

There is definitely a laundrette on Balmoral with several washers, dryers and ironing boards with irons. I can’t remember the cost of a wash but it wasn’t expensive. The price includes the cost of the eco-friendly detergent which is dispensed automatically when the wash starts. The dryers and irons are free to use.

It’s probably a good thing that we are not all alike. We both love having a kettle in our cabin and have no desire, unless there is no other option, to have to utilise room service to bring ‘hot’ water. It also negates the possibility of contaminated water being delivered by room service.

We just wish all cruise lines would have the option to request a kettle.

I agree about the quality of the tea so that’s why we always take our own favourite brand. I also agree about the quantity of the water but, as all the water on the ship is from the same source, I know from 30 years of cruising both with and without a cabin kettle, that freshly boiled water makes all the difference for our enjoyment.

I am curious about your comment about the kettle being an accident waiting to happen. Have you experienced a problem? P&O has over 12,000 cabins, all with kettles, and that is just 1 cruise line. In all my years of cruising, I have never heard of a serious accident caused by the kettle itself. 

It’s so nice to know that there are like minded people who sail on Azamara.

I spoke to the hotel director about the possibility of supplying kettles when we were on our last Azamara cruise in December 2022.

He said that the same request had been made many times by passengers from countries where kettles are standard features in cabins and he had referred our request to higher management. I’m not holding my breath!!

How I wish that Azamara would provide a kettle for our cabin on request, and, before I get a lot of posts saying that they are dangerous and a fire risk, please let me explain that kettles and hostess trays are standard features in cabins on virtually all ships sailing from the UK.

I have requested, and received, a kettle for our cabin when sailing on Celebrity and Princess cruises in many parts of the world.

We are true Brits who like our own brand of tea made with freshly boiled water so room service water is never hot enough. There is nothing like starting the day with a proper cuppa in bed!

Here is an example…..Celebrity Infinity - Valparaiso to Rio, March 2023

Hi Wineoclock,

I can’t really help you with Celestyal and Louis lines because our Louis Princessa Amarosa cruise was in 1992 and, looking back, the ship was a bit of a ‘rust-bucket’ but the itinerary was fabulous (Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, and some Greek islands).

It is the cruise that got us hooked on cruising and we had a great time. 

I know the ships are more modern now so, personally, I wouldn’t hesitate to sail with them. At the moment we are still doing long haul destinations and are leaving those that are a little nearer home until we can no longer cope with the flights but Louis Line is definitely on our list for the future….. love the Greek Islands. 
Happy cruising 🛳️🚢⛴️

16 cruise lines

• Shaw Saville Line
• RCCL
• NCL
• Celebrity 
• Azamara 
• Oceania
• Star Cruises
• Costa 
• MSC
• Louis Lines
• P&O
• Fred Olsen
• Thompson/Marella
• Carnival
• Princess
• Hurtigruten 

In our experience of a P&O package, we have had to vacate our cabin by 08.00 but can then use the rest of the ship as normal until our airport transfer coach time.
 

Cabins were made available for a pre- departure shower.
 

We were able to leave our carry-on luggage in a secure room.
Our checked luggage was placed outside our cabin on the previous evening and we collected it after landing at our UK airport….no need to check it in at the airport as we were on a P&O charter flight.

We were also able to use our drinks package until we finally disembarked and to eat at all the venues on board. 

We were able to go ashore on the final day as long as we were back on board in time to get the e transfer.

All the information/instructions plus our flight tickets were delivered to our room a few days before departure.

I believe it is also possible to do a ship’s excursion that day which ends at the airport.

The system is very efficient.

Congratulations on taking your first cruise!

I am guessing that you are talking about excursions booked through Celebrity.
In my experience, you will find the tickets for your excursions in your cabin when you board the ship. 

On the ticket you will find the name of the excursion and the date, meeting place and time.

There are 3 possibilities for getting to your excursion transportation;

* Sometimes, you will be told to meet at a venue on the ship…..most often the ship’s theatre….where you will show your tour ticket and collect a numbered sticker which corresponds to your transport vehicle. 
You will then be asked to wait in the venue until your ticket group number is called.
At that point you, and the rest of your excursion group, will be guided down to the quayside and directed to your transport.

* The second possibility is that you are asked to meet at your transport on the quayside. I

n that case, you make your own way to the quayside…..you will be told which deck the exit is on as it may vary according to the tide and size of the dock. The information will be announced over the ship’s PA system and will be signposted on the stairs and in the lifts.

Once on shore, there will be crew members directing you to your tour transport. 
The coaches could be directly on the quayside or in a car park once through the terminal building.

 * The third possibility is if your excursion involves tendering to the shore.

Once again, you will meet in a shipboard venue, collect your sticker and then be escorted to the tender when your group number is called.

A couple of things to be aware of;

1. Make sure you take your excursion tickets with you. If you wish to be with other members of your party on the same transport, one person needs to take all the tickets together to get the stickers. There may be several vehicles being used for the same excursion so stickers need to show the same group.

2. Have your cruise card with you as it will be scanned as you disembark the ship and again when you embark at the end of your time ashore.

I have just paid £45pp each way in economy for seats on our TUI flights in December for our Caribbean cruise so £180 for the 2 of us. I did enquire a few months ago about Premium seats and was shocked by how much the cost was but can’t remember the amount as I decided it was much more than I was prepared to pay.