seadog18

As far as I am concerned there is no such thing as good coffee, it all tastes revolting to me. Give me a cup of tea anytime I will be wearing my knotted hanky and with my rolled up trousers.😀 Now where are my braces.

Absolutely agree the sheets are very good. Very definitely some times are better than others pretty much same as shopping in a supermarket. I often set the alarm on my phone to go off in 45 minutes usually avoids potential arguments. I also find its a good place to chat to fellow passengers.

We have done this journey many times and for me the favourite in your situation is Penguin Parking. This is in Marchwood (about five miles out) and they minibus you in and from the terminal

My wife and I have a strong preference for sharing a table but personally I am not fussed about tables for 8 because it effectively becomes two adjoining tables of four which is fine but we usually end up not conversing with the people furthest away from us. Six seems to me to be the ideal number on the basis we can all hear the conversation without straining. As long as ones hearing aids are working!!😀 

Who was present when mil booked the cruise and did mil express a preference for a dining time? Was mil given any instructions as regards dining times beforehand? Unfortunately  and I appreciate it is a generalisation but we are all prone to jump to conclusions before we know the facts.

We have always got off our ships by 9.30 with no special arrangements. The only time it didn't happen was when we used the mobility help system where the porters were swamped so ended up being much later than we expected.

We use an out of town car park that buses us into the terminal (about 20 minutes) which we have found to be very good

I would suggest try a shorty and make up your own mind. Other peoples opinions are just that.

As we need a specific type of cabin we book as soon as the cabins are released. We will have already done our homework as to when and where and which ship.

Personally if I get the opportunity I like to get the washing in then go for breakfast in the MDR. Usually the washing is just finishing its cycle when I return. Unfortunately dryers are often a bit of a pain. I am quite prepared to take someones clothes out of the machine/dryer if necessary.

Possible to go via Virgin trains Edinburgh to Manchester then Bristol then Southampton central and almost certainly a hotel. Pretty expensive and time consuming.National express is also an option but again would involve a hotel

As an ex cab driver I was asked to take my fare to Southampton in exceptionally snowy/icy weather. Son had to bring mil to a meeting point in his 4x4 before I could even pick her up. Finally got there to find no mention of the ship, it turned out she had got the wrong day but luckily it was the next day not the previous day.

Yep, my vote is for no 2. Leave the booking as it is and sort out who sleeps where once you are aboard. Happy cruising :)

I am sorry to hear this, I understand that people on board must be terribly disappointed :(

Hi and welcome to CC :)

People often suggest that someone showers in the spa to relieve pressure on the cabin showers.

My friends used to buy their teenage boys an internet package so that they could go down and use that while the parents showered for dinner, anything that keeps people occupied will do just as well!

Get things in perspective. Of the millions who cruise for example what percentage of people buck the system and I appreciate there are some? let it go!

For what its worth "Harbouring resentment is like swallowing poison and waiting for the other person to die"

:cool:Will someone pay me to check the speeds on all the ships?

can't speak for discovery but for me inside works as well as outside. No light generally means you can sleep better.

Talk about stupid but on a beach in France way back. The beach was about 100 metres wide. I threw my clothes off with no shoes ran towards the water,after 50 m realised that my feet were burning, turn round or keep going for the water? Slight digression but I think appropriate to the thread.

With reference to the suing bit. Do people really sue for their own stupidity? Don;t answer, its rhetorical!

Another option is to use a Southampton taxi which will be a lot cheaper than the airport taxi price

I have read Raymond Chandler but it is many years ago

Are you travelling on your own? If not and you can share the cost its well worth taking a taxi door to door. Coach is another option where your luggage is stored in a safe place. There is still the problem of transport at each end of the journey.

There were certainly regular mah jongg sessions in the games/cards room on our last cruise. Whether there are any sets, or if folks brought there own travelling ones, I'm not sure. DW is a bit of a mah jongg fan and went along, but the games were American rules, whereas she learnt to play in the Far East, which has somewhat different conventions (I think......; mah jongg is another thing I personally don't know much about, like collecting coins, however I'm in a reckless mood and prepared to throw around unfounded opinions at a moment's notice).

Love the phraseology. May I borrow it? Promise I will give it back.:)