Marga.Anders

11am at Dover. 

I read some Google reviews about tbere being total parking chaos when everyone tries to leave at tbe same time at ABP

Thank you. 

Main concern is on the day we leave the ship we have very limited time to drive to our ferry. 

So looking for a 'quick getaway' 🙂

Hi,

Which is best for parking AB Parking or Parking4Cruises?  

Any discount codes available?

Hi,

We are ending a cruise in Southampton with Anthem in September. We are trying to figure out what train times to book to London. 

We are not in a hurry so wondering: what time CAN you get off the ship and what time do you have to be off?  We carry our own luggage so that is not an issue. Is it okay to stay part of the morning?

Also, does anybody now what the transfer time to the trainstation is?

Hi,

We are departing from Southampton cruise port and we want to arrive there at least a day early (travelling by train from mainland Europe). 

How many days should we plan for Southampton? Is it a fun tourist destination with loads to see and do or just a boring port town?

Also, any hotel recommendations for Southampton?

We have a week in the UK before our cruise starts. Any other recommendations of places to visit that are accessible by train? We have already been to London, Cambridge, Bath, Oxford so hoping for some new sites. Is Stratfort-upon-Avon worth the trip there?

Hello,

I have taken 4 cruises so far all with RCL. This summer I am looking to book our first Norwegian Cruise. We are planning to book an Mediterrean Itinerary this summer.

For our room we always liked a balcony on RCL so that's what we are looking at now. However I am confused about the difference between a regular balcony room and a Club Suite Balcony. First I thought the Suite was the better option, but looking at deck plans it seems the Club Suite has a smaller balcony?

Can somebody please advise me on the difference between the 2? We are a couple, no kids. We like a cabin in a quiet location of the ship, even if that means walking a little further.

Do you have any other good tips  to take in to account when booking? We are looking at a Free at Sea offer and plan to book today or tomorrow.

How do you book these SV rooms? I am looking at making a reservation, but don't like the Edge balconies, this seems great.

But when I look a 2 cruises on Apex and Beyond this summer, I never seem to be able to select this type of cabin.

Hi, 

On the board today to get some advice. We have been on 4 cruises so far all with Royal Caribbean. We went on Symphony and Wonder which we liked. We went on Jewel which we didn't like because of the lack of a Solarium. 

We went on Odyssey which we loved the most out of all of them. 

We want to book a cruise for the summer of 2023. Our preferred destination would be a Croatia cruise since that is the only one in the south of Europe we haven't done. We have done the Mediterranean twice and that was enough. Also did Greek Isles and Holyland. Flying is not an option. 

From Venice to Croatia are a lot of jice ports but the ships there all seem to be very old and not to our liking. 

Looking at Royal Caribbean that leaves us with Anthem of the Seas from Southampton. We are looking at British Isles cruises or the ones to Iceland. 

We are hesitant to book because we are unsure what cruising is like in an area of Europe that is not warm and sunny all summer.  What we like about cruising is not only the ports but also the cocktail / swimming pool experience. 

So I would like to hear from people who took a cruise in this part of Europe and wondered if you liked or disliked it? Were there mainly British people on board or was it the usual mix of passengers? 

Any tips are welcome. 

Also, recommendations for other not-Royal Caribbean ships that have a kids-free Solarium would be welcome as well. 

Hi,

I found my perfect cruise in 2025 with NCL from Rome to Istanbul. Because I do not fly I need a cruise back from Istanbul to Rome.  Thought I found the perfect one with Cunard leaving May 24th from Istanbul but just found out that's 2024.

I can't find the schedule for 2025 which is understandable since it's a long ways away. But can somebody tell me when I can expect these to be released?

I can't book the first cruise without since the 2nd one or I would be stuck in Istanbul :-)

The stock price is extremely low today. Maybe (if your finances allow of course) it would be easier for you to buy 100 new ones in one account and sell the ones in the old account? With these prices it's most likely a good investment for the long-term future.

Hi,

I am considering using Testifly as my Covid test for my cruise from Barcelona in June 2022.

Has anybody used it and was it accepted by Royal as a suitable test?

36 minutes ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

I think in the testing T&C states must be a supervised test, eg via a video or in person. Have a look and i think also states the kind of test. We will be doing a video test in the uk the day before we fly to italy if still required for our aug cruise

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/gbr/en/faq/questions/if-need-an-rt-pcr-test-before-i-cruise-where-should-i-go

 

 

Do you have a name for the online video test from the UK? Maybe us other Europeans can use it as well.

In regards to the requirements below:

I am from Europe and we have several options for a Antigen test to take at home (with an official certificate). Much like (but not the same as) the eMed tests. I says nowhere what the Antigen (or PCR) test requirements are (like what kind of certificate). Does anybody know?

If we can take the video Home test from our own country this would be much more convenient and cheaper as well.

REQUIRED TESTING FOR GUESTS SAILING FROM BARCELONA

All Guests: Required Pre-Cruise Testing 

eMed Tests Kits for Travelers   

During the Cruise

Prior to Disembarking

It doesn't seem to state very cleary if you need a PCR test or an Antigen test. Does anybody know where I can find more info on this? 

So do you get to choose a time when checking in online?

What if I choose e.g. 10.00am and due to traffic and don't get there untill 11.00am? Is this a problem?

I imagine getting there early is; but what happens when you are late?

I am not sure what check-in time is wise, since Covid testing protocols for the Med are still not posted and I am worried I might have to get a Covid test somewhere in Barcelona the morning of departure.

Never heard of this. Is it like geocaching only with ducks? 

Hi,

We are booked on Wonder in june and a friend would like to join us for what would be his first cruise.

He is single and when I try to book a single room the pricing is more than what you would pay if you booked 2 passengers. 

So, is it allowed to just book his cruise for 2 passengers and then have one of them not show up (because they don't exist) ? That would save 500USD of the cruisefare.

Are there any other 'tricks' to get a better fare for a single traveller? 

We have been on 2 cruises, both with Royal Caribbean. We are booked on 2 cruises also with Royal. 

We found out we like newer bigger ships better. 

We like areas on the ship that are aldult-only / quieter like the Solarium on Symphony of the Seas. We disliked Jewel of the Seas for this reason. 

We don't fly so we are limited to European ports. We don't want to take the same route again and again so choices for 2023 are limited.

We saw 2 cruises. One with Norwegian on Viva (new ship) with a route that we like and one with Costa Cruises which goes (for a day) to Egypt which we really like. 

How do these 2 compare to RCL? Would you recommend either and if so why? 

Thanks everyone! Called my TA and we are now back to a GTY stateroom. Fingers crossed, because our TA suspects the computer might assign the exact same cabin again.

Hi,

We booked a GTY balcony on Wonder of the Seas. We got assigned 14712 and saw that it is right beneath windjammer. I have e-mailed customer service to see if they will move us (no reply yet); but just wondering how bad this is purely noisewise? I am a light sleeper. 

Booking a GTY is always a rollling of the dice, so I am not complaining. Just wondering about your experiences so I can buy heavy duty earplugs if necessary 😉

I just saw that on this board. That is so weird, I was just tryiing to book it 10 minutes ago and it's still on the website.

Question stays the same though; will excursions be mandatory?

Hi,

I am thinking of booking this 7 Night Spain & Portugal Cruise  cruise from Southampton September 5th 2021.

Does anybody know if you can leave the ship as you please; or do we need to book mandatory excursions through Royal if we want to leave the ship? For us that would be a no-go; so hoping somebody knows. It doesn't say on the website of Royal.

I own shares in Rcl, NCL and CCL and they have been taking a pretty big dive the last two weeks. 

With cruises starting again I would have expected the opposite. 

Any other shareholders that can maybe shine a light on what is happening? 

We did both and Barcelona is easier access to the ship. Both cities are great for site seeing of course, but very different.

On the other hand, we stayed a few days prior to the cruise in Rome. Then took a local train (very cheap) to Civitavecchia and stayed at a apartment there. Lot's of other cruisers who did the same. Only cost about 70 euro per night. Next morning walked to the cruise terminal and took the free shuttle bus to the ship. Taxi is also an option. 

Civitavecchia itself is not a great spot for tourism; so if you decide to stay there the night before, don't expect anything to see or do there 🙂

Just found this topic. Just out of curiosity; are you holding on to the stock for now or considering selling  like me?

I bought the stock at $70 and now its $93.  I am thinking about selling and then re-buying when the next big dip comes along. Question is of course, will the stock dip again?  Nobody here has a crystal ball of course, just wondering what your strategies are?

For the long term I want RCL in my portfolio so that's my end game.