2pbears

We have yet to sail Pacific Princess but I have read many, many reviews by people who absolutely love the ship and go on and on about how great it is. Take it with a grain of salt but, like I said, many people think it is the most wonderful ship in the Princess fleet. Personally, I'd like to take it through the Panama Canal. I think that would be a great "tester" cruise for the ship.

Thrak, I think your idea is a great one. We have not sailed on the Pacific Princess but we sailed the Panama Canal on the Azamara Quest which is the same class ship. It was ideal as we did not have to fight the hoards of people for a good viewing position as we went through the canal. One of the things we liked best about this ship was that since there were so few passengers onboard we actually got to meet people and see them over and over again throughout the cruise.

Thank you so much. This is very helpful.

I understand from reading these boards that there is a combo ticket that combines the train ticket with a Glasgow HOHO ticket. Should we purchase these in advance or will they be readily available when we get to the train station in Greenock?

At the end of our very first Azamara cruise we had planned to take the bus from Southampton to Heathrow. I had thought long and hard about doing this as I knew everything would have to go just right for us to make the bus schedule, but I finally decided that it was doable. Well, of course, on the morning we were to disembark there was a miscommunication or problem with clearing the ship and disembarkation was delayed. We sat with a large group in the cocktail lounge outside Windows growing more concerned about making our bus as time went by. When I finally realized that we would not be able to get to the bus in time I told my husband that I would go down to Passenger Services and see if perhaps they could get us on the Azamara Transfer to Heathrow. I spoke to the Customer Service Representative and explained our situation. He said he thought it was too late to purchase a transfer to the airport but he would check for us. He made a phone call but unfortunately he said it would not be possible to get on the bus at this late time. I thanked him very much for looking into it for me and I believe I made a comment to the effect that I was not sure how we would get to the airport. I went back up to the fifth floor and joined my husband again in the crowded cocktail lounge to wait for the announcement that the ship had finally been cleared. Five or ten minutes later I looked up and here was the gentleman that I had talked to in Passenger Services. He came over to me and said he was so glad that he was able to locate me as he had made a few more telephone calls in our behalf and was able to get us onto the Azamara transfer bus to Heathrow. I went back downstairs with him to pay for the transfer and he gave me very specific instructions on where to find the bus when we disembarked. You can imagine what an impression this made on a first time Azamara passenger. Customer service extraordinaire! This is one of the reasons we keep coming back to Azamara. We will be on the Journey in July and are bringing another couple with us this time for their first Azamara experience.

I would agree with all that has been said so far, assuming that the itineraries are the same. If they are not the same, I would make sure that whichever ship I chose was going to Glacier Bay. IMHO that is a must! I would add that if you are thinking about sharing a balcony with your group of six people you will find it to be pretty cramped on most balconies on the Royal. Unlike the Coral, most balconies on the Royal are pretty tiny (like seating for two only).

Yes you can do St Peter Port Guernsey on your own. Will you see everything you want/need to, probably not if you want to see the island rather than just St Peter Port itself. When deciding whether to do a port on my own, or with an independent tour (I gave up with the ships tours many years ago), I look at how far I have travelled to reach that port, and the likelihood of going again. If I have not travelled far, and will likely visit again, I will try to do as much as possible on my own. Whereas if I have travelled thousands of miles, I try to see as much as possible. Whilst the round the island bus is very good, it does not allow you to visit the Little Chapel which I would highly recommend. Also if you were to disembark that particular bus, then the next bus to come along will probably be full, and possibly the one after. My recommendation would be to take an independent tour for half a day, which would drive around the island visiting say the Little Chapel, The German Occupation Museum and perhaps one other stop such as Fort Grey or if open, the Fort Hommet underground bunker, and then take a half day walking around St Peter Port, to include Castle Cornet, the Tapestry and the German Naval Signal bunker, which unless you are organised, may be easier as a group with a guide.

 

There are a few independent tour operators, however many of the larger mini-buses and buses are booked up by the cruise lines many months in advance. You could hire a mini-bus or "van" with a driver, or with a driver and accredited guide, so that you can agree the itinerary that you want. There is so much to see that you can not see everything in one day, the advantage of a small group is that you can go down lanes that the larger buses cannot, and you can also beat the cruise line buses to the places of interest. You could also hire a car which allows you complete flexibility, however I would not recommend this unless you are used to driving on small roads.

 

I list below some websites which may help when visiting Guernsey

https://www.visitguernsey.com/

http://www.buses.gg/

www.guernseyguidedtours.com

 

Please feel free to post any questions and I will try to help,

We will be in St. Peter Port in July and our #1 priority is to see the little chapel and to have time to walk around the town and explore on our own. We will only be in port from 8 AM to 1 PM so that does not allow a lot of time. I am wondering if it would be possible to catch a taxi that would take us out to the Little Chapel or is that something that should be booked in advance. Also, I have read that there are long lines to get inside the chapel now because of some ongoing renovations. Is this still true. We are OK with not being able to get inside but really want to see the outside and get some photos.

Glacier Bay is a must!

We are taking a tour on April 27, 2018 while the Azamura Quest is docked in Barcelona. The tour encompasses Barcelona and Montserrat and is through the following site www.BarcelonaDayTours.com. Looking for other cruises to join us on this tour.

Just wanted to comment that we took this tour through Barcelona Day Tours in 2016 and it was excellent. We really enjoyed the trip.

I suppose the next logical follow-up question is whether you have already booked your ticket from LHR. This has a bearing on the timing of your EDI-LHR flight because (as you probably already know) if you're on two separate tickets then BA will not through-check your bags onto your onward flight from LHR and you have to allow enough time to do the complete circuit.

 

However, if you're booking a through ticket from EDI all the way home, and you just want a feel for when to start from EDI, then fortunately that warning can be ignored as everything will happen automatically.

Thanks for your follow up. We are actually spending the night at the Heathrow Sofitel so transferring luggage is not going to be an issue. It didn't make sense to try to squeeze the two flights into one day so we will spend one last night in the UK.

Hello again 2pbears, I posted earlier today but don’t know where my post has gone! I had a look at the airport buses this afternoon and saw people boarding easily with luggage. However I also said with 4 adults, it would be far better and not too much more expensive to book a car to take you direct from the ship to the airport. These are quite large companies, cheaper than a regular taxi and easily booked.

 

www.capitalcarsscotland.co.uk

Www.ecph.cab

Thank you so much for this info. I think we will most likely go with the private transport and will contact these companies for a price quote. I really appreciate all of your help on this.

Where are you going after you arrive at LHR?

 

As I said above, don't forget that if you're going to central London, then flying to LHR may not be the most convenient thing to do. Flying to London City may well be better for you.

We are flying home from LHR. This is the end of our trip.

Sorry, Cotswold Eagle. I see now that it was Tartanexile81 who offered additional info on private transport companies.

It’s a bus with internal luggage space, so may not be suitable for your needs.

 

http://www.edinburghspotlight.com/2017/04/200airport/

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

OK. I see that now after re-reading your post. I think maybe a private transfer may be the best way to go for us. Would you mind posting the recommended transport companies that you mentioned earlier. Thank you so much.

Thank you to everyone for this information.

Tartanexile81 - Is the Skylink a tram type system where you can just roll your luggage onto the tram? Or is it like a train where you have to hoist your luggage up a couple of steps to get on the train. We are four seniors carrying 50 pound suitcases so if access is difficult we would probably be better off hiring a car. If it is just a matter of rolling onto the tram though, we would certainly be game for that.

Thank you. That is exactly what I needed to know.

I can't imagine going to Dubrovnik and not walking the wall. We only walked half way (on the sea side) but the views were amazing. Be sure to look for the Buza Bar. It is well hidden but quite unlike any place else we have ever stopped for a drink. In the afternoon we caught a ferry over to Cavtat and had a nice seafood lunch. Enjoy your time in Dubrovnik!

We are making plans for our British Isles cruise in July and we are trying to decide whether to book an early flight or take our time, have a nice breakfast onboard and then make our way to the airport. We arrive at our disembarkation port the day prior so there will be no issues of arriving late. Does Azamara a set time that they try to have everyone off the ship? I know they have to prepare the ship for the next group of passengers but just trying to get an idea of how long we could stay onboard without causing a problem for Azamara.

We will be on the Azamara Journey in July and will dock in Leith on the 24th of July and then disembark on the 25th after an overnight onboard ship. Can anyone with experience tell me what is the best way to get to Edinburgh airport (and approximate costs) and what would be the earliest flight you would book to LHR from EDI. TIA for your advice. CC folks are always so helpful.

Your situation sounds very much like ours was a couple of years ago. We are Elite on Princess (just recently) but a few years back we felt that they had slipped (primarily in the quality of food, but a few other things as well). We decided to venture out and try something new and we chose Azamara. WOW!!! We were so impressed with this cruise line. The food is, in our opinion, head and shoulders above Princess. The service is amazing. The onboard experience is so relaxing and the people are actually friendly (we've met some pretty snarky people on Princess--no offense intended). Needless to say, the price point is higher than Princess, but includes many things that Princess charges $ for (like drinks, gratuities). We continue to sail Princess because we still like their product but for the special "bucket list" cruises we have decided to spend the extra money and go with Azamara.

John Bull and Post Captain, thank you so much for the great information. This was exactly what we were looking for.

We will be sailing from Southampton in July and would like to spend a couple of days in Salisbury rather than staying in London. On one of the days we would like to do a day tour from Salisbury to see Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor Castle. The only tours I have been able to locate leave from downtown London. Are there tour companies that could do a private tour for four people from Salisbury?

This is actually the reason we have never done the round trip Alaska out of San Francisco. I know that the seas can be smooth as well as rough but we have just never been willing to take the chance. Instead, we usually opt for the southbound cruises in September when they bring the ships back down for the Mexican Riviera season. That works well for us even though we do have to fly to Vancouver.

We did the Thumbs Up tour in Puntarenas as well and it included a boat trip up the river, among other things. We enjoyed the entire day and would highly recommend it.

Of the three hotels on your list we have only stayed at the Pan Pacific but have stayed there several times. For convenience it can't be beat and the accomodations are lovely. The last time we sailed from Vancouver the rates at the Pan Pacific were sky high and so we stayed at the Hyatt Regency. It was very nice and just a short walk to the cruise terminal. I would not hesitate to stay there again if looking for a hotel at a lower price point than the Pan Pacific.

Our experience in October was that the Michelangelo dining room had fairly long wait times and the service was very slow. We discovered that if we showed up at the Da Vinci dining room at 7:30 when they made the change over to ATD we could walk right in and pick the table of our choice. We found two waiters who were excellent and were seated at their table for the rest of the cruise. Service was efficient and personable. If you don't mind waiting until 7:30 for dinner, that is definitely the way to go.