Sololux

That’s why I was thinking of using Blacklane for the taxi from the ship to the airport, booking well in advance. I think some of the cruise lines use this taxi company and their website makes it clear that they operate globally. Perhaps some of the CC’s can provide input. I suspect they won’t be much cheaper than if the taxi was ordered by the ship though.

Many thanks Uktog. I was thinking of booking with Blacklane. We’ve had some hiccups with some taxis in the past so I’m feeling a bit more vulnerable as I’m travelling alone this time.

Hi, I’m going to disembark next May at Athens. Will I have sufficient time from disembarking to get to Athens airport for a noon flight? unfortunately I need to change to get home to Toulouse and it looks like BA is my best option.

Thanks for that tip.

I’m back in the U.K. for this week and have my Twinnings chai tea bags with me!

Wow, that looks really good, and healthy at the same time!

Glad to hear that somethings are working. Thank you for the tip regarding Explorer Lounge. I hadn’t realised there was snacks available.

Perhaps my first words, when I board in May, should be along the lines of….. “Good morning, have you ensured that all bars are fully stocked and that you have a full complement of wines for the next 19 days. Are you specifically aware if there will be any issues over the next 19 days and have plans to manage them. Will you be running this as a 19 day cruise or as two separate cruises.” Depending on the response I’ll either be saying it’s great to be here or give me the phone number for the head office in Geneva now” Like everyone else, I’m paying a shedload of money for this cruise. I have realistic expectations that not everything will be 100% perfect but I would not expect to come across all of the issues you have been reporting.

I’m sorry that it’s turned out like that. Your expectations were realistic given you had cruised with them before. I hate it when my holidays are different to what I had expected. Do you think HQ in Geneva was too focused on the second ship and/ or more competent staff had been sent to the new ship?

“I’ll be back!, in a minute.” I'm definitely going to take a couple of written cards and bulldog clips with me!

I know it sounds confrontational but I’m now of an age where I don’t care. I would approach the group, seeking out the probable lead, and tell them I don’t want to hear loud conversations in public. If they don’t get it I would use my phone to pretend I’m calling someone then shout loudly in the phone, smile really nicely and say, sorry, am I disturbing you. Then do it again. Etiquette needs to be demonstrated before it is learned. sorry, I did say I’m at an age……

I hope you’re able to provide feedback - they need to understand that this type of service is unacceptable.

Hang on a second. I can understand it might not be easy to get European rosé wine at short notice however there’s this country called Turkey that sells Turkish rose wine. Whilst I expect it would taste different I recall seeing it on the price list of a five star hotel.

It sort of sounds like “listening to feedback” isn’t working. I.e they’re listening but not hearing as it doesn’t fit in with their management concept. This is not uncommon. This will only change when someone extremely senior in the management structure starts to ask questions on why the ships are consistently under booked. Then the management in Switzerland will have to acknowledge feedback issues.

I found that I was still getting oriented for the first seven days, by fourteen days I was in the groove and didn’t want to disembark. I’m hoping that by nineteen days, plus two beforehand in Istanbul, I’ll be a happy camper disembarking in the right frame of mind! Let’s face it three weeks of no cooking, cleaning etc is a joy.

Your feedbacks are very helpful in managing expectations so please continue. I hope that, despite the entertainment issues, you continue to have good holidays/vacations!

To be fair, when I was doing my research, the Seabourn cruises were often structured as 7, 14 and 21 nights. I found it confusing at first in searching itineraries until I realised how it worked so EJ is probably no different.

I wondered about that as well. I’m booked on a 19 night cruise but, in reality, it’s a B2B of a 10 nights and a 9 nights cruise!

Very good points raised, as always. Due diligence cannot be overlooked but need to be matched with realistic expectations.

Thanks for warning. I have some travel size products I put aside, just in case, from last years Liberty advent calendar.

Thank you Dr Cocktail. Have a good time. I’m now busy organising flights and hotels for next year!

I’ve looked in their app and it has the list of room spirits you can request. However I would like the following: Pimms - which I’ve seen in some of their bar pictures carton of milk - I’m a really big tea drinker and take chi teabags whenever I fly! zero alcohol white wine zero alcohol beer Daily - small dish of orange, lemon and cucumber slices - for the Pimms! Do you think this will be a problem? If not, should I talk to customer services before boarding or wait and sort out on board?

Many thanks CardowMD. There are so many options that it’s a bit overwhelming to choose!

I agree. To me it’s a fundamental change to what was originally contracted to so I would also expect, under U.K. law, that a full cash refund was due. I have booked with a U.K. travel agent for this very reason. Yes, I would have got a better price and/or OBC with a US TA but mr rights would have been weakened. It’s ok if you are paying a low figure but when you’re into anything above 10k stg, euros, dollars one wants consumer protection!

Have a fantastic time.