hampshirelad

I find that the "Whats in Port site " gives you a broad brush feel of whats do-able on your own and whats best left to an excursion. Key is where does the ship dock in relation to the town / destination. My wife and I now find in Europe that last time we were in a particular port you just got off the ship and were in the town. Now a bespoke cruise terminal has been built say 5 miles from the town. It pays to do your research. Kirkwall can be done by yourself if you wish. Iceland - students used to do free tours (a donation asked ) around the capital The length of tours varies. They all start early. Travel any distance then they will be 5 hours . Walk and Talk tours will be 3 to 4 hours. Hope that helps https://www.whatsinport.com/Kirkwall-Orkney-Islands-Scotland.htm

When in the Retreat on Celebrity you normally find when in port there is a separate gangway to come back on board. Also when tendering you go to the Retreat lounge and are then escorted to the tender gangway and get priority. Returning by tender you get priority if you are brave enough to walk to the front of the queue .

As a regular M& S shopper . Marks keep the bulk of their stock online so do not think you can just get a DJ for the size you want off the pegg. For those coming from overseas , the only way to be certain is to pre order and pickup at the West Quay store in Southampton not far from the dock. if you have time to spare and the correct size is an issue then order two and immediately return one and get a refund Have just purchased a pair of trousers to match my jacket. Cant tell the difference from the originals

We used to always book the corner sky suites until Celebrity started charging a premium for them . The pole in the middle was no problem and the extra space in the cabin and wrap around balcony was great. However if your are on the deck below the aft cafe you will hear chairs being dragged around especially in the morning. Also you get the auto window washing equipment parked by your balcony. Still the best cabins though

If you have OBC then Book Tuscan Grill. The downside for us is they have not changed the menu for what seems like a generation and do not seem inclined to do so. Best not to overfill on the starters and struggle with the main course. On Silhouette the view is great , but like all things the food is not what is was. The same applies to the menu in Murano . The service has become all theatre and the mains are not what they were. The lobster has become so messed up you wonder what you are eating..

We had a cruise on Infinity November 2023 - Gatwick / Barcelona 10 days . We had one of these £49 flights through the Spanish company Vueling. It was a problem from start to finish. Firstly these are Group booking so you cannot use the locator codes provided on your invoice to confirm your flight. You cannot do online check in , but are told you must check in at the airport. That in itself is enough to make your blood run cold.This means that you turn up at Gatwick on a cold Nov morning expecting the worst and you are not disappointed. Firstly no one at the Vigelen check out will listen to you until they have put your passport on the reader and had no response for at least 10 times and / or finished a private conversation. You are then sent to an unmarked check in and find that you cannot sit together as Celebrity have already booked you two window seats one behind the other. This is deliberate as we had the same seats on the return flight.I can only assume that Celebrity gets a deal on these single window seats as most people travel as a couple and book middle and isle when they see that the window seat is already taken. Online check in is not available again for the return flight, say no more. Be warned !!

Tuscan Grill is a big disappointment on any ship . I do not think they have changed the menu for a generation.I so not understand the thinking in churning out the same menu year after year. Sushi on 5 is always empty ? . They did an Indian meal in S on 5 on Infinity in Nov 23. It was weird when they dressed up to the theme and served Japanese beer with a Madras curry. I have to say that the food was tasty but the taste could have been hotter. However Murano is all theatre these days and every increasing cost.. Le Petit Chef is something you do once or you take the Grandchildren to. I don't suppose we shall ever see "Ocean Liners "again

I will settle for 5.30 pm

Went Barcelona to Barcelona over 12 days with Celebrity 17th November. Wall to wall sunshine every day with temps in the 70's

For the benefit of Victoria2 and exLondoner (DFL) as we say ) The Queens Grill prices for the QV in November are worth a look . From Southampton and down to the Canaries and back 12 days. Looks like everyone wants to book on Queen Anne. Thought I would get my booking done before going viral. Once again many thanks. The booking form looks like we have been cut back to one bottle of spirits ! or 2 bottles of wine

Many thanks very much to both of you for those helpful comments and as we have been on Deck 5 before we will go for that. I think the downside is that its too close to the lifts and last time we spent a lot of time going up and down to the grills and should have spent more time around the ship

A question for anyone who has used these cabins recently Would you take a Q3 on Deck 5 or take one of the Q4 on Deck 7 which are grouped around midships if you had the choice. There seems to be a margin al difference in price on the cruise I am looking at and the Q3's are slightly bigger. Sometimes the layout of the room is better whatever the size. Many thanks

We were on the Infinity late November. We stayed in a suite S1. Having read the previous reports I felt that on first glance the ship was not in bad condition. However major electrical problems resulted in many balcony cabins on deck 7 being flooded. The show could not go ahead one night because the lights were not working properly. Fire doors started closing in a random manner throughout the public areas. I gather there is a safety device so you cannot get decapitated. Celebrity were trying to get those affected to take vouchers , not offering cash refund. I cannot see how you can revolutionise the ship fully. I cannot see where you might find space for a Retreat deck as over the years so many extra cabins have been added and in warm weather on M class ships what is left of the deck space is packed out. One turns over - you all turn over. I expect money will be prioritised on retail areas Probably end up as a hybrid version

Posting to get some up to date information on Queens Grill as our last trip was some years ago. How have standards held up since the pandemic ? Can you still order what you want giving notice where required. Do they flambé at table - jubilee cherries comes to mind. I take it formal night will be as we knew it or is it not quite as dressy as Cunard used to be. Are the Penthouse cabins on deck 7 all the same size and does anyone know what the actual size is rather than a rather opaque range. Must be Cunard's best kept secret. Many thanks

Celebrity has been our main cruise line over 20 years. We have watched the quality go down and perks cut especially after Covid. Last month we went with friends on NCL around Ireland. We had a had a suite which is not full Haven as the ship did not have one. Lunch and Breakfast were taken in one of the special restaurants, which was top class, but the food in the main dining room of an evening was pretty grim. The main strength we found were the staff who went the extra mile for you. However the down side was the noise especially in the dining room where everyone seemed to have to talk louder and louder to make themselves heard. Also there were a shortage of lounges where you could have a pre dinner drink. I think full Haven will give Celebrity suite class real competition, I would not fancy a basic cabin on NCL.

When we booked flights with our cruise , ( 10 Days on Infinity from Barcelona ) we were surprised to find that there was no online check in. In view of all the cancelled flights, system meltdowns, we no longer take the risk of booking flights independently so we can be protected by the package regulations. Celebrity Speak Online check-in Online check-in is not available with Vueling Airlines, so check-in must be completed at the airport at least 2 hours before your flight departure. The thought of turning up at Gatwick with only your Celebrity documents at around 7 am on a dark Nov morning is enough to make your blood run cold. Has anyone else form the UK experienced this procedure and approx how long did it take to get check in completed . I am trying to clear my mind of a picture where the queue is 100 hundred + long and there is one person on the desk. Many thanks

We have been always been looked after as Retreat guests over a number of years. If we are flying from the UK, and transfer to the port , then there is a area set aside with refreshments and they normally take you on in small groups as soon as the ship is clear and then we go to the Retreat lounge until lunch. We live near Southampton so if we cruise from there then we get the taxi to arrive about 11am. There used to be a separate check in but now its become much more automated and they scan your boarding pass and you go through . It helps if you make sure you have got your head around online check in and loaded your passport type photo. WIFI is not great at Southampton so it helps if you have printed your boarding pass as back up. Again go to the Retreat lounge or deck until lunch. Not sure if we shall still use the Retreat / and or Celebrity after our next cruise in November. Its not what it was !

We stopped there in Dec 2019. The tendering was operated by the locals not the ships boat and was pretty speedy as they were bigger than tenders.There is a purpose built jetty on I believe the south edge of the town which if you are doing a tour involves a short walk to the bus / coach station. I remember having to cross a very busy road and i remember the red light was seen as an invitation as the mopeds went through the middle of the group. Tip - try and find a nun to cross with. We had ships tours which were not that special , if you have been this way before. One point is that it gets dark early and one tour was totally dark before it finished. Having been there 25 years ago it came across as a bit seedy and run down. If you are there overnight then the Bangla Rd is were it all happens !

We cruised from here pre pandemic. I suggest you overnight there as its quite an interesting place with its own "China Town ". You do not say the date, but you are coming into the Typhoon season, which happened to us and in which case the ship will sail out to sea before boarding to avoid getting smashed up in the dock. No one could board and were lucky we could stay in our hotel for a further night until the ship came back, luckily it did. Extra costs were all paid by Celebrity. Others travelling down on the day had to rush around to try and find hotel rooms. Everything then closed down. Very interesting country, one of our best destinations.

We are cruising from Southampton on the Star and this is the first time we have been with NCL other than a 3 day jolly some 15 years ago. We have a suite designated as an aft facing penthouse. We have a few courtesy add ons such as a drinks package. So we if ask the butler for say drinks and nibbles in the cabin at 4pm. Is this part of the service or will we be hit with an extra charge as this then turns out to be classed as room service. Will he clear out the fridge of anything chargeable and restock it with say beers and soft drinks from the drinks package. I do not find NCL very forthcoming about any benefits attached to suite/ penthouse cabins. I did become startled when I found there was a supplementary charge for water. I have never seen that in a suite before. From my experience with other lines the term Butler has many interpretations. Many thanks

We are cruising from Southampton on the Star and this is the first time we have been with NCL other than a 3 day jolly some 15 years ago. We have a suite designated as an aft facing penthouse. We have a few courtesy add ons such as a drinks package. So we if ask the butler for say drinks and nibbles in the cabin at 4pm. Is this part of the service or will we be hit with an extra charge as this then turns out to be classed as room service. Will he clear out the fridge of anything chargeable and restock it with say beers and soft drinks from the drinks package. I do not find NCL very forthcoming about any benefits attached to suite/ penthouse cabins. I did become startled when I found there was a supplementary charge for water. I have never seen that in a suite before. From my experience with other lines the term Butler has many interpretations. Many thanks

Thank you for the many helpful replies. The flights are organised by Celebrity because in UK we then have what is termed a package. This then puts the responsibility on Celebrity to get us to and from the ship from the UK. Since covid short haul flights in Europe have been besieged with outages making independent arrangements risky unless you allow plenty of wriggle room by arriving at the port the day before and booking a hotel for overnight. Historically we always made our own arrangements, but now there is a total lack of support when things go wrong.

Just booked a cruise on the Infinity 18th Nov Barcelona to Barcelona, flying from London. Have been puzzled why I could not bring up our names and flight details on the Airline Website. A very helpful person at planet Miami told me there is now a new system .Celebrity now make a group booking and you arrive at the airport with your Celebrity booking form and then your tickets and boarding passes and seats will be issued and allocated . You get no info before then. Sounds terrifying so has anybody else experienced this. It gets worse. The airline is Vueling so if it can go wrong it will. If we had a choice i would rather poke my eye out with a stick than fly with them.

We are 20 miles outside Southampton. Just come back from this cruise on the 13th July. I always recommend that people flying into London or stopping in London use the coach service to reach Southampton. It's all motorway so the time taken is roughly the same and luggage us easier to handle. Enjoy your Cruise but bear in mind all these Baltic countries are now mainly "no Cash" even for an ice cream. Payment is now by card - contactless payments. I had not realised it would be so rigidly applied.

Care for Elite plus members We have just come of Shilouette from a baltic cruise and as we had a lot of OBC we thought we would give it a go. It's a bit ' bitty ' lots of small portions which they are happy to replenish. It's very tasty, service is great. For Brits the spice is about Korma +. The sting is that Celebrity say that this is an Event and does not qualify for Elite plus discount given to bookings in specialist restaurants. Had to stand our ground as thought this was sneaky. 20$ credit appeared on our shipboard account. Apparently if you have deep pockets the same applies to Chefs table. Had a lot of problems with our Elite plus discount in the Restaurants. They clearly do not like it and try every trick to avoid it. Eg just taking one card. Would we do it again probably no and wait till we got home and get a takeaway. We did it as we have got so fed up with Murano and TG where the menu has not changed for generations. Petit Chef that for taking the Grandclidren to.