mygo1999

What is the best way to get from Heathrow to Southampton for a cruise.

I would of course fly in the day before.

I was thinking that we could stay overnight at the airport and then catch some type of transport to Southampton in the morning.

Or fly in and go directly to Southampton and stay the night there and then catch the ship in the morning.

There will be only 2 of us so wondering what you all think as I am from the US and have only been to England one time but don't want to go to London this time.

Thanks.

Hi Grumpy. It only takes about 1hr 15 mins to get from Heathrow to Southampton by car, I have actually done this trip. It may take a bit longer by coach but not much it's a good road. There are lots of hotels around Heathrow which are reasonable.

I wouldn't suggest going by train you would have to go into London and cross it, with luggage not nice.

Have a look at this website it gives you different options including direct transfers from Heathrow to your ship. https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/heathrow_southampton.htm

Regards. Garry

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Null

I cannot comment for Arcadia but on Azura and Ventura they provide enough and if you want more if you ask you cabin steward they will provide it. You can also pick some up in the buffet.

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Hiya. I was just reading your question about formal evenings on Azura and noticed that you were in the Navy from 1972-1978 and that one of your drafts was on Monkton. My hubby was buffer of the Monkton, sailing her out from Plymouth in the first week of January 1972. I joined him in Hong Kong in May, one day after the ship arrived. We were just wondering whether you were on Monkton between 1982-1974 and if so, who you are!! If this is the case you could contact me on nanniejean@icloud.com. If not, just let us know via these boards. Cheers Jean S

Hi Jean.

 

Nice to hear from you. I was on HMS Monkton from 1975 to 1976 so just after your hubby. That would have been a great trip taking her out to Hong Kong.

I was REM on her and I must say it is my favourite ship from when I was in the Navy. I loved Hong Kong, I suppose partly because I met my wife there, but I loved it before I even met her. I have a few photos of HMS Monkton I will send them to your email.

 

Regards

 

Garry

 

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Hiya. I was just reading your question about formal evenings on Azura and noticed that you were in the Navy from 1972-1978 and that one of your drafts was on Monkton. My hubby was buffer of the Monkton, sailing her out from Plymouth in the first week of January 1972. I joined him in Hong Kong in May, one day after the ship arrived. We were just wondering whether you were on Monkton between 1982-1974 and if so, who you are!! If this is the case you could contact me on nanniejean@icloud.com. If not, just let us know via these boards. Cheers Jean S

Hi Jean.

Nice to hear from you. I was on HMS Monkton from 1975 to 1976 so just after your hubby. That would have been a great trip taking her out to Hong Kong.

I was REM on her and I must say it is my favourite ship from when I was in the Navy. I loved Hong Kong, I suppose partly because I met my wife there, but I loved it before I even met her. I have a few photos of HMS Monkton I will send them to your email.

Regards

Garry

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I was doing my occasional wander across the boards and I came across this thread

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2311713

 

I know its American, but once I started reading I had to go to the end.

This post actually described what somebody had to do when they were left behind

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2121215

No we have never been left behind, but once on a Med cruise our two sons one about 20 the other 16 became great friends with a couple of girls they went ashore in Marsielle and were very late back to the ship. My wife and I were waiting on the gangway to make sure they were back on board with my wallet credit cards, my passport and their passports in case they didn't make it back. Which they did.....just....not impressed. I don't need that much stress.

We were in Dublin on Royal Princess in June and the traffic was horrendous we set off back really early which was lucky. There were people left behind, but that wasn't so bad because the next port was Liverpool and there is an overnight ferry and the port after that was Belfast which is a train ride. Plus you didn't need a passport.

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It's not a silly question we are doing TA on Azura in March, there are four formal evenings but can't find out when they are.

The first one will probably be the first day after boarding. The last one will probably be the second to last day, the last day being packing.

However no idea when the other two will be, except if you have sea days they will normally be on a sea day or a port that leaves early.

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I didn't have a problem but it was an inside cabin.

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Kung Hey Fat Choi. I am also a monkey.

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I thought I had a photo with the sockets in the picture.

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I tend to agree with English lady you don't really need it just keep your balcony door closed. If you really want to use one we were on Ventura in October but an inside cabin not a balcony but there was space under the sockets.

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Isn't it Adonia?

I think you are right, I checked P&O's website Adonia's cruise starting on the 5th February requires yellow fever certificates.

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Are you sure you have the correct ship? By the book, it flew to Santiago. And they flew today?

 

 

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This post had me worried...... I had checked for Barbados and you only needed a yellow fever certificate if you were coming from an at risk country which the UK isn't. So I checked again still the same advice.

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Whenever we get on a ship we are just directed in the right direction. Get the lift to the right deck. Even number cabins are port side (left as you face the bow) odd number cabins are starboard (right has you face the bow) cabins number low at the bow going higher towards the stern (back)

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We have done freedom dining before if you arrive early there are normally a queue, later normally not. But it helps if you are flexible and willing to sit with other people rather than you a table for two.

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All things being equal, the airfare taxes leaving Europe vs leaving the US are about $100 higher (varies depending on the country) - socialism at work - if you can afford to fly to the US you can afford the extra taxes.

The UK has the highest airport departure tax in Europe and we have a conservative government. It is worked out on how far it is to the capitol city of the country you are flying to, which can cause some anomalies. However I have noticed the same thing here, if you are looking for a flight to anywhere you will find the flight out is cheaper than the flight back. I think something to do with airlines particularly budget airline then advertising flights ...ie... £20 to Paris etc. So you can get there cheap but they sting you on the way back.

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Southampton round trip gives you the ability to pack huge quantities of stuff and buy bulky or heavy items to bring home as there are no luggage restrictions when re-boarding. Downside is the first and last few days can be a bit cold and if you cross the Bay of Biscay it could be a bit rough.

 

Fly cruises: Caribbean, flights in and out are included in the cruise fare and you get straight to the sun and beach which is likely to be nice sunny weather daily with sometimes a bit of rain which doesn't last long. The rain is not dispiriting like in the UK on a holiday. Weight restrictions on luggage.

 

Fly cruises: Mediterranean, usually the flights included but you can think about arranging your own to incorporate a city stay before or after to extend the holiday. Weight restrictions on luggage.

 

Fly out - Sail Home. The Caribbean season ends early in the year and ships need to relocate Southampton. This is a cheap itinerary usually, but go on the Friday Cruise (one extra day in Caribbean). You can avoid the long flight home, which is always a downer by doing the Transatlantics. Fly out with weight restrictions and buy unlimited heavy goods to sail home with. This can also be achieved by booking the final leg of a world cruise. Often you start in a rare port and the sea days are a bit more prolific.

I agree that it is better to fly out the day before but P&O charge a lot of money for the privilege when I booked it was £150 each to go the day before.

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For those leaving from the states a benefit is arriving in Europe with no jet lag. I think that makes up for losing a few hours. Plus the weather is nicer in my opinion.

I must admit that was something I hadn't thought about but that might be because I'm lucky in that it doesn't affect me much. The last couple of years in March we have had good weather I hope it's the same this year.

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I somehow promised my daughter a trip to Paris for her 16th birthday. I am a travel agent, but usually OVERplan for our own trips. We planned to cruise Christmas 2016, but I thought I would suprise her with the River Cruise to Paris - Heart of Normandy from Viking for her Sweet 16 gift. She is mature, she is well-travelled, she is an avid learner taking French now. Question for the group - would this be the right cruise? Her birthday is Nov 13, and the cruise is Nov 20.

We did a river cruise a few years ago we are in our fifties but very active, we felt we were about forty years too young. It was very boring although the stops were good there was little to do onboard, there was a gym but very small and limited, one rowing machine and one cross trainer and very hard to get to use it. I cannot imagine how a sixteen year old would be able to stand it.

I took my first trip to Europe at 16, as an exchange student in Austria. That was the official start of my travel addiction. :D

 

At 16, I would be bored to tears on any river cruise, and I was a quiet and studious teen, who was quite happy with a book. However, the average demographic and onboard ambiance is not something I would have enjoyed at all.

 

I agree with Notamermaid that a stay in Paris with a day cruise would be far more fun and interesting than a river cruise for most any teen.

 

Viking would be my last choice for many reasons. If a river cruise is what you decide, AMA has active tours and bike tours (our host says Avalon does as well but that was not my experience and i have not read that these have been added) and Emerald seems to market to a younger demographic. She will likely be the only teen aboard.

 

Our Rhone cruise with AMA was my favorite itinerary to date. We had lots of overnights in port, which allowed us to be off the boat in the evenings, and there was little daytime sailing, which maximized our time in port. Avignon and Lyon both had a young and active vibe and would be enjoyable IMO for a 16 year old.

 

It is not a choice I would make for any 16 year old.

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keep in mind that leaving the USA is cheaper then returning. I check their prices all the way to final total. It on my bucket list to do out one day. From what i heard there possible of seasick because you need to travel at the right time of the year.

We are doing a TA from Barbados to Southampton in March, when doing any TA there is always the possibility of rough weather. There is an advantage of travelling East to West, that is East coast USA is five hours behind UK and six behind Europe so going East to West you get an extra hour for five/six days of the cruise......However going West to East you lose a hour for five or six days, but they are sea days so you don't have to get up early.

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Trying to decide whether to do fly/cruise or from Southampton. Are the flights and transfers easy? Any experiences may help us make a decision please.

We have done both, or rather three types.

We have sailed from Southampton very easy you can take as much as you can get in the car, coach or train but depending on the weather and the time of year it might take two days to get to warm temperatures.

We have done fly cruises where everything is arranged by the cruise line, flight and transfers to the ship very easy, in fact we are doing one in March flying to Barbados which is a charter flight and coming back to Southampton, we also upgraded to premium economy because of the extra luggage allowance. You don't even have to collect your checked in bags when you arrive in Barbados they are delivered from the plane to your cabin.

The other type is booking a cruise only and arranging your own flights, this you have to organise everything your self but if you want to extend the cruise at either end or go on somewhere else is very easy to do. The only problem with flying is weight limits on luggage, you start to think about the weight of clothes when you are buying new ones. It's actually a good thing because it stops you taking too much.

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The link between Noro and the lack of sanitisers on the ship is none existent. The hand sanitiser does not affect the noro virus. The only sure way to get rid of the Noro virus is to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, before and after every meal as well as after using the bathroom. Cruise staff cannot enforce that unless they install sinks at all restaurants and force each person to use it.

 

Majority of the time there is zero link between the ship and noro, its all the passengers. Unless of course the ship gets trapped with the Noro for several cruises, which would usually indicate lack of cleaning of the ship, which in 99.99% of cases is not the issue.

We were on Royal Princess in June they had two sinks for hand washing in the entrance to the buffet restaurant, they asked everyone to wash their hands. However you always get those people who who for some strange reason think that coming in contact with water or sanitizer will have a fatal effect on them. They can't all be the wicked witch of the west. :-)

Its always been around, and is prevalent where people gather in numbers.

At least with more publicity, hopefully more people will become aware of Noro and take steps to prevent its spread.

 

 

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Why english lady? I have been tempted from time to time, then thought I could intellectually be out of my depth.

 

Cb

We went on a seven day river cruise with Avalon (Felicity). admittedly it was in November and the last cruise of the season, but we found it boring. We had the idea that it would cruise over night and spend the day in a city. For the first four days it arrived very early and left before the shops opened. The only entertainment on board was a pianist who could sing a bit. They brought a wood carver on board for a demonstration but that was tied in with an excursion to his shop in the Black forest. The cruise director Sabine was useless there were no quizzes, scavenger hunt or bingo (although I don't like it many people do) her voice was monotone and a total cure for insomnia. The good points the food was very good as were the staff. The scenery was wonderful but it was too cold to stay on deck. The clients were mainly American who were very friendly and nice, although many of them, their Idea of dressing for dinner was jogging bottoms and t-shirt. The ship started to run out of things like some types of beer, sweetener, and some other drinks. I very much doubt we would ever do another.

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If you book early with select fare you can pick your cabin. The cabins in the stern have larger balconies, for example on Azura R 746 to R752 ...B748 to B757 ..C752 and C753 ..Do 34 and D735. You can tell the larger balconies from the deck plan(on P&O website) of the ship you are looking at.

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