villauk

For future reference, I believe that isn’t the case on their new Sun and Star ships.

Really enjoyed your review, especially as we are taking the same Japan sailing route next year on Millie (SV on that cruise). Thank you for all the great tips and I did contact your guide for Kyoto 👍.

Have you managed to get straight in Blu for breakfast each morning or have you had a wait for that too? Additionally, have there been any special lunches in there at all during your sailing?

Jim, That’s just what I did and it worked, thank you 👍. I was getting so frustrated as I was trying to cancel and rebook tours because of the Black Friday sale. It locked me out mid-operation and then I couldn’t get back in 😡.

Thanks for replying and reassuring me 👍.

Can I ask you two things please? Firstly, did you get your details 10 days prior to the flight as I have no information either regarding our EasyJet flights? We are not cruising newbies (see my signature), but I always book my own flights and have only used X this time as it was a great offer. Secondly, was your luggage included in your initial costings? X have assured our TA that we all have 1x23kg included in the flight deal price, but I personally have my doubts. Wondered what your experience was? TIA.

We’ve decided on 1108 and 1109, one on each side to hedge our bets 🤣. I’m hoping they won’t be too noisy near the lifts. Am I right in thinking that Infinity hasn’t been refurbished, so it’s the older reddish soft furniture? Thank you ever so much for all your wonderful information.

Thank you for the information. When the other poster mentioned the stairs, where are these actually located? Are they in the hallway by the elevators and go down to the Sunset Bar (sorry, the last time we were on Infinity, those cabins weren’t even there 😁)? Would you say it was a better location than those on deck 9, with the overhang? Are you enjoying Blu and is the daily water limited to 2 per cabin or each person (I don’t want to ask for more if it’s per cabin)? Sorry, it’s a last-minute booking and we don’t usually stay in Aqua so any information would be greatly received. Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

Are the Aqua cabins around 1111 on Infinity in a decent area regarding noise etc.? Worried about the overhang on deck 9, so wondered if the cabins on deck 11 were quiet? Additionally, are there shower doors in the bathrooms and do they have the power-showers fitted? Would welcome any comments or advice. TIA.

Does anyone have any idea if there will be any additional Black Friday deals over here in the U.K.? I realise the 75% off the second guest and reduced flight promotions are available, but I wondered if there would be any extra OBC running on the day itself? TIA.

Spoons is not even a favourite with our young adult kids 🙈. They dread one of their mates suggesting meeting there for food and our local one is definitely not in a ‘traditional’ building. Give me the Lakes any day of the week 😂.

Cruise fish (may be blocked) used to do just that. Don’t think it’s been around since the pandemic.

Not everywhere in the world - it was dependent on where you booked.

Yes, this was reported today: Spirit of Discovery: Cruise ship passengers 'feared for their lives' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-67342329

According to some posts on the Princess board, staff are paid a basic salary and then the CA goes into a general pot throughout the fleet (not just on your particular sailing) and the company decides who gets a percentage through incentives, bonuses, pax reviews etc. If this is indeed the case, and I personally don’t know either way, your personal servers, room attendants, waiters etc. may not actually get anything from you if they aren’t lucky enough to ‘win’. We always have a package so the grats are part of that and then give our personal staff something extra, so ours would be getting something off us either way. If you look below, which is from the FAQ on the Princess site, it does state that even the entertainment dept. is included throughout the fleet (see the following): What is “Crew Appreciation”? A crew appreciation is a daily amount added to your onboard account, which is shared among the many members of our crew in hotel, dining and entertainment throughout the fleet who help make your cruise experience special. The daily amount of the Crew Appreciation is based on stateroom category.

Do you have the link to the Exciting Deals please?

Thank you for those great tips on cabin location. Our favourite cabins are SV aft on X ships, so it appears we have similar tastes 👍.

Great, thank you. I’ve noticed that the balcony plus cabins also include priority embarkation. Does this mean we get to choose a time slot? Obviously not having sailed Azamara previously, we have no idea what their usual boarding process is.

Thank you so much for your comments. We would like to try the small-ship experience and are leaning towards Azamara. Is there a casino onboard? Asking as someone in our party does enjoy a flutter, but it’s not essential.

Azamara newbie here and just wanted to confirm a few details. 1. Even though we have sailed many times with X, it now longer has a reciprocal agreement with Azamara, so we’d get no additional perks? 2. I understand standard alcoholic drinks are included throughout the day, does this include soft drinks and cocktails? Is bottled water available too? 3. Are the showers as awful as pax describe on Pursuit? 4. What’s the difference between the balcony and balcony plus? The deal we are considering states balcony plus. Are the plus in better positions as no cabin numbers have been quoted - I have asked for an availability list from the TA offering the deal. Any cabins to definitively dismiss? 5. Will the ship be as stable as the larger X ships (I mention X as there appears to be many names that I recognise from the X boards). Many thanks for any answers/comments you can provide as we are undecided whether to book or not after reading some of the recent reviews on CC (many do mention the disorganised shore-side operations compared to the good experience onboard) - just don’t know what to expect. TIA.

Had it happen to us in Civitavecchia (Rome) on Brilliance of the Seas many years ago. Got back from a tour and the guide said your ship isn’t there! We thought she was joking until we looked and realised Brilliance was further out. Apparently, there had been a freak storm and the moorings had broken, causing the gangway to fall into the sea; luckily, no one was hurt and there wasn’t anyone on the gangway. So, yes, it happens.

Enjoying your wonderful review. Do you have a contact email address or link for your guide, Koichi, please? It looks like he provided the perfect day for you.

Following along as we’re on Millie next August in Japan 👍. Thanks for the ‘Live(ish)’ report 🤣.

Blast from the past. That’s where we found out what The Villages were as we had no idea coming from this side of the pond 🤣.

Looking forward to your review. I have a couple of questions. Firstly, did you use any private guides for tours or did you take ship tours? How was immigration after you’d visited South Korea in your first Japanese port? Did you stay in Yokohama pre-cruise, if so where? I’m sure I’ll have lots more once I’ve read your review 🤭. TIA.