John Bull

You need to check, because on Santorini " comfortable ride back to the port" and "depart at your convenience " don't sit well in the same sentence. All cruise excursions take you to the ferry harbour at Athinios, where a bus awaits you on the quayside. At the end of the excursion most drop their passengers in the town of Fira, and they decide for themselves when "at their convenience" they want to take the cablecar or the zig-zag donkey path down to the old Fira harbour for a regular tender back to the ship. But a couple of cruise lines (Celebrity and I think NCL) take their passengers for "their comfortable ride back to to the port" ( Athinios) where ship's excursion tender/s take them back to the ship. Clearly the bus/buses depart (probably from Fira) at a set time, so that can't be described as "at their convenience" If indeed Fira is the last stop on that excursion, I can think of no reason why those on the excursion can't choose for themselves whether to get back to the bus in time for the drive back to Athinios, or to spend longer in Fira and go down to Fira old harbour But they'd have to choose to either "depart at their convenience" or "comfortable ride back to the port" cos they can't do both. Sadly the phraseology is ambiguous.🙄 JB 🙂

What a great idea ........... I thought. But what happens when the guy reaches 21 ? Does he get a fresh DL ? Or have the poor guy have to abstain til his licence expires ? JB 🙂

Emerald Princess is your side of the Pond this year, so can I presume this is for 2025? Port schedules for '25 aren't published till the New Year, but Princess normally use Ocean Cruise Terminal berth 46 or Mayflower Terminal berth 105. Unless things change next year, unassisted disembarkation (haul your own bags from your cabin) is around 7.00am and the first tranche of assisted from 7.30. I suggest you secure a booking for the first disembarkation tranche - if you're allocated a later disembarkation Guest Services should be able to move you to 7.30 if you cite your onward flight - in the unlikely event that they can't, I suggest you keep your bags in your cabin overnight & disembark unassisted. If - unusually - you berth at QE11 Terminal (berth 39/40) caution suggests you self-disembark At that time in the morning there should be no hold-ups and no long wait for a taxi. The drive to the airport takes 20 mins, but allow 35 mins on a weekday. It's a small & simple single-terminal airport, no long walks. Check-in closes for Dublin 45 mins before flight, but allow an hour. Even with those cautious timings you should be at the airport between 8 & 8.30 No worries JB 🙂

Shouldn't be a problem. Which ship? Which cruise terminal (if you know) ? And, most important, what day of the week? JB 🙂

As @kitkat343 and @Thejuggler have posted, we need to know where you dock. Stadsgarden or Frihamnen - both in the city, or Nynashamn - on the coast about an hour away. Or elsewhere. If you don't have that information from the cruiseline, eg in the itinerary, then we can figure it from the name of the ship and whether it's a tender port (against Stockholm there's be an anchor icon or it will say "ashore by tender" or similar. JB 🙂

That's the important bit. Frihamnen isn't as convenient as Stadtsgarden mentioned by @Donnygirl but it's only a short drive or bus ride to the centre. You don't need an excursion, the centre of Stockholm is very easy to DIY, especially if you use the ho-ho boats. Make the Vasa ship/museum your first stop - it gets very busy. After that Gamla Stan, which is the old part of town, and adjacent Royal Palace. Be aware that since MSC is multi-cultural, English-speaking tours may be combined with another in a dual-language tour. BTW, the sail into Stockholm is one of the best in the world, literally hours of squeezing between islands so close than you feel you can reach out & touch the trees. Some ships are too big & unwieldy to sail thro that archipelago of islands, and have to berth at Nynashamn, on the coast - hence the reference to an hour's travel to the city. JB 🙂

I've not come across it. But bearing in mind the restrictive title of this thread you'll do better to start a fresh thread JB 🙂

Hi, & welcome to Cruise Critic MSC's currency throughout Europe is the Euro. You don't need to get any Euros, the ship is cashless (even the casino), you charge your purchases to your cruise card and that's settled by your credit card which you registered on-line or at registration at the cruise terminal. NB Since your home currency isn't the same as ship's, most cruise lines offer to convert your charge to AUD "for your convenience" 🙄. DECLINE that kind offer, leave it in Euros, and your card issuer will convert to AUD at a much better exchange rate. Card issuers convert at, or marginally above, the wholesale rate whereas ships - like exchange bureaux - gouge you on exchange rates. If your cruise is only to Norway the currency is Norwegian Kroner - not to be confused with Danish or Swedish Kroner. But everywhere in Norway accepts Visa or Mastercard cards (don't rely on Diner's or Amex), whereas most places don't accept cash. I always take a little local shrapnel abroad, in Norway I struggled to get rid of it. For any other European countries on your cruise / vacation it's wise to have some local jingle, but plastic is widely accepted even for small purchases like a beer or a coffee. Same advice - don't let 'em convert to the currency of your card, some are even more greedy than cruise lines. Check the screen before accepting & insist that they charge in local currency. That way, as well as getting the card issuer's exchange rate instead of a rip-off rate, you can see whether the charge is the same as the menu, price board, sale sticker etc. If you don't already have a card which doesn't charge for foreign exchange, get one to use on this trip- it'll be well-worthwhile. Your countrymen can suggest suitable cards - ask them on https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/564-australia-new-zealand-cruisers/ and / or https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/48-australia-amp-new-zealand/ JB 🙂

Max 6,500 pax., but I don't think she was full. Best embarkation we've ever had. Arrived 10.30am, bags taken from us, no line for registration or security, 5-minute hold & released in group of about 20 to avoid bunching, straight to cabin, cabin door open & cruise cards on inside of door, cabin already serviced. Cases arrived mebbe an hour later, but left in a line along corridor. For disembarkation there was quite a long line but it moved quickly, mebbe 10 mins in line, 20 mins total from call to terminal exit. Very quick & easy getting off & on at the ports-of-call No crowding during cruise except "shopping street" on deck 6 for "White Night" party, & exiting theatre - there are only doors at back of the auditorium. Mebbe elsewhere that we didn't experience. Very few bar staff serving tables, general rule was go to the bar, like in a pub. The only place that was a big problem was the pool bar, which always but always had a slow-moving line & took about 10 mebbe 15 mins. But we quickly cottoned-on that the little bar in the buffet ("Market Place") just a few steps away never had more than one or two people waiting. The couple of times we needed to go to Guest Services (Deck 5) there was no line & we were served very quickly Included evening dining. Was allocated to early or late and quoted as something like between "5.45pm and 8.00" or "8.15 and 9.30". Long story short - it's actually traditional dining with early sitting at 5.45 & late sitting at 8,15, same table every night. We had been allocated "early" & switched it to "late" - we did that twice & got confirmation both times but our cruise card still said "early". So we just rolled-up at any time & each time Maitre D' got us a table without a fuss. That poor head-office organisation plus lack of other information, and inaccurate information too, was our main gripe. Hint - for live TV in the cabin select ship's safety video (I'm not kidding) then scroll thro it in different languages & you'll come to TV programmes !!! MSC is heavily into technology - when you understand it and it works it's great. If you don't have a cell-phone life might be a little difficult - fortunately my other-half knows her way round QR codes & such. Ship is clean, modern & stylish. It's big but we'd chosen our cabin well (near the rear main elevators) & most places were very easy to get to. Passengers were mainly Brits, atmosphere on board was very cordial & friendly Minor niggles, as per most cruises, but thoroughly enjoyed. JB 🙂

Last week we were off Virtuosa and in a taxi by 8.30.🙂 MSC allocate disembarkation times in 15 minute tranches between about 7.00am & 9.00am. If you're allocated a late slot, go to guest services on Deck 5 and ask for an earlier slot (and fresh baggage labels to suit), citing your onward transportation. No worries JB 🙂

You have plenty of time for a 3pm flight from LHR. You should aim to be there at least 2 hrs before your flight, 90 minutes is usually OK but there's a risk of delays eg at security. But there's no direct train service Southampton to Heathrow, so it's slow, convoluted & surprisingly expensive. Best value is by direct https://www.nationalexpress.com/en coach (bus) The 9.30am coach is ideal (gets you to Heathrow before 11.30) or if that's already fully-booked the 10.30am coach gets you there by 12.45pm, nearly 3 hrs before your flight Fare is £17 per person, you're strongly advised to book soonest. You'll need to know your LHR terminal number. Virtuosa usually berths at 102, Horizon Cruise Terminal, it's only a 15 - 20 minute walk to Southampton Coach Station, or a taxi from the rank at the cruise terminal will cost about £6 to £8 - we sailed in on Virtuosa just a week ago, big ship but plenty of taxis at the terminal. Most cruise lines offer a coach transfer to London Heathrow (and London Gatwick) but MSC might not be one of them because most passengers are Brits. But a cruise-sponsored transfer costs £70 & upwards per person. BTW super ship, we enjoyed our little cruise JB 🙂

Hi, John, Never stayed at any of these, but have driven weddings to them, and to Careys Manor and Lainston House. They all fit the same bracket. Bear in mind that they will probably all be dominated by wedding parties at weekends, perhaps midweek too. https://www.limewoodhotel.co.uk/ near Lymington https://www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/rhinefieldhouse near Brockenhurst https://www.thepighotel.com/brockenhurst/ between Brockenhurst & Beaulieu, Related to the Pig-in-the-Wall, set in Southampton city wall. https://larmertree.co.uk/accommodation on Cranborne Chase JB 🙂

No worries on time, then. Southampton is a small single-terminal airport, no long delays at security, no long walks to departure lounges - they're all directly off the Hall. Coffee shop etc in the Hall, and bar & more-substantial food upstairs. All aircraft are single-aisle, seating 2 each side But overhead bins are quite small and you might be asked to check-in your hand-luggage, so be prepared to take out anything you need on the flight - plus your mobile devices which can be damaged in loading. No worries JB 🙂

Yes, taxi ranks at all cruise terminals. We've never had a problem or delay getting a cab, some folk have mentioned a line. What time & date is your flight? JB 🙂

To be sure of entry when you arrive you need to book on-line and quote a 30-minute arrival slot. If you miss that slot, or choose to buy at the gate, you risk having to wait until the number of visitors drops below the maximum. That restriction doesn't apply to tickets bought with coach tickets, including International Friends, or the local Salisbury-to-Stonehenge ho-ho bus, which all have "anytime" tickets. By buying on-line you get a 15% discount on-line discount - if you pay at the gate the price is the same as International Friend and the ho-ho. If you are 2 adults & up to 3 children aged 5 to 17 an advance family ticket will save you more. Liaise with Radio Taxis to fix a 30-minute arrival slot at Stonehenge. Especially if this is from a flight arriving at LHR, can I suggest you aim to visit Salisbury & its cathedral first (perhaps a 60 or 90 minute stop), then back-track about 9 miles / 20 minutes to Stonehenge. This will give you the flexibility you need to arrive at Stonehenge within that time window. If all goes well you'll have a little longer in Salisbury, if you're a little way behind the clock you can foreshorten your time in Salisbury, if you're seriously delayed (flight, airport, traffic) you'll have wiggle-time of up to about 2 hours by heading direct to Stonehenge and skipping Salisbury or if time allows fitting it in later. JB 🙂

Duplicate post

You learned from a lousy teacher. Should be Antipodean with a capital A. 🙄😄 JB 🙂

IMHO Uber isn't worth the wait & the faffing around for the saving on a journey to Southampton airport, so I suggest you take a cab from the rank. The airport is just outside the city boundary, so you can ask the driver for a fixed rather than metered price. Driver should quote around £25 including the fee for the cruise terminal. The airport now charges a fee for drop-off, so ask the driver to drop you at the airport station, on the airport side. That's about 150 ft from the airport terminal If you want to penny-pinch you can take a cab to Southampton Central (£5 to £10 depending which cruise terminal) then train to said airport station (about £5 each, ten minutes, 3+ trains per hour. JB 🙂

A note to Brits and other European (mebbe antipodeans too) Much of the advice given on this thread doesn't apply to you. If you book from outside North America there are different pros & cons on the subject of booking direct or thro a TA, some of them cruiseline-specific, Post this query on a new thread, making it clear where you are booking from & your nationality. Same applies to topics such as passports, visas, inoculations, cruiseline terms & conditions, etc. JB 🙂

The latest time (after which you might get a proper dressing-down or you might miss the sailing) is usually - for ships moored at the quayside, at the gangway 30 minutes before advertised sailing time. - for ships moored off-shore - where you're ferried between ship & shore by boats called "tenders" - at the tender pier 60 minutes before advertised sailing time. Note, that's the time you need to be at the pier ready to board a tender - it's not when you have to be back on the ship, so there's no need to take into account the time that your tender needs to get to the ship Those latest "Back On Board" or "Last Tender" times are well-advertised and displayed as you disembark. Those are the minimums, different folk have different opinions about how much extra time to allow. For most of us that will depend how far we are from the ship & how we'll get back. For instance if we're a short walk away, we simply allow the time it takes. If we're a bus-ride away we allow perhaps 30 minutes more than we'd expect it to take, if we're a long way away we allow perhaps an hour longer than we'd expect. We're very wary of travel where there's no "Plan B" to overcome a mechanical failure etc - so for places which involve a ferry we're very very wary. Other folk will have different opinions, there's no right or wrong, it's what you're comfortable with. JB 🙂

What is this "cut and paste" of which you speak? Is that some kind of etherial technology ? JB 🙂

On-board at pretty-well all times you'll want to carry your cruise card, credit-size cards given to each of you when you register at the cruise terminal. This card is what you have to present when you buy drinks or anything else aboard, and your purchases will be charged to your on-board account. It's also your cabin "key", much like most hotels. And it's your embarkation & disembarkation card for when you go ashore. It'll be swiped when you go ashore & when you return so they know that you're on the ship or not, and you'll often have to show it at the port entrance when you return. You might also have to show it at the dining room entrance, and certainly to buy drinks in the dining room. So you'll understand that if you don't have it with you, you'll have a long walk back from a bar or on-board shop or the disembarkation gangway, or you'll have to sheepishly find a cabin steward to let you back into the cabin to collect it. Pretty-well all cruise cards have a punch-hole, so you can take with you - or buy on-board - a lanyard & hang it from your neck.( I'm a smoker & slip it into my cigarette pack - but I don't recommend that, cos on more than one occasion I've had to rummage thro' trash bins looking for my empty cig packet 😄) I think a cruise card will identify whether the holder is of age to buy alcohol, but if in doubt junior might want to carry ID. I can think of no other reason to carry any other ID on the ship, just the cruise card is fine. BTW, you can register two or more credit cards at the cruise terminal (or in advance) and elect for the on-board account to be split between credit cards in any way that you want, or between credit cards & cash. Just one cruise card is normally OK for buying drinks on most cruise lines. For going ashore you'll be told whether you need any ID as well as your cruise card. Unless told otherwise, advice from cruise lines & most cruisers is not to carry your passport ashore. If it's lost or stolen, or damaged by immersion in water or a spilt drink, it can make life difficult, It might be sold on the black market or the information used to clone your identity. Some cruisers insist on carrying their passport ashore (in case they miss the sailaway) but lost or stolen is waaaay more common. So if you have to take your passport on the cruise, leave it on your cabin safe and use either a photocopy or some other Government ID like a driving licence. There - now like others on this thread I've managed to make it sound complicated 🙄. It ain't. It'll all fit in comfortably when you sail - and many of your ship-mates will be experienced cruisers who can answer your queries. All first cruises are great - enjoy JB 🙂

Excuses, excuses.😜 What I'm looking for from you is Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town Salisbury is a city, not a town JB 🙂 (Bored. So terribly terribly bored) 😉

I agree, Simon, but since @livetravelcruise07 will be travelling London - Southampton for their cruise & wants to visit Stonehenge, it's a two-birds-with-one-stone situation. And it would have saved my typing finger 😃 Yes, cheaper and easier from Southampton and the ability to set your own agenda rather than the confines of a tour from & back to London. Also considerably cheaper lodgings in Southampton than in the big bad city. Half-hourly train service from Southampton to Salisbury at about £10 return pp, the Stonehenge Tour ho-ho bus from the station forecourt to Stonehenge, as long as you like at Stonehenge, if time & weather permit stop off at Old Sarum (remnants of hill fort & buildings), then continue into Salisbury from the same bus stop on the ho-ho or any Salisbury Reds local bus (unless things have changed changed, your Stonehenge Tour tickets are good for those local buses), and end the day by exploring the historic & laid-back city of Salisbury and its magnificent cathedral before a train back to Southampton Central. If you use the Stonehenge Tour bus, buy your Stonehenge tickets from them (admission is included with the International Friends tour-transfer & almost-certainly with tours from London). This is because numbers at Stonehenge are capped. If you buy tickets in advance independently you have to choose an arrival slot, or if you buy at the gate you may have to wait for numbers to be below that cap - coach tour tickets and tickets bought thro the Stonehenge ho-ho are guaranteed entry to Stonehenge at any time. Same applies to ships' excursions to Stonehenge. JB 🙂 ps @Harters Write out 100 times "Salisbury is a city, not a town"😉

Since you'll be spending time in London and sailing out of Southampton you can visit Stonehenge en-route on the morning of your sailing on a coach tour-transfer, rather than taking it out of your sight-seeing time. Pick-up at your central London hotel (or another hotel close by), guaranteed "anytime" ticket to Stonehenge included, drop at your Southampton cruise terminal https://www.internationalfriends.co.uk/london-heathrow-to-southampton-via-stonehenge.html JB 🙂