baggal

Has anyone had experience with the Princess bus transfer from Victoria Station to Southampton? They quoted us $54 per person. We are 2, and we would have to factor in a short cab ride from the hotel to the bus, but I'm wondering if this a better way to go instead of a private car hire.

Thanks,

Carol

The hotel is not too well placed for nearby Restaurants though if you are looking fir somewhere at lunchtime then the Tate Gallery is a possibility. If you are looking for something essentially British than in descending order of price I would suggest Rules (in Maiden Lane), Simpsons in the Strand or Bumbles in Buckingham Palace Road.

 

Rules and Simpsons in the Strand are both near Covent a Garden where there is a wide range of restaurants offering different types of cuisine, as does Soho. If you are taking in a London Theatre, many places, including Simpsons do a pre-theatre menu.

So, there are no moderately priced restaurants in the immediate area of the Doubletree Westminster? For dinner? We'll only be there for two nights pre-cruise, probably a little jet-lagged, and really don't want to travel too far, by subway or cab, to have dinner.

Would we be better off at another hotel?

We went to Alaska and Canada last year and thought everything was so expensive. Must be the exchange rates. I always think no matter what country you go to it always seems more expensive than home.

 

I also did the Princess around the UK trip last year in August and the weather was variable. Just take clothing to suit having all four seasons occur in one day and you will be fine :)

Really? Today, 1 GBP buys approximately 1 dollar and 65 cents. It was pretty much the same last year. At that rate, everything should seem like a bargain!

You can make a reservation under Select if Early is too early and Late seating is too late. You can also request the same table or a table with a certain server if you find one you like. Of course, with the latter, you may have to wait a bit if you did not have a reservation to get this table/server.

 

Personally, we love just being able to go whenever we feel like eating.

This is why we like Select: Early is too early and Late is too late. And yes, if you like a certain server, you can certainly request to be in his area. But, as far as I could tell on my recent Reflection cruise, the option to sit at a large table is not really available. Mostly twos and fours that I saw.

Over the years, with airline baggage restrictions being what they are, I have pared down my formal night attire to the basics and have found it very liberating:

1. One black cocktail dress that is worn on every formal night (no matter how many there are)

2. One black pashmina-type wrap

3. One pair of black strappy sandals

4. One silvery wristlet - less than the size of a standard evening bag and easier to hold on to in the casino

5. Some lightweight but glitzy costume jewelry

I know that wearing the same dress again and again will horrify some of you but my DH wears the same tuxedo or suit so why shouldn't I wear the same dress?

Its really a case of supply and demand. There's relatively few cruises doing the British Isles itinerary (Celebrity and Princess) as compared to the Mediterranean where every cruise line has multiple ships sailing.

Who watch's TV on a cruise?

I do. When I'm getting dressed in the morning. Hard to break a "morning tv show" habit in 7 days.

We may be talking about two different people. This Alexander always wore a different color of pants each day....salmon, red, baby blue, pink? I didn't hear any TV show, but I remember they did mention he was very very new to Celebrity.

 

The most annoying was the guy who would do his tv show (Beavis & Butthead) there were two of them sitting nightly outside of the specialty restautants filming their lame show for TV. I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES!!!

We're talking about the same person. I just found his style to be very irritating. And yes, he became even more irritating when he was with the activities manager Mickey (Beavis? Butthead?)

Really? I agree that the cruise director doesn't make or break a cruise for me but, after my last cruise on Reflection in December, I must respectfully disagree with the other posters- we found Alexander to be the worst cruise director on at least 12 previous cruises. I found his personality to be annoying and grating. I thought his daily tv shows were filled with inane nonsense and stopped watching them which was a disappointment for me because I'm such a creature of habit that I like to have the TV on when I'm getting dressed in the morning.

Different strokes for different folks.

Recently on the Reflection, the fresh squeezed OJ (Classic package) in the buffet was a major disappointment for DH. Definitely looked and tasted watered down. It was much better in the MDR but it took much longer to get it (maybe because they were actually squeezing oranges).

In early December, the customs lines were horrendous debarking the Reflection. I wouldn't chance it.

I do. I'm not asking Princess security to place themselves at risk to "detain" a drunk under those circumstances, when the parent is available whose job it is. If we are at that point, walking the gangway without return at the next port is called for.

I don't agree that escorting two teenage boys back to their cabins is putting Princess security "at risk." It should be part of their job description. I'm sure they escort adult drunks back to their cabins all the time.

In any case, speaking from the experience of having teenagers, this may be the first time the OP discovered that her son has been drinking. If that's the case, she's probably somewhat in denial. Not an excuse for her outrage, just an explanation.

Don't wait until you're seasick to start taking meds. This is what I do: I buy an inexpensive packet of Bonnine at home and take one tablet an hour or two before I board (and yes, even though the ship is docked). Then I take another tablet before I go to sleep and continue to take one tablet every night at bedtime.

This method works much better for me than "the patch" which has some weird side-effects.

You CAN have the best of both worlds. If you find a waiter you like in anytime dining, you can request to be seated in his/her area.

The incentives for booking another cruise on our recent Reflection cruise were:

1. A cabin upgrade (the next level of cabin)

2. Reduced deposit

3. Additional on-board credit (over the 123 go promotion)

4. Complimentary dinner for 2 in a specialty restaurant for the cruise that we were on

5. And since it was a European cruise that we were booking, we had the option of 2 out of 3 of the 123 promotion.

And we were able to transfer the reservation to our TA where we received more OBC.

Definitely worthwhile if you know which specific cruise you want to book.

That does seem a little high. If you haven't already booked your cruise, try looking for a cruise that begins and/or ends in a larger city - say Barcelona or Rome - but includes Venice in the itinerary. The airfare might be a few hundred dollars less because there are more planes going to those cities more competition.

Also check out European-based airlines instead of United, American, and Delta. Try Lufthansa, Alitalia, British Airways,TAP Portugal, etc. You will most probably have to change plans at a European hub but might save a few hundred dollars.

Brunch on the Reflection last week wasn't even on a sea day. It was on the San Juan port day, Monday, - scheduled to arrive at 3 p.m. but in actuality we arrived about 4:30 p.m.

Just to add another data point, my wife's ankles swell up on a cruise. We're not sure if it's the ship's water (high level of sodium remaining?), soups, or other food. We've started to buy the water packages, and use those at dinner, and it seems to help significantly.

This is a very good point. Some people will argue, but I agree that even with the ship's desalinization, the tap drinking water has sodium in it. If you are truly interested in being low/no sodium, you have to limit your coffee and tea, since they are made with the ship's water. Your coffee won't taste salty but its there.

As for pasta, some HW and waiters are more knowledgeable than others. Two years ago on the Brilliance I was able to have pasta cooked in water without added salt made special for me (just like I do at home!). And they did have low sodium sauce.

You have to be very vigilant and yes the food will most likely taste bland but you can have all the pepper you want. To paraphrase a familiar saying: nothing tastes as good as normal ankles and good health.

Enjoy!

There was MDR brunch on the Reflection last week.

Just curious: what is the peso/dollar conversion rate?

SPE stands for “Sanitas per Escam” in Latin; its English translation is literally “Health Through Food.”

Under Philosophy of SPE, they extended the name to include three tenets:

Sourcing, Preparing and Enhancing

http://specertified.com/what/criteria

 

While I would applaud many of the sourcing and enhancing goals, preparation seems to include removing all saturated fats, which is based on flawed science.

On the Reflection, I had a SPE duck entree that still had the skin on it. I have to believe that because of the skin there was saturated fat in the dish.

If you are uncomfortable, for whatever reason, opting for the SPE menu choices, you don't have to eat it. Its only an option.

I tried the oatmeal, but there was something missing. There was no depth to the taste.

It was probably missing salt.

A Mediterranean cruise.

Thanks!

 

How were the shows and small venue comics?

 

...and finding pool seats

 

...and must see or do

 

:):):):):)

Shows and entertainment are probably just as subjective as food. I'll give the Reflection singers and dancers credit for dancing on a moving ship but not much past that. The comedienne we saw in the smaller comedy venue was very funny. But again, you'd have to appreciate her humor. On Saturday she said she was going back to Las Vegas.

Finding pool seats on Sea Days was a little challenging but not impossible.

As fas a must see, I would say it the "Le Circ" show that a must see.