SteveH2508

This is only true on Ambition. Ambience has a staff served buffet and all meals in MDR are waiter served. There are also staff who will carry your plate for you. Ambition is different i.e. Self serve buffet and some buffet stuff for breakfast and lunch in MDR.

The top drinks package also includes the daily gratuity (£7 pppd IIRC) and pretty much guarantees your choice of 1st or 2nd sitting for dinner.

No to all questions except maybe yoga/keep fit (not my scene!). Ambition only has fridges in suites. No bringing booze on board. All-inclusive is only for the whole voyage I think.

Ambience uses pound coins, Ambition uses tokens purchased from reception. £3 per wash, £3 per dry, £2 for laundry pod, so bring your own.

3 times (see my sig block). Most recent was Aurora to Canada in Sep 2022 (so post covid). My wife agrees with my analysis (so who am I to argue😉).

Ambassador is somewhat of a phoenix risen from the CMV ashes (management personnel, admin personnel etc.) BUT they are a lot better for the onboard experience. We did a 42 days Amazon cruise on CMV - cheap as chips but there are only so many ways to put different sauces on (small) chicken drumsticks for example, We have sailed Ambassador 4 times now and have found the onboard experience to be much superior to CMV. CMV's Magellan ship stank of exhaust fumes and had the permanent Magellan cough. No such problems on either Ambience or Ambition.

Have you sailed on Ambassador? A value for money comparison between P&O and Ambassador leaves P&O trailing IMHO. It obviously depends on what are your 'must haves' on cruise. Big ships, queues, dodgy food and entertainment then P&O is probably a good fit. More traditional cruising style with good service, good food and sensible pricing (and no silly bells and whistles on the ships), then Ambassador might fit the bill.

Take a look at Ambassador https://www.ambassadorcruiseline.com/ No fly from UK.

Yes. A few 2 places but mostly 4, 6 or 8 places.

I think it is open seating for breakfast and lunch.

That Regent voyage was Seven Seas Voyager. It had sailed from Cape Town to Rio, and had GI precautions in place when we boarded in Rio. They were withdrawn after about a week sailing around South America.

No casino on Ambition. Entertainment is better than most cruise lines (look out for the drama vignettes (small plays) that they do). Dining is good but a tad limited compared to the Megaships. Traditional dining at Buckingham and Holyrood; Borough Market buffet; Saffron Indian and Chinese upcharge; Lupino's upcharge Italian (often closed due to cold weather); pizza/burger/hotdogs on pool deck. I think there is a Chef's Table offered as well (about £100 a pop!)

There are several options from UK to do the Norwegian fiords: Fred Olsen, Marella and Ambassador are 3 that spring to mind. I have not sailed Fred or Marella but have done 4 on Ambassador with another booked. IMHO Ambassador beat P&O in every metric except perhaps modern tonnage. I think their food, service, entertainment and value for money are all better.

Try Ambassador from UK.

To add to JB's excellent walking guide - this takes you past 2 of the best pubs in London IMHO. St. Stephen's Tavern is next to Westminster station and opposite the Elizabeth tower. The Harp in Chandos Place is just off Trafalgar Square.

Voyager is doing that same Antarctic itinerary in reverse. Do we know whether there have been any missed ports or shortened sail-bys on this voyage?

I think it is fair to say that communication was not the greatest on this cruise. This leads to the various theories being expounded as to why we missed various ports and sail-bys. A few small tweaks would have avoided a lot of the unhappiness amongst the passengers. Silly little things like a variety of activities on board (not just putting golf balls and rubbish films). A good cruise director could have deflected a lot of the disappointment felt by many pax - this did not happen. To be fair - the expedition team were good and informative, even though they sometimes had little to work with (particularly the completely fogged in glacier).

Voyager suite 780 Feb 2024. Good steward, not such a good cabin. Would not book it out of choice - we got it as the last cabin on a 'lift and switch'. Voyager 780.xls

This was a 7 day segment. For the next segment (about 16 days) the grey long-sleeved T shirt was 35 points and the windbreaker jacket was 80 points.

5 points get you a handbag hook or a keyring so it could be worth a punt.

We have just got home from this cruise. Yours, and others comments are 'bang on the money'. If the British Army and Royal Navy had shared this captain's attitude to risks and weather reports, the Falklands would now be called the Malvinas. I would also concur with the view that the cruise director was not up to the task. Normally, we do not remember cruise directors (except for Gary Glading on NCL), however this cruise director will be remembered for all of the wrong reasons (and she shares my wife's uncommon first name!)

Points values for items can vary depending on the length of the voyage/number of sea days/number of activities. We just got off Voyager yesterday, and the redemption points for the BA to Santiago leg were significantly higher than the Rio to BA leg. (I have a picture somewhere of the points values for the first leg, which I shall add when I find it).

There are always taxis at Southampton Central station. It is much closer to the Cruise Terminals - about £10 by taxi. A cab from Southampton Parkway (the airport station) would be a lot more.

On Ebury street at Mozart square. Apparently it has been there since the 1950s. The farmer's market I mentioned upthread is at Mozart square every Saturday as well.

We have a lovely French restaurant near us (La Poule au Pot) which does a gorgeous starter of Foie Gras with a glass of Montbazillac (sp?). One of those memorable courses which stays with you for ever.