SteveH2508

I think it is open seating for breakfast and lunch.

On 3/10/2024 at 9:39 AM, dive4pam said:

Better eliminate all the lines that had problems on the same route- NCL, Cunard, MSC ARE THE ONES I know of - could be more.  Regent voyager in South America had issues as well.  

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 They were withdrawn after about a week sailing around South America.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.

On 2/27/2024 at 1:28 AM, John Bull said:

 

Hi, and welcome to Cruise Critic,

 

You'll have to forgive Darren - he's from "up north" 😏

Many of us southern softies tend to take the same attitude - there's London and there's the rest of the country.

But of course London is well worth a visit, so straight to the bones of your question..........

 

My choice for central London would be a hotel in the Westminster Bridge / County Hall / Waterloo area. Close to the London Eye & River Thames boat trips eg to the Tower of London,  and easy walking across Westminster Bridge to explore Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square, then up Whitehall (Churchill's War Rooms, Prime Minister's residence in Downing Street, Cenotaph, Horseguards Parade & other sights) to Trafalgar Square (Nelson's Column, National Gallery etc). then return via Northumberland Avenue and the Golden Jubilee Footbridge. About 2 miles in total.

Or if you're still feeling fresh at Trafalgar Square, leave the Square under Admiralty Arch & down The Mall to Buckingham Palace. You've now replicated the Coronation route from Westminster Abbey to Buck' Palace. Then back along Birdcage Walk or thro St James' Park, about 3 miles in total.

Evening river walks along the South Bank, perhaps as far as Shakespeare's (replica) Globe Theatre and Tate Modern - watering holes & restaurants along the way.

Direct trains from nearby Waterloo station to Southampton, or direct trains to Dover from the adjoining Waterloo East station and a number of other central London stations.

Hotels in that area are mainly big international hotels like Marriott County Hall, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge and Hampton Inn Waterloo, or national chain Premier Inn County Hall or Waterloo.

Like around the Tower of London / London Bridge area, it's not one of the most expensive areas in central London, but London is expensive and if those prices are too rich...........

 

 try around Victoria or Paddington. Broad range of hotels & prices, both with convenient to Heathrow airport but a little less convenient for the sights.

 

Even cheaper further out but some districts are fine, others not-so-fine. And less convenient for the sights, which neatly brings me to transportation.

 

Quickest & easiest way to get around London is its extensive underground  system - The Tube.

So make sure your lodgings are a short walk from a tube station.

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf

There's always a tube map on tourist maps of London, on flyers, and in stations & on trains. Attractions always quote the name of the nearest tube station/s on their literature & websites.

Use that map only to plan your route underground - it's schematic, not geographically accurate. New Yorkers will know about that.

Set up an Oyster Card for cheapest & most convenient way to pay.

 

@K32682 mentioned the ho-ho buses.

Well-worthwhile for an overview, but useless as transportation because they follow a set route, they stop at  bus-stops, and they mix it with heavy traffic. So get a 24-hour ticket with either https://www.tootbus.com/en/london/home or https://www.bigbustours.com/en/london/london-bus-tours

 but don't waste your money on a 48-hour ticket. Mebbe hop off to walk Whitehall (as above) and hop back on at the other end.

Choose carefully if your lodgings aren't near the shared main route, they have different feeder routes. Other freebie add-ons vary, but both include a short river cruise from Westminster to the Tower of London or vice-versa.

Alternatively Golden Tours offer a simple round trip from the London Eye. Not a hop-on service, but covers much the same primary route as the hop-ons

route. https://www.goldentours.com/london-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tours/open-top-london-bus-tour-with-live-guide

 

IMHO the best website for visiting London is https://www.londontoolkit.com/

 

JB 🙂

 

 

 

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.

On 2/18/2024 at 3:06 PM, Campbsa said:

Also a passenger on the current Voyager cruise. Experienced cruisers with 65 total cruises across various lines. I completely agree with the OP assessment of the Captain. I have never sailed with such an unfriendly and defensive person. Canceling a port 3 days in advance based on a forecast is shocking to me. Forecasts are updated every 8 hours and can improve or get worse, however this Captain refused to even reassess his decision with a more current forecast. Also to add the cruise director has been very disappointing. I know she was filling in for somebody and now CD Paul was boarded in Ushuaia and will be taking over on the 19th. Most of the entertainment has been movies in the theatre, even in the evenings. 

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).

3 hours ago, guy01 said:

A little off-topic but as an option you may wish to consider catching the train from London to Southampton. The station is co-located with Southampton airport and we found getting a taxi from the airport to the cruise terminal was convenient. Its just under 1 hr by train and you avoid any risk of delays on the motorway. 

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.

2 hours ago, Gilly said:

I believe I know the restaurant you mean - delightful place!  I think it's where the RHS entertains us to lunch during Chelsea Flower Show 😀 

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.

8 hours ago, Gilly said:

Don't forget to request a glass of Sauternes from the Sommelier to accompany it if that appeals 😉 

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.

47 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

Although the duck entree was taken off Chartreuse menu on Mariner (but still available on Grandeur), I have found duck is the one game meat you can get most nights.  Elk, venison, squab, quail, pheasant, ostrich, and others have all disappeared in last few years.  Even foie gras has been taken off the always available menu in Compass Rose but you can still put in a standing special order if you want.

Venison, pheasant and certain other UK game meats, I can source from my local farmer's market when in season.

We are now at the 'clear down the fridge' stage before we fly out to join Voyager in RdJ.

Getting excited now!

13 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

Although the duck entree was taken off Chartreuse menu on Mariner (but still available on Grandeur), I have found duck is the one game meat you can get most nights.  Elk, venison, squab, quail, pheasant, ostrich, and others have all disappeared in last few years.  Even foie gras has been taken off the always available menu in Compass Rose but you can still put in a standing special order if you want.

Thank you for the foie gras tip. I love it and would be rather disappointed if I could not get it now and again.

9 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

Just special order it.  Chef might ask that you special order it for a night where duck is already on menu but all the ingredients should be available.  Special ordering is now done at Dining Reservation desk but a  recipe specific dish might be easier to order through dining room manager.

Thanks for the tip. I can get these items any time I want in London, so it is not a big deal. I do notice that duck is not that widely available on Voyager, and Gewürztraminer wine does not seem to show up much either. Duck and Gewurtz is a marriage made in heaven IMHO.

I do see enough things to keep me happily fed and watered for the next three weeks though😉.

The whole hiding ducks thing is a bit of fun. Don't want to play - then no harm no foul.

Personally speaking, I like my duck(s) in a Chinese pancake with Hoi-Sin sauce, cucumber and spring onions (scallions). (Hello Regent - we are on Voyager next week - this menu item would be welcome).

12 hours ago, piscean said:

Looks much better the right way up 😀

Antipodean Stitch & Zip - it must be a kookaburra🤔

2 minutes ago, Frncie said:

We were on an Oceania cruise last year, and they offered Stitch-n-Zip kits for eyeglass cases, etc. This may be what you are referring to and, yes, they are needlepoint. They are nice little kits in lots of different designs, with everything you need: canvas, needle and thread. But beware! No scissors! Come prepared!

DW has already dug out her stitch ripper for that, thanks (less 'controversial' than scissors).

4 hours ago, NYC-London said:

Just a correction so you are not disappointed - the kits provided are for needlepoint and not cross stitch. It will be announced in Passages when and where to meet up to collect your kit and work together on your projects.

Thank you for that info.. My wife will be pleased.

The distinction between cross stitch and needlepoint for me, start and end with a sharp thing and coloured thread! A bit like knitting and crochet are organised tangling!

We are sailing on Voyager in a few days time. Last time we sailed on her, in 2018, there were complimentary cross stitch kits available on board, which DW enjoyed working on with the “S & B” crowd. Does anyone know whether this facility has survived the intervening ‘difficult’ years?

I am not going to retype a lot of the above but, if you are UK based, I would look seriously at Ambassador cruises.