DamianG

On 4/12/2024 at 5:48 PM, PrincessPete said:

Hi all, sorry to ask a question that has doubtless been asked before but I can't find the answer!

Just booking an Arvia cruise for later this year and have £150 onboard credit.

Can I use that in advance to book wifi? I think the answer may be "no".

If that is the case and I wait to book the wifi until I am onboard (which I know will be a bit more expensive) can I then use the OBC.

Many thanks for any responses.

Kind regards.

Peter

An alternative strategy is to not buy the drinks package until your second day onboard. We have done that twice as we were pretty certain that we were unlikely to "drink our money's worth" (so to speak) on embarkation day, especially as we knew that we would get some complimentary drinks in the upper loyalty tier embarkation lunch and a sailaway drinks voucher. We missed out on the 10% discount for booking in advance but that was offset for us by skipping a day plus we were able to use OBC towards the cost.

Also, going this way means you can "pay as you go" on embarkation day and get a feel for the drinks menu prices before making the final decision as to whether a drinks package is worthwhile for you or not (in terms of both prices and restrictions).

It looks like the current discount for internet pre-booking is 15% but occasionally they offer as high as 20% so for us that is the better pre-cruise offer. We initially booked internet for our 2025 cruise with a 10% discount but later saw that it was being offered at 20%. Fortunately we were able to cancel our original booking then reorder it with the 20% discount. The refund was received on the same day.

Good luck with your pre-cruise planning.

Damian

On 4/8/2024 at 10:18 PM, AndyMichelle said:

I'm hoping for a slide from the Crows Nest to the atrium, then I won't have to worry about 'lift etiquette' on the way down at least...😊

 

Genius, this would also partially resolve the issue of no midship passenger stairwell. 😉

20 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

I hope your in-laws are alright Damian.

Avril

Thanks Avril.

They're just back from a 16 night cruise on Aurora and father-in-law was getting short of breath. Diagnosed as a chest infection and a little water on the lung so the most likely cause is the notorious Aurora air con. We're all relieved as the diagnosis could have been far worse.

Damian

11 hours ago, Beckett said:

Well, what a day I've had! Just got back from the hozzie (thanks Kalos - love that word) where I've been since midday.

 

Very long story short, I was out for a walk with Ted. It started to rain and I took a tumble down some steps which were very slippery. I landed firstly on my back then my head hit another step - out cold. Fortunately, a lady I know was also out walking and saw it happen. She called for an ambulance and when I came round I was very sick and dizzy. Ambo came quickly and they decided I should go in because I'd lost consciousness. The ambo drivers were so sweet and kind. They drove me home to drop Ted off with my neighbour then took me off to A&E.

 

OMG the A&E was rammed. I've had CT scans of back and head- nothing fractured thank goodness. Five stitches in my head and thumping headache later I was discharged at 10pm. A&E still rammed.

 

I've come home with a massive bandage around my head and my granddaughters, very unkindly I thought, said I looked like a Smurf! 

 

I've had better days!!!

 

Sleep well everyone.

 

Jane xx

Hi Jane

So sorry to hear this, not least the 10 hour wait in A&E. My in-laws had the same experience (but thankfully less of an emergency than yours) on Tuesday when I dropped them off at 11:45am then picked them up after discharge at 10pm.

Best wishes for a swift recovery.

Damian

Thanks again for your ginormous effort in providing the biggest and best live blog I've ever read. 200k+ views and over 1700 posts tells its own story. One of the great pleasures of writing these (as mentioned by @Dermotsgirl) is being able to look back on them in future years and remind yourself of some of the better things that happened but may have faded in your memories. 

5 minutes ago, insidecabin said:

That can work, check the traffic around Oxford, and watch for the stretch into Southampton once you get to Winchester.

Early start should be able to manage around 10am.

 

The UK specific cruises sometimes get queues for parking if using ABP we monitor social media for the cruises that day and keep an eye on traffic.

Thanks again, we've sailed from Southampton many times but this has lots of firsts (Horizon Terminal, ABP Parking and a morning embarkation time rather than afternoon). 

Much appreciated.

3 minutes ago, insidecabin said:

Not sure which route you are on I have found the cheapest option in good range for Southampton is Travelodge 

Tot hill just south of Newbury.

 

We have also used Andover Star and Garter  pubs/restaurants walking and has parking.

Thank you, we have booked Travelodge in Buckingham which works for us.

22 hours ago, showingdiva said:

 

Apologies, I am unsure about priority passengers, but if it helps, I've seen a disembarkation as late as 10.40am and I had a (non-priority) embarkation time of 11am last May.   You should be able to see a embarkation time on your MSC booking, although It may well be subject to change this far out.

6 minutes ago, Stokie33 said:

I think we’ve got on just after 10.30 with priority boarding, people were still getting off as we got on, this was September last year. I always aim to park just after 10.00, and we checked in straight away, didn’t even have time to use the facilities and we were allowed to get on the ship xx

Thanks both, great information and more or less what I was thinking. Hotel now booked to break up the journey South and get us to the port earlier than usual.

Best regards

Damian

Hi all.

Generally speaking, what time does boarding start at the Horizon Cruise Terminal (Southampton) for those with priority please?

I appreciate that we will be given a specific time nearer to our July cruise, but we're just trying to get an idea for our travel arrangements.

Thanks in advance.

15 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Todays MDR menus. Black Tie tonight and thankfully a Celebration menu. 

We've all got different tastes of course but for me that's the most appealing menu to date and I could easily choose five courses (though I doubt I could stomach it in reality) Also, there are two of our favourite wines (Gavi di Gavi and Silk and Spice) recommended to accompany it.

It sounds like the cheese plate is a single variety (Stoney Cross). Has anyone experienced this on a celebration night previously?

20 minutes ago, kruzseeka said:

Yes you're right about the cruising in Romsdalfjord - it will almost certainly follow your departure from a port (Andalsnes?) and will be logged as the same day on the itinerary. 

 

Tromso is great!  Get the shuttle into town - if you want to explore further then catch the local bus across the ridge to the base of the cable car and go up to the top for the classic view overlooking the Arctic Cathedral, the town, bridge and river/fjord.  There's a cafe on top.

If it's summer across from the berth is the University Botanical Gardens which were free when we went and a revelation!  Alpine plants I thought would be rock-hugging and a bit uninteresting, but it was a riot of colour (it was summer). It figures in Monty Don's Around the World in 80 Gardens. Worth a visit. 

 

Andalsnes is easy DIY - the new Gondola is great.  Very close to the berth, fantastic views, cafe on top and some trails if you want to go further.  

 

Stavanger is different - much bigger but easy to see on foot. There's the old town with clap-board houses often with flowers around the doors.  This is where you get off the ship.  Further round the  harbour to the left is the Cathedral with the small lake behind which you a walk round.  Further round - left again - are old warehouses now waterfront cafes (although these were shut on our last visit which was a Sunday - most things were).  On this side of the harbour are some colourful wooden buildings - very picturesque.   If it's raining the Petroleum Museum is surprisingly interesting! 

 

The sail-in and sail-outs are like excursions in themselves - definitely worth spending time in the Crows Nest or equivalent. 

 

It's not a destination if you are looking for quaranteed warmth but the scenery is absolutely spectacular and awe-inspiring.  We never tire of it. 

 

What a fantastic summary! May I add the Polar Museum and the Mack Brewery as alternative visitor attractions in Tromso (depending on personal taste of course).

Thanks again @Selbourne for your continuing efforts in posting this fascinating blog. Your latest thoughts and pictures from Curacao certainly brought back some very happy memories from our visit there albeit it was a long time ago now.

I used to regularly get a sore throat after a short while on cruises until we got into the habit of not having the air con in the cabin on the very lowest setting. That was suggested on Cruise Critic and seems to have worked for us even if it does sound somewhat unscientific, and I appreciate that your symptoms appear to be far worse. I also appreciate that it may appear somewhat ironic suggesting not having the air con at the lowest setting given all the temperature issues around the ship, but it maybe worth a try if all else fails.

Wishing you a speedy recovery and that your Curacao visit sets the tone for the remainder of your cruise.

Best regards

Damian

On 2/6/2024 at 9:56 AM, P&O SUE said:

Interesting to hear about the air conditioning issues as I’ve been watching YouTube videos on Aurora as I’m going on her for the first time at Easter. This was a new year cruise and they were so uncomfortably hot in an inside cabin they eventually got another cabin. They even slept with their cabin door open one night!!

I hope we don’t get that, it will be unbearable. Our cabin is a sea view one and I did wonder about bidding for a balcony upgrade but the price is quite high!

Indeed, we watched the same recent Aurora vlog with all the air conditioning issues and I was going to mention it here. The worse part was the constant reassurances that it had been fixed when it clearly hadn't.

On 1/20/2024 at 7:38 PM, Selbourne said:

Please don’t get the false impression that we have a ‘bad’ captain. We don’t. He sounds personable and obviously is extremely competent at being master of the vessel, but quite a few people have

commented on his lack of announcements and useful titbits of information. I’m sure that we can all cite Captain’s who have massively enhanced our cruises with announcements about dolphins, whales, things of interest, things to look out for and when etc. Our favourite was Chris Wells who eventually went on to be Commodore at Cunard. As the most senior representative of the company, I’ve always felt that their role is an awful lot more than the seamanship aspects which, after all, are mostly done by the bridge team anyway! 

Chris Wells is brilliant. On one cruise he joined in with ballroom dancing in the Atrium, and invited several lady passengers to partner him. Whilst he was dancing a drunken passenger knocked over the champagne tower, but he just left the crew to sort it out and carried on focusing on his dancing partner. We saw him around the ship a few times and he always had time for a word with us, a true gentleman.

Thanks for all your updates so far @Selbourne , I know from personal experience how much effort goes into it. Talking of which are you keeping a word count? My Arvia blog last year ran to 25k+ words but I think you are going to eclipse that!

Congratulations on breaking your launderette duck! You can now award yourself a white belt with a yellow stripe through the middle. I'm sure I saw someone wearing one of those in the MDR on Arvia on a formal night, not that any staff challenged them about compliance with the dress code. 😁

Keep at it, as you have a long journey ahead to become a 5th Dan Master in using onboard launderettes, like myself and @TigerB 😉

Wishing you and Lady S smooth sailing, great weather and fantastic ports for the remainder of the cruise.

All the best.

Damian

1 hour ago, Josy1953 said:

Morning, a cool 3° here but it doesn't feel too bad, probably because there's no wind.

I don't have a lot planned today other than the school run then meeting a friend for coffee in the Costa franchise in Next which will probably mean being tempted to buy because we always have to take a look around the shop.

It is the recycling bin collection for us today for the first time in 3 weeks so our bin is overflowing but we are not the only ones, at least our bin lid is completely down 

Thanks for confirming that I am not the only person who frets about the bin lid being fully down! 😉

Our recycle bins were collected last week and were similarly overflowing after Christmas. I made sure our contents were squashed down so that I could shut the lid properly but others in our area didn't and there was quite a lot of rubbish blowing around before they got collected. If there is any rubbish in the gutter outside our house or even the houses nearby I'll go pick it up and bin it but so many just don't seem to care.

Hi all.

We are taking our first MSC cruise this year and a "Browse & Stream" internet package is being quoted at £140 for 2 weeks. Can anyone with experience advise the following please?

1) How much is the cost onboard if we don't buy a package in advance?

2) I've read that each package is locked to the original device that used it first (so no sharing by logging out on one device and logging in on another). Is this correct?

Any other suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks & best regards.

Damian

Happy New Year all, and special best wishes to @Adawn47 & @Host Sharon at this time.

9 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

  Ive just got back from the hospital' Frank was admitted yesterday morning at 5.20am and it's been hectic. After tests he has Pneumonia,and severe anemia.which needed 2 tranfusions.To top it off he probably has a heart murmer too, he's having a heart xray  to see what it is or could be. 

In his 78 years it's the first time he's been in hospital and everything's come at once. Almost 59 years married and the first time we've not not slept in the same bed, it's really strange and I'm not sleeping. Sorry for the late post, but I needed to chat.

I'll try and read though the posts tomorrow.

Avril

So sorry to read this Avril, best wishes to you both.

Feliz navidad mi familia virtual. 

Remember to stay hydrated today even if you haven’t bought the drinks package.

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas from Teddy...

...his mum...

...and his twin sister Bella:

(Ted is busy looking at the treat I was holding trying to get him to sit still for the camera. Needless to say the other 2 are professional photographs shared online).

10 hours ago, Presto2 said:

Our news is that today we both retired ....

It's been an emotional time but now chilling amidst the many Champagne bottles we've been given. 

Cheaper holidays here we come ....

How lovely and what great timing on your part. Christmas to celebrate and a Caribbean cruise to look forward to in the new year, fantastic!

Congratulations to both of you.

28 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

Interesting is one word for them.  She definitely has an opinion on everything.

We used to have "getting to know you" staff features in a monthly work newsletter. One of the questions was "Name someone who you have learned the most from." One chap replied "I have 2 teenage sons, they know EVERYTHING."

11 hours ago, Clothirks said:

Hi all - would very much appreciate your advice/guidance. First post and first cruise. Our bid for a cabin upgrade from inside to smaller balcony was successful and we’ve been offered aft deck 15 under the infinity pool. I’ve read about DJ playing loudly for 4-5 hours every night. Does anyone know what kind of time it finishes? We’d love the view and balcony but wondering whether best not to accept the upgrade and keep out inside cabin due to potential noise. What would you advise to choose in this situation? We have 48hours to decide. Many thanks in advance!

I'm not being picky but which cabin have you been offered as I don't think there are any cabins on deck 15 (exactly) immediately below the infinity pool?

I don't think that you will hear any music from the Sunset Bar on deck 8. Even if you did from memory it finished at 10pm. On our August cruise there was a "Silent" Disco one evening around the Infinity Bar deck 16 which finished at 11pm (and they are anything but "silent" with lots of passengers singing along). However, that may have been exclusive to an August school holidays sailing.

Personally I'd take the risk and accept the upgrade as I'd much prefer a balcony cabin over an inside but only you can decide. 

We've had aft cabins 14739 on Iona (Easter school holidays) and Arvia 10742 (August school holidays). Neither of those was splashed from the infinity pool above but we did see other balconies affected. Both times it was children throwing the water over the side so I'd hope that is less likely to happen outside school holidays.

We couldn't hear any noise from the Club House in our (lower down) Arvia cabin but if you were out on the balcony mid to late afternoon you could hear the music from the Sunset Bar. It wasn't booming out when we heard it; if anything it was just rather uninspiring background music. Doubtless it will vary depending on the DJ and the audience they are playing to on each cruise.

We loved both aft cabins and if you've chosen 11741/2 then I would hope that you wouldn't be affected by any balcony waterfalls or the noise below. There are a few photos of our Arvia cabin below.