Travellingtaff

You can search by vessel or port on cruisetimetables.com. For example, we will be on Arvia, which is scheduled to be in Fort de France on 14 February 2023.

4 hours ago, uktog said:

Difficult decision, we pushed to next year (our third move) when April was lost.  You are right BA was flying those non stop and that is what we hope for next year however they may not release these routes back once gateways open up (New Orleans and Nashville are currently not agreed entry points for UK guests).  Probably worth a gamble, you might have to do a transit en route if travel is allowed then but that would be preferable to not getting the holiday you have been dreaming of.  Look forward to hearing how it goes for you, we will be doing it in to Nashville and cruising from Memphis and out of NO.  Where are you planning to stay in each place?

Just wondering whether our experience was as a result of possible gateway changes.

Having had last September's trip cancelled, we re-booked a package for this September, from Memphis to New Orleans,  with hotel stays and tours in Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans . As with last year, flights were with BA into Nashville out of New Orleans. We booked Club Class and had booked our seats out and back.

We then found out in January that  BA had cancelled our flight and our TA had re-booked us onto Virgin flights into and out of Atlanta, with internal connecting flights of around an hour or so with Delta. 

44 minutes ago, uktog said:

I think each travel insurance company is different.  Our company said as we were transferring a deposit, the original booking predating covid it was covered this year - however the policy is due for renewal in the Autumn.  Again, they could not guarantee it but they said existing policy holders who renew are more likely still to be covered.

I think we will take that risk and be first in line for any vaccine once the most vulnerable have had there's!  I hope this is not cockeyed optimism

We seem to be in the same insurance position as you.

Hopefully,  from our point of view, because of our ages, we will be towards the front of the queue for vaccines!!

30 minutes ago, uktog said:

Can I thank everyone here for all their information sharing, you are all the best.  So is AQSC.  I contacted them in the USA direct and I wish I could name and shame a large UK online cruise seller whom we’ve had our five holidays a year relationship with for many years.  AQSC confirmed there is no fee to move, they did not ask for full payment nine months ahead ahead and we can indeed make the switch to next year.

I’m just checking out flight availability (might need to flip to Memphis to New Orleans rather than the reverse to get them) and fitting in all the other things we’d planned.

But once onboard we will remember the kindness of everyone on this board who helped us on our way....and yes, we won’t be booking more through a certain agency.  
Thank you each and every one of you. 

That's really good news, so glad you have been able sort things out.

We are in line to switch our September booking on AQ to next year, but trying to establish whether our annual insurance cover would be affected by the change of date, in the light of Covid-19.

Have you looked at this issue? It's impossible to phone our Insurance company, except for emergencies, so we have to wait for an email response.

4 hours ago, uktog said:

We the gun only slightly smoked.  They agreed to move us to next April or May for no fee and protecting our price BUT they want the balance paid in full by Monday which was the original due date for payment.  If we don't we are to lose all our deposit.  I have just spoken to our insurers and they would not look at a claim at this stage as it is too far ahead.  They would accept a claim from 1st August onwards and it would have to be based on FCO advice re overseas travel at that date.  Sadly a much wanted trip is turning into a nightmare!

Apart from the need to pay now, that certainly sounds like an improvement on what they were saying originally. By comparison you might be interested in our experience .

We are booked to sail on AQ on 7 September, we also booked with a UK TA but with a package including flights and hotel stays, we  paid a deposit of £1200. Our tour hasn't been cancelled but, in the current circumstances we are also not inclined to do the trip this year. We didn't want to cancel and lose the deposit, so I phoned the TA yesterday. They are offering the opportunity to reschedule for any date in 2021 with no additional fee, plus a monetary sweetener, but we would have to pay any additional cost in the price. It's likely that the increased cost will outweigh the sweetener. We'll probably book for next September, but need to decide by the time our balance is due in a few weeks. We will not have to pay the balance for the rearranged tour until 75 days prior to new departure date.

On this basis there should scope for a further negotiation with your TA. Good Luck!

31 minutes ago, Bobblehat71 said:

Has anyone had confirmation that P&O will offer a full refund in the event that the have to change the itinerary?

We are booked on the 17th November Sailing so final payment due next month. Currently checking my insurance but not sure it covers this kind of conflict.

We and another couple are booked on 1 November sailing. 

This is an extract from Para 40 of P&O's Cruise Booking Conditions  "....... If P&O Cruises makes a significant alteration to the Package it will inform the Guest or his/her travel agent as soon as reasonably possible. The Guest will have the choice of either accepting the alteration, accepting an offer of an alternative Package of comparable standard if available (P&O Cruises will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value) or cancelling the Package and receiving a full refund of all monies paid."

It all depends on the interpretation of what is "significant" and this could vary depending on the preferences of the particular client. It follows that P&O could make changes to an itinerary which they do not consider to be "significant" and not bother to tell clients or travel agents and passengers would not find out about changes until they get on board.

Our TA has indicated that in the event of a change of itinerary or cancellation we will have the options of changing the cruise, free of charge, or receiving a refund.

 I understand from FAQs on the P&O website that there is also the option, prior to 90 days before departure, of transferring the deposit to another cruise, various conditions apply including a £100 fee per booking.   

Jules of the Seas

Perhaps you'd be good enough to keep us posted on their response.

miniyorkie

You're welcome. This Thursday for you balance payment sounds a bit early considering P&Os deadline is 90 days prior to the to the departure date. Please let us know if find out any from them.

There are plenty of other cruise companies in the area in October-December including Tui,  Marella, Aida, Princess, Costa,

Azamara and others. They can be found using this link. https://www.cruisetimetables.com/cruises-from-dubai-united-arab-emirates.html  So it would be interesting to see if there is any concern being expressed on other forums.

We and a couple of friends booked on the November 1st sailing, well before this latest problems started.

The balance needs to be paid in about a month's time and we are wondering whether to go ahead because insurance companies don't cover you for acts of war, terrorism etc., if we had to cancel at a later date. So anyone in a similar position may be interested in Government advice for sea travel in the region. Hope it copies over ok.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/united-arab-emirates/safety-and-security

 “ Regional tensions may affect your route.Vessels operating in the Gulf of Oman, Northern Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab El Mandeb regions may be at increased risk of maritime attack.”

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/bahrain

 “The government of Bahrain has imposed a curfew on the waterways around Bahrain between 6pm and 4am. ”

 “Regional tensions may affect your route. Vessels operating in the Gulf of Oman, Northern Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab El Mandeb regions may be at increased risk of maritime attack.”

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/oman/safety-and-security

 “Vessels operating in the Gulf of Oman, Northern Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab El Mandeb regions may be at increased risk of maritime attack.”

This P&O link has the answer https://ask.pocruises.com/help/PO/before-you-sail/more-info-share-holder .

14 hours ago, jodibruce said:

Hi

This our 1st P&O cruise.

We are hoping to get to Bruges by taxi - is anyone interested in sharing?

 You need to say which cruise you're on.

We were on the Cuban Fusion & Mayan Treasures cruises last year.

If you're on a Marella/Tui/Thomson package from the UK you check in your bags at the airport and wont see them again until they arrive outside you cabin door. On arrival you miss immigration control and go straight to the ship by coach.

On return you leave your cases outside your cabin the night before your departure flight and you pick them up from the conveyor at your home airport. Luggage labels with cabin numbers are distributed at the home airport.

With regard to Canadian travellers, guess you must have a Sunwing packake eg https://www.sunwing.ca/en/cruise-travel/ship-detail/tui-discovery2.

Not sure if they have the same procedure as UK packages but it's not really acceptable for your TA to say they don't know the procedure, couldn't they just phone Sunwing and ask?

We are doing the Paradise Islands and Tropical delights in February, but, like Starryuk , we had exactly the same problem of confusion on the Mayan Treasures/Cuban Fusion itinerary, on the Dream, last year.

We had booked private car hire as well as a number of private tours. I explained the confusion about the itineraries to the the local tour operators and they said not to worry, as they would keep the bookings for whichever day the Dream turned up in port. The only hiccup we had was when the ship couldn't get a berth at Cozumel. The Captain said the port authority wouldn't allow the ship to anchor offshore and use tenders because of the strong wind. Fortunately we hadn't booked anything for that day.

On this coming trip we are not pre-booking any tours because we have found in the past that, on these itineraries, there will be plenty of offers of tours on arrival at each port.

" What did you do about lunch? Were you able to use credit card? We really have no idea how much cash to take."

We didn't take any Icelandic currency, decided we'd use atms, if needed, but we found that credit cards were welcomed even for coffee, so we didn't use any local cash at all. Our lunch stop on the Golden Circle tour, along with hundreds of others, was at the Great Geysir. There are several restaurant/cafes there.

All our cruises have been to warmer climates but we are looking forward to a bit of adventure on Fire & Ice this July. However I do have a few questions, I'm sure someone will have the answers!

We expect to take jeans, t.shirts, micro fleeces and then waterproof coat for layering up - I take it this will be enough? I may take a big fleece to wear if it's not raining. We will also take waterproof shoes. Can anyone advise if we will need anything else? Also in the evening we expect to dress up as usual but what happens then? As it will be light we may want to sit out on deck - do people get changed into fleeces again? Seems a silly question but we would like to take everything we need

Our destinations are Reykyavik, Isafjord, Akureyri, Molde, Olden, Flaam, Heugeshund, Lerwick and Invergordon so very varied. Has anyone any tips for these places?

Thanks in advance

We did an Iceland cruise July/August 2017. I reckon you've got the clothing just about right, i.e. be prepared for every eventuality. Personally, I'd add a couple of hats one for bad weather and one for sunny weather. We had lots of sunshine and, as far as I member, only one day when it rained.

Must admit we didn't sit out much in the evenings as we tend to eat then go to a show. We did sit on our balcony on a couple of occasions, when facing the evening sun and out of the wind, but out on deck you'd probably need a fleece.

Our itinerary was different from yours as we went to the Faroes and Orkney, but the the Iceland ports were the same and we have been to Olden on another cruise.

In Olden we took a local shuttle bus to the Briksdal Glacier, in Reykyavik we pre-booked a private Golden Circle tour. Isafjordur is not the most interesting place we have ever visited, unfortunately we hadn't booked anything in advance so just walked around the town. Based on the comments of others the local trip to the bird island of Vigur would have been a better option. In Akureyri we booked the ship's Jewels of the North tour which (unusually) was cheaper than the private tours offered from the port.

If you need further details of any of the above don't hesitate to ask.

If you like the sun then, when it's out, you'll get it on the starboard side, particularly in the morning.

The port side will be facing north, so in the shade, as you'll be travelling west-east.

We travelled transatlantic east-west on QM2 recently and chose a port side balcony cabin and enjoyed beautiful sunshine from about the half-way point. :cool:

just a quick question what make of coffee do they supply in cabin when making your own drink

Douwe Egberts (Regular or Decaff.)

Hi,

 

Another note-as you will be in the Times Square area, the M20 goes down 7th Ave all the way to South Ferry; there you can take the Staten Island Ferry R/T -it’s free; you can also pick up the boats to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island which has an amazing Immigration Museum. From South Ferry you can stroll up Broadway to Wall Street, Trinity Church and a little further to Ground Zero and all of that. If then you stroll down Wall Street to Water St. you can pick up a N’bound M15 which will go through Chinatown and the Lower Eastside. It continues up 2nd Ave. to the UN. From there you can take an M42 and be right back in Times Square.

 

From Times Sq. , if you walk over to 8th Avenue, you can take an M104 which will take you up to Columbus Circle and the SW Corner of Central Park-that bus continues up to Lincoln Center-Opera House & etc.

 

At Lincoln Center , if you take the M66 Crosstown you will cross Central Park to 5th Avenue and stroll up 5th Avenue to the Museums -if you do not want to stroll go one more street and take a N’bound bus on Madison Ave. M1,M2,M3 or M4 to 79th St where Museum Mile begins with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

Bon Voyage!!!

WOW!!! I'm so glad you spotted this thread.

I can safely say that our 3 days in NY are now well and truly sorted.

Thanks so much to all those who have contributed.

Not sure if you would be interested in something as informal as this, but I recommend you take a cab from the port directly to your hotel to drop off your luggage, and then get a Metrocard. If you take the M1, M2, M3, or M4 bus straight down 5th Avenue, it is really a great (and economical) tour of Manhattan! If you pick it up at 96th street and ride it straight down, you will get to see the Guggenheim Museum, Cooper Hewitt Museum of Design, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frick Museum, Central Park & the Central Park Zoo, 57th Street with all major designer shops as well as Grand Army Plaza and the Plaza Hotel, Rockefeller Center, the New York Public Library, and more! The best part is, if something interests you, you can hop off and see it, and then just walk back to 5th Avenue and continue down on the next bus. I lived in NYC for 6 years and a lot of our guests loved this. During weekdays, the bus is not crowded. Just be careful around 4:30-6:30 the buses fill up during rush hour.

I love the idea of a Metrocard, thanks for suggesting it and for providing us with a detailed itinerary.

We have a Times Square hotel for 3 nights and have arranged a 3 day City Pass so a Metrocard should prove a good option for getting around.

Typical excursions are available here: http://www.cunard.co.uk/destinations/usa-cruises/new-york/new-york-city/

 

They might not all be available, but it'll give you an idea of what they offer.

Many thanks for that link, problem is this extract which I spotted in the text......

"Guests who are embarking or disembarking the ship in New York should not book a shore excursion for this port. New York excursions are available for guests visiting New York as a port call"

Looks like all the ship's tours go back to the pier and I need to be dropped at the hotel.

Many thanks, Mark, for those comprehensive replies.

We were thinking of a proper tour rather than a shuttle, and didn't really see the point in getting a transfer to the hotel then booking a tour from there, more logical, we thought, to combine the two. It's just on this occasion I was interested to to know what Cunard has on offer, curious that they don't make tours for New York available to see and book on the VP.

Guess from what you say it's best, in the absence of any concrete tour info from Cunard, to book a private tour.

Thanks for the Viator link we had actually spotted that one during recent research; that or something similar seems a reasonable option for us.

We have a westbound QM2 TA later this year and would like to book a New York ship's tour which picks up at the port on arrival and drops off at our hotel. Our VP says that tours are not available to book until on board,

Does anyone know if they have such tours bookable on board and, if so, is there anywhere online where they can be viewed?

All the shore tours I've found for NY on the Cunard general website refer to dropping off back at the pier at the end of the tour.

Many thanks.

Rather than booking a Thomson trip to Erice, we would like to explore Trapani and then maybe visit Erice on our own. Does anyone know how easy it is to get to the cable car station? Is it walkable or do you know what bus to catch? TIA

When we were there on the Celebration there was a local tourist desk at the Cruise Port exit offering various trips, we took a shuttle bus to the cable car station and went up and back on the cable car. The shuttle was there to take us back to the ship when we got back down.

There is also a public bus service to from Trapani to Erice http://www.funiviaerice.it/orarilineeperfunivia.pdf so you can go up on one mode and back on the other.

Just returned from the Dreams Feb 21st Mayan Treasures cruise. The order of itinery should have been Roatan Honduras, Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel but when we boarded and read our Cruise News we found out that the order was completely the other way round visiting Cozumel first. We were told that we would be using tenders to disembark at Cozumel (although we had pulled right upto the pier last time we visited). Unfortunately when we arrived at Cozumel, the ship was unable to dock at the pier and we would also not be able to use tenders as we were told the sea was too rough for Dreams smaller tenders. There were several other cruise ships at the port, all on moorings and using the ports tenders. Why we couldn't use these tenders as well is a mystery. We were just advised by the Captain that we would be missing out Cozumel altogether and slowly make our way up the Mexican coast to reach Costa Maya the following morning. There was no talk of making an earlier docking in Costa Maya or anywhere else so we ended up missing out on a very popular destination port and a much looked forward to visit to the Tulum Mayan ruins. As you can imagine, there were many very disgruntled cruisers on board having to put up with an extra day at sea. We were all wondering if the itinary had not been changed around and we had stuck to the order as advertised, would we have been able to dock in Cozumel? We do read smallprint and know that itineraries can change but has anyone else suffered missing out on a port visit entirely? Were you offered any other port of call as a replacement? Also has anyone else had their order of port visits changed round completely but not been advised beforehand? :mad::(

We were on that cruise and also the Cuban Fusion the week before. Both cruise itineraries were been changed from the originally published.

I had heard a rumour on CC about the itinerary changes so was keen to get the correct itineraries because we had booked car hire and private shore tours at a number of ports of call. Eventually, after several visits to my local Thomson TA and emails to HQ got an email from Thomsons saying the the Mayan Treasures itinerary had been reversed because of congestion at Roatan. Ironic as it turned out, because there were 7 or 8 other vessels at Cozumel which was even more congested than Roatan would have been. Total incompetence by whoever was responsible for organising the itineraries.

Fortunately for us we had visited Cozumel on the Cuban Fusion itinerary but I sympathise with those whose missed out on Cozumel and hope they get some joy with the insurance claims.

Just received this from Thomson cares. I had spoken to customer services and they said go to a Thomson TA. I can't even check in at all! It seem when us 4 get to the airport (Gatwick) we will be scattered all over the plane from the remaining seats. This is the first time I have had this problem on my 5th cruise with Thomson. Very annoying.

 

Thank you for your email.

 

The attached document is your E-ticket, this is not confirmation of check in.

 

If you see a pop-up saying that you'll need to collect your boarding passes from the airport, our shop staff can't provide the online check-in service for you. If you see this message, please go to one of the airport bag drop desks when you arrive at the airport, where you can collect your boarding passes and we'll allocate you seats from what's remaining.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Kind regards,

 

Jodie Williams

Customer Service Advisor

Very annoying, as you say. Thankfully we pre-booked our seats, that might account for why we were able to check-in, albeit unable to print the boarding passes.