alpha whiskey

Interesting and informative read, thanks. However, sounds like a door-slammers paradise! 😩 Good luck to everyone. We have Premier on our next cruise, but will try and close our door quietly. Sorry to our neighbours in advance.🙃

Wow! Bet you could tell a tale or two from your time there! 😉

Ah Come on!!! We live in a great area . On the coast. £2 bus ride gets us to the port of Southampton! Trip to the IOW takes you 'abroad' 🤣

Agree that Alesund has much more to offer. However, (weather permitting ) there is a beautiful recreational area in Haugeshund called Djupadelen which we walked to from the ship. It was a beautiful day and lots of people were out to play. Swimming, walking, family picnics. It is a very well kept area, paved trails, small waterfalls, even clean free toilets! https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/djupadalen/1593/ Tripadvisor has good reviews and lots more pictures. I am probably in the minority here, but we do quite like the town and immediate surrounding area.

Absolutely.......and they don't charge for a bag either! 🤣🛍️

Seek and you will find!

Absolutely, if shopping is your thing, do not miss Gunwharf. It's also a very nice place to visit. Whenever we have visitors staying with us, they always request a trip to Gunwharf Quays! Here are all your fabulous possibilities! https://gunwharf-quays.com/shops

Ditto what Brian1 recommends for Portsmouth, but also have a look at this website https://royalarmouries.org/fort-nelson Nearer Fareham than Portsmouth and has free entry.

Know what you mean. My shifts start at 6.30 am and these past few weeks have definitely been getting more of a struggle! Lovely in the summer though. Won't be long until we have to get up another 10 mins earlier for ice scraping/defrosting the windscreen! 😭 Just keep thinking of that next cruise......

Yes, I can second that. Often meet with friends for an evening out in Southampton and wouldn't park anywhere else.

Son parks there for work, and mentioned it last week. Still good value though for a clean, safe, town centre car park.

I believe the parking charges have very recently been increased to £6 at Westquay

It would be interesting to know how much per day/voyage is rolled up in the cruise fare for tips. Does anyone know?

Definitely. P&O offer a great product, competitively priced. Love both the new ships. They have me as a future customer for sure, but will still keep my eyes on the other lines too! 😉

Yes, I agree, and guilty as charged! Thankfully there is now so much out there to choose from as well...and so many different offers to draw you in! It's nice to mix up the brands; see what others are doing. Some are better than others, but never had a bad one yet. Nearly time for Black Friday! 👀

Only 2 more pay days to Christmas! 😊😱🎄

We were all new cruisers once, and we all came back again for another go, and haven't stopped since! 😊

DD always opts for an inside as she has a toddler who loves to climb! She wouldn't want to risk a balcony. I reckon a lot of families with young children might think along the same lines, hence they sell out quickly, perhaps?

On Britannia last month Amber Leaf was £58 for 10 X 50g Also available on Arvia and Iona, but can't remember the exact price

Yes, Valencia drop off is a little far out, but the walk through Turia park (largest urban park in Spain) to town is a very pleasant 30/40 minute walk indeed. If you are unable to make it to town, a beautiful spot to spend the day, visit the amazing science museum and maybe the Mall, all within easy reach of the drop off point.

Reckon so. We are sailing with American friends on the same cruise in a few weeks time and they are getting a much better % discount on drinks and excursions than we can get.

Not keen on the one time activation charge of $14.99 for ordering drinks via medallion, if not taking a package. Do you know if that's pp rather than stateroom, and presumably gratuity will still be added? It's kind of like paying for service twice. Must say we had 4 enjoyable cruises on Princess during 2021/22 and Princess will be in the pile when looking for future cruises. We've taken 3 on P&O this year, only slightly disappointed with 1 of them. We are back on Celebrity in a few weeks, more expensive, but it will be very interesting to see how they measure up for the price. Needless to say, like you, I will be keeping my eyes open for the next 50% off Princess plus sale! 👀

Yes, much more complicated now... Shame really. Nice and straightforward in 2022 with a take it or leave it, great value package at £30pppd for drinks,coffees, tips and WiFi Instead of just putting the price up, they've added a whole lot of faff! 🤷

Shame that Alfredo's and Gigi's will no longer be complimentary unless you have a plus or premium package. Also changes and charges to room service and ordering. Plenty of details on the Princess boards if you want to delve deeper!

We also cover ours with the wide sellotape to reinforce them a bit more, and put 2 to a case - one on the top handle and one on the side.