Thejuggler

India is probably the one Visa system which has become worse by going online!

Its not the number of passengers it is how the ship is designed. The Celebrity Eclipse is larger than Ventura, but Ventura (and Grand class in general) have a poor layout giving pinch points, limited quieter public areas and the buffet is badly designed. No crows nest removes a very large public area for use on sea days. Not too bad with a covered pool, but not all Grand Class have that facility. QM2 is an ocean liner, not a cruise ship, and designed for lots of back to back sea day trips crossing the Atlantic.

Check the Celebrity website. They have info on their shore excursions and most do the same type of trips.

Small claims fee for your claim would be £410. Do you have house insurance with legal advice line?

All you can do is go through the company formal complaints procedure then move to legal solutions through small claims procedure. However you would have to prove they damaged the passport and it appears your only proof is 'it wasn't damaged until it was handed to a member of staff'.

If its an option, Stirling. Similar to Edinburgh, but not as manic. Its also in the town centre.

We don't even have those at home! I wouldn't think of buying some to take on holiday.

Easy to DIY. Train to Naples, ferry or train to Sorrento, ferry or bus to Amalfi coast. Lots of hotels in the area. I'd stay in Sorrento as its a good base for excursions.

Early sitting on a Baltic cruise could be too early. We had this with Celebrity (the downside of a what was a very cheap deal) and on two occasions we were late back from trips (traffic in St Petersburg can be crazy) so were rushing to get ready. Its a very port intensive cruise and a couple of hours before dinner is needed!

There are taxis and they will do tours. However you are advised to book as numbers are limited.

Warnemunde is the small town at the head of the Estuary leading to Rostock. Both are in different areas of the same port.

I'm glad P&O have finally adopted Princess system of having open restaurant choice on at least Grand class ships. If one is busy its only a staircase to the other dining room.

Mull is only 45 minutes by ferry and there will be a bus at the port to get you to Tobermory. You can get to smaller islands, Coll and Tiree, but not much there. calmac.co.uk for ferry info. westcoasttours.co.uk do a three islands tour. Mull, Iona and Staffa. Well worth the very long day trip. Train to Glasgow for an amazing trip.

Use loco2 to get the split ticket option prices, then use national rail to book tickets using loco2 info and no fee payable.

Oxford or Cotswolds.