besberry

On 6/21/2022 at 11:16 AM, jeanlyon said:

although I have some sympathy, you do have to remember that they get board and all their food, so you can't compare it to our minimum wage.

Indeed they do.  But they stil work seven days a week for over six months at a time, without a day off.  I'm not sure many Brits would do that for minimum wage with or without board and food.

4 hours ago, Trevor Fountain said:

Venture Assure which sells excursions lists the "in port" times when you browse through the itenary.

Not sure how accurate they are, but assume they're correct at this time.

That's what I do, look at an onshore company offering excursions.  They almost always have the port times and I've never found one to be wrong yet.  After all they need to know so they can get you back on time.

15 hours ago, bbtablet said:

Thanks - so the word YES should not be there - which is my point.

Yes it should!  The question was do I need a test onboard.  The answer was Yes for UNVACCINATED guests over 12.  You're vaccinated so no test.  It's perfectly good English and self-explanatory.

I'm on my first Saga cruise in July and I'm wondering about the supplied toiletries.  Are they any good?  I always take my own if I cruise with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, but I'm happy with P&O and Silversea.  How do Saga compare?

25 minutes ago, Waju said:

Sorry can't help with your question but we were surprised that, as the ship is so new, there were no USB sockets for chargers etc.

 

There's a USB port underneath each of the bedside lamps.

3 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

I have the NHS app and can see my jabs, but not sure what you mean by the e-wallet?  Also I can do this for our friend who doesn't not have smartphone or tablet so she would still have to have a paper copy.  Sigh.

Jean, I just take a screen shot of the app for proof, that way I don't have to worry about wifi and the like.  It worked for both my boarding passes and entry to Spain a few weeks ago.  I took a copy of the Spanish PLF too.

1 hour ago, bama4cruisin said:

No, you do not click this as you ARE leaving the airport enclosure .  When we flew to Barcelona last fall to board Apex, I had the QR codes (DH’s and mine) on my phone but also had a printed copy as back-up.  When we entered the Customs and Border Control area, there was quite a line of those having difficulty accessing their codes on their phones.  While ours were pulled up, there was another agent taking those with paper copies; we were the second couple in line and through the process in about 30 seconds.

When I received the QR code on the app, I just took a screenshot.  I did the same for my airline boarding passes.  I had no trouble at all.

There is an app, which I used a couple of weeks ago.  They DID check.  Those who hadn't completed the form had to do it at the airport on arrival.  I was amazed at the number of people who hadn't done it.

I always look at an excursions site for my itinerary, they usually have the port arrival and departure times.  They've never let me down yet!

Look on cruisingexcursions.com, they usually have arrival/departure times.

Fingers crossed she'll be ready for my Christmas cruise on her later this year!

No turn down on Iona in October.  My steward was working in the restaurant in the evening.

21 hours ago, Bin man said:

Thankyou for the reply .Yes you forget all those little things like the cruise log .No sweets now ,no chocolates and what about the  flower in the cabin bet that's gone as well and maybe even on the mdr tables .Will have to make a list as we go through  the cruise .Many thanks once again 

No flowers on Iona on the 29 September cruise.

21 hours ago, Oregonhiker said:

My cruise leaves from Ft. Lauderdale. But on the positive side, I now know where to get tested in Scotland!

Really useful, except Southampton is way down in the south of England about 500 miles from Scotland and Lord alone knows how far from FL.  Gonna make for an interesting trip 😄.  Enjoy your cruise.

There was a button to book various shows on my 25 September cruise.  Headliners (2 dates) claimed to be fully booked, all the others said 'book onboard', so why the hell they have a button is beyond me!

I booked the Borealis 2024 world cruise just over three weeks ago via a TA.  I've had no documentation at all from Fred and they've messed up our dining times.  I know there's a fair length of time before the cruise, but I've never waited this long for documentation.  Is this normal for Fred?  Are they usually this bad?   It's my first cruise with them and I'm afraid I'm not accepting COVID as an excuse, they've had 18 months to get systems in place and working.

Do you happen to know if they still have an embarkation lunch/buffet for higher Peninsular Club tiers?

20 hours ago, kalos said:

A couple of years back before the pandemic some people used to like 

to stay at the country club Meon Valley hotel. It looks  like this hotel has hit 

upon hard times if this recent film is anything to go by .

I would hate to think any of you guys were to book unwittingly 

 

 

That's because its no longer a Marriott.  It was taken over by Britannia Hotels and they're a notoriously poor chain.

Holiday Inn, Grand Harbour and Novotel are all OK.  I wouldn't recommend Jury's Inn, it's stuck in the middle of a roundabout, the breakfast tables aren't cleared and there are long queues for breakfast.  It's cheap but not cheerful!

1 hour ago, Lesanne said:

Most are downloading the NHS App and printing out the necessary paperwork. For covid and also proof of insurance

Difficult to download the app without a smartphone, as per the OP's question.

On 8/1/2021 at 10:35 AM, jaydee6969 said:

 

Probably more because she pleaded guilty and he pleaded innocent.  The courts tend to take this into account.

Anyone who pleads guilty at the first opportunity automatically gets a one third discount on their sentence.  Pragmatism, saves the courts time and money on a trial.

I bought one, but because of COVID I bought online.  I had a lot of OBC on my cancelled Arcadia cruise and it was top of my shopping list!

Just booked the 2024 World Cruise on Borealis and only offered the two standard sittings.

1 hour ago, Bobblehat71 said:

Just incase anyone needs it Staysure currently offer an add on to your policy that allows for travel against Covid related FCO advice . eg. It will cover you for travel to Amber/Red Countries . 

My Staysure cover for travelling against FCDO advice came in at £5 extra.  I snatched it eagerly!

I sent mine off last week and got confirmation yesterday.  It was a letter of confirmation from IWeb.  I'd called them a couple of weeks ago and they put in the diary and sent it out later.  I'm expecting the same for my November cruise.  First time I've ever done it.