ladysail2

I’m landing in London on the 2nd and going to Southampton on the 5th….so lots of time that way….just have to leave the hotel in plenty of time. I was going to take a taxi to Victoria Coach station from my Earl’s Court hotel…they might be in high demand due to the strike. Might have to take the tube. 🤔

I’ve heard of that occurance. I wanted to take an earlier bus. Now that there will a train strike on the day I’m taking the bus, I want to make sure I have a ticket beforehand.

Or Canada as well. Now, the Debit machines ask if you want to tip the fast food staff…..and that’s before you wait for your food or taste it!! Smart..tip before service…innovative!!??

The topic veered ‘off track’…..🤣🤣

Thank you for your recommendation. I’ll be back to Southampton, so perhaps I’ll try the White Star Tavern next time. 😊

Thank you so much for all the effort you take to inform visitors, that is so kind of you, John . I’m in agreement, as much as Ennio’s roast lunch looks nice and is convenient….I will enjoy my roast lunch at The Duke of Wellington set among historical walls. I’ve had fish&chips there before and enjoyed the ambience and people watching. I wish I enjoyed beer to make it a true pub visit, but unless they serve me beer in a shot glass, that’s about as much as I can handle. I’ll have to settle for a glass of wine. We have already purchased our Fireworks tickets at Mayflower Park. I sure hope it doesn’t rain. We are also looking forward to seeing what the food trucks offer. 😁. BTW, we were taught about the antics of Guy Fawkes in school over here in Canada. The evening will have a small significance to me! I’m looking forward to it. Thank you again!

Thank you John. I tried the on-line chat, but it’s not a person, just a series of topics with further policies and rules. I felt the simplest thing to do was buy a new ticket, so that’s what I did. The time change difference was not significant, just 30 minutes but it meant that I didn’t arrive into Southampton until 1pm. With sundown around 5pm, it didn’t give me alot of time to go to a few places that I’d like to visit. So I am taking the 8:30am bus from London and arriving at 10:40am 🤞. That gives me some extra time. I hope they don’t change this schedule 🤞. Also, I made a reservation at the Duke of Wellington for Sunday Roast lunch. I am really looking forward to that! Thank you for all your help! 😊

I bought a National Express ticket from London to Southampton. It is non-amenable and non- refundable. But National Express has changed my departure time to a later time. There are earlier times available that I would rather take. I really can’t find help on their website about how to change my ticket. Do I have to buy a new ticket, or will they exchange my current one to a more preferable time for me. Thank you for any help.

It looks good that’s for sure. Thank you for the link.

I had a look at both Ennio’s Sunday lunch and The Duke of Wellington Sunday lunch. Would you have a preference? The price difference isn’t too bad…. Thanks again!

I’m staying at Ennio’s for one night..Nov 5, cruise on the 6th. I would love to experience an English Sunday roast lunch. Would you recommend the Duke of Wellington? I can’t go to Botley, would have to stay in Southampton. I’m not sure if Ennio’s has a roast lunch, I’ll take a look at their menu. Also, , you recommended making a reservation…would that still be applicable. Thank you so much for all your help. 😊

I sure hope to have that ‘problem’ some day! LOL. 😁

I’m still on the fence about using a travel agent. After cruising for nearly 20 years doing it all myself, I decided to try a ta. Several of them. I still did the original booking, cabin choice, deposit, then handed it over. The ta had little to figure out. The only two lines involved were Royal Caribbean and Carnival. My friends wanted to sail the new Carnival ships. None of the ta offered anything but OBC. Carnival must pay the best commission because I received great OBC for Carnival..in the neighbourhood of $200 for a $4000 cruise. But Royal…very low. One cruise of about $3000, a $35 OBC…another $2000 cruise..a $50 OBC. I’m not sure that I like losing control of my booking either, although the ta has been very responsive to any changes that I might need to make. After these sets of cruises are done, I’ll evaluate how I feel about using a ta.

Thank you for that link, LHT28. I come into Galveston next year from Southampton. I have departed Galveston before and used a shuttle service from Houston to the port. It worked out very well.

Some people don’t believe that going on Carnival is better than going on Royal Caribbean. To each his own, but we weren’t discussing Guy’s.

I remember when it was free….2003…

A resident of Canada doesn’t have to deal with US Customs beyond showing your passport and answering a few questions. Canadians deal with Canadian Customs upon re-entry to Canada. If you are a Canadian, you have to complete ArriveCan. You will upload both your vaccination status and passport information into the app before entering Canada. Your cruise ship policies will dictate how your vaccination information is revealed. Most cruise companies want to know your vaccination status. Hope that helps somewhat.

Very, Very Yum! My absolute favourite!!

If your invoice is in CAD$, then the gratuities are converted to CAD as well. But as Wemjam says, you may be too close to sailing to add them yourself. Try phoning Carnival to see if they’ll take payment over the phone. Enjoy your cruise!

Thank you for this information. I haven’t cruised on Carnival in a number of years. What constitutes the chocolate delight? Chocolate covered strawberries? My favourite perk is the laundry perk, most handy. 😊

My sentiment exactly. I didn’t think the question was “do you care about the Platinum gift?”. Some people just can’t read, or want to share feelings that no one cares about. 🙄

I wouldn’t start going down that road….people in glass houses….

I’m from Canada, if that makes a difference. My most favourite drink is Strawberry Frutopia which I buy at McDonalds. They supply a paper straw, and I do buy the large sized drink. That straw is as good at the end as it was at the beginning. I might go into the restaurant and pick up a few extra for my upcoming cruise, wink wink. You might want to check them out as a comparison.

I won’t be buying the £400 bottle of wine, or the £4 bottle. Wouldn’t it be great if I can find my favourite..Clos du Bois…..and if not, I’ll just have to take a chance. Thanks for the lively discussion! 😊

As IRMO12HD suggested, the purchase of a coffee card may be a good idea too. I’ve bought the cards and have enjoyed the coffees they make. My favourite is a Mochacchino (sp) with a half shot of expresso. Personally, I find a whole shot to be too strong for me. They’ll adjust things to make the coffee how you like it. A little extra chocolate syrup doesn’t hurt either..for my taste anyway. Hope you find something you like. 😊