Eglesbrech

Well that was some storm last night. The flashes of lightening woke me up. The grass needed a good watering and it certainly got it. The patio at the end of the garden looks like a mini swimming pool. The news is reporting flooding and some of the train lines from Perth north are down. Hope everyones homes are fine.

Excellent news. Keep us posted. Hopefully they get it back to you tomorrow.

Any news re the scooter?

Love the Lake district, such a beautiful place. Glad you enjoyed it.

Take layers, it can be really nice or a bit colder (particularly in the evenings when the sun drops). Southern Norway is still ok temperature wise in September around 60f daytime but I would take shorts and a fleece and a waterproof jacket to layer up or down (warning, I am Scottish so used to colder temperatures all year round, if you are from a hotter part of the world it may feel cold to you).

You are quite entitled to a rant, I’m just impressed by how moderate your tone is. What a rotten end to a good holiday. I hope they get it sorted out very soon.

Gathering her brows like gathering storm,. Nursing her wrath to keep it warm

Greenock would not be a place I would rush to however it is actually popular as a cruise stop. People head from there into Glasgow, up to Stirling or over to Loch Lomand. The locals in Greenock offer (free) tours to those coming off ships and they are very well received. I remember reading an item on here from some tourists from the USA who enjoyed the local tour and raved about the brilliant “craft” beers they had sampled. They could not believe how excellent the beer was for the incredibly low cost compared to craft ales in the US. They were drinking 60 shilling at Wetherspoons! What is pedestrian here is exotic elsewhere.

Welcome to the forum and absolutely no question is stupid. Yes the bed can simply be used as a sofa. Happy cruising.

No covid questions for the annual insurance here either. I assume that if they asked about the covid vaccination it would open a whole can of worms. Have you had chicken pox or polio vaccine (polio is apparently an issue in London at the moment). Have you had a smallpox vaccine (Monkey Pox is a bit of an issue across Europe). If you want to tell if someone is lying about their age look for the tell tale pock mark on their shoulder. Routine vaccination ended in 1971 so anyone with a mark was born pre 1971, as it was given at about 3 months. Mine is a beautiful round mark on my left shoulder.

Welcome to cruise critic. I think showingdiva’s response says it all. I very much doubt there would ever be any issue but on the tiny off chance, just quote the provisions of the Equality Act 2010. You may also wish to know that there is a sub forum on cruise critic for disability which you might find helpful. Have a wonderful first cruise. Come back and tell us how it went, I’m sure you will have fun.

Seasons greeting one and all, I’ve just had my first Christmas food order email. The garden centre is also setting up Christmas trees, could not believe it when I saw them this morning - then the email. It definitely gets earlier each year.

I’m sure they are open now, the smiley was to indicate a joke. Like you once I’m on holiday I enjoy it, whatever it is. A day on any ship is better than cooking, cleaning etc at home? A discussion on a cruise forum is a different matter.

Indeed, we don’t all like the same things.

If Epicurian and Sindhu are open😀. Our last few P&O cruises we mostly booked the speciality restaurants and they are very good. For the odd cruise in the quiet season we would still book P&O, your comments on comparative pricing is spot on. For main holidays we would now go elsewhere. To each their own and many people clearly enjoy the new offering. You don’t tend to miss what you never had.

Go for it!

Tried the wall once, once was quite enough!

Personally I have moved on but for standards, not any sense of elitism. Respectfully, I don’t agree that only the new generation should get to decide. Turn that statement round and there would be complete outrage. Age discrimination however seems to be last of the acceptable ”isms”

I could live with the older Fred ships in a suite if the suite offering was better. I don’t mind paying for example for the Retreat on Celebrity as there is added value in terms of the services offered to suite guests. They could create the equivalent of Luminae in the smaller restaurants. On Fred once you step out of your suite, which is not the plushest on the market, then you get exactly the same as someone paying a last minute saver fare for a few hundred pounds when you have paid a few thousand. There is a lot of competition and the main USPs for Fred (imo) are the interesting itinerary’s and regional departures. Princess now offer some of the more interesting places to see and the new Ambassador ships are doing regional departures so there is more competition now than ever. If they want my business in a higher priced cabin then I expect more for my money than just a slightly bigger cabin. Otherwise I can get the small ship experience with the big ship facilities in a ship within a ship in the Retreat, the Haven, the Yacht club etc.

I agree, pricing is an issue. We booked a cruise recently and the price dropped just a few days later which is really annoying, to the extent that we are putting off booking another one we had planned. Once bitten twice shy. Im sure someone booking when the brochures came out is paying even more than I am and will be equally peeved. We only book Fred to avoid the long drive south so “regional” departures are an essential and I’m sure I’m not alone in that point of view. New management please note, if regional departures go and we have to travel anyway then we have wider choices and Fred would not be the first choice. On every other line we travel in a balcony or suites but I can’t bring myself to pay the inflated prices on Fred for what is just a very basic balcony cabin. We did buy a “suite” once and it was just a glorified balcony and no extras (the suite dreams package is poor, no enhanced menus or services that I could see for the much higher price). I do like the more unusual itinerary’s.

So do MSC regularly change booked and confirmed cabins? We are looking for them first time so any insight would be appreciated. The OPs post has given me pause for thought. I’ll be interested to see if they manage to get a satisfactory outcome.

Same for Emerald in late October which has gone way up in price but is at the moment half empty? Lots of free cabins but price hike overnight.

I miss what it was as well, I know the world moves on but in terms of cruising it’s not an improvement imo. I have been exploring other lines as for me things are being watered down just too much and I don’t mind paying a bit more. MSC is wintering from Southampton so no flying and while the main ship doesn’t appeal, the Yacht Club does.

I think that on balance I would rather have my cruise cancelled than get onboard and find that I didn’t get what I expected and paid for. While cancellations are always disappointing perhaps they are a better approach than selling “business as usual” and not delivering it eg closed restaurants, reduced services.

It’s always possible but then the same is possible walking along a corridor in a school, office, supermarket isle etc with people who don’t have to isolate now under current guidance, even if they are well aware that they are positive. Cruise ships are at least trying to reduce risk as as far as possible. It’s not perfect but then nothing is against this virus.