nicki-k

On 4/2/2024 at 12:43 PM, docpetey said:

Thanks for all the intel . I have a tripped booked for Jan 2025. Since your review of the food on board was not great I  wonder about looking into Uniworld? I have read great reviews about them but I like the Ama Itinerary  and have already booked all the extensions including Bangkok

We returned from this cruise with Amawaterways last weekend and it really was a trip of a lifetime. We thoroughly enjoyed all of the food we ate onboard, there was plenty of choice for us and more than enough to eat throughout the day. What made the trip exceptional for us was the cultural immersion on the tours, the guides and staff in general were first class and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Amadara based on our experience. 

That’s really useful, thank you! 

Did you arrange your own transport from HCMC airport to the hotel. We land about 11am on the Saturday and plan to explore as soon as we arrive at the hotel but do you have to register or do anything with Amawaterways on the Saturday? Thanks for your help.

We loved our Ventura cruise in August, the food was good, the staff were amazing and we experienced no issues with queuing for the restaurant (generally eating around 7 pm) or getting seats in the theatre. Thank you for sharing your cruise with us mrsgoggins, I hope you continue to have a super cruise.

The Gatwick Express takes 30 minutes to London Victoria which is near to all the major sites.

When you plan to visit will still be during school holidays, most schools return early in September so London will be very busy. I would definitely buy tickets in advance to guarantee being able to visit, we pre-booked tickets and still had to queue for a short time last year. The Churchill War Rooms are worth visiting and take up to a couple of hours to explore. As JB said, there is plenty to do nearby, adding to his list there is also Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square.   

This thread has been really informative, thank you! We are doing the identical itinerary in April and then returning to the UK via Singapore where we will be spending 3 nights. It's our first time on a river cruise so we will be out of our comfort zone mixing with other guests, it's reassuring to read that you really enjoyed this aspect. We plan to make the most of every experience and can't wait to go. 

The QE voyage 20th August to 30th August has an Ice White theme on 21st August and Masquerade on 27th August, all other evenings smart attire.

11 minutes ago, Jazzytelly said:

How easy is to get seats in the theatre? Do you have to book on the app as soon as you board, I am a bit worried about that as if you get a late boarding time you could miss out on the theatre for the whole cruise if others book up as soon as they board. Any advise on this much appreciated. 

I don't know if it's the same on Britannia but on Ventura you could book the theatre up to 14 days before sailing. Keep checking your account because some shows appeared just a few days before sailing. 

Ventura had a few problems on Saturday, they were late docking because of two ships ahead that had priority then because they were docking at City terminal, which the Captain said they don't normally use, the gangway didn't fit so we couldn't exit the ship. They had to use the portable gangway stairs/ramps which took some time to sort out, then get all the luggage off first (probably when the incident happened). The first passengers were allowed off at 9:30am. I have to say delays on a ship are much nicer than delays at an airport.

Celebration night on Ventura was the same as gala night, Black Tie. Vouchers were left in the cabin offering a free glass of fizz or elderflower from any onboard bar.

We have also just finished a short cruise with Ventura, our embarkation time was 15:30 and we booked parking with CPS. We arrived at the terminal at 13:30 and had no issues whatsoever. Everything was really well organised, CPS were great and we were quickly onboard with no delays. According to the shore excursions team there were 2500 passengers onboard so lots to check in but they were unbelievably slick in the terminal. 

Super photos Sarah, shame about Stavanger but it sounds like you're making the most of it and having a great time.

It's good to hear positive outcomes if covid becomes an issue before travelling. Hope you all feel ok and also get to enjoy your cruise in August.

We previously used P4C and when we returned the driver seat was soaking wet because the valet driver had left the window open. It wasn't a big deal as it quickly dried but it doesn't matter who you use or where you park unforeseen events can occasionally happen. We have parked overnight in West Quay and wouldn't hesitate to use them.

8 hours ago, NotDelilah said:

We were booked in C719 on Ventura. Told on Thursday should hear within 48 hours but still nothing.

 

Our original email was on Thursday too but we found out yesterday our new cabin allocation. We booked direct with P&O, our new cabins are just the other side of the quarantine zone on C deck port side so we are reasonably happy. Our only complaint is the lack of transparency to start with when we transferred to this cruise in January. The P&O agent tried to fob me off with saying they don't know where the isolation zones will be on each ship but I very politely said that it didn't take me very long to establish from reliable sources on the internet that the same cabins have been used for isolation on Ventura for at least the past six months. The only reason we pay extra for a select fare is so we can carefully choose the location of our cabin, on this occasion we needed to be close to the lifts as my Mum struggles with walking. Our new cabins are about as far way as you can get from working lifts but we have found a solution and are going to take a wheelchair with us. After three years of waiting for this cruise we are determined to enjoy it despite the curve balls that seem to keep on coming.

Thank you for your responses, we don't know which restaurant we have been designated yet but at least we have a back-up plan in place with the wheelchair. We usually prefer to use the stairs but my Mum won't manage them, she would be able to walk down a few flights but not back up again so we will get her doing some exercise where we can 🤣. It's good to know we should have access to the stairs. I'm just relieved that we are still in cabins next to each other.

We booked two select fare cabins, C723 and C719, on Ventura for a 4 night mini cruise in May but have been moved by P&O to C634 and C636 due to the current situation with isolation cabins. We specifically booked cabins near to the AFT lifts because my Mum has limited mobility at the moment and struggles with stairs and long walks. However, I am sure I read somewhere that there is no access to the AFT lifts/stairs. Does that mean she will now need to walk half the length of the ship to the mid lifts then back again to the restaurants at the rear? If so we will take a wheelchair with us to make things easier. 

5 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

P&O and logic are two fairly incompatible concepts. My understanding is that all quarantine zones are fixed and predetermined  which does make sense because you cannot predict the specific need in advance.  Of course many of the reservations were made during the first year of the pandemic when quarantine zones had not been established, which is why many bookings  now need to be moved.  Certainly it would have been sensible for P&O to advise passengers that their cabin would need to be  changed, as soon as they had determined  the quarantine zone, and certainly not permit any bookings to be made for potential quarantine cabins, which I would not be at all surprised to know did happen.

We received an email yesterday to say that our cabins are being moved due to 'taking an approved amount of cabins out of service'. I am not at all happy as I only transferred to this cruise on Ventura in January this year. As isolation cabins are not a new concept the P&O agent should have known that I was booking two cabins in a quarantine zone and advised me to select alternative cabins. I have paid a considerable premium to book a select fare and carefully selected cabins which meet the needs of my Mum. I specified not to be 'upgraded' as it is very important that our cabins are next to each other and near to lifts, my Dad passed away last year and this is my Mum's first cruise so she needs us 'next door'. I am appalled that we have in effect paid twice the amount for the equivalent of a guarantee balcony cabin. I am waiting to see what we have been allocated before contacting P&O. We were booked in C723  and C727.

I booked my appointments today for both doses, age 53, as have my SIL, BIL and friends at work all in their early 50's. The NHS booking site still says over 55's but is accepting bookings now for over 50's, I don't know whether this is postcode dependent as we are all in Kent.

Valencia 2012

We were supposed to visit Ajaccio last August for the first time, looking at everyones photos I will look forward to visiting in the future.

5 hours ago, Peanut006 said:

I let my colour grow out during first lockdown and I usually now have a short grey pixie cut but at the moment is rapidly growing into a grey bob

Michelle

 

Same here Michelle 

17 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

So on Wednesday I took my dog out and he met another dog that he hates.  He pulled, I lost my balance fell on my hip and today I had total hip replacement in Derriford Plymouth

 

You couldn't make it up could you😥

Sorry to hear what happened to you Jean, hope you have a swift recovery x

We have booked a week in Shropshire and a week in the Cotswolds, I had a look tonight to see if the prices have increased but can't tell as one is completely booked throughout the summer and the other one only has odd nights available. Just hope things go to plan and we can all have a great holiday this year but whatever happens it's nice to have a holiday to look forward to that has a reasonable chance of not being cancelled.