hebbie67

Currently our last night on Iona. We like a drink and have averaged 10 drinks a day - sounds a lot but Buck’s Fizz for breakfast, drink before lunch, wine with lunch, sail away, pre-dinner drink, wine with dinner and drinks with evening entertainment - plus Costa coffees and bottled water - it has paid for itself.

BUT!! Cocktails limited to £6.95 and many are priced over that. Advertised water as 500ml but they are 300ml. 15 mins between drinks. No double spirits.

Biggest bugbear - ‘ultimate’ package only included small glasses of wine (175ml) however there are large glasses (250ml) on the menu for under £6.95 and they are not included!!! Ordering a drink over £6.95 you don’t just pay the difference but get a 20% discount on full price. We bought a glass of Tattinger champagne each night - £14 for 2 - as there is only so much cheap Canti Prosecco you can drink! (major supermarket cheap orange label!)

Overall we got our money’s worth but feel this is a case of ‘when is a drinks package not a drinks package?! Personally we prefer RCI.

Than you so much Nicky for such comprehensive info!  All very reassuring - can't wait to set sail now 😀 Cheers Heb x

12 hours ago, niccynoo66 said:

Morning ,

We had a fabulous time and all of us loved the cruise. 
Please ask away and I will hopefully be able to answer any questions 😁

Thanks for the port/trip information below - really useful!  A couple more questions please:

What did you pack?  The weather forecast looks quite cool (compared with recent UK heatwave!) and possibly wet - think we've put aside way too much stuff to cover all eventualities at present!

How dressy were the 'evening casual' nights?  

How did you find the anytime dining system? Any recommendations?

I read somewhere about bars closing at 11pm - is this right?!

Thank you!

Heb

2 hours ago, niccynoo66 said:

hi,

we were on Iona last week and these were our port times 

Stavanger 09.30 - 4.30 

Olden 09.30 - 5.30

Hellesylt 06.30 - 4.00

Haugesund 10.00 - 5.30

 

Hope this helps a bit,

Nicky 😊

Thank you so much Nicky - that's exactly what we were looking for 🙂  Hope you had a good cruise.  Any other tips would be greatly received!  Heb

2 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Yesterdays full page advert in the paper for lots of Iona sailings for the remainder of 2022 and also 2023, listed ports as Stavanger, Alesung , Olden and Haugusund. So it looks as though Geiranger/Helesylt has been totally dropped, leaving only one Fjord visit.

Oh! We depart next Saturday and Hellesylt is on our itinerary.... just no clear timings which is quite frustrating.

Hi, Does anyone know the approximate port arrival/departure timings for Iona Norwegian Fjords (Stavanger, Olden, Hellesylt, Haugesund)?  I've looked at the port websites and the usual sites such as cruisemapper & crew-centre etc but they just say N/A which makes it difficult to plan!  Any ideas why this is or advice would be appreciated.  Many thanks

We did the two day delxue tour with SPB. One member of our group, when booking, said they were with cruise critic and got a discount, but that didn't work for me, but I had booked the tour first and then mentioned I was with cruise critic. You might give it a try.

 

Tad

That would be me then! We paid a discounted price of 285 USD for mentioning Cruise Critic - so worth doing. SPB were exceptional -I've also posted a review on Trip Adviser on 17 Aug 15 (work got in the way!).

I can also vouch for Marianna at My Time Dining - truly the best waiter we've ever had -but not good for your waistline!! If you couldn't decide between 2 dishes, you got both to try!

Hello,

 

DH & I are also on this cruise .... under 90 days to go now :)

 

If you log onto "My Cruises" you can now make your reservations.

 

It looks like on Day 1 (Southampton) the show is on at 7.45pm & Day 2 it's on at 6.30pm & 10pm.

 

The other show is called Spectra's Cabaret & that is showing as follows: -

 

Day 1 ~ 7.30Pm & 9.30PM

 

Day 2 ~ 7pm & 9pm

 

Day 3 ~ 8.15pm

 

Hope this helps.

 

Joan

Many thanks for this -very helpful! My sister and I are also on this cruise and have now made all the relevant reservations.

There were smart/casual nights but that just meant open neck shirts and slacks. No jacket or tie required so don´t worry. Basically if you want to go smarter you can but you don´t have to.

 

It´s a nice relaxed ship and you won´t have any trouble with the dress code.

 

Gail :)

Thanks Gail - that's good to know - will just pack for the 2 formals then!

There was one smart casual night, but I don't recall seeing many jackets/ties!

Many thanks - won't bother with the extra packing then!

Loving the passenger log!

In addition to the 2 formal nights, were there any smart/casual (jacket/tie) nights? In the midst of packing so would be good to know!

Many thanks

We're on this cruise soon and know there are 2 formal nights, but are there any 'smart casuals' where suggested dress is jacket/tie?

Many thanks

So glad to see a Brilliance Baltic review - have been checking every day to find one as we're doing this itinerary in July!

Just one question - which I'm sure you'll cover anyway in due course - can you tell us which nights are the Formal nights?

Looking forward to reading more:)

Many Thanks

Thanks everyone - it's great to be reassured!

Maybe it was just the way we read the RCI letter - we had visions of them not allowing us to depart the ship and get as far as Russian immigration!!

Thanks again for your help.

We're visiting St Petersburg in a few months and plan to take an excursion with SPB Tours. However a letter from RCI states that if we are not purchasing a shipboard organised tour and don't possess a valid visa we will not be permitted ashore.

Has any British passport holder used SPB Tours previously - and was there a problem with being permitted ashore by RCI?

Many thanks

Loving your review! We are doing this itinerary next July and have fallen in love with the Peterhof gardens - beautiful! The evening cruise has also caught our eye!

Just wondered if you have details of all the excursions offered by RCI for St Petersburg that you could share?

Thanks

Subscribed! Hope you enjoyed your first MSC experience as much as we did ours! We also book early - I mean, you just have to have a cruise booked so you have something to look forward to! We're back with Royal Caribbean next July - can't wait!!

Yes! We spent quite a bit of time there last summer but it was hard to find! Go outside on Deck 4 forward and then up the steps.

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Hi

I did the All Access tour on Indy a few weeks back - definitely worth doing despite the hefty price tag. We met at 09:15 to fill out waivers and were given neck wallets (complete with RCI pen & keyring). There were 16 of us and there are only 2 tours per 2 week cruise. The tour lasted 4 hours and covered the following:

Deck 4 & 5 Galley, with pastries, canapes & soft drinks in the MDR at the end

Food storage areas

Engine control room

Backstage Theatre

Backstage Ice rink

Recycling/waste area

I-95 crew corridor (no other staff areas, sadly)

The Bridge where we got the chance to ask Capt Henrik questions.

You'll love it!

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Not at all when the family and friends we're meeting up with to introduce them to cruising live in another part of the country, and we're meeting the day before. So it makes a 4 day break from the pressure of work.

Likewise! Having a day trip on the way down from sunny Shropshire the day before then planning to do the same thing on the way back up - fantastic 4 day break!! :D

The only time that I did a two night cruise, we got a BIG notice from Royal Caribbean telling us that NO porter services would be provided, on or off, and we were completely responsible to carry our own.

 

Just reporting my own experience. :)

Thanks for that - I'm not surprised, hence my original question! Our ticket booklet is the same info as our recent 2 week IOS cruise: "A ship embarkation luggage tag has been included in your Guest Ticket Booklet, make as many copies as you require. Please,fill in any information required and ensure that you securely affix these tags to your checked luggage".

When did you receive notification? Were you restricted to taking airport scanner size luggage - or could you take larger cases under your own steam? (I wouldn't have a problem with this - and I could still take the kitchen sink with me!!!;)

Thanks

 

 

We got up just in time for the Meet and Mingle and there were about 30 people there.

 

It was one of the best Meet and Mingles we have attended as the Activities Manager Tim Connor was absolutely hilarious and he had a plethora of "Royal Caribbean crap you've never wanted" to give away.

 

 

 

I won an amazing pair of RCCL earrings!

 

 

 

 

Hi!

 

Agree the M&M was very good with Tim - just a shame we didn't get to linger longer due to the art class. My hubby and son won matching baseball caps (which they've never worn!) and I won a bottle of wine - were you on the table in the corner next to us by any chance?

 

Great review and good to get a different perspective of the port days as we did mostly organised excursions.

 

I started writing an offline review but struggling to find the time - besides I can't compete with your style!

 

Look forward to reading more!

 

Heather

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for all the responses - my normal form is to pack the kitchen sink - just in case of course! I will consider carry on only but this may just be a step too far!!

2 days too much hassle? No way - any cruise sure beats working!! Can't wait!

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We're on Adventure at the end of the month on a 2 day cruise sailing from Southampton.

Just wondered if the luggage works the same way as a longer cruise i.e. taken off you in the car park and delivered to cabin late afternoon (day 1), then put outside the cabin on the last night (day 2)?

Or would we be better off just taking carry on luggage only? If so, is there a size restriction for carry on suitcases?

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

I did the All Access tour on Indy a couple of weeks back. We met at 09:15 to fill out waivers and were given neck wallets (complete with RCI pen & keyring). There were 16 of us and there are only 2 tours per 2 week cruise. There were 2 teenage lads on our tour and I believe their father had been asked to accompany them. The tour lasted 4 hours and covered the following:

Deck 4 & 5 Galley, with pastries, canapes & soft drinks in the MDR at the end

Food storage areas

Engine control room

Backstage Theatre

Backstage Ice rink

Recycling/waste area

I-95 crew corridor (no other staff areas, sadly)

The Bridge

It was a great experience and I would do it again on another ship seeing as the experiences appear to be so different. Sadly no champagne on Indy :(