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Inspired by the many others............


Wansbrough
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We had heard so many good things about the Norwegian Jade and were really looking forward to trying her out for ourselves. We felt really at home on her from the moment we boarded, the décor is bright and almost Costa loud in places but it still retains a bit class and style too.Let me take you ... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2015/06/norwegian-jade-looking-back-with-a-few-photos-and-observations-part-2-the-ship/

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  • 3 months later...

Earlier this year when our future plans changed direction we thought that we should reassess any forthcoming trips that we had lined up. One of these trips was a 3 night cruise on the new Norwegian Escape which was sailing from Hamburg to Southampton in late October. We booked this trip after...

 

http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2015/09/costa-deliziosa-cruise-preamble/

 

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Today began with an exact repeat of the start of our last cruise in as much as we got up early to drive to Heathrow to catch the same flight to Venice from Terminal 5. The only difference being this time there was only the two of us. Our journey along the M4 took only 1 hour and 45 minutes and... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/wpid-wp-1442173905111.jpg http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2015/09/costa-deliziosa-postcard-1-the-journey-to-the-ship/

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This morning we awoke to find ourselves at sea, there was quite a wind and this was how it had been throughout the night but best of all there were clear blue skies. I can’t think of a better way to start your morning by looking out to sea while on a ship.Finally getting the chance to... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/wpid-wp-1442246937038.jpg http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2015/09/costa-deliziosa-postcard-2-bari/

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Last night the dining room was only about two thirds full and it meant our waiters were a little more attentive than the previous night. There were a lot of passengers getting on and off yesterday at Bari and we heard another muster drill going off at the same time we had ours, the down side was... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/wpid-wp-1442325665750.jpg http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2015/09/costa-deliziosa-postcard-3-corfu/

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Last night’s food in the dining room was absolutely delicious, and once again our table mates were excellent company. The waiters were busy again like the first night but seemed to just about manage OK.We followed dinner by wandering towards the front of the ship and stopping first for a... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/wpid-wp-1442413848587.jpg http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2015/09/costa-deliziosa-postcard-5-santorini/

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Last night’s dinner in the Costa Club Restaurant was excellent, the food, the service and the setting was fantastic. We had a window table and watched the light fade over Santorini and all the buildings start to light up like a Christmas tree. It was all rather special and we were... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/wpid-wp-1442502881959.jpg http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2015/09/costa-deliziosa-postcard-5-piraeus-and-not-mykonos/

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Today was a sea day and one where there wasn’t a great deal happening for us. We dabbled with going to the dining room for breakfast but in the end kept with our usual format. We have heard reports that the service in the dining room can be a little on the slow side and I am not that... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/wpid-wp-14425881989571.jpg http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2015/09/costa-deliziosa-postcard-6-a-sea-day/

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Last nights gala dinner finished off with the traditional Baked Alaska parade. Love it or hate it, Costa still do it and it does seem very popular with the passengers. Lots of napkin waving and glass of fizz from the captain. The Baked Alaska ParadeToday was our last full day onboard the Costs... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/wpid-wp-1442676467633.jpg http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2015/09/costa-deliziosa-postcard-7-dubrovnik/

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Costa are full of surprises and this morning we arrived an hour earlier than we had anticipated. Not so much of a problem but we did have to be out of the cabin by 8:00 which left us hanging around the ship for an hour and a half while we waited to get off and collect or luggage. 6 of the 7... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/wpid-wp-1442767668882.jpg http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2015/09/costa-deliziosa-postcard-8-venice-disembarking-the-doges-palace/

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  • 5 months later...
  • 2 months later...
http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2016/05/celebrating-10-years-of-cruising/ Last Saturday (14 May) marked 10 years since we disembarked from our first ever cruise which was an Eastbound Transatlantic on Jewel of the Seas. I thought it would be nice to look back at our first impressions of what was a life changing experience.At about midday on the 30th April 2006... Wansbrough's Cruise Blog
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https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ak12Pwbu4bw/VykHKsy9K-I/AAAAAAAAi4M/N6HtJtqvd24_E1U7vEUgn4Fi02nI4HMrQCCo/s1000/Wansbroughs%2BDigital%2BPostcards%2Bfrom%2BHarmony%2Bof%2Bthe%2BSeas%2BRev%2BA.jpg http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2016/05/harmony-of-the-seas-cruise-preamble/ When some cruising friends of ours informed us they had booked a four night cruise on Harmony of the Seas out of Southampton and then suggested we join them it was a very difficult proposal to ignore. The chance to try out a brand new Oasis class ship without needing to fly was a real draw....
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How about something different to start a first post with other than we made an early start for the airport? OK here goes, this morning we set off a little after 8:00am and drove to the port of Southampton. Yes that's right the port and not the airport!! After 10 years of cruising we are finally... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2016/05/harmony-of-the-seas-postcard-1-southampton-and-sailaway/

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For our first sailaway from Southampton we went up on deck by the Mast Bar making full advantage of the drinks vouchers which come with our Crown & Anchor Diamond status. You can use your 3 vouchers in any bar between 5:00 and 8:30. After we watched the sailaway it was then back to the cabin... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2016/05/harmony-of-the-seas-postcard-2-a-sea-day/

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Yesterday evening was a big improvement on the afternoon, Grease was very good and should you ever find yourself on this ship in the near future I would highly recommend it. This was followed by dinner in the Silk Restaurant where service and food was of a very high standard. This is our... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2016/05/harmony-of-the-seas-postcard-3-rotterdam/

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We think the sail out from Rotterdam is one of the most fascinating there is, passing all sorts of things along the route that in most walks of life you don't see. By this I am taking about the industrial side of things and as a sea fairing nation, the Dutch make very good use of their closeness... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2016/05/harmony-of-the-seas-postcard-4-a-sea-day/

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To get to the cabin, you need to leave to the rear stair/elevator lobby on deck 9 and head towards the aft on the port side and it involves about a 60 yard walk to get to the cabin door itself. It's further away than we would have like but being as there wasn't too much in the way of selection... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2016/06/harmony-of-the-seas-cabin-review/

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  • 1 month later...

https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7024/27058050205_95a7b6363e_o.jpg 27058050205_95a7b6363e_o.jpg

For some time we have considered heading north on a cruise but there has always been somewhere southerly that has been more appealing to us and therefore taken precedence. We much prefer the warmer climates and because of this its always swayed our decision making, so when Nicole’s mum (Maria) suggested doing a Baltic cruise with her we thought well maybe its now time to go for it. As none of us had ever cruised in that area it sounded like a great idea that we should do it together and when one of Maria’s friends (Judy) expressed anÂ*interest in joining us and making our group up to four it was all systems go.

We sent out the enquiries to the various agents we have used previously and we quickly decided the best offer was the one from Cruise Club UK. Lots of OBC and hump cabin on deck 8 for the same price as one on deck 7, well done Natalie for spotting that one. We also were able to use up a future cruise credit which provided us with $900 OBC for each of theÂ* cabins. Very nice indeed!

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So with the cruise booked and the cabin sorted we started to investigate what we should do at the ports. We needed to bear in mind the 2 senior members of our party aren’t quite as sprightly as Nicole & me and because of that I think this cruise will be very different to those we have taken in the past.

The big attraction for us on this cruise is St. Petersburg where we will overnight and therefore have 2 full days. For this port we have booked a 2 day tour with Alla Tours which they call their comfort tour. They advise it is an ideal tour for those who want to see the highlights of St Petersburg in leisurely style which sounds just the ticket for our senior cruisers.

For the other ports we will try and make use of the local transport such as the HoHo buses.

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Other Ships in Port

DATELOCATIONARRIVALDEPARTUREÂ*Sunday, July 31, 2016Southampton, England04:30 PMÂ*Monday, August 1, 2016Zeebrugge, Belgium07:00 AM03:00 PMÂ*Tuesday, August 2, 2016At SeaÂ*Wednesday, August 3, 2016Warnemunde, Germany09:30 AM11:59 PMÂ*Thursday, August 4, 2016At SeaÂ*Friday, August 5, 2016Muuga, Tallinn, Estonia10:00 AMÂ*05:00 PMÂ*Saturday, August 6, 2016St Petersburg, Russia07:00 AMÂ*Sunday, August 7, 2016St Petersburg, Russia06:00 PMÂ*Monday, August 8, 2016Helsinki, Finland08:00 AM05:00 PMÂ*Tuesday, August 9, 2016Stockholm, Sweden09:00 AMÂ*05:00 PMÂ*Wednesday, August 10, 2016At SeaÂ*Thursday, August 11, 2016Copenhagen, Denmark11:00 AMÂ*11:59 PMÂ*Friday, August 12, 2016At SeaÂ*Saturday, August 13, 2016At SeaÂ*Sunday, August 14, 2016Southampton, England05:30 AMAnd taking a look at the other ships we may catch a glimpse of during the cruise.

DATELOCATIONSHIPS IN PORTSunday, July 31, 2016Southampton, EnglandCaribbean Princess 5:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Arcadia 6:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Celebrity Eclipse Depart: 04:30 PMMonday, August 1, 2016Brussels (Zeebrugge), BelgiumViking Eir

Queen Elizabeth 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Celebrity Eclipse 07:00 AM – 03:00 PMTuesday, August 2, 2016At SeaWednesday, August 3, 2016Warnemunde, GermanyViking Jarl

Serenade Of The Seas 7:00 AM – 9:30 PM (Dock)

Celebrity Eclipse 09:30 AM – 11:59 PMThursday, August 4, 2016At SeaFriday, August 5, 2016Tallinn, EstoniaCelebrity Eclipse 10:00 AM – 05:00 PMSaturday, August 6, 2016St Petersburg, RussiaSeven Seas Voyager Depart: 6:00 PM

Celebrity Eclipse Arrive: 07:00 AMSunday, August 7, 2016St Petersburg, RussiaViking Kirov

Viking Truvor

Monarch Arrive: 11:00 AM (Dock)

Silver Whisper Arrive: 8:00 AM

Celebrity Eclipse Depart: 06:00 PMMonday, August 8, 2016Helsinki, FinlandCosta Luminosa 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Wind Surf 7:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Celebrity Eclipse 08:00 AM – 05:00 PMTuesday, August 9, 2016Stockholm, SwedenCelebrity Eclipse 09:00 AM – 05:00 PMWednesday, August 10, 2016At SeaThursday, August 11, 2016Copenhagen, DenmarkCelebrity Eclipse 11:00 AM – 11:59 PMFriday, August 12, 2016At SeaSaturday, August 13, 2016At SeaSunday, August 14, 2016Southampton, EnglandSeven Seas Voyager 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Celebrity Eclipse Arrive: 05:30 AM

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Having never sailed from the UK in our first ten years of cruising we now find ourselves having done it twice on the trot and today saw us return to Southampton for our second experience of sailing out of the UK.We arrived at Southampton from an easterly direction coming in along the M27 and... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2016/07/celebrity-eclipse-postcard-1-southampton-embarking/

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Having never sailed from the UK in our first ten years of cruising we now find ourselves having done it twice on the trot and today saw us return to Southampton for our second experience of sailing out of the UK.We arrived at Southampton from an easterly direction coming in along the M27 and... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2016/07/celebrity-eclipse-postcard-1-southampton-embarking/

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I will pick up from where I left off which was pre show and pre dinner, the entertainment in the Eclipse Theatre was called Andante, four British guys who I have to say could sing really well but I can’t put my finger on it but just seem to lack something. Still it wasn’t a bad way... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2016/08/celebrity-eclipse-postcard-2-zeebrugge-belgium/

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I will pick up from where I left off which was pre show and pre dinner, the entertainment in the Eclipse Theatre was called Andante, four British guys who I have to say could sing really well but I can’t put my finger on it but just seem to lack something. Still it wasn’t a bad way... http://www.wansbroughs-cruise-blog.me.uk/2016/08/celebrity-eclipse-postcard-2-zeebrugge-belgium/

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