35 day cruise

[Meka3256]

Hi all,

 

I've just booked a 35 day cruise for January/February 2021 - a long time away, but I am a planner!  I am going with P&O Ventura and will visit the Caribbean and New Orleans.  I've wanted to got to the Caribbean for ages, and when I saw New Orleans was now on the itinerary I jumped on it.

 

Given it is such a long time on holiday, are there any tips people can share?  This will be my 6th cruise, so I have a good understanding generally of what to expect.  However it's by far the longest I've ever done on a cruise - previously everything was a week or 2.  Is there anything to be aware of when spending 35 days on a ship?

[John Bull]

Make sure you have good travel insurance - and if you haven't fixed it up yet do it now. You'll be spending a lot of money and if circumstances dictate that you have to cancel, or curtail your cruise within a week or two of embarking, that's an awful lot of money to waste.

 

And if your home is going to be unoccupied, check the small-print on your household insurance - if it's continuously unoccupied for more than 30, 35, 40 days (different policies, different periods) you will not be covered for some eventualities such as burst pipes or burglary. Can be resolved by someone house-sitting for one night, or by increasing the timescale to 35 days for a small extra premium.

 

Fix up with your surgery for extra amounts of any repeat-prescription drugs.

 

Take at least two credit cards in case one is compromised. Or even in case a card supplier declines to accept a transaction until you verify by text. If you don't have a card with no foreign-transaction fees, get one - the savings over 35 days of course are five times as much as on a 7-day cruise.

Take a reserve supply of £20 notes, keep them in the cabin safe. 

 

The Caribbean is made for cruising. Lots of islands, all worth a day but few worth longer. 

I hope New Orleans includes at least one overnite in port, the berth is right by the French quarter. And if by then you're not heartily sick of being on the water , a short cruise (60 mins? 90 mins?) up the Mississippi on the paddle-steamer Natchez, its berth is a waterside walk or short tram hop from your ship..

 

I'm envious !

 

JB 

Edited April 10, 2019 by John Bull

[Flatbush Flyer]

55 minutes ago, John Bull said:

Make sure you have good travel insurance - and if you haven't fixed it up yet do it now. You'll be spending a lot of money and if circumstances dictate that you have to cancel, or curtail your cruise within a week or two of embarking, that's an awful lot of money to waste.

 

And if your home is going to be unoccupied, check the small-print on your household insurance - if it's continuously unoccupied for more than 30, 35, 40 days (different policies, different periods) you will not be covered for some eventualities such as burst pipes or burglary. Can be resolved by someone house-sitting for one night, or by increasing the timescale to 35 days for a small extra premium.

 

Fix up with your surgery for extra amounts of any repeat-prescription drugs.

 

Take at least two credit cards in case one is compromised. Or even in case a card supplier declines to accept a transaction until you verify by text. If you don't have a card with no foreign-transaction fees, get one - the savings over 35 days of course are five times as much as on a 7-day cruise.

Take a reserve supply of £20 notes, keep them in the cabin safe. 

 

The Caribbean is made for cruising. Lots of islands, all worth a day but few worth longer. 

I hope New Orleans includes at least one overnite in port, the berth is right by the French quarter. And if by then you're not heartily sick of being on the water , a short cruise (60 mins? 90 mins?) up the Mississippi on the paddle-steamer Natchez, its berth is a waterside walk or short tram hop from your ship..

 

I'm envious !

 

JB 

Plus 1 on much of the above except for the worth of the Caribbean. IMO, boring!

 

Most of our cruises are 30+\- days and one item that should figure into the selection of a particular cruise line and itinerary should be the repeat pattern of their menus (as well as the quality of the food). If the OP's cruise is several 7-10 day B2Bs, and the line is not considered to have a focus on food, dinner time may end up being a chore rather than a pleasure.

 

Since the ship will also be a "home away from home," the quality of bedding and cabin amenities as well as the crew:passenger ratio also become key considerations in the choice of ship/line.

 

While not a preference for everyone, we'd also be looking for itineraries that have a good ratio of sea to port days with several ports having overnight stays.

 

Want an interesting cruise of approx 30-35 days with Caribbean islands en route and far more? How about Miami to Miami including a week on the Amazon River. Willing to "up your game?" Try Rio to Lima around Cape Horn (Beaches, Penguins and the Nazca Lines).

Edited April 10, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[Kartgv]

All good advice so far.  A few more:    Pack for 7-10 days and plan on doing or having laundry done.   Make sure to pre-pay or set up automatic payments for any bills that will come due while you're gone.  Turn off heat and water in your home unless someone will be staying there, unplug appliances.   In addition to prescriptions, take plenty of any personal care products and OTC medications you might typically use if you develop a cold, sore throat, aches & pains, etc. - the supplies on ships are typically very limited and very expensive.   Plan a way to back up/store photos - you'll have many and may need extra storage capacity.     

 

Our longest cruises have been 24, 28, and 34 days and with a little planning they're wonderful experiences.  Have a great time!   

[evandbob]

5 hours ago, Meka3256 said:

Hi all,

 

I've just booked a 35 day cruise for January/February 2021 - a long time away, but I am a planner!  I am going with P&O Ventura and will visit the Caribbean and New Orleans.  I've wanted to got to the Caribbean for ages, and when I saw New Orleans was now on the itinerary I jumped on it.

 

Given it is such a long time on holiday, are there any tips people can share?  This will be my 6th cruise, so I have a good understanding generally of what to expect.  However it's by far the longest I've ever done on a cruise - previously everything was a week or 2.  Is there anything to be aware of when spending 35 days on a ship?

 

Good for you.  Go and enjoy, use laundry service and ignore someone silly telling you the Caribbean is boring.  I see you are from London, perhaps your first trip to the Caribbean, each island is different, don't limit yourself to just the port areas, go out and explore, learn some new customs and taste some different foods., 

[whogo]

I  was glad I took a Kindle loaded with plenty of books on our 30+ day cruise. I would figure out how much personal care products I use in 35 days, no point taking a quart of something if a cup will suffice, while remembering that your usage may be higher in hot weather at the beach or pool.

 

Looks like a fantastic itinerary on Ventura, no flights or baggage limits for you, overnight in New Orleans, and all the USA ports are in a row, (which could speed immigration):

Sunday, January 3     London (Southampton), England         6:00pm
Monday, January 4     At Sea         
Tuesday, January 5     La Coruna, Spain     8:00am     6:00pm
Wednesday, January 6     At Sea         
Thursday, January 7     At Sea         
Friday, January 8     At Sea         
Saturday, January 9     At Sea         
Sunday, January 10     At Sea         
Monday, January 11     At Sea         
Tuesday, January 12     Hamilton, Bermuda     9:30am     
Wednesday, January 13     Hamilton, Bermuda         Noon
Thursday, January 14     At Sea         
Friday, January 15     Nassau, Bahamas     8:00am     6:00pm
Saturday, January 16     At Sea         
Sunday, January 17     At Sea         
Monday, January 18     New Orleans, LA     6:00am     
Tuesday, January 19     New Orleans, LA         5:00pm
Wednesday, January 20     At Sea         
Thursday, January 21     Key West, FL     8:00am     6:00pm
Friday, January 22     Miami, FL     8:00am     6:00pm
Saturday, January 23     At Sea         
Sunday, January 24     At Sea         
Monday, January 25     St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands     7:00am     6:00pm
Tuesday, January 26     St. Maarten     7:00am     6:00pm
Wednesday, January 27     Antigua     7:00am     6:00pm
Thursday, January 28     St. Lucia     7:00am     6:00pm
Friday, January 29     At Sea         
Saturday, January 30     At Sea         
Sunday, January 31     At Sea         
Monday, February 1     At Sea         
Tuesday, February 2     At Sea         
Wednesday, February 3     Ponta Delgada, Portugal     8:00am     6:00pm
Thursday, February 4     At Sea         
Friday, February 5     At Sea         
Saturday, February 6     At Sea         
Sunday, February 7     London (Southampton), England     6:00am     

 

[jocap]

A long winter cruise on Ventura is our favourite cruise of all.

What we do about clothes is this: You will need warm clothing both to reach Southampton, and return, but also for at least a couple of days after A Coruna ( and it's usually quite windy there) Take some washing powder tablets or sheets - I get those on Amazon- and use the launderette around day 6, washing everything you won't need until  the Azores. It's free and the machines only take about 40 minutes- there's a launderette on each cabin deck. Back to the cabin and make a coffee! Get back in time to empty your machine into a dryer, or someone might have emptied it for you. Dry, iron if necessary.

Stow everything away in a suitcase under the bed, ready for your return.

The cabins are lovely, with a separate walk-in wardrobe, and the beds are superb.

I've never noticed the menus being for only 7 days - but Ventura doesn't do many 7 day cruises, and that doesn't happen on the fortnightly ones.. Do try the buffet on the Indian night- the Indian chefs are very proud of it, and you'll usually find officers enjoying the evening.

There's a huge amount of activities on sea days, and you might enjoy the choir, art classes- we've had I-pad, poetry and Speaker's Corner (yes, I did speak for 15 minutes!) along with all the quizzes and lectures. There's also a film in the theatre each afternoon, often a new release.

We use the baggagehandling company for our cases- P&O suggest them- expensive, but we have several changes of trains, so it makes life easier.

Anything you need to know, just ask.

[Meka3256]

Thanks all for your tips - all really helpful!

 

My plan is to get a house sitter - I have a cat so he would appreciate being fed while I am away!  Insurance is also on my list for this weekend. 

 

In terms of the Caribbean being boring - I've heard similar before, although I think underwhelming was the phrase used.  It is my first trip there, and to me the Caribbean should be on all travel bucket lists.  It might be I don't love it, but worst case scenario is that I get some winter sun, AND get to spend a couple of days in New Orleans.  Also TBH Miami is not a place I would ever plan to visit, so a day there is going to be interesting.

 

Thanks for the laundry tips - CC seems to have to have lots of discussions about laundry (as well as toilets).  I actually do laundry if I go for 2 weeks.  I try to only take 1 case, and laundry is only a couple of hours of a day so I don't feel it ruins my holiday at all.  I'd rather take less, and use the laundry than take 2 suitcases.  But it is all personal preference, and for 35 days I might take 2 suitcases, especially as winter and summer clothes need to be taken.

 

I do also need to do some serious port research - I prefer usually to do stuff on my own so do need to figure out what I want to do in each port.  To me the itinerary is really good, as most ports have a sea day between them.  So can tire myself out on a port day, and recover while at sea.

 

Thanks for tip about the films - I've been on Arcadia twice and really like that they have a cinema.  Ventura doesn't, so nice to know they do still show films.

 

[Meka3256]

16 hours ago, jocap said:

 

We use the baggagehandling company for our cases- P&O suggest them- expensive, but we have several changes of trains, so it makes life easier.

Anything you need to know, just ask.

I have actually thought about the baggage handling company - I will look into this, as I will weigh up driving and paying for parking, or using the train.  

 

It's been a few years since I've travelled with P&O - what drinks packages do they have?  Is it just the alcohol one?  I don't drink a lot - usually a cocktail of the day is my limit so alcohol drinks packages not worth it for me.  I just can't remember if they do a soft drink package or not.

[John Bull]

32 minutes ago, Meka3256 said:

 

I do also need to do some serious port research - I prefer usually to do stuff on my own so do need to figure out what I want to do in each port.  To me the itinerary is really good, as most ports have a sea day between them.  So can tire myself out on a port day, and recover while at sea.

 

 

 

Since you prefer to do your own thing, for most Caribbean islands you can be lazy with your research - little more than looking thro ship's tours for ideas. Then at the ports, negotiate with the minibus ("van" in American-speak) drivers in or just outside the port. They can replicate ship's tours at about 20 - 25% of ships' prices (but not including food or drink or the occasional minor entrance fee) or they can suggest alternatives, and of course no delays while 50 cruisers board or alight from big buses, etc.

You share with 6 to 8 others from your ship, so be on the quayside by about 9.30 - 10 for best choices and shortest waits. Agree a price and approx itinerary & time-scale before you board, pay (US dollars) when you get back - it's the norm. Drivers at the port are friendly and trustworthy and known to each-other, they know their island and they know the importance of back-on-board time. But be very very wary of offers further from the port, many aren't even licensed.

Consider taking beach gear with you - the tours usually aren't all-day & at the end of the tour you can ask to be dropped at a beach (or shops or whatever) near the ship.

 

JB 

[yorkshirephil]

We did a very similar cruise to yours this year, we also did Caribbean & Panama canal 35 nights in 2017. It is a brilliant way to spend 5 winter weeks. Unless you are very good cruisers I would take sea sickness tablets as the Atlantic can get a bit bouncy.

[swaddy]

We did 28 days Caribbean TA this January. Didn't notice much repetition of menus. Entertainers changed at Maderia, first Carbbean stop, last stop and Azores so only about 2or 3 entertainments for each. Daytime speakers changed as well. used laundry once for undies as well as occasional hand washing. Still took far too ma ny clothes. Wouldn't bother with so many changes of formal clothes another time. 

[jocap]

I don't know if Ventura has a drink package- I know they were trialling one on Azura, but the drinks are only pub prices, so it's not something we'd use. I think they still have a soft drinks one? There's also a Costa coffee card for 12 drinks , pay for 10. The cakes etc at the Costa coffee bar are free... not everyone knows that.

Baggagehandling used to be around £33+ VAT for one case one way...we were on board early once and our cases were the only ones on the corridor. They returned 2 days after we were home, and, oh, the joy of changing trains in places like Wolverhampton and again at Lancaster was enormous- plus not having to keep your eye on cases at the other end of the carriage.🤥