Missing the ship!!!

[ann141]

18 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I doubt that P&O or indeed any cruise line would consider having Hull or Newcastle as a first port in a Norway or Baltic cruise, all that does is add 2 days onto each cruise or reduce the number of fjords or Baltic ports .  However using them as a turnaround port and basing a ship there for the summer could be a viable option, but whether this would be viable for the port is a different matter.

I think Marella has a ship based in Newcastle for part of the summer

[AndyMichelle]

8 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I doubt that P&O or indeed any cruise line would consider having Hull or Newcastle as a first port in a Norway or Baltic cruise, all that does is add 2 days onto each cruise or reduce the number of fjords or Baltic ports .  However using them as a turnaround port and basing a ship there for the summer could be a viable option, but whether this would be viable for the port is a different matter.

It would save having to leave Bergen so early on the last day of a 7 nighter.

Andy

[davecttr]

9 hours ago, ann141 said:

I think Marella has a ship based in Newcastle for part of the summer

Explorer this year and Explorer 2 next year which is an adults only ship. They use Newcastle as a home base for most of the summer season and then move to Southampton for a few cruises prior to the autumn repositioning. Newcastle is about 150 nautical miles nearer to the Skaggerak entrance than Newcastle, half a days cruising. There are only 2 berths at Newcastle and one is dedicated to the daily Holland ferry service. Logistics does not seem a problem, on my recent cruise it appears the refrigerated container lorries delivering supplies were a French logistics company.

[Les_ldh]

1 hour ago, davecttr said:

Explorer this year and Explorer 2 next year which is an adults only ship. They use Newcastle as a home base for most of the summer season and then move to Southampton for a few cruises prior to the autumn repositioning. Newcastle is about 150 nautical miles nearer to the Skaggerak entrance than Newcastle, half a days cruising. There are only 2 berths at Newcastle and one is dedicated to the daily Holland ferry service. Logistics does not seem a problem, on my recent cruise it appears the refrigerated container lorries delivering supplies were a French logistics company.

It doesn’t happen very often, but there are occasions when there are two cruise ships berthed in addition to the DFDS ferry to Holland. Fred also use Newcastle as a home base in the summer, this year with Balmoral.

[philsuarez]

We really like the embarkation at multiple ports. Never causes an issue and saves a mass scrum first day. In this day and age passengers should be offered far more flexibility

[SquishTheWhale]

16 hours ago, stephen@stoneyard.co.uk said:

 

MSC, Costa and Royal Caribbean do that in the Med. A rolling cruise. It offers three, four and seven day cruise options. Some British passengers don’t like it. They want a shared cruise experience and they feel people coming and going at different ports destroys that. 

 

Best wishes, Stephen. 

 

We did an MSC cruise where you could embark/disembark at any port and didn't really like that arrangement. We got on at Palermo and it seemed only a handful did the same so we didn't really get that 'first day' feel where everyone is new. On the upside boarding was instant and the ship was a ghost town during the day. However at the major embarkation ports like Barcelona the whole ship shut down for muster like it would at the start of a cruise, meaning we weren't allowed to go in any of the bars or do any activities. Crew kept trying to usher us to muster even though they must know not everyone needed to go! And the ship was full of those new passengers milling around with hand luggage like you'd get on a first day. We also found it problematic with reservations, for instance for the Cirque show which you have to book on board- hardly any availability as others got on days before you and booked all the slots. We didn't book any speciality restaurants or spa services etc but they must have had the same issues.

So while I thought we wouldn't care about that shared experience it was actually a pain in the bum to have people getting on and off at every port.

[FangedRose]

27 minutes ago, SquishTheWhale said:

 

We did an MSC cruise where you could embark/disembark at any port and didn't really like that arrangement. We got on at Palermo and it seemed only a handful did the same so we didn't really get that 'first day' feel where everyone is new. On the upside boarding was instant and the ship was a ghost town during the day. However at the major embarkation ports like Barcelona the whole ship shut down for muster like it would at the start of a cruise, meaning we weren't allowed to go in any of the bars or do any activities. Crew kept trying to usher us to muster even though they must know not everyone needed to go! And the ship was full of those new passengers milling around with hand luggage like you'd get on a first day. We also found it problematic with reservations, for instance for the Cirque show which you have to book on board- hardly any availability as others got on days before you and booked all the slots. We didn't book any speciality restaurants or spa services etc but they must have had the same issues.

So while I thought we wouldn't care about that shared experience it was actually a pain in the bum to have people getting on and off at every port.

I would hate that too. 

I always remember the excitement of holidays as a child in Butlins, when everybody arrived and left at the same time. I get the same on a cruise ship when everybody (apart from the few doing back to back) is at the same stage of the holiday as you.

Holidays in hotels where people are coming and going all the time do not have the same vibe.

And having everything shut down for multiple safety drills would certainly put a complete downer on my holiday.

[Sunbedsue]

Since the Passengers who “missed the boat” were from the South West how about Bristol (Avonmouth) as an alternative port bearing in in mind there is no Motorway connection from Cornwall and Devon until you reach the M5, so Bristol is an option and Fred Olsen cruises have gone from Avonmouth 

[grapau27]

3 hours ago, Les_ldh said:

It doesn’t happen very often, but there are occasions when there are two cruise ships berthed in addition to the DFDS ferry to Holland. Fred also use Newcastle as a home base in the summer, this year with Balmoral.

We have seen MSC Magnifica at Newcastle last year.

[mickey89]

I was told earlier this week that the Worldwide Travel Insurance with Nationwide is being upgraded for a small fee to include Enhanced Cruise Cover which looks really worthwhile that includes missed departure and compensation for missed ports. 

[dronnygirl]

58 minutes ago, mickey89 said:

I was told earlier this week that the Worldwide Travel Insurance with Nationwide is being upgraded for a small fee to include Enhanced Cruise Cover which looks really worthwhile that includes missed departure and compensation for missed ports. 

I've  also read this but check fully. We have a Nationwide account and the insurance is currently  world wide therefore when we rang to advise of a couple of minor health issues we were quoted an extra £150 for the 2 of us.  We were only cruising in Europe and the annual cover with another reputable company including health issues was half what Nationwide wanted to charge  us.

 

 

[mickey89]

1 hour ago, dronnygirl said:

I've  also read this but check fully. We have a Nationwide account and the insurance is currently  world wide therefore when we rang to advise of a couple of minor health issues we were quoted an extra £150 for the 2 of us.  We were only cruising in Europe and the annual cover with another reputable company including health issues was half what Nationwide wanted to charge  us.

 

 

That’s very strange, I also rang them and was told that the new Cruise Enhancement was to be available from 1st. November, details of which have yet to be published  and they don’t yet know the cost 

You must be thinking of something else...............!

[dronnygirl]

No definitely  Nationwide but was previous to the cruise cover which, as you say, commences 1st November for bookings made from 1st November.  You still have to inform them of any health issues and they may charge extra. Had we been travelling outside Europe it may have been worth the extra.  Also there is an extra charge of £65 for anyone 70+.   The insurance cost along with car breakdown etc is included within our Nationwide Flex account which costs £13 per month

[Clodia]

On 8/26/2019 at 6:44 PM, AndyMichelle said:

The 'delights' in Hull & Tilbury are 'hidden' for a reason...😀

I would love to visit Liverpool on a cruise, have only been there to work and for football and keep meaning to go back but have never got round to it.

Andy

Arcadia has a round UK cruise calling at Liverpool in August 2021; I intend booking it as soon as bookings open. It will be very strange going ashore ( and yes it's an easy few minutes' walk from the centre) as I was brought up there!

[daiB]

The Port of Tyne is becoming a quite busy turnaround port as well as a port to be visited. This year will bring 50 calls from 16 companies. The largest being 100,000 tons or just under.

 

Here is a link to the list.

 

https://www.portoftyne.co.uk/storage/app/media/2019%20Cruise%20Schedule.pdf

 

Dai

[happytravelleruk]

One problem with using Hull is the main road into the town and docks.  Our son lives  near there and it is obvious when a large ferry has docked as the roads are a nightmare.  There would have to be major road building to make it viable.

[Clodia]

5 hours ago, daiB said:

The Port of Tyne is becoming a quite busy turnaround port as well as a port to be visited. This year will bring 50 calls from 16 companies. The largest being 100,000 tons or just under.

 

Here is a link to the list.

 

https://www.portoftyne.co.uk/storage/app/media/2019%20Cruise%20Schedule.pdf

 

Dai

I used to work on Tyneside and sometimes watched the ships coming in and out at Littlehaven south of the Tyne. Live in Durham now so it's interesting to see how many calls and cruises there are!

[Harry Peterson]

2 hours ago, happytravelleruk said:

One problem with using Hull is the main road into the town and docks.  Our son lives  near there and it is obvious when a large ferry has docked as the roads are a nightmare.  There would have to be major road building to make it viable.

All part of the plan by Hull City Council. 

[brian1]

On ‎8‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 9:38 AM, AndyMichelle said:

Holiday Inn are missing a trick, zip wire to ship sounds like a brilliant usp.

Andy

Hi Andy,just checked in at the HI,Vic to SH in 2 hrs inc stop at Winchester,National Express.Asked about zipline,they just kept saying,sorry sir guests are not allowed to dry washing from our rooms,it lowers the tone of the area.Perhaps we are getting our wires crossed somewhere along the line.

[Britboys]

On 8/30/2019 at 11:48 AM, daiB said:

The Port of Tyne is becoming a quite busy turnaround port as well as a port to be visited. This year will bring 50 calls from 16 companies. The largest being 100,000 tons or just under.

 

Here is a link to the list.

 

https://www.portoftyne.co.uk/storage/app/media/2019%20Cruise%20Schedule.pdf

 

Dai

Were you not tempted to sneak in a cheeky little extra from your local port this year Dai?

[Eglesbrech]

3 hours ago, Britboys said:

Were you not tempted to sneak in a cheeky little extra from your local port this year Dai?

We recently did a cruise from Dai,s area and I now understand the flag icon he has! 

 

We had a really lovely stop on the way South and tried lots of local specialities on a menu with the flag on it to show local produce. Excellent cheese, pork belly and beer.

[daiB]

4 hours ago, Britboys said:

Were you not tempted to sneak in a cheeky little extra from your local port this year Dai?

Have you not looked at my list below. We may have a sneejky 7 night booked. Next year.

[AndyMichelle]

5 hours ago, brian1 said:

Hi Andy,just checked in at the HI,Vic to SH in 2 hrs inc stop at Winchester,National Express.Asked about zipline,they just kept saying,sorry sir guests are not allowed to dry washing from our rooms,it lowers the tone of the area.Perhaps we are getting our wires crossed somewhere along the line.

Glad you got here safely Brian.

Have a fantastic cruise, with or without the zip line...

Andy

[brian1]

1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

Glad you got here safely Brian.

Have a fantastic cruise, with or without the zip line...

Andy

Cheers mate,I can't believe how buzzing the city is,West Quay today was heaving.Lovely city.

[AndyMichelle]

26 minutes ago, brian1 said:

Cheers mate,I can't believe how buzzing the city is,West Quay today was heaving.Lovely city.

It's not the worse place to live Brian.

It just goes into meltdown sometimes.

Andy