My review for the Melody 6/20 - 6/27 out of Genoa

[Heartsome1]

My family I have just returned from a cruise aboard the MS melody in the Western Mediterranean. We had a very nice time. It was our first real cruise and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The boat itself was pretty basic, but the crew was Great!!! Our cabin stewardess was Victoria, and she was soooo nice. The first night we were on the ship we had rough seas, and we thought for sure the cruise was over for us, luckily it calmed after that. When Victoria found out that we were sick and she literally ran up to the guest services area to get us some medicine, when my hair drier wouldn’t fit into the socket, she gave me one of hers to use for the week, and she was always very prompt about cleaning our room. Our waiters were great too! They spoke English really well, and they were always very pleasant. There wasn’t much choice of activities on the boat, but we were never bored, since every day there was a port to visit, and by the time we got back on the ship and got ready for dinner ate dinner and then there would be a baby disco for my daughter who is 4 (and by the way LOVED the kids club!!! They were great with her!) then after that we would watch the show they had in the Club Universe which changed every night (but mainly featured the Spanish ballet, doing various themes dancing, and some magic acts). Most nights we went to bed early in order to be awake for the early port calls.

 

Speaking of port calls, we only went on the ship excursions in Tunisia and Palma De Mallorca.

 

In Naples, we did a double-decker bus ride which was very nice and cost about $18 per person (for 2 bus routes) and kids under 6 were free, that was a really nice ride.

 

Then in Pallermo, we walked around a bit and then took a horse drawn carriage ride. There were tons of taxi and carriage drivers hounding us for business, so we haggled a bit to get someone down to $40 for a one-hour drive but they lowest they would go to was $50 so we said we would come back later maybe… which we did, but since there wasn’t anything really great to see there we just asked to go on a 30 minute ride for 25 Euros.

 

In Tunisia we did the shopping excursion and that was CRAZY, we only got about an hour in the Medina and an hour in Sidi Bou Said, and everyone wanted you to come into their shop, sometimes physically restraining you. Just a word of advice, if you ever use your credit card and they want to charge it in the local currency, make sure you know the exchange rate!! One place I wanted to by a mirror 30 EURO, and it would have been a Great buy if I had a few more Euro left on me (originally asked for 160 Euro) but when the guy wanted to charge my credit card he wanted like $180 Dinar…. I told him forget it because I knew that the exchange rate would have been like $45 Dinar, apparently he thought I was some stupid tourist he could rip-off. (I really wanted that mirror too!!! Why did my husband let me buy so much before that?!?!) Oh well!!!

 

So the next day was Palma de Mallorca, and we had a excursion planned for the night, but we really wanted to make it to the beach. So we did a double decker bus ride, which was pretty nice, but there weren’t too many remarkable things to see in Palma, but it was only like $13 per person and kids under 4 were free… so my daughter was 3 for that day. Then we got back off at the port and took a taxi to Cala Mayor, one of the closer beaches it was like 8 Euro there and like 5 euro back. The beach was pretty nice, the water was a good temperature, and a very nice color turquiose, and there was a little snack bar/café, lifeguards, outdoor showers and bathrooms there. We only had about an hour of free time there so then we had to get back to the ship and get ready for the Palma by Night excurison, which I HIGHLY recommend to everyone! It was a great show with good food, all you can drink white and red wine, and orange soda, and bottled water. The dancers were incredible, the lighting was fantastic, a combination of regualar stage lighting and a lazer show, mind boggleing acrobatics and magic performances, the musical acts were also pretty good, including a set by The Drifters. There is definitely something for everyone at this show.

 

In Barcelona, we were supposed to meet up with a friend of mine, but unfortunately she couldn’t make it, so we did another double-decker bus ride, getting off at La Rambla, where we enjoyed eatting some KFC (since we don’t have that by us in Germany) and my daughter loved tipping all of the street performers and getting her picture taken with them. After walking up and down the main street, we went to the plaza at the one end and she and my husband fed the pigeons (they have bird food for sale as the little stand there) and that was a hoot! I myself have like a bird-phobia, so I just took pictures.

 

In Marseilles you have to by tickets from the boat for a shuttle to the old port area (5 Euro per person) then there we had the option of taking this little train (like 8 euro for aduls and 6 for kids- which only has a small area) or a double decker (16 Euro – kids under 4 free) which you can get on and off of and goes to a lot more places. (Of course there are also city buses and taxis.) We chose the double-decker, because we wanted to go to the beach. So, we did like ½ the trip and got off at this man-made beach complex area, the beach (David) wasn’t for me, it wasn’t a typical sand beach – it was made of small pebbles that were killer on the feet and the water was too chilly to really swim in. Then after laying on the beach for about an hour, we waited another hour for the next bus, because we didn’t realize they didn’t come every 20 mintes like all of the other tours had… oh well.

 

Genoa – visually speaking, looks like a ghetto, and we didn’t really do anything there since that was our disembarkation port and driving there was insane!!! The ship offered excursions if that was just one of your ports of call, not your final destination.

 

Other tips…. If you want to spend a week in Palma de Mallorca, the ship will let you get off for a week… but of course you would have to check with the cruise line to see if they have another ship coming back in a week to pick you up and make hotel reservations and stuff like that on your own. We wish we would have known this but our travel agent never mentioned it to us and by the time we found out it was too late!

 

We highly recommend this trip to anyone who is not very picky and needs everything to be “americanized”, because the food and the ship are not the main attractions of this vessle… the ports of call are. And there were very few americans on this particular cruise, so things are more customized to Europeans.

[Guest Anorak33]

Hi - thanks for your great review - I am travelling to Genoa to catch the "Lirica" later this year.

 

You mention that Genoa is like a "ghetto". Is it a dangerous place? Or full of people from an ethnic minority? Is it walled off with barbed wire and German soldiers keeping people inside?

 

This frankly seems unlikely but you obviously have some reason for mentioning it.

 

I don't really understand what you mean, but am now just a little concerned. The only ghettos I gave seen photos of were in Warsaw durng WW2.

[StephenJohnson]

I think the intent was ghetto in the sense of "place where poor people live" not like the Warsaw ghetto.

 

Genoa is a delightful town, but don't be driving there - or most European cities, for that matter ;)

[Guest Anorak33]

Stephen Johnson - As I live in Europe much of the time and regularly - and safely - have driven there for over 35 years I will respectfully not take your advice.

 

Now as for driving in New York City or LA - thats a different matter for me - but I still do it but would recommend caution to anyone not used to it.

 

I think its not so much that the other drivers are bad but that the tourist does not know where he is going and is not aware of local driving conventions.

 

US does not have a particularly good record on road safety if you look at the accident statistics.

 

 

 

I have just been informed Genoa is the European City of Culture 2004 and there is information here about it:

 

http://www.genova-2004.it/default.asp?id=330&lingua=ENG

 

I see from this site that Genoa has numerous theatres and museums etc - wonder how that compares with many places in US with a similar population of 700,000 ?

 

However another web site states that:

 

"Genoa is a populous port town of 715,000 inhabitants, located in northern Italy. It lies on the coast of Liguria, not far from France and has historical significance as the departure point for Christopher Columbus's voyage to the `New World'. The neighbourhood in most urgent need of regeneration is the old city quarter “Maddalena”. The old city neighbourhood was built between the 12th and the 15th centuries as evidenced by the narrow, labyrinthian alleys leading to small, picturesque squares. Wharves, docks, warehouses, churches and palaces are also characteristic of this port town.

 

Demographics

The old city neighbourhood has a population of around 26,000 (3.7% of Genoa's inhabitants). 52% are originally from Genoa, while the remaining population are largely immigrants from Morocco, Senegal and Chile. "

 

 

Maybe the old town ( the ghetto???) is the place to avoid for a tourist, but sounds like it may be very picturesque during daytime.

[balzak26]

Hi, im going on Melody on July 19th, but my ports of call are a little different (genoa, naples, malta, tunisia, ibiza, st tropez), but i guess things are almost the same at the ship. Are the excursions expensive ? (Tunes). And how about the drinks? Didnt you like the food? What did you think about the swimming pool? Sorry, i know to many questions ! But its my first cruise and im a bit nervous.

About the City of Genoa, i think that probably what you meant was that its a really really old city.

[Heartsome1]

LOL.... No my opinion is just that it LOOKS ghetto,... all the buildings all look the same (like project style) there didn't seem like many "touristy" things to do there. And I would much rather drive in NYC than Italy, I also live in Europe (Germany..but originally a Jersey girl and used to traffic and crazy butt-head drivers) and they are by FAR the worse cities for driving compared to others I have been in (and would still be even if the signs were in a language I spoke and I knew exactly where I was going), although Sunday mornings things are pretty calm...which luckily was the day my cruise departed and returned (but I stayed over night in a hotel). I think the only rule of the streets in Italy is that there are no rules... seriously! :-) Everyone made their own lanes (even on the autobahn they'll just drive in the middle of two lanes for an extended period of time. I thought I was gonna run over a hundred of those stupid little scooter people before I got onto the autobahn) and we never saw a cop while we were driving. As far as the buildings go, most of it was older, but not like the old beautiful architecture you can find thoughout many old european cities, this just looks like really run-down newer stuff. I thought Naples was a really beautiful city, but the driving there is crazy as well. I think as far as driving there you really have to be cautiously passive-aggressive, because if you're too aggressive you'll kill people and if you're too passive you'll get your butt ran over! As in all cities there is obviously crime, but we escaped unharmed. :-) Anyway for those of you who like Genoa - GREAT! I'm happy for you - this was just MY opinion... didn't mean to start a war here. :-) Take care!!!

 

OH yeah - just to follow-up on my driving in ITALY Thing.... LOL - I SWEAR as SOON as we crossed customs going into Switzerland - drivers became much more kind - I think it must be the BEAUTIFUL scenery that made them slow down and enjoy the view. Switzerland is THE most beautiful country I have every had the pleasure of seeing... Beautiful lush green mountains and valleys, and waterfalls aplenty! Everywhere you looked it was like a postcard. (Also just a tidbit of info..., there were approximately 40 tunnels on the route we took to Germany.) :-) Take care! And Happy Travels!

 

~Christina~

[Heartsome1]

Reply - TO Balzac:

Hi, im going on Melody on July 19th, but my ports of call are a little different (genoa, naples, malta, tunisia, ibiza, st tropez), but i guess things are almost the same at the ship. Are the excursions expensive ? (Tunes). And how about the drinks? Didnt you like the food? What did you think about the swimming pool? Sorry, i know to many questions ! But its my first cruise and im a bit nervous.

About the City of Genoa, i think that probably what you meant was that its a really really old city.

 

 

Sorry for the cut and paste - just wanted to make sure to answer all of your questions...

 

The Excursions are reasonable if you just have to pay for yourself...but if you have a family it can get pretty pricey. Most are around 35 Euro or so and about 10 Euro less for kids.

 

Naples Ranged from E35- E42 for trips to the city of Naples, Capri, Vesuvius and Pompeii (all 1/2 day trips).

 

Genoa E22 for the Genoa Aquarium trip, E25 for a Historical Genoa city trip and E41 for a trip to Portofino.

 

Tunisia had a historical (cathage, ports, the baths, and ampitheatre)/Sidi Bou Said shopping trip for E37 or a shopping trip to the Medina (city) and Sidi Bou Said for E31 - we did shopping it was a neat experience - but VERY VERY stressful. We found that walking away they would start pricing things down on their own if we didn't want to haggle... Usually got things for about 30% of the original price. Stand firm on what you want to pay if they don't accept it walk out and they usually will chase you and eventually agree to your price. :-D BRING LOTS OF MONEY!!!

 

Thats all the tour info I have on your destinations.

 

Drinks were like restaurant prices, about E4.50 -5.50 for alcoholic drinks, maybe like E3.50 for virgin drinks, E2.00 for cans of soda, and like E3.00 for bottled beer.... price includes the 10% tip.

 

The food was pretty good, sort of basic though, not really any with really strong flavors, I guess just to make it basic enough for everyone to eat, made w/low salt for those on restictive diets, so we usually had to add salt and pepper to ours, which was on the table for us to use. LOL - but we were FAR from starving!!! :-D There was a pretty good selection, but they are small plates, so order lots of courses unless of course you eat like a bird! :-D

 

The swimming pools were cold salt water!!! :-) which is nice when its hot... I guess! The drain them every night at 5pm... which stunk because we were usually at port sight seeing while they were opened, so we only went swimming once. They also have a small jacuzzi... which I didn't get a chance to use.

 

Just relax and I'm sure everything will go smoothly - keep in mind a vacation is a time to relax... my husband has trouble doing this... worries about everything... I think of it as going on an adventure! LOL...because usually it is.. no matter how hard you plan. Take care! Have a GREATtrip! But do keep in mind its Europe and not america and things aren't going to be exactly the same... you just gotta go with the flow! :-) Bye!!!

 

~Christina~

[Heartsome1]

OOoh yeah its not just Italian cities - Paris is also terrible to drive in and I would never drive there!!! It scared me out of my wits just to be in a taxi there!!! Even I don't have the nerve to try that city!!! (and I think I'm a pretty good driver! Ok that was being modest... I think I'm a really good driver!!!) LOL!!! :-D And just to aviod starting another debate - Its a BEAUTIFUL city just not for me as far as driving is concerned!!!

[balzak26]

Hey Heartsome1, for what i could tell, (About the crazy italian drivers ! Which is very true !!) you drove all the way from germany to Genoa. Well im going by car to Genoa from Portugal. And im a little concerned about the parking there. I have a contact " Park Ponte de Mille" but they only speak italian and its been a little difficult to understand them. If im guessing right and you went by car, where did you park it for the 8 days.

[Heartsome1]

Hi Balzak,

 

We also parked at Ponte de Mille and everything worked out fine. You will need to make a reservation with the garage. The price is 10 Euro per day. Don't bother looking for street signs with MSC on them, just look for signs with Crocierre (Italian word for cruise, not sure if its spelled right). You pay for parking before boarding the ship.

[balzak26]

Im a like concerned cause when i email them, they said that i could make a reservation. ok. That it will be 80 Euros per week.ok. But they told me that we could go by car to the pear where is melody and they would drive the car back to the park. I tought it was a bite strange. We have to leave the car keys with them? :confused:

[Heartsome1]

Yes you will have to leave the keys with them and pay and they will give you a receipt. Make sure you keep it - then you hand it in to them when you get back and they will have your car there waiting for you. You gave them your licence plate number and type of car info. when you made the reservations right?!?! If so you should be good to go. You drop off the car right in front of the terminal... where you're going to be checking-in, it's a very simple process. (By the way they only take cash!) Good Luck! Take care! Have a great trip!

 

~Christina~

[aisa]

Where do you contact this Park Ponte de Mille and where do you leave the car etc

Thanks

AISA

[balzak26]

Hi,

 

This park is just after the gates of Genoa Port and you can walk back perfectly. You have to leave the keys of your car with the park manager, because the cars will be put inside the port. Well i was a little worried, about my car (Seat Alhambra), but I didnt leave anything of value (I left some camping stuff, because i was going camping after the cruise, and everything was there when i arrived). Here are some links:

 

http://www.garagepontedeimille.it

http://www.porto.genova.it/utility/utility/faq.asp (In this site you can see a FAQ: Where can I leave my car, perhaps it will help)

 

Oh, And i didnt reserved the parking !! When I went i didnt know where to park the car, I just had some ideas !!

Best

Sandra

[aisa]

Thanks for the info

I'll try this Ponte de Mille etc and see what they say

So basically you drive to the cruise terminal, and give your car away for 10 days, simple ?

Guess suitcases are unloaded at the terminal etc and they take the empty car?

 

Sounds OK to me

Lets see what they say

 

Thanks again

[balzak26]

Since we were 4 ppl, we unloaded de car near the check in and left our 2 friends with the suitcases and them went to Ponte dei Mille to leave the car.

[lesleyfb]

I was on the Melody last year as a single traveller and found a lot of info on this site.

 

http://www.holiday-truth.com/holiday_truths/cruise_reviews/28/

[lesleyfb]

Here's a review of my July 2005 cruise.

 

I was upgraded to an inside cabin on Continental deck with 2 single beds (even although I was travelling alone). First cruise in an inside cabin and I was pleasantly surprised. Didn’t miss the balcony a bit.

 

On arrival at Genoa the computers were down and the queue to get on was massive. I met a couple of other women on the £10 Daily Express cruise and we lined up together. One women was sighing and complaining about the wait and I knew there and then she was going to be a moaner After being issued with our charge card the maitre’ d was waiting to find out your seating requirements for dinner. I wanted 1st sitting on a large table. 1st sitting was at 7pm and 2nd sitting didn’t start till 9pm. That’s too late for me I’m afraid. A female member of the cabin staff took me to my cabin and my luggage was already there. Went up to the buffet where there wasn’t much of a choice but managed to find something to eat and sat in a little dining room at the end of the ship which was air conditioned. There were tables around the pool with the retractable roof but it was far too hot for me. I like to be cool while eating. Got back to cabin and unpacked ready for the lifeboat drill at 4.30pm. Because people was embarking/disembarking at all the stops along the route the crew didn’t seem to know who was supposed to attend the drill or not. Nobody I’d seen at the airport had lined up. After that at 5.15pm there was a talk by Ayesha the English hostess and I met up with some more people on the £10 D.E. cruise. At dinner there were 4 of us on the D.E. cruise, one guy who was on a Texaco promotion and 2 Australians (a mother & daughter). I had tomato soup, roast pork, white & dark chocolate parfait all washed down with a ½ carafe of red wine (cost €6, a deal). I knew beforehand from people who had been on the same cruise and this was one of the helpful tips they passed on. The show in Club Universe was “Circus Circus” and it was pretty good. There was a woman on there who could do all sorts with a hula hoop! The juggler was OK but he kept dropping his balls! I had a quick walk on deck for a breath of fresh air, went back to my cabin and read the paper. I slept like a log cause I had earplugs in.

 

Tue 12th - Naples. Breakfast in the Galaxy restaurant of poached eggs on toast. Went on deck and sunbathed till 11am. Met Gill and went for a bite of lunch in the buffet then we went ashore. We walked to the open topped bus tour and paid €20. We both did the Art Tour then Gill got off but I stayed on and did the tour again then got off that bus and went on another bus and did the Bay of Naples tour as well. Your ticket entitled you to 2 trips. Got back onboard about 5pm so went up on deck to catch a few rays ready for the sailway at 6pm. However we were still docked at 6.30pm so I had to go down and shower & dress for dinner. I had the consommé soup, roast lamb and lemon profiteroles. I hadn’t asked for wine but everyone who had wine the night before had the same waiting for them on the table on arrival which I was quite happy with but some people didn’t want wine so the waiter had to take it away. Obviously I drank mine rather than hurt his feelings. Went to the variety show with Ann, Rob & Alan (from dinner) and it was good. After that we went to the Junkanoo lounge where they were teaching the merengue. Then it was back to Club Universe for Mr Pizza. A bit like the generation game where people were selected from the audience, whittled down then the finalists had to make a pizza and a winner was announced. As usual, the oldest, fattest, guy with the worst pizza won! I went for a walk on deck and got chatting to a woman from Malta . There was a pastry buffet at 0030 hrs but didn’t make that. Slept well.

 

Wed 13th - Malta. Breakfast in Satellite Café then a spot of sunbathing. Had a bite of lunch in the Riviera terrace then met Rob, Anne & Gill to go ashore. We caught a taxi and for €12 each we went to some palace gardens then on to the silent city of Medina & Rabat. I bought 1000 cigs in the duty free shop for about €78 which wasn’t too bad. We got back to the ship at 4.30pm and managed to go for a swim & sunbathe till 6pm. For dinner I had consommé soup with barley & cauliflower, meatballs, rum baba & wine. The show was called “Puppets Corletts Characters” which was funny - but it wasn’t supposed to be funny! We moved to the Blue Riband bar where Ayesha (the English rep) was having an informal get together. I went for a walk on deck and didn’t make the barbeque buffet at 0030 hrs.

 

Thu 14th - Tunis. Had a lovely long lie and was awaked by the crew drill between 8 - 9am. I finished my 1st book. Started another blockbuster by Danielle Steel called “The Wedding”. If you wanted to go ashore in Tunis you were supposed to be at the disco between 8.30 - 9am for immigration to check your passport but I’d missed that so I went for a walk on deck. As I’d missed breakfast had lunch in the Galaxy restaurant; bean soup, tuna club sandwich with French fries. Went to Satellite café for fruit for dessert. Had a lovely nap till 4pm then went up to sunbathe till 6.15pm. It was Gala night; I had shrimp cocktail, Tuscan soup, lamp chops and pears in red wine. I had missed the first sitting get together with the Captain so I joined Gill in the queue for the 2nd sitting guests and had about 5 glasses of bubbly. Went to the Club Universe to see the show “Mediterrano” then afterwards went to the Junkanoo Lounge to watch the oriental dancing. Had a walk on deck and on my way back to my cabin saw Gill & cronies in the Blue Riband so joined then for a beer.

 

Fri 15th - Ibiza - at sea till 7pm. Up at 10am to book the Ibiza island tour for tomorrow then I registered my credit card to pay my bill. Went up on deck but couldn’t find a vacant sunbed so I walked to the front of the ship and stood and watched the waves reading my book. Lunch was in the Galaxy restaurant where I had ribs & sausage type casserole, ice cream & apple strudel. I had a lovely nap and then went back up to sunbathe and found a bed no problem. For dinner I had tomato & feta cheese soup, forestiere chicken. After dinner I caught the shuttle bus into Ibiza and what an eye opener that was. I’ve never seen so many gays in one place before. I walked around and came upon the entrance to the castle and who was filming there (for a holiday programme I presume) - Curly Watts from ex-Coronation Street. Some girls asked to have their photo taken with him inbetween shots. I found an internet café and checked my emails and sent a few messages - all for the sum of €1. I bought 3 little bottles of Cava in a local supermarket then made my way back to the shuttle bus and bed.

 

Sat 16th Ibiza. Up early for buffet breakfast in Sunrise Terrace then did my island tour. We went to San Antonio, San Jose, then the castle & cathedral in Ibiza town. Lunch was in the Galaxy restaurant and I had shrimp cocktail, courgette frittata, Capri cake followed by a nap.

Our provisional bill was slipped thru your door and I didn’t recognise one purchase so I went to query it with the accountants. Everyone else must have been and gone cos there was nobody else there. I asked to see a copy of the receipt and he looked it up on his computer and said it had been a mineral water. I knew there and then it was a mistake. Now if he had said a beer I might have accepted that but no way would I pay for water. Anyway, off someone went to the bar to get the receipt and afterwards he said “You are right madam, there has been a mistake”. I said I knew that.

Anyway, it all got sorted out but I found out afterwards there 3 out of the 7 people on our table also had discrepancies on their bills. Makes you wonder eh. Bought 2 litre bottles of Gordons gin in the duty free shop for €11.80!!!! What a bargain. Got dressed up for the gala dinner and went to the cinema to see “Hide and Seek”. It was scary. For dinner I had beef consommé, the lobster & baked Alaska plus some complimentary champagne. Afterwards we went to Club Universe for the show and had a few more sherberts. I had a little bit of a hangover the next day.

 

Sun 16th - St Tropez. Had a long lie and went for lunch in Galaxy restaurant. I had chowder & potato soup, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon followed by crème caramel and ice cream. Delicious. I took the tender into St Tropez and had a walk round the shops and the port but it was very hot so after a couple of hours I caught the tender back to the ship and had a lovely few hours sunbathing in peace & quiet.

 

For the last dinner I had plaice parcels (which in actual fact looked like sushi & it was awful), tortellini soup, cod in sauce (yuk) and fresh fruit. I made a few wrong choices that night. Everyone else was going to catch the tender back to St Tropez as we didn’t leave till midnight but I wanted to start my packing. The cases had to be outside your cabin by 3am correctly labelled and I couldn’t get everything in my case so I had to leave 2 of the books I’d taken. I also forgot to pack the little nightlight I’d taken and its still plugged in!! Tips were €20 for the waiter and €20 for the cabin staff.

 

All in all a bargain cruise for £10. Have booked another MSC cruise for 28 Oct 06 on the Musica.

[Marie-Claude]

All in all a bargain cruise for £10.

Pardon my ignorance but is that £10 a day??

[lesleyfb]

Nope. It was £10 total. The £10 covered the flights, transfers and a weeks cruising. Best £10 I ever spent.

 

The Daily Express ran a promotion entitled "A cruise for every reader". You had to collect so many tokens and you were "guaranteed a cruise". However, hardly any of the cruises were allocated and some people have gone thru the process of starting Court proceedings but were offered a cruise before they got to Court.

 

I personally was quick off the mark and rang the promotions company, the Daily Express themselves and contacted Watchdog (a consumer affairs programme) and was one of the successful ones.

 

Here is a link which will show you roughly how many people got the £10 cruise and how many are still chasing the Daily Express.

 

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=35