I would never go on P and O out of principle over what the scumbags did to their workers. Shameful fuckers.
Went on a Virgin cruise last year from Barcelona to Cannes Marseille Major an Ibiza. It was brilliant. Adult only and quite lively/young ish and VERY American. But a great week away
Think you will find that was the P and O ferry’s that sacked the workers. P and O cruises are a totally separate company. Mind you I would never go on Cunard as they operate a two tier system with different decks and restaurants for those that can afford it.
I would never go on P and O out of principle over what the scumbags did to their workers. Shameful fuckers.
Went on a Virgin cruise last year from Barcelona to Cannes Marseille Major an Ibiza. It was brilliant. Adult only and quite lively/young ish and VERY American. But a great week away
I think the P&O shipping / container business is a completely different company to the cruise line. Hopefully somebody could confirm. Think the cruise line is owned by Carnival cruises.
I think from driving experience that the major passport bit is leaving and entering the UK. Then when you are in Europe it is straightforward. I would imagine the same is true on cruises.
Not sure if that's going to be true in every situation in the future? There's a border checkpoint on the road between Faro and Spain for example that, when it's open, in theory non-EU citizens should stop at.
I certainly wouldn't be booking a cruise for later this year when the EU Entry/Exit System comes in without knowing what the score is. Some of these ports have virtually no passenger handling facilities. I wouldn't want to be landing in Stavanger with 4000 others each needing finger printing or whatnot.
We had our first cruise last year round Caribbean on P&o mrs wasn’t sure about cruises. She absolutely loved it.hoping to go again Mediterranean Greek islands. The price was amazing booked late deal. had drinks package. Think it worked about £4000 for 15 nights outside balcony.
The good thing with P&o was no tipping flights and transfers included. When landing in Barbados you go straight to the ship don’t need to go through airport customs.
The excursion are a fair price ( some places can do it on your own) but some of the Caribbean islands haven’t got much to see.
I think from driving experience that the major passport bit is leaving and entering the UK. Then when you are in Europe it is straightforward. I would imagine the same is true on cruises.
Not sure if that's going to be true in every situation in the future? There's a border checkpoint on the road between Faro and Spain for example that, when it's open, in theory non-EU citizens should stop at.
I certainly wouldn't be booking a cruise for later this year when the EU Entry/Exit System comes in without knowing what the score is. Some of these ports have virtually no passenger handling facilities. I wouldn't want to be landing in Stavanger with 4000 others each needing finger printing or whatnot.
I don't think it should be too much of a problem, to be honest, and the cruise lines will have a system worked out fairly quickly to minimise disruption.
It's the equivalent of the American ESTA system (there may be a delay entering the first Schengen port, but the only difficulty that might arise would be if someone wanted to stay for longer than 90 days out of any 180 day period).
There could, admittedly, be more of a problem if doing a Mediterranean cruise that calls into North African ports or in some Carribbean cruises visiting French or Dutch islands. That said, in the latter case, I fully expect that the relevant authorities will have factored in how to manage the introduction of ETIAS, without significantly harming their tourism revenues.
I would never go on P and O out of principle over what the scumbags did to their workers. Shameful fuckers.
Went on a Virgin cruise last year from Barcelona to Cannes Marseille Major an Ibiza. It was brilliant. Adult only and quite lively/young ish and VERY American. But a great week away
If by "shameful fuckers" you are referring to the company that manages cross channel ferries then you are wrong as the cruise ship company is part of American based Carnival Corporation and the ferry company is Dubai owned and a completely different company
A mate is going from Southampton later this month I was asked if I could drop him off at the dock as he wanted to save the cost of parking he has now been told by the people he’s going with this is not possible so now has to pay for parking would this be correct if this is true how would a foot passenger get there
I think from driving experience that the major passport bit is leaving and entering the UK. Then when you are in Europe it is straightforward. I would imagine the same is true on cruises.
Not sure if that's going to be true in every situation in the future? There's a border checkpoint on the road between Faro and Spain for example that, when it's open, in theory non-EU citizens should stop at.
I certainly wouldn't be booking a cruise for later this year when the EU Entry/Exit System comes in without knowing what the score is. Some of these ports have virtually no passenger handling facilities. I wouldn't want to be landing in Stavanger with 4000 others each needing finger printing or whatnot.
I don't think it should be too much of a problem, to be honest, and the cruise lines will have a system worked out fairly quickly to minimise disruption.
It's the equivalent of the American ESTA system (there may be a delay entering the first Schengen port, but the only difficulty that might arise would be if someone wanted to stay for longer than 90 days out of any 180 day period).
There could, admittedly, be more of a problem if doing a Mediterranean cruise that calls into North African ports or in some Carribbean cruises visiting French or Dutch islands. That said, in the latter case, I fully expect that the relevant authorities will have factored in how to manage the introduction of ETIAS, without significantly harming their tourism revenues.
Its less about ETIAS and more about the introduction of EES.
You're right in cruise operators being very slick and I'd hope they're all over it. Because I would not want to be on the first ship that docks if it's not all sorted out beforehand. On my last cruise the amount of moaning that went on at the border control in Zeebrugge was quite something to behold!
A mate is going from Southampton later this month I was asked if I could drop him off at the dock as he wanted to save the cost of parking he has now been told by the people he’s going with this is not possible so now has to pay for parking would this be correct if this is true how would a foot passenger get there
You can drop off at the dock, it's very well organised but you will crawl along for a few miles before you get there! Some cruises offer free coach transfer and my Aunt did this last time from Lincolnshire and said it was much easier.
Foot passengers can just walk in along the pavement! Docks are 10/15 mins from city centre.
I would never go on P and O out of principle over what the scumbags did to their workers. Shameful fuckers.
Went on a Virgin cruise last year from Barcelona to Cannes Marseille Major an Ibiza. It was brilliant. Adult only and quite lively/young ish and VERY American. But a great week away
The P & O cruise company is not the same as the P & O ferry company.
We had our first cruise last year round Caribbean on P&o mrs wasn’t sure about cruises. She absolutely loved it.hoping to go again Mediterranean Greek islands. The price was amazing booked late deal. had drinks package. Think it worked about £4000 for 15 nights outside balcony.
The good thing with P&o was no tipping flights and transfers included. When landing in Barbados you go straight to the ship don’t need to go through airport customs.
The excursion are a fair price ( some places can do it on your own) but some of the Caribbean islands haven’t got much to see.
Not sure if you was on Arvia or Britannia. We was on Arvia in October. The next cruise on Arvia was from Southampton out to the Caribbean. Last minute you could of got 14 nights inside cabin £799 each and Balcony for £999. This cruise is of course not a full Caribbean cruise , you only take in 4 ports in the Caribbean and then fly home.
A mate is going from Southampton later this month I was asked if I could drop him off at the dock as he wanted to save the cost of parking he has now been told by the people he’s going with this is not possible so now has to pay for parking would this be correct if this is true how would a foot passenger get there
You can drop off at the dock, it's very well organised but you will crawl along for a few miles before you get there! Some cruises offer free coach transfer and my Aunt did this last time from Lincolnshire and said it was much easier.
Foot passengers can just walk in along the pavement! Docks are 10/15 mins from city centre.
I've never had to crawl along for a couple of miles. However there might be on the odd occasion 4 ships in Port at Southampton and other things going on in Southampton that might lead to a delay
A mate is going from Southampton later this month I was asked if I could drop him off at the dock as he wanted to save the cost of parking he has now been told by the people he’s going with this is not possible so now has to pay for parking would this be correct if this is true how would a foot passenger get there
You can drop off at the dock, it's very well organised but you will crawl along for a few miles before you get there! Some cruises offer free coach transfer and my Aunt did this last time from Lincolnshire and said it was much easier.
Foot passengers can just walk in along the pavement! Docks are 10/15 mins from city centre.
I've never had to crawl along for a couple of miles. However there might be on the odd occasion 4 ships in Port at Southampton and other things going on in Southampton that might lead to a delay
Agree, been on four or five from Southampton and never had to queue at the port at all.
I went on the QM2 last & personally didn’t like it & probably won’t do a cruise again but I did watch the champions league final with Martin Chivers. Lovely fella.
I liked @Greenhithe's comment and was really glad someone else had said what I was thinking. I wouldn't have booked with P&O either.
I'm even more pleased to find out they are different companies as it opens up more possibilities for me in the future. Surely those companies must have had a shared origin (not that it matters), too much coincidence not to have.
We had our first cruise last year round Caribbean on P&o mrs wasn’t sure about cruises. She absolutely loved it.hoping to go again Mediterranean Greek islands. The price was amazing booked late deal. had drinks package. Think it worked about £4000 for 15 nights outside balcony.
The good thing with P&o was no tipping flights and transfers included. When landing in Barbados you go straight to the ship don’t need to go through airport customs.
The excursion are a fair price ( some places can do it on your own) but some of the Caribbean islands haven’t got much to see.
Not sure if you was on Arvia or Britannia. We was on Arvia in October. The next cruise on Arvia was from Southampton out to the Caribbean. Last minute you could of got 14 nights inside cabin £799 each and Balcony for £999. This cruise is of course not a full Caribbean cruise , you only take in 4 ports in the Caribbean and then fly home.
Was the flight included in the price? Serious question btw?
It’s interesting as you get older as the thought of a cruise made me shudder. Bit like @Carter comments about the gluttony etc. trapped on board etc etc.
I went to Antigua a couple of times when I was in my 30s and me my mates used to see tonnes of people arrive on beach from the cruise ship and had 5 hours on the beach before rushing back. I always questioned why you would want to do that. Mocked them really, but I was young.
Now 20 years later and my knees are fecked I’m reading this with much more interest.
Been on 15 cruises now .. the best company is by far Celebrity .. they class themselves as 5 star and they are the best .
Best Cruise that I can recommend .. Baltics that was when you spent over night in Russia , but last year done Alaska and Canada Rocky Mountaineer it’s up there with the Northern Lights in the artic circle … hard to chose out of them three ..
We had our first cruise last year round Caribbean on P&o mrs wasn’t sure about cruises. She absolutely loved it.hoping to go again Mediterranean Greek islands. The price was amazing booked late deal. had drinks package. Think it worked about £4000 for 15 nights outside balcony.
The good thing with P&o was no tipping flights and transfers included. When landing in Barbados you go straight to the ship don’t need to go through airport customs.
The excursion are a fair price ( some places can do it on your own) but some of the Caribbean islands haven’t got much to see.
Not sure if you was on Arvia or Britannia. We was on Arvia in October. The next cruise on Arvia was from Southampton out to the Caribbean. Last minute you could of got 14 nights inside cabin £799 each and Balcony for £999. This cruise is of course not a full Caribbean cruise , you only take in 4 ports in the Caribbean and then fly home.
Was the flight included in the price? Serious question btw?
Have been on a fair few cruises having had no intention to ever do one until about 12 years ago.
Have been on the Britannia (P&O), various Royal Caribbean ships including biggest in the fleet and am going on a Norwegian cruise liner this summer.
Have been US, Caribbean and a number of Mediterranean cruises.
Britannia too formal for me. I work at exec level and wear formal clothing most of the week. I like to wear jeans and Ts or hoodies at the weekend to differentiate from my norm. Otherwise, a beautiful ship with huge investment in it.
Royal Caribbean ships, particularly the Oasis class are insane scale wise. A serenely floating city, with as much or as little hubbub as you want on board. Good range of bars, clubs, big casino, pretty decent shows, night time poolside jumbo screen film showings and more food options you really need.
I prefer the Euro cruises than US/Caribbean ones only because I find the more over the top (sorry for generalisation) outgoing American personality types get a bit wearing when they are amplifying their voices across every room. I have a lot of American friends by the way and love them, but on ‘vacation’ and in family groups, some sort of zany freedom of expression seems to kick in and that is what I am a bit allergic to.
I am trying Norwegian for the first time this year as we wanted to do Iceland, Norway etc in the most active year (11/11 year cycle) for the northern lights and hear they are really good but as others have said and a mate of mine does minimum 2 cruises a year, Celebrity is supposed to be the best in terms of balance, quality and fun.
My main recommendation is to have the cajones to plan and pay for your own trips on land when you get to various ports, wherever you are going. Yes, of course, if that included a city with a bit of a reputation, by all means use the ship’s excursion service, but otherwise, save yourself a lot of £s,€s or $s through enjoying sights and experiences independently.
Regarding shore excursions and the decision of whether to pay the extra for the cruise line tours or go it on your own, i will point out that the cruise line organised tours give you the added security of the ship will wait for your return, if the coach is delayed getting back.
If you DIY, you have to be back in time before the ship sails. If not, they will empty your cabin and your safe and leave it on the dockside. It is then your responsibility to get home or to the next port.
This isn't such an issue in somewhere like Barcelona, where the ship docks fairly near the city, but Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) is 50 miles from Rome and the Italian train service isn't always 100% reliable, so allow plenty of time.
We went to Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino from Genoa, on our own. 40 minute train and bus ride. We got back later than the advised time but only made it because the equivalent coach tour from the cruise line also got stuck in traffic.
Regarding shore excursions and the decision of whether to pay the extra for the cruise line tours or go it on your own, i will point out that the cruise line organised tours give you the added security of the ship will wait for your return, if the coach is delayed getting back.
If you DIY, you have to be back in time before the ship sails. If not, they will empty your cabin and your safe and leave it on the dockside. It is then your responsibility to get home or to the next port.
This isn't such an issue in somewhere like Barcelona, where the ship docks fairly near the city, but Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) is 50 miles from Rome and the Italian train service isn't always 100% reliable, so allow plenty of time.
We went to Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino from Genoa, on our own. 40 minute train and bus ride. We got back later than the advised time but only made it because the equivalent coach tour from the cruise line also got stuck in traffic.
so a little update after plenty of research alongside the advice here we booked a week long cruise with Cunard for next year going up to Norway. Will now need to do some overtime to pay for it.
Been on a few Tui Cruises, good price, good food, good entertainment as well. If you prefer to eat buffet like me you do not have to dress up in the evening, smart casual is OK. Done eastern and western med as well as Caribbean
I am after some tips. Mrs Kigelia and I are thinking of booking a cruise ship holiday for next year. We have never done this type of holiday before and wonder if any of you folks have any recommendations/tips to help us out?
we are thinking of something heading to Norway/iceland/greenland rather than down to the sunnier areas.
If it is your first cruise,I would suggest the Norwegian Fjords,I think they go from Tilbury or Dover.Only last 7 days,but that would be Ideal for your first cruise.i have done many ,the Fjords was my first and me and the Mrs.were hooked. Sice done Several more including South America and the Baltic sea( A great trip but you now cant visit St Petersburg which was the highlight.)
I am after some tips. Mrs Kigelia and I are thinking of booking a cruise ship holiday for next year. We have never done this type of holiday before and wonder if any of you folks have any recommendations/tips to help us out?
we are thinking of something heading to Norway/iceland/greenland rather than down to the sunnier areas.
If it is your first cruise,I would suggest the Norwegian Fjords,I think they go from Tilbury or Dover.Only last 7 days,but that would be Ideal for your first cruise.i have done many ,the Fjords was my first and me and the Mrs.were hooked. Sice done Several more including South America and the Baltic sea( A great trip but you now cant visit St Petersburg which was the highlight.)
We have been on a couple of P&O cruises and loved it. The food is excellent - but beware of eating too much - and the evening entertainment is West End standard. Not sure P&O leave from Tilbury or Dover but would recommend Southampton anyway. Agree with the comments about Norway and the fjords although you need a sunny day to appreciate them and we had cloud. Booked a 14-night Baltic cruise to Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg (2 nights) etc but it was cancelled during Covid. Gutted!
Comments
I certainly wouldn't be booking a cruise for later this year when the EU Entry/Exit System comes in without knowing what the score is. Some of these ports have virtually no passenger handling facilities. I wouldn't want to be landing in Stavanger with 4000 others each needing finger printing or whatnot.
The price was amazing booked late deal. had drinks package. Think it worked about £4000 for 15 nights outside balcony.
It's the equivalent of the American ESTA system (there may be a delay entering the first Schengen port, but the only difficulty that might arise would be if someone wanted to stay for longer than 90 days out of any 180 day period).
There could, admittedly, be more of a problem if doing a Mediterranean cruise that calls into North African ports or in some Carribbean cruises visiting French or Dutch islands. That said, in the latter case, I fully expect that the relevant authorities will have factored in how to manage the introduction of ETIAS, without significantly harming their tourism revenues.
if this is true how would a foot passenger get there
You're right in cruise operators being very slick and I'd hope they're all over it. Because I would not want to be on the first ship that docks if it's not all sorted out beforehand. On my last cruise the amount of moaning that went on at the border control in Zeebrugge was quite something to behold!
Foot passengers can just walk in along the pavement! Docks are 10/15 mins from city centre.
EDIT plenty of parking options that aren't right by the docks
https://www.southampton.gov.uk/travel-transport/find-and-plan/find-parking/cruise-parking/
We was on Arvia in October.
The next cruise on Arvia was from Southampton out to the Caribbean.
Last minute you could of got 14 nights inside cabin £799 each and Balcony for £999.
This cruise is of course not a full Caribbean cruise , you only take in 4 ports in the Caribbean and then fly home.
However there might be on the odd occasion 4 ships in Port at Southampton and other things going on in Southampton that might lead to a delay
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/river/woolwich-ferry
I'm even more pleased to find out they are different companies as it opens up more possibilities for me in the future. Surely those companies must have had a shared origin (not that it matters), too much coincidence not to have.
I went to Antigua a couple of times when I was in my 30s and me my mates used to see tonnes of people arrive on beach from the cruise ship and had 5 hours on the beach before rushing back. I always questioned why you would want to do that. Mocked them really, but I was young.
Best Cruise that I can recommend .. Baltics that was when you spent over night in Russia , but last year done Alaska and Canada Rocky Mountaineer it’s up there with the Northern Lights in the artic circle … hard to chose out of them three ..
Have been US, Caribbean and a number of Mediterranean cruises.
Royal Caribbean ships, particularly the Oasis class are insane scale wise. A serenely floating city, with as much or as little hubbub as you want on board. Good range of bars, clubs, big casino, pretty decent shows, night time poolside jumbo screen film showings and more food options you really need.
If you DIY, you have to be back in time before the ship sails. If not, they will empty your cabin and your safe and leave it on the dockside. It is then your responsibility to get home or to the next port.
This isn't such an issue in somewhere like Barcelona, where the ship docks fairly near the city, but Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) is 50 miles from Rome and the Italian train service isn't always 100% reliable, so allow plenty of time.
We went to Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino from Genoa, on our own. 40 minute train and bus ride. We got back later than the advised time but only made it because the equivalent coach tour from the cruise line also got stuck in traffic.
Sice done Several more including South America and the Baltic sea( A great trip but you now cant visit St Petersburg which was the highlight.)