Sunday's child - Southampton.
- Thread starter henryf
- Start date
AndieMac
Well-Known Member
I'm bringing the big boat to Monte Carlo in October.
Monte Carlo
Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy
Livorno, Italy
Calvi, Corsica
Xlendi, Gozo Malta
Valletta, Malta (overnight)
Syracuse, Italy
Agios Nikolaos, Crete
Symi, Greece
Mykonos, Greece
Kusadasi, (Ephesus), Turkey
Piraeus, Greece
Staff and kichen team are top notch, took JFM, advice. Biggest dishwasher and build a ship around it
My only criticism would be the loose leaf tea served in the afternoon. I'm a tea bag man myself, no culture
I shall valiantly press on regardless of the tea problems. The wonderful cheese soufflé makes up for it. Caviar and champagne poolside helps a bit as well
Strangely I always get a wave from visiting foreign yachts when adjusting course a little to give them room.
Henry
You must be somewhat of a cruise-liner connoisseur these days H, do you have a specific preference for a company or just what's available to suit the intended destinations at the time?
Seems a popular way to travel these days.
henryf
Well-Known Member
Seabourn.
We have been in a lot of Royal Caribbean cruises and enjoy all the benefits which come from their Diamond Plus loyalty program but the problem is sheer number of other guests. We can work around most of the queues but they are introducing pre-booking for shows and also dining to try and cope with the volume. This takes away much of the spontaneity.
We also have to cruise during school holidays which means 100% occupancy. Add in the need for a suite - 180 sq ft standard cabin for 3 pax is tight and the price starts to climb.
Seabourn standard cabin (they call them suites) is 300 sq ft so you need to be comparing to a junior or grand suite on RC. Seabourn is all inclusive bar ultra premium brands, Louis XIII cognac for instance, so factor that in to your sums and with a sprinkle of man maths is makes sense.
Food, service and general willingness to say yes on Seabourn is in total contrast to the machine of RC shoving people through the process. Stand in line to see a miserable concierge team member on RC who can't really do much or grab a coffee then wander over and sit down with one of the team on SB who will do whatever it takes to sort you out. Printed invites sent out to friends for your planned group dinner (no extra charge) - no problem. Ship to shore call to your credit card company in the UK (from Panama) who have blocked your card for the second time because they think it's being used fraudulently despite your telling them of travel plans - certainly sir, let me dial the number for you (no charge).
Yes, the big ships offer fantastic entertainment opportunity if you can get in there past the queues but sheer passenger volume wears you down during peak holiday periods.
If you ever fancy treating yourself get in touch and I'll point you in the right direction.
Henry
AndieMac
Well-Known Member
I
Interesting, thanks for the heads up.
Seabourn.
We have been in a lot of Royal Caribbean cruises and enjoy all the benefits which come from their Diamond Plus loyalty program but the problem is sheer number of other guests. We can work around most of the queues but they are introducing pre-booking for shows and also dining to try and cope with the volume. This takes away much of the spontaneity.
We also have to cruise during school holidays which means 100% occupancy. Add in the need for a suite - 180 sq ft standard cabin for 3 pax is tight and the price starts to climb.
Seabourn standard cabin (they call them suites) is 300 sq ft so you need to be comparing to a junior or grand suite on RC. Seabourn is all inclusive bar ultra premium brands, Louis XIII cognac for instance, so factor that in to your sums and with a sprinkle of man maths is makes sense.
Food, service and general willingness to say yes on Seabourn is in total contrast to the machine of RC shoving people through the process. Stand in line to see a miserable concierge team member on RC who can't really do much or grab a coffee then wander over and sit down with one of the team on SB who will do whatever it takes to sort you out. Printed invites sent out to friends for your planned group dinner (no extra charge) - no problem. Ship to shore call to your credit card company in the UK (from Panama) who have blocked your card for the second time because they think it's being used fraudulently despite your telling them of travel plans - certainly sir, let me dial the number for you (no charge).
Yes, the big ships offer fantastic entertainment opportunity if you can get in there past the queues but sheer passenger volume wears you down during peak holiday periods.
If you ever fancy treating yourself get in touch and I'll point you in the right direction.
Henry
Interesting, thanks for the heads up.
harstonwood
Well-Known Member
in the aviation world the cockpit is renamed the boxoffice when a female crew at the helm!
