What are you all up to

David

I think a dog would be difficult on either sort of cruise!!! Perhaps you could find a local dog sitter who could perhaps take the dog for the odd day before going to get used to them? I suspect Carol would enjoy a sea cruise as you are looked after very well. You might need another new DJ afterwards!!!.

This guy does a lot of videos on all sorts of cruising but this one is for first timers on a river cruise 

David

Bit cloudy here today so went for a drive to the bottom of the island. It was market day in Playa Blanca, at the Rubicon marina. Not as busy as last weeks. Speaking to some of the locals it's seems this is the time of year that the mainland Spaniards start arriving to their 2nd homes. We had noticed more Spanish around in restaurants and supermarkets but hadn't put the 2 together. 

The resort says some from UK have already had to cancel for Christmas due to the change in Spanish rules which is now that children aged 12 - 15 have to be fully vaccinated to enter Spain, Covid tests no longer acceptable.

DK, we've looked at river cruises in Europe we fancy the Danube. Our first ever cruise was 25 years ago for our silver wedding, we did the Nile from Luxor to the Aswan dam and back. Very enjoyable but not to everyone's taste.

We seem to have got off lightly with the storm it was windy yesterday but not too bad today’s been fine just very cold. We have been busy today putting the Christmas lights up at the front of the house all looks very nice now. 

David - as W said earlier,  we did the Douro river cruise a couple of years back, September 2019 and thoroughly enjoyed it. We chose it because, having been on a couple of ocean cruises, I found the days at sea a bit tiresome, although there were plenty of activities on the ship itself I like to be able to get out sight seeing on dry land! This is where the river cruises win out. I think most of them run daily excursions, although you can opt out and explore the area you're docked in independently if you prefer. Early autumn is apparently the ideal time for that cruise as the vineyards are still green and lush - a couple of weeks later and they're bare. Can thoroughly recommend that one. And in May, fingers crossed, we have another river cruise (booked and paid for last year before being postponed!) from Lyon down to Avignon to look forward to. 

You can sightsee independently on sea cruises as well. Since most of the trips are over-priced, we research each port and only do organised trips if independent isn't really viable.

Yes, I agree with that. As cruise novices we pre-booked a couple of excursions on our trip from Vancouver up to Alaska and although we enjoyed them we found that we could have signed up at the ports themselves for about half the price!

But it's the long, long days at sea which I didn't really enjoy even on that cruise - no scenery, few, if any passing ships and little wildlife! I don't swim or dance and there are only so many cookery demonstrations that you can take without going doolally, and lounging around on deck really isn't my thing either. So, for me, a river cruise, particularly combined with a city break (we had 3 nights in Lisbon on the Douro cruise) is definitely the more attractive option. 

Thanks for the feedback re River cruises. I suspect our next cruise will still be a sea cruise, we quite like the idea of the Eastern Mediterranean as I would love to visit the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Unfortunately P&O seem to have stopped a lot of their long cruise from Southampton in favour of Fly cruises which I am not interested in. 

The excursions can feel like a rip off but you usually don't know that until you have a bit of experience. Fortunately many cruise ships stop in ports that are very close to towns and cities. On one cruise we stopped in Casablanca and we thought it prudent to have a paid for excursion there!!! Anyone thinking about a first seas cruise it might be worth thinking about the Fjords as its usually on the first and last days at sea and the rest of the time you are Port hopping everyday. 

Back to river cruises I think the excursions are included in the price. I am not sure what options there are to do your own thing as I understand that some excursions start at one stopping point and pick you up at the next with the boat sailing between the two as you explore on land. So not quite sure how that works if you decide to explore independently? 

David

Pleased to report that after all the worry about the photographs we have both received our new Passports. My application was completed on 17th November and I think Margaret's might have been a day or two later. Despite that Margaret's new one arrived the day before mine. So, that is about 3 weeks which given all the doom and gloom about applying for new passports I reckon that is pretty quick and efficient? I thought they may have added the unused time left on the old passport but they have not done that. Its only a couple of months so no real issue.

David

Ref passports. Same here David, I did mine on the 17th too and apparently it's on the way. I had left a gap when mine expired so no extra time! Well now where shall I go....?!

My BIL went to Paris recently on eurostar to see his elderly relatives, three of them developed Covid before he arrived!

As for Istanbul you could always try the overland train route, my sister and BIL joined a small intrepid party not long ago, and they travelled all the way from Paris via Budapest etc producing passports at a 3am checkpoint....a wonderful trip by all accounts.

All this talk of cruises, we've been looking for one for January as its our golden wedding then. 

It would be our 15th cruise if we decide to go on one. So far we have not booked one because its not going to be the experience that we have had in the past. 

Everything looks OK until you drill down or speak to a rep. Dining is not as before, you will sit only with the people in your cabin, no mixed tables of 6 or 8.

Excursions, they couldn't confirm that these would happen or what they might be. Some stops you may not be allowed off unless you are on an excursion. 

Evening entertainment not as before, very little of the Broadway type shows that is the norm on Sea cruises.

It's all the above that makes cruises attractive to us, if that is not going to happen then we are not prepared to part with the best part of £7000+  until we can be assured otherwise.

A lot of the sea cruises now are on ships that are huge, 3500 passengers is now considered a small ship. 

Last Jan/Feb we did a Med cruise on a 6000 passenger cruise ship, never again. It was without doubt the worst cruise we have ever been on.

Nothing wrong with the cabin it was luxurious. The dining experience was awful no matter which venue you chose. Queues for the self service was horrendous, when you did get to the food it had all been trashed or the choice was awful, by the time you found somewhere to sit the food was cold.

The main dining rooms were no better, there was nowhere near enough waiters which meant that one could wait for 30 mins to give your order, another 45 to get 1st course followed by another 45 to an hour for your main course.

Quite often it was not even warm when you got it, hot didn't happen at all. Courses came out of order if at all, it was unbelievable how bad it was.

The restaurant manager was constantly being called to tables to hear of complaints. First sitting overrun every evening, which meant those on second sitting (21.15) didn't get to sit down until after 22.00.

I don't want to put other off but please do lots of research first then speak to a knowledgeable agent, lots of things have changed in the last 2 years.