Hi Maureen

Only place i went to was Marseille - you can use the little landtrain to get round there - plenty of shops or people who did the trips to other towns enjoyed that. I spent time in the town then headed back to ship.

You wont see much of the 14 year old! the kids club seemed great and well organised - also a cinema on board.

Im a fussy eater and vegetarian but loved the food - there is a 24 hour self service buffet - i used for breakfast and a few lunches - great range of foods also a pasta/pizza area. The evening dinners in the al a carte were fantastic - i liked all the food - children are made very welcome, i am sure your son will find plenty to eat.

On board its a cashless system - you show your boarding/id card to buy things and sign a slip it all gets credited to your account (you will be asked to leave a credit card number at reception) in the casino you need stirling to buy chips to play with.

At the end of the week if you want to tip your cabin maid - they are very grateful! I found out from mine that euros are useful to the staff as they send money home to the family. Apart from that you will just need euros for when off ship.

Another tip - i stocked up on soft drinks for in my cabin at a supermarket in Palma - doubt you will need to as on AI but i get thru tons of soft drinks so got stocked up in palma! You also have to pay for bottled water on board but its not that expensive.

Not sure about shaver sockets im afraid, i took european adapter plugs to plug phone charger and hair straighteners in (there is a good hairdryer in the cabin so dont take one!) Also dont take an iron as not allowed in cabins - there are laundrettes on board with irons.

Let me know if i can help anymore!

Alison

Hi Alison
Many thanks for the info. August cant come quick enough for us.

Maureen

can anyone please tell me do you use sterling or euros on board got the all inclusive just wondering for arcade games ,fruit machines casino or anything else

Hi Brownetts

The currency onboard for the casino, etc will be sterling.

luci

Has anyone been to La Spezia would appreciate some info. Also Taragonia and sete.
Many thanks
Maureen

hi maureen
i hope you had a good xmas we will be happy to tell you how we get on ,on destiny as its our first cruise this is a good forum to find out about cruising all the people are verry helpfull any one reading this have a verry happy new year
andrea and joe

Hi Andrea and Joe
We look forward to hearing about your cruise on the destiny. It will be our first time so fingers crossed. A bit concerned about activities for a 13 year old though. Happy New Year to your both

Maureen , Ian and Adam

Hi Maureen

I wouldnt worry about your son - there are lots of kids activities on all day/night. People i spoke to said they didnt see much of their teenage children as they were off with the kids club playing sports/games. He will prob meet other children his age and there are discos in the eves also the cinema. The shows are great for children too (only one that was a bit rude was the commedian) Anything that the excellent show team put on will be great!

Its also a very safe environment for young people!

Alison

can anyone advise me as to what happens when you arrive at the port (palma) before boarding the ship. we are new to cruising and would like some advise.

Maureen

Hi maureen- have only been on Island Escape, but imagine they are all similar. We were given enbarkation docs to fill in on the coach. When we got to the port the cases were taken to dockside to be loaded onto ship and passengers went into port building to "register" and have photos taken for ship ID cards. There were several desks for this so it wasn't a long process. Then we went through to dockside where another photographer was waiting to take a "boarding"photo (for sale on the ship) and members of the crew welcomed us aboard and someone was assigned to show us to our cabin. It was all quite festive and exciting!

Maureen

What ship are you boarding.

Each one has various lines on the same theme, but if you name the ship, someone who has been on can confirm what happened to them.

This can change year on year as it has a few times to us via thomsons.

Andy

thanks everyone. The ship that we are boarding will be the Desiny with Thomsons (in August). Sorry for sounding so ignorant about this.

Maureen

No need to apologise Maureen, that's what we're here for.

Kate's description above is pretty much what we did when we boarded the Thomson Spirit in November. However we received our embarkation forms with our tickets and completed them before we travelled.

Any other questions, fire away.

luci

Are the cabins air conditioned. Are there towels supplied for use in the cabin? Do you have to attend the captains dinner? what does that entail. Hope to hear from you.

Maureen

All cabins are air conditioned, towels are provided and changed twice a day and you don't have to attend the Captain's dinner if you don't want to, you can eat at the buffet instead.

luci

May I add two questions to Maureens as a first time cruiser on the Carousel.
What kind of plugs are in the cabins, I know they are 110 volts but do you need an american syle adaptor?
Are safety deposit boxes available?
Thank you Margaret

Hi Margaret

Yes you will need an adaptor to use the US style flat 2 pin 110v sockets. Your applicanes will also need to be dual voltage, ie 110/220v, otherwise they will only work at half speed/heat or not at all. Hairdryers can be borrowed from the Purser's Desk.

There is a safety deposit box in your cabin and the key is available from the Purser's Desk for a supplement.

HTH

luci

Many thanks for your help will no doubt think on some more questions nearer the time.

Maureen

Many thanks from me too.
Margaret