Have reserved a cabin on Independance Of seas until Monday, so am doing further research!

Can anyone advie me of the parking process at Southampton?

Am cruising on The Oriana (P and O) at Christmas, almost chose Independance, but decided to try the ship on the 4 night Cork cruise. best of both worlds that way

Can't comment on current RCI prices but all the american lines tend to be around the same prices with the 15% on top of the published price on the menus.

Prices for drink vary a lot because there is a lot of choice.

Typical NCL prices for beer are $4.50,$5.50,$6.50, with a bucket(6-4-5).

Most beer on offer will be US bottles with a few draft options larger sizes or imports tend to be the higher price with the small domestic(american) at the lower price.

Budget £4 a pint and you won't be far out.

Same with the other drinks simple G&T will be $4-$5 with the large matinis upwards of $10.
Specials in fancy cups are also another way for a drink to go up in price.

Can anyone advise me as to whether the soft drinks package is worth purchasing onboard for my teenage lads? How much are they?

Wondering as it is only a 5 day/4 night cruise if it is worthwhile?

Fixes the cost no suprises if they PAYG.

Are they big soda drinkers , water, tea, juice avaialble anyway.

Could just take on a few bottles of coke(or what ever) and then PAYG to supliment.

Soda card was $6 per day plus 15% in Dec. Doubt it has gone up since then. I think if you bought a glass of coke or lemonade it was over $2 plus 15% so if you drank more than 3 a day it was worth it.

Looks like well worth the purchase then.

Is the ship as good as it looks in the brochures?

Booked and time is now running down to the big day in May when we set sail from S'ton. Managed to arrange on heck of a surprise for the girl friend for the cruise. Her son and his girl friend are coming on the same trip and she is in the dark for it.....

We have spoken openly in front of her, saying that he will have to download google earth professional real time (a fictious programe that allows you to see pictures in real time) lol....He will be talking to her on the mobile phone. We are saying that the boy friend and his girl friend supposedly going out to the Dominican republic can watch us sail away from Southampton on his laptop lol.....He is going to ask where on the boat we are, tell her to way at the supposed satellite he is viewing her from, comment on her dress etc, say she is standing behind someone and cant see her very well, anything to get her thinking he is watching her on google. The real fact is that they will be standing close by onboard the ship all the time......

I thinks its going to be a hoot !!!... When she is fully focused on the 'satellite camera' they are going to come up and ask who she is waving to !!!..... She will see the funny side and she will be elated that they are coming on the same cruise.........

Will let you know how it goes when i file my report ......watch this space....

Does she visit the holiday truths site???......hope not!!!

No thankfully she is not very good on the old PC......So I can surf the web in peace lol.........

I must admit though I have introduced her to google so that she has an idea of how google earth works.......Just makes it that much more plausible lol......