Costa Firenze Postcard #3 – Dubai & Embarkation

Embarkation day tends to be very busy but I will endeavour to provide as much waffle as I can today.  Another excellent nights sleep but awake at 5:30 so spent the time adding the video of the Drone Show to yesterday’s post.  After breakfast, we took a long walk along Jumeirah Beach almost right to the end and back. We got very close to the ship and could just about make out our cabin. With the weather slightly overcast and with a nice breeze it was actually really enjoyable plus a great way to kill some time. We had to check out from the hotel at midday but had an embarkation slot of 2:30 so sat out by the pool until it was time to go. The cruise terminal was only a 10-minute drive from the hotel so we didn’t have far to go.  What happened when we reached the cruise terminal beggars belief.

 

No cars, nothing other than 2 other passengers stood outside the terminal building. To say it was deserted is an understatement. We were met by a young lady who checked we had all the correct paperwork then ushered us up to the next level to check-in. This next area was also deserted so we walked straight up to the desk and within 7 or 8 minutes had completed check-in. All this time we had not seen another passenger getting on.

 

 

We had a 10-minute wait while the air bridge was adjusted but after that, we were soon on board.  What a totally unique boarding experience!!!

 

 

 

Once onboard, the first thing we needed to do was to locate our cabin and pick up our Costa cruise cards. Our cabin is compact and very functional and will make a great home for the next 7 nights. For the first time, a proper shower cubicle and no clingy curtain.

 

 

 

After attending the English speaking welcome meeting we made our way back to the cabin to see if the luggage had arrived which unfortunately it hadn’t.  It is very obvious that Costa is taking Covid very seriously with lots of additional measures on board. We have also been informed that passenger capacity is 4232 – 5078 but on this cruise, there are around 1000 or so we should have plenty of space.  One thing I will need to get to grips with is the WiFi, it is looking like I can only use one device so transferring photos may become an issue. I can write on my phone but most of my photos are on the camera and tablet. I will find a way!! Muster was at 5:30 and conducted in your muster station and wearing your life jackets.  At least this is now conducted inside and not out on the prom deck lined up in rows with the shortest at the front. However, in true Costa style, we had this in 6 languages and it took an incredible 45 minutes. In 7 previous Costa cruises, I have never known it take as long as this before.  We eventually made it back to the cabin at 6:20 to find our cases still not there. They eventually arrived just after 7:00.

 

Being so close to the Drone Show start we decided to hang around in the cabin. Once again we have not had an opportunity to explore the ship on day one.  We are on second sitting for dinner tonight so I will catch up with how that went in my next post. 

Costa Firenze Postcard #2 – Dubai Pre Cruise

We stayed up until around 9:45pm to try and help our body clocks get synchronised with the local time. We both slept really well, I awoke around 6:15 while Nicole said she was roused after hearing the call to prayer from the nearby mosque. After breakfast we went out for another walk and headed towards Jumeirah Beach, we spotted a huge ferris wheel last night through the skyscrapers so thought we would investigate. When are reached the beach we not only spotted the wheel but Costa Firenze too.

 

 

I had no idea the cruise terminal had been relocated because the last time we boarded here it was right up the other end of Dubai.

Mask wearing is mandatory here both inside and outside, the only exception is if you are sat to eat and drink. I would say most people are abiding by the rules with about 10% ignoring the rules. After we returned to the hotel we received emails with our negative PCR results which means we are now clear to embark tomorrow. It has been a much more relaxed day and one we have spent much of out by the hotel pool. As soon as the sun had passed by the end of our hotel bringing shade to the pool area we went for an early evening meal with the intention of walking more in the evening.

With dusk falling, we set off for the beach again. This time to see how different it looked in the evening.

 

 

 

What we didn’t expect to see was a drone show followed by fireworks. It apparently happens every night until the end of January. It really is something quite remarkable and fascinating to watch. I have found time to add my phone video to YouTube so you can see more of the show.

 

 

When it had finished we carried on walking to the Bluewaters Island where the big wheel is but stopped short of doing anything more because of how busy it was. Something to come back for another day. Every now and again it is very easy to forget Covid is still with us and twice today we have forgotten to put our masks back on.

 

We eventually made our way back to the hotel after what has been a very enjoyable evening. Embarkation day tomorrow so we should see the drone show from a completely different angle tomorrow night.

Just an observation, we have not seen a policeman, a dog or a cat since we arrived here. There is no graffiti and everyone just seems to get on with life.

 

Costa Firenze Postcard #1 – The Journey to Dubai & Pre Cruise

Having done as much preparation as we could possibly do, we set off for Heathrow’s T5 for our British Airways flight to Dubai. It was a very strange feeling being back inside an airport and I don’t know if it was the time of day or whether it’s just like that all the time at the moment but it seemed eerily quiet for such a large terminal. Security was deserted and a breeze to navigate and airside wasn’t that much busier. It felt like something was missing which I suppose is people really. Checking in at home proved to be a waste of time and effort, British Airways encouraged the use of a third-party app called Verifly, I followed all the instructions including the uploading of the PCR test results. They were approved by someone at Verifly but when I tried to check in, BA kept telling me that I wasn’t ready to check in and that certain documents were missing. Everything was rectified at the check in desk but in my opinion just another case of phone technology not fit for purpose. 

 

Our plane, an Airbus A380 had everyone onboard very quickly which was mainly due to the lack of fellow passengers and we found ourselves in a cabin only about 10% full. People were soon jostling for better seats with more room to stretch out.  Our scheduled departure time was 8:40pm and we were in the air not too far off that, no queuing or waiting at the end of the runway, just taxi to the end and then straight up in the air.  It was this part of the trip that I was least looking forward to, being in a plane, in close proximity to lots of others but in the end, it worked out really well for us. I got talking to one of the stewards just before we got off and he said the plane had flown at just under 50% capacity.  We were really quick getting off the plane in Dubai too, the first thing we needed to show was our pre-departure PCR test results. From there it was testing time again,  another PCR which was managed really well. The whole process took under 15 minutes and that included the walk to the testing area. Immigration was also swiftly dealt with and once we had collected our luggage we located our transfer to the hotel. We landed at 7:40 and were checking in at the hotel at 9:45 so not bad going.

 

The only downside to all this was once we had entered our room, we had to stay there until our PCR results came through. They did say that we could go and get breakfast before going up which we did.

We are staying at the Wyndham Dubai Marina and have a room on the 29th floor overlooking the marina itself. It’s quite a view from up there.  And because it’s a certain person’s birthday this week, we have been upgraded to a Club Room which is located on the top 4 floors of the hotel. Unfortunately due to Covid restrictions, the Club Lounge on the 31st floor is closed so it won’t be making a big difference to a normal room albeit a bit higher.

At just after 1:30pm we received the results from our entry PCR which were both negative, a bit of a horrible wait but at least could then go out and explore the area a bit.

 

 

 

We ended up walking around the waterfront at the marina so nothing too energetic.  We also booked the PCR test to get us on the ship, the hotel recommended a local company who will come to your room to take the test then email the results back within 24 hours. The guy was about 40 minutes later than scheduled but super-efficient and done in under 10 minutes. That’s 2 PCR’s in one day!!!

Tonight we took another walk around the marina to take in the spectacular evening views with the buildings illuminated. 

 

 

Costa Firenze Dubai and UAE Preamble

After taking three ex UK cruises during 2021 and with the world slowly opening up again, we decided that we were now feeling a little more confident to try a journey a bit further afield. I had been noticing a lot of extremely tempting offers for Costa cruises so decided to investigate them in greater detail to find out what was on offer and also the implications of travelling abroad. We have not had a warm-weather cruise for a long, long time so when I spotted a 7-night cruise out of Dubai on one of Costa’s newer ships, Costa Firenze everything seemed to fall into place and before we knew it we had booked. Because of the Covid situation around the world, we made the decision to take this cruise as a package because in the event of something going wrong we would have suitable cover.

Above is the original itinerary map so doesn’t reflect the changes.

Date Location Arrival Departure
Saturday, January 15, 2022 Dubai, UAE 23:59 PM
Sunday, January 16, 2022 Abu Dhabi, UAE 9:00 AM
Monday, January 17, 2022 Doha, Qatar
Replaced with Abu Dhabi, UAE		 2:00 PM 10:00 PM
Tuesday, January 18, 2022 Abu Dhabi, UAE 12:00 PM
Wednesday, January 19, 2022 Muscat, Oman
Replaced with Sir Bani Yas Island		 7:00 AM 5:00 PM
Thursday, January 20, 2022 Dubai, UAE 8:00 AM
Friday, January 21, 2022 Dubai, UAE
Saturday, January 22, 2022 Dubai, UAE

Cabin selection was a simple process and we have bagged a cabin in a location we favour which is midship and somewhere between the upper and lower public decks, close to a staircase.

As with our 3 previous cruises, Covid 19 and the testing regime does add another dimension to the whole process but we have come to the conclusion that it’s going to be the norm for some time to come, it has therefore influenced our decision to try and commence foreign travel again, and by us not taking the plunge, it might mean we could be waiting for ages for things to return to what we consider normal. We have both had Covid and are triple jabbed so we feel as safe as we can be, hopefully, we should be swimming with antibodies by now.

Originally to gain access to Dubai we needed a negative PCR test within 72 hours of flying, but 13 days out, this was reduced to 48 hours and the general advice is to carry the printed certificate of the result with you until you get through immigration in Dubai. We then have some contradictory information, we have been told we also need to fill in a Health Declaration-e-form & Dubai Arrivals Quarantine Procedure Declaration Form from the Dubai authorities. However, we have also been advised to download the Covid19 – DXB Smart App along with the Alhosn App which we have done and registered our details on both of them too. We are not going to take any chances and are covering all bases for this trip and I’d much rather have all the forms and not need them rather than need them and not have them. It is unconfirmed but I have also read recently that since the Omicron variant has become more prevalent, all arrivals from UK to UAE are required to take a PCR test at the airport of which there is no charge.

Along with the above, we need to show evidence of being fully vaccinated (printed again) and then finally to be able to board the ship we need another PCR that has been done within 48 hours of boarding. Because we will be staying at a hotel for 2 nights pre-cruise we will need to find a local company to undertake this test for us. Watch this space to find out how we got on.

The Costa onboard protocol is much the same as the other cruise lines whereby you wear a mask while moving about inside but can take it off in your cabin and while seated in public areas. On the open decks, you are free to take masks off but are requested to put them on in busy locations.

At the time of writing, going ashore in Abu Dhabi does not require any further testing providing you are entering from Dubai which we are. Advice everywhere is always to carry your proof of vaccination with you at all times. There are suggestions we might need to take a PCR onboard ship to be able to get off so will deal with that if and when it occurs.

While in Doha and Muscat, we would only have been able to go ashore exclusively with Costa excursions but both ports were actually removed from the itinerary in the 3-week run-up to departure due to the spread of the Omicron variant. Doha was replaced with an extra day in Abu Dhabi and for Muscat, it was Sir Bani Yas Island. It’s just as well we are only going for a bit of sunshine as we aren’t going to be many miles over the 7 days.

This is our plan but only if the Omicron variant doesn’t put pay to the whole trip.

Up until 5th January, to return back to the UK, we needed a negative test within 48 hours of leaving and for this, a lateral flow was enough provided it is from a government authorised company. So in order to keep it simple and not too expensive, we booked a Randox double package which includes 1 x Lateral Flow (Antigen) test & 1 x day 2 PCR test and costs £64.50 per person. The plan was to take both tests with us and take the PCR immediately on arrival back in the UK, all that then needed to be done was to drop it off at one of their special drop box locations. However, on the 5th January, the UK government then decided to take a U-turn with regards to testing on return to the UK

Under the new rules:

  • From 04:00 GMT on Friday 7 January, people who are fully vaccinated and those aged under-18 will no longer need to take a test two days before travelling to England from countries outside the UK and the Common Travel Area. On arrival, they will have to take a PCR test but they will no longer have to self-isolate while awaiting the result
  • From 04:00 GMT on Sunday 9 January they will only have to take a lateral flow test instead of a PCR test on day two. But this test must be bought from a private test provider – free NHS tests are not allowed

I hope you are keeping up with all this because I have really struggled at times……

Our initial PCR tests have come back negative so we at least have the go-ahead to fly to Dubai. After that, we travel with optimism and our fingers crossed that nothing inconveniences our plans.. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

Regal Princess Postcard #5 – Southampton & Disembarking

 

This morning just before daybreak we glided into Southampton. Unusually and something new for us, we arrived at at different terminal from the one we left from and this morning we are at the Ocean Cruise Terminal. Not sure of the circumstances but it did provide a great photo opportunity of QM2 who docked at the City Terminal.

 

As is our final morning routine, we took breakfast in the Concerto Dining Room which apart from being just that bit early for us was still very enjoyable with excellent service once again. I think our first evening experience should be forgotten and put down to a couple of inexperienced waiters. Our meeting point for disembarking was at 9:00 in the Symphony Dining Room and the transit from ship to shore went smoothly.

 

Despite the inconsistencies with some of the service we received along with the intermittent Medallion App we have enjoyed our time onboard Regal Princess. The last 2 days resurrected any future chance of us cruising with them again at some point.

A big bonus is they now have a vegan menu in the MDR which will certainly be taken into consideration in the future. Who knows, Princess might even take the lead and include a dish or two in one of the speciality restaurants. Now that would be good if anyone from Princess Cruises ever reads this.

So until the next time…….

Regal Princess Postcard #4 – Sea Day 2

We have reached our final day on board Regal Princess and we have received our disembarkation luggage tags so will be off the ship by 9:00 tomorrow morning.

 

It’s been a strange day in as much we have done very little except for walking 21 laps (3 miles) of the exercise track just before some heavy showers arrived. The rest of the afternoon we have just sat and chatted and made the most of our drinks package. We sat within close proximity of the Prego Pizzeria so we were constantly being tempted by a slice or two to compliment our imbibing.

 

 

On this cruise, there has been much talk about the Medallion App and its lack of functionality on this ship. It has worked well on occasions then gone missing for long periods. The crew don’t seem to be using it either, often going back to pen and paper to take orders. If it worked properly on this cruise then it would be amazing. Sadly it hasn’t and it’s only highlighted how poor technology can be when it fails to deliver.

 

Early evening I met up with a Twitter friend Simon Evans who then came with me to say hello to some fellow bloggers Paul and Carole, be sure to check out their website and YouTube channel for some useful and entertaining cruise reviews. (https://paulandcarolelovetotravel.com/)

 

Unfortunately, the time spent with these guys was far too short and I had to make my excuses to leave and get ready for the evening. I thoroughly enjoyed the brief time spent with them and only wish that I had more time at my disposal. Maybe our paths will cross again soon sometime in the future.

 

Tonight’s evening meal was in the Concerto Dining Room and was a vast improvement from our last visit. Service was excellent along with the food and I can only highlight there has been a lack of consistency in this department.

 

With cases needing to be out before 10:00 which we did prior to going to dinner. The Vista Lounge was our destination for our last evening onboard and a final opportunity to enjoy the house band Meridian.

Regal Princess Postcard #3 – Sea Day 1

Today was the first of two sea days before we return to Southampton. After yesterday’s breakfast in the Horizon Court, we decided to use the MDR this morning. Although it was less crowded, we still didn’t receive the experience we were expecting. The crew just didn’t seem to know exactly what they should be doing at times which left us baffled, it was almost like some had never done the job before. 

 

After breakfast, I went back to the cabin for a post-breakfast nap as I didn’t feel like I had slept enough despite the really comfortable beds. It also gave me the chance to write some of the blog for publishing later in the day.  For lunch, we decided to try something different and went for a pizza at Alfredo’s. As it was a sea day, by the time we had gotten around to booking they only had tables from 3:30 onwards. We ended up booking then went up to the pool deck for a few drinks to pass the time.  I have to say, Alfredo’s is quite possibly the best meal we have had so far and staffed by the crew who were on par with what we have come to expect onboard a ship. Even Nicole was able to eat pizza with the vegetarian one modified so that it was vegan.

 

We had our evening meal booked for 7:00 but when we tried to rearrange it for something later were told not possible and to just turn up. So we will try this and if we can’t get in, it’s up to Horizon Court for their curry evening.  I took time out to go and explore the ship some more and because of the strong winds, the open decks were deserted. I love it when the weather is like this, and it makes an amazing backdrop for some of the photographs. It has also given me something photo-wise to post today.

 

 

 

 

I don’t want to grumble too much but we are not finding the Princess product on this cruise a good fit. There are positives but there are more negatives than we would like. Even our inexperienced cruise companions are noticing certain things which to me speaks volumes. I know from previous experience that a ship can feel totally different from one cruise to another having done back to back cruises in the past, so perhaps we have just hooked a poor one for us. There are certainly a lot more older passengers on here than we are used to so maybe that is contributing? Nicole summed it up this morning, saying the ship feels soulless and I have to agree with her.  We are enjoying the company of our friends but seeing their disappointment when certain aspects are not as good as they ought to be is making us feel rather guilty.  Anyway, we have another full day tomorrow and hopefully, things will improve. 

 

 

Regal Princess Postcard #2 – Rotterdam, Netherlands

We thought we would have a welcome extra hour in our very comfortable bed due to the clocks going back early this morning but what we neglected to consider was we would be visiting Rotterdam so we would be adjusting to their time zone too (GMT+1). What we essentially had could be called a time change-time change!!

 

 

We took breakfast this morning in Horizon Court which was super busy, had we not been caught out by the time change, we had planned to go to the dining room. We will be better prepared tomorrow.

We seized the rest of the morning before our arrival at Rotterdam to explore the ship a little so we now have a better idea of the ship layout.

Our stop at Rotterdam today was the first time we have visited a foreign port since November 2019 and it was a great feeling to step onto foreign soil again.

The sail in is fascinating with all the industries dotted along the channel making it a very interesting spectacle. With clearance given and with showers forecast, we set off to take a look at the Cube Houses and then visit Markthal indoor food market.

We stopped for a few drinks before making our way back to the ship in the rain. We have had a great day in Rotterdam and it’s been fantastic to finally see somewhere other than the UK.

Tonight was the first time we have been on board a ship over Halloween and we weren’t quite sure how much Princess would embrace the occasion. The display below of pumpkins showed some very special and clever talent from some of the crew.

 

Regal Princess Postcard #1 – Southampton and Embarkation

We awoke to torrential rain this morning but by the time we left home to drive to Southampton most of the storm had passed over. We had a nice drive down electing to go cross country and not risk any holdups on the motorway. We arrived at the port at 12:45 and joined a queue for the Carnival testing center, actually entering just before 1:00,  we then joined a very long queue along with passengers from Iona who were also embarking today. We were never asked to show our embarkation slot group and I very much suspect people ignored the instruction to only turn up for their window. In the end, we queued for about 2½ hours.

After testing, we made our way to the terminal, dropped the car off and continued the check-in process. A slight delay while we waited for the test results to come through and when they did embarkation through the green channel was pretty swift. Instant access to the cabin with cases arriving soon afterwards

Looking out from our balcony, we noticed that the testing center was now completely deserted so I rest my case about everyone turning up at the same time. 

After meeting up with our travel companions, we all struggled to get to grips with the Medallion App because the WiFi was down and so resorted to the old fashioned way to order drinks.

The delay in getting onboard really made an impact on how the afternoon panned out and if I am honest, it’s not been the greatest of starts for us. When so much is geared around the technology which then doesn’t work properly, it is rather disappointing. However, we muddled on but have not done things in a way that we would normally do on our first day. 

After sailaway, the internet and app suddenly started working again and we made the decision to eat in the Horizon Court buffet instead of the MDR for the first night. It just seemed the most simple option given the circumstances plus we were all very hungry. It was here that the Medallion App started to come into its own, drinks ordered arrived within just a few minutes and our disappointment with it was soon forgotten.  We stayed in the buffet all evening just chatting with our group, catching up with their worlds and occasionally grabbing something to have a nibble on while putting the drinks package through its paces. One thing we were all complaining about was having low battery levels on our phones, so we are going to have to monitor our usage, I do have a portable battery charger but it’s another device I could do without having to carry around.  Tomorrow, we will hopefully get a chance to explore the ship which is something that we normally do on the first day. So far we have seen very little and I am keen to see what it is like, however, we also have Rotterdam to deal with too. 

Regal Princess 4 Night Sampler Cruise Preamble

Back in 2018, we introduced 3 of our friends to the world of cruising, it was a great success and they have always said they would like to do another one and this cruise is the result. I spotted this cruise one weekend and it seemed to fit the bill for another get-together and when I sent out a WhatsApp message, the response was favourable so not long after we all booked.

I last sailed Princess back in 2009 and we came away thinking if maybe the right itinerary came along with a matching price then we would certainly consider them again, but 12 years later on, it never seemed to happen and during that time, Princess has been busy rebuilding their fleet and improving their image. We were impressed with some of the more recent reviews which have been very favourable, so what better than to try a taster to see how they fit after all this time.

Regal Princess is what the cruise line has categorised as a Medallion Class ship and this is because they have developed a whole new system to replace the old cruise card set up and with modern technology, you now have a medallion that is linked to a phone app, and just about everything can be done via the app/medallion. It opens your cabin door, you can use it to make purchases, order drinks, book dining, entertainment and lots more. You can even track your friend’s whereabouts on the ship if they allow that particular function.

Cabin selection was simple, with only 4 nights we decided to get somewhere midship which provided easy access to the main areas. We all have a balcony cabin but suspect the actual balcony won’t get too much use at this time of year.

The itinerary at the time of booking and later confirmed was as listed below, however, this was not the original route as there was a stop in Guernsey which was removed due to the island deciding not to accept any cruise ship visits in 2021 because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The result of which was Princess simply deciding to replace it with just a sea day and not another port.

Date Location Arrival Departure
Saturday, October 30, 2021 Southampton, England 5:00 PM
Sunday, October 31, 2021 Rotterdam, The Netherlands 12:00 PM 10:00 PM
Monday, November 1, 2021 At Sea
Tuesday, November 2, 2021 At Sea
Wednesday, November 3, 2021 Southampton, England 7:00 AM

One of the things that also attracted us to this cruise was for an extra £30 per day you could purchase Princess Plus which will cover you for the following extras.

  • Wi-fi package
  • Premier drinks with a service charge (to a max 15 per day)
  • Premier soda package (minors only)
  • Crew incentive included

At that price, you really cannot go wrong, and it remains to be seen how long it will remain at that price as it does seem to be unbelievable value.

Travelling these days does not come without the complications of Covid-19 testing and on this cruise, a negative Lateral Flow Test was required to board and because it visited a European Port (Rotterdam), another test within 2 days of returning along with a completed Passenger Locator Form for each person. On the 24th of October, the 2-day test was downgraded from a PCR to a Lateral Flow Test in an attempt by the UK government to help cut the cost of returning to the UK. I expected to be able to use the free service but unfortunately, you still need to go down official channels and a list of authorised test providers went live on 22 October with prices starting at £18 and going up to £39. The passenger locator form cannot be completed until you have an official booking reference from one of the companies on the list, and for this cruise, we ended up selecting Boots who had a fee of £21.00.

So if you are reading this, we have had a negative test result prior to boarding and we are all systems go.