Day 1: Embarkation in Southampton

Embarkation in Southampton

We took a National Express Bus, departed Victoria Coach Station 9:30am and arrived Southampton Coach Station 11:45am (£33.50 total for 2 adults/1 teen).

We then took a taxi from Southampton Coach Station to Ocean Cruise Terminal. The fare was around £6 so I gave the driver £10.

We arrived at the terminal around 11:55am and dropped off our luggage at some sort of station outside the terminal. The stations are assigned by deck and there were no porters involved so we didn't have to tip anyone. We finished the check-in process around 12:25pm and were given a yellow card with the number 17 on it. At this time, they were calling group #4.

The two sailings prior to our cruise had a code red (Norovirus outbreak) so it took the crew some time to sanitize the ship after debarkation. I believe that was the reason for the slow embarkation process. Around 2pm (about an hour and a half wait), our group was finally called to board.

Southampton Cruise Terminal viewed from ship

After getting on board, we headed to the buffet for lunch. The good news: code red has been lifted. However, the crew still made everyone wash their hands before entering the buffet. At 4:15pm, we headed to the muster drill.

Cabin

Our cabin: inside stateroom M718 (Marina Deck)

Pros of this stateroom:

• Most convenient to Horizon Court. The cabin is right next to the stairway and walk up one flight of stairs and you're at the entrance to the buffet.
• Very close to the Kids/Teen Center for children and the fitness center. Only two flight of stairs up.
• Easy access to the Concerto dining room using aft elevators.

Cons:

• As in every inside stateroom, there is no outside light. Since this was a port-intensive cruise, we figured we won't be staying much inside the cabin. On the sea days, we spent most of our time at the piazza and at the buffet. The problem with no outside light is that the inside lights turn off when there is no room card inserted on the light switch by the door. So if your cabin mates leave the room and take their key card with them, the lights will turn off after a few minutes and you have to grope in the dark for your own key card and then insert it in the light switch.
• It's a long walk to the anytime dining rooms. You have to use the aft elevators down to deck 7, walk to the piazza, and then take the stairs down to deck 6 or 5. After a long day in port, it makes the buffet a more inviting option for dinner.

Pre-paid Internet

We purchased the pre-paid internet package prior to cruise. The package consists of 100 minutes plus a bonus of 20 minutes for pre-purchasing it. Please be aware that the 20 bonus minutes IS NOT AUTOMATIC. When you create your account, you get the 100 minutes. You need to see the internet manager, show him your pre-paid receipt and then he can add the bonus minutes to your account. This is such a hassle because a) the times we used the internet, the manager was rarely there, and b) when he was there, there was a long line of people waiting for his services. My advice, buy the pre-paid package but be prepared for the hassle of getting the bonus minutes.