Anyone done a Baltic cruise and if so what’s the general opinion re formal evenings? I quite like getting togged up but don’t appreciate it when some fat, scruffy **** is sat on the next table to me in a sweaty vest and shorts when Carmine and family have made the effort.
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We've not done a Princess cruise so this could be totally duff information, but the ones I've been on, formal nights meant formal ie black tie or suit and tie and you couldn't get in the dining room without it. Normal nights I just wore a shirt and some smart trousers. Women seem to be able to get away with owt mind, by claiming that it's a) fashionable, b) classic or c) expensive. There's probably videos on YouTube with walkarounds for your specific ship which give good tips and generally you can see what the vibe is.
I’ve done a couple of cruises, Earn and I find the Brits tend to make more of an effort than other nationalities on formal evenings. With us sailing out of Southampton I’m assuming it’ll be mainly Brits and therefore most of the cruisers will dress accordingly. I’ve got to buy a new Tux due to shifting a few stone but will definitely be making the effort.
Lots of Russians also moved in, so many that advertising billboards were often in Russian. Lots of fancy buildings were literally thrown up, have heard of million pound apartments unable to get insurance, great big slabs of stone facades with no apparent way of being held on (presumably glue) and it a known earthquake area.
If you find yourself short of a train there will be a bus. Just don't go expecting Swiss levels of service, comfort or punctuality. Cheap though.
Did Kotor and Budva on a coach trip from Dubrovnik just the other year, felt very Russian and ex Soviet, Kotor was unspoilt and worth the visit, lots of new building in Budva, poor version of Croatia though.
About 30-35yrs ago some friends and meself when to France for a couple of weeks. As we was driving towards the coast to catch the ferry home, we saw this magical place from miles away. We had a bit of time to spare and decided to take a look. We only got so far up, nowhere near the top before we had to set off again. This is a stunning place place and I can't recommend it highly enough, I just wish we could've got to the top. To see it all would take more than a day but it really is worth taking the time. I give you Mont St Michel. Enjoy.
You wouldn't want to go now Rover. Was there a year ago, it's surrounded by acres of car and coach parks, literally acres. They run a bus service around them to ferry people to the monument. Hideous experience. Like you, I was there 35-odd years ago and found it as stunning as you did. We were the lucky ones.
We're just back from a small ship cruise in the Adriatic. Split to Dubrovnik and back stopping at various small islands en route. Great way to get to see lots of different places without using cars/buses. The ship carried about 30 passengers, it had a bar, dining room and sundeck but no pool, bingo, entertainment or other such cruise-like stuff, just breakfast, lunch then each night in a different port. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
That's a shame, it doesn't deserve that. There was another town we went to and had to leave the cars in a car park before entering the town. It was all medieval stones ac nd the church was stunning, I can never remember it's name. That's probably gone the same way as St Michel.
Some odd criticism here, Mont St Michel has always been traffic free and required you to park off site and either walk or use the bus. It’s hardly a sign of a crumbling society.
It's the volume of traffic now and the infrastructure that's been built to accommodate it that takes away the magic.
